A woman's work is Never done

I received this card by snail mail from my most excellent friend Ann. I know the picture isn't very good, but it is a sepia toned picture of a woman vacuuming (sp) the horse corral, with the quote in this post title. Seems so appropriate for me...not the horse part, but the housework and country life reference.

When I moved to Tennessee this past spring, I had this deluded idea that my housework would magically decrease. I figured, I would have a smaller home, I was putting laminate flooring throughout...piece of cake! Both girls would be off at college most of the time, so cooking would reduce. I would have tons of time to spend in my little studio doing whatever crafts I wanted, whenever I wanted.

The reality...I live in the boonies! There are no decent restaurants for quick dinners less than 40 minutes away, so I cook more than ever. The house, while smaller, seems to be covered in a less-than-delicate layer of dust bunnies, dog hair and farm dirt at all times. There are endless chores outdoors, whether it is scorching out or raining buckets.

And my response to this reality? Prepare lots of food for the freezer, so I can still make "quick" breakfasts, lunches, or dinners. Work outdoors first thing in the morning before the heat of the day. Most importantly, ignore the rest of the housework until I run out of clean underpants or the dust buffalos form a herd and go on a rampage, chasing the dogs around the house.

But, hey! This is the life I wanted and worked for. I dreamed of this for years. When I walk out on the porch in the morning, and realize that *should I feel inclined,* I could garden naked! Just me and the birds, oh, and DH kickin' back on the porch watching the show. And when I close up in the afternoon, and see a view like this at the end of my driveway,


I wouldn't trade it for all the dinners cooked by somebody else in the world.