One Week from Today...

One week from today I'm having my triple arthrodesis revision surgery.  I can't believe I'm actually typing that sentence!  My surgery was supposed to happen April 2nd, but got postponed due to the cancellation of elective surgeries due to COVID-19.  I have to admit that I was completely gutted then.  I had been waiting well over a year and it was so close to happening when all of this occurred. But now, with elective surgeries beginning again by the 22nd, there is little chance I'll be cancelled again. 

Am I ready?  

No.

I know exactly what is ahead for me. 

 The recovery is so painful.

Literally, every bone in my foot will be broken 

and reset with screws and pins.

Right now, I'm planning on sleeping the first month away 

in a narcotic induced haze.

Seriously, I'm not kidding.

I know it will get better, and at this point ANYTHING 

is better than what I'm living with now.  

I'm really focusing on be able to walk again normally, 

tending to my household and garden, 

and eventually going back to work full force and with less pain.

Please pray for me and my family,

it's going to be a rough four months!

The New Normal

Our "new normal" is:

Sleeping in on my days off from work.

Having coffee in the garden while being stalked 

by coffee loving dogs.

Watching the hummingbirds fight over the flowers and feeders.

Having the kids trickle outside one by one in the morning.

Long, uninterrupted talks. 

At home haircuts and family meals around the table...

EVERY night.

Pitching practice and games of catch with big brothers.

Picking wild flowers by the side of the road,

because we have no where else to be.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy our "new normal" right now.  When my kids look back on this historical event, I want them to remember that it really wasn't that bad.  That good things did indeed come out of all of this.

I don't want them to remember an anxious mom who constantly worries that SHE is the biggest threat to her family right now.

So PLEASE stay home.

PLEASE be diligent about social distancing.

Wash you hands.

Don't hoard supplies.

And support your medical community with your prayers while you have the wonderful opportunity to be at home safe with your family.

May God bless us all and see us through to the other side of this.

Using What You Have

The recent 'Stay at Home' orders from our governor are wise and prudent with this ever increasing Corona virus....but I'm getting a little stir crazy!  Thankfully the weather has been beautiful and I've been working outside a LOT.  One thing I tackled is a brush pile on the backside of our barn, otherwise known as the neglected compost pile.

Because I was out of commission last summer due to my foot surgery/recovery, we've just been heaping yard waste and kitchen scraps into a huge pile.  No reasoning to it, and certainly no care has been taken.  It has been rotting over the course of a year, and underneath all that woody brush is lush, rich soil and I wanted it!

I began clearing stuff out, burning some, sifting and saving others and what I ended up with is pretty pleasing.  I have a ton of rich, organic compost and I have a whole NEW bed on one side of the barn and a composting system with a watermelon patch on the other side.  WIN - WIN!

My new bed has a fig tree, elderberry tree, and meyer lemon tree as a very small permaculture "orchard."  I nestled in two tractor tires and two old pots as temporary beds for spaghetti squash, malabar spinach, pie pumpkins, and acorn squash.  I filled them in with salvaged compost then the whole thing was heavily mulched with the larger brush pieces.  Now I have increased my growing space and added four new "crops" for FREE!  

Y'all know how much I love free!

The now barren side of the barn will hold a new composting system using hardware cloth bins.  Since the soil was so rich in organic matter, I decided to plant some watermelons there.  Their vines can sprawl all they want without overtaking my lawn. 

This small two day task has increased our home food production, gave me tons of free compost, gotten rid of an eye sore, was a good source of exercise for me, and gave me a killer tan!

Who knew I'd be so good at 

"Sheltering in Place?"