He didn’t know if Isaac would go on to become a farmer. He might want to build houses and buildings like Richard. Dave figured he should take advantage of the time he had with Isaac while Isaac was still living at home. Then, as Adam got older, he would do the same with him. He figured Rachel would take after Mary. If the next one was a boy, he’d be able to take him around to do the chores. If the next one was a girl, she’d stay indoors and help out Mary and Rachel.
He blinked as he considered how old Isaac, Rachel, and Adam already were. Now he could appreciate why his parents always commented that time passed too fast. It wouldn’t be long before they left home and started having families of their own. He supposed, at that point, he had grandchildren to look forward to, but he’d rather not think that far yet. He’d rather enjoy the present and make the most of the time he had while his children were still young.
Whistling, he joined Isaac for the chores.
***
Dave woke up the next morning to pain shooting down his leg. With a grimace, he sat up and pushed back the blanket so he could look at it.
“Is something wrong?” Mary asked as she turned from the dresser where she’d been brushing her hair.
He inspected his leg. It looked alright. None of the bones looked out of place. He ran his hands up and down the leg to make sure everything felt alright. Thankfully, everything felt fine.
“I did too much work yesterday, and my leg has no trouble letting me know it.” He shifted so that both feet were on the floor. He let out a heavy sigh. “I might have to spend the day in that stupid chair again.”
She offered him a sympathetic smile. “I wondered if you were pushing yourself too hard.” She grabbed the cane from the doorway and brought it over to him.
He accepted it. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this anymore.”
She sat next to him and rubbed his shoulder. “You’re a hard worker, Dave. It’s one of your best qualities, but if you don’t learn to be patient with yourself, you’re going to end up doing more damage to that leg, and then you’ll have an even longer time to wait before you’re back to normal.”
“I know, but it’s hard to sit around and do nothing. I feel like I’m wasting my life away.”
“If you sat around and did nothing all the time, then I would say yes, you’re wasting your life away. But, Dave, you’re not like that. You keep just as busy as I do. You take care of everything outside, and I take care of everything inside the house. We make a good team. I don’t mind doing a few things outside while you’re getting better. I know it’s only temporary. I’ll take care of the animals today instead of making a pie. It’ll be fine.”
He shook his head. “I’d rather have you making the pie. Especially if it’s the apple one.”
She chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Today, you’ll have to settle for the cookies Rachel and I made the other day. But this is a good reason why you should take breaks as soon as your leg gives you problems. Just tell yourself that if you’re good today with your leg, there’s a good chance you can have a fresh apple pie tomorrow.”
“Yes, I suppose that will work.” He tried not to grumble as he answered her, but he wasn’t successful.
“You’ll be fine. Fortunately, the harvest is coming up soon, and after that, you won’t have so much to do. Then you won’t be tempted to keep pushing yourself.”
He hadn’t considered that. “I wish I had broken my leg right before winter. Now I’ll not only have wasted most of the summer, but I’ll waste the winter, too.” If it weren’t for knowing he had the animals to tend to all year long, he just might go insane.
“I’m sure we can find some things for you to paint or fix around the place. You can make up for this summer. I know! I can teach you how to preserve some of the food to put in the cellar.”
“We’ve been married for ten years. Have I ever given you a reason to think I want to learn how to do that?”
She laughed and rubbed his back again. “I was joking. I know you don’t like to cook. It’s why you married me.”
“It’s not the only reason, but I admit it was a huge one.”
Since her laughter had helped to lighten the mood, he felt a little better. She was right. He needed to be patient while his leg fully recovered from the fall.
He put his arm around her waist and gave it a playful squeeze. “Alright. I think I’m ready to spend all day sitting on the porch.”
Using the cane, he stood up and went to the dresser to get his clothes so he could get ready for the day.
Once he was on the porch, he set the cane next to him and waited as Mary got the children ready for the day. She would come out to milk the cow and feed the animals when she was done. Then she would get breakfast ready. Sadly, the most he could do was sit and watch. Well, he might be able to help her get the children to do a chore, but
