Monday, August 9, 2010

The Bitter Truth of it All


Lord have mercy, was yesterday's post a downer or what?
We German's aren't all smiles and sunshine, I'ze just got to share what's on my heart.

Seems that since the Garden Walk has been over, I've wandered around aimlessly, no direction, no passion, no motivation, no 'uumph'.
I'm not used to feeling that way.

Your comments were priceless to me.
Priceless!
So much cheaper than a psychiatrist.
Seriously, a few of you hit it right on the button.
Thank you.

I knew I was getting better when I went to bed last night.
It was hard to fall asleep.
I kept thinking of how to enlarge the vegetable patch to plant more pumpkins and sunflowers.
I woke up this morning lamenting over the fact that I'd have to stitch and sew all year long if I were to get everything done I wanted to do.
I wanted more bee hives.
I want to re-do the office.

I feel that I've floundered around, not really knowing what exactly to immerse myself in.
I'ze gotta be immersed.

So I decided that until I get a good direction, I would just do what I needed to do, and to do it with gusto.
My day started at 4am.
By 8am the laundry was on the line (hope it dries by Saturday), the house was clean, the kitchen deep cleaned, all containers fertilized and watered, 'Section B' of the yard deadheaded and weeded, animals tended, dinner planned and a nice big portion of the lawn was mowed, by me, and the push reel mower.
It felt good to do yard work again.

Sometimes the answer to things is right up under your nose.
Hands to work, hearts to God.

I then went off to the Poultry Auction, looking for a mate for Maude.
'Twernt no single male mallards.
I ALMOST came home with another box of banties.
I'm a bit addicted to them.

They are perfect in every way.
I really do need a few more banty hens. Really.

From there, went off to the Lake County Fair where I'm volunteering time in the Northwest Indiana Beekeeper booth.

Aaron took this photo at the Fair today.
It was Senior Citizen Day.
This photo is priceless to me.
Aaron has won a ribbon at the fair for one of his pictures!
I'm super proud of that guy.

I came home and made a simple meal.
Salad and a zucchini casserole.
This cookbook from the library is wonderful.
It reminded me of the simple things that I love.

After supper whilst I waited for the brain candy called 'Bachelor Pad' to come on the Tee Vee, I perused my latest issue of 'Woman's Day'. It happens to be from 1932, but it is my latest issue.

Seems that I got them there Fatigue Poisons.
'Splains alot.


I have realized the bitter truth of it all.

As I prepare to bed down here in Indiana, I feel happy.
I feel hopeful, joyful, grateful.
Just full. Of it. Ha! (Thanks Deborah)

Life needs to watch out.
There's no keeping a good woman down.


42 comments:

  1. I like that "Hands to work, Heart to God" Thankyou for sharing that. I was in a bit of a rut myself, and I am feeling that pull toward keeping busy as well. It's comforting to know others feel this way sometimes too. Thanks.
    Tiffany in the Quad Cities

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hearing all that you got done makes me ashamed. I haven't been nearly that industrious. The heat seems to sap me, especially outside. My flowerbeds are all full of weeds, and the mosquitoes aren't nearly as bad as they were. I LOVE that last photo!
    Blessings,
    Lorilee

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for this. I've been in a rut all summer but tonight at 10pm I painted my staircase walls. I always seem to work better at night. Don't know why. Tell Aaron congrats on his photo win.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's just the after-effects of my visit...my good vibes finally sinking in and all. :)

    Hooray for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure do like Aaron's photo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I jsut try and get one thing done a day. Underachiever? Well, if I get a drawer cleaned out one day and something else the next, I at least feel like I'm getting there. Where, I do not know.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You got more done than I did today, that's for sure! Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jayme,

    Welcome back. Alright, alright. If you're that miserable when you don't have any big projects to keep you occupied, it's the least I can do to have you come here and put you to work. Only because that's what friends do.

    Deborah

    PS You have spam above my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yay! We all have those days. Glad you are back to your sunshine-y self!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love Aaron's photo, he's got a good eye, that boy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm so glad you are feeling better and getting your spunk back. I think everybody has their 'up' days and their 'down' days, sometimes even weeks or month... It might be life in general, relationships, jobs... I always think of it as the tide coming and going, you know it'll change sooner or later...
    Wishing you a happy day,
    Anke

    ReplyDelete
  12. "The bitter truth of it all" Love it.

    I feel like I have been in a funk for about a month. Can't explain it, can't make it go away.

    You cheer me up though.

    Something ate our rooster and tried to eat one of our little banty hens. We had to put her down. (Southern nice way of saying we shot her with our 22).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sooo glad that you are feeling so much more connected to life. I grew up in PA and that was sure a prominent part of my life- Hands to work and hearts to God. I had a sampler hanging for many years that said just that.

    Love your chickens...don't know how you resisted the box of bantys-
    I hope you have a wonderful, productive day. I absolutely love the old advertisment for Postum...wonder if they still even make that? Let me know if you try it! Diana

    ReplyDelete
  14. hi jayme,

    sooo glad that you are feeling more like yourself again. i felt so bad for you after reading your last post. we all feel like that but i had no good words for you. i love having biiiig projects ro keep me motivated but afterwards it's somewhat of a letdown and i'm physically exhausted. i like to keep busy and a big project keeps me going, going, going. i am sooo trying to learn to not always be busy and just enjoy some downtime. it's hard for me and i expect it's hard for you. the next biiiig project always comes and it sounds like you're ready and raring to go again! i'm glad! take care and thanx for the "hands to work, hearts to god." i looooved it!

    love ya,

    peggy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jayme, I'm so glad your funk has passed!
    Good for Aaron for winning a prize. I absolutely love the senior citizen photo. That kid's certainly got talent.
    And, as I sit here and sip my coffee, I'm feeling a special kinship with Mary. First, she needs new friends and secondly, she needs to spend some time in a hammock in your delicious garden - that will cure what ails her.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Damn! That's a big chicken! At least that what I thought when I saw your last photo. Now that I have a better perspective, I see that it's just the angle of the shot that makes her look like she's as big as a barn.
    Aaron is certainly a good photographer. I like that photo of the senior citizen.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's always a good feeling when we "bounce back" to our old selves...some days are just better than others. That "immersed" trait is in me too...gotta have a project at hand. And my to-do list is a mile long, so if you get all your projects done, head my way! Always enjoy your posts...a terrific way to begin the day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. So glad you're back... Love, Love, Love, your blog... Just remember, to us gals sitting in a cubicle, staring at a computer screen all day in an office building, you're living the dream, kid!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great post my dear! Glad you are feeling more like yourself. Everyone feels down sometimes. Be content knowing you are responsible for thousands of smiles and laughs throughout the years.:)xo Cyn

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh we all get that at times, no one is ever up all the time, we are human and don't be hard on yourself for being human, some times after a big event we do get down, and it is natural, I have enjoyed your photos, and love your banties, I have hens not banties but regular chickens, blessings, Barbara from http://bakinnbitsbarbara.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow....thank you for this post. I really really needed it. I'm headed out to the kitchen to clean now. p.s. have you thought about getting a fertilized egg from someone else (neighbor??) and slipping it under your poor little hen who wants so badly to be a mama? When she hatches it we want pictures!!!!!!! God Bless.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dear Jayme,
    I don't think I like you anymore. I never thought I was the kinda gal to enjoy another's sadness but I'm pretty sure I'm the kinda gal who hates reading what I COULD get done by 8am if only I had more GUSTO... Gimme that d@# Postum. I got the fatigues real bad. The bestest part of big deadlines/ projects/ get togethers is the after - clean house, yummy leftovers, weeded gardens, cobwebbed barns etc. Then it all comes undone and I'm just poisoned n tired again.
    So happy you got your mojo back. Now come visit so I get things done!
    PS- Congrats to Aaron - love the old snoozer pic!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Jayme, you are an inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  24. That sleeping old man photo is all different kinds of priceless. It reminds me that I need to officially follow Aaron's blog...

    You know what I think snapped you right back into shape? Chris Harrison, that's who. He looks all out of sorts on this new, sleazy version of his baby. And Gwen! I feel bad for that one. She has ?? instead of her age. You might as well just put "50", if you're gonna go to the trouble of putting ??. I hope they paid her a handsome sum, because she looks uncomfortable and awkward and miserable.

    ReplyDelete
  25. So glad to hear you are starting to feel better, Jayme. Been praying for you. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Whew you made me tired just reading all you've accomplished today. And I thought putting away my clean laundry was pretty good. You know it is okay to sometimes not know what to do next. To sit a spell and wait...listen. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just watched Bachelor Pad last night. Now those people don't have a clue what's up from down.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Jayme! I have that very cookbook in my collection. I keep trying to decide whether to make the zucchini bars. There is only the two of us and it makes a lot. The zucchini are slowing down now so maybe not. I have about 12 of the yellow summer squash to go cut up and get in the freezer yet this evening. Hubs just took a quick trip to Indiana with me. One of my Aunts passed away and I wanted company for the trip this time. I have a lot of cousins and spent some time with some I had not saw in 30 years. Too bad we sometimes wait for something sad to happen to reconnect. Just visiting some of my favorite bloggy friends this evening. The spare bedroom is still torn apart and my computer is still in hubs office. One coat of paint on the walls so far. If I go out and chat with my feathered ladies I always feel so much better but I am sure you already know that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Jayme, we all have are off days when we get in a rut etc....sometimes mine last too long....and the only thing that makes me feel better is to put everything I got into something creative and/or constructive....I hate to sit !!!! That snaps me out of it every time!! Cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, hooking, painting, mowing...whatever...I think it is the German blood in me......welcome back, smiles and hugs, Linda (from southern Indiana)

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm happiest when I'm working. Too much thinking always gets me down. Working hard leads to a good night sleep for me. A cup of hot chocolate before bed is nice too. Hope you start sleeping like a baby.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I LOVE that cookbook! Your yard is beautiful beyond all imagination. Good work. You deserved to relax a little!

    ReplyDelete
  31. You need the lows to better appreciate the highs, otherwise life isn't balanced and it leads to all kinds of poisons! ;-)

    Aaron's photo knocked my breath out - he is beyond talented!

    Must be a family thing ;-)

    (hugs) and glad you've found your mojo again!

    ReplyDelete
  32. ya know the other night the old movie, *mannequin* was on and i thought about you!!! LOL.

    sounds like you had a productive and fulfilling day.

    ((((big hugs))))

    ReplyDelete
  33. Wonderful post on so many levels. First of Hands to work...hearts to God...love it. Sometimes it's as simple as that. And on a lighter note, you mean I'm not the only one indulging in the guilty pleasure of Bachelor Pad...lol. Glad your feeling better. Many blessings, Patty

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hey Jayme~Great pictures especially the one of your yard! Sounds like you are going through that ups and downs stage. It is OK...just let it happen. It is all part of life and the path of the journey. Loved hearing about your busy and productive day.

    Hugs, Dogwood

    ReplyDelete
  35. Good for you. Your day sound lovely and productive. I could use one just like it.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm new at your blog and I just love it.. The first time I read your blog I was laughing so loud my husband came in to see what was the matter.. He left when he saw that I was reading my favorite blogs.shaking his head. He is a realist,left brained.

    I called my sister this morning who got me started in blogging and told her "You have to read Tales from the Coop Keeper Blog.". It's so funny and this girl can write. We are fans of Chronicles of a Country Girl and Crazy as a Loom and others.. But honestly you are so wonderful that it just makes my day to read your blog first thing in the morning.
    If you have time go see the movie "Romona and Beezusz'..now that is a cute movie and very very good... I think I was Romona when I was younger, because I always colored outside the lines. Go see this movie it will lift your day and give you a warm fuzzy....

    ReplyDelete
  37. Nor a hen! Well, Jayme, I get what I call "the dullards." Just don't feel like doing diddly. Don't feel inspired, want to make anything, clean anything. Then out of the blue I'll see a new bloom or maybe a glimpse of a frog out by the pond. And "the dullards" just dissolve down the drain like magic.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  38. the problem with having animals and veg and fruit......
    is that you are constantly tryin to maintain,improve, expand and care for what u have..exhausting

    ReplyDelete
  39. LOVE the last pic of the chickens...the angle is great! And the pond .... I want to be there!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I hope you didn't lie down in any chicken poo to take that last shot! Love your latest Woman's Day magazine. I got a real chuckle from reading that ad. My father used to drink Postum! He had heart trouble so couldn't have caffeine and this was before decaf. After Sanka came out in instant he drank that. Hadn't thought of Postum in yeeeeaaaaars!

    Thanks for visiting Porch Days and enjoying my profile. My favorite sentence in your profile is "I'm devoted to bacon." In my case I would switch bacon to pork.

    It is good that your imagination is full once again of projects. It is difficult to live without dreams and goals. I recently went through a time like that when it seemed we were never going to make our long anticipated move to Connecticut. I had been so full of plans about the yard, the house, my craft room, and meeting the neighbors. I was so discouraged and instead of dreams there was blankness and hopelessness. I was sitting here twiddling my thumbs with no moving date in sight.

    At last we are getting underway on Friday!! I can let myself plan and dream again. I've missed summer in the garden there but the house has lots of glass and has built in copper planters in the living room so I will be growing things this winter. And fall in New England is the best!

    The moral is that down periods don't last forever. And maybe even the Virginia son will get a job further north. So hard to leave one's baby behind, even if he is 28!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Jayme I love you and I never get enough of the my friends,the hens! That Aaron is doing great. You are an amazing woman and I am so blessed to know you my friend!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving a comment!