May 21 Division of Labor

Lee and I had the 'division of labor' worked out pretty good. I always counted on her to bring groceries home Friday night. I chuckle now as I remember the times she parked at the garage and was greeted by the dogs before she ever paid attention to me! Yesterday I took my seniors and we went on a grocery run and also to a nursery where I picked up a shrub that blooms pink and one that has yellow leaves.

from the south end looking more or less north

The garden was mostly my domain as I used it to unwind when I came home from work during the 90's. Lee would find me out there and sit down and admire it all. Today I finished resurrecting the irrigation system and I have it broken into 3 zones.

from the north end looking south



I so enjoy it. I love the tired achy muscles. I love the dirt on my hands and soon bare feet. Simple pleasures.

The irrigation system will be a real time saver- less weeding because the alley ways will be dry and not conducive to weed growth. There ought to be less roto tilling too. That means more time to sit and watch the garden grow. Mary is an avid gardener so it's great to have someone else to share all of this with.

Lee would of course do all the dry wall repairs. If she were here now she would see a lot to do in the kitchen. I would rather ignore it all as the new cupboards/pantry will cover it all up. She would however insist on making things right.

Lee was the fencer and tractor mechanic. She was great at McGivering. I did however if any job had nails, screws and boards insist she then leave it to me. That was my expertise.

I looked after finances and she more or less simply didn't care to know anything. I insisted she be informed even if she decided she didn't understand. I wanted her to know where we stood money wise if anything should happen to me. If the situation were reversed and I had died, I think Lee would be in deep shit. I understood our finances. She simply chose not to and claimed math was not her thing. She did however understand numbers because she kept track at work on how many patients she visited. and she tracked her expenses. Hummm interesting....

And Lee groomed the dogs and picked off wood ticks. Thankfully Iris and Mary both have pulled many off even if they appear squeemish.

So to handle the whole load now I have many choices. I can simply ignore things, postpone things, let things go, take things slower, ask for help, be more patient, take more time or like the last few days work hard and feel tired which I love. I ask people their opinions and consider what they have to say. Then I make decisions that Lee and I normally would hash out. Its different. I miss Lee. I think about her as often as a teen boy might think about sex. And thats pretty much all the time. Most of my thinking is simply good healthy thoughts.