I decided to share an average day in my life. Mainly because I wanted to know why I was so tired at the end of the day! So I'm sharing what happens right when the weather gets even a little warmer and sunnier. At this time, my autoimmune issues seem to be in pretty good control. I still need to stop and rest periodically so keep this in mind. Those rest periods irritate me to no end as it makes any jobs seem to last twice if not three times as long.
Okay so here goes. At seven a.m., my alarm goes off. It is a tiger cat called Fuzzy who has awoken. I give her a quick breakfast and then we get ready with coat and shoes. She is trained not to use a litter box, so she when she wants to go outside, she goes out, so no accidents occur. Since she was a kitten, she has accompanied me to the chicken house to release the chickens. When I take her down, she stays down there to roam the fields or sleep in the barn. The chickens are a bit sleepy, and some are still on the roost. I check the water and food and then open their door to the run. Hey, I got 3 eggs this morning from my five hens! I will no doubt get two eggs in the evening. They go in my coat pocket. I give them a bit of leftovers from yesterday as a treat, and then pick some grass (what I call their salad for the day). The dandelions are beginning to bloom! They love dandelions. It is a good tonic for them. They will eat the greens and the blooms.
I wish I could let them run free, but we have too many predators in the area, coyotes, dogs, racoons, possums, fox, weasels and hawks. So, they stay safe in the run, and I give them as many greens and weeds I've picked that day as they can eat. I notice that it is getting close to the time when I need to get started on my project. All along the edge of the run, the chickens have been digging. I have gotten edging stones and some soil. I plan to lay the soil and then top it with the stones, so they won't dig it out again. The only problem is I have 6 stones that we had left over from last year's flower bed, and they are buried up against the back of the garage. I have to dig up those stones and take the soil down to the pen. With my trusty shovel, I dig away with plenty of rest in between but I get them into my handy work wagon. My handy work wagon also takes down the six bags of soil. Whew! That was a job. And surprisingly I didn't break any eggs!
Before going in, I quickly water the greenhouse seedlings, and decide to tuck my Johnny Jump Ups I'd bought at the nursery days ago, into my front flower bed. I also do a little re-potting of my houseplants (they have needed it so much). I got a start of a Wandering Jew and he finally got a permanent pot. My herb beds look pretty good, and I can't wait until I start seeing some green. My lemon balm is peeking its head up, the chives as you know, are going strong. I'm a little worried about my garlic. No sign of any sprouts. Oops, and almost forgot to fill up the two bird feeders. That done, I head inside to make coffee and protein shakes for me and hubby. It is heaven to sit and sip and listen to the news. I have to make a bathroom air freshener spray, so I hunt down the alcohol and my clove bud and sweet orange essential oil. I have a little 2-ounce spray bottle I fill with alcohol and 30 drops of clove bud and 25 drops sweet orange. Shake it up and there you go. It's a lot cheaper than any disinfectant spray and essential oils are usually disinfectant and antiseptic. Thyme and rosemary are especially so.
A quick tidy up, and I get dressed. I'm ready to write and work in my office from 10 until 3 pm. My lunch break is 12:30 to 1:30 (I watch the soap The Young and the Restless---yes now you know my dirty little secret) and I have a bowl of leftover bean and ham soup. I work for another one and a half hours and quit for the day. I didn't get it all done, but I did get my Ebay shipments ready to go out, outlined an article, and worked on the blog and social media. The rest can wait for tomorrow. I make a list so that it doesn't circle in my mind.
My nap time is usually 3 to 4:30. If I can't sleep, I still lay in bed to rest and read or listen to my podcasts. When I get up, I usually throw together dinner. Tonight, I had some precooked homemade meatballs in the freezer, so I put them in a gravy with mashed potatoes and fixed some frozen peas. I also made a pitcher of iced tea. Dessert is easy tonight.... strawberry ice cream. A quick kitchen clean-up and feeding the cat, closing up the chickens (yes, I got two more eggs), and I'm ready for a movie and an early turn in.
You know, it does help me see that I've been more productive than I thought I was. I think the mornings are when I can best accomplish things and I'm the most ambitious. Learning to pace myself has been a big adjustment. But I'm glad I get to enjoy these sunny, warm mornings. I may not be able to accomplish a lot, but I pick away at it a little at a time, and before I know it, my jobs are getting done. If you ever feel like you aren't accomplishing much, write down what you are doing. I guarantee you will be surprised at just what you are getting done. It gives you a little perspective.
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