The chickens are on clean up duty once again, ranging all over the garden, and loving the freedom from their yard and all the good things to eat. We’re hardly getting any eggs right now, it’s that time of year when the eggs slow down. There was a break in the rain yesterday and the sun came out, so Bracken and I decided to take that opportunity to get some fresh air and some time outside. I hauled bags of chicken feed to the coop and we walked around the garden. I was surprised to see that there were still a few flowers blooming in Bracken’s garden.

Life has been especially busy for us lately. Last week I had so much energy, which was good because I was going, going, going nonstop-  first weekend of market, down to visit family, in town for Jeff’s surgery, and then one day at home to catch up on everything (and make sure there would be enough firewood in the house while I was gone) before the second weekend of market with three market days- until suddenly that abundance of energy ran out and a deep exhaustion hit me. I came home from Holiday Market on Friday night so incredibly tired that I wanted to cry, but I was too tired to cry, too tired to do anything but go to sleep as soon as possible. I know, it sounds a bit dramatic, but I’ve noticed that everything becomes dramatic with lack of sleep, like our brains move into emergency mode until that much-needed rest can be found.

The next morning I woke up feeling so much better. Jeff was still needing to rest and take it easy, but he wanted to come to market on Saturday, so the whole family went that day. On Sunday, he couldn’t help me carry out any of our things at the end of the day because he isn’t supposed to lift anything heavy for awhile, so I went to the market by myself. I was glad they stayed home that day because by the time I packed up and drove home (this is the time of year, when it gets dark so early and we commute much more than usual, that the drive from town to our place really starts to wear on me), it was nearly 8 o’clock, I was exhausted to my core, I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and Jeff had a delicious soup all ready for me. They had a fun day at home, I came home to a warm house and a warm meal, and Jeff had been working on online orders for the shop. He was feeling behind in his work from having surgery the week before. (He is doing really well, thank you for all the kind comments you’ve been leaving!) It made Monday morning a better start for us, feeling a little less behind.

This week is a busy one too, and we’ve been working to catch up on the online orders that have been coming in (thank you!), and getting ready for another weekend at the Holiday Market coming up. (Two weekends down, four more to go!) Even though this week, and this time of year, is so busy for us, I have decided not to scrimp on my sleep again no matter how busy we are. Last week I had too many days of waking up super early and going to bed much later than usual. Too many days in a row with not enough sleep hit me and I felt incredibly exhausted and not like myself at all. Usually I’m good about valuing my sleep and making sure I get enough, but last week was an exception. This week I’ve been making sleep a priority. I’ve been going to bed early, sleeping in if I need it, and savoring the feeling of sleep.

During the days, I work hard, but when the time comes I drop the work for rest. I’m more productive when I’m rested and I need to take care of myself to get through this busy time of year. I titled this post Chickens & Sleep but I’ve hardly written about the chickens at all, mostly about sleep. I’m writing about this because maybe some of you have been letting your self-care fall by the wayside during this busy season, and have been feeling it too, and could use a loving reminder to take care of yourself and get plenty of sleep. Consider this your loving reminder.

“O bed! O bed! delicious bed!
That heaven upon earth to the weary head.”

-Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg – Her Dream