Virginia Real : Little Things That Matter...

April 27, 2016

Charming and I have been splitting our time between our current house and the farm. I must admit that living at two different places is becoming easier than I had first imagined it to be. While living at our current house provides more comfort items like a washing machine, fully functional kitchen, Internet, and over-the-air television, we know that we have to try to spend as many sunny (work) days at the farm as possible because there is so much work to be done there. So we're willing to rough it a little.

This past week, Charming started building a large shed that will suit our storage needs. The shed needs to be completed before he can start the renovation work on the house. I try to help him with this work whenever possible, but my main priority at the farm has been coming up with ways to make Charming's life easier until the building/renovation process is completed. I know some women might get offended by my saying that my main priority is to make my husband's life easier, but I see this as a very important task. God saw fit to bestow on me some pretty darn good organizational and problem-solving skills and these skills have made quite a difference in how smoothly we are able to transition from one place to the other on a weekly basis. (Yes, indeed, I am patting myself on the back.) The payment for my work is having had Charming make a point to express on, several different occasions, how much he appreciates what I do and how it makes his life easier.

For instance, because we live in our camper when we’re at the farm, there is little room to prepare full meals with Jax under my feet on a constant basis. So I prepare several days’ worth of meals prior to going to the farm. I plan each meal around simple foods that are easy to prepare at home and then microwave them when we’re at the farm. Casseroles are great for this as they contain meat and vegetables in one dish. We eat from paper plates for easy clean up, so the only dishes I have to wash are the silverware and the casserole dish. The sauerkraut that I made a couple of weeks ago has proven to be a great side dish for hamburgers and hot dogs. (The sauerkraut turned out pretty well. I like its tangy taste and, because it's not cooked, it keeps its crunchy taste. In addition to the pleasant crunchy taste, the beneficial bacteria stays alive to help keep my tummy in good working order.)

Another of my ideas that Charming really appreciated was a simple solution to a problem that ate up quite a few minutes each day. When taking lunch, supper, snack, and bathroom breaks, Charming would wash up at the water hose that's hooked up to the outside free-standing water spigot. He would have to come to the camper to get the dish detergent to wash his hands and then return the dish detergent to the camper after he was finished. I found an old hanging wire flower basket (without the hanging parts) that had been left by the previous owners. I crocheted several strings and attached them to the basket. I then hung the basket on the water hose reel and filled it with things like work gloves, a liquid hand soap dispenser, along with the attachments for the water hose. This works like a charm and has saved Charming many steps and minutes during the day. He was quite happy with my idea.

There are other ways that I've tried to help as much as I possibly can. I've told Charming that, although I'm not a skilled woodworker/remodeler/farm hand, I'm willing to perform any "grunt work" that will help while he performs the hard work. I am grateful for the work he is doing, in an effort to give us both a better life, and I know that he is grateful for each little thing that I do to help him out. I am finding that this give and take is one of the secrets to being an extremely happy farm couple.