Hubby and I started our spring/summer/fall season "work" schedule this week. We're trying to get in six hours a day on move ahead projects Monday through Saturday each week. Sunday we give ourselves permission to collapse for one day. (I hope rigor mortis doesn't set in.) Now don't laugh and poo-poo our lofty intentions. We have a big project we desperately need to get done this summer . . . finishing the remodeling of the house. BIG project. But more about that in the future.
We're being sensible and allowing exceptions to our schedule. For instance, first day of this week, I was gone in the morning and then had previous commitments for the afternoon. Hubby also had a dentist appointment that morning but did wood work by himself in the afternoon. (Getting both wood sheds full is our first "work" priority.) And we will be sensible enough to take some time off for R & R now and then. (This will include debilitating injuries to the body, time out for attitude adjustments and visits to psychiatrist and chiropractor's offices.)
We've set the work hours each morning from ten a.m. until noon. Noon to one p.m. is lunch and whatever else each of us chooses to fit in there. Then back at it in the afternoon from one until five p.m. We know things will come up that will cause us to deviate from the schedule so we'll remain open and flexible to that.
These days, of course, also have to include time to squeeze in all the usual things that need to be done every day to keep the homestead functioning. How's it working so far? Well, I gotta admit some stuff is already falling by the wayside, but what will probably become "Catch-Up Sunday" is coming soon.
As I've said we've been working on wood this week and yesterday took it's toll on me. But what did me in wasn't the "work" per se, it was the weather. We awoke to a temperature of 9°. Much, much, much colder than we've been having for the past several weeks. Even though I could have been mistaken for the Pillsbury Dough Boy (bundled in multitudinous layers of winter garb) when I reported for duty at the wood pile, I couldn't keep my hands from being uncomfortably cold all day. Tingly cold. Numb cold. Hurty-achy cold. And I think that really zapped the energy from my whole body. Glad to say that this morning when we started work it was already 24°. (A real heat wave.)
I'm not nearly as wiped out tonight although we pushed along today and when we stopped at 5 p.m., we were only a couple of wheelbarrows of wood short of filling one whole shed. One whole shed full of wood! Whoo-hoo!
Stay tuned tomorrow for a picture of the full shed. (Can you stand the wait?) What a beautiful sight it will be!
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8 comments:
I see you really need help. If Buddy's health permits, and Florida Mom is OK, we'll see you in early May.
But, Wes doesn't believe it!
I see that the picture at the top of the page shows you being all organized about planning the garden and stuff. What I'm curious to know is, what are the books that you have stacked up there? If they're helpful gardening books, I'd sure love to know what they are!!! Inquiring minds want to know!
This is impressive. Mr. H would LOVE it if I went out and helped him with the wood. And you make it sound so romantic (bet you didn't realize THAT when you were typing)---makes me eager for an empty nest...
sorry to hear about your cold snap! Although, if Mother Nature woudn't tease with early spring days...! It will be fun to see the progress on the house this year, and can't wait to see that wood shed picture! time now to go rinse the color out of my hair... part of my spring cleaning you know, LOL!
Hey, Mart - I, too, will be surprised if you can leave the business to carry on without you. That would be the business that you sold how long ago? The business that the new owner can't operate without you as his number one key employee? The business that I don't think you'll ever "retire" from?
And you're right. We do need help. In more ways than one!
Hi, Jordan - The book on top is "The Garden Primer" by Barbara Damrosch (Eliot Coleman is her husband). She's had tons of actual gardening experience (veggies, herbs, fruit trees, berries and flowers) and I love the down-to-earth way she writes A great reference book in my mind.
The one underneath is "Joy of Gardening" by Dick Raymond, copyright 1982. It's an updated version of his first book, "Down-to-Earth Vegetable Gardening Know-How", copyright 1975. I don't know if either of these books are still in print. They are both by Garden Way Publishing. His two books literally taught me how to garden. (I didn't come from a gardening background at all and knew NOTHING when I started.) The pictures and illustrations in his books are great. He is also super, super down-to-earth and knows of what he speaks! My copies of both his books are held together with rubber bands because the pages are falling out from so much use.
Hey, JJ - Romantic, huh? Tell that to my uncooperative lower back.
Well, you gotta know there are a lot of things that you can do when the kiddlies have all flown the nest. And especially when you have four of varying ages. We had just the one, but when she was growing up we had a contract with a state park to provide them with 5,000 bundles of campfire wood each year and she worked right along side of us working up that wood. (She refers to it as slave labor.)
Hubby and I work well together (on most things . . . wait for tales to the contrary when we get into the remodeling this summer) and are truly enjoying the intense days of wood working.
Oh, Erin, you are so funny! (I can only hope you keep up with the hair coloring all throughout the year and not just in the spring! We gardening gals are known to be very high-maintenance!)
You shan't be seeing any full wood shed pictures by tonight. We woke to rain/sleet/hail/snow this morning and now in early afternoon it's still raining. We had to switch gears for the day but hope to be back making sawdust tomorrow.
I applaud your efforts! We too have a remodeling project that is stuck in... not done mode... while outside projects take precedence. We have not lived in the upstairs rooms of our house since we moved here and I'm hoping that will change this summer! But of course there are a hundred other projects outside that take attention away...
I wish you luck!
Hi, Aimee - Welcome and thanks so much for commenting! Living in Mpls. you know very well how precious the summer months are for making progress both inside and out! It doesn't seem fair that we have to cram so much activity into such a short time. Wishing you lots of luck (and about 6 extra hours every day!) for your remodeling project this year.
Your quilting is BEAUTIFUL!
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