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We Are Flying Solo

November 16, 2014

All Farm Residents Are Actually Still Alive

We all gotta nom, man...
Well, unless you count a few deer, but they fed coyote puppies.  Even if you don’t like coyotes, if you don’t think puppies are adorable, you obviously have no soul.

But to the larger point, I’m sure there are thousands five of you (ok, four if you don’t count my mother) who have been scratching their heads because dry winter air makes your scalp itchy wondering “where did eventer79 go?”  I’m still here.  Mostly.

There is a robust collection of half-finished post drafts & more thoughts & intentions that I can shake a stick it.  Problem is, I’m too tired to pick up the stick.  Will you settle for an acorn cap?

So What's The Deal, Slacker?

I would put a very narrow confidence interval (fellow geeks, you’re welcome) around my certainty that many of you have found yourselves in times where the demands of life greatly exceed the ridiculously small number of hours astronomers give us each day (it’s easier to be annoyed at humans than an enormous star which will eventually massacre us all-seriously, click this, it's one of the awesomest infographics ever!).  Not to mention your own finite capacity to meet said demands with energy, planning, and production of deliverables.

One target: the Everglades Pygmy Sunfish
My Real Life Job is an extremely complex one, full of research plans, coordination between uncountable layers of government, non-profit, & private sectors who are not so good at that whole communication thing, reports, 60-hour weeks chasing 40-mm rare fish in swampy ditches (yeah, everyone thinks it’s all fun & games, I dare you to come out with us!) that require a four-hour commute, prioritizing which of a state’s natural resources are more important than others because we have neither bottomless coffers nor more than six staff members…holy crap, I’m getting tired just writing that…and I didn’t even get to the daily “putting out inbox fires” part…OMG, that's the longest sentence ever...

And they all have little red flags...
So Drink A Beer On The Farm, Right?

Obviously, there is plenty to keep a person busy & in normal circumstances, those magical 0.3 miles of farm driveway form a bridge to an oasis of recovery.  From the outside, it can certainly look that simple.  However, as most of us learn after a modicum of time in Adult World (aaaand here come the porn hits, thank you, Google), there is nothing the universe loves more than conspiring to see how many boulders, made of types of rock you didn’t even know existed, it can stack on your head before you sink.
 
My neck is tired.

I don’t put this forth as a whine-fest, though, I have a pretty narrow selection of cheeses I actually like.  Actually, the same goes for wine, but I did taste this amazing Japanese plum wine at a work conference this week…

FOCUS, WOMAN!

TL;DR:  eventer79 is simply exhausted, over-stressed, overwhelmed (NOT AT ALL contributed to by her complete lack of an over-commitment problem).  When your therapy is getting on your horse, but it takes everything in you to just hand food to said horse, matters get complicated.  We’re working on that.

For now, we try to hold on to small moments.  As years go by, you learn how truly precious, finite, & fragile these are.

Red Horses:  Ok

Aside from a minor balancing act to work out involving forever wussy front feet, Solo is bright & healthy & thanks to Minion Erica’s generosity & horsemanship, once again has the hocks of a 10-year-old.  Encore is healing from a small tear in his left gluteus muscle (only my dear Encore could sprain his ass…), which will take several months, but Dr. Bob says just keep him in half-work-intensity & he is improving.  I did tell David O. that I’m fairly certain this horse carefully plans so he is 100% fit & sound…when it’s cold & dark.

Scenery:  Freezing But Scenic

So I will leave you with this, a gift from the most beautiful fall I’ve seen since I moved to NC in 2005.  Who needs New England when my yard looks like this?

shadowfx01's Fall 2014 Slideshow album on Photobucket

Hug your horses, stay safe during fall hunting seasons, & to my fellow horsey blog friends, I’m still reading & following your wonderful journeys; please don’t take offense at my radio silence.  An erratic flight is still technically not a crash, don’t call NTSB yet!

10 comments:

  1. Glad you're hanging in there. Field work will end eventually. :-)

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    1. Thanks, SB -- can I hire you as a personal clone?

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  2. sorry work's keeping you so busy and exhausted! glad all is well with the animals (despite Encore's interesting injury...). hope things quiet down eventually!

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    1. Thanks, emma -- he is a creative beast! And I am grateful that there is a paycheck at all, because Solo would take up a lot of room under a bridge. :)

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  3. Property ownership, (more specifically the farmette version), should (theoretically) promote peace, security and a sense of well being.

    My experience (so far) is to exist in a perpetual state of behindness, with no end in sight, and an ever-lengthening chore list, growing much as the manure pile grows.

    I (think) I relax when I'm sleeping... ;D

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    1. Awwwe, I am sorry to hear that, CFS! I hope you get some rest too.

      I am very glad I had the opportunity to set up the farm so that everything flows very easily. It is the ONE thing that isn't stressful! Just everything outside of it...

      Which, to someone who is not as slow a learner as I apparently am, means it's time to take a step back & reduce the number & intensity of those life-sapping things so that I can enjoy doing the things at the farm I love (no stalls = no manure pile, I definitely did that one on purpose!!). Heck, I even like bush-hogging & I'm a person who HATES mowing lawns...probably because lawns have no purpose but pastures are zen...

      It is definitely my "30-yr project," as I call it, but the basics are taken care of and the rest...can wait as long as it needs to. :)

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    2. Whoops - I didn't succeed in the striking the light humorous tone I was shooting for lol.

      Looking after vegetable gardens and chickens as well as the hayburner here, so daily chores are unavoidable. No stalls either, but manure makes dirt, so on an island made of sand, it's a collectable. ;D

      Just trying to commiserate on the busyness topic - it's all good. One woman farmetters united!

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    3. Oops! Sorry, my bad -- dang, I'm still waiting for the interwebz to make a stupid sarcasm font. And one for light humour would be good too! You get my salute of respect for the garden; I'd love one but would require a gardener as I (a) kill plants by walking past them & (b) no way have time or attention span to take care of it. But I love the produce!

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  4. Keep your head up! We'll be here when you get back.

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  5. Thanks! Perhaps I should take to wearing my helmet full-time, heh... ;P But thank you for all for your kind messages of support, they mean more than you know. <3

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