Saturday, May 28, 2016

Living Alone at Brambly Pines.....But Not!!


walking down the drive way....
twice a day


Once to get the morning paper.....
again in the afternoon to get the mail


Every Tues evening.......


Taking care of George.......


Cleaning out the chicken coop


Taking care of " the girls" 




Peaches...that the deer ate!!!


Taking care of the garden.....



Asparagus and strawberries.....


Flower bed /garden


Zucchini 


green beans...


Beets...
My new 3 lb weed eater


Little Red and the cart to take the garbage to the street

Bought new chairs ...removed the old chairs
and put down 8 bags of mulch in the fire pit area


Most of the people who know us, know that on April 5, Chuck had both of his knees replaced.  A much needed surgery that had been put off for a couple of years.  It was a rough surgery on Chuck ....he didn't have a leg to stand on.  That meant I had to use my two legs more than ever.  I took over everything that Chuck did around Brambly Pines on top of what I usually do.  Let's just say.....this hasn't been easy.  I took on the two trips to the mail box each day. ( remember, it's a 1/4 mile from our house to the mail box)  Once in the morning to get the paper and then again in the afternoon to get the mail.  Every morning, I have to walk down behind the barn and let the chickens out into their yard, give them water, food, scratch and oyster shells.  I go back every evening to lock them in there safe place....their house.  On Tuesday evenings, I hook the cart up to Little Red, load it up with the garbage for the week and take it down to the big garbage can, then wheel it to the street.  Come back and unhitch the cart so I can use Little Red to mow.  About once a week, I've have to mow the garden area, the yard and behind the barn by the chicken coop.  Don't forget all the weed eating!!  There was no way I could handle the big gas powered weed eater, so I went to Home Depot and bought a little battery powered, 3 lb. weed eater.  It's the best thing invented since sliced bread!!! It takes me a couple times of charging the battery to get the mailbox/roses trimmed, everything around the house, the garden area and the chicken coop, but I am in love with my new little weed eater!  Oh yeah....I have to put gas in the Pilot and get gas for Little Red.  UGH!!!  Do you know how much I HATE getting gas??????  Chuck does.  I don't think I have gotten gas in the six years we have lived up here.....until now.  I didn't even remember how to do it.  The first time I had to put gas in the Pilot, I also came across a snake in the drive way......NOT a good day for me!!!!  Then, the first week after Chuck's surgery, one of the chickens got sick and died.  Yep, I had to pick her up and carry her down to the cemetery and dig a hole deep enough that the wild animals wouldn't dig her up.....and I had a chicken funeral.    Then, there is dealing with George...." The Hunter"!!  Now that the weather is warm, George wants to spend his days outside, hunting and he's good at it!!  There have been chipmunks, voles, mice and birds that have lost their lives to George.  Some of them have been brought inside the house for me to deal with.  The weather has been nice and we have the kitchen door open to the back porch...that means George can come and go as he pleases.  Another thing that Chuck always deals with is keeping all the bird feeders full.  We have six feeders and four hummingbird feeders around the house.  They all have to be filled every two days.  We go through bird seed like crazy.  So, off to Tractor Supply for me to buy 50 lbs bag of sunflower seeds, 50 lb bag of chicken food and a 50 lb bag of chicken scratch.  Thank goodness for the BNOE to come over and unload them all for me.  I try and take a day a week to work in the garden.  I was brave and got the big tiller out to till between the rows.  The weeds were just getting to bad for me to handle by hand.  Let's just say, I won't be using the tiller again.  The whole time I was using it, I was thinking.....oh help me...I'm probably undoing everything the Dr did  when I had my surgery three years ago.  So, I went back to hand weeding around the plants.  Then, since we haven't had any rain, that means....watering the garden, the plants around the yard and studio, every day.   Mean time, I have been driving Chuck to PT three times a week.  I either run errands or just sit and wait on him for the hour.  On Wednesday, I take off to town for groceries and what ever else we need.  That means, I'm lugging heavy grocery bags, cases of water and everything else that I load into the Pilot, into the house and put it all away.  You have guessed it.....I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day.  Then, I have everything that I usually do around here to do.....laundry, ironing, running the vacuum, cleaning the porches.
Chuck's knees are healed and the Dr. told him that they were " perfect".  Thank goodness for that.....BUT.....he is now having issues with his back and is still having to go to PT. More trips to town.......I'm beginning to wonder if this will ever end for the two of us.  In the 46 years of marriage, we have been lucky and haven't had too much of the " in sickness and health" part of our vows to deal with.  Both of us have always been healthy.  We are both so ready for the " healthy part" to be back.  Meantime, I will keep doing it all around here and I'm trying not to think about the " good ole days".   They WILL be back some day.  I just know it!!!

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