If We Knew Then What We Know Now.........

The connundrum of aging parents who are facing ill health is certainly something that brings you crashing back down to earth when things are going rosy in your own life.....My father's health has been poor for many years now and we may be entering the last phase of his life...my advice to any one out there is NEVER SMOKE....I have never had a cigarette in my life after being raised hearing my father's smoking cough hacking out every morning.  While he hasn't smoked for 30 years the damage was already done and at 84 he may be losing the battle. My helplessness has never been more pronounced.  My inability to fix this problem leaves a control freak like myself with no where to turn. He is still fiercely independent and while I want to allow him to be in control of his own destiny, I wish he was more agreeable to any suggestions to improve his quality of life. It is so painful to watch his suffering....life can be cruel and it appears that old age  is not the graceful transition I always hoped it would be.  The old adage to "grow old gracefully" appears to be a misconception.  Life is finite and I wish there was an easier transition from this world to the next.

My garden gives me great comfort during this difficult phase of my parents lives. It is like balm to my soul to harvest what I have sown in the garden. It reassures me that life goes on and the sun will come up tomorrow.  There is so much life in the vegie garden ...the pumpkin vine grows a couple of inches overnight...the zucchinis will turn into marrows in a day or so if you don't watch them, the beetroot actually popped out of the ground demanding to be picked..the tomatoes are plumping up and more appear every day...it's true , you reap what you sow..in all aspects...take care of your health and avoid anything that will give you health concerns in the future. 

This beetroot was so ready to be picked they had started to pop out of the ground !!

The zucchini's are going gang busters....I think I can hear them growing they grow so fast !!

Bottled the Beetroot and made zucchini relish.....all in a days work !

There is a lot going on in my life in relation to taking care of my aging parents.....but still the plants grow and need to be bottled, garden needs to be watered....things need my attention....chickens need to be taken care of.....I think I will head outside with a glass of wine and let the girls free range among the fruit trees..