Farmer Steve and Farmer Dave

When the Broadway Oyster Bar suddenly closed on December 31^st of 1990 my roommate Steve and I were broke. I tended bar at several places and Steve did a lot of house painting. By the time spring came around we were willing to do anything to pay rent.

Rib Tip’s wife Sue began farming their land in Clover Bottom MO. All of her vegetables were grown organically. She was a few years ahead of her time.

We had nothing else going at the time when Sue made a proposition. She’d hire us for $5.00 an hour, meals, and all the alcohol we could drink. This last item made it one of the best paying jobs I’ve ever had.

I’ve never worked so damn hard in my life! Just using a hoe will give you blisters you wouldn’t believe. We spent hours on our knees planting marigolds to fend off pests. It seems like I shoveled manure for days. I remember standing on a hill of shit and saying to Steve, “Oops, stepped in it.” By the end of the day we were almost too exhausted to drink. We did though.

One of the nice things about their property is their pond. We started and ended every day with a swim. This is the pond we jumped into on January 1^st.