Sunday 25 February 2018

Adele and me


Once in a while, you come across something or someone special. It usually has nothing to do with who you are or what you do - it's a connection that just happens, as if by magic. 
And it is magic. When you find a friendship like that, you hit the jackpot!

That's what happened to me and Adele. Adele is one of our mini goats. But she isn't just any goat - she is a natural yoga goat!

Share:

Saturday 17 February 2018

Two months post diagnosis



Today I want to give you another update on Rich's Lyme Disease status. (For the one month post diagnosis post, click here.)
He has now completed 2 full months of antibiotics (Doxycycline) and started on the third month. We see the doctor every two weeks for monitoring, but so far, he's tolerating the antibiotics well and has no problems with them. 

We have noticed an almost imperceptible, but hugely significant change: instead of feeling sick all the time with the odd good day, he's now feeling pretty good most the time with the odd bad day! His energy levels are rising, his appetite is back, and he says he feels almost normal everywhere below the shoulders. 
His main problem is still the pain and limited range of motion in his left shoulder (the right one is much better now), and the pain and swelling in his hands. 

As I mentioned last time, we've been experimenting with medical marijuana. After some misses, we have now found something that works well for him: Phoenix Tears, a cannabis oil. Ours is equal parts CBD and THC, and I put two tiny drops into a capsule and give it to him to swallow every night before bed. It doesn't get him high, but it helps him sleep, and getting a decent amount of sleep has been instrumental in making him feel better. 
Thanks to the oil there are days where he doesn't take any painkillers aside from his anti-inflammatory, and even on bad days he's now cut back from six to two Tylenol!


We've received a ton of (unsolicited) advice about our diet. Go paleo, cut out dairy, gluten and sugar, become vegetarian, only eat organic, etc. 
Here's the thing: we love food. There are few things better in life than roasting a chicken you raised yourself, mashing potatoes with a healthy dose of butter, and serving it with a rainbow of colourful vegetables. We don't want to restrict ourselves. We have no food allergies, and we don't want to create a list of 'forbidden' food. Like most women, I lived like that for a decade, and it made me miserable and ill-tempered. 

So no, we won't cut out anything. We live by the rule "everything in moderation", and we grow some of our food ourselves (if you ever eat with us, chances are that your piece of meat has a name 😉), but we won't follow a "diet". I hate the word diet. Diets are not permitted in our home. 

Food plays such a large role in life: it's much more than just "fuel for your body" (an expression that irks me, to be honest). It's part of our culture, our history together as a couple, and it's a large part of what makes life enjoyable. 
We eat a ton of fruit and veggies, but we also love Kaiserschmarrn for breakfast (torn pancakes with raisins and apples, an Austrian speciality), we have ice cream regularly, and neither of us says no to a big, juicy steak. 
I don't feel like our eating habits are unhealthy, and I definitely don't believe that they have contributed to Rich's illness. So, while I appreciate the attempts to help us, we respectfully decline to follow the latest eating fad. 


I'm still doing the heavy lifting around here, because of Rich's painful hands and shoulders, but he's feeding all his birds. We have found a good balance of doing the chores for now, and once spring comes, it will be a whole lot easier. 

Overall, we are on the up and up! 
It's easy to forget sometimes that we've only known that he has Lyme Disease for two months, and have been treating it for a relatively short amount of time. 
At our last doctor's visit, we discussed just that, and the doctor said: "You were basically crippled in December, and look at you now!"
Look at him, indeed. That man of mine is a fighter, and I'm so proud of him!

Happy weekend!

xo Miriam



Share:

Thursday 15 February 2018

"You married a farmer - get used to it"


If you would have told me at any given moment in my past that I would be traipsing around a ranch with a sledgehammer in hand to hack open frozen water dishes (and ward off feisty turkeys - they're getting frisky), I would have told you that you're insane. 

Alas, that's exactly what I was doing yesterday (on Valentine's Day no less), and will be doing again in an hour or so. 
This video is from Christmas, but 7 weeks later, here I am, still doing it. LIVING THE DREAM, PEOPLE, LIVING THE DREAM.

Share:

Wednesday 7 February 2018

Father Winter can stuff it


We are in survival mode. 
Winter is kicking our asses, and we are barely hanging in. Rich wants to buy another dog; I keep ordering clothes and necklaces online. We need more dogs and clothes like a hole in the head, and deep down, we know that; but we keep looking at dogs and clothes anyway.
Our actions are desperate cries for help, because WE.CAN'T.TAKE.IT.ANYMORE!

The ice. The snow. The forced house arrest (thanks for nothingLyme). 
The slipping. The falling. (We've each wiped out several times thanks to the thick sheet of ice covering everything. I have the bruises to prove it - Rich's skin is unblemished. How??) The bundling up in coats and hats and gloves. 
Yesterday we argued for 10 minutes if we've had snow for over 4 months or 3 months; it's been here since the first week of November, and I was convinced that it means it has been 4+ months: November, December, January, February. Makes sense, right?
Wrong (according to some). Because February just started, meaning it's 3+ months. 
"Well, it feels like the snow has been here for 40 months," I snapped grudgingly in the end, unwilling to admit that he was right. 
Very mature, Miriam. Very mature. 

But that's what winter does to you. It makes you say and do things you normally wouldn't. 

It doesn't help that we had planned to do a road trip down to Sedona, a place I've been wanting to visit for ages. 

We went to Utah 10 years ago, and that trip is still one of my all-time Top Three vacations. There is something so special about that red rock - you can feel yourself open up, transform, and go home a changed person. 
I WANT TO BE A CHANGED PERSON!
Well, not really. But an extra dose of patience would be nice. 

Alas, life laughed at our plans and made new ones for us; staying put and battling a disease. NICE GOING, LIFE. 

I mean, the view isn't too shabby:

 And the company isn't either:

As you can see, it isn't all bad. But boy oh boy, the cabin fever is real, and my poor patience is being tested like never before. Probably a lesson I'm in desperate need of - but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

In good news, I got my bangs trimmed yesterday, and for the second time in a row I got them trimmed for free! It happened last time just before Christmas (same salon, different stylist), and again yesterday. It's a small gesture, but it made an otherwise grey day so much brighter!
I'm planning on baking some treats and bringing them in tomorrow, just to brighten their day as much as they did mine. Kindness rocks!

Okay, I have to feed the beasts now. Out in the snow I go again!

We are all going to make it (probably). 

xoxo Miriam


Share:

Sunday 4 February 2018

She Shed Mood Board



I'm sitting on my desk, and when I look past the computer screen out of the window, I see fresh snow. Again. We've had snow since the beginning of November, and at this point, I can barely remember what the farm looks like underneath all the white stuff. In a little while, I will have to bundle up and go outside to feed, sliding my way across the sheet of ice that's covering every inch, hiding under the snow and making every step a dangerous adventure. Fun, fun, fun. 😖

What gets me through the long winter months is books, online shopping (I ordered something else, this fabulous silk top in red - isn't it amazing?!), and making plans for the spring. 
On top of my to-do list is the she shed Rich is building me, and I'm having the best time designing it!

One of the most important features for me is getting a large bookshelf, because in our house is no room for one. This is the first time in my life that most of my books live in boxes instead of being displayed on shelves, and it's hurting my heart. 
But not for much longer! One entire wall of my shed will be dedicated to my books, and I just found the perfect DIY for built-in-bookshelves on Pinterest: 
Photo found here
Share:

Thursday 1 February 2018

My husband's mistress




I can hear them in the next room. My husband's moans, the rustling of sheets. I hear the bed squeak.
I never hear her; she is always quiet.
After what feels like an eternity, he emerges. Limping, groggy, barely able to make it to the bathroom. He doesn't acknowledge me, so focused is he on the task at hand - and to get back to her.
It's always her. She's there every moment of every day and night. Especially at night. 

She is needy. Demanding his attention. Greedily sucking out his energy. She forces him to stay in bed with her, or cuddle up on the couch with her, taking him away from me.
I try to talk to him, but often, he is distracted. He can't focus on me. I know that he wants to, but she is too powerful. 

She is constantly with him, squeezing him so tight, he can barely breathe. Her vice-like grip hurts. He's trying desperately to shake her off, but all she does is cling on even tighter.
It's easier to give up. Give in. Let her do what she's determined to do.

She wants so possess him. Dominate his every thought, emotion, and action. She dictates the way he moves, thinks, acts, lives.

But if she thinks she can dominate the way he loves, she can think again. 

Love is stronger than her.
Our determination to get rid of her is stronger than her.
She may have won a few battles, but she won't win the war.
We were there long before she discovered her power, and we will be there long after she lost it.
Him and I, we have weathered storms much more powerful than she could ever be. She better remember that.

Lyme may be strong, but we are stronger.
She won't defeat us. 


Top photo from Pixabay



Share:
© Farm Girl | All rights reserved.
Blog Layout Created by pipdig