Time

There's just not enough of it.

 It's about balance.  I've conquered the challenge of  doing almost everything by hand.  I've gardened and canned and remodeled houses.  I've sewn and quilted and baked from scratch.  I know I have the skills down, but I don't want to do that stuff every single minute of the day.

 I want to spend my time on the important things.  For example, Chipmunk and I discovered a toad, right by our swing. A full ten minutes of observation was rewarded with, "Hop, Nanny!" and "Eat bugs?"  Little 'Munk will be too old to hang out with Nanny in no time at all.  I want to enjoy these moments while I can.  If that means there are weeds in my garden, so be it.

Little Sis will be grown and gone off to explore the world in just a couple of years.  This year we made time for that beach vacation...the one that put planting way behind schedule.  Still, it was worth it.  Because we took the time, Eöl and I were with her for her first view of the ocean.

Eöl and I have coffee together every morning, except for the mornings one of us has to be elsewhere.  It's our time to catch up and just enjoy being together.  There are weeks that coffee time is the only time we see each other.

There are days I feel stressed because I have so much to do, and I feel guilty for taking time out to be still.

Some of you probably think we should be able to do everything at once.  I know at least one person will email me with details of how they manage seven toddlers while they hoe corn, plant beans, and pull weeds while said toddlers are juggling chainsaws and stacking cord wood.  If that's the case, and you have a great circus homesteading family, then good for you!  In my world, (you know, the real one) toddlers need close supervision.  Any attempt to work in the garden means that said toddler with either get sunburned, contact dermatitis, or decide to help and uproot the surrounding tomato plants.  A moment of distraction can lead to a toddler wandering off into the woods, or the corn, or the hayfield.   And though I'm sure 'Munk will be wielding a wicked machete in no time, for now we'll keep the little one close at hand, and in the soft clover.  The weeds will wait.

Life is short.  Spend time with those you love.