Surprise day off & ramblings

[Kay/NC]

...since Winn's Mama and Daddy have a sort of slack day today, she called and said they were going to manage his time between them.  He is a little slow getting started this morning, and wants to cling to her, hang out in his PJs. 

Not often he has that luxury, so I am all for it.  Rainy day today and tomorrow, so I guess it's a good time for me to clean house.  I was getting bills paid when she called, and office work is caught up now. 

I have left it open for them to call and bring him over if need be, but I am essentially a moose on the loose today.  Stretching appointment with my trainer this afternoon, and Mike was set to cover naptime.

Really sweet of them, since his other grandparents have been gone since April 13th.  His care is thus all on me, except when his Daddy has a day off, or they can juggle things between them like this for a day.

I do want to get to the old corner store, too, to get some of my tools there accounted for...perhaps ready to move to the workship in VA...I can't really decide.  I am in the middle of a confusion right now....

I think this is because we are gearing up so hard on hay this year, and holding back heifers for the herd to expand.  We are going is so many directions at once, it is hard to choose a path some days. 

Mike was resistant on Monday to go for some parts and a portable fuel tank setup we really needed for the VA farms.  Since I have Winn pretty much all the time, I wasn't going to be able to make those moves for him this time....so I pretty much pushed him out the door to town.  He was frazzled by the time he returned...from ONE errand. 

Have been gently prodding (okay, nagging) him to touch base and get other parts shipped ASAP.  One big box arrived yesterday, for his repairs tomorrow in VA.  He just stepped in the office to say another small box is on its way.   We have known for weeks to months these things were needed. 

His style is one item a day...mine is to sit and get the whole wad on its way at once.  I want it all in place and everything fixed before any hay is laid down.  He cut 7-8 acres of a new stand yesterday, which will take rain for two days, then need to be dried down and baled pretty quickly by early next week...so, in his mind,  NOW it is time to order the parts for broken machines.  Yet, his major complaint about the kids is that THEY procrastinate.  Go figure. 

I think that is the main idfference between me and everyone else around here.  SIL called yesterday, to ask how to get their tax-exempt number recertified, for an equipment purchase they have in the works. 

NC changed the income from farming last year required for sales tax exemption.  I did ours PDQ, and gave the kids the papers to do theirs TWICE.  They had a bye until October 1...so, it didn't get done. 

Can you imagine paying an additional 6.5% of unnnecessary tax on a major purchase?  Walked him through the requirements over the phone, told him the website for the forms, the Schedule F to attach, etc.  There is a fax number to submit it on the website.  Hope he gets it done. 

Didn't offer to do it for them, though.  Call it "tough love", but I have decided that fixing problems other people create for themselves does not provide them any incentive to stop creating problems.  They think I am a worrywart, until they realize they should have listened, I think. 

Are you the resident reminder at your house? 

Oh, well, enough dilly-dallying here.  That Animal isn't going to fire up and vacuum by itself. 

Have a good one, all!

[turkey feather]

Sounds familiar. I understand your frustration.

[Kay/NC]

Just for the record, Winn changed his mind, and decided MaMa needed his help this morning after all. We assembled the new Cinetic Animal together ( thank goodness it is just a series of clicking parts), and he broke it in on PaPa's office floor and the bird's seed spillings.

They just left ( 1:15), and I am catching my breath. Between showers, we went to his tent, my office, his playyard, and upstairs to the messy room for playdough and painting. Have made " houses" out of some old boxes we taped shut, shopvacuumed the front porch as far as the cord will reach...need an extension to finish.

He managed to capture a couple of inchworms and a slug, so they are in his magnifying carrier with some rain-dampened leaves, hoping to survive through preschool on Monday.

This was on a day when he was really not feeling great, and wasn't up to the usual level of activity....WHEW!

Mike came in for a salad, and was so happy he had one more piece of hay equipment ready to roll, another going into the big hay barn this afternoon, where it can be folded all the way out for replacing tines. i am thinking he will have that one done by suppertime.

Hitting the shower in a few minutes, stretch on the schedule, a few groceries to grab. Tomorrow is a long day at Jenna's, if all gies as planned. I think we have two machines to get right up there, a truckload of bulk mulch coming, and the rest of the harden to ckean up and plant a few things...all with Winn's help. Oh, he is building that rock bed/ herb spiral with me, too. Hisart is coming along much faster than mine!