Just when you think you can't.....turns out you can!

kezmusc · July 2019

Hi all,

I haven't had a chance to be on here
in a while and have been missing you lot I hope everyone is getting along ok
no matter what stage of the rollercoaster you are at.

So, what the heck have I been doing????

The problem

Broken husband. Poor DH has been dealing with a crook
shoulder for close to a couple of years now. It
finally froze up a month or so ago. Shoulder recon booked. What should have been a 1.5 hr surgery turned into 4
hours and looking at about 3 months recovery and rehab. Two out of three dams dry and the third
so low its almost useless. 25 horses
boarding at the moment. Hubby unable to pump water from dam and truck to the paddocks,
can’t drive, can’t work, in a sling and in pain, yada, yada, yada.

The solution

Resurrect ancient auto-watering
system within a month before his surgery. This thing clapped out 6 months after I
moved in, hasn’t run in over a decade and contains a bazillion leaking joins over about 5kms of underground poly pipe of varying sizes, anywhere up to a foot deep, with only a
guess at where it all lies.

Work out how to fit “Watergate” resurrection,
twice daily feeding and rugging of 25 horses, my job and all the usual
household stuff into the 24 hours available in a day. Deal with any other surprise repairs on the property which will inevitably occur. This place is my nemesis and my love. aaggghhh

Oh, and decide how to fit in extra
work so as not to be living out of a trolley on the footpath with very large
silly dog due to 4 months of one income. Deal with stupid drug side effects
aches, pains, etc along the way. Luckily the one SE I haven’t had to deal with is fatigue thank goodness.

Daunting to say the least. I had absolutely no idea how, or if, I was
going to cope with all this and was feeling incredibly overwhelmed really.

The plan

There is no choice and nil options. Just make a start. Plenty of time to sleep
when your…well you know.

The result.

Day upon day I have picked it, shoveled it, thread
taped it, replaced it, modified it, put holes in it accidently and re repaired
it, been knee deep in mud holes and drenched when it blew out unexpectedly in my face. Moved troughs and manufactured cages to keep horses from playing with water floats.

I’ve gotten frustrated and cried at it and
said the F word a billion times.

My
house looks likes it’s been napalmed as zero time to do anything but washing
and some form of cooking.

Average step count per day 35,000. 4 kgs lighter, some wobbly bits are a bit less wobbly. LOL

I can hardly move my hip and back
are that bad now, all my joints are creaking and crunching and every muscle hurts. Whoever said exercise is good for you needs
their head read.

But guess what? At 3pm the
afternoon before his surgery it was done and working.

I freaking did it! .

Feeling totally exhausted but somewhat chuffed.

Now where the heck is my wine? Cheers lovelies.

Hugs to everybody.

xoxoxooxxoxooxoxoox

iserbrown · July 2019

Onya! Tough as they come! Be proud you've dusted yourself down and said I've got this!
Excellent work!
Take care

Zoffiel · July 2019

I had a husband once who not so jokingly called me 'The Ditch Witch'. He learned to do it from further and further away and was heard to complain that I had arms like a shearer as he finally disappeared into the distance.
There is nothing, nothing like digging a decent hole. OK, a decent woodpile comes a close second.
The sense of satisfaction of a job well done and having what ever needs burying, buried is something that only those who have done it can appreciate. Well done you. Ditch Witches unite!