I have not taken many pictures the last two weeks because I had a doozy of an illness but I am finally feeling better.
I was tested for covid, flu and strep, all negative. Second trip in to see the doctor and he did chest xrays and blood work. Eight days of fever, chills and sweats and pain all over, that was a long time for fever and it had the doctor and myself concerned. To me it felt like a relentless flu. Other than a lingering cough and fatigue I am on my feet and slowly getting back to doing things so no worrying about me, I am better.
The above photo is our first and only apple on our young apple tree that was planted as part of our permaculture garden. We have another apple tree that did not make it so we need to find a compatible mate for this tree. The apple was very tasty!
This is the first part of July and these lemons will not harvest until the end of October to the middle of November. Also part of our permaculture garden.
While I was sick I had a lot of time for thinking and I was aware of how much extra work that Charles was having to do while I was trying to manage getting from the bed to the bathroom or sit upright in a chair.
I thought about how each of us have things that we do independently in and around the house. When one of us is not capable of doing our part then the other has a heavy load doing our regular chores and then taking on the others.
Life is about adjusting as we go. If we are single or married we set a pace of the things we do. When we marry we each take on certain chores and as we move through life we work things out, but either way each of us have things that we do a certain way.
As I would hear Charles in the kitchen or the washing machine running I thought that I must make it easier for either of us to pick up the others load and I also need to make the household easier to keep in place because let's face it, we don't get younger.
I thought about how life was starting off in a small apartment with hardly anything much at all. Then time goes by and we start accumulating things and our life gets busier and so much more to do. It also has a lot to do with our interests and the tools and items we purchase to do these things we do. So much more of that now then long ago because there are more things available.
All of this organizing I have been doing needs some shifting with my new perspective.
Chives soon to bloom.
We need more easy meals and shelf stable like we had in the late 60s to 80's. We left those meals behind, they got us through raising a family and it didn't kill us so I guess that would be okay to do again. I am adding a section in our pantry for items such as the Helper meals, the box that has the items in it and you just add a few things and make a one dish meal. I don't want to mention brands but there are all kinds of easy meals.
I would not want to eat them all the time because it is healthier to eat fresh but we live in such a different world now that maybe it is time to look into a new blend of meal choices. It is still homemade but organized for easy cooking.
Also I am making a small picture cookbook of easy to make homemade meals using fresh ingredients such as this one I cooked after I felt like getting back in the kitchen. Carrots, rice, chicken and zucchini with onions.
The other thing I thought about is we each need to know how to do what the other is doing that pertains to the running of the home and property. Even those that live alone need some kind of plan in case they got sick. Would someone be able to step in to help? A notebook with where they can find things, personal information they might need to know.
Do you have pets? A list of what they eat, how often and where you purchase their food? What vet do you use? These are just a few of the things I thought about and wanted to share this with you.
I have a new perspective and have already started working on a few of the things that I wanted to do right away. I am very thankful for getting through this illness and to be back to putzing around the house. I hope you are well. Grandma Donna
*** I thought I would share an older posts from 2018.
https://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/homesteading/
