Sittin On A Porch

Sittin On A Porch
Our little back porch

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Sleepy day

It has been raining here all day.  Sweet, steady rain, soaking into the ground.  Soaking into my gardens here at Labrun.  Floating rain in our swamp.  Bug rerouted the driveway trying to move the trucks driving in to work a little higher so they would not get stuck.  Unfortunately we have so much water so close to the surface that the new road is now worse then the previous drive.  He is working with Robbie to get some fill brought in.  Bug has built roads before so he is working on drainage right now, then he will decide what to put in each layer.  We need to get this fixed pretty quick.  This is our normal dry season, so who knows what we have got ourselves in.  I am still in love.  I think Bug had hoped for more tractor property.  But once we get into the house and start gardening in that front acre he will have plenty of tractor work.

I slept until 9:30 this morning.  It was dark, and the rain is tapping on the roof.  My babies are happy peeping away.  Our second white one, Gardenia is struggling.  She just doesn't seem to be as healthy as the darker ones.  Bug and I were worried about here because all of the other chicks and the two ducks keep themselves clean, but Gardenia is struggling.  We needed to separate her from the others.  They are pecking her.  Not because they do not like her, but she is covered with food.  And the other chicks just peck at the food.  I have tried washing her with warm wet paper towels and then wrapped her and Rudbeckia up in a towel and held them until Gardenia was dry.  Bug asked why I had brought Ruby out.  I said that every time I take one of the babies out everyone has to adjust and then again when she is put back in.  But if I take the strongest, most curious and bravest chick with the weakest out, then when they come back they both are being introduced into the pecking order and I find that the weaker chick will usually stand up better with another going through the same thing.  And after an hour or so, I put the two back in under the heat lamps and the next time I checked on them, everyone was getting along.  happy happy happy. 

I have started putting fine little shreds of greens.  I had some mixed baby greens and some baby spinach.  Cut into little shreds, Iris (my smaller duck) and Rudbeckia are all over my hands eating the greens.  I put it in the feeder for those not brave enough to get on my hands, but even little Gardenia came up and was pecking my fingers.  That is good.  I love giving them little treats and hopefully I can teach these little ones to love strawberries.  My older chickens, the 8 that are left, do not care for strawberries.  They love grapes, okay with blueberries, love tomatoes, but no on the strawberries.  Since it is Plant City, Florida strawberry season maybe this is the perfect time to raise some gorgeous strawberry eating chickens.

They are starting to develop individual personalities.  Their tiny wing feathers are coming in and the colors are so different then what you would think from the colors of the peeps.  So far I know which one is Gardenia, Rudbeckia and Pansy.  There are a couple of others that I am trying to find their names. 

The two ducks are so precious.  The bigger one is the younger of the two.  I have their names, but waiting to see if we are going to end up with any boys.  I did let the ducks have a minute or so in warm water in the sink.  They get into the drinking water.  Only one foot will fit into the water in the drinking jug, but they splash and play and have a wonderful time.  The sink was scary and new to them, but I think a few more trips and they will start to look forward to their pond time.  I can't wait until they are old enough to start going in the pond.  I love my little ducks.  I love my little chicks.

I slept like the dead last night, only waking once.  I might have slept for a hundred years if Mom had not called.  I have tried to call her but she was in rehab.  I would have liked to keep sleeping, but I really wanted to talk to her more.  She had one story after another about life in a nursing/rehab center.  She is handling it with a sense of humor and we laughed and laughed.  I fell back asleep for another half hour or so before dragging myself out of bed.  I ate some eggs and toast and just as I was getting off the couch to go back to bed my Honey came home.  He brought me a couple of waffles from his and Dad's breakfast.  We talked for a while and he dried out a bit.  He is back at the property working on finding a way to get the contractors in.

Things are moving along and Robby is working close with Bug as they schedule and work.  As soon as the electric is done by the first of next week, Robby will start on the Florida room.  Bug and I will start working on putting up the fence then we will start painting, flooring and that is really the biggest of the work to the house.  After that we can start moving in.  No rush, just move as we can.

I have made an appointment with the Doctor.  My arm, hand and neck are affecting my everyday life, or lack of.  Bug is also worried that I might be coming down with something.  Dad has a cold and it is just normal for me to sleep like this.  Or it is, but it doesn't feel like me.  He asked me how I felt.  I said I was tired, having stomach issues.  Oh, yeah that is my normal life.  But I am able to sleep more then my normal self. 

I am feeling a little shaky with the knowledge that I can not live a day without pain meds, and not one, but two forms of anxiety/depression meds.  No matter how I try and paint it, I can not do anything without pain meds any longer.  Do you die of pain?  My late husband died of pain.  Call it what you want.  His cancer started to get so big that his head swelled up to twice its normal size.  And he had a big head to begin with.  He kept hanging on, and was in so much pain.  The RN with Hospice gave him the maximum dose of morphine every time he could have another dose.  You could see the pain subside enough for him to breathe.  Finally he did not come back after the last dose.  I realize his body was shutting down from the cancer, but it was the pain and the morphine that was there at the end.

I don't have that kind of cancer, so it will not be the same.  But every once in a while the fear of what I am going through takes over, hence, the anxiety meds.  But not about dying or when, but how.  It seems to take a strong person to die, and I hope that I have the strength.  So I think I will go back to bed now and sleep some more before Bug comes home so I will have the strength.  Time to rest, and the sweet rain sings the lullaby for me to snuggle down in our giant bed with the cool soft sheets and the warm down and all the pillows.  It is a luxury I am so lucky to have.  so is sleep

2 comments:

  1. Listen to your body...
    Sleep when it tells you to.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hate to read about your pain. I hope that it will not get worse. I am thinking about your new home and how much fun you will have. Hope that you won't overdo the work. Take care of yourself.

    ReplyDelete