Get 'er Done

Get 'er done just isn't a mindset for a homestead.  A part of me thinks that is all I have to say.

We have set up a sort of Thursday work day.  For two whole weeks now.   En famille, all hands on deck, spend a few hours on some identified project.  I don't know how long it will last.  I don't know what all will or won't get done.  Any is always better than none.  We all have our work anyway, and on these days, that work may well take a backseat.

And so while we set for ourselves rather modest goals (today to finish cleaning off the bridge, to haul 3 loads of rocks (we ended up hauling four) to the road and take a look at that swamp near the bottom that has recently decided to dump on the road when it is very very wet and maybe redirect that), it is rather amazing what a difference it makes.  We'd watched this before with the road when the husband was still working in town and on his way home he would fill up 3 buckets with shale from a nearby bank and dump it strategically on our road and how very quickly that changed the whole experience of the road.  I suppose I could do the stop and get three buckets of shale thing now since I am more often the one out . . . and maybe I will.

It is also pretty amazing how many projects you could come up with and keep yourself busy or drive yourself crazy with.  I think we kind of have the "not drive ourselves crazy" part down -- really a lot fewer things "need" done than you might think, especially if you are having someone else do it for you.

It is pretty amazing how much, working together, you can get done.  It is pretty amazing how much fun we all have working together, how much gets talked about, how many other things get decided or understood or communicated in that time.  It is amazing how good food tastes after really burning off those calories.

So in our world, there are rocks and roads and ditches and water humps and swamps, and ducks and eggs but no chicks yet emerged from the woods, and goats and milk and seeds and plants and things in the garden (maybe photos tomorrow) (and it would be far better if we could more consistently keep the goats OUT of the garden!  there needs to be some laughing emoticon here), there are horse projects and sewing projects and rabbit projects and harp projects and house ideas and creative just for joy projects and there are the dailies of eating and cooking and cleaning and creating and resting and being and especially BEING a family and also being with friends . . .

And having someone say the words to me today, "I just want it done already" made me think about how I don't.  Like I don't want to retire and I don't want to take a vacation and I don't want to exploit someone else into cleaning my toilet.  There is never a dull moment, never a lack of something to do, never do the words "I'm bored" come.  You can only "get 'er done" if you are paying someone else to live your life for you.  Or only paying attention to the things like is the fence row clean, the things that I think can't possibly matter.  That's what I think.  That is certainly what I see.

I will also say, dear frogs, come to our swamp.