April 8, 2010

On My Own


It's 10pm. I'm down at the barn, heels of my leather shoes sinking deep into the mud and filth, flashlight between my teeth, retrieving 2 squares of hay while the sheep yell at me for ignoring them. Romanticize farming - please!!!! This is not for the weak - you better have two able body adults, plus more to help if you have a kid, before you step into "hobby" farming.

Jeremy has been gone on business this week, coming back tomorrow. So I have been single-mom, farmer, professional, taxi cab drive, cook, doctor, etc., etc. for four days. And it sucks! Let me break it down:

Monday
Jeremy left at 4am. Normal morning for me and Jordan - shower, dress, Jordan brush teeth, breakfast, homework in backpack, let the chickens out, toss out some scratch, oats to the ewes, bus on time, off to work. After work - pick up Jordan, home, hay and oats to the sheep, gather eggs, Jordan does homework, make dinner, "family" time (right!), bed time, work out, wine, sleep. Not too bad. I can do this. Super mom!

Tuesday
Same morning routine. Home early for arrival of bees (see previous post.) Feed sheep, feed chickens, gather eggs. Dinner is late by 1/2 hr, but not too bad. Forgot homework - no problem we'll get it tomorrow. Jordan bed on time. Work out. TV chill time - me to bed at 10:30. Ok, we're doing good.

Wednesday
Same morning routine - even got some homework in. But ... I have a work meeting in the eveving. Thank god for grandparents. They get Jordan and take her to swim lessons, hopfully get some healthy food in there. I have a meeting 5:30-8:30pm - well, actually 9pm because everyone wants to "chat" afterwards. Get to grandparents at 9:30. We have a galss of wine and Jordan falls asleep on the couch. Get home at 10:30pm, exhausted. Sheep and chickens have not been fed, but I have no energy so they'll have to be OK. No eggs gathered. No homework done. Oh well, it's bed time. Jordan didn't even brush her teeth. Crap! There it goes!

Thursday
Jordan comes in while I'm getting ready in the morning and has a small infection - a sliver in her finger that has become slightly enflamed. I can't let it go because it could get worse by day's end. So we need to lance it with a needle. Jordan is screaming, I mean screaming, like I was cutting off her finger. "No mama! It hurts!!! No! NO!" 10 minutes later I get a needle into the sliver and have her put the thumb into hot salt water. "Mama, it burns! It's too hot! NO! NO!" We almost miss the bus, but just make it. No time to feed the animals - they are pissed and yelling about it. We'll get it tonight. Wait, I have another night meeting. The other set of grandparents get Jordan. (Did I mention to not undertake a farm if you have a kid unless you have grandparents available to help out?) My meeting runs late by 45 minutes; there goes homework. I hope Jordan is getting some kind of healthy food. Bad mom. I get Jordan at 9:30pm and take her home. Straight to bed - no brushing teeth again. Bad mom. I can't let the animals go again without hay and oats. Not changing my shoes (leather heel boots) I head down to the barn with a flashlight. Hay, oats, chicken feed, gathering eggs - in the rain and wind, in work clothes, 10pm. Yeah! Wait, I never had dinner - cheese and crackers. Wine! Really, really need wine!!!

Friday
Jeremy gets back. Oh my god, thank you!!!!!!

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