Things that must be sacrificed

When you are trying to live as self-sufficiently as possible, you realize that certain things must be sacrificed. 

It's a Monday night and I am pulling into my driveway at 7:40pm.  I didn't take my walk today because I didn't want to get up this morning, and I didn't even walk the path at the office because my day was full of meetings and e-mail.  But because I have a 2 mile route and do a 16-17 minute mile I think I can quickly change, go, and be back while it's still light out.  Then I can pick the lettuce and herbs for tomorrow's lunches, and have a few minutes to walk around the yard at dusk to pull stray weeds and assess how the garden grows.

But as I walk from your garage to the house, I notice that the potted plants are really dry.  Even though I used the water from canning to water a few of them them last night.  And then I pass the strawberry patch - and there are a ton of ripe ones.  Some of them are quite large.  "Oh man, they really need to be picked," I think to myself, and then realize that there are probably raspberries in the back yard that should be picked as well.  I look up and notice that the birds need to be fed (they eat me out of house and home); then there's still that salad harvest for lunches tomorrow...

At this point, I know what is going to be sacrificed.  It's no longer even an option.  I will not be taking my walk today.

Worse - I realize that I have a lot to do, and very little time to do it in.  So, still in my work clothes, work shoes, jewelry etc. I get busy.  First, it's been so hot and dry that it's not only the potted plants that need water, but the vegetable beds as well, so I turn on the sprinkler.  While that's going, I start with the raspberries because I know there aren't many out there and it will be quick.  Then I move on to the strawberries.  The strawberries are actually a bit of a pain to harvest because I have to undo the bird netting, fluff the leaves and look hard for berries hiding close to the ground, and then re-seal the bird netting barrier.  I collect a half pound of strawberries; so far so good.

The next step is to feed the birds - they are completely out of food and MUST be starving! ;-)  Then I move on to collecting the lettuce and herbs and edible flowers.  The potted plants still need watering so that's next, but the sun is going down and I noted that the squash bed is really dry when I was getting the chives.  So I move the sprinkler and go inside to fill the watering can.  After about 10 trips with the watering can, in and out, the plants in pots are watered, and I can begin to relax.  The outdoor work is done.  It's 8:50.  I stand on the patio for the last 15 minutes of twilight, watching as the garden fades into the night and a spider builds its web on the solar light.  Then I turn off the sprinkler and go inside.

Yes, some things need to be sacrificed.  They're not the important things.  That's what the night whispered to me as I smiled and climbed the stairs to the house.