The chickens have gotten bigger and definitely lost some of their charm. They still cheep instead of clucking and still haven\u2019t grown crests. I expect we\u2019ll set them free this weekend. We\u2019ll have to see how they do in the wild. Other than that, we harvested 1.5 kg of tomatoes, 2 apples and enough potatoes for dinner. Not bad, considering we\u2019re beginners. <\/p>\n
On Thursday, the four of us went to the forest to look for a good place to release them. Someone told us not to deposit them at a petting zoo, because they\u2019re territorial. There are lots of wild chickens. We put them next to the fence of the petting zoo, so Floor can check on them on her way to school. After throwing them some food and taking a few pictures, we left the chickens behind, like Hansel and Gretel. A rooster and a hen were already present, so let\u2019s call them their adoptive parents. Floor spotted them the following days and they were thriving. <\/p>\n
Dealing with carers is delicate business. Both parties have to feel at ease. It\u2019s great when we hit it off, so I try to invest in that relationship. Carers are few and far between, so it\u2019s important to let them know what you want. You can\u2019t be frivolous with those relationships. By the way, I have more respect for people in healthcare by the day. People who deal with dinks like me. (Floor read along and told me: \u201cyou\u2019re not a dink\u201d.) It has a more positive effect on society than selling phones. Having friends and family as carers is a whole different story. You want to pick up where you left off, but of course that\u2019s not possible. Family has it the hardest. Sometimes they have to face my anger. With Hein, I often debate whether I should ask him something now or wait for later, but often I feel like I\u2019m asking too much of him. <\/p>\n
Whining doesn\u2019t help, creates a toxic environment and pushes people away. I\u2019ve never been a nag, but I do get angry and impatient. Complaining in writing is foreign to me and doesn\u2019t make for a great read. One has to think of their readers. That\u2019s why I probably sketch my life as better than it actually is. That\u2019s also a way of coping. <\/p>\n
My father-in-law was concerned during our holiday; was I doing alright? Now that he\u2019s read my diary and seen the relaxed atmosphere at home, he\u2019s reassured. He told me he\u2019s surprised and amazed that I call myself a happy person. I dwelled on that for a long time. Why wouldn\u2019t I be happy? Happiness is impossible, only when you don\u2019t use your current situation as a given, but constantly question everything and refuse to accept your illness. That\u2019s just the way it is. In my situation, I go through fun and less fun things. In my situation, I can still be a happy person. <\/p>\n
I received an email from Singapore from a Dutch woman who married a Pakistani man and converted to Islam. She sent a host of research papers proving that prayer does help; people who pray are more resistant, heal faster and people praying for you is also beneficial. She told me to ask people to pray for me. I know there are people who pray for me. I like that thought. <\/p>\n
Asking people to pray for me, though, is something I don\u2019t see myself doing. It\u2019s taboo to me. In Islam it\u2019s a part of everyday life. And even in America it\u2019s run of the mill. That\u2019s obvious after an attack like that. However, in the Netherlands it\u2019s never really addressed. <\/p>\n
It started during our holiday. Floor felt strange tremors in her arms and legs every now and then. She completely panicked. I realised quickly that it was because of me. After all, I often have involuntary muscle contractions (fasciculations). Would being the child of an ALS patient lead to a lifetime of being scared to get the same disease? How do the parents have to deal with that fear. We told her that it\u2019s not hereditary when ALS manifests this late in life. It didn\u2019t help much, the panic didn\u2019t subside. We asked the GP. \u201cProbably growth symptoms, happens a lot\u201d, he told her. I hope that helped. I\u2019m afraid that she\u2019ll never completely get over that fear. This morning, Ward told me about muscular twitches in his arm. Is it just growth? I don\u2019t want to do this to my kids.<\/p>\n
The doctor tested her reflexed and took a good look at her. She hasn\u2019t mentioned it since. <\/p>\n
For the whole month of September, care went as per usual. Despite her imminent departure, Marje worked on every Tuesday of September. Inge took care of Mondays, but in October she\u2019ll have class on Mondays. In the meantime, we\u2019ve been looking for someone else. On Monday, our new help Astrid came by. We tried using the toilet. We still have to get used to and start trusting each other, she\u2019s rather petite. I immediately liked her during her preliminary interview. I liked seeing her beforehand. It\u2019s drastically different than the last carer, who simply showed up to work. All there is left to do now is learning to trust her in the bathroom and we\u2019ll be in the clear. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The farmer experience The chickens have gotten bigger and definitely lost some of their charm. They still cheep instead of clucking and still haven\u2019t grown crests. I expect we\u2019ll set them free this weekend. We\u2019ll have to see how they do in the wild. Other than that, we harvested 1.5 kg of tomatoes, 2 apples … <\/p>\n