Detachment and the end of limbo, sort of...too

[Phoebe]

Well, no it's not just two people these days, but, yes, they're the ones I see most often. True, l-friend is more than a friend, and R-friend is a bit of a challenge, but I enjoy her company. She's from Europe and the cultural differences are interesting. She can be blunt, but also funny and astute, and she's an incredible cook! I got a recipe from her for her stuffed tomatoes and made it last night. (All three of us had it last week at r-friend's 20 years in the US anniversary party) I love to cook, so last night was a homemade dinner extravaganza, and most of it was even home grown! I made fresh bread, stuffed tomatoes, fresh garden cucumber salad, roasted red peppers, and an egg salad made from a stash of eggs that one of my birdies squirreled away for a few days, and thus had to be eaten relatively quickly. Cooking is a gift I give myself, and it's one that I've barely given myself since walk-away date. Heck, I wasn't eating, so there was no point in cooking. It's really nice to be in my kitchen again. And eating again.

I see R-friend a couple times per week, and I see l-friend most days, that is true, but usually just a few hours in the evening to bike and have dinner. Days are on my own, dealing with legal stuff, working on my farm, trying to get caught up on long-neglected tasks, etc.

I have two neighbors I spend time with, usually once a week or so each, and a woman I've known for a long, long time that I will heretofore dub B-friend that I went to a beekeeper's meeting with recently. We volunteered to staff the beekeeper's association booth at the local fair this Tuesday evening from 3-9. There will be samples of different types of honey for people to try, and there will be a demonstration bee colony, and I'll be learning a lot (or looking very clueless???) because I will have to be answering questions from the public. I probably ought to do a bit more reading before I go, huh? I am totally excited to start keeping bees next year!

I still see my parents most days, but admittedly not as much because I have pretty much finally made the transition back to sleeping in my own bed in my own home again, a mere 8 months into this whole WAS/D adventure. That's serious progress.

I also hike with H-friend, and have spent time at her house and she is pretty darn great! By far the easiest person to be around that I've met. I had to bow out of a last weeks' activities with her because of my wonderful Lyme issues, but I fully intend to start hiking with her again now that I am feeling better. we were supposed to go on a biking and paddle boarding adventure last week, but I was down for the count that day, fever, achy, generally yucky.

Yesterday I spent the entire day at the farm. I spent serious time with my birdies and got caught up on a lot of stuff that had been piling up.

L-friend came over around 7 and we went for another really good bike ride, getting back right at dark. I have installed a headlight on my bike now because the days are getting shorter again. Then we cooked dinner together, which was, as I said, one of those things I love to do, and he stayed for a few hours afterward.

No, I haven't gone to a MeetUp in weeks. At least 6 weeks, actually. My Audubon Society meetings stopped over the hottest months of the summer, but are set to start up again in the fall, so I'm looking forward to that. I still hike by myself when I go to my therapist.

Yes, I'm busy, but I'm also feeling OK. I don't feel like I'm staying busy to run away from the messiness/madness/sadness of my M/D I am just spending time with people I enjoy, doing things that I enjoy.

When I was at the fair on Friday, I spoke briefly to a vet in the animal health demonstration area, and she invited me to contact her to work at a low-cost spay-neuter clinic that she is a part of. It's paid work, and it's in my field, on a per diem basis. I'm thinking that might be a good thing to investigate, so I'm going to contact her this week and see what it's all about.

Alone time: I need more of this, I completely agree.

SH, I am so glad to hear that D6 had a good time for her birthday, and that D18 is out enjoying her friends. You are a wonderful, loving father.

Farm update: This is the story of one crazy hen...

Two mornings ago, when I was frantically rushing around because I overslept and was running late to my appointment, I was on speed chicken-care duty. I let the big birds out of their yard, and they were all following me, but I noticed that one bird was actually AHEAD of me, about 25 feet away. Hmmmm. Why wasn't she with the main herd of birds, and how could she have possibly gotten that far ahead in a few seconds? I was suspicious that she spent the night outdoors. That evening, after dark, I checked the coop, and, indeed, I only had 9 hens inside, instead of 10. I went out and searched for her in the dark, but to no avail. I thought she was a goner for sure.

The following day, late-morning, I went out and let out the flock, called and searched around for RogueBird, and... nothing. I gave the other girls some treats, and then I hear this loud squawk, and she came flying out of the weeds at me! Luckily I saw where she came from, and there in a little corner, hidden by tall weeds, she had secretly laid a 9-egg stash of eggs, and then she had gone into full on Mommy-mode and was willing to risk life and limb to hatch these sterile eggs and was now acting like a typical grumpy broody hen. Poor girl. Now she's under lock and key.

Tomorrow I see my therapist again, and there's certainly a lot to talk about once more, with me being served while he was out of town. After that I'll go for a hike on my own, then probably a ride, and then I'm headed to the fair again. More to see and more to do, and another free concert. I usually go the fair once every few years, but this year I bought 3 advanced sale tickets and got one free for the night I volunteer with the beekeepers. It's a nice change of pace and a way that I can both see plenty of good things, and, most importantly, for me, get a chance to see all the animals!!! I love seeing the goats and the chickens and the cattle, especially. I love to watch the heavy horse hitches, too. It's incredible to watch a single person control up to 8 draft horses so carefully and patiently. Plus there are all the ribbons woven into the horses' manes and tails, the ringing of the harnesses, and all the shiny wagons, with every hitch in its own colors. It's wonderful.

Today is another stay-at-home sort of day. It's too hot to stay out for very long, and I am starting to have all my usual issues with phototoxicity from the doxycycline and azithromycin antibiotics, so I have to wear long pants and sleeves and a hat in this heat. Yuck. I am still getting gout there is short bursts to play farmer, but then I come inside to enjoy the a/c until I gather my courage to head out again!!!

Tomorrow I'll be right back into the thick of the legal stuff, but today I plan to pretend it just doesn't exist.

I've been tapping away at this on and off all day during my cooling-off breaks, so it's high time I just posted it already. I hope that everyone is staying cool and has a relaxing day of peace and quiet from all the M/D stuff. We all need a break sometimes.