Day: June 4, 2015

Good Morning,
I’m sitting in my recliner, just outside the camper. I’m on the North Side of the building, very relaxed. Hubsy figured out that the signal is strong enough to bounce around the camper, and that we can still get signal here. So, last night, I moved my geri-chair recliner to this spot, and wow, am I comfortable. Thankfully, the blasted thing is on wheels, so we could roll it into place.
I bought this recliner at an auction for less than $5.00 last year. There is no room in the house for it, so it’s been in storage for months. I love this thing, and missed it more than anything. It’s my favorite knitting, computing, relaxing chair. However, no room means no room. So, to sit in it, yes it’s water resistant, is a blessing.
My feet have been swelling again, so just putting them up is wonderful.
Hubsy and I went on a date last night, rather than take him back to Minnesota. He’s taking a nap, which is a good thing, because it’s about to get really hot out here. I’m working on getting the camper more comfortable, and I want to see if I can make it more heat resistant. I didn’t have time yesterday to work on it, but I figure slow improvements over time are the best.
Here comes my girly Bo. She loves to rest under the camper and just take it easy. I don’t blame her, the cool dirt, sheltered by the camper, has got to be relaxing.
I have to get some more chores done today, and it’s almost time to bake bread again. We will see.
By the way, I talk about doing all of this work, but feel like I must maybe explain. I am on disability. My disability is both physical and mental. I take a lot of breaks. I work for an hour, or even 20 minutes, and then rest for a bit. I work for a little longer, and rest for a bit. I’m good for maybe 6 hours of work a day.
Even when I am hand washing clothes, I am sitting in a rocking chair, taking it easy. I use a plunger, adapted, and five gallon buckets of water. Those buckets are never full, and I’m only washing one or two garments at a time. When I run the wringer washer, I use hoses to fill it, and drain it via gravity into the pipe used as a drain from the old modern machine. Carrying clothes up and down the stairs to the line is also handled on a minimal basis.
I take a lot of breaks.
I’m always in pain. I can’t take prescription pain meds, because I’m allergic to them. Even major surgery, I rarely can take the meds past the hospital stay, and then only with some serious anti-vomiting medication.
My stomach has always been dodgy. I would get car sick at the drop of a hat. Now, with the IBS and the ulcer, it’s even more so. We don’t add many chemicals to my system.
I work with the pain, and in pain. Even sitting at my family member’s house, digging bulbs, I’m sitting for most of the work. The pain is always there. Yesterday was one of the worst pain days, and I could barely stand up. However, it was worth it to see the joy my family member has in her flowers. She has the prettiest flower garden I have ever seen.
Feeding and watering the chickens is another thing. My brother makes sure that there is feed in barrels for both chicken pens. We siphon water down to water barrels for the birds, so I’m never hauling more than a one gallon jug of water at a time. On bad pain days, the birds still need chow, but the feed is much less in weight than a gallon of water.
Planting my own flower garden has been spotty here. This is my first year of it since my disability. I simply use a hand shovel to scrape the dirt as best I can to make a hole which I hope is deep enough. The dirt is never tilled. I don’t use a standard shovel for much of anything, so I just dig a hole where I want the plants to go.
I did scatter and plant flower seed this year, but I haven’t seen much in results from those yet. Either the ground is too shady, or too dry. Maybe even the birds took the seed before it could sprout.
Someday, maybe the farm will be full of flowers again. I hope so. I love tiger lilies, and I love roses.
My dream would be to make a rosary garden. I want to have the roses set up in the shape of a rosary, with each bush as one bead of the rosary. I want it as a place of peace and serenity. I want small trees there, to provide enough shade and beauty as well as sound effects with the leaves rustling in the summer.
Maybe I could even install a lilac hedge around the garden, and maybe I could have a small bench here and there with a few statues of the Virgin Mary, as well as Jesus, Joseph, and several of the saints. This is a multi-year dream, but it’s my dream.
I would then have flowers growing in beds, as well as areas where you can just sit and pray. Again, this is my dream. Maybe, maybe someday.
In looking out over the farm, the orchard is to my left, actually, the Southern part of the orchard is on the other side of the camper. Dad’s goal is to have fruit trees all over the place. I don’t blame him. I think he is down in the garden now, and I should be inside cleaning. However, this morning, before the heat hits, I feel good just resting.
Yes, I’m in pain today, and no, I’m not going to take anything for it, and just for now, everything is okay.
Louise Ann Benjamin