End of an Era

 We are officially out of the bird business.  All our fowl friends that hadn't ended up in bird heaven have been relocated to a new home... All together so they will know birds there....we aren't up for having to have our birds in therapy because we abandoned them.

Jeff worked diligently over the week-end to take all of the pens down and they headed off to new locations to house other birds.  I must admit, I don't miss the mismatch of dog pen panels, steel roofing, netting and chicken wire that adorned the barn.  It resembled a homeless shelter for the less fortunate.

Now for the interior of the barn to be cleaned and serve as a cool wood shop for Jeff.  The floors are linoleum and will work great for sweeping wood shavings. He has many tools that can be set up permanently for a multitude of projects.  I have many in mind ;-)

I will miss Penny and Baby and the girls keeping us tick free but I will NOT miss the poop on the stoop....every stoop.  They were fun for many years and fresh eggs were great but I can still afford to buy eggs and the hobby farm was losing its intrigue.

It's probably time in our lives to simplify things when we can. I'm even making an effort to clean storage in the basement and pare down what hasn't been used in the last 10-13 years.  I'm not quite sure where this sterling silver should go and I'm down to just a dozen boxes (from 63) from Hewitt Brothers and 940 Main Street. SO hard to just "throw things away!"  Sadly, GenX has no desire for any stuff from years past. It's understandable but disheartening. I've quilted what memories I can and there are thousands of pictures so I guess I'm the one who must reckon with throwing away the past or donating it to someone else.

It seems it's harder to make decisions as we age.  Things were harder to come by in our "day" and this generation has less appreciation for what was...maybe that's our fault too.

Anyway, it's the end of an era in the pet department at EIEIO. Time for spring cleanup and soon....lawn mowing, one of my favorite things!

Functioning

 Functioning is described as the normal and specific contribution of a bodily part to the economy of a living organism.......to carry on an action!  To date, I am a functioning female human. In other words, I am contributing my bodily parts to the economy of a living organism...this family! It doesn't get more mundane than that!  At nearly 70, I had hoped to be more than just functioning. On the other hand, I should be be ecstatic that I am able to function and all parts are doing their job.  I just didn't realize I would be the main contributor.....for so many!  The sad part is that a person can function in the place between happy and unhappy. That space offers a level of calm and balance. It holds an evenness, a place of moderation that allows one to do their job well while experiencing the dysfunction and unrest that possibly exists in their life. Many folks prefer to just simply exist and accept it.  Many circumstances don't allow for the opportunity to change what is... so they just continue to function.  The entire premise is frankly...sad. I guess it's like the Serenity Prayer simply stating you should be able to accept the things you can't change, change the things you can and be smart enough to know which is which..

This place between happy and unhappy is like floating just above a stream of lava.  It's warm, comfortable and relaxing but you know just one wrong move (not necessarily on your part) will drop you into an unhappy hell that may hold you forever.  I'm vaguely sure that the golden years were touted as more than merely functioning.

I'm not really complaining (ok maybe a little) as some of my decisions are totally on me. I am happy to be able to provide a safe haven for my family, I am happy that I have saved wisely and can offer a modicum of comfort for us all and that our retirement home is in a beautiful spot. We are surrounded by nature in both floral and fauna and a little slice of calm resides here too.

So I guess function is all relative(s). I will be content to reside in this place between happy and unhappy and function to the best of my ability. Life isn't perfect and sadly is short but it sometimes beats the alternative. It does seem blatantly obvious that Form Follows Function (structures are formed in direct correlation to what they are meant to do!)