Adjusting

We knew there would be an adjustment period when Neal moved back home. So far, things are going pretty smoothly. I give in a little...he gives in a little. I let him choose the tractor--as long as it wasn't a Kubota (Kubota's are orange which would totally clash with my red barn!). He let me choose the replacement windows. We're still trying to adjust our time schedules. He insists on getting up at 4:30 a.m. so he can go to the gym before work. I like to sleep until at least 7:00, which I do, but then he's ready for bed by 9:00. I don't wind down till at least 10:00 or 10:30. (Yes, if you add that up I need more sleep than he does.) But the biggest problem we've come up against is the Sudoku puzzles. He wants to "help" with puzzles I've started, but messes them up!! I accuse him of putting in a wrong number and he says that he put that number in because of another number I had filled in, which must have been wrong. Now we don't know who to blame. So the only solution seemed to be separate puzzles. I write my name at the top of mine and his name at the top of his. He is not allowed to interfere with my solutions. Problem solved. Some things just can't be done "together." I am having to get back into cooking. I really enjoy cooking most of the time, but the past 4-1/2 years I've done very little. It's a challenge to plan meals again and TRY to have a good dinner waiting on him after work. The good ole days of Monday Lean Cuisine, Tuesday Burrito Night, Wednesday Breakfast Night, Thursday-Saturday...whatever drive-through suited my fancy, are over. I asked him what he wanted for his lunches. Besides the typical sandwiches, he also wants fresh fruit. He laughed the first week when I brought home 4 bananas. I'm just not much of a fruit eater and typically fruit spoils before it's eaten at my house. Now I'm having to load up on grapes, apples, oranges, and bananas every trip to the store. When did he turn into such a health nut? The honeymoon continues.......

I think he's starting to understand the overwhelming and never-ending chores that must be done to keep this place going. Janet hit the nail on the head when she said, "you have to decide if you want to live like you're in the city or live like you're in the country." Problem is, I want the best of both. I want a place that well groomed and pristine, but that's not always feasible in rural Oklahoma. I want the yard I had in Tulsa, but I want it out here on our 20 acres.