A New Project

About 10 years ago my brother ended up with a 1994 Jayco camper. It sat in his back yard with two tarps over it because the roof leaked. Back then I was helping around his place with some chores when he and my sister-in-law traveled for work. I REALLY wanted that camper for a project back then, but ended up becoming very ill and couldn’t afford to pay him for it, so there it sat.

Last year he donated it to a organization to convert to a food stand. Another year went by. The organization decided to go a different route with the food shack and well, I am now in possession of the camper.

The organization began tearing out some of the camper which turns out saved me a little time doing it. It’s in rough shape now for sure, but the frame is sound so I guess we start there.

Having COVID this second time has left me very short of breath so I get winded really easy and tired. This will be a very slow moving project I have a feeling, but all I can do is my best. My challenge right now is how to fix the roof without getting up on it. Two reasons, firstly, I am terrified of heights (acrophobia). Having agoraphobia and chronic anxiety kind of set me up for that one, lol. Secondly, its rotten so if I miss a crossmember, I will fall right through. I have already in less than 72 hours crushed my hand in a fancy extension ladder nearly breaking it.

Today we are due some pretty nasty storms so I have covered the AC unit where it leaked the worst because the roof is totally gone and am hoping it at least stops a flood inside.

Sense I do not have a premium membership here I can’t upload the video I took of what I am starting with so I will have to get some still pics and share them next time.

The other thing this bout with COVID left me with was the need for sleep. Called the doctors office because I do believe a raging sinus infection is also brewing. They told me to call back when I felt better. I have learned a couple of things over the last two years: 1) We basically have no healthcare system left in the United States, 2) If you get sick with ANYTHING you are on your own, 3) It does not matter if you are rich…the government dumped enough money into the health care system during COVID to sustain them indefinitely and to develop policies that do not encourage public health. Being a member of a healthcare organization now is like being dropped off in the middle of a farm shit slurry and not seeing an end to it as far as you can see. Having retired from the shit slurry…I can assure you being a member of the health care community does not make your chances of getting care any better either.

Well, till next time…

Life update, moving forward.

Isn’t funny how life twists and turns in the most unexpected ways.

The last post was nearly 2 years ago. So much has changed. I got my first round of COVID 19 in January 2020, before it was “popular”. Doctor could not tell me what was wrong, but admitted I was one sick cookie.

Fast forward…in the last two years my marriage ended, my two dogs crossed the rainbow bridge, I moved from my forever home to my daughters…animals and all, going from 950 square feet to about 144.

My Father passed away.

I got influenza A, then 6 weeks later got COVID 19…AGAIN.

Agoraphobia and anxiety has not been my friend these last two years. It’s made life from difficult to nearly impossible. Prices for living have skyrocketed, and feeding the animals is nearly impossible. Feeding me has become nearly impossible.

I hope to continue with this blog writing about daily life and struggles, projects and activity within my new environment.

Thank you for listening…

Writing nobody reads

One thing I have realized is how great it is to write stuff nobody really reads. The upside is that you can be brutally honest about what is going on, and not offend anyone. Another upside is that you can have an opinion…and no one bully’s you about it.

So..in the interest of being honest…if Biden is elected you all know we are so very screwed we will never know normal life again. If you think the Speaker of the House is looking at the 25th Amendment to focus on our current President…you bought the shit they are wanting you to. It is blatantly obvious that Biden is not capable of acting as President. They will use this amendment to remove him before January…and move Harris in. Do not let them pull this bull shit. This congress has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the citizens of this country in four years. NOTHING. Please…just think about it. All they have done is spend your (and my) hard earned tax dollars chasing delusions, giving themselves raises and going on vacations.

It’s not that horrible corruption has not been going on for ages, it’s that we now have a administration that is not afraid to air dirty laundry. Not being a member of the American Politician Mafia Society (my term) they have signed on to no secret society rules of the typical politician. Although it sickens me to realize that politicians have been getting rich off my hard working ass and back, I am not surprised. What other job can you have that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars to do literally NOTHING.

I could not do the job. I have morals. I believe in being a responsible person. I have never taken advantage of my fellow citizen for the purpose of advancement. In other words…in my book if you are a lifer in the politician pool…your a shit head. If you were drowning…I would be the first to throw you a cinder block, and make sure it got close enough for you to catch it.

So, if what I have said here today strikes a nerve with you..or pisses you off. Good. You need to sit where you are and ask yourself why. Could it be that you have been listening to news spread by NBC? CBS? ABC? That it pisses you off that these news outlets are feeding you propaganda and that you have just had a “ah-ha” moment about it and are a little pissed off at yourself for being so gullible? Well you should be pissed off. There is always two sides to a story. Why are we being fed only one? News reporters like Savannah Guthrie who carry their own agenda disgust me. She should be embarrassed to show her face. She does not ask “tough” questions…she asks “oh, look at me everybody!” questions. In the meantime we have Chris giving answers for Biden because either his ear bud was not working or he can’t think clearly enough to answer them himself. Maybe Biden should have been the moderator and Chris should have stood in for him.

It is no damn wonder I am plagued with anxiety and panic attacks. Looking around is it possible I am the only sane person on the damn planet? Are people like me suffering like this because we can see through the bullshit…and are powerless to fix it? Maybe so.

Pushing Forward

I have not added to this blog since June I believe for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I was doing some reading and it was suggested that focusing on the panic, anxiety and agoraphobia only strengthens it in one’s mind. So I decided to put all aside for 90 days to see if there was any changes. All journaling, talking about it, reading about it, anything that had to do with the subject matter went away.

Secondly, I have all but stopped watching the news (except for weather), and drastically reduced my internet usage to only email.

So what did that get me? Well, I have to say I had more time on my hands than I ever have had before, which, as you all can probably relate to is not really a good thing. I tried to fill it with physical activities but found I became exhausted very quickly. I slept a lot. Watched more television than I ever have and tried to stick with uplifting shows and comedies.

What did I learn? I learned I can do without the daily news drama. I can not do without my journaling. It is an outlet that I need. I learned I have to pace myself because it seems this has turned into chronic fatigue syndrome. I learned I need to learn to accept and live with all this; focus or not.

I have a new doctor. She is a functional medicine type. I had a very thorough series of blood work done last week. I understand that for the most part all came back normal. Believe it or not, this news left me almost devastated. Most people would be grateful. I have not yet deep down accepted this diagnosis. I can not seem to get through my thick skull that this is all in my head. I just can’t wrap my head around the physical symptoms I suffer through are fake. They sure feel real to me.

After so many tests done over the years, so much blood work, so many hours of therapy and doctor appointments I just do not know where to go from here.

Speaking of going……It appears I will be making a move. The whole process is totally overwhelming right now. I have a whole farm of animals to relocate to the new place. Half of me is looking forward to it, half of me is terrified. I hope that the change would give me something to focus on other than myself, but on the other hand what if it makes things worse? Is that even possible I think to myself? Can it get worse than it is now? In the past I thought it could not get worse…and it did…so I have that experience bouncing around in my head like a tennis ball.

Honest to God…you just can not make this shit up. I was told once that everybody’s got something. Like it was supposed to make me feel better. Best I can do right now is empathize with their misery.

So for anyone who left feedback that I have not responded to I apologize. I will do better going forward.

Stay healthy stay safe.

Been a long few months

Today is June 9th. Where I live things are beginning to open back up, places are getting back what many are calling the “new normal”. I have to laugh just a little because, well, once again…nothing has changed for me…..that much.

I am not sure if I mentioned that I acquired some Nigerian Dwarf goats in February. Four does. As of this writing, I now have four adults…and 4 kids. Three single births and a set of twins. It was not my intention to expand the herd. It appears that decision was made for me. I have to admit I am thrilled at having a bit of goats milk around for coffee and cooking. I really look forward to my decalf in the morning now. Yes, it is raw milk.

I was raised on raw cows milk. My first experience with pasteurized milk was in kindergarten when I was forced to drink a pint by the cafeteria lady. Joke was on her because I puked it up all over her, then spent a week at home with gastritis. My country doctor wrote the school a note specifically stating I was not to drink pasteurized milk. I have not had a glass of milk since 1979 ( I was 17 years old) when laws were passed that prohibited the sale to the public.

The 2 garden plots have been planted. Potatoes, lettuce and pumpkins are coning up fast. Peppers, green beans and cabbage ….not so much. May have to replant them as well as the zucchini. The tomatoes are starting to peek up threw the dirt as are the onions. I have to admit I was a bit floored at the shortage of seed and starter kits this year. It appears everybody and their brother has decided to garden. In all my 50+ years I have never known seed to be sold out by April. Lucky for me I saved seed from last years garden for planting this year, and will do the same this year for next.

I have gotten to the point now where I can not listen to the news at all. A person like me does not need the addition of all the hype going on about just about anything someone has a bitch about. I developed strange sensations in my chest so I stopped listening. Kinda like my heart was stopping…but not palaptions. It comes and goes now. I am trying EVERYTHING in my tool box not to panic and freak out. Its not working very well. I have cried so much in the last week related to de stressing that I am about cried out.

Even though I do not leave my property, I intensely feel the fear of everyone around me and what I see on TV or social media. I just can’t bare the burden of the whole world’s fear, frustration and anger. I just can’t even be witness to it without experiencing physical pain and emotional anguish. It’s the highly sensitive person (HSP) in me. I am like a 200 foot weather vane in a thunder and lightening storm and it sucks. Big time.

The orphaned twin kittens I hand raised last summer will be a year old in July. They are three months old here. They are full of piss and vinegar and everyone, including the Vet that gave them a death sentence (told the people who found them they would certianly die) are amazed at them. I am honored to be of assistance to any of Gods creatures in need.

It’s 91 degrees outside. I have had enough of summer already. I do not like the heat, nor do I do well in it. It causes a panic state in me. Heat is dangerous. It can kill you as fast as extreme cold. Actually faster. I suffered a heat stroke back in 2004. It’s a horrible sensation to suddenly realize that you do not know where or who you are, who the people around you are, and your first language escapes you when you try to talk. I distinctly remember someone saying the word “chicken” and not knowing what that was, but felt like I should. Who am I kidding…I was terrified.

Well, thats about all I got for now. Stay safe, stay well.

Trying times March 2020

Here in the United States, as with the rest of the world we find ourselves in a unprecedented situation. That said, I would like to welcome the world to “my world”.  As an agoraphobia sufferer I spend my life…”at home”. Every day, 24/7, week after week. month after month.

For almost everyone of you this concept is new (not leaving your home). I am hearing stories about the frustration many are feeling and it has only been less than a week. As of February 2020 it has been 12 YEARS for me.

So that said, you will get just a taste of what it is like to try and get much needed goods and services for your survival at home. You will have a better understanding the difficulty related to being stuck at home when family and friends are in distress for whatever reason. At the very least you will understand the isolation that occurs with this condition.

For me…life has not changed. I get up at the same time, eat my meals at the same time, go to bed at the same time. My laundry and dishes get done, as do my animals get fed and cared for. If it weren’t for them I would not leave the house to even venture outdoors. My anxiety jumps 10 fold as I dress to go out the door every time.

What we have in common now is that we are all home and restricted as to travel…just for different reasons. Stay strong. If I can do it for 12 years..you will be able to do it for 3 weeks if need be, or even 3 months. I lived without any income at all for over 2 years. I am grateful that the Federal government is willing to help those who have found themselves without an income. Having had to wait 2 years for a Social Security hearing to just find out if I was going to get approved while I fought off creditors and searched for free food to keep from starving to death in itself just melted my anxiety, panic and agoraphobia into my entire body and brain. I had always held out hope I would get better, but that experience in itself destroyed any hope that was left.

So…take a deep breath, know this will be over soon for all of you and you all will be out there in the world doing what you all do best in no time. Thank you too for reading this post, and giving a bit of thought to those of us who even when restrictions are lifted will still be stuck at home. Stay healthy…stay safe.  🙂

Winter Farm Activities

It has been a few months since I wrote. As I am sure many can relate to….its been complicated. The kittens have flourished and are tearing the house apart every night trying to escape the dogs chasing them…(it’s a game they play).

This condition sucks.  Abraham Hicks says “you gotta make peace with where ya are….to get to where you want to be”…..did I tell ya this condition sucks? I would love to see them in person to ask a few questions, but since I can’t leave the house, and they do not do private consultations anymore I guess I will have to wait till I “croke”…but by then it won’t make any difference will it? Don’t get me wrong, I like Esther and Abraham Hicks just because 75% of what they say seems to resonate with me. I like Dr. Claire Weekes too, because she seems to get the condition. Dr. Wayne Dyer also speaks to it a bit too in his book, “Wishes Fulfilled” in that he has a chapter on sleep and what our thoughts are as we go to sleep. Other than Esther Hicks…they are all dead. Not a whole lot of encouragement on survival there though…..

It is winter on the farm here in the Northeast. Back about 3 months ago the sun set and went on vacation someplace else. It is probably just as well. My condition seems to have deteriorated significantly over the last year. I used to be able to leave the property for at least short outings which is no longer the case. I can’t even get to my therapist’s office anymore. Days suck and nights are a nightmare. Five panic attacks in one night. My poor body is just being flogged by it all.

About 2 weeks ago some goats came to the farm. They are nigerian dwarf goats, 4 of them, all girls. I have wanted goats all my life. Back about 20 years ago I went to check out a big goat farm near Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, they were looking to sell. They had about 400, and made their own cheese and related goat milk products right there in their own facility on the farm. It was like a dream come true for me…except they wanted more than I could even sell body parts for. Another disappointment to add to the long list I have going. With my condition deteriorating I decided that I would buy these goats so I could at least say I had some before I died. I also thought that they would bring me some joy…(that three lettered swear word in my world), and in their own way they have. It’s tough to sit in the snow and cold to watch them right now but I try to as much as I can. If my head is spinning too much I have to forgo it and get into the house before I pass out…I just do not want to die in a snowbank.

Had to trim back the old apple tree to satisfy the utility company. Not sure it will survive so I took cuttings and have two dozen started in the kitchen.  Still have some trimming to do, but the weather turned to shit so it will have to wait.They have started to bud out so hopefully they will have good enough roots by mid summer to plant along with the sweet cherry bush cuttings I have started.

With the goats taking up the old garden pasture a new garden location will have to be prepped this spring. It seems like I have relocated a garden on this property at least 4 times that I can remember (over 30 years). I should be seasoned at it by now, but it is still a lot of work starting over some place else. I do not know if I have it left in me.

Guess it is time for the morning nap as the words on this page are starting to become difficult to see, the dizziness blurs them altogether. Happy Valentines Day to everyone…eat a piece of chocolate for me  <3.

Animal Magnet

Back on July 22nd I was presented with 2 newborn kittens abandoned by their mother. Over the years I have had hundreds of cats through here, as well as rabbits, chickens, racoons, possums, squirrels and various birds all in need of care taking. For some strange reason I seem to be the “go to” person for animal welfare in my area. I am not a vet, or am I licensed to care for wildlife. Yet…here…we…are.

Having babies in the house…human or animal  is basically the same. Every 2-3 hour feedings, piles of bottles or syringes, cans of formula, purified water in the tea kettle. And laundry…laundry out the ass. It is not an undertaking for the faint of heart that is for sure. After the first week…as all new moms can relate to…I was sleeping, and feeding kittens, sleeping and feeding kittens. No house work, no fully cooked meals, and getting a shower was a activity that took more energy than I had. Another note…this is not cheap either. These 2 have run up a supplies bill of about $250.00.

Sadly most abandoned wild animals do not survive. Wild animals abandon their young for various reasons, but the most common one is their instincts tell them that the baby will not survive due to some health issue. Another is that the new inexperienced mother does not have the skill set yet to care for them.

These two had a shaky first week, but one week turned into 2 and 3, then 4. we are at day 37. The gray kitten took right to solid food, the black one..not so much. yesterday was the first time I saw the black kitten even sniff at it to check it out. But that is good, at least interest is there.

Once we are both on solid food it will be time to look for homes. If they survive its the most heartbreaking part of the process. It’s like giving away one of your kids. I will be so picky about where they go…..I do not know if I will find anyone I trust to take them.

And so the new day begins.

 

Life just keeps going on

Its been about 6 months since I have added to the blog. It seems like nothing much ever changes. You would think after 10 years of this torture I could somehow make peace with it all but I can not seem to get there.

After almost a 3 year wait I got my day in social security court and was awarded disability. It took 3 months in bed after that experience to regain my bearings just to get out of bed in the morning. There are times when I do not think I could feel any worse, yet, my body and brain are always seeking more I guess, and instead of better days,. I get worse days. I am so exhausted. Every minute of every day is a friggin struggle.  Abraham Hicks says that as long as we are asking time will go on…but once we stop asking we will have finished our work here, or become so far out of alignment that there is no way to work our way back and will move on. I keep asking to feel better, but I also feel so far off the road that I feel afraid I will croak because I can not find my way back.

I have been listening to some audiobooks by Dr. Judith Orloff , Dr. Ted Zeff , as well as Abraham Hicks. Sometime their words help for the moment…but the moment passes. I need minutes of relief, not just moments. 

Being alone in the house has its own challenges. I still have animals that need tending, and there are days that their care is all I can get done. No garden this year. A rototiller can be a dangerous piece of equipment when your motivating like your trying to walk on a trampoline with someone else bouncing on it and your vision is going the opposite direction. Getting the animals fed and back into the house without drawing blood is the goal of the day.

I had hoped that with the support of social security disability the financial stresses would be eased up and I might fell at least a little better without that added stress. I was wrong. I don’t know if the experience of having to wait so long, then leave the house  to go to court that involved a 2 hour car ride, then sitting before a judge in court, then getting home finally just fried the last inch of decient nerve I had left or what, but it’s been 5 months since court, and I cannot seem to recover.

The other thing I think that is not helping is the false face I feel like I have to wear when dealing with other people. Family, the mail lady, delivery people. All see me as a functional human being, but they only see a few minutes of me, or less than a hour at a time. I am the one that gets into the house and collapses behind the door as soon as I can. Pretending to be someone your not to save face sucks and is exhausting. I don’t even try to explain to them what is going on…hell I do not understand what’s going on with me, how can I begin to try and explain it to people who have no reference point to work with.

Obviously my work here is not done or all this would have killed me long ago. I do not see however the contribution I am making to the world or anyone else in this state. What could I possibly have to offer anyone? I just can’t get off this merry -go-round.

Let’s talk about Bees

I am a farmer. I try to grow a decent garden each year to support my food usage and supplement my animal feeding bill. I understand the important part bees play in that process. That said, I hate yellow jackets. When I was nine I was following my Dad plowing a field because I was picking out grubs as the dirt turned over to go fishing with. I walked directly into a wasp/hornet nest that was in the ground and overturned and cut in half by the 6 bottom plow. I was stung some 150 times and damn near died.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. The weather is turning colder here and outside critters are looking for someplace warm to winter over. I one day find myself killing yellow jackets in the windows of the house. At first it was just a few, that turned into over 30 in a day.

As a patrolled the outer parameter of my home I came to realize that a nest existed under the house obscured by the front porch. Not being able to get to it I decided to button up from the inside. I expansion foamed every pipe coming out of the floor, caulked every hole, crack or crevice I could find and in desperation walked around with masking tape covering even “possible” holes. Nothing seemed to be doing the job. Last Sunday I got stung walking out to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Now….its game on.

I am not one to screw around for very long. I made a few calls and yesterday the porch come off so I can get to the nest.

This porch has been on the front of my home for 25 years. It’s been reconditioned only once. My construction skills put on the table and well done as the porch moved without falling apart.

Today I have situated a shop vac with a water nozzle under the hole of exit and entry to suck up as many as I can before removing the skirting to remove the nest. I will post picks of that step in the next post.

This is my home. I am agoraphobic. It is my safe place. That includes safe from bees.

And so it is….