Everyone that comes to visit us says the same thing: “It’s so peaceful here.”
Of course, it is. But then again, it isn’t. You see, I work outside the home, Marilyn home schools the boys and we run a small business with our “farm fresh” and “value-added” products. These additions to “farm life” can make things hectic and at times, downright exhausting.
Consider these facts - I work all day and take the bus into and home from the office, which is in downtown Cincinnati – roughly 30 miles away. My morning and evening commute knocks 2 hours, 10 minutes off of my availability at home, and that is on a “good day” without accidents or bad weather. I have sat on the bus for over 2 hours waiting for the “congestion” to clear. And once school is in session, and the holidays approach, the daily commute time is extended as the season wears on. So I Lose at least 10 – 11 hours a day with that.
While I am commuting and working, Marilyn spends her morning with the boys – doing the chores and then teaching school. This is not a task to be assigned a mere mortal, but one to be performed by a quick maneuvering, multitasking marvel, since switching gears in mainstream, at full speed is essential for success; Animals must be fed, watered and milked. Meals thought out and prepared. House kept in order. Product made (since we try to make money to recoop the costs of feeding/caring for the animals), packaged, labeled and inventoried. Then, if there are online orders from the Website, or call in orders from people, she has to fill those orders and prepare them for shipping, pickup, or delivery. We also have “regulars” drop in to pick up eggs, honey and other goods we sell. And don’t forget, we do have to order conatiners, and other supplies for the business.
Now, I am not completely out of this loop – sometimes I have to go over some school work with one of the boys, or I have to take packages on the bus and walk them to the Post office, or UPS, or deliver them on my way to/from work. I also help with making product, or, more often than not, watching the boys while Marilyn makes the products.
Then, we have the “craft show schedule” – Since October, we have done 12 craft shows. That means, Marilyn & I have both done different craft shows on 2 weekends, while the other 8 were 1 craft show per weekend. And we still have 2 more to do. Many times during this “season”, I do not really get a day off. With selling at craft shows, the packing and unpacking, loading and unloading at each event wears on me. I am sure it wears on Marilyn, too, but no one could ever tell.
All of this is in addition to adding and mending fences, barns, the greenhouse and the house. Not to mention the mowing or the garden beds to be dug, fertilized, prepared for winter/spring, the goat stalls to be cleaned out, the chicken houses to be cleaned out, the left-overs to be put in the compost, the wood to be cut down/split for the wood burning stove, hay and feed to buy, pick up and store, the truck, van, lawn tractor, tools, scooters and bikes to maintain, playing midwife to pregnant goats and dogs, and so on ans so on…
But then, when the day is done and we are really tired and sitting on the porch in spring/summer or by the wood burning stove in fall/winter – it is peaceful here… and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here – with my family…
–Pat