Nine Days and Counting...OK! OK! OK!

(Has it really been NINE DAYS since I posted a blog?)
Well, I guess I need to start this blog with an apology of sorts. It was called to my attention this evening that I hadn't posted in NINE, yes, NINE days! I had a great big laugh at that and was totally flattered at the email I received pointing out this little faux paux. You can see the email for yourselves and we'll all have a big laugh together.
Shelia Sammons, of Mocksville, NC has now earned the moniker "WATCHDOG" for me! And I appreciate that so much! I didn't know I was missed!
Here's a little sample of Shelia's email: (and it was in a BIG font! She meant bid'ness!)

Anne,
I hate to call this to your attention, but...........ummmmm there has been NO update on your blog in NINE DAYS!
So either you are too busy taking care of Wayne, or you are just keeping us in suspense! Man, are you going to turn into one of those famous authors who baits us, and then makes us wait?????? I have been reduced to re-reading Janet Evanovich books and Anne's blogs! What is this world coming to?
Have a great weekend.
Shelia Sammons

So, I promptly got an email to Mrs. Sammons to thank her profusely for noticing and to let her know that she in fact, gave me a blog topic for this evening. Where will that go? Who the heck knows...I have decided simply "to type."
Shelia did ask about Wayne and how we BOTH are doing....and to answer that...we're both doing fine. Thanks! Wayne, as you have read in previous blogs is a tough guy to keep still. That's been the tough part for me. My nagging is getting old, I'm sure. "You should rest. You've been up for too long. Don't you think your leg is swelling? Do you REALLY think the doctor had in mind for you to just ride around on the bull dozer?" Those have been comments heard recently on the Dumb Bell Ranch. Oh yes, and the ever popular mumble "I swear I think I'm changing my name from Anne to something else." My name resonates frequently as this recovery thing happens for Wayne. If you have kids, you can relate to this...Remember when your child was a toddler and you heard MOOOOOOOM?????? And you ran to see what the crisis might be and you got basically a blank stare as your child tried to think of something to say...and you get "Ahmmmmmm....I love you!" (Yeah! That'll work!) Well, I've been getting a few of those too. I can live with those kinds of calls though. I'm scrambling a lot. I'm trying to think of it as "exercise." That gives me a positive perspective on things. I actually try to convince myself that I'm doing something good for myself after my 30th trip down the hallway to answer a question or something! I've laughed a lot lately. I've been irritated a lot lately and I've been a gammut of things really, as you would expect. It seems that I get just about down the hall and I hear the dreaded two syllable "ANNNIEEEEEEEEEEE"....I've learned to turn around without huffing audibly, though.
The dynamic of a marriage totally changes when one or the other is infirm. The balance is all out of kilter, you lose track of time and space, and life can be a blur. (Hence 9 days since a blog posting!) This whole week, I have been one day off. Marah has an appointment on FRIDAY and basically since TUESDAY, I've been asking her "what time is your appointment tomorrow?" Finally, yesterday, which truly was Wednesday, she called me on it, asking "Mom, why do you keep asking me the same thing over and over?" I laughed because I had no sensible answer for her and I simply said, "I don't know." I'm sure she's picking out a facility to place me in right now as a result of that answer.
Healing is an interesting process for everyone involved. I am sure that the ying and yang of life as you know it gets all out of sorts. The patient and the care taker each have a lot of giving to do and a lot of lip biting. There's a lesson in there somewhere! I know I have gotten on Wayne's nerves beyond his wildest imaginings during this. (Does ANYONE like for someone ELSE to tie their shoes? NOPE! No one can tie your shoes to suit you...EVER!) When you make a burger, do you want anyone else to make it? NOPE! You know how you want it done. For the record, on a burger, Wayne wants mayo on the top AND bottom of the bun. NO CHEESE. Then he also wants mustard on the BOTTOM of the bun, then the burger itself. At that point, he wants lettuce on the burger then tomato and then onion. The ketchup goes on top of the onion. THEN, you can put the top on his monster burger! Oh! And on a hotdog, NEVER, EVER put 2 swipes of mustard. Mustard goes down just one side of the dog. Ahem. WHAT EVER! I have to admit...I did it on purpose the other night. I put two swipes. I confess. I just stood right there and did it. TWO swipes of mustard on my husband's hotdog! Wayne never said a word and so, my attempt at aggravation was lost.
When you or your spouse is infirm, you delve deeply into that "for better for for worse" part. That too is a good thing. I wouldn't have really hid his crutches from him. I was only kidding when I told him that...for the most part.
You can learn a lot about a marriage when two people are totally relying on each other to work together constantly. I have learned a lot about my husband during this time of recovery from his surgery. He IS learning that he has to slow down. He has learned to ask for help when he needs it. He has learned although I don't do things exactly as he would do them, it doesn't mean my way is wrong. I have learned that it means a LOT to Wayne for me to wash his feet and make sure he feels good and clean. I have learned that he appreciates me for the things I do for him and I know it. I have learned that my husband sure does do A LOT around here and for so many other people! I don't know how he manages all the things that he does. I can assure you that I would not normally be in my nightgown at 9:30 at night unloading "five quarter board" (what ever that is!) off a truck to make sure it was on the job first thing in the morning. But, in his normal self, Wayne would have been right there making sure it was all getting done.
I have always respected Wayne's work ethic, his intelligence and his incredible way of being able to figure anything out. During his surgery and recovery, I have learned that Wayne does an incredible balancing act of keeping many, many things going, on task and on time all at once. I think I'd rip my hair out right at the roots if I had to do what he does every day.
He's really good at what he does yet the accident has given him an opportunity to learn to delegate and let go. He is learning to trust that the world will continue to rotate on its axis if he actually does lay on the couch. That's a good thing.
So, where did the nine days go? Whew! I couldn't tell you! But, I know there have been cool evenings that we could sit on the porch and talk, movies watched, lots of web surfing, plans discussed for the farm, phases of those plans and a lot of just lovely times when things were just peaceful, quiet and restorative for Wayne and for me too.
No, he'll never be totally still and I'll never be thrilled with walking up and down the hallway 200 times in one hour, but...we are a good team. We do ying and yang quite well and that works for me. I'm sure if you asked Wayne, he'd agree. (He's on the couch looking at barn plans right now, so even reclined, he is building something in his mind, you can bet on that!)
The donkeys bray, the goats have new little bells so we can hear them tinkling all over the place as they roam around, the doggies to their thing and the kitties do what kitties do. With the exception of Wayne and me adapting to "change," all is normal around here really. We are doing things very differently than usual, but there is enough "normal" to keep us both happy and sane!
I so appreciate those of you who read and enjoy my blog. I appreciate knowing that what I have to say just might resonate with someone else. I simply try to convey "our lives" which I am sure wouldn't be a whole lot different to those of you who read this. Well, maybe ours might be a tiny bit wackier than most, but we also do wacky well and we love sharing it with you!
Shelia, keep an eye on me and if I get out of line again, a nice little THUMP will suffice as a reminder.
I promise it won't be NINE DAYS next time! You can count on that! On that note, if there is something any of you readers what to know about "our crowd," don't mind asking! I'm always open to suggestion and will talk about what ever you'd like to hear. Case in point-- Shelia Sammons! You never know what will turn into a blog topic!

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