Catching our Breath

I am relieved to report that this week has been a vast improvement over last week.  It hasn't been without a few bumps, but overall the last few days have been really manageable.  I have been able to manage without a hospice nurse since Saturday.  He had improved so much in those two days that the nurse had little to do. It seemed like a waste of resources to have the nurse hanging out, playing tea party with Sophia.  Though, that was a different break altogether for me!  

Thankfully he is resting well and is in little pain.  He is extremely fatigued and still losing weight.  Yesterday he was down to 128 pounds.  This makes it hard for him to stay awake or to move much.  He has moved to the hospital bed and seems to be much more comfortable there.  I had thought that would be a difficult transition for both of us, but it ended up being a positive one.  He is more able to adjust his position and the mattress is much softer and provides a lot more cushion.  Having him comfortable is cause for celebration around here!  The fact that he is absent from our bed seems a trivial loss in comparison to gaining some relief to his aching back.

The kids were disappointed this week that Dad isn't ambulatory any longer.  They wanted to show him how much the pigs had grown and what was growing in the garden.  They had visions of putting him in a wheelchair and wheeling him around the property.  All I saw was four children fighting over who got to push the wheelchair and the bumpy terrain between here and the barn.  Not a pretty mental picture!  Instead we opted to take the camera out with us during chore time in the evening and took pictures.  We then had fun bringing back the camera and sharing all the pictures with Dad. 

Thought you all might enjoy a happier vision from our homefront --- a slice of normal life.   Here are some of the photos that made Marc smile....

Kids and Hurley resting after a game of tag

Hurley Dog on the run!

Black Beauty saying hello....

Merrylegs and Superfudge checking out the slop status

Exploding Garden!

Some sugar peas the kids missed while snacking in the garden

Our first red sunflower!

Julia "fishing" for apples

Bumblebee working hard on the lavender.  The kids and I have had a lot of fun watching the huge variety of bees in the garden this year.  We find them all fascinating little guys. 

Uninvited guests (not as fascinating as their garden loving cousins) ......

Plus my crazy brother and doubly crazy friend....

Equals some serious Estacada-Red-Neck fun!  Woo-hoo!

Well, that about sums up life on the farm this week.  It was enough to bring some smiles to our faces.  Thank you all for your prayers this week.  Things eased up -- prayers were answered.

With love and gratitude....