Well, my fellow Barclidians (if that's what we're called)...It's that time of the year again.....yay..... Sorry if I don't sound as enthusiastic as you probably are, but let's face it, it's been one hell of a year.
No, I'm not gonna start whining & moaning about how 2020 was the year from Hell, and the sooner we put it to rest, the better....Yes, it's been a challenging year, but DEFINITELY an improvement over last year. For all that's been going on, at least this year, nobody died, nobody got any kind of grim medical prognosis, my kid didn't need surgery, my wife's been relatively OK....not the perfect year, by any stretch of the imagination, but most def a step in the right direction from last year....
Speaking of the "challenges" this year, of the two biggest, one has been put to bed...Those of you who know me & have been in contact with me, know that I'm saddled with trying to settle out my father's estate. Well, while not done, the biggest albatross is finally off my neck. A few weeks ago, we finally closed on his house, so I no longer have that to deal with. It sold much faster than we anticipated, which meant that I had to more or less put my business on the back burner, so I could clear out 55+ years of stuff out. That's finally done & over with, so now I'm back in the shop, trying to catch up on everything that's been in suspended animation for almost a month & a half.
Back in the shop.....alone...... I usually have a couple of part timers here helping me, taking care of light office work, packing orders, etc, which frees me up to do what I enjoy doing the most...the production end. Unfortunately, as you probably saw in the news (or are going through now, yourselves) due to the Co-Vid mandates here in NY, I've been flying solo for the past few months. So, I have no new products for this winter season, as I couldn't find the time to do the mold making.
Hopefully, this Co-Vid thing passes, but not to be the "Gloomy Gus", from what I've been seeing, I think we're gonna get walloped again when things get colder. I've been talking to some of my contacts in Germany, and they're on lockdown again, as is Italy, and from what I've heard, Great Britain will probably be next. There's already been a few cases popping up in our school district, thankfully, my son is on full remote learning. Hopefully, I'm wrong, but let's all try to keep our priorities in order & keep playing it safe!
So, I guess this whole thing was just another long winded way to answer the most common questions I've been getting:
- Yes, We are open
- Yes, We are taking orders again
- Yes, I realize there are many of you who have been waiting patiently, trust me, you haven't been forgotten & I am working on it
- Yes, I realize I'm a difficult person to get a hold of, the phone & the workshop are in two different places, and even if there was a phone in the shop, I probably wouldn't hear it anyway
Well, enough of this, just wanted to touch base & let you know we're alive & well. TIme for me to get back to the "rock pile" and pack up some of your orders! Stay Well!