Friday, April 19, 2013

Overwhelmed.

It's a cold and dreary day here. The kind that make you want to snuggle in bed with the covers over your head. I might just take a pause to do just that. I decided to take a MUCH NEEDED PTO day. I wish Mark was here to snuggle up with, but he had to go to work.

The animals are fed and out in the pasture, while the rain holds off. The kids are home from school today and in various stages of catching up on the computer, watching movies etc.

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. We have so many things to do around here - all take time and money and money and time. I've been asked a number of times "how do you do it all?", and maybe my response should be..."I can't". I want it all, I think it's important to our family to have it all, but I need help. I feel like everything is going crazy - work is insanely busy, home is insanely busy, Mark and I are still working on some of our challenges. Some days, I think it is just too much. But still, I keep moving forward, because I know how important it is.

Last weekend I made a "To Do" list, so I could track, in my own head, the changes and projects that need to happen around here...and to set up the expectations of my family (and because I like hearing the groans, moans and grunts when they see such a long list...joking). But we have so many things being added and "this" has to happen before "that" can.

This weekend we'll be working on checking off a few of the projects. Things I know that I want to complete...CLEAN OUT THAT BARN! Yuck! It's pretty gross in there. Deep with poo and uneaten hay. Before we can do that though, we need to build phase two of the compost bins. The bins are approximately 4 ft. wide and 4 ft. tall and 8 feet deep (from front to back). We are building at least three sections, currently we have one built and it is pretty much full. We pitch forked and shoveled the compost that was just thrown into a pile (and creeping through our back yard) into the big bin. After that and spreading compost over the entire garden, we continue to have a bit of compost on the ground, needing to be turned into the new container. Once the new container is built, we'll be able to start cleaning out the barn. Then, we'll have something to dump all that compostable mess into and "cook" for a bit (readying it for next year's gardens).

The turkeys and chicks are filling in nicely - feathers, test flights, peeping and learning to coo/gobble. Soon, we'll need to make sure that their outside coops are ready to go. The "layers" are absolutely gorgeous birds. I'm so happy with the choices we made.

I think that the coops and the bee area will be projects for next weekend (since the bees have been delayed)...but we do need to get their hives painted and ready for them.

I think I need to just take a project at a time. It will happen. Step by step. 


3 comments:

  1. I could have written this post. I know exactly how you feel. In fact it resonated so much that I'm about to read it to my husband. I'm lucky, we're urban farming. With only a small space, I feel that there's less for us to do than you guys. It's also easy to imagine why, when the industrial revolution hit, people breathed a sigh of relief, and stopped doing it all. But the satisfaction, and importance of knowing how to do these things, far outweigh the confusion, lists and goans.

    But today, we are building compost tumbler number two, building our first bee box and composting a new garden bed. I hope your lists help, and I can't wait to hear what happens next!

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    1. Hey "Life of Clare" - thanks for following along with our journey :-) I agree! My mom asked me one day why I would want to spin my own fiber, when I can go buy some or why would I want to knit my own socks when I can buy some at Kohls?! I think so much of what we are trying to do is just knowing that we CAN do it, know HOW to do it.
      When we got the house, I had it in my mind that we need everything done, now...I'm trying to learn that there are only so many hours in the day and that we will be here for the rest of our lives...slow down. Let me know if there is anything that we are doing that you want to hear more about :-)

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  2. Shelby Shelby Shelby - im glad you are having PTO. Take time to smell the roses (or is that animal poo) im not sure which one you would rather. You have achieved so so much and i think this list of yours is a good idea. Did you build a flexible timeframe around this list. Otherwise its just too long and will stress you and everyone else. Remember you are both working and have daily care of the animals. Call a busy bee of friends. Put on a BBQ and get one major thing done that needs arms and legs. Do you have a "shelter" for unemployed or homeless people near by? Offer them homecooked meals for labour. Just throwing things out there for you to consider. Enjoy your day and go cuddle the kids.

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