Home Work And Me Work

Ah, Spring! Such a beautiful season, but...

we are finding many small and not-so-small jobs that need to be tackled, and things that will cost money to fix or replace. We already checked a few off the list--a new riding mower, a replacement farm tractor, and new electric fencing around the gardens.

There is still a lot on the list, though:

• the garden hose and the outside faucet by the house both need to be replaced
• the porch needs to be pressure-washed and so does the porch furniture
• the patio metal chairs and glider need washed too, and some pieces need to be re-painted
• we need to replace some of the siding on the back of the house
• and we are still trying to find the leak in the roof that only seems to leak into my dustpan that hangs on the side of a cupboard.

There are probably other things I missed--lots of "Harry Homeowner" tasks, as we call them. But the grass is greening up, the apples and cherries will soon be in bloom, and although the daffodils are sadly fading, other flowers will soon take their place.

On another front, I have been going to physical therapy twice a week for my right knee, which has been a pain, literally, since 2008. It's not like it needs replacement--it's more arthritis and a tiny tear in the meniscus that cause the trouble. It doesn't slow me down much but it does make me limp sometimes and often keeps me awake at night. Then there's my old friend sciatica that flares up from time to time. So I am working on both of them because I want to be in good shape for my trip to England this summer.

I admit I enjoy the therapy, although I begrudge the time it takes out of my mornings. I am only going twice a week, but it seems so disruptive to my routine, and I fret over what I could be doing instead. But it is what it is, and I appreciate the good it's doing me.

I fuss about these things--the home work and the me work--but I realize that I am blessed. I have a paid-for house, after all, and after listening to people talking at physical therapy I can see that my two therapy visits per week are a drop in the pan to the many doctor/medical visits some people have.

So onward and hopefully upward!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.