I love nighttime the best. I always have for various reasons in my life. When I was a kid, it was the time the house was quiet and everyone in their bedrooms. In a family with 11 kids, that is saying something. Then again, I never had my own room until I was about 12 or 13. I do remember the only sounds after about 9:00 were the creaking of the boards in the hall when someone was going to the bathroom. You would have thought there would have been a line, like they used to show on TV shows like the Brady Bunch, but no, it was more like someone in need of using the bathroom would bang on the door and yell, "Hurry up!" That was about the extent of that.
Then when I was a teenager, I like the night when I could be in my room, listen to my own brand of music and read or do homework. It was MY place.
When I became a young adult, it was about going out and having fun, followed by going to bed late with ringing in my ears from the night of loud musice, then by getting up much too early and wishing I hadn't stayed out so late the night before.
When we were newlyweds, it was our time (if we were both off work) to watch a movie or television and eat popcorn and split a Coke while lounging on the sofa.
When the kids were little and went to bed all at the same time (8:00), I would pay bills and balance the checkbook, clean up from the day, run the vacuum (since children sleep through white noise once they are asleep, or at least mine did), fold the day's laundry, then read a bit before going to bed. Occasionally, I would do a project then, like lay new tile or the like, but it was a nice quiet when I knew they were in bed and asleep after mommy sang a little and gave everyone their smooch for the night.
Now, it seems they never go to bed. Each has a separate bed time, so that is a little crazy, but you can't expect a 15 year old to have to go to bed at the same time as his 9-year old sister. The ME time has been shortened significantly, and by the time all is quiet, I don't feel much like doing laundry and dishes and vacuuming (which now wakes the beasts rather than soothing them to sleep). So, it is time when I check out what my friends are doing, via Facebook. I look at what is new on Craigslist. I check out what is on BYC, if there are any good auctions ( not that I am hatching at this time) and to see if there is something new I can learn and apply to my flock. Sometimes it is just fun to see what people need and if I can lend any helpful tidbits. There is always the game of "What breed am I" or "Am I a boy or a girl" that people are stumped by, but that is a game that is getting old.
Nighttime is when my brain gets creative and I draw/design new chicken coops or gardens or what I want my new house to look like. I come up with 101 ideas for our 4-H club to try. I practice piano a little too, even though I stopped lessons 6-months ago. I do enjoy actually making music and seeing how much more used to the keys my hands have gotten. I will never even dream that I could be a concert pianist, it just isn't in the cards, but I like the music I am able to play.
My husband has never bought into the thought that people are morning people or night owls. Can you guess? He, of course, is a morning person. He wakes up on the weekends a picks up a book and reads for an hour. If I even thought about reading when I woke up, I would just fall right back to sleep. Then again, I don't have to think about reading to fall back asleep, I just close my eyes and viola! I'm asleep. He doesn't get it. If he is woken up after having fallen asleep, he lays awake for hours. Me, I crash again, real quick. It makes him mad too that I can do that. However, last night Daughter came in at 1:00am. She could not sleep. Some kids at school were telling her some stupid story about "Bloody Mary" and if you look in the mirror at night when all is dark and the doors and windows are locked, she will come to get you through your mirror. Gee, let's see, Halloween is next week. I asked her if she didn't think it a little coincidental that she is hearing stories like this at this time of year? Mind you, she is a pretty smart cookie, top of her class, but this thing has got her in a mess. She woke me up to tell me she can't sleep and she is scared and so on and so forth. I, of course, being the sweet mommy I am, told her she could sleep with me since daddy was gone overnight for work. Well, 30 minutes after coming in, she is over there sawing logs and I am wide awake and cannot sleep. What the heck??? I can almost always sleep anytime, anywhere. Nope, I was up for 4 hours!!! Yeah, nighttime is usually a great time for me, but there are exceptions.
CC
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Running Short
Short of...
Daylight. There is no longer long, leisurely days of enjoying the sun and green of summer. The days are getting short, the nights are cold and the leaves are nearly all on the ground. That doesn't change anything about the amount of work that still needs to get done. It actually increases it. Now, on top of all the regular chores, there is the fall clean-up and preparing for winter to do.
Two days ago Husband started the annual "Planting of the Garlic". Actually, last year the "annual" part was interrupted and we had to buy new seed stock this year. My father-in-law had cancer and passed away at the time we should have been planting. It was more sad to lose him, of course, but not having our 8-years' work of seed stock gone was very sad too. Life is unpredictable that way though. But the garlic is nearly done, and then he can get back out to help me finish my chicken house and get the birds in so they can be warm and cozy again. Okay, so maybe they won't be that cozy since it has 4 big windows that will remain open all winter. They will be healthier for it though, I am certain.
The garden did not get the attention needed to produce a harvest. In other words, I grew a great weed patch this summer. My chickens and ducks are really enjoying the 5-foot tall grass that has grown up all over in there. I sent Middle in today to collect all the supports and cages I put in when I planted last spring. I sure hope next year is better. It couldn't get any worse. I will say though, Sunflowers did wonderfully this year. That is probably because they grew anywhere from 7 to 12-feet tall and were way above the weeds.
Daughter is pressing us to have our traditional leaf ride for her. Every year except last year since we have lived here, we have collect leaves on a huge tarp and pulled the kids around on it with the lawn tractor. The boys have outgrown it, but Daughter is still trying to hold onto those things we have done with them as little kids. The tough things about doing this leaf ride is that 1.) they are Silver Maples, so the leaves, if we use the mower, just disintegrate; and 2.) the wind has already blown most of the leaves away. Let's not forget to mention the 70 asparagus plants and the 2 huge raised beds of garlic that now take up half the front lawn that used to be where we pulled the leaf tarp. Just one more thing for her to be disappointed about. It makes me feel bad, but at the same time. there has been a lot going on in the way of work and projects this year.
As much as I want to keep rambling, I will have to pick up with a second part next time. The day has ended for me, and still I could fill the night with work as well, but that just wouldn't be a good thing.
CC
Daylight. There is no longer long, leisurely days of enjoying the sun and green of summer. The days are getting short, the nights are cold and the leaves are nearly all on the ground. That doesn't change anything about the amount of work that still needs to get done. It actually increases it. Now, on top of all the regular chores, there is the fall clean-up and preparing for winter to do.
Two days ago Husband started the annual "Planting of the Garlic". Actually, last year the "annual" part was interrupted and we had to buy new seed stock this year. My father-in-law had cancer and passed away at the time we should have been planting. It was more sad to lose him, of course, but not having our 8-years' work of seed stock gone was very sad too. Life is unpredictable that way though. But the garlic is nearly done, and then he can get back out to help me finish my chicken house and get the birds in so they can be warm and cozy again. Okay, so maybe they won't be that cozy since it has 4 big windows that will remain open all winter. They will be healthier for it though, I am certain.
The garden did not get the attention needed to produce a harvest. In other words, I grew a great weed patch this summer. My chickens and ducks are really enjoying the 5-foot tall grass that has grown up all over in there. I sent Middle in today to collect all the supports and cages I put in when I planted last spring. I sure hope next year is better. It couldn't get any worse. I will say though, Sunflowers did wonderfully this year. That is probably because they grew anywhere from 7 to 12-feet tall and were way above the weeds.
Daughter is pressing us to have our traditional leaf ride for her. Every year except last year since we have lived here, we have collect leaves on a huge tarp and pulled the kids around on it with the lawn tractor. The boys have outgrown it, but Daughter is still trying to hold onto those things we have done with them as little kids. The tough things about doing this leaf ride is that 1.) they are Silver Maples, so the leaves, if we use the mower, just disintegrate; and 2.) the wind has already blown most of the leaves away. Let's not forget to mention the 70 asparagus plants and the 2 huge raised beds of garlic that now take up half the front lawn that used to be where we pulled the leaf tarp. Just one more thing for her to be disappointed about. It makes me feel bad, but at the same time. there has been a lot going on in the way of work and projects this year.
As much as I want to keep rambling, I will have to pick up with a second part next time. The day has ended for me, and still I could fill the night with work as well, but that just wouldn't be a good thing.
CC
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