This morning we will be having stale leftover Christmas cookies compliments of loyal reader Thirkellgirl. I'm sure they'll taste just fine after being dunked in some nice hot chocolate.
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I want to thank everyone for their concern and inquiries as to our well being here "at home". We are all fine but there are lingering effects from the dual crises this fall. Both The Farmer and the Other Mother were hospitalized and the aftermath is that we were faced with some inevitable conclusions.
Conclusion #1 - None of us is as young as we used to be. (duh!)
Conclusion #2 - The Farmer and I have always been able to face the stresses and difficulties that have presented themselves in our lives. We've always said to each other, "Let's get through this and then we can go on." The truth is that it is becoming extremely difficult to muster the physical and psychic energies to face challenges without a backlash that equals the challenge in intensity. Stress and responsibility has become a vampire.
Conclusion #3 - Something's got to give. In this case it has been blogging.
It was made perfectly clear to me how all-consuming it is to be involved with the caregiving and coordinating in-home nurses, therapists, doctor's visits and more. It has taken it's toll.
The Other Mother is fully recovered and back to her nonsense. The other day I found her climbing a ladder and no amount of chiding or listing the dire consquences will get her to stop. I give up those efforts. My energies are best spent elsewhere.
The most troubling effect of the stress is that I've felt my enthusiasm and creativity drained away. I am hopeful that cutting back my commitments will result in a bubbling up of something more positive. I'm forever hopeful.
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Our holiday was nice and peaceful. It was just ourselves, the Other Mother and our children for the Christmas weekend. We cooked, ate, opened gifts and watched movies together. It was what we needed.
We drank Bloody Mary's on Christmas morning and had spinach and mushroom filled crepes.
Larger than life Bloody Mary.
Later in the day we had mussels, filet mignon, baked potatoes and brandied carrots. Yes, you need to come to my house on Christmas!
All the cooking and eating left a nasty mess which was dealt with by the trusty dishwasher.
Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the chore of unloading the dishwasher?
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The Daughter borrowed my flash drive while visiting and forgot to leave it when she left. No matter, it gave me the excuse to buy a new one which caught my eye on a shopping trip to the office supply store.
It makes me smile.
Yes, that's a flash drive and it's only 1 1/2 inches long. So cute and enough memory for my needs.
I seem to be on a penguin streak because here's the baby hat I'm working on for a friend's grandchild.
I'm not sure if the eyes should be crossed or not? What do you think?
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Thanks again for all you concern about our well being. It means alot to me. I would love to hear what you've been doing and also your recipe for stress-busting. I'm all ears!
........off to shovel snow.
36 comments:
Good Morning! I was so happy to see your post this morning! At this stage of life, it seems that we roll from one stressful situation to another. I don't think there's any secret remedy. Creativity does seem to take a holiday - it takes energy to be creative! Light a candle, put on some nice music and take a bubble bath. Take care of yourself!
I too am so glad to see your new post. Please don't give posting up. Take a day off or just do things you enjoy. Take care, linda
Oh, good, I was hoping you'd check in today. I've got butter softening on my kitchen counter right now because my oldest daughter is headed back to school this weekend and Cookies = Love, and FRESH cookies = more love. Youngest daughter is x-country skiing on the UP today, and I think she will hit Norske Nook this weekend in Hayward. I so understand your stress and the ongoing repercussions. SO understand. Husband just got back to work before Xmas after being laid off for almost 6 months, we've been through a decade+ of elderly recalcitrant parents, and it definitely has physical effects. Hang in there kiddo.
Wonderful to find you at our Monday Morning Staff meeting early! =)
We are getting freezing rain today on top of the snow we got yesterday. It's January, though after the weeks of milder than normal weather, this seems a rotten turn of affairs. When my daughter-in-law called this morning with a favor to ask, I just prayed that it didn't involve driving, which mercifully it didn't.
Your Christmas sounds as relaxed as possible. Your meal sounds amazing. Wonderful to enjoy simple quiet times.
Now if the Other Mother would stay down from ladders and not carry on as if she were a teenager, all would be fairly normal. Document.
Cute penguins...I like crossed eyes.
How very nice to have you back though I understand how everything just does not fit into one's schedule sometimes. Take care of yourself along the way and I do hope the Other Mother will stay off of ladders, etc. to lessen your worry in that arena. Hang in there and we look forward to another post when you have a moment. SW Virginia (where we are having frigid temperatures and snow flurries)
So glad to see you back posting-I've missed you & totally understand as I'm in a similar boat. Taking care of parents, dairy farm, grandchildren and finding my own health sliding as I get older.
Being an IL resident near you, I loved the spring/winter we had. Not this white stuff & cold temps.
Welcome back! I am so glad I took a moment to check in...I've been hoping that you were just catching up with things 'at home'.
I just graduated from 4 weeks of physical therapy, and I feel like a whole new person. My injuries to my knee were bad enough to throw off my gait and my hip too. Thank goodness it was not 'just arthritis' as I was told after two sets of x-rays.
Surgery was not a breeze, but the PT people were FANTASTIC, and I feel almost back to normal:)
Boy, do I know how stressful it can be as a caregiver. It can be exasperating when they are going against all common sense safety advice, and say "I do this all the time, and nothing has happened". Arrgh!
Well, I hope you will take extra good care of yourself, and follow Pamela's advice.
Some of that shoveling should destress you a bit... you can mutter some capital top row of the keyboard words, and fling that snow as hard as you want... even kick at it. All good therapy moves. Then a well deserved bubble bath without a timer.
Hope it helps. We do miss you.
Hugs!
So glad to find you this evening when I finally got to my computer.
Glad nothing bad happened, just needing a little R&R which we all can use at times. I am crocheting a baby blanket, not sure who it is for but love doing it. Tell that lady to stay off of the ladders. I would be scared to get on one myself at my age. (83)
Love the hat! Aging is certainly not for the faint of heart, but the alternative is worse!
Without girlfriends I would shrivel up and be unhappy. We all share the bumps. I had an art teacher who said "just do SOMETHING... ANYTHING... it get's you started. Less is more.
Be kind to yourelf and know we are all in the same boat.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Your Christmas sounds great. That's my ideal - time with family, good food and lots of laughter. And as for the dishwasher, I hate unloading it too, so that's one of the kids chores! I load it though, because they can't get nearly as much in as me. Maybe they'd get better at loading it if I told them they had to wash what was left by hand?
We had a lovely Christmas break too. Good time with family, beautiful weather, lots of sleeping in. Now the kids have gone back to school and it's kind of good to be back to routine. I also decided to go for it, and start a blog. It's www.lifeinthepeacecountry.blogspot.com. I have a lot to learn from this whole new experience I think!
Glad health is coming back to your home again, although it sounds like that comes with its own challenges! Good luck in keeping the ladders hidden.
Take care of yourself first - you need rest to have the energy to care for the others around you - we all understand that. Stress can be never ending at times - my husband has been out of work for 2 years and I'm undergoing my 6th chemotherapy treatment on Monday - so life is not always fun. However I've found it is VERY important to take some time for yourself - a cup of tea, reading a book, making cookies - whatever you need. If blogging needs to be set aside from time to time we all get that.
Glad the Other Mother is feeling better - hope you are too!
Oh, dear Farmer's Wife, I am convinced that the stresses of life are more than we can carry. This weekend brought me the news of the death of a single mom leaving behind a teenage son and 81 year old parents. How do we bear these burdens? We cannot, so we pray for God's support, His answers, His solutions, His strength and His wisdom to be evident in our lives. The road is rocky. I pray for His peace to be evident in your life. God bless you and your husband in every way you need blessings this week...next week and always.
So glad to find you posted on Friday. I've been out of pocket since Friday morning, so I just now found it. My hubby sent me on a wild goose chase with clues and destinations on Friday morning. I highly recommend it as a stress buster - manicure/pedicure, shopping for a new outfit, dinner at a nice restaurant and hotel stay. We don't have any snow worries here - I think our high today is supposed to be 75. Really!?! 75 in January? I can hardly believe it and don't enjoy it. Wrong month for these kind of temps. I certainly understand overwhelming. Had some of our own over the holidays. I am so glad you life seems to be a bit slower and hope to hear more from you soon. Happy New Year!
It's so good to see a post from you! Your Christmas sounds like it was loads of fun and very tasty!
Sorry to hear about the stress level. Life can be more than challenging at times! I do hope that things level out soon.
You need to schedule in an hour every day for yourself. Here's what you do.... you get in bed an hour early. You plump up some comfy pillows behind you, and you have some fun/creative/joyful reading material stacked on the bed beside you. Magazines, books, whatever pleases you. Light reading. Something that stirs your soul, or makes you laugh, or just brings a little smile. Perhaps something involving travel. Indulge yourself. Spend that last hour of the day just relaxing and putting comforting and happy info into your brain.
And, you know, this one never fails.... put on a tutu and dance a little jig. I'm just sayin'. :) What? You don't have a tutu? Oh wow, put that at the top of your list... "Sew up a tutu, pronto." With your wild seamstress skills, you could probably whip one up in an hour. Make two. A selection of color is always nice.
For some real inspiration, put on some Billy Idol -- "Dancing With Myself". You can't go wrong with that. Oh, and don't forget to sing along. :)
No need to thank me for my wise and sage advice. It's what I do for you.
Stay warm.
Don't lick the clothesline pole.
Don't carry cash -- carry chocolate.
If all else fails, come and visit me. We'll go running on the beach. :)
so good to see you back, I was worried but I know how it can be with aging parents. take care. Pam
Oh, I can so relate. Taking care of other people constantly is draining on one's creative energies. I'm just about depleted--told hubby I'm going to resign my job tomorrow. I don't know if I really have the nerve to, but it wouldn't take much for me to throw in the towel! I never thought of a
Bloody Mary for Christmas morning, but I could sure use one right now!
V
Glad to see you back. Am agreeing with all you said, and I enjoyed a glimpse of your life again. Happy new year to you, too!
Happy New Year to you from my husband and I. Try to stay as stress free as possible this year!
I just found your "new" blog, again - made me really happy! :-)
I hope everyday life has become a bit more manageable in the meantime.
With best wishes,
Merisi
You guys ok?
I'm assuming you've had a torrential snow storm and you've been without electricity for weeks and that's why you haven't posted!!! All kidding aside, praying all is well with you and yours. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon.
Hoping you've just decided to take a blogging break,but if not, and you're overwhelmed, know that there are many of us out here wishing you well.
I'm guessing you've quit blogging. I've enjoyed getting to know you and wish you a bright future. Praying all is well with you and your loved ones. Best wishes and happy thoughts to you. Sandy
I do hope all is well with you. come back to us!
Peeking in...
Hi praying all is well at your place. Really miss you!
I keep hoping that one day I'll check your blog and you will be back. Hope you are OK. You are missed!
Ditto, hoping you and your family are okay but understand when things get overwhelming... we miss you. C.
Same as everyone else. Hoping you and yours are well. Missing your posts. Sending you all best wishes.
I miss those Monday morning meetings and like the others I do understand and assume you have quit for good. I am saying a prayer for you today and wishing you the very best. linda
Surely hope you find time to come back to your blog. I'm making sour cream apple pie... and cowboy caviar... miss you. Take care and be well. C.
Just wanted to pop in to say hello, and that you are missed. Hope all is well and that you are enjoying some fabulous spring weather!
Just wanted to pop in to say hello, and that you are missed. Hope all is well and that you are enjoying some fabulous spring weather!
I hope you and your family are alright. I miss your posts. Wish you were back with us!
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