Counting my blessings
September 1st 2007 07:30
I have the flu. So what’s new about that – I expect all my readers have had it some time this winter. Still, I’ve decided I should use this moment to count my blessings. I got the flu when my beloved youngest son came from the city to help his Dad do some sheep work. The Blessing One is that I have sons that help where they can and Blessing Two – I avoided the flu until he so generously brought it from the city – isolation has its benefits!
We are having a few running repairs done on the house this Saturday morning. A bit of roof work – was going to happen on Wednesday – but it was raining, (Blessing Three) so the workers came back today – officially their day off - not sure if that’s a common occurrence where you come from, so that’s Blessing Four. These boys are farmer’s sons, who can turn their hand to many a different job – including roofing and shed building, working in a tyre shop, seeding, harvesting, truck driving and sheep work. Very Handy handymen in their early twenties.
My husband is replacing a screen door. OK it took weeks to arrive from the manufacturer, but being married to a farmer means that this odd job can be done – provided I am available to assist now and then. Blessing Five is my own personal handyman and is a bit like Four but now I’m talking about my clever husband. Necessity leads to these abilities, for getting professional builders etc are nearly impossible for the little jobs. The only problem is, if you have to wait for him to do anything it can take as long as it would to get a handyman in the city, and it usually requires a slight degree of – dare I say it - persistent reminders – known in some quarters as nagging!!
We are going to get a new hot water system – still have to cut wood as it’s a wood heater. However the wood is plentiful Blessing Six, and we were told that the old heater lasted twenty years – rather than its guaranteed ten years because fresh rain water – which, by the way we drink, cook with and bathe in, is less corrosive. - Blessing Seven.
I had to do some family research for someone this week. An advantage of living in the country is that you usually know someone who knows someone, and two phone calls later I had all that was required for the lady concerned and a contact name and number for her to re-connect with other relatives. – Blessing Eight. (This could also be a mixed blessing if you wanted to stay anonymous.)
I had three meetings this week. It is amazing how you can go to three unconnected meetings and see at least one of the people who will be at the next meeting. So if you run out of things to talk about, there is always the next subject of mutual interest. Blessing Nine.
At one of the meetings there were 3 politicians – a Federal House of Reps, A Federal Senator and a State MP. Interestingly, we are on first name basis with all three – bet that doesn’t happen in the city! And I’m not even of any use to them politically! Yet they know what is needed in our town.(Hope I didn’t give them a cold!) Mixed Blessing Ten. The only problem here is that they are well and truly outnumbered when it comes to voting on issues that affect country living, but at least we know they are making the effort.
While I am very aware that there are many Country areas without a Doctor, our town has one here on weekdays, so provided you plan ahead with your illnesses (!), you will not have great distances to travel. What is more when we see our doctor, we rarely have to wait more than five minutes – unless there is a hospital emergency – in which case you go off and do your shopping and then come back. Blessing Eleven.
Blessing Twelve? Mmmm- Let me think. I know. When I finish this I am going to sit down in front of another wood fire and it will be really warm because we have dry white gum wood to put on it. OK it’s impossible to cut with an axe, but it does make a jolly good fire! So provided my handyman husband has not exhausted himself from three attempts to get the screen door on straight (but who’s counting!) and keeps putting logs on the fire, I’m set for the day.
See life is not so bad after all. Just wish I’d stop coughing!
We are having a few running repairs done on the house this Saturday morning. A bit of roof work – was going to happen on Wednesday – but it was raining, (Blessing Three) so the workers came back today – officially their day off - not sure if that’s a common occurrence where you come from, so that’s Blessing Four. These boys are farmer’s sons, who can turn their hand to many a different job – including roofing and shed building, working in a tyre shop, seeding, harvesting, truck driving and sheep work. Very Handy handymen in their early twenties.
We are going to get a new hot water system – still have to cut wood as it’s a wood heater. However the wood is plentiful Blessing Six, and we were told that the old heater lasted twenty years – rather than its guaranteed ten years because fresh rain water – which, by the way we drink, cook with and bathe in, is less corrosive. - Blessing Seven.
I had three meetings this week. It is amazing how you can go to three unconnected meetings and see at least one of the people who will be at the next meeting. So if you run out of things to talk about, there is always the next subject of mutual interest. Blessing Nine.
At one of the meetings there were 3 politicians – a Federal House of Reps, A Federal Senator and a State MP. Interestingly, we are on first name basis with all three – bet that doesn’t happen in the city! And I’m not even of any use to them politically! Yet they know what is needed in our town.(Hope I didn’t give them a cold!) Mixed Blessing Ten. The only problem here is that they are well and truly outnumbered when it comes to voting on issues that affect country living, but at least we know they are making the effort.
While I am very aware that there are many Country areas without a Doctor, our town has one here on weekdays, so provided you plan ahead with your illnesses (!), you will not have great distances to travel. What is more when we see our doctor, we rarely have to wait more than five minutes – unless there is a hospital emergency – in which case you go off and do your shopping and then come back. Blessing Eleven.
Blessing Twelve? Mmmm- Let me think. I know. When I finish this I am going to sit down in front of another wood fire and it will be really warm because we have dry white gum wood to put on it. OK it’s impossible to cut with an axe, but it does make a jolly good fire! So provided my handyman husband has not exhausted himself from three attempts to get the screen door on straight (but who’s counting!) and keeps putting logs on the fire, I’m set for the day.
See life is not so bad after all. Just wish I’d stop coughing!
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