“Let’s go for a drive, and see if Cedar’s out.”
– Dick Heston (1933 – 2002)
Even almost eleven years later, I still reach for the phone. Friday will mark the 11th anniversary of his passing, and with tons of turmoil in the industry I serve, I am reminded of yet another business lesson I learned from my father, the farmer.
“Let’s see if Cedar’s out,” refers to Cedar Creek, the major waterway that dissects our farm back home. Ironically, Cedarburg, WI is named for Cedar Creek, which dissects the village we called home until our recent move to Texas, not far from Cedar Park and surrounded by Cedar trees.
Dad believed in just “taking a look” at the situation on the farm. No matter how many times he’d faced the floods, the bugs, the heat, the drought, there was value in seeing, with his own eyes, what was going on. I recall how he could tell, by looking at a point along Cedar Creek 7 miles upstream, just when the water would recede on our crop ground.
I learned more on the farm that I use today than I ever dreamed, thanks to a father’s way.
Facing some hard calls in the day-to-day, Dad; I miss you, bud, and thanks for everything.
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