A Day of Firsts...

My life is so filled and intertwined with Papa and his care. No complaints. Well, maybe a few. One of which is the need to keep some balance in life. I have prayed and pondered over this often. I have found myself pausing at points to say a quick thank you to a loving Heavenly Father for watching over me and prompting me to do or say certain things. Sometimes I do something when I feel an impression and later find it prepared me for the next bump in the road. Again, I pause to thank my loving Heavenly Father. 

One of the things I noticed is the ability to get so consumed in the things that must be done or that I want to be done that time with my hubby can get put on the side burner. He is so very busy with the government, committee and board work he does that we just pass each other between going and coming to things. We did set up a habit at the beginning of this to time our meetings to have meals together. This means a lot of meals out but I love those bits of time together to catch up and visit. 

I have found it needful to visit with Papa every day, not just a phone call but a visit in his home. It allows me to check if he is taking his meds, to see what he is eating and empty trash and other little things that keep his home running for him. At minimum this takes 3-4 hours out of a day. This is important and a must at this point. It doesn't take into account other things I must do at my home for him but it takes a chuck out of each day. Being the type of person I am, I find myself stressing about the things I'm not getting done that I need or want to do. 

I ponder about what I thought retirement would be like with Claude and how this is so not what I thought. If we want to take a long trip, it must be at times when my sisters are free which is not always a time of our choosing. I don't take the little trips with Claude that he does with the things he participates in. Doing a mission for the Church is out the question. There are lots of things we would do very differently if Papa's care was not the priority now. 

One of the answers to my prayers is that I need to fill 6 of the days in the week and try each week to have a day or a part of a day where Claude and I do something we want to do. This has brought me great comfort. I consciously remind myself that this is what retirement for us would be like. Then I revel in that period of time. My cup is then full and I can go back to 'enjoying' time caring for Papa. I am learning about balance.

Last Saturday was a day set aside for Claude and me. We made it a day of firsts. 

Our first, first was lunch at the Blue Door Smokehouse. I simply Googled BBQ places in Lexington and at the top of the list was this place we had never eaten at. Claude remembered hearing about it. It was delicious. A true 'hole-in-the-wall' type place. The guys running it were covered in tattoos and smiles. We loved our meal and will definitely go back.

Our second first was a drive on a country road Papa and I like to get to Ft. Boonesborough. We have tried to visit this re-constructed fort and it was always closed. This time we found it very open and very enjoyable. It is not re-constructed on the exact site. We have been to that location nearer the Kentucky River. But it is a well done reconstruction with modern conveniences that make your visit more enjoyable...like air conditioning in the buildings.

Here are a few pictures of the fort.

One thing they did nicely was have a cabin that was how they originally settled there. Dirt floor, no bed but straw or animal skins on which to sleep. Then followed 3 other cabins that showed how they evolved over time with beds, fireplace, furniture, cooking utensils, etc.  

Okay, we first saw this stump standing on 3 legs. It obviously had been chipped away at the center of the wood. We looked at it and determined it might have been used to generate kindling for a fire. Then in front of the next cabin was a stump with two hatchets on top. Hmm...we found it interesting they were just laying there for anyone to pick up. We visited a couple more cabins. Then a man came out and took the hatchets and had two young boys come with him. They stood a distance back from the chipped stump on 3 legs. The man showed the boys how to hold a hatchet and throw it at the stump on three legs. It was simply a game trying to get the hatchet to stick in the target stump on 3 legs.  

 

We watched this nice lady for a long time. She was weaving bottoms in chairs. She answered all our questions. When we left, Claude said he thought he could take up caning chairs as a hobby. 

This cool bit of chain with that gadget on the shelf was used to measure things for construction like buildings and fences and roads. 

This my friends is a 'brick of tea' from China. This is how they would have received the tea. The tea leaves were crushed into a brick. These were easier and less fragile to ship across the ocean and then carry over land. Pieces were chipped off the brick and crushed again to be used to make tea. We were informed this is the kind of tea that was dumped in the water in the Boston Tea Party.

This is a game we bought for when our family visits. Roll the dice, using any combination of numbers you flip down the tabs totaling that number. The person who turns over the last tab wins that round. 

This guy gave a talk about the importance of dogs and how they were used. Loved that he was bare-footed. My kinda guy!

Our third and final first for this Saturday was a stop at Crank and Book Ice Cream in Lexington. Yummy end to our outing. We will go back there as well.

We headed back to Sadieville and enjoyed a movie together. Great day. Cup was full. Ready for another week.