I love my flower and hosta beds, but boy they're a lot of work this time of year. I've spent the weekend weeding, clipping, planting, cleaning up three years worth of old mulch, and laying fresh mulch. I need a shower and a nap.
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I love my flower and hosta beds, but boy they're a lot of work this time of year. I've spent the weekend weeding, clipping, planting, cleaning up three years worth of old mulch, and laying fresh mulch. I need a shower and a nap.
I hate yard work. Thankfully, my DH likes it. We didn't do mulch this year, thankfully, because I usually help with that. The hostas are up and out; we have to put some annuals on the garden steps. Yuck.
Once this work is over, I mostly just have to water the flowers. They're almost all perennials and require little care (well, I could put more care into them, but I don't). I am trying to add some plants each year so that the beds eventually have that English cottage look. DH does all the lawn care--until leaf raking season. Then it's all hands on deck.
Our landlords have done nothing with the back yard -- it's a crappy, weed-infested lawn edged with leggy, tired perennials. I'm drawing up a concept plan this week to run by them, hopefully they will approve it and we can start bidding it out next week.
I'm really glad you are normal! Congrats RedQuote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
Thanks everyone!
OK this is selfish but I have to vent ... next weekend is this big music festival, we've had tickets for months, and now FIL has had a heart attack, DH is going out there today, and although we don't know the prognosis yet, given his age it's not likely to be positive. All I want to do is spend next weekend listening to some really great live music with DH and now it's probably not going to happen.
I hate being so self centered but it is like literally the only thing I have been wholeheartedly looking forward to in over a year.
I'm so sorry, Oak. I understand how you feel, and I don't find it self centered at all. Is it possible to go with a friend instead?
I don't find it self centered at all. Most of us wouldn't admit to feeling this way, so +1. I agree with Indy. Even though you probably want to enjoy it with DH, can you find a friend to go with you?
Hey, I went out to a planned dinner with friends and led a ride for my club when DH was in the hospital over a weekend, waiting for his angioplasty. He told me to go, but I know a few thought it was selfish.
Oh, Oak, I know what you're feeling. I don't think you're being selfish, you were looking forward to something and you had the rug pulled out from under you, and you're disappointed.
I've been in sort of a similar situation for a bit over a year now, since May 2, 2012 to be precise, the day my FIL, a very difficult guy to deal with in the best of times, was in a bad car accident and our lives have been somewhat put on hold by him. I've gone from frustration to guilt to anxiety to guilt to anger to depression and back to guilt (the guilt never actually goes away), although nowadays it's not so bad because heavy-duty dementia has set in and DH is more comfortable with going away for a day or two (so long as we're w/in good cell phone coverage). I've become so good at canceling / postponing plans it's like a new hobby for me -- we had a big trip to Vancouver Island & San Juan Islands planned for over a year now, and the lady at the booking office for the lovely rental house on Lopez Island knows my voice now, and she's been so sweet about rescheduling our rental (3rd time now :rolleyes: ). I've lost count of all the other things I/we have had to bail out on -- well, no, not really, I just try not to think about them :p
And yeah, I'm being selfish and self-centered when I resent how he's hijacked our lives, I know it could be much worse and I should count my blessings. And I do. But every now & then I allow myself a whiny interlude. This one should tide me over for a while, thanks for letting me unload. :cool:
Oh, Jo. I knew you were going through a lot with your FIL, but I didn't know the extent of it. Hugs, dear. I hope you get to go on your trip. It sounds like you really need it, and FIL will probably benefit if you and LeeBob get a break.
Oh Indy you're so sweet {blush}. But in my melodramatic ranting I may have made it sound like he's living with us -- that's definitely not the case. Heh, Lee & Dad would have been at each others throats in no time flat if they shared the same roof. :rolleyes: Dadbob was in a nice little apartment at an assisted living facility very near us for about 6 months, until it became obvious that his rapidly deteriorating health required round-the-clock nursing care. We were able to place him in excellent nursing home early this year, which has taken a huge load off us. It's a bit of a schlep from our home but we think it's worth the tradeoff for the top-notch care and pleasant surroundings, Lee goes to see him practically every day and I accompany him once or twice a week. So it's really not much of a burden, anymore (unlike this past fall & winter when I was kind of a basket case, oy) ... I guess the fact that I can talk about it now shows how much better things are. :)
Oh man jobob ... now I feel extra whiny. :p Although the family situation and personalities sound *awfully* familiar. Glad things are somewhat better for you and your family.
Anyway, thanks, all. Hard to tell yet what the situation is or how it will develop. It turns out FIL has pretty bad hospital-induced delirium right now, and let's just say the level of functioning in the family is NOT conducive to helping him get grounded... I don't understand DRGs these days, but apparently he's technically already been discharged from the hospital, but they're holding him as a 24-hour-a-day "outpatient" until he can get a bed in a SNF. Either that or figure out whether there's an available level of round-the-clock care that would let him go home. MIL really can't drive very far.
So everything's up in the air for now. As far as going to the festival with a friend ... I hate to even say it, but I don't have a single friend locally who's into the festival scene. It's always just been me and DH who go. All my friends around here kind of scoff when I talk about music festivals. :cool: Probably because the ones at the closest venue have an extra stony reputation - all the papers ever report on is the drug busts (mostly minor stuff, but the state patrol likes to make their presence known) and they hardly ever review the actual music, even the well-known acts. :rolleyes: This particular festival is maybe a little more broad-based, but it's farther away, too, one we haven't been to before. I *am* trying to decide how I would feel about going by myself if things work out that way. But it's really too early to know if either DH will be home *or* if I will need to go out there.
Oak, you should go alone. I went to a concert alone last year and it was awesome. If it's an outdoor venue like the one I went to, you will make friends there since you will have the common interest of music. This is an opportunity to find some like minded souls.
Oak, I agree you should go by yourself and have fun!
Note to self: when doing kettlebell snatches, don't hit yourself in the head with a 20 pound ketttebell! The side of my head is a bit sore today... For once is a good that that my bad shoulder limits my overhead weight.
Note to Landlord: what do you mean, my rent might go up almost $100!!!!????? I understand market prices but this is rather extreme...and I only have a couple weeks to find something else decent and affordable or I must commit to another lease! Seems unfair since my lease isnt up until September...but there it is. Apparently this is happening to everyone who started with an attractive rent.
Sigh, I am sure I will work something out, but it is stressful....it isn't like I've a lot of extra income.