Yes, I Am Cranky

Our temperature has been steadily falling all day today. It currently reads 36 and it's raining. Except the rain drops are white and shaped like snowflakes. At least they're melting as they hit the ground. At least for now.

They say computers have made our lives easier and save us time. Yep, until you have an unexplainable problem with the functioning of your computer. Until your band width is being eaten up at a rate faster than the speed of sound and you keep getting "timed out" because you've used the allotted time your "package" provides and your service is cut off for a 24-hour go-sit-in-the-corner-for-bad-behavior period. After spending 2-3 hour periods each day about six different times over the last two months talking with the experts (in India), your Internet provider acknowledges that, yes, there is a problem, but cannot identify what the problem is and therefore it has not been rectified. "But call us," they say, "when it happens again." Two to three more hours wasted that day in unproductive communication.

We're facing a summer of such magnitude of work and complexity that we're finding ourselves crushed by the weight of it and we haven't even started on it full-on yet.

I can't handle the garden and the job of wearing the second tool belt in the family both so the majority of the garden will go into rest and relaxation mode (lucky garden) for this year. With the price of purchasing food escalating as I type, this scares me to death.

Both hubby and I are experiencing difficulties sleeping. Sleep is the time you heal, rejuvenate, re-energize. It ain't happenin' much in our house lately. And our emotional and physical states are showing signs of wear and tear.

Hubby, aka Financial Manager of our household, is spending more time than usual (time that obviously takes him away from doing other things) managing our finances in these turbulent economic times. Are we going to wind up being another "retired" couple who has to seek outside employment at this stage of our lives to bring in that extra bit of cash needed? (Cringe-shudder-cringe.)

Instead of jumping into our huge remodeling project, would time be better spent re-doing our front deck that is rotting away before our very eyes? What about the roof on a main storage structure that is self-destructing? What about the one remaining building on the property that still has those four or six huge trees too close to it which are going to create a large amount of damage and expense (when they blow over in one of our seemingly frequent once-in-a-century horrendous wind storms) if we don't get around to removing them first?

We've been going to build a new chicken/goose house for several years now. One huge branch landed pointy end down and went right through the roof of the old hen house. We patched it so that it doesn't leak. Too much. At the moment.

Our pond needs to be completely drained and the holes those ratty little muskrats made located and repaired so it stops leaking to the point of morphing into a large mud puddle by the end of summer.

It's unbelievable how many times we've needed to use our high-sided trailer in the past year and a half since it was smooshed by a falling tree. And, obviously, wasn't available at the time of need. We have the framing rebuilt on it but the flooring and sides still need to be done.

Oh gosh, the list goes on and one and on. Things that need to be done, should be done to ensure our safe little haven stays our safe little haven in the midst of an insane world.

I keep reminding myself we have no real problems. I really do. I keep chanting the Minnesotan mantra, "It could be worse!" And I know it could. And I know I shouldn't be so down and draggin' and bellyachin'. We have a lot to be thankful for and I'm definitely being a real pain in the patoot lately.

Here's hoping my cranky mood disappears with the snowflakes that aren't really snowflakes. They just look that way.