Holding Down the Fort

A shelf in Williams room!  He has so many VW things around in his room!

Once a year Tim and William go on a special weekend away together.  It is something they have done for years.  Tim gives William 100% of his attention, takes time off work and takes William to Bug-A-Paluza.  It is a once a year meeting of VolksWagon enthusiast from all over the country.  Buy, sell, trade, parts, looking at all the cool cars and vans and enjoy.  For someone like William…..it is an awesome event.  He saves aside some special funds for this trip.  Tim does as well or we could not afford it.  I think William posted over 300 pictures last year to his facebook while there!  YIKES!

                                    William and his bug.
Well, this is the weekend.  They always leave Friday afternoon and come home Sunday afternoon.  So it is not a huge long trip away or anything and I am glad they can do it.   Tim and William work just as hard as I do around here.  I feel they deserve a break away just for them.  But oh how I dread it every year.  As I have to stay home. Not a problem.  Spending time with my children I love and the farm.  Also not a problem.  But…here in our home we have so many responsibilities, so many things going on that are important and need to be done.  We split the load.  Because as Tim and I have gotten older we just can’t do it all anymore.  As the kids have grown up we have had them take over some chores and things (many of them their own) to teach them responsibly and to prepare them for life as an adult.  Bottom line Tim and William do a lot around here.  From getting Antonio around in the morning and to bed, most days…to William, who does A LOT of farm chores or helps Zeke and Carolyn do them.  

I do the  milkers.  That is my territory.  I need the milk to be handled properly and cleanly.  The kids do all the chickens, buck goats, young goats, geese, ponies, cats and dogs……I might be missing something more.  I go behind everyone every day making sure it all gets done.  But they do the work for their animals and when ever William goes away or Tim, or both!  Wow…  Every year it makes for one tired mama ready for her guys to be home.  Everything, no matter how small a job they do takes time.  And I end up falling into bed really late and waking up at the crack of dawn to get things going so we are not eating breakfast at noon!   I know I appreciate them.   But them being gone just for a short period of time, like this, leaves me appreciating them more than ever! 

The goats needed brought up to the barn for the night, from grazing in the field all day.  Check!

We needed the chickens put into the coop for the night.  So the rooster lined them all up for us!

And marched them inside for the night. 

All tucked in for the night.  Check!

Bring up the ponies from grazing and put them in their stalls for the night.  Check!

Bottle feed these cuties!  Check!

Have Friday night movie night.  Check!

Take care of all the rest of the animals.  Feed kids and spend some time with them and their needs.

Using the lift, get Antonio into bed, diaper him and get him hooked up to fluids thru is g-tube for the night. Oh yeah! And give him his favorite turtle he sleeps with that put stars on the ceiling.  :)

We are also a very close family.  So I really, really miss them.  Eating dinner in bed with a movie and my poodle just didn’t help the loneliness I felt for them.  Although she is really cute and tried hard to make me feel better.     :)

This year William was nervous before going because Tim’s van broke and was in the shop. It didn’t look like it was going to be done on time for them to leave.  Also the internet went out a few days ago and we are waiting on them to come out and fix that.  I am having to walk down to my dads twice a day to check on the lives of my many friends around the world.  Tim and William ended up driving our big van in order to go on vacation.  Which leaves me vehicleless.  But if there were an emergency my dad is right here and would help me if I needed it, Praise God.  So off they went. 

So, as you go about your weekend,  if you think of my family at all, if the Lord brings us to your mind.  Shoot a prayer our way.  Safety for Tim and William and energy and strength, from God, for me.  :)

Psalms 29:11 The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

May the Lord God in heaven be your help and strong tower.  The rock that your whole life is built upon.

Blessings,

susan