Say What??

My husband Tom has the type of personality that really inspires people and, in the case of our staff, they often try to emulate him. 

Our head gardener, Peter, who also serves as a type of right hand man for Tom , is very typical of this. He tries to copy Tom's movements and words, feeling that if it works for Tom it will surely work for him. 

One example of this was when Tom would complain that those who work for us part-time would often try to drag a job out hoping to get more money since we pay by the day Tom would say that they were 'milking the job'. Peter didn't really know what this meant but now if he feels someone is trying to take advantage of us he will tell Tom, "That person is just 'milking us'!"

Another of Tom's sayings is when having to negotiate for a job done for us--negotiation being a daily part of our life here whether it is buying a tomato from the market or trying to get a brick wall built--he will ask "What's the damage?" Tom could hardly control his mirth the other day when Peter approached one of the many contractors and asked, "What's the broken?"

These are some of the things keep us smiling when times get rough.