A ton of new projects

[Gibs]

So I have been researching a lot of new things these past 2 weeks. Researching might be a bit mild of a word to use, obsessing over....that might just work.

I have bipolar disorder and am in the mania....well hypomanic stage. I got like 10 projects going on in my head, the research some started and I am just utterlly all over the place.

I just made three framed squares for my square foot gardening (i have never done this before, gardening i mean) I purchased 2x6 lumber in 8 foot legnts and got them to cut them in 4 foot legnths for me.

When I got hom my hubby and I assembled them.

I plan to stack two together to make a 12 inch deep garden plot for root viegies.

The other one will stay 6 inches deep for things like tomatoes and peppers.

I have landscape cloth bought to lay under, and I will grid them twine.

I am madly obsessed with wanting chickens. I would love to have four, and a mini coop and run. Have a bunch of plans an dpictures of the ones I like saved in my favorites.

I am also researching greenhouses, and compost bins.

Trying to choose what works best for me at the moment and doesnt cost an overly large amount of money.

I have started preparing the lawn, got a lot of the leaves raked in the frount, but there is still a lot to be done.

Other projects I currently have on the go is, I started a mew blog,
I cleaned my house like 9 times in 12 days if not more, and I have ben doing laundry like a mad woman, and the cleaning.

I have cleand out and dusted otu cuppboards, getting rid of what was no longer wanted.

We have a frount bridge that has to be painted and our back patio and a fence....tho I am not sure if I am going to keep the entire fenced in area yet. I have been trying to think what was better for us.

The kids dont really play in the fenced in part anymore, but I do like being able to let the dog go out there and not worry about him getting away.

We are going to be paining our bedroom, including ceilins, and the batrhoom as well as my entire main floo also including ceilings.

I swear to you all of this is going on in my head at the same time so if I am blubbering and not making sence or jumping all over the place that is why.

Anyway, any suggestions for anything or whatever i greatly appreciate.

Gibs

[Russ]

Yes, I have a suggestion.

STOP!

Slow down.

From experience, if you get too grand of gardening plans you will soon be overwhelmed, frustrated and then lose all interest.

As for your project list, I was like that a few years ago. I had read about a "job jar" idea somewhere and put that to use. On a small piece of paper put the name of each job. Put all the pieces of paper in the job jar, mix it up, then pull out one job. Work on that job until it complete. Complete = putting the tools away after you are done with the job.

[krbshappy71]

If you are being honest and not joking about the mania, then I would like to advise that you not get the chickens at this time. I have a family member with this disorder and although "pets" and "animals" are very appealing during mania, the feeling of being able to take care of many things at once, etc. when that family member hits the lower side of the disorder the animals are too overwhelming.

If it gets too difficult during a low-mood, plants can die, which sounds mean but I have slightly less empathy for plants over animals.

I love gardening, have a blast!

[Gibs]

Thanks to both ouf you for your replies.

Russ, stopping isn't really easy when like this. I dunno if anyone noticed but I come here and im here for a while posting and stuff then i dissapear for a bit and come back etc.....well in the manias i am more into projects and stuff so I am researching all sorts of things and I come here. In the depressions at times I cannot get out of my own way...so i sorta dissapear from everything for a while.

Anyway I probably will "try" and try being the key word to not dwell on getting chickens at this time.. Perhas try for a mini green house, or I might set up a greenhouse tent type thing of my making over the two beds. And get a compost on the go. Maybe work on a chicken coop bit a time and try them at a later time.

Right no chickes is the one thing that everyone seems to think i shouldnt get and its the one thing i want the most...............

[krbshappy71]

Just a thought:

Do you know anyone that has property and would be willing to take the chickens if it doesn't work out? For instance, maybe they already have 4 chickens, you talk to them to see if they would be willing to take your 4 if it doesn't work out. By finding someone local ahead of time you wont be dumping them to the humane society or neglecting them when the disorder takes a down-turn into darkness.

Hope this helps!

[Gibs]

Hi krbs, I actually dont know of anyone who is around this parts that have chickens. I live in rual Newfoundland, small community of about 1400 people, everyone knows everyone else.

In all honesty though I do not think they would be a problem when the mania is replaced by the depression. I manage to keep my kids fed, my dog and cat fed, litterbox clean and all those good things.

But It is possible that I am jumping in a little quick.

So for now it will be the two 4 foot garden plots and definitely a compost pile. I may rig something up over my gardens plastic to keep the seedlings nice and hot.

Though I would love to have a real greenhouse....

Gibs

[scottVee]

Hi. It's good to have a lot of plans, unless they overwhelm you. Then, Plan B should always be "do something simple" or "just do what you can and be happy with it".

I just wanted to post a note that chickens can be awfully stinky and noisy and can really upset the neighbors. We've had a few people around here (Southern California) get into big fights over them. If you have a few acres and a good buffer between you and your neighbors, maybe it'll work. And if nobody has chickens in your area, please find out why first -- maybe the climate isn't right for them.

It may take a lot of experimenting to find plants that work in your zone, and that you have a knack for. But that's part of the fun. Turns out we're good with beans, radishes, yellow squash and tomatoes, with what little land we've got. Not so good with broccoli (never flowers) or some other greens (flower too soon!). Plants are weird things, and grow realllllly slowly, but it's worth it when something goes right!

Cheers...

[frugalwarrior2]

Make a binder and write all these things down.
Have a page and section for each idea ex. chickens/gardening.
Wear yourseldf out that way and oh yeah are you on meds.
Have your DH help you pick 1 project and do that.
Family is an important resource.

[Gibs]

Thanks ScottVee and frugalwarrior2.

I know our climate here is a bit cold, we dont have the hot weather that a lot of people have. We have a saying here in Newfoundland that goes like this "Only in Newfoundland can we experience all 4 seasons in the one day"

Right now the plans are not overwhelming me, I do have so much going on inside my head, I am never just thinking one thing. I am thinking about multiple things, projects and ideas at the same time.

I am sitting here now typing and in my head there are so many things going on, I am thinking about chickens, my seeds that have sprouted, my peppers that have not, wondering if they are going to sprout or if they will even grow here with out the added heat of a green house, I am wondering if I should set up mini greehouses over the tops of my raised beds. I am also looking at the frames from my raised beds in the middle of my living room and thinking I wish it was warm enough to get those outside and ready, wondering If I am going to buy soil or truck some in, and so much more, I am sure that you get the idea.

This is a part of being in the mania, I know that. I am not completely Manic where I am not in reality, I am more Hypomanic, which is a milder form of mania. But knowing that I still am not able to stop, I still have to keep going, right now I am being very creative and very productive....next week, or next month or when ever I come down and then get lower then normal into a depression again, I don't know what is going to happen.

Right now I am thriving, I am empowered, I feel indispensible.

The biggest thing right now that bothers me is going back to my current job. I think my boss is just looking for an excuse to fire me, and that worries me. In his eyes I am a liability. I honestly want to stay home. I am suppose to go back on Friday comming...the 11th. But I can get another sick note from my dr if he thinks I am not ready to go back, I still am entitled to some sick leave.

I have a lot of these ideas written down, I have a lot of things on my computer, saved in my favorites, written in word programs, picutres and ideas saved as a blue print so to speak.

I am taking meds for Bipolar disorder. My therapist thinks that I may have to have something added. I gave her permission to call my phychatrist last week. Unfortunately he is a very busy dr, and he has not returned her call as of yet. Perhaps tomorrow he will either call her back or call me to see what is going on.

When I went into the mania I did not want to call him, it felt good to be on top of the world, able to take on anything, feeling this good. I felt wonderful.

Then came the friends who asked if I was manic, who stated that I was manic. Then at my appointment I was told I was manic.....so now its the waiting game, to see what happens, if my meds get changed, lowered, highered, or something added.

I'm afraid to come down off the high, because the high feels so good, and I know what the depression does to me, so I am hopeing instead to level out and not get depressed. Its been two weeks or so now in the mania, I don't know how long I will stay there. If I had my way I would stay like this forever, not get any higher , not get any lower, unfortunately thats not how it works.

Thought I am newly diagnosed as Bipolar (its only been about 4 weeks), it is painfully obvious that I have been Bipolar for 12 years or longer.

Looking back I can see the patterns of hightened moods and lowered moods, depressions, hypomania and mania. I can look back now at something that I may have wondered WHY I did it, and know now that it was in the mania, thats why it happened.

Though being Bipolar is not an excuse for the things I may have done, it is the reason behind it, because I was not medicated, because I did not choose to get help and because I was not in control during the manias.

Sorry this post kinda went off topic and all over the place.

Anyway as of right now I am trying to keep my chicken obsession on hold. Keep my hands and mind busy with my gardening instead, and making a compost.

Wondering If I should do a container compost or build one that will ultimately have the ground as the bottom.

Which way is better to do it? Will it attract animals?

Thanks everyone for being patient with me and answering my questions as I step forward into all these new projects.

Gibs