Sick on the homestead

6/23/18

 

Recently, I have had the unfortunate luck of being brought down by a case of shingles… Definitely not something I wish for anyone.  I must give kudos to my fantastic husband who has had to pick up the slack of doing everything he normally does as well as taking care of me (which isn’t an easy task, I assure you).  He defiantly does more on a normal basis with our little homestead, but recently has had to take care of those things that I do as well.  I’ve not been able to get out and help, but chores still need to be done.  I’m not saying that working a homestead on your own is impossible, certainly not.  But then, homestead chores aren’t the same as those everyday household chores. 

 

Before we started our homestead journey, if I became sick, well… nothing was going to get dusted; windows can wait; mopping was put off; and ironing turned into “just throw it in the dryer for a minute”.  However, regardless of the size of a homestead, chores are chores that don’t get to wait.  Animals must be feed and watered, gardens must be watered and weeded, milking still needs to happen, and animal houses don’t clean themselves.  We are fortunate that we have each other to lean on when the other is out of commission for a time. 

You might be thinking… what if we had both became sick at the same time?  That would be the equivalent of someone else that works a homestead on their own.  Who helps when the need arises? 

 

I know the answer to this, as I’m sure several of you do as well.  For those of you that don’t, I will tell you, it’s not a secret.  The answer is Family, Friends, and other Homesteaders.  Some of you may not have family members or friends that are able to help (or willing… some people just refuse to milk a goat).  That’s where reaching out to other homesteaders in your area becomes so important.  Not only can you share experience and knowledge, but I think helping each other is simply in our nature.  It doesn’t only have to be if someone is sick either.  Ever think about taking a vacation?  I’m sure other local homesteaders have as well, but you can’t just pack a suitcase and lock up the house when there are animals that need to be fed and milked.  Taking the time to help a fellow homesteader so they can take a vacation, or because there is an emergency or illness – This is a true gift. 

 

So, reach out and get to know other homesteaders in your area.  You may be surprised how many there are.