We're now in the fourth day without the older children. They're all away at the worldview camp they go to every year, though this is the first time they are all away together. Nothing makes us happier that they are together. They all love it so much, too, and have mentioned already how it makes it so much better to be there at the same time.
Meanwhile, I'm cooking less, cleaning less, doing less laundry, less driving.....less everything! Those older ones demand a lot more than I realized!
And, while I'm on the topic of doing all sorts of work for my older kids, why is no one giving me an award for all the driving I did this summer?!!! Why? I ask you! This past Saturday marked the last day of all my driving to MarineLand. I honestly don't know how I did it except that I was being prayed for all the time. But I have to say, I really ended up loving it. My oldest son is by far one of the funniest people I know, so we had such a great time each day, laughing all the time. I'm sure I gained weight, too, because in addition to the gas he contributed each week, I made him take me out for coffee each time I picked him up. "Give me your money," I would snidely say and he would hand it over knowing he had NO choice. Ha ha ha. That's a great feeling when you have rich kids, spending their money. Loved that.
We marveled on that last drive in and back at what a wonderful summer it had been and how we had been so protected the whole summer. Not one accident. Not one delay. Going into Niagara in the summer is typically a nightmare. If you go too late in the day you will inevitably hit hours of traffic, but we didn't. His shift always started at just the right time to miss it all. I was also in awe of the fact I was kept safe and that the car didn't have a single issue for all the driving I did. Not to mention that we were somehow able to fill up the gas tank time and time again.
It also seemed to help the kids who were left at home to rise up and do more than usual. For the first few days of all the driving I would come back and nothing had been done. I would feel so frustrated. I thought to myself, I better make a list, something they can see so they'll know, not just guess, what they should be doing while I'm gone. So that's what I did. Each morning I would write a monster list of all that should be done such as laundry, dishes, feeding kids/animals, vacuuming, etc. To my amazement, it was usually all done by the time I came home. They had to become responsible kids and they did it!
To top it all off, my son got his performance review and he did great. They'll gladly hire him next summer where he hopes to work with the dolphins - yet another dream job.
RM and I had set some goals for the summer - pretty basic ones - get the puppies sold and clean up the farm by selling some of the broken down vehicles like our van, and get rid of the final bull. The bull was caught and slaughtered a couple of weeks ago. I now have, no joke, 500 lbs of beef in my freezer - 10 huge boxes of beef. That should last me a good long while. Meanwhile the other goals were accomplished last weekend in one fell swoop.
We had listed our old 12 passenger van for a very low price because it wasn't working. Who would buy it, we wondered. Amazingly, some guy who runs his own mechanics shop offered us a decent price - sold, just like that. A tow truck came in and picked it up.
While we were waiting for the tow truck to come, an older couple came to look at the final two puppies. They immediately picked one. While they were picking their puppy, an e-transfer came through for the last puppy! That was when the tow truck came and took the van....all within minutes of each other. Talk about accomplishing the goals in a short time frame. When things like that happen, it feels like God is smiling down on us. Those had been huge prayer requests for us. We were in awe. Now we just have half a million kittens to list.....
I'm sitting here with what feels like a Florida summer breeze off the ocean. It has been the hottest summer ever and we had no air conditioning, but I can honestly say I didn't need it once. I loved the heat so much. We had a constant breeze. I think a lot of people wondered how we did it, but we were thinking, "How did people use air conditioning?" If we went somewhere that had air my kids would say, "It's so cold in here!" I always feel healthier without the air, so I'm so grateful for where we live. I read we're going to have a very cold winter....I won't think about that just yet......I'm hanging on to the warm breezes for a little while longer.......
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Wednesday, 22 August 2018
Weeds, Camp, Health and Homeschool
I have sore muscles. I'm probably the only person out there who has sore muscles because I'm weeding 6000 plants. Last week, not quite single handedly, my kids and I weeded nearly 3 acres of vines. This week the remaining 2 acres are left to go. Most people hire this kind of thing out, but not us. No. I'm the hired help.
There is something satisfying though about the whole thing. Even my kids don't mind so much. You see the plant covered in weeds and then with a little hoeing the plant is uncovered and it looks up at you and almost seems to thank you for clearing away a path for the roots that had been blocking its way to water. The rows seem to come alive.
I was given multiple options for the kids last week. All sorts of day camps and even evening youth camps, but we just couldn't swing it and get the vineyard weeded as well. Yet no one complained. The only thing I can think of is that we replaced it with meaningful work. Work, yes. No one seems to love work just for the sake of work, but if it is work with a purpose it seems to be more embraced.
The kids know this vineyard is not just for mom and dad. It is their vineyard, too. They know if they help keep it alive, they will benefit one day, too. They seem to have grasped this concept and are willing to contribute, especially the older ones. The 6 and 8 year old get in there, but not perhaps with the same vigor.
But there are blips in the road of course. I went in for what I thought was a routine checkup and now have a D & C ahead of me. Having never even had a cavity and now facing the word "surgery", I'm not particularly happy about this turn of events. But the doctor is erring on the side of safety due to my sister's run-in with cancer awhile ago. From what I've heard it is a straightforward a procedure and I'll be home within hours not noticing a thing. The results of the D & C could be another matter, but that's out of my hands for now. Why borrow worry from tomorrow?
This week my oldest is a leader at the worldview camp she starting attending 4 years ago. Her siblings will all follow suit next week. It has such an impact on her so long ago, I'm excited to see the impact on the other ones now. What I love so much is that her first day there she kept looking for her siblings! She knew they weren't coming until the following week, but she's just so used to seeing them all the time and being with them all the time that she really missed them! That made my heart sing.
These next two weeks will see me up early making schedules and chore packs for the younger ones for September. That is a dangerous thing to do as I did that last year and it was nearly impossible for me to follow through with all the driving I did this past year. However, I will do it again, pretending that life will be "normal" (whatever that is around here). Even if I don't achieve all that I write down, I do it anyway so that there is some kind of goal!
I will go in with my eyes more wide open this year. I think last year I went in thinking if I didn't achieve all that was on my list, I was a failure. This haunted me throughout the year and made me want to send them all away to someone else's homeschool where more work was getting done. I had to give myself many a pep talk that our life was school even if I wasn't getting all the academics done that I had hoped for. The kids were taking in all that was happening and we did more school in some ways than I had done in all my previous years of homeschooling. So every year is different. I just love being with my kids no matter what happens. It is so fun to watch them grow up.
I've become a "suburban mom" again. The kids love splash pads (I don't know why) and so because we don't have a pool I head over to the one in town a couple times a week. It is my goal every time to talk with another mom. I've used the kittens and puppies lately to start conversations, "Do you want kittens? We have lots? No? What about puppies? No? Ah, too bad...." and then we start talking about why I have so many animals to sell or give away. Super funny. They usually find out I have 8 kids, homeschool, live on a farm.....that's when the shaking heads start, but I love it. It leads to really interesting conversations.
Now the week is at the half-way point. I started writing this two days ago and got interrupted. It is funny how time flies. We did get some weeding done, but then the rain hit so that just helps the weeds grow! It's ok. It'll get done. Coffee's done......time to enjoy my giant mug of the day.....
There is something satisfying though about the whole thing. Even my kids don't mind so much. You see the plant covered in weeds and then with a little hoeing the plant is uncovered and it looks up at you and almost seems to thank you for clearing away a path for the roots that had been blocking its way to water. The rows seem to come alive.
I was given multiple options for the kids last week. All sorts of day camps and even evening youth camps, but we just couldn't swing it and get the vineyard weeded as well. Yet no one complained. The only thing I can think of is that we replaced it with meaningful work. Work, yes. No one seems to love work just for the sake of work, but if it is work with a purpose it seems to be more embraced.
The kids know this vineyard is not just for mom and dad. It is their vineyard, too. They know if they help keep it alive, they will benefit one day, too. They seem to have grasped this concept and are willing to contribute, especially the older ones. The 6 and 8 year old get in there, but not perhaps with the same vigor.
But there are blips in the road of course. I went in for what I thought was a routine checkup and now have a D & C ahead of me. Having never even had a cavity and now facing the word "surgery", I'm not particularly happy about this turn of events. But the doctor is erring on the side of safety due to my sister's run-in with cancer awhile ago. From what I've heard it is a straightforward a procedure and I'll be home within hours not noticing a thing. The results of the D & C could be another matter, but that's out of my hands for now. Why borrow worry from tomorrow?
This week my oldest is a leader at the worldview camp she starting attending 4 years ago. Her siblings will all follow suit next week. It has such an impact on her so long ago, I'm excited to see the impact on the other ones now. What I love so much is that her first day there she kept looking for her siblings! She knew they weren't coming until the following week, but she's just so used to seeing them all the time and being with them all the time that she really missed them! That made my heart sing.
These next two weeks will see me up early making schedules and chore packs for the younger ones for September. That is a dangerous thing to do as I did that last year and it was nearly impossible for me to follow through with all the driving I did this past year. However, I will do it again, pretending that life will be "normal" (whatever that is around here). Even if I don't achieve all that I write down, I do it anyway so that there is some kind of goal!
I will go in with my eyes more wide open this year. I think last year I went in thinking if I didn't achieve all that was on my list, I was a failure. This haunted me throughout the year and made me want to send them all away to someone else's homeschool where more work was getting done. I had to give myself many a pep talk that our life was school even if I wasn't getting all the academics done that I had hoped for. The kids were taking in all that was happening and we did more school in some ways than I had done in all my previous years of homeschooling. So every year is different. I just love being with my kids no matter what happens. It is so fun to watch them grow up.
I've become a "suburban mom" again. The kids love splash pads (I don't know why) and so because we don't have a pool I head over to the one in town a couple times a week. It is my goal every time to talk with another mom. I've used the kittens and puppies lately to start conversations, "Do you want kittens? We have lots? No? What about puppies? No? Ah, too bad...." and then we start talking about why I have so many animals to sell or give away. Super funny. They usually find out I have 8 kids, homeschool, live on a farm.....that's when the shaking heads start, but I love it. It leads to really interesting conversations.
Now the week is at the half-way point. I started writing this two days ago and got interrupted. It is funny how time flies. We did get some weeding done, but then the rain hit so that just helps the weeds grow! It's ok. It'll get done. Coffee's done......time to enjoy my giant mug of the day.....
Tuesday, 14 August 2018
People Mean More
The reunion has now come and gone. What a week it was. The big questions are, "Did everything on my list get done?" "Did I win?" The short answers are "no" and "no". Technically my "miracle" I was hoping for didn't happen, however, many more miracles did happen - inside me.
I think I had actually pictured a truck from a TV show showing up with 200 tradespeople, all at the ready, determined to finish everything that needed to be done in less than a week. Uh, that wasn't going to happen, but I was a dreamer. But then that meant I was basically expecting the same of my husband, the work of 200 tradespeople.
Soon after I wrote my mega-list of things I had hoped we could do, I then never looked at it again. I committed it to the Lord knowing if He wanted those things done, they would get done and if not, they weren't that important. That immediately released me of stress and anxiety.
I also had resolved myself to try to do whatever was on his list, no matter how strange or seemingly unimportant. Turns out most of what he wanted done was only stuff he could do, like move machines out of the way, hang up lights, etc., so that meant I was free to work on things indoors and around the house tidying. Whenever I started pushing him or wanted to remind him of what needed to be done, I tried to rein my tongue in. Even my son said to me, "He knows what needs to be done." So I simply surrendered over and over what I wanted to see accomplished and really just tried to enjoy the week that he was around and actually enjoy my life and kids. The phrase that kept coming into my head was "the tyranny of the urgent". That is a phrase from Ann Voskamp describing how we can get ourselves in such a tizzy over what seems "urgent" and then it becomes the "tyranny of the urgent". I've done that before and I didn't want to do it again.
I think my turning point was night one of the reunion. It was just a "meet and greet" as everyone was flying in that night from all over the country. I didn't have to go, but being the ever social being that I am, I wanted to go. That always amazes RM. He had an "out" - my son needed to be picked up from work, so he "sacrificed" and stayed back. I was sooooo glad I went.
Within a few minutes of being there I was put on "driver duty" and was asked to go pick up some of RM's aunts, uncles and cousins who hadn't rented cars and needed to be picked up at a restaurant. RM's 92 year old aunt sat in the front seat with me and those were the most precious few minutes that changed everything for me. She is the spunkiest, most alert, young-looking lady. I can only hope I look and act like she does when I am 92! She asked about all my kids (remembered them!) and wanted to know all that we were up to. I loved being with her. But, it occurred to me, even though she is healthy and doing well today, you don't know if she'll be gone tomorrow.
I left having chatted with all of his cousins, aunts and uncles and went home with a sense of urgency. RM hadn't really planned on being at every event. He was happy to host the one on Saturday at our house, but the rest of the time he hadn't scheduled into his week. I convinced him he had to take time away from all the prep that was left to do and put it aside in the name of being with his 92 year old aunt and his 88 year old uncle. He gladly came the next day and soaked up the time with them. The house could wait. All the preparations could be put on hold. Everything was suddenly put into perspective. Relationships matter. People matter. 92 year old aunts matter. Stuff does not matter. I was so glad he came. And he ended up going to every single event that they offered that weekend!
There is a spiritual heritage in their family and I learned more about it from his 92 year old aunt. She had gotten baptized by the local pastor against her husband's wishes. He was so mad he locked her out of the house! I think he eventually came around, but she sounded like a brave woman. She had 12 children, 10 of whom lived. Each morning she would do her chores and then she would come in, make her coffee and go into the "good" room that was meant just for special occasions. There she would read and pray for an hour. Sounds kind of like Susanna Wesley! She was NOT to be disturbed. "That was where she found her strength," his aunt told me. She also remembered sitting around her mother's feet where she read them Bible stories each day. These are all the things I needed to hear. The godly heritage has been passed down unknowingly even into my children. His aunt continued, "I don't know why I've been given more time. Perhaps it is just to pray." "Yes!" I told her. "That's exactly why!"
Meanwhile his 88 year old uncle was looking for my husband. I wasn't sure why he would want to talk with him, but then he reminded me that RM had helped build houses with him when they were both younger. He wanted to talk to him about that. That's when it occurred to me - I was standing by an uncle that had built into my husband's life and had helped make him the man he is today. He had learned so many skills because of the willingness of these older uncles to allow him to work with them. RM ended up building his parents' house, their cottage, and also worked on his uncle's houses. Those construction skills allowed him to build a house for us and multiple projects over the years. I thanked him so much for being such a great uncle. He was shocked and had no idea the impact he had had on his nephew's life. Another great moment in the weekend.
There were easily over 70 people to spend time with all weekend. My kids kept looking around and saying, "So we're related to EVERYONE here??" "Yup. They are ALL your cousins, aunts and uncles." They couldn't believe it and had the best time making new friends and relationships with everyone.
The day of our event was a pig roast. People were supposed to arrive around 4:30. Right up until the minute before people came we were still doing last minute stuff. We probably spent way more than we should have as we purchased beautiful "Edison" lights for the front of the house, hung between trees, and tiki torches lining the driveway and around the edge of the property, not to mention a boatload of fireworks, but it looked so beautiful and the when the sun went down and everything was lit up, I can only say it looked "magical". My husband and I walked around and just felt so happy all night as we saw everyone enjoying themselves. It was really wonderful. I was sad when everyone left and it was all over. It was just such a nice time. I would really be quite happy to do something like that every weekend!
I still have a list of things we need to finish in our house and perhaps one day they will get done or perhaps not! But I'm so glad we didn't sacrifice the relationships with all his family for the sake of a "perfect" house. I'm so glad we figured out that people mean more than "stuff".
I think I had actually pictured a truck from a TV show showing up with 200 tradespeople, all at the ready, determined to finish everything that needed to be done in less than a week. Uh, that wasn't going to happen, but I was a dreamer. But then that meant I was basically expecting the same of my husband, the work of 200 tradespeople.
Soon after I wrote my mega-list of things I had hoped we could do, I then never looked at it again. I committed it to the Lord knowing if He wanted those things done, they would get done and if not, they weren't that important. That immediately released me of stress and anxiety.
I also had resolved myself to try to do whatever was on his list, no matter how strange or seemingly unimportant. Turns out most of what he wanted done was only stuff he could do, like move machines out of the way, hang up lights, etc., so that meant I was free to work on things indoors and around the house tidying. Whenever I started pushing him or wanted to remind him of what needed to be done, I tried to rein my tongue in. Even my son said to me, "He knows what needs to be done." So I simply surrendered over and over what I wanted to see accomplished and really just tried to enjoy the week that he was around and actually enjoy my life and kids. The phrase that kept coming into my head was "the tyranny of the urgent". That is a phrase from Ann Voskamp describing how we can get ourselves in such a tizzy over what seems "urgent" and then it becomes the "tyranny of the urgent". I've done that before and I didn't want to do it again.
I think my turning point was night one of the reunion. It was just a "meet and greet" as everyone was flying in that night from all over the country. I didn't have to go, but being the ever social being that I am, I wanted to go. That always amazes RM. He had an "out" - my son needed to be picked up from work, so he "sacrificed" and stayed back. I was sooooo glad I went.
Within a few minutes of being there I was put on "driver duty" and was asked to go pick up some of RM's aunts, uncles and cousins who hadn't rented cars and needed to be picked up at a restaurant. RM's 92 year old aunt sat in the front seat with me and those were the most precious few minutes that changed everything for me. She is the spunkiest, most alert, young-looking lady. I can only hope I look and act like she does when I am 92! She asked about all my kids (remembered them!) and wanted to know all that we were up to. I loved being with her. But, it occurred to me, even though she is healthy and doing well today, you don't know if she'll be gone tomorrow.
I left having chatted with all of his cousins, aunts and uncles and went home with a sense of urgency. RM hadn't really planned on being at every event. He was happy to host the one on Saturday at our house, but the rest of the time he hadn't scheduled into his week. I convinced him he had to take time away from all the prep that was left to do and put it aside in the name of being with his 92 year old aunt and his 88 year old uncle. He gladly came the next day and soaked up the time with them. The house could wait. All the preparations could be put on hold. Everything was suddenly put into perspective. Relationships matter. People matter. 92 year old aunts matter. Stuff does not matter. I was so glad he came. And he ended up going to every single event that they offered that weekend!
There is a spiritual heritage in their family and I learned more about it from his 92 year old aunt. She had gotten baptized by the local pastor against her husband's wishes. He was so mad he locked her out of the house! I think he eventually came around, but she sounded like a brave woman. She had 12 children, 10 of whom lived. Each morning she would do her chores and then she would come in, make her coffee and go into the "good" room that was meant just for special occasions. There she would read and pray for an hour. Sounds kind of like Susanna Wesley! She was NOT to be disturbed. "That was where she found her strength," his aunt told me. She also remembered sitting around her mother's feet where she read them Bible stories each day. These are all the things I needed to hear. The godly heritage has been passed down unknowingly even into my children. His aunt continued, "I don't know why I've been given more time. Perhaps it is just to pray." "Yes!" I told her. "That's exactly why!"
Meanwhile his 88 year old uncle was looking for my husband. I wasn't sure why he would want to talk with him, but then he reminded me that RM had helped build houses with him when they were both younger. He wanted to talk to him about that. That's when it occurred to me - I was standing by an uncle that had built into my husband's life and had helped make him the man he is today. He had learned so many skills because of the willingness of these older uncles to allow him to work with them. RM ended up building his parents' house, their cottage, and also worked on his uncle's houses. Those construction skills allowed him to build a house for us and multiple projects over the years. I thanked him so much for being such a great uncle. He was shocked and had no idea the impact he had had on his nephew's life. Another great moment in the weekend.
There were easily over 70 people to spend time with all weekend. My kids kept looking around and saying, "So we're related to EVERYONE here??" "Yup. They are ALL your cousins, aunts and uncles." They couldn't believe it and had the best time making new friends and relationships with everyone.
The day of our event was a pig roast. People were supposed to arrive around 4:30. Right up until the minute before people came we were still doing last minute stuff. We probably spent way more than we should have as we purchased beautiful "Edison" lights for the front of the house, hung between trees, and tiki torches lining the driveway and around the edge of the property, not to mention a boatload of fireworks, but it looked so beautiful and the when the sun went down and everything was lit up, I can only say it looked "magical". My husband and I walked around and just felt so happy all night as we saw everyone enjoying themselves. It was really wonderful. I was sad when everyone left and it was all over. It was just such a nice time. I would really be quite happy to do something like that every weekend!
I still have a list of things we need to finish in our house and perhaps one day they will get done or perhaps not! But I'm so glad we didn't sacrifice the relationships with all his family for the sake of a "perfect" house. I'm so glad we figured out that people mean more than "stuff".
Friday, 3 August 2018
The List Experiment
I'm doing a little experiment. I'm not very good about being selfless. I'm much better at worrying about me. So, for a change, even though I wrote my list and I even emailed it to him, I'm going to work on his list instead. This is my attempt at being less selfish.
His list is very strange. He wants us (the kids and me) to do things like pluck weeds in front of the garage. Why? No one is even going to notice that! I don't notice it! But he wants to put down more gravel, tidy up the driveway space and make more distinct edges. I actually get it a little, but it just isn't a priority for me. Isn't that what weed killer is for? Nope, guess not.
So he showed me how to do it with a huge tool that looks something like a pick ax. I have to use this to break up the root system which is deeply embedded in the gravel already and then once the roots are up, grab each plant or piece of sod and throw it in the wheel barrow. This is no easy job. My abs are feeling it today. The kids stuck it out for a few minutes, but then I was pretty much on my own. But, I have to say, it does look better! I was still going at it when my husband came home from picking up my son at 9:30 pm. I wasn't really do it for show at that point, but I think he appreciated me more! Ha! Maybe I'll have it done sooner than I thought....so that's my first attempt on his list.
Today is Day 2. The first words out of my mouth this morning were, "Do you want me to take the dog to the airport for you?" I didn't mean to say it, it just kind of came out. We are shipping the second dog of the litter to the airport to go across Canada to the east coast. This is no big deal, except I'm going to a new part of the airport just for cargo. I am comfortable with all things I have always done, not new things. I just found this out about myself recently. It creates a feeling of stress in me. He knows this so he doesn't normally make me do those things anymore, but lately, I've discovered it is another sign of selfishness in me. "Oh! It's new! I can't do it! I'm scared" said in wimpy me voice. So he takes time out of his day (which he never has enough of) and ends up going and doing all these things for me that are considered "hard" for me. Well, no more. Lately, I've been doing so many new things, I can't stand it! But, I know it's good for me. I can't be a wimp anymore. Each time I do the new thing, I realize I was afraid of nothing all along. So it's been a good lesson for me and my kids.
So, off I go to the airport today instead of him. It'll save him 3 or more hours in his day and it'll be nothing for me. I will pluck weeds that to me don't seem important, but they are to him.
Finally, I had put on my list that I wanted him to fix my cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom that had fallen off due to so much water damage. Nope. He couldn't and wouldn't. It was too big a fix and required more of an effort than he could give. He wants to focus on the big things, not the little ones. They'll "twenty minute" his time off to death. Then it occurred to me. I'll make fabric curtains to cover everything up. Perfect. So I googled it, youtubed it, pinterested it and saw tons of ideas. So I'm off to FabricLand and I'm going to be a capable woman/fixer upper doing that today, too!
I wonder what will be next on my list of things to do! I'll probably be fixing cars next....I bet I could do it now.
His list is very strange. He wants us (the kids and me) to do things like pluck weeds in front of the garage. Why? No one is even going to notice that! I don't notice it! But he wants to put down more gravel, tidy up the driveway space and make more distinct edges. I actually get it a little, but it just isn't a priority for me. Isn't that what weed killer is for? Nope, guess not.
So he showed me how to do it with a huge tool that looks something like a pick ax. I have to use this to break up the root system which is deeply embedded in the gravel already and then once the roots are up, grab each plant or piece of sod and throw it in the wheel barrow. This is no easy job. My abs are feeling it today. The kids stuck it out for a few minutes, but then I was pretty much on my own. But, I have to say, it does look better! I was still going at it when my husband came home from picking up my son at 9:30 pm. I wasn't really do it for show at that point, but I think he appreciated me more! Ha! Maybe I'll have it done sooner than I thought....so that's my first attempt on his list.
Today is Day 2. The first words out of my mouth this morning were, "Do you want me to take the dog to the airport for you?" I didn't mean to say it, it just kind of came out. We are shipping the second dog of the litter to the airport to go across Canada to the east coast. This is no big deal, except I'm going to a new part of the airport just for cargo. I am comfortable with all things I have always done, not new things. I just found this out about myself recently. It creates a feeling of stress in me. He knows this so he doesn't normally make me do those things anymore, but lately, I've discovered it is another sign of selfishness in me. "Oh! It's new! I can't do it! I'm scared" said in wimpy me voice. So he takes time out of his day (which he never has enough of) and ends up going and doing all these things for me that are considered "hard" for me. Well, no more. Lately, I've been doing so many new things, I can't stand it! But, I know it's good for me. I can't be a wimp anymore. Each time I do the new thing, I realize I was afraid of nothing all along. So it's been a good lesson for me and my kids.
So, off I go to the airport today instead of him. It'll save him 3 or more hours in his day and it'll be nothing for me. I will pluck weeds that to me don't seem important, but they are to him.
Finally, I had put on my list that I wanted him to fix my cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom that had fallen off due to so much water damage. Nope. He couldn't and wouldn't. It was too big a fix and required more of an effort than he could give. He wants to focus on the big things, not the little ones. They'll "twenty minute" his time off to death. Then it occurred to me. I'll make fabric curtains to cover everything up. Perfect. So I googled it, youtubed it, pinterested it and saw tons of ideas. So I'm off to FabricLand and I'm going to be a capable woman/fixer upper doing that today, too!
I wonder what will be next on my list of things to do! I'll probably be fixing cars next....I bet I could do it now.
Thursday, 2 August 2018
Kittens, Chickens and List Competitions (say that 3x fast)
Each summer brings a literal onslaught of kittens and I'm not even exaggerating. Now, some may question why we don't spay our cats. There are a couple of reasons. First, Murphy's Law says as soon as you do that, they'll get hit by a car. Also, all our cats eventually go missing. We don't even know where they go, they just disappear. It is also very expensive. AND, we love kittens. This is perhaps the main reason we don't spay. We actually love the onslaught. Most of the time. We have never had any difficulty getting people to take them. People come from as far as Toronto every time and nearly go loopy when they pick up their new adorable city cat, raised in a barn, by 8 kids.
Each summer also brings a funny kitten story or two. This last "cat delivery" time we were waiting on two cats to have their kittens, around the same time. The mommies have learned to not have them where the dog can get them as that led to disastrous results a couple of litters ago. So now they deliver in the loft of the house or the barn loft. The first cat delivered 4 kittens and all went well. The second cat delivered, but we had no idea where. We looked and looked and figured she had lost them to a rodent or in all the hay loading. We would follow her everywhere and she would never go to a litter of kittens. So sad. But then, one day I looked at her stomach and realized there was clear evidence that she was still nursing as she should have been back to normal. So then I realized there were still kittens out there somewhere! We looked again and finally had to follow her, in a private detective-kind-of way.....My daughter noticed she went way up in the very top of the barn in the most dangerous part where no human could go and sure enough, she heard little "mews". Aha! Found them!
Each summer also brings a funny kitten story or two. This last "cat delivery" time we were waiting on two cats to have their kittens, around the same time. The mommies have learned to not have them where the dog can get them as that led to disastrous results a couple of litters ago. So now they deliver in the loft of the house or the barn loft. The first cat delivered 4 kittens and all went well. The second cat delivered, but we had no idea where. We looked and looked and figured she had lost them to a rodent or in all the hay loading. We would follow her everywhere and she would never go to a litter of kittens. So sad. But then, one day I looked at her stomach and realized there was clear evidence that she was still nursing as she should have been back to normal. So then I realized there were still kittens out there somewhere! We looked again and finally had to follow her, in a private detective-kind-of way.....My daughter noticed she went way up in the very top of the barn in the most dangerous part where no human could go and sure enough, she heard little "mews". Aha! Found them!
We waited it out. Then, this week the puppies went in the barn for a few minutes while my son cleaned out their kennel and that was when they came upon them, at least one of the kittens. It was nearly mauled to death with puppy slobber. My 8 year old son had to rescue the poor kitten from the 5 puppies! When we showed it to the mom cat, she wouldn't go near it. It didn't smell or look like her kitten anymore. So we gave it to the other mom cat and just like last time, she took it into her brood and adopted it. Then, yesterday, my same son went back into the barn and found 3 more. Same thing, we showed them to the mom and for some reason she wanted nothing to do with them, so we gave them to her sister cat and she also took them in! Now she has 8 kittens! I laughed. She must be tired! I can relate. My kids are thrilled to have so many kittens. Even my 6 year old says, "Mom, this is cat therapy!" when he holds them. It is true. There is something so adorable about a little kitten that makes all right with the world. The good news is there are more on the way! Another cat is about to deliver anytime.....
In other exciting farm news, we also have chicken issues. Always have. We seem to really stink at teaching hens where to lay eggs. Most normal birds lay eggs in their nesting boxes. Not ours. We called them rogue hens. They insist on leaving the coop to lay them somewhere else. WHAT IS THE POINT OF CHICKENS LAYING EGGS IF YOU HAVE TO GO ON AN EASTER EGG HUNT EVERY MORNING?! Unbelievably, I have to buy eggs sometimes because I just can't find them anymore! They are too good at their hiding places and I just can't afford the chicken private detective that would take! But then, what happens is even worse.....rotten eggs are probably all over the farm.
Last week, I smelled death in the house. I figured it was a dead rat because we've gone on a poison rampage and are trying to rid the farm of pestilence. I ignored it for a few days hoping it would disappear. Then I seriously hoped my husband would take off work to help me. No. He not so nicely said I had to find it. He had no time. I finally took a flashlight and went into the basement hunting for dead rats. No rats. Then my nose, which is hyper sensitive, sensed the exact location, but nothing dead was there.....until my eyes turned slightly to the left. I was in the basement staircase and to my left was a wall and aha, a window well (on the outside of the house). That's when I saw it.....who knows how many eggs were there, but it was packed with eggs, all piled on top of one another. Some cracked open, just oozing with the worse smell ever...seeping through the cracks in the window well into the house. To be sure that was the smell, I took a huge sniff and nearly passed out. Yup, that was the smell. This is where 11 year old boys come in handy. I gave him the AWFUL job of cleaning out the window well. He was such a trooper, nearly passed out also, but did it. What a great kid!
The next day or two we discovered another batch - across the road in a ditch! I tell you, how was I supposed to know where they were laying them that time?! Points for creative laying spots, that's all I have to say.
Finding the kittens and finding the rotten death smell have been two great highlights of my week! Just had to share!
Today marks the official countdown to the reunion. I was being really good about not bugging my husband about my secret list of things I wished he would do. Finally, last night, I broke and asked if we could talk about all the things I was hoping for. He was willing to listen. No surprise, the things on my list were not on his list. Ha! He has completely other priorities, but as he left this morning he said, "Make a list!" I said to him, "Will you be my slave this week?" "Make a list!' was his answer. Hmmmm...He's also making a list. So I shouted out to the car as he was about to drive away, "May the best list win!" So now we're having a list competition......I hope I win.
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