Wednesday, July 2, 2014

sick day on the farm


On Monday I worked out in the sun and humidity in the garden without drinking enough water and got myself a UTI (urinary tract infection, mine caused by dehydration).  Yesterday I had a melt-down. My washing machine is waiting repair and currently has a full load of clothes and water, and I couldn't get hold of the repair guy. It isn't draining and I'm hoping that by leaving the water in it, I can help him figure it out. Last time this happened, about a month ago, I bailed it, rung out the clothes and hung them out to dry. When the repair guy came, the machine worked just fine so he couldn't figure out what is wrong. Of course I have a ton of laundry to do, and whenever I look at it, I just sigh and shake my head. Also, I have poison ivy on my arm that I keep putting cortisone on so I don't scratch it. Between the UTI and the poison ivy, pain makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else. What else? Oh yeah, I went to our little town yesterday to get farm supplies, go to the grocery store (mostly for pain relief from the UTI) and to the library to pick up books on hold. The library was closed for unknown reasons. Not a big deal, unless the rest of your day has totally sucked.

I didn't sleep well last night, so today I'm listening to my body, which seems to need to rest. But that doesn't mean I didn't have to get up at 6 am to let the birds out and milk the goats. Joan has to leave for work about the same time my day starts with the animals so she cant' do it for me. It also doesn't mean the dogs don't need to be fed and let out a few times. It doesn't mean the basic animal chores don't need to be done.  Thankfully Joan refreshed the birds' water and duck pools yesterday evening, so they can wait a little while. I did get some extra sleep this morning after milking. This afternoon I've been out to check for eggs and to walk around to see how the animals are doing. Walking past the gardens, I notice everything that needs to be done. The tomato plants are thriving and need some tying up. The cucumber plants are reaching out to their lattice and could use some guidance. The gardens in general need more mulching and weeding. But if I start any of this, I'll be out there for a couple of hours and be in trouble again.

I did decide to ring out the clothes in the washer and hang them up. They were already starting to sour, and they'll probably have to be rewashed, but at least they won't get worse. The kitchen had to be cleaned up, and I'm also using this time to catch up on paperwork for insurance reimbursement and organizing my crazy desk a bit. Joan will be able to help with the rest when she gets home from work this evening.

Tomorrow I go back to work at my part-time job for 3 days, and for those 3 days, I get nothing done on the farm except the basic chores that keep the animals healthy. So I'm feeling frustrated over this missed day of farm work. I try to take Sunday off because it's the only day Joan and I have together. We try to make it as a day to relax together, though sometimes it's a day to enjoy working together on the farm out of necessity. But I keep reminding myself that if I don't take care of my health, none of the rest gets taken care of in the long run.

So here are some reasons for me to take it easy today and get back to work as soon as I can.










Yeah, I have a particular fondness for the babies. I love watching them grow up.