RFS outbreak

I know I already posted today, but I thought I’d peek back in to let you know about RFS sneaking into our home again. We had RSV awhile back (the respiratory infection) but RFS is a bit more common, and seems to effect us every spring…at least since we moved to the farm. It’s difficult to describe the symptoms, because they can vary so much. Those who come down with it often have a blank stare, or other times they are short tempered. They can run around the house being overwhelmed with things to get done fast, or sometimes take control of jobs that they’ve never done before.

That’s right, we have an outbreak of Restless Farmer Syndrome. It happens every spring, when all the jobs that needed to get done in the winter are all of a sudden put into hyperdrive. And it’s a good thing there are jobs to do, because if there weren’t they’d make some up. The field is calling, and it’s tugging at them. So much work is so close, and their legs are restless.

There is no cure for this, but there are some mild treatments. Although I do expect some of the symptoms to increase daily. Some good outdoor projects always help…any time outside is good. This will continue on until mid summer, when rest is possible by a lake. But it is merely temperary, as the restlessness is never completely gone, and comes back in full force again in the fall. And then the longest period of rest may be obtained after a blanket of snow is on the fields. That sight is, as I once heard Knut’s Uncle Rolf put it: “like tucking a rowdy child into bed” or something like that.