What do you do when you're sick?

[ltlmrs]

So, how do you ladies handle everything when you are ill. In my mind, women have had it a lot harder than even the modern day off the grid woman and got sick and still managed. Is it just will power, is there a system? I am trying to look at this as realistically as possible.

Thanks!

Edited by ltlmrs - 11/20/12 at 6:32pm

[Chicky2]

Wellllll, we have kids to help out. We had the flu really, really badly right after Christmas, and we were ALL sick. So, we just did the bare minimum for about 2 wks, and had to make up for it when we were well again. I remember being out in the rabbitry cleaning poo and raking and ended up only doing the hutches w/the most rabbits because I got to the point where I was honestly afraid to be out there by myself. The kids were all in the house helping to watch the 3 yo and I almost passed out. I felt that coming and decided the rest of the rabbits would just have to sit on a bit of poo 'til I could get out there again. They lived. We would keep spare water bottles (our semi-automatic watering system kept freezing up) in the house and whomever felt like going out would take a bag of bottles to replace and toss them some food.

The chickens got tossed some feed a couple of times a day, and we managed to get them some water. The goats got hayed and watered (thankfully we have a heated water bucket) and fed and we just got by somehow. You just find ways to make it.

If I'd had to deal w/a garden, I don't know what would have happened, but I'm sure we'd have had some big ole veggies, and maybe some overly ripened, but again, we would have figured it out.

One thing we really try to do is just be prepared. Have plenty of food in the house, plenty of wood chopped, plenty of drinking water. Keep feed and hay stocked up at all times.

Mind you, we do not live off-grid, but we do homestead.

Oh, and we do have neighbors I can call on for help if we really need it.

HTH some.

[ltlmrs]

Thanks Chicky2! It does help to have older kids, but we've got to raise them first

Actually, this is very helpful. I think even now if I have had better routines in place and food made ahead, it wouldn't have been as bad...

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by ltlmrs

Thanks Chicky2! It does help to have older kids, but we've got to raise them first

Actually, this is very helpful. I think even now if I have had better routines in place and food made ahead, it wouldn't have been as bad...

Absolutely. Even though I NOW have older kids to help out, it certainly wasn't always that way. Even when we lived in the city, I always had an extra freezer and fed it regularly. Just good stuff my mama taught me. You just never know what will come up. And when you have kids, you HAVE to plan ahead. None of that living by the seat of your pants stuff. Not when it can affect your children, yk?

[ltlmrs]

Originally Posted by Chicky2

And when you have kids, you HAVE to plan ahead. None of that living by the seat of your pants stuff.

*Sigh* I still haven't got the hang of this whole planning ahead thing.

Thanks again!

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by ltlmrs

*Sigh* I still haven't got the hang of this whole planning ahead thing.

Thanks again!

Well, it'll come. I have way more kids than you do and it took awhile for me, too.

[ltlmrs]

Just found this on one of my favorite blogs: One of Those Days

I guess there really is no other way! Oi.

[Chicky2]

I spent the last half hour reading thru that site. Thanks!

[Denvergirlie]

Sometimes, just have to do the bare minium to keep everyone alive until you are no longer sick.... we've been in this mode for the past month, and are just now starting to have some energy again. Every dish was dirty in the house until last night, and we have almost no clean clothes anymore, but we are now starting to get back into the groove of getting things done.

Being somewhat organized and prepared ahead of time would have helped a lot, but we will do better in the future...

[forestrymom]

You just make it work. We had swine flu and I had terrible morning sickness, not to mention 2 bouts with a stomach flu, and we have goats and chickens, a dog and 3 cats to care for, not to mention our heat is a central boiler that requires wood be sawed on a daily basis (if dh isn't caught up on it). We also live 80 miles from the hospital and grocery store, and only have one restaurant within a reasonable driving range (the rest are the 80 miles away). So you just make do, I guess. I can't remember for sure what we ate, although I almost always have stuff in the freezer, so we probably ate some of that. And livestock needs feeding even if YOU don't, so you just...do it. Getting outside is always good for you and always makes you feel better, even if just for a moment.

[lucyem]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

Sometimes, just have to do the bare minium to keep everyone alive until you are no longer sick....

Yep. When we first moved to this state my DH still worked 4 hours away. I had 24/7 morning sickness, knew no one and had 6 horses. Lets just say there were days they got hay and no turnout. It sucked but they all survived. Over the years my DH and I have been lucky to always take turns being sick until two winters ago. Lets just say I was feeding horses with one hand while carrying a pot in the other hand. Once again it sucked but everyone survived. That was actually easier because we had had 5 years to get the property organized and more easy to run then it was when we first moved.

It is all about being a little organized and making sure you have food on hand for everyone in case of an emergency.

[spring978]

Ya some times it just plains sucks but you manage. a couple winters back we lost some chickens I was barely functioning but I handled it cause DH was flat on his back.

[journeywooz]

Great blog. A picture of the place looked so familiar, I saw one of the kids' names, a picture of the Engineer Mountain....WHAT?! I worked for them three years ago!!!!!! Sweet family!!

Anyway, as for getting sick..I really think that's where the community comes in. Get to know the other farms/neighbors in the area. Family, friends, anything. I'm sure they'd appreciate the help if they ever needed it.

[PinkCedar]

I love reading her blog. But on some days, it actually gets me down. She has so much that so many of us who live hand to mouth just can't have. She's always bringing home these excellent treasures, and I can very rarely afford nifty antique/flea market things like that. She has a lovely wheel, and lots of fiber. A pasta bike, while I still cut my own... a handful of great old grinders, while I'm working on one... oh I could go on and on.

I guess I'm feeling a little down today.

Oh forget it, I'm not done yet. She can afford milk paint. Have you seen her awesome furniture? The kids toys are so full of win. Did I mention the furniture? She has the greatest scarves. I have exactly six veils I use in rotation. Her scale is awesome, her greenhouse is fab. Her kitchen accessories make me positively green with envy. *sigh* Ok, I think I can stop there for now.

I'll feel better tomorrow it's the first day of my cycle, so I'm just going to go eat some more chocolate now...

[sara farmama]

Hello,
Sara from farmama here. I tried to send you a personal message, but I can't figure out how to do that. I just want to clarify (with so much love) a few things. My intentions with my blog are not to brag about the things I have or the life I live. My intentions are to let people know that they can live a similar lifestyle if that is what they chose. I feel terrible at the thought of my blog making you "feel down." We are a family who has worked hard for everything that we have. We don't come from families who were able to help us in any way financially. We've been farming for 13 years now and it's taken us all these years to obtain much of the things we have at this point. I saved my money for 3 years before I could purchase my spinning wheel. I bought 4 sheep for for less than $100 and sheared them myself to get my fiber. I got my pasta bike at the thrift store for $4. I paid $8 for my corn grinder at a garage sale. I bought my nice grain grinder 10 years ago when I was 23 years old....something that I saved up for for about a year. I choose to spend $15 on milk paint instead of $10 on regular paint...non-toxic is worth $5 more to me. I have never in my life bought a new piece of furniture...every single piece of furniture in my house is from the thrift store and I have never paid more than $40 for these pieces. I enjoy fixing up old stuff and making it look nice. I got my couches from an ad in the paper and paid $100 for the set! I make all of my kids toys except for a few that their grandparents have bought them as birthday presents. I make my scarves out of wool from my sheep, or pieces of fabric that I find at the thrift store. My scale is awesome....I paid a pretty penny for it, but you can't be a market farmer without a good scale. Our greenhouse was purchased used from a friend, you'd be shocked at how little we paid for it. I dig deep at the thrift store for kitchen utensils and will never pay more than $1 for these type things. We live simply and drive cars that are 16 years old and keep bills to the minimum in every way we can. We farmed on borrowed land for 7 years before we had saved enough money to buy our farm. The money we make at the farmer's market and through our CSA program is how we pay our bills. At my blog I share with folks the highlights of our days, I keep the harder times to myself. Like I said, I say this with lots and lots of love. I just don't want you to have the wrong idea....like we're rich or something. We are rich....just not in a monetary way.
love and light,
sara

[ltlmrs]

Removed because farmama responded..

[ltlmrs]

Originally Posted by sara farmama

My intentions with my blog are not to brag about the things I have or the life I live. My intentions are to let people know that they can live a similar lifestyle if that is what they chose.

Hi Sara! Thanks for coming on here and responding! You definitely accomplish your intentions here, I am so inspired by everything you do.

I'm especially impressed with the fact that you rented for so many years and had to wait until you could get your own land. So often I want everything at once and your blog is a good reminder that these things take time to build.

If you're reading this, would you mind writing a post about how you get everything done with your daughter at your side? I can never keep mine occupied long enough to get chores done, let alone knitting!

Thanks again!

[sara farmama]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I will try to write a post about working with my babe. I'm not sure how it happens, I guess I never really thought about it. Being a farmer, I have no choice but to farm with Ila in tow. She knows and understands that I'm always busy doing something, and it definitely helps that I have three older children that are very helpful and always......always make sure Ila is alright.
Good luck to you!
love,
sara

[PinkCedar]

Sara,

I'm so sorry if I sounded negative on *you*. I am definitely not.

Some days I just feel a little low when I read your blog. Our tastes are perfectly in line, but I can never get my hands on that stuff!

When I do see things that I like, the people around here want a fortune for their 'vintage' items.

It's just my own thing. I'm sort of having a mini-crisis.

I've always been poor, always used thrift stores, always lived simply, and always been happy.

Then recently I looked around and thought "really?". All these years, all this hard work, all of my patience, and I've so little.

I sound materialistic, I'm not. I spent many years living a nomadic life, and am truly happy with just my family.

But it comes so naturally to us to line our nests. And beautifully if we can manage it. YKWIM? Of course you do, your nest *is* beautiful, and you've worked to make it that way.

Anyway, I'm SO sorry that my post made you feel bad. It wasn't actually meant "at" you like that at all.

I just thought I would have a pretty nest by now! My very own hang-up. Like I said; mini-crisis.