No Rest for the Weary

Despite the fact that I've had a break from my work as poster boy, I haven't had much time to do my second favorite thing in life - lie down and take a nap.

Mom has been away for the past several days and I've found that rather than simply use it as an excuse to feel sorry for myself, I've actually gotten a lot done. Actually, I still find the time to feel sorry for myself, I just don't do it while sitting around idly. It has required that I burn the candle at both ends and work well into the evening, but I'm astounded how much you can get done if you stay upright and keep your feet moving.

On top of the usual daily routine of holding down the fort (i.e., making meals, transporting the kids, cleaning and shopping), I've managed to singlehandedly prepare for the market, clean both the barn and the basement, get the firewood ready for winter, and make the kindling. Along the way I also canned a batch of zucchini relish and did a little laundry. Wow, how's that for taking care of business? What has made it all possible is doing it during dad's sacred time of rest, right after supper when the dishes are done. Normally I make supper and mom will wash up, and then I lie down and am out like a light, at least for a short nap before the evening run. Now I'm washing the dishes and then rather than lie down and go to la-la land, I motivate.

Our garden has been cranking out summer squash, which I planted with the intention of making relish. N picked 4 monster squash, so the time was right. I ground it, cooked it up, and then canned about 10 jars of the stuff. Another night I prepared and falafel mix to be cooked the next morning, and on other nights I've been splitting kindling in the basement. There is no doubt that it takes a mountain of motivation to do all this, but at least it's done. Early in the week I decided that despite my fatigue, it would be best to save the mindless and tedious stuff for late in the evening, when my brain is no longer functioning. Actually, that's the case for most of the day.

As a result of my diligence, year 1 of the firewood is complete, the barn and basement are reasonably clean, the zucchini relish is made, and for the first time ever, we have an entire year's worth of kindling split and ready. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go take a nap.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Robert Elzey for the pic.