BBM. I think I need you, Grainne.
I'm not just doing the English moaner thing. Today I had to;
Discuss the erection of metal railings and help with measurements.
Discuss the building of a wall, and garden house repairs
Remove the entire contents of a garden house, on my own, with some objects weighing twice as much as me.
Hammer back the paving I dislodged moving the heavy objects
Go and buy and move the very heavy materials for those repairs, while taking care of my 'supervisor'.
All arranged by Mr Z . He doesn't want me to get bored.
Accompany my 'supervisor' to the clinic while he got his stitches taken out and nearly passed out.
Clean house, cook, look after Mr Z, walk the dog and, of course, do something for Bob.
I weighed myself today because my pants kept falling down. I googled it to get it into US weights. Ridiculous. I have been writing on another thread about a tiny, tiny person when in fact she weighs ten pounds more than me. I weigh 91 pounds today and that is embarrassing. I wish Detective Loomis could help me out with my dear husband - he almost salutes when I play a video with her in it!
I may be back to midget size (maybe Georgia's size, when she married Bob, we look about the same ), but I'm not giving up. I'm still here. Just.
Zweibel, just remember what they tell you on jets: you have to put your own mask on first before you help someone else. In other words, you have to save yourself first because if you don't, you won't be there to help anyone else.
Tell Mr Z that you are quite capable of entertaining yourself and then take some time every day to do something that recharges you. Leave the invalid with a sandwich and beverage, go out and take a few minutes to walk and enjoy the summer. Winter will come soon enough!
And take heart, you are accumulating memories that you can deploy strategically for
years to come as strategic persuaders and guilt inducers.
Once upon a time, my husband took the opportunity afforded by my absence to buy himself a rotisserie chicken. It was the end of the day, so he got it for 50% off, how could he resist? He loooooves chicken and such a bargain, he took it as a sign he should get it. But even he cannot eat an entire chicken at one meal, so he put the leftovers in the fridge to have the next day.
Now, those rotisserie chicken are tricky. They are left to cook under heat lights all day in a big glass cabinet. Every time one is sold, the doors are opened and room temperature air cools all the chickens. I will get one if we're going to finish it off in one meal as soon as it comes home from the store but the dogs and cats get the leftovers as soon as the humans are done with it.
Okay, okay, who am I fooling? We both share the chicken with the animals while we eat, it is a family affair.
I never allowed my husband to put the leftovers in the fridge because I knew it wasn't safe. No matter how much chicken there was left, I always said that the dogs would be able to finish it off (the dogs are my allies in all this). But when the wife is away, the husband will play fast and loose with food safety guidelines.
He paid. He spent the most miserable three days of his life. He was so sick, he wasn't even able to drive to the airport to bring me home, so I had to ask a friend.
Ever since then, whenever he suggests doing something that pushes the guidelines for safe food handling, I tell him "hey, you can eat that but I won't. I'm not the one who spent three days sick from food poisoning and I am someone who can learn by the lessons of others."
Always works.
Marriage is so romantic.
