Somehow hearing you all is making me feel less desolate about the downsizing of my own little hobby farm. I have always been very aware of the fact that this is my project and I always tried to keep it to just what I could manage myself. I started when I was home with my babies and not working but then when I had to go back to work, I had to cut back and got rid of the goats but still had poultry, rabbits and smaller garden that I did on my own. My DH helped out with building shelters, pens and fencing,etc. but I never expected him to do any of the care of the animals or garden. Kids weren't interested so I never asked for their help - after all, it was MY thing, not theirs. They sometimes pitched in, mostly with yard cleanup (4.5 acres). But then, just like you Cyn, when I broke my foot and ankle a year and a half ago and was completely laid up, DH took over the care of the poultry for the duration and it struck me like a brick - this is not what he wants to be doing plus he's not doing it to my standards and I better start making plans to phase it all out. I can't leave all this to people who aren't into it like me. Somehow I just didn't think it would all end so soon but it has to. This getting old thing really DOES suck! It seems like all the joy in life is going. But it's better to plan and act then to wait and have it all dumped on people who don't want to deal with it. I have not hatched new chicks in 2 years and the old girls (and boys) are going to go when it's their time, not having someone who doesn't love them take them away to a strange place or butcher them. With the way my hens live on for years, they probably will outlive me! Half of them are over 10 years old! I still get enough eggs for us and to give to my daughter and maybe I'll manage to keep a very small (6 or less) flock of just egg layers for a few more years.
Robin, like Lisa, you get me. And I remember you breaking your foot. I felt it, trust me!
I really wanted this homestead life and DH loves growing things and putting away good tasting food for storage, but now, the garden is growing up in grass, I can't stand the heat because working out in the hot sun for more than a few minutes brings on headaches, etc. It doesn't bother Tom, but he's on the couch sleeping off his meds that he lowered himself to take today. He doesn't ever do that. He used a TENS unit and that seemed to help quite a bit so maybe sessions daily will get him back on his feet. As for the chicks and future plans there, I was going to keep one of the Brahma pullets for Bash and two BR girls for Hector, but DH is 65, me only a few years behind him. My hens are living to over 10 years old. If he's this bad now, how bad will it be by then?
Who knows what will happen to
me? The broken ankle was not in the plans and it changed that joint forever. I feel like I have let down any birds if I sell them, though I did recently sell Lizzie and Tessa because of the trouble they were causing. That really calmed things down, so it really validated that decision. But, sell Hector? My crazy goober that no one else will understand? Atlas
has to just live out his life here at his age with his joint issues and dwarf gene. Bash, well, he's perfect, really. We both love him, but keeping a son of his in the future if we lose him is another decision I may have to face one day. Right now, the way I feel, I'd say no to that, but my heart clenches up when I think I'll never have another sweet gentle giant that is the best eye candy. Perish the thought that he'd go to some other place where he was not cared for as he is here. He
deserves the best. Like you, Robin, I can't stand that someone would process my angel of a rooster, not
Bash! Hector, well, he may earn his spot in the crockpot one day, one little slip-up, here or at another place, but now, we both know how to handle Hector.
Here, there is just us. DH mentioned his current back issue on FB, something he never does, and so many folks popped in to comment, but not family. Nope. Not one word. My son in Ireland reacted to it, but didn't comment, the other son might as well be overseas. So, we do what we can do by ourselves. It's almost always been us against the world anyway, nothing really new about that. So, they may one day find our mummified bodies on the mountain, all the chickens having eaten each other, etc. We'll be that weird story you see on Facebook.
it’s hard when you want to be able to do more than your body will let you. My husband would also feel guilty if he couldn’t physically help as much as usual.
