Get UP in the MORNIN'! You're living on a farm so GET UP!

[welsummerchicks]

Ok guys, here's a question for you.

Say you got two elderly, well, not exactly spring chicken types, of people living on a farm, and one of 'em - sleeps in every day, oh, say 2-3-4 hours later than the other one, so one of 'em does the earliest chores - every day - for - years. Years.

And the one that ain't sleepin' in - just don't like it a whole lot. For several reasons. Not a lot of fun, first of all. Not a lot of company, chit chat or socializing going on, and a good lot of the time that is followed by a long solitary drive in the car and eight hours of solitary work at an office....and it's not so much that one of 'em wants to GET OUT of doing the chores, but especially in the winter, there's practical issues.

Like that it's not good to be out working and not have anyone awake and notice that you are out there an awful lot longer than you should be, because, oh, say, you fell on the ice and can't get up, and it's 10 degrees out there, and the clock is ticking along and you're getting cold, and you can't get up.

So how does this sort of thing work at your house? I realize a lot of couples - the animals really belong to one of them and the one of them is going to be getting up and taking care of them. And I realize with lots of couples there is one of them that is just going to say - 'I ain't changin', so shut up and do it yourself'.

But what about the some of you that really think that it should or could or would change, what would you do and how.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Depends on what time the other one gets up. I worked a job where I didn't get home 'till 2 am and my boyfriend at the time was mad because I "slept in" and didn't get up with him in the morning.

It's circumstantial.

If your getting up at 5am every morning and the other one gets up at 8, I don't see a big deal. Some of the chores can wait 'till 8. If they're getting up at noon then I see the problem.

 

[crtrlovr]

hmmm... Can empathize with the one who fell on the ice (BTDT, have laid in the yard and wallowed in the mud myself just recently), but gotta be Devil's Advocate here.
There is no set, fast rule that says "gettin' up time" is 6:00 a.m. or the Crack of Dawn. It is time to get up when one has slept deeply, rested fully, and is now ready for the activities of the day. If any one of those three requirements isn't met, the individual may still get up out of a sense of obligation or duty, but will not be operating at peak efficiency. (spoken from vast experience in this area) Yes, animals must be fed. If we have taken on the responsibility for them, obviously we must make sure they have food, water, shelter, a proper environment, and nurturing to whatever degree needed to allow them to live happy, healthy, stimulating lives. Does it need to take place at 6:00 a.m. ? IMHO, no.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Well that is part of it, that efficiency thing. There isn't any issue with being 'well rested' at all though, it's just habit, one of us just ain't in the habit. One of us has been getting up at 9, 10, WHATEVER, for a long time - 60 years. One of us managed to schedule college, a career and everything else - after 9 am.

As far as 'those animals don't have to get fed at 6' - yup they do. That's not something that can be changed. Unfortunately that's necessary. It's either that or stay up later at night and make the last feed later. No one wants to do that.

To me, it's something easy to change. I've changed my schedule a number of times for him - when he wanted to stay up late, I stayed up late (small house, no choice). When he wanted to go to bed early, ditto, I changed my schedule(again, small house, no choice). I feel like I'm always the one that adjusts everything around him, though.

One of my buddies said, 'stop knocking yourself out, don't make him a big fancy breakfast'. If he wants to sleep in fine, but don't cater to him.

I'm not sure how to handle the safety issue and that is really what bothers me the most. It's not practical to call 911 and say, 'can you guys come over and help me get up? I've fallen down, wrenched my ankle, and my SO is still asleep....'

 

[debilorrah]

What is it with you early morning people???

Ken acts like it is a crime to stay up late and sleep in. Did it ever occur to you early morning people that us late night people CANNOT SLEEP if we go to bed that early? There is no point in going to bed at 7-8pm if all I am gonna do is roll around til midnight anyways and STILL GET UP LATER!!! Weeknights I am in bed at 10 and up at 6. Weekends I sleep in. I hate morning. I don't do mornings kindly. In fact, I am gonna start calling Ken a geriatric old fart in need of an electric wheelchair because he goes to bed so stinking early. Maybe then he will stop telling me it is lunchtime at 8 am when I get outta bed!!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Ken has tried over and over and over to stay up later. It is just not in his nature to be able to do so, as it is not in mine to be asleep at 8 pm. Different people have different internal clocks.

 

[welsummerchicks]

That's a shame and all, but that is not really what's going on over here.

It's not a matter here of going to bed at 7pm when you can't fall asleep or anything like that at all here. I am sorry you have this problem with your SO but that's not really what's happening with us.

In this case, he said he'd get up early and be awake and oriented while I went out to do chores or come with me. But I need to go to bed at 10 if he's gong to do that. So I did.

Except he didn't get up.

So I talked to him about it and he said he had no problem getting to sleep at 10 and no problem getting up at 7, just be sure to go to bed at 10. Or 10:30. Or 11, that doesn't really matter. But probably, more like ten. Unless something was going on that I needed to do. Or not.

So that was the deal. I'd go to bed - oh, probably ten (unless you asked him then he'd say 10:30, 11, whenever, LOL!!!!)

So that was the deal, he'd get up at 7. I'd do the first chores, still, but he'd get up at 7.

Except he didn't. So I asked him if there was a problem with the timing, was he tired or did he need more sleep. No. No problem.

Okay, so we're going to bed at 10 and he's getting up at 8, then 9, then 9:30, then 10:30 or 11 some days. No problem. He's not tired. He's getting plenty of sleep. He doesn't need any more sleep. In fact, he feels great.

Me? I can't sleep. I make it quiet at 10, but I can't fall asleep til 11, or 12. Or 1 am.

And I get up at 6. I'm exhausted all the time. I'm not getting enough sleep. I feel tired all the time. I'm wiped out.

SO I go to bed when he tells me to that will make it possible for him to get up early, except he don't do it.

He feels great, I'm exhausted all the time. He's getting between 10 and 12 hrs of sleep a night, and I'm getting 5, 6, or less. He's getting twice as many hours of sleep as I am, on average.

 

[turney31]

We divey up the chores, He does all the outside mowing and weedeating. I do all housework, laundry,dishes and cooking. The dogs I feed and water. He takes them outside. The chickens, he lets out and gives scratch in the am and I keep the feeders full, gather eggs and put them up at night. We both keep an eye on outside waterers. We both do the garden.I know you said you are sick, as am I, I have Fibromyalgia. I feel as though a truck has run over me and the driver got out and beat me with a baseball bat about 100% of the time. I keep doing what has to be done. We both got the flu and I waited hand and foot on him for the 1st week and did all his chores. With a smile I might add. Then he got better and just decided he liked watching tv in bed for the next week. I finally got enough and everytime he wanted something I had to tell him I couldn't do it because I had to take the dogs out. Throw in any chore he was supposed to be taking care of. It took 2 days for him to get up

then when he would ask me what are you doing I would just smile and say WORKING. That seemed to get through to him. We do check on each other when we are working alone. Maybe you could take your cell phone outside with you in case of emergency.

 

[MeatKing]

As for the man always getting twice as much sleep as the women... isn't that normal?

I wonder if there may be a medical issue, even just not eating well ect?

Some people really do have different biological clocks set differntly. Maybe try just worrying about yourself?

If you do you last chores at 10 do you really need to get up at 6?

sounds like your really tired

Is there a certian day of the week, you can try to sleep in?

Me this is Sundays, I usually sleep till 7 or 8 am> lol

 

[sourland]

Well, I'm the early one, and I like it that way. I start my day at a leisurely pace and do not want to engage in social behavior of any sort. (AS IN LEAVE ME THE HECK ALONE!) The Princess wakes up 2+ hours after me and hits the ground running. At this point in time I am able to engage in social discourse. Hey, it works for us. Early bird/night owl--red neck man/blue blood woman.