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  Help Save an Old Farmer This Winter

 The Story

Someone suggested that I create an Indiegogo campaign to try and raise some dollars to help Art the Farmer keep going, so I did. And within the first few moments of posting the link on Facebook last evening someone pitched in $100. 

Nice --- thank you, old neighborhood friend from the southwest side of Chicago.

Here in Wisconsin this Winter is our worst in 30 years, and on top of Arthur's usual challenges it takes things to a higher, ultimate level for him. 

His kitchen sink is froze-up top and bottom, so he struggles with bringing water over from the bathroom faucets to the kitchen to work with and cobble a meal together. And it's never very much. 

And the list goes on.

In the meantime there are cows out in the barn to tend to and at this point Arthur says his end is in sight. And while he has been saying that every Winter for a few years now, things just seem enough more critical this year that he might finally be right about it.

Plus, he's all alone since his wife Carole died back in 1999, the year before I met him through the "American Barn Stories" series.

So if anyone wants to help him out with a few dollars, here's the link to the campaign:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/art-the-farmer/x/6259310

Arthur is a smart man and a good farmer and it's shame he doesn't have the help he needs to get his farm back on its feet. Having no children or family nearby to help out, he's been treading water for quite a while now as he wages the battle for survival, but anyone can do that for only so long. The rock he's been pushing uphill in recent years only grows larger as his strengths to keep pushing it grow weaker.

Sum-up

I'll pass word along on how things go for him. We talked last night and he did sound much better than our last conversation on Friday night, which  featured a full blown meltdown from him. That phone call inspired me to do a bit of outreach on his behalf, so here you go.

And I guess I have to admit that a certain amount of this is self-centered as I really enjoy running up the thirty two miles to his place to help him bale hay in the Summer and I don't want to see that go away just yet -- I guess it's the 'city boy in the country' thing for me. Remember, I'm an undertaker's boy from the southwest side of Chicago. 

Art has some good years left in him but some things are going to have to change for him to keep going and, like any of us, that's the hard part for him to accept. I've started that conversation with him, but it will take quite a while for anything to happen.

In the meantime, first things first, let's try to help him get through this Winter.

Thanks for any help with it -- more later -- Tom.