Springtime is possibly the worst time to have a crush of work at the office, because there is inevitably much to do at home, which is why I've disappeared for the last few months. Since that day in January when I was ordering seeds, we have been spending every weekend engaged in some springtime preparation at home. At work, the months of April and May were given over to managing a conference for 200, a two day administrative meeting, two other small meetings, a series of educational tours, an additional room block and other duties as assigned.
Between work and home, I was literally working sun up to sun down. Planning meetings is a glamorous job... in theory. Meanwhile, chickens and seedlings don't hibernate until the last invoice arrives. Did I mention I had a sinus infection the whole time? Then there is the chicken that almost died when Salt was out of town. (More on that in a later blog.) It was so hectic that one foggy Monday morning, I had just finished hauling the trash to the end of the drive for pickup and decided that the walk back to the house would be my serene two minutes of weekend.
Despite all of this, the truth is I am blessed to have an occupation at which I am good enough to be given the difficult projects. (It wouldn't be fun if it were easy.) As far as the farmette goes, I think I am spoiled rotten. We call the tasks associated with maintaining the farmette "chores," not because they are onerous, rather because there there isn't a better word in English to describe such a variety of tasks we want to do and need to do... and then there is love.
More often than not I have found myself in the middle of doing my "chores" and wishing I could be doing something else, usually another chore. I am caught between the desire to languish in the moment while I am working on the task at hand and the excitement of starting the next one. When things get too busy, it's easy for the enjoyment to give in to the need to be efficient and for the excitement to start the next job to give in to the desire to be done. Still when things are too busy, as they have been, there are those moments like the fog shrouded walk down the driveway or the silent courtesies that pass between the rooster and myself or the thrill of seeing a small leaf reaching up from the dirt. In those moments, I may be exhausted and rushed, but I know I am lucky to be there.
I'll be writing more soon to update on what has passed in the last few months. For now, please know that we're still rushing a bit to make up for being out of town, but it's a much more manageable pace. The seedlings are going into the garden, the ladybugs arrived in the mail, the chickens are enjoying the warm days, and the rainbows have returned.
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| Photo by N. Russell |
