End of the Road Farm

[Twoapenny]

I finally caught up   I had got about half way through when Porngate hit so I got distracted and then couldn't remember what I'd read so had to start again   So - in the last four weeks Skep has:

Stayed out half the night at a Nick Cage concert (I am jealous and must make an effort to start seeing some of the people I love live);
started getting ready for winter;
watched the Haunting of Hill House and analysed all available sub text;
sorted out more of the outside space;
done more work on the office;
done more work on the bunk room;
re-written Christmas traditions to something more meaningful (or is intending to );
revisited Twiggy as part of ongoing interaction and work with Holly;
insulated the garage;
eliminated bug invasions;
shown the doctor who is boss

Ha ha.  I love it!  I am always in awe of how much you get done, particularly when you say you do have down time and off days.  Quite amazing stuff.  One question I have though; what is Rx?  Is that something to do with prescription meds?

Interestingly I have found many more friends this year are fed up with Christmas and all it entails and looking for alternatives.  For a long time I have felt like the only one that isn't keen and doesn't want all the fuss.  But several have said they are doing quiet days at home this year; a couple have said no to family for the first time because they just don't want the annual 'raking up the past' that goes on as the drink flows.  We were in a clothes shop yesterday; all decorations are up, Christmas clothes are on display and the Christmas music was playing.  I asked the girl behind the counter if the Christmas music drives her nuts or if she likes it.  She pulled her hair back behind her ears to show me a very small set of ear plugs and grinned at me   Lol

People here have been talking about the Haunting of Hill House.  I have a real fear of the supernatural; anything to do with ghostly happenings frightens me.  Is there much actual ghostliness in it?  There was one evening last summer when we were in our old flat that I'd started watching a programme about stalkers, but ones who had actually lived in properties without the owners knowing and had spied on them, wandered round the house at night and so on.  I turned it off quite quickly because I knew my mind would start playing tricks on me.  About ten minutes later I heard very soft footfall on the stairs.  I literally froze but there was a tiny part of my brain telling me that people can't make such a soft sound when they climb stairs.  It was next doors cat; I'd left the front door open as it was such a warm evening so he'd decided to come in to say hello

And in one of your posts you mention how much crap you and Holly have been through together which, funnily enough, a friend of mine was talking about yesterday.  Her family are going through another drama that she's been dragged into (I'd have binned the lot of them a long time ago; I am so drama averse now that the slightest thing sends me running) but she was saying they've been through so much it feels wrong to jack it all in now.  It's interesting how tough times bring some people together and others apart.

And as for doctors - yes, I am not a fan.  Any problem or ailment I have ever had has resulted in a suggestion of anti-depressant medication.  It is a very useful thing for people who are depressed, but in many cases I feel it is just something that stops people being bothered by the thing that is bothering them.  So yes, I understand the desire to look after oneself as much as possible and not to pop a pill every time there's a problem.  Someone I used to know was a pharmacist so obviously knew a lot about side effects, contra indications and so on - and she avoided medication as much as she possibly could.  I feel sorry for people who have no choice because their health problems are so serious that they really wouldn't survive without the drugs as the side effects can be so debilitating so yes, drug free if at all possible would be my choice as well.

Okay.  I think I have caught up for now.  I hope things are going well with Knuckles!  Lol xx

[sKePTiKal]

Yes, Rx is an abbreviation for prescription.

Knuckles is a very good boy, for his age. He knows his two mommies (LOL) have different speeds, and he is very gentle and patient with me. He picked up "slow" very fast, while I was dogsitting and had to take him outside at night. Because of his love of running and my bears, I would put him in harness and leash him to go down the steps. There are dark spots - and my night vision sucks - so having him go slow up/down the steps was necessary for me. Strong little guy! I think he could pull me up the hill on a sled, if need be. LOL.

I'm enduring the first cold I've had in years. Pretty sure I picked it up at the doctor's office. 

Hol ordered some bunches of eucalyptus to hang in the shower - aromatherapy steam.  It smells real nice in there.

[Hopalong]

I love the eucalyptus in the shower idea! How cool is THAT?
Will it rot and get slimy? How long do you think it'll last?😊

So sorry you got a code, Amber. Hope it passes fast.
Reading Tupp's summary of your activity, could be you just
had an immunity dip due to a bit Too Much, eh?

Echinacea (2-3 caps two or 3 times/day) will knock out 90%
of the colds that try to get me. Zinc lozenges too, but only
if I start them the first second I perceive symptoms coming.
Got my high-dose flu shot a week ago, one more week and
the protection will kick in. But everybody's got their own.
(That was a brief Dr. Hops, Unsolicited, advice attack...)

Sending you mental soup, the most delicious you've ever tasted...

Hugs
Hops

[Twoapenny]

Yes, Rx is an abbreviation for prescription.

Knuckles is a very good boy, for his age. He knows his two mommies (LOL) have different speeds, and he is very gentle and patient with me. He picked up "slow" very fast, while I was dogsitting and had to take him outside at night. Because of his love of running and my bears, I would put him in harness and leash him to go down the steps. There are dark spots - and my night vision sucks - so having him go slow up/down the steps was necessary for me. Strong little guy! I think he could pull me up the hill on a sled, if need be. LOL.

I'm enduring the first cold I've had in years. Pretty sure I picked it up at the doctor's office. 

Hol ordered some bunches of eucalyptus to hang in the shower - aromatherapy steam.  It smells real nice in there.

Eucalyptus showers sound lovely, Skep, aromatherapy is one of the things on my 'would love to learn more' list.  I hope the cold clears up soon, yes, being in a confined space with lots of unwell people in order to obtain health advice always seems an odd thing to do!  The same things seem to happen in schools - one child goes in with a bug and they all go down with it.  My sister has four kids and they literally take turns being unwell.  Then husband gets it (which is as if the world has ended) and finally sis gets it.  By then the next bug has started doing the rounds and so it goes on.  Touch wood, son and I rarely get colds.  Not sure why.  And now I've said that I bet I'll go down with a humdinger.  Lol.  Hope you are feeling better soon xx

[sKePTiKal]

Thanks! Day 4 (today) is past the midpoint; like it or not - and nothing truly helps, except to minimize symptoms - a cold lasts 7 days. I'm feeling a little more human today, but yeah - I was pretty whiny & miserable the first 3 days.

[Twoapenny]

Thanks! Day 4 (today) is past the midpoint; like it or not - and nothing truly helps, except to minimize symptoms - a cold lasts 7 days. I'm feeling a little more human today, but yeah - I was pretty whiny & miserable the first 3 days.

Hopefully it will be your only one of the winter, Skep, and you'll be fighting fit now until Spring xx

[Hopalong]

Here's to sound sleep and fast healing, (((Amber))).

hugs
Hops

[lighter]

Sorry you have "the cold', as youngest used to say.

I find xyletol nose drops help keep secondary sinus infections from cropping up.  Hope you feel better soon, Amber.

Lighter

[Hopalong]

PS -- And when you're all better, recommend the pneumonia vaccine.
Very successful and a big protection as we exit our whippersnapper years....

[sKePTiKal]

Finally feeling semi-human again - now to get back to what didn't get done.

[Twoapenny]

Finally feeling semi-human again - now to get back to what didn't get done.

Yay - glad you're feeling better   Don't go too mad with catching up, though, you might still need a bit of recovery time xx

[sKePTiKal]

The past couple months, Hol's had a chance to unpack just about everything in her life - from her head & heart - that's ever given her grief. I surely hope we're getting to the end of it soon... as since I'm the only real human around her, I'm the one getting it all trotted out for me - and here recently, a good bit of her "seeing" has been about me personally.

So far, we're still able to keep right on going and understand that we both care very much for each other. It takes a toll, however, on both of us. There are idiosyncrasies in each of us and differences, that can make working together fraught. So we're trying other ways of working... communication can be a dicey area, but we're working on that.

So far, so good. I think. It's kind of the right time - and the opportunity exists - for her to do this kind of thing. I've noticed some old traits about her, that are still kind of driving some of her discomfort... and I think they might be anxiety related. But anyhoo... there has been a LOT of time devoted to this kind of thing lately. With the weather turning unseasonably cold, and limiting our work options, it could be a good thing. But I've got other things to do as well... and I need to figure out a way to accomplish that.

[Hopalong]

You know,
you have every right (without relinquishing an iota of mother-tigerness) to require some balance for your own well being.

To state that you are going to take a break from the intensity for a day or so or hour or so...needs no explanation. It's just your right.

That stuff may be exciting and powerful and healing and no doubt is all of those. But without pacing and time to breathe and relax and touch base with your own replenishments, it can become draining and toxic.

love,
Hops

[sKePTiKal]

I know Hops. We're working on that too. LOL. I think we'll both come out of this winter together, new & improved. Still with the same old patina from "wear & tear"... but free-er.

Household projects are still on-going, but slowed down by delivery delays and back-orders. Farm projects consist only of getting things protected from the elements, before the elements start falling from the sky. Hunters are still camped out in the barn, for now. It's more comfortable/doable for Ronnie to get around on the concrete in that bigger building. And he's got his own ranger to get to the back 40, too. Still rehabbing, figuring out how to do things on his own.

I've just about got the Christmas shopping done. We've decided to bake the traditional cut-out cookie recipe this year... but Holly is going off into the weird zone with cookie cutters and decorations. Which is OK.

The next interior project is going to be the main living space. I've done a few bits and pieces... but essentially, I picked out a few things from the beach house or before, that would work in here even if it's not optimal. The studio/garage under... also has the beginnings of plans in my head, too.

That's what I do all winter long, because I don't have to look outside myself or where I am, to make "fun". Something I'm trying to teach Hol, that she should've learned a long time ago. Or learned better.

[Hopalong]

Me, too.
I wish I could catch a contagion of connecting to my home again.

There's so much I could do to make it prettier/happier, but I've
just disengaged from that pleasure. Clutter and neglect. It's clean
enough, but way way far from optimized.

That's Thing #1 (after Writing) that I hope new T can help me with.
If I'm alone here, I'm alone, and I have got to rediscover my joy in
decor and periodic guests and domestic putzing, or ... bad stuff.

love
Hops