The "I'd Like To" Game

Yes, that is us (a throwback to 2013) and one of our
many projects: cleaning out the "upper garden" where our
berry patch is.  It's still somewhat overgrown now, but
nothing like it was!  The backbreaking labor we call life.

     I've figured out by now a "normal life," or what the stereotypical "normal life" is, is not, by any means, in the cards for us.  I glance across my social media every morning to see an array of friends, former classmates and colleagues, and family filling us in on the highlights of their lives.  Monday morning is the absolute worst for this as I watch their vacations and weekends flash before my eyes, desperately scrolling to get past them.  After all what is a vacation?  Or, even a weekend?  I don't think we've really seen those for a while.  If you think it's easy to just take off for a few days, let's give you a glimpse at our "I'd like to" game we get to play when we consider one of those two possibilities.  I sure hope someone else out there plays this same game as well... 

     I'd like to sleep in... (A beautiful mini vacation) What that really means is, I'd like to meet this face when I come to the door.  It's one of our farm cats Purrball, and a not very happy one, because I missed his stomach clock.  I know what you're thinking, "It's just a cat," but, you don't understand, he knows how to turn the rooster on me (and that thing will not shut up once he does). 

     I'd like to go away for the weekend... Um... you do realize we have animals right?  (Can you imagine eight disgruntled cats meeting us on the doorstep?)  Our going away for the weekend means loading the animal feed and water up and praying for two days that we have enough, while we have a relative on speed dial if there's an emergency (or if we get stuck in traffic).  That's only in fair weather conditions though.  If it's too hot, their water has to be changed multiple times a day.  If it's too cold and their water freezes, then the ice has to be broken and the water has to be changed, whenever the ice begins to form (multiple times a day).  There's also that garden, that needs harvested (which can usually be put off for just two days if need be), but the watering can't.  We went away for a weekend this past summer, just when the sweet corn was forming.  They were calling for rain, so we weren't too worried.  The showers missed us, and we were now two hours away without the real ability to say "we'll just run back home and throw the sprinkler on."  Yup, we planted 600 stalks of sweet corn.  We got about three dozen "edible to us" ears off of it.  Everything else went to the chickens.  Totally worth the weekend right?  

What a normal day of tomatoes looks like and what could
be spoiling in the garden if no one takes notice.

     I'd like to take a vacation... Ahhh, spending more than two days away, sounds relaxing doesn't it?  Yup, but that prep work is going to be awful.  It involves multiple steps before we can even get out the door, which includes (a) harvesting anything from the garden that is "ripe enough" to harvest and that will be ripe while your away, (b) finding someone willing to watch the farm cats and change their food and water once a day, (c) this same person will also be doing the same to the chickens and checking for eggs, (d) and they'll be watering the garden too, (e) and they'll probably be harvesting the crops that weren't ripe enough when will left, but now are.  Their daily visit to your house, on a good day when everything runs smoothly, will take them 30 minutes, but in reality it will be more like an hour (especially if they don't understand your daily chores as well as you).  Planning on staying away longer than a week?  Make sure that person is willing to clean out the chicken coop and preserve your harvest that is now decaying because even though it's harvested, something still needs done with it.  

     I'd like to relax this evening... (A mini-weekend if you will)  Ha!  Good one.  What that actually means is, I'd like to ignore the garden that either needs weeded or harvested, and if we don't do either, we lose our crops and therefore our food.  Have you ever watched tomatoes rot on the vine because you didn't have enough time or energy left to harvest them?  It's extremely depressing (to say the least), and by taking this mini weekend, you might as well be throwing the tomatoes (and whatever else needs harvesting) to the compost bin.  

     In the end you may be saying I'd like to have a normal life, but what is a "normal life" after all?  To us, this is becoming the new normal.  Two years ago, there were no animals to worry about, but a garden.  Three years ago there were only a few container vegetables to have to try to keep alive on my soon-to-be-husband's balcony, but were we as happy then as we are now?  We've grown closer together with this new life we have, and although we really can't sleep in, or take a vacation (no matter how long it may be), or even truly have a carefree relaxing evening without having to worry about some little chore that isn't getting done, why would we want anything else?  

     Now, if you'll excuse me I have some work, scratch that, life to tend to.