Monday, September 14, 2009
Testing Limits
When my grandfather died, one of my closest friends once told me that "God never gives us more than we can handle". She reminds me of this every time life seems a bit overwhelming. Surely, God must think that we can handle a lot then! I'd like to have that same faith in myself, but some days...I just don't know.
As a city girl, I knew that once I became a farmer's wife, life wouldn't be too easy. It's a hard life sometimes. Sometimes it feels like a thankless job. I mean, people need to eat. People need food. People need farmers. Then how come farmers have to work so hard and not really see the riches of all the work they've done? Anyway, that's an entirely different post all together! ;)I've been helping Hubby get some of the square baling done.
The PTO shaft broke. The draw pin broke. The knotting device on the baler wasn't working properly.
It seems like every day there is some kind of breakdown or something needs to be repaired. Hubby didn't have another draw pin, so he had to make one! He welded together some pieces to make a new draw pin. Pretty crazy. I was looking at him in awe, as though he were The Alchemist or something. He created a part for the farm equipment out of something that started off looking nothing remotely like the part he made up!I took the baby off-roading through the bush (in city speak, that means the forest/woods) in my jeep to get to the far field where we were baling. Hubby met us there with the tractor, baler and wagon.
Normally, I would not take the baby with us when we work on the farm because I worry about her safety. Farm equipment + big machinery + baby = a lot of anxiety for me. We had absolutely no choice this time, since my parents weren't home, hubby's mom wasn't home, and the nieces were busy.
While I operated the tractor and baled , Hubby was on the wagon loading the square bales with Little One (asleep in her car seat).The surprising thing is that I actually love being in the field, operating the tractor. It's so quiet and so beautiful out there and when on the tractor, you have a lot of time to think. I saw a deer and her fawn, as well as a family of Sandhill Cranes.
As odd as it may sound, working on the farm can sometimes be therapeutic. That's when all goes well and there are no breakdowns!
After spending the day working in the heat, I raced home with the baby so I could get supper ready. Being on the Island, I sometimes miss Greek, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, and French restaurants. However, when on the Island, we make due with what we have. I ended up making homemade souvlaki and homemade tzatziki sauce.
Of course, I had to make some food for Little One as well! She is still being nursed for most of her feedings, with the exception of solids twice a day. She gets cereal (rice, oat or barley) and veggies and fruit.
I thought it was going to be an early night for me, but I was wrong. Since Hubby took on another job off the farm, he has to get up super early. I slept down in the guest room so he could have some uninterrupted sleep (and so I didn't have to get up super early when his alarm went off). Little One ended up getting an upset tummy and I was up with her from 2AM to 4AM. Then the cows decided to test their limits again by bulldowzing through the electric fence! Of course, this had to happen when Hubby was not on the farm! The dew was still on the grass and it was misty when I went out to chase them back. They didn't go where I wanted them to, but I was able to keep them at bay before Hubby came back to take care of things. *sigh* All of this before I even had time to have breakfast and change out of my pyjamas!We've got a few orders for fire wood that have to get delivered. Ummm...I haven't even had time to finish splitting all the fire wood! We intended on having it done a long time ago, but there just seems to always be something that tosses a monkey wrench into things. We don't even have fire wood done for ourselves for this winter! As a result of all the craziness going on here, the house is a disaster. What worries me is that if I'm having a hard time keeping up with the house, the farm, the baby, the other jobs on the side, how am I ever going to manage all of this and then some when I have to go back to teaching ESL?
Because I'm in a sharing mood, here's a recipe for you :)
Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
1 Small (100 g) Cucumber, seeded
250 ml (1 Cup) Greek Yogurt (I didn't have any, so I just used sour cream)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced (I love garlic, so I used more than just two cloves!)
2 tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
2 tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Dill
Lemon Juice to taste
Sea Salt to taste
Method
Grate the cucumber and sprinkle about ½ tsp of salt. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. Then squeeze the excess juice from the cucumber.
In a medium bowl, mix cucumber with yogurt, garlic, mint leaves, dill and season well with lemon juice and sea salt. *I also used some finely chopped fresh parsley.
1 Small (100 g) Cucumber, seeded
250 ml (1 Cup) Greek Yogurt (I didn't have any, so I just used sour cream)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced (I love garlic, so I used more than just two cloves!)
2 tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
2 tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Dill
Lemon Juice to taste
Sea Salt to taste
Method
Grate the cucumber and sprinkle about ½ tsp of salt. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. Then squeeze the excess juice from the cucumber.
In a medium bowl, mix cucumber with yogurt, garlic, mint leaves, dill and season well with lemon juice and sea salt. *I also used some finely chopped fresh parsley.
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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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13 comments:
hey!
Hang in there... had a weekend like that.... all i wanted to do was have a meltdown! And that helps too=)
we have got to meet soon
Wow, you've got a lot on your plate. I have no doubt that it feels like too much sometimes, but I also know you can handle it, even if that means asking for help whenever you can, and working around it when no help is available.
I'll admit that I have issues with that saying about God not giving people more than they can handle. I have two thoughts....if I could handle less, would he have let my mother live? No? Also, some people clearly are given too much, much more than they can handle, and so they drink too much or do drugs, or kill themselves. One could argue free will, but where's the free will in God giving that person so much to begin with?
See, you're feeling overwhelmed by life, and I'm getting all philosophical on you. Sorry. ;)
I hope that the rest of the week is easier for your whole family.
It is a busy life for sure. Those quiet moments out in the paddocks, are what draws the farmer to the land!
Baling is such a busy time too.
I hope it all quietens down soon for you both.
hey girl! just saw that crazy thread for your facebook status with commments going back and forth. i am a city girl as you know and i validate how busy i am all the time! {{{{{{{{{{{lol}}}}}}}}}}}} again, you just keep saying/writing how you feel and it'syour place to vent. it's your outlet and don't let anybody who doesn't know anything about anything tell you any different.
didn't want to comment on facebook because the person who wrote that "in defence" crap might know me! for the record, city moms do vent about how busy we are too. clearly it was a male who made the comment because i'm sure he is not the one at home with children and balancing everything else at the same time. just sayin..
Concratulations upon this Tzatziki, which surely came close to the one, one can eat here in Athens, Greece.
Wishing you an easy Tuesday and hope that you saw your award you were given last Saturday.
Jackie:
I'm going to start taking the baby to some of the play groups offered on the Island. There's one in your neck of the woods. I'm actually in your area quite a bit (to do groceries and bank runs, etc). We should arrange to meet up soon! :)
Thank you for your comment! You put a smile on my face!!
J:
Funny you should mention the issues you have with that saying, because I feel the same way sometimes! I agree with you about that. I could go on and on and delve into a whole philosophical debate about this, but I think other readers might just find it long and drawn out. ;)
merinz:
Thank you so much! I hope so too! Actually, I'm feeling a bit less stressed today. The house is still a mess, laundry is still waiting to be folded and put away, the cows are behaving (for now), the baby is doing great (despite having teething rash). All is good in the world.
HM:
Oh, you are too funny! Thank you. Yes, I know you're a city girl through and through, and I know you do "validate" the things you do too. Thank you for that. It's your honesty that I appreciate.
Hi C!
Rule #1 of farming:
If it is sunny, machinery breaks.
Rule #2 of farming:
If the machinery works, it's raining.
Miss you so much!
E.
ps:
Word ver: lumpoov (definition: the mass of congealed hay often found in the square baler after it has been sitting around for a while. Hehe.)
Robert:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! How could I have missed that post?!?! It just brightened up my day. Thank you for your thoughtfulness!
The Tzatziki sauce was really good! Do you have your own recipe? If so, please share! :) I'd love to know how the one I make differs from the authentic sauce you'd get in Greece!!! :)
E:
Ohhhhhhh! I miss you soooo much too! I have been meaning to call you to see how life is "down south" and do some catching up!!
I *was* going to go to Island Singers tonight. I would really, REALLY love to be part of the choir again this year. The only thing is that I fear I've got so much on my plate that if I add anything else to it, things will start falling off said plate. *sigh*
Wow. Life on the farm sounds like a lot of hard work. Thank you for growing food for us all to eat! xo