I realized this morning that somehow I didn't get SansPantaloons on my bloglist when I moved. My sincerest appology, Sans. I'm not completely well from my recent bout with the mystery illness. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I believe I'm well on my way to being on the mend. I realized that it was about six months since I did a major project around here, so I think that may be about when I started to get sick. Holy Smokes, that's a long time.
The mystery illness? Well, it isn't a definite medical diagnoses because the mainstream MD's don't recognize it as such, but it is most likely adrenal fatigue. The symptoms were pretty much right on, the stress was definitely there - in multiples (divorce, death, disaster), and most importantly, the treatment is working!
I realized the other day that the last big project I did was Thing 1's bathroom remodel. After that the next big event was my horrific hike, where if not for a kind soul with some electrolytes to share, I might have died out on the trail. After that is pretty much a blur! Yes, I was still a functional single parent and getting the job done, but otherwise I was useless. The house was a wreck and I did very, very little - including the blog. Believe it or not, I couldn't find the energy to sit, think and type. Un-freaking-believable. It sucked.
At one point I was certain it was the dreaded menopause. I've heard it can turn mere mortals into pitchfork waving devils. I wasn't particularly cranky, but I had some sleep problems and occasional night sweats, so I thought, "Oh man, this is some bad shit. I'm being punished for all the bragging I did about not being a sissy about girl stuff like babies and periods and such. I was sure I was being punished and that payback would be a bitch.
After testing it turns out it isn't the dreaded M-change at all.
I'm not perfect now, but I'm getting better unbelievably fast. I'm taking boatloads of supplements and such. I take so many vitamins and herbs that I rattle when I walk.
Otherwise, I've managed to finish one of the Professional Certificates from Cornell - the one in Human Resource Studies. They sent me a fancy certificate in a nice wooden plaque frame. Pretty sweet! Now I'm working on the certificate in Change Leadership. I was approached by a recruiter for a job that was looking for someone from Cornell (among other schools), so I'm glad to have that keyword on my resume. Unfortunately, the job was in Minnesota. I'd like to stay out west, if possible. But... I may have to fold on that one at some point. Who knows.
I had a telephone interview with a company in Denver. The in-house recruiter said I was a good fit, but the hiring manager is waiting on the position that I would be most interested in - so we agreed to stay in touch. That's o.k., the thought of a move seemed overwhelming right now - since I'm just getting well from the stressors of the past few years.
We had a garage sale last weekend. I'm determined to get my cars in the garage! Not as much sold as I would have liked, but the Salvation Army came on Tuesday and I have a huge dumpster out there for a week. Good-bye stuff, hello life!
The egg yield is about 6 per day now. There are white, brown, tan, light blue, and light green eggs. Big ones and small ones. All are delicious!!! We have shared with our neighbor that shares his grapefruit, and with our family - but there will be much more on the way!
New Arrivals!!!!
We got 30 more chicks last Friday! This time they are the big egg producers. We have one leghorn right now, for example, we just got 10 more. We also got some golden wyandotes, some black sex-linked (guaranteed female), and Roade Island Reds.
RIP...
From our previous batch we ended up with FIVE roosters. They were fighting, and worse yet, abusing our hens. We have butchered three and eaten two so far. Very yummy - but the job isn't my favorite job to do. Thing 1 helped me do it, and it was great to have the company. Thing 3 is bothered by it, which I respect. Honestly, I think it is a good thing for any meat eater to see and do. I think if we all had to deal with the "dark side" of what we consume we would at least be less wasteful and more appreciative of what we have. When you have raised, fed, and butchered your own food there is sort of a healthy respect for it. Hard to explain, but meaningful.
I'm not ready to say that eating meat is animal cruelty, but I don't think the way corporate farms treat animals is right at all. My chickens live a very nice life. They are spoiled rotten. They run free when we have time to sit and watch for predators, and they eat something yummy in addition to the best feed you can buy, everyday. I respect them and that they have a life, and when I take their life I am quick and merciful. But if I were to try to sell my chickens for other people's consumption... no one could afford it.
Hey, thanks, my wonderful blog friends, for sticking by me. Thanks for your wonderful comments. I'm so glad to be back, and I hope that I can come up with some readable material moving forward.
Here's to your health. God knows you don't appreciate it until you lose it.
