The Daily Grind

15 years ago in a skiing accident I tore three ligaments in my knee and really messed up the stability of it for life.  6 years ago while tripping over a toy, avoiding stepping on the puppy playing with it and carrying a baby, I damaged the cartilage and the ACL ligament.  14 months ago, I jumped out of our boat, sunk my foot into the sand and had my unstable knee slide forward and retore my ACL ligament.  In 6 days I will be undergoing surgery to have it repaired/replaced for the third time.

Injuries never happen when they are convenient.  The first time I was in Junior high and had a whole year of plans.  The second time I had work and kids and puppies and by the time I had the surgery, I had a two week baby at home to care for.  This time I will be virtually laid up for at least 6 weeks with 5 kids, horses, dogs and winter around the corner.  Not Optimal.

Right now the deadline that next monday represents is looming.  The chill in the air and the crispness to the weather is a secondary ticking timebomb.  On an acearge or farm there is always so much to get ready in preparation for winter.  Toys and leftover project materials that need to be put away, the yard that needs cleaned up, the animals that need to be moved/groomed/bedded down ect in preparation for the months of cold.  Normally we have more time to prepare everyone for this but this year I won't be walking at the point that winter starts to really set in...which gives me 6 days to have everything and everyone ready.

There are outbuildings to clean out, straw to purchase and spread around for horses to bed on, waterers and heaters to place, storage that needs organized, outside garbage, toys, bikes, tools ect that all need to make sure they have found their winter hibernation spots.  It leaves the inside of my house looking fairly neglected by comparison so once the outside is finished there is always more than can be done to do inside. 

My kids are usually great, well behaved little monsters BUT they are like little whirlwinds.  Everywhere they go they leave something behind.  Almost every project started leaves something left to put away.  Every book read or in the process of being read left in a nice easy to reach spot.  Homework, back backs, socks, clothes, dishes, shoes ect are rarely put back in the places they should be.  With five kids 9 and under living in this little house I often feel as though I either need a live in maid or a recording saying "Put it away"  "Pick it up" "It belongs somewhere else" "put one thing away before pulling out another" ect.  There is only one of me to clean up and five of them making a mess.....

Fortunately I am married and I do have the benefit of having a husband at home most of the time helping raise the kids and take care of the kennel.  He is a huge help with seeing the construction done and projects finished.  He is wonderful at chores.  He is going to have a lot of extra things hitting his plate in the next couple weeks.  Things he wouldn't normally be in charge of will become his deal as well.  Making lunches and getting kids off to school, laundry, dishes, floors, and the dog chores...plus...plus....plus....All the things that keep me running from 7am to midnight most days and winter is still coming so the construction and projects will still need to be completed.

Fortunately it's not my butt that is getting fixed and I will be able to still fold the clothes, take care of the baby, groom the dogs respond to emails, man the phones, do the marketing, update the websites, manage pictures and still do most of the office things so he won't have to take that on as well.

When I think about being out of commision for even just as short a time as I will be it makes my head spin with how much there is to do and how much that we get done on a regular day.  We are fortunate that my surgery is a prescheduled and planned for event that we are able to prepare for and get some things out of the way before they happen.   It would be so much more difficult to cope with an unplanned for emergency/injury.  Thank God this one is not. 

The daily grind taking care of five kids, the house, the kennel, and the animals and preparation for winter does not stop because we might want it too for a few weeks while I recover.  So the planning and busy-ness continues as we prepare.