Ready to work!

I’m getting there! I’m close enough with my Kickstarter project to be excited–and nervous–at the same time. If the project is not 100 percent funded, it’s not funded at all. I have 10 more days, until 11:37 a.m. EST on March 3, to meet my funding goal. Pledges aren’t not charged until March 3 because if I don’t meet my goal? It all goes away! As if it never happened! I’m hoping all the other bad luck I’ve had in the past few months was because the universe was saving up all my good luck for the studio.

Meanwhile, I’m working away on my paperwork with the county health department. (This is a “process the paperwork and the studio will happen” mindset. I want to be ready!) For those of you who might find it interesting (anyone?), I’ll explain a little bit about that. There are lists and plans and diagrams for everything. It’s crazy detailed. Questions such as: The amount of cubic space for dry, refrigerated, and frozen storage. Thawing methods. Warewashing methods. A color-coded flow chart for storing utensils! (I don’t make this stuff up.) It’s called a Food Establishment Plan, and is the same paperwork you’d have to fill out if you were opening a restaurant. “Not all sections may be applicable to every establishment.” Whew. Fortunately, there is a very encouraging and friendly county health inspector here who has generously spent much time answering questions and helping me wade through the maze.

There is nothing like my studio on the farm anywhere around here, so approving this sort of establishment (one that is primarily for cooking/baking/cheesemaking workshops and farm agritourism) is new for him, too. From a business standpoint, this is excellent for me–there’s no competition in the area for what I have to offer.

But first I have to make my funding goal! If you can’t make a pledge, you can also help by sharing the project with friends. And remember that you can pledge as little as one dollar–and every dollar adds up! Thank you so much for your support. The project would never have gotten this far on Kickstarter without you!

See me on Kickstarter! Please spread the word!

One replacement part later, my cousin got my furnace back in business. Wonder what will break next around here? ::thunk::