What it takes to run a Cookie Business from Home



Oatmeal Raisin Cransin

 Running a business has it's highs and lows like any job, but there are these little details that have to be taken care of when you have your own business.  Rules and regulations that you have to follow in each state.
I live in Stetson, Maine.  A small town in the middle of nowhere.  The property I live on used to be a cow farm so the land is well fertilized for any kind of garden, but it isn't good for the well if a so called vien crosses path with the well.  Causing very minor issues, but enough to get my water sample denied.  The only solution is to add bleach directly into the well.  Which I did last year and was suppose to be good for several years.  Not so.  So I had to do it again this year, but I had to wait until the temperatures were above freezing.  So I tried to take the well cap off and the bolt heads broke off.  I am not a handyman, but I am pretty capable of doing some handy work.  I called the local hardware store to see what I could do to get this cap off, and they suggested a screw extractor.  Sounded good.  I got it and went right to work to get the bolts out.  It wasn't working.  Prior to working on getting out the bolt I had sprayed some WD-40.  I guess that may have loosen the cap enough that I gently hammered the cap off.  Right now there is a bucket and concrete block on top of the well.  I don't want any unexpected visitors, if you know what I mean.  So now the cap is off and Saturday night we stocked up on water and then added the bleach into the well.  Sunday morning I started up the garden hose to get the bleach flowing through the system and flushing out of the well.  So I figured to move things along faster I would really do a deep cleaning on the kitchen and get it ready for baking in May for Markets. So I rearrange things, organized the pantry, organized my business supplies, cleaning containers, counters, stove, and so much more.  I'm exhausted!  Every hour or so I would smell the water coming from the garden hose outside and the water from the kitchen sink.  It gets a little annoying sniffing the water and smelling the bleach.  After awhile your not sure if you smell it anymore or not.  After 7 hours and gallons upon gallons of water I got 99% of the bleach out of the well.  It will take an additional day or 2 to completely get all the bleach out and then I can take a water sample to the water lab and pray everything is good.
Live and learn, trial and error.  It is all a learning curve.  I hope I don't have to do this every year, because I dislike wasting all that water, but I have to do what I have to do to run my business.  I will also to my water testing in October when it is closer to renewing my license and the temperature are still above freezing.