“If dreams were lightning and thunder was desire, this old barn woulda burned down a long time ago” … John Prine
New Years Day. 2021.
Sleep. Decompress. Walk. Repeat.
We haven’t taken a day off since March. Seriously.
Sleep. Decompress. Walk. Repeat.
Harder than it sounds. Tomorrow is a big day. The forecast says we can expect snow all night which means Saturday starts extra early. And tomorrow is a big day. Thank you for this.
Tomorrow I get to go to work.
Small businesses are shuttering at an unbelievable rate. Restaurants in particular have been devastated.
I get to go to work tomorrow. A whole bunch of other really talented, hard working restaurant people don’t have that opportunity. We did 39% of the business this past NYE as we did a year prior. We are the fortunate ones and I am the lucky guy. I get to go to work tomorrow. In a barn that I love. With people that inspire me. Serving a product we believe in to people who believe in us.
I get to go to work tomorrow. And smell fresh bread when I come in from moving snow.
What a year it was. Humbling, heartbreaking, frustrating and a whole mess of other descriptors. Among the tragedies, the losses and the disappointments that filled the year 2020 we’ve also been reminded of the unbelievable support we receive. Our accountant’s office, our bank, our vendors. The extraordinary efforts, great ideas, flexibility..it’s all still staggering. The network of people that we’ve been fortunate enough to work with for decades… it’s the best.
I get to go to work tomorrow.
I get to stop at Smith’s farm on the way for some sausage. We’ve leaned on the seemingly unbreakable backs of the farmers more than ever this year. Smith, Anderson, Curtiss, Rockwood…synonyms for strength and compassion.
I get to go to work tomorrow.
In a neighborhood where friends like Dave, Chris,Dan, Nancy, Owen and Tommy show up to help with things I haven’t even realized I need yet. I get to go to work in an old barn home to cast of characters more diverse, more loyal and more supportive than Sam’s crew at Cheers.
I get to go to work tomorrow in an old barn James Cavert built, Don Staber curated and Jack Fragomeni filled with song.
I get to go to work tomorrow and I get the opportunity to provide a ‘need’. See, for 43 years we sold the idea of ‘want’. That’s what restaurants really do. People want to go out for a meal. They want the relaxing atmosphere, the attentive service the pampering. We sell ‘want’. In our 44th year I realized there is so much more we can offer. We can fill a little void in what people ‘need’.
Tomorrow I get to go to work. I have the opportunity to create what our patrons ‘want’ again. I also get to send a few meals out the back door with Lucy, or with my mom to deliver to people who have ‘need’. And it feels really good. To help provide for a need in a community. My gratitude is to those who have helped us with this. I’ve never felt better about what we do here or what the future looks like.
We’re still here. We’re digging in deeper. And we’re not going anywhere.
I get to go to work tomorrow. Thank you for the opportunity. Thanks for standing in line to get your dinners in a takeout bag. Thanks for your understanding when we packed something inaccurately. Thanks for stopping in for a beer and a story. Thanks for playing a song on my piano. Thanks for buying an extra quart of soup at Village Home & Garden. Thanks for being so generous to our servers. Thanks for driving all the way from Massachusetts with a toy for Tugg. Thanks for checking on my little girl, the NYC nurse. Thanks for supporting our local farmers and merchants. Thanks for asking if we’re ok.
Thanks for every bit of it.
I get to go to work tomorrow.
“Remembering the coming back and not crying about the leaving..
This old barn is just a long time of waiting and forgetting . . .
And remembering the falling down
And the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those sons o bitches
Who said we’d never get back up”…Lyle Lovett
Thanks for stopping by…