March is over. The first quarter of 2011 is now gone. This next month will fly be also. Does time seem to be accelerating? I know that there are 24 hours in every day and it still takes seven days to make a week, but it all feel faster than that. Maybe I need to go to the doctor so the wait in his office can reset my time perspective.
Mama had her visit with the doctor yesterday. All I heard was that the appointment was for Monday rather than Wednesday. Oops! They did blood work and several other things anyway. As far as I know we are still waiting on results of the mammogram.
I got confirmation yesterday that the move to Decatur is being planned. My boss told me he has permission enough to set things in motion. He has yet to get the business case submitted to his boss which will set the time table. So, we are moving we just don’t know when. It will rearrange my job priorities considerably. The direct reports who are now close will become further away and vice versa. I have not told anyone officially yet. I have not been told officially yet.
I suppose now I will have to take the next step and fill out the loan application papers with the bank in Decatur to see if we can even qualify for the loan to buy the property. Mama and I have batted around several ideas about how to go about the purchase, but we have not investigated it with the realtor to see if some of the combinations are possible; buy all the property without the house, buy the house and half the property, but the whole thing and sell off part of the property.
Having confirmation on the move changes the dynamics of the situation but it does not create more money for us to spend in buying property. There is still a lot of praying to do but there are some things I can safely set in motion, like getting rid of the storage building we are renting, holding off on any more un-boxing of tools, and waiting on any vehicle upgrades. Now it is just a matter of timing our move so we do not incur too great a loss honoring the year-long rental contract we have on our house here. It will be up in November.
We have talked about the girls staying here with Seth, Chase and Grandma and Grandpa while Chase finishes the Fall Semester at the church school, Seth continues on his GED work and Grandma and Grandpa finish out their rental contract which goes through December or January. I am not sure if we will follow through with Chase, but it is an idea we have talked about. Many of these decisions will resolve themselves as we progress toward the move. I will not hurry the process. Time is going too fast already.
I have an appointment with the accountant tonight after work so I better have my happy moment now. He has hinted that it is “not too bad” but I do not speak tax accountant-ese so I will prepare for worse and hope for better. At any rate it will be done. We can pay our dues and move on. I am not sure if this is one of those circumstances where not knowing is worse than knowing.
I’ll let you know tomorrow.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Training, Visiting, Planning
Once I get through this next two weeks things should slow down a bit. I leave on Friday morning for Indianapolis, IN for eight days of intense training to become certified as a Natural Health Care Professional. It is the minimum I need to be recognized legally as someone who can do consultations with clients about how herbs can help them. The classes are scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. starting on Saturday the 2nd through Saturday the 9th. I will fly back to Amarillo on the 10th and be home in time for church that night.
On the following Tuesday Mama and I will drive to Houston where I will have two days training as an Incident Commander – as part as my role here in Borger. We will be back in Amarillo on the 16th. Fortunately I do not have any lengthy training scheduled again until September. I enjoy the training and the time traveling, but it costs in the time required to make up the things waiting on me at the office. By the way, I will be in training all day today.
We plan on visiting Grandma and Grandpa Kline while we are in the Houston area but I have not called them to confirm they will be home. We also hope to see Sarah and Fabian as we travel back home. Mama will use the hours I am in class to shop. She knows Houston well enough to get around and although I am not sure where the hotel where I am registered is actually located, she should do fine finding a nearby mall. We still have the Garmin and she even knows how to do the GPS on her phone – in Houston traffic, that ought to be interesting.
When we were warning people in the church in Somerset that we were leaving soon we had a lot of people praying for us. Most were praying that the plans would fall through. Some were praying that we would be able to relocate. None wanted to see us leave. Here in Amarillo, it is the same. We have put out the word that relocation is likely. The only difference is that everyone seems to be praying against it. It is nice to be needed and loved.
I am hoping to find out tomorrow whether or not I will be relocating to Decatur. God’s timing is always perfect, but I never really know His timing until things fall into place.
On the following Tuesday Mama and I will drive to Houston where I will have two days training as an Incident Commander – as part as my role here in Borger. We will be back in Amarillo on the 16th. Fortunately I do not have any lengthy training scheduled again until September. I enjoy the training and the time traveling, but it costs in the time required to make up the things waiting on me at the office. By the way, I will be in training all day today.
We plan on visiting Grandma and Grandpa Kline while we are in the Houston area but I have not called them to confirm they will be home. We also hope to see Sarah and Fabian as we travel back home. Mama will use the hours I am in class to shop. She knows Houston well enough to get around and although I am not sure where the hotel where I am registered is actually located, she should do fine finding a nearby mall. We still have the Garmin and she even knows how to do the GPS on her phone – in Houston traffic, that ought to be interesting.
When we were warning people in the church in Somerset that we were leaving soon we had a lot of people praying for us. Most were praying that the plans would fall through. Some were praying that we would be able to relocate. None wanted to see us leave. Here in Amarillo, it is the same. We have put out the word that relocation is likely. The only difference is that everyone seems to be praying against it. It is nice to be needed and loved.
I am hoping to find out tomorrow whether or not I will be relocating to Decatur. God’s timing is always perfect, but I never really know His timing until things fall into place.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Language barriers, Grinding away, finally green
There are several talking toys in our home. These toys tell the colors, shapes, names of animals, etc. They can be set for Spanish or English. It is often fun to swap languages to throw Mama off guard. My daughter has some of the same toys in her home. Her daughter prefers for the toys to speak Spanish.
Cori was trying the other day to get a video of Mykenzie repeating the Spanish words as the toy was speaking them to her. Although the toys are difficult to understand, Mykenzie’s rendition of the words was impossible to make sense of. I am sure she has an idea what they are supposed to mean and she really thinks she is speaking Spanish when the gibberish comes out of her mouth. It is both a delight and frustration to her mother, who does not speak Spanish.
At lunch a day or so ago Mykenzie was speaking to her mother in her own version of the Spanish language, Frustrated, her mother scolded, “Mykenzie, quit talking baby talk.” “I’m not talking like a baby,” she replied, “I’m taking to you in Spanish.” “Mommy does not understand Spanish.” “Oh, I asked if you would make me a sandwich.”, she translated for her mommy. I’m thinking her mommy needs to take some Spanish lessons.
Grant, on the other hand, is fully engaged in putting English to good use. He is adopting new words to his vocabulary every day. One recently adopted from an Easter Cantata that his mommy and daddy are practicing for is, hallelujah. Cori did not tell me that anyone explained the use of the word to him so he seems to have grasped that all by himself. After dinner one evening his daddy said, “Grant do you want some ice cream?” His response; “Ice cream, Daddy, hallelujah!”
After the days of looking at properties over the last weekend, it is anticlimactic to settle into a daily routine. I have not spoken to Grandma and Grandpa but I imagine it is more so for them. Mama takes the boys she is sitting over at least once a week, but Grandma’s house is not nearly as fun as Mama’s, so the visits are abbreviated. It is enough for Grandma to be able to participate.
Grandpa has the garage and he tinkers in there through the days. We have gotten him some plants that he tries to safeguard from the pup that has a desperate affinity for any dirt in a pot. The plant in that dirt is usually a casualty of her interest.
We thought she was gone yesterday. When Grandma went out to feed her, Bella was nowhere to be found. The back yard was empty. Victoria was very upset. Turned out, several hours later, when Grandpa went out the front door that Bella was waiting to be let back into the back yard. What a relief!?
For the second day in a row we have been blessed here with a heavy fog which settles on everything like a light rain. Everything is wet, but not deeply soaked. The temperature is in the mid-thirties so it is cold and damp; a poor combination for those struggling with the allergies that flare up this time of the year. All three of the little boys reflect the weather with runny noses and mild coughs. By afternoon, when naps are over and the sun is out, everybody feels better.
Things are turning green here, especially where grass fires earlier this year denuded the hillsides. The fires burned thousands of acres near Borger, taking all vegetation with them. The stumps of small palms and charred ground blackened the landscape as far as the eye could see in many places. Now there are fresh shoots of green grass coming up through the blackened ground.
It really is quite a sight.
Cori was trying the other day to get a video of Mykenzie repeating the Spanish words as the toy was speaking them to her. Although the toys are difficult to understand, Mykenzie’s rendition of the words was impossible to make sense of. I am sure she has an idea what they are supposed to mean and she really thinks she is speaking Spanish when the gibberish comes out of her mouth. It is both a delight and frustration to her mother, who does not speak Spanish.
At lunch a day or so ago Mykenzie was speaking to her mother in her own version of the Spanish language, Frustrated, her mother scolded, “Mykenzie, quit talking baby talk.” “I’m not talking like a baby,” she replied, “I’m taking to you in Spanish.” “Mommy does not understand Spanish.” “Oh, I asked if you would make me a sandwich.”, she translated for her mommy. I’m thinking her mommy needs to take some Spanish lessons.
Grant, on the other hand, is fully engaged in putting English to good use. He is adopting new words to his vocabulary every day. One recently adopted from an Easter Cantata that his mommy and daddy are practicing for is, hallelujah. Cori did not tell me that anyone explained the use of the word to him so he seems to have grasped that all by himself. After dinner one evening his daddy said, “Grant do you want some ice cream?” His response; “Ice cream, Daddy, hallelujah!”
After the days of looking at properties over the last weekend, it is anticlimactic to settle into a daily routine. I have not spoken to Grandma and Grandpa but I imagine it is more so for them. Mama takes the boys she is sitting over at least once a week, but Grandma’s house is not nearly as fun as Mama’s, so the visits are abbreviated. It is enough for Grandma to be able to participate.
Grandpa has the garage and he tinkers in there through the days. We have gotten him some plants that he tries to safeguard from the pup that has a desperate affinity for any dirt in a pot. The plant in that dirt is usually a casualty of her interest.
We thought she was gone yesterday. When Grandma went out to feed her, Bella was nowhere to be found. The back yard was empty. Victoria was very upset. Turned out, several hours later, when Grandpa went out the front door that Bella was waiting to be let back into the back yard. What a relief!?
For the second day in a row we have been blessed here with a heavy fog which settles on everything like a light rain. Everything is wet, but not deeply soaked. The temperature is in the mid-thirties so it is cold and damp; a poor combination for those struggling with the allergies that flare up this time of the year. All three of the little boys reflect the weather with runny noses and mild coughs. By afternoon, when naps are over and the sun is out, everybody feels better.
Things are turning green here, especially where grass fires earlier this year denuded the hillsides. The fires burned thousands of acres near Borger, taking all vegetation with them. The stumps of small palms and charred ground blackened the landscape as far as the eye could see in many places. Now there are fresh shoots of green grass coming up through the blackened ground.
It really is quite a sight.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Reality check, work woes, a messy, happy home
There is so much to pray about but thankfully we have a very big God. It never ceases to amaze me that as we take on new challenges we get little or no opportunity to either finalize or drop the challenges we currently face. Moving forward rarely resolves what we are carrying from the past. So we go through life adding weight to our lives with unmet goals, unrequited dreams and unsolved problems as we seek after something to make us feel like we have succeeded.
But most dreams are better suited for movies, many goals are not only unrealistic, they are dangerously dishonest, and those who have put in multiple decades in this life have found that many problems resolve themselves – they are often a figment of our imagination. The lingering question in many people’s minds is “What do I let go and how?”
Assuming that nothing is worth fighting over, what is worth fighting for? The short answer, through prayer; real honest, soul-searching, “What is God interested in?” prayer. I am not sure about you but I have often found that I am not honest with myself. It helps to find a way to force myself to be honest; in my home, just talking things through with my wife keeps me from going too far afield in my ambitions. But in those times when we are both willing to strain the bounds of realistic objectives – generally in buying what we cannot afford – it helps to make a list of pros and cons or use Excel to make an expense tracker. I did the latter to help with the decision about buying land.
It is amazing how quickly a simple spreadsheet can answer questions about our ability to do what we are dreaming about doing. The answer we found is that we can make the purchase if the bank allows, but there will be a pretty big sacrifice in all areas of our spending when we do. I showed Mama the program and she understood right away what I was talking about. It was a shocking dose of reality. So the question becomes, “How badly do we want this?” That’s where we are right now.
Seth should have an interview with a landscaper today but I am not sure if he will take the job. It would require him to go to the GED schooling at night rather than I the morning. He has been seriously bothered lately and until last night we were not sure why. He is struggling in the schooling and worried he will not get it. He wants to go to both sessions, morning and evening, to see if it will help. That will limit his ability to get a job, but in the long run it could be the wisest solution. We will also start him on paces at the school to bring him up to speed for the GED test, hopefully this year.
Chase is hoping to get on at JCPenny’s. I have a hard time picturing that but it would get him more hours than anything he has interviewed for so far. One of the young men from our church works there and will put in a good word for him. He is chomping at the bit to start getting a paycheck.
Mama is sitting the three little boys I wrote about earlier. She and the girls are loving it. Our house is a happy mess again.
But most dreams are better suited for movies, many goals are not only unrealistic, they are dangerously dishonest, and those who have put in multiple decades in this life have found that many problems resolve themselves – they are often a figment of our imagination. The lingering question in many people’s minds is “What do I let go and how?”
Assuming that nothing is worth fighting over, what is worth fighting for? The short answer, through prayer; real honest, soul-searching, “What is God interested in?” prayer. I am not sure about you but I have often found that I am not honest with myself. It helps to find a way to force myself to be honest; in my home, just talking things through with my wife keeps me from going too far afield in my ambitions. But in those times when we are both willing to strain the bounds of realistic objectives – generally in buying what we cannot afford – it helps to make a list of pros and cons or use Excel to make an expense tracker. I did the latter to help with the decision about buying land.
It is amazing how quickly a simple spreadsheet can answer questions about our ability to do what we are dreaming about doing. The answer we found is that we can make the purchase if the bank allows, but there will be a pretty big sacrifice in all areas of our spending when we do. I showed Mama the program and she understood right away what I was talking about. It was a shocking dose of reality. So the question becomes, “How badly do we want this?” That’s where we are right now.
Seth should have an interview with a landscaper today but I am not sure if he will take the job. It would require him to go to the GED schooling at night rather than I the morning. He has been seriously bothered lately and until last night we were not sure why. He is struggling in the schooling and worried he will not get it. He wants to go to both sessions, morning and evening, to see if it will help. That will limit his ability to get a job, but in the long run it could be the wisest solution. We will also start him on paces at the school to bring him up to speed for the GED test, hopefully this year.
Chase is hoping to get on at JCPenny’s. I have a hard time picturing that but it would get him more hours than anything he has interviewed for so far. One of the young men from our church works there and will put in a good word for him. He is chomping at the bit to start getting a paycheck.
Mama is sitting the three little boys I wrote about earlier. She and the girls are loving it. Our house is a happy mess again.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Our farm…maybe
Mama and I got to ride a four wheeler yesterday while we were looking at a property about twenty minutes out of Decatur. It is thirty seven acres of beautiful meadows split north and south by a creek that was mostly dry. The rock formations of the creek reminded me of Dinosaur Valley State Park here in Texas. When we visited the park about eight years ago, the state of Texas was in a severe drought and the river that usually flows through the park was nearly dry. The low water levels exposed places in the limestone riverbed that are not normally accessible.
We walked in places that had prints of dinosaurs embedded into the rock of the riverbed. There are thousands of remarkable prints throughout the park, but those in the bed of the river were more clear since they had seen less weather wear and less human interaction. It was a fun time to remember.
The rock creek on the property we looked at is fed by springs in at least a dozen places, so it was not completely dry; being drier than normal exposed some of the creek bed that we would not have seen at another time. Our immediate impression was to buy that piece of property. With that in mind Mama went to a local bank this morning to see what immediate obstacles we would face – money wise. It was not as bad as I had thought. We will have to crunch some numbers and try to be as honest as possible with the exercise to see if we are really able to do this, but the prospect is exciting. We are off to look at a property to the north of Decatur this evening, but it will have to be extremely exceptional to compare to what I saw yesterday.
Of course we have to go to Kroger’s and a couple other stores in the area when we are in Denton. It has become a “must do” whenever we are in the area and since we have Grandma and Grandpa with us it really is something we had to plan to do. One more night in a motel and we will head for home. It is still a little strange for home to be in Amarillo, but that is where our things are, so I suppose that makes it home for now.
One of the things that will compound our search will be making sure we are in a good church wherever we buy and choose to live. It could be problematic in the Decatur area. Looking for such a church is one thing Mama and I have been putting off partly due to the lack of direction from my employer. It is not an immediate necessity and we do not want to get any pastor’s hopes up before we know something more specific.
There is time to get all the challenges worked out – any hurry we may feel is totally on our part, not on God’s.
We walked in places that had prints of dinosaurs embedded into the rock of the riverbed. There are thousands of remarkable prints throughout the park, but those in the bed of the river were more clear since they had seen less weather wear and less human interaction. It was a fun time to remember.
The rock creek on the property we looked at is fed by springs in at least a dozen places, so it was not completely dry; being drier than normal exposed some of the creek bed that we would not have seen at another time. Our immediate impression was to buy that piece of property. With that in mind Mama went to a local bank this morning to see what immediate obstacles we would face – money wise. It was not as bad as I had thought. We will have to crunch some numbers and try to be as honest as possible with the exercise to see if we are really able to do this, but the prospect is exciting. We are off to look at a property to the north of Decatur this evening, but it will have to be extremely exceptional to compare to what I saw yesterday.
Of course we have to go to Kroger’s and a couple other stores in the area when we are in Denton. It has become a “must do” whenever we are in the area and since we have Grandma and Grandpa with us it really is something we had to plan to do. One more night in a motel and we will head for home. It is still a little strange for home to be in Amarillo, but that is where our things are, so I suppose that makes it home for now.
One of the things that will compound our search will be making sure we are in a good church wherever we buy and choose to live. It could be problematic in the Decatur area. Looking for such a church is one thing Mama and I have been putting off partly due to the lack of direction from my employer. It is not an immediate necessity and we do not want to get any pastor’s hopes up before we know something more specific.
There is time to get all the challenges worked out – any hurry we may feel is totally on our part, not on God’s.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Training, Driving, Hunting
I have been in training classes for Excel for the past two days. It has been very helpful but tiring. It filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge but it will take me days to practice the skills I have been shown. It is a little overwhelming to sit through sixteen hours of that kind of technical training with no more than a pen and a notepad, but we will see how well I listened once I begin to apply the information. One thing I did like was going home for lunch. That is something I never get to do at my current job location.
I got out of class on the second day at 4:04 p.m. and got home only a few minutes later where Mama, Grandma and Grandpa were waiting. The car was pretty well loaded and ready to go so I got a couple things I needed for work, put them in the back and got in the driver’s seat. We were on the road by 4:30 p.m. for our five hour drive to Decatur, TX.
It is an easy drive even though it takes five hours and Grandma and Grandpa did not seem to be bothered by it. They both seemed to enjoy it as long as the light lasted. It got dark about an hour before we got to Decatur. Mama was a little disappointed because she had wanted to see the area on Hwy 287 just outside of Decatur so she would have a visual reference to the maps she has studied so much as we prepared for this weekend.
We were up pretty early this morning so could get to work at a respectable hour and when I left the hotel room Grandma and Grandpa were up getting ready to do their devotions. Mama is chomping at the bit to start hunting. I do not enjoy her type of hunting as much as my own because it has a much higher price tag attached and is rarely edible, but it keeps her happy. It makes me think of the jewelry store right outside of Cabela’s in Reading, PA. It has a huge marquee saying, “Her Hunting Supply Store”.
Mama has several properties scheduled for view with a realtor here in Decatur. She was excited to see that Bridgeport, TX is only eleven miles away. Bridgeport of the areas we are interested in, but our preference is Chico, TX at this point. Chico is about seven miles from Bridgeport and there is one property there that Mama is particularly interested in. I think they will see that first. I wished her happy hunting as I was dropped off at the local office.
Our pastor already talked to the young man he and I spoke about and asked if he would be interested in going on a double date to meet Victoria. He said he would have to pray about it. The pastor did say he had been hurt several times so he may be a little gun shy. Grandma was a little upset by the response. I am not sure how Victoria took it since I was not there last night and I did not talk to her when she called to tell us.
It is hard to tell with her but she is far more sensitive than she lets on.
I got out of class on the second day at 4:04 p.m. and got home only a few minutes later where Mama, Grandma and Grandpa were waiting. The car was pretty well loaded and ready to go so I got a couple things I needed for work, put them in the back and got in the driver’s seat. We were on the road by 4:30 p.m. for our five hour drive to Decatur, TX.
It is an easy drive even though it takes five hours and Grandma and Grandpa did not seem to be bothered by it. They both seemed to enjoy it as long as the light lasted. It got dark about an hour before we got to Decatur. Mama was a little disappointed because she had wanted to see the area on Hwy 287 just outside of Decatur so she would have a visual reference to the maps she has studied so much as we prepared for this weekend.
We were up pretty early this morning so could get to work at a respectable hour and when I left the hotel room Grandma and Grandpa were up getting ready to do their devotions. Mama is chomping at the bit to start hunting. I do not enjoy her type of hunting as much as my own because it has a much higher price tag attached and is rarely edible, but it keeps her happy. It makes me think of the jewelry store right outside of Cabela’s in Reading, PA. It has a huge marquee saying, “Her Hunting Supply Store”.
Mama has several properties scheduled for view with a realtor here in Decatur. She was excited to see that Bridgeport, TX is only eleven miles away. Bridgeport of the areas we are interested in, but our preference is Chico, TX at this point. Chico is about seven miles from Bridgeport and there is one property there that Mama is particularly interested in. I think they will see that first. I wished her happy hunting as I was dropped off at the local office.
Our pastor already talked to the young man he and I spoke about and asked if he would be interested in going on a double date to meet Victoria. He said he would have to pray about it. The pastor did say he had been hurt several times so he may be a little gun shy. Grandma was a little upset by the response. I am not sure how Victoria took it since I was not there last night and I did not talk to her when she called to tell us.
It is hard to tell with her but she is far more sensitive than she lets on.
Mama in her element, deciding on dogs, a date for Victoria?
Three little ones were dropped off at the house this morning so their mother could go look for a job. She is trying to get recognized by a temp agency in Amarillo and the best way for her to do that is to sit in the lobby all day hoping to attract some attention. She is twenty-one years old, married five years and has three children; the youngest being only several weeks old. Mama and Victoria are loving the busy, noisy house.
When I called this morning Mama was digging through containers in the garage to get the tote of toys to bring into the house for the older one. I think he is four years old. There are other things that need to be done but nothing takes precedent over this. I suppose that’s why kids like Mama Kim’s house.
I talked to Nanu this weekend; He is the seven-year-old son of a friend of mine. They live in the Ukraine now since that is where his mother is from. His father, Emil Estrada (a coworker of mine in New Jersey), is from Cuba so it is an interesting marriage. Nanu was very late learning to talk and for a couple of years I was the only one besides his mother who could understand him – not his words, just his intent.
He was having a difficult time differentiating languages. His mother spoke to him mostly in Russian and Ukrainian. His father spoke to him in English and Spanish. He was almost five before his sentences made sense. But somehow he and I connected and we have been best buds since.
His birthday was Saturday so I called him on Skype. He is now a star pupil in the school although he is having some trouble with the Ukrainian language. His father told me that when he is asked a question in Ukrainian, it often has to be translated to Russian before he can understand enough to respond. When he does understand, he can give a full and accurate response in Russian and Ukrainian.
He will be fluent in three, possibly four languages. That’s amazing!
Mama and Victoria are still debating what dogs they are going to raise. I told Mama I am more in favor of small lap dogs than anything else since they are easier to keep up after and tend to require less space as well as less food. Plus, they sell for as much if not more that the bigger dogs and they tend to be easier to sell. We are leaning more toward mini Dachshunds and Havanese. That may change several times in the near future.
At a fellowship in church last night I sat across from the pastor. As we talked I asked, not really having planned the question, if he knew anyone he could introduce Victoria to. As it turns out, he does. The guy is twenty-nine years old serving as the assistant pastor in a church where his father is the pastor. Since Victoria expressed her common lack of interest in such things personal, the pastor offered to see if the young man was interested in meeting anyone and if so, he and Mrs. Chadwick would take them out on a double date.
I almost hate to try things like this for fear they will fail and Victoria will count it an additional personal loss. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am no match maker but as I prayed last Thursday (Victoria’s day) God reinforced the vision I have of the man he has for her. This one fits the bill.
I think, either way, she will forgive me.
When I called this morning Mama was digging through containers in the garage to get the tote of toys to bring into the house for the older one. I think he is four years old. There are other things that need to be done but nothing takes precedent over this. I suppose that’s why kids like Mama Kim’s house.
I talked to Nanu this weekend; He is the seven-year-old son of a friend of mine. They live in the Ukraine now since that is where his mother is from. His father, Emil Estrada (a coworker of mine in New Jersey), is from Cuba so it is an interesting marriage. Nanu was very late learning to talk and for a couple of years I was the only one besides his mother who could understand him – not his words, just his intent.
He was having a difficult time differentiating languages. His mother spoke to him mostly in Russian and Ukrainian. His father spoke to him in English and Spanish. He was almost five before his sentences made sense. But somehow he and I connected and we have been best buds since.
His birthday was Saturday so I called him on Skype. He is now a star pupil in the school although he is having some trouble with the Ukrainian language. His father told me that when he is asked a question in Ukrainian, it often has to be translated to Russian before he can understand enough to respond. When he does understand, he can give a full and accurate response in Russian and Ukrainian.
He will be fluent in three, possibly four languages. That’s amazing!
Mama and Victoria are still debating what dogs they are going to raise. I told Mama I am more in favor of small lap dogs than anything else since they are easier to keep up after and tend to require less space as well as less food. Plus, they sell for as much if not more that the bigger dogs and they tend to be easier to sell. We are leaning more toward mini Dachshunds and Havanese. That may change several times in the near future.
At a fellowship in church last night I sat across from the pastor. As we talked I asked, not really having planned the question, if he knew anyone he could introduce Victoria to. As it turns out, he does. The guy is twenty-nine years old serving as the assistant pastor in a church where his father is the pastor. Since Victoria expressed her common lack of interest in such things personal, the pastor offered to see if the young man was interested in meeting anyone and if so, he and Mrs. Chadwick would take them out on a double date.
I almost hate to try things like this for fear they will fail and Victoria will count it an additional personal loss. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am no match maker but as I prayed last Thursday (Victoria’s day) God reinforced the vision I have of the man he has for her. This one fits the bill.
I think, either way, she will forgive me.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Busy week ahead, Chase’s battles, Opportunities for Seth
This may be my only entry this week. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be in training in Amarillo. I will find out what it is like to be close to work. Thursday and Friday we will be in Decatur. I will be working out of the offices there so I am not sure what I will have available to me when I get there. We are going through a pretty extensive audit in that area and there will be multiple extra people using the open cubicles for their part in the audit. I will see what I can find when I get there.
Grandma and Grandpa are excited about going to the Decatur area to look at property. Mama is ecstatic. I am less enthusiastic. I have been running the numbers to see if we can really afford to take on the debt and the corresponding payments in addition to what we are already doing- and it looks close. It will interrupt our saving’s plan, but we will be able to do it within reason.
When I gave Mama the monetary value I have calculated that we could afford it disappointed her a little. But I explained that we cannot base our debt load on the promises of others to help. As noble as those promises may be, they have played out poorly, at best, in the past. Most times they have met with disastrous results. So if I cannot fit it in my budget it is not gong to happen. I avoid, when possible, what Mary Poppins calls “pie crust promises – easily made, easily broken.”
Chase and friends survived the night playing war games with Air Soft rifles. They did get one scare when they heard the voices of some homeless men looking for them in the “woods”. I parenthesized woods because if you could see the countryside, you would know that it is mostly inappropriate in reference to the area. The two teams banded together and shot a volley of pellets in the direction of the interlopers and the phantoms took off at a dead run. After the boys had established a safe zone, the war resumed.
Although Chase is no worse the wear for the night out and the bruises from the pellets that actually contacted his person, he felt completely outgunned. He is desperate for a job so he can buy his own rifle for the games. Two months ago it would have been an electronic gadget at the top of his wish list, not so much now. He should know something by Tuesday evening about a job.
While we were out looking at local plant nurseries we put in an application for Seth at one pretty far south of town. I was not thrilled about the prospect of him traveling so far for a part time job, but in this economy we take what we can get. While there, the manager suggested he contact a local landscaper she knows who is looking for help. We will make that call today.
His schooling schedule makes it difficult to find good opportunities, but that should clear up with time. Our focus is on his completion of this GED training. We are praying for him and the Lord knows exactly what he needs. Soon the two (our prayers and God’s supply) will meet in God’s perfect will and we will really rejoice.
Mama and I bought a rawhide toy for Bella hoping she would chew on it as opposed to the many other things that attract her attention – most of which she has no business chewing on. Grandma called us about twenty minutes after we had dropped it off to tell us she had buried it.
So much for that idea.
Grandma and Grandpa are excited about going to the Decatur area to look at property. Mama is ecstatic. I am less enthusiastic. I have been running the numbers to see if we can really afford to take on the debt and the corresponding payments in addition to what we are already doing- and it looks close. It will interrupt our saving’s plan, but we will be able to do it within reason.
When I gave Mama the monetary value I have calculated that we could afford it disappointed her a little. But I explained that we cannot base our debt load on the promises of others to help. As noble as those promises may be, they have played out poorly, at best, in the past. Most times they have met with disastrous results. So if I cannot fit it in my budget it is not gong to happen. I avoid, when possible, what Mary Poppins calls “pie crust promises – easily made, easily broken.”
Chase and friends survived the night playing war games with Air Soft rifles. They did get one scare when they heard the voices of some homeless men looking for them in the “woods”. I parenthesized woods because if you could see the countryside, you would know that it is mostly inappropriate in reference to the area. The two teams banded together and shot a volley of pellets in the direction of the interlopers and the phantoms took off at a dead run. After the boys had established a safe zone, the war resumed.
Although Chase is no worse the wear for the night out and the bruises from the pellets that actually contacted his person, he felt completely outgunned. He is desperate for a job so he can buy his own rifle for the games. Two months ago it would have been an electronic gadget at the top of his wish list, not so much now. He should know something by Tuesday evening about a job.
While we were out looking at local plant nurseries we put in an application for Seth at one pretty far south of town. I was not thrilled about the prospect of him traveling so far for a part time job, but in this economy we take what we can get. While there, the manager suggested he contact a local landscaper she knows who is looking for help. We will make that call today.
His schooling schedule makes it difficult to find good opportunities, but that should clear up with time. Our focus is on his completion of this GED training. We are praying for him and the Lord knows exactly what he needs. Soon the two (our prayers and God’s supply) will meet in God’s perfect will and we will really rejoice.
Mama and I bought a rawhide toy for Bella hoping she would chew on it as opposed to the many other things that attract her attention – most of which she has no business chewing on. Grandma called us about twenty minutes after we had dropped it off to tell us she had buried it.
So much for that idea.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Part of the job, appointments in Decatur, grumpy Maggie
Next week may be a difficult time for me to write since I will be in training all day Tuesday and Wednesday and we will be in Decatur for the remainder of the week. I tried to arrange this week so that I would have time in the office in the mornings before any pressing appointments so I could jot down some thoughts. That has worked out pretty well.
I traveled to Elk City, OK yesterday after a morning Safety meeting and spent some time with the two ladies I have there. I told one of the ladies, who has been a problem, that she would lose her job at the end of April. She took the news okay but it was obviously disappointing to her. I was as honest as I thought I should be about the reason; that she was being let go because of issues with her troubled interactions with office personnel. She is the type of person that people try to avoid, but make the best of. She, on the other hand, considers herself one of the most liked people in the office. It makes this part of the job unpleasant.
That is never an easy message especially since I have not been a part of the last four years she has been working in that office. I explained that there was some disappointment about her work and that I was giving her six weeks notice -unofficially - so she could look within her employment agency for another job. It was still difficult to do. Officially, I will let everyone know on April 18th.
I am headed to the office in Guymon, OK today to visit with my direct reports there – two ladies. Mama admitted that it bothers her a little for me to be taking women out to lunch, even if they are company employees for whom I am responsible. It bothers me too, but I try to make light of it and do it as circumspectly as possible. All of the ladies have seemed to understand so far. If it ever hints at being a problem I will apologize to the ladies and stop going. I will pay for them to go out by themselves. Everyone has treated the matter very professionally so far.
Mama has appointments set up for us in Decatur already. We are leaving after my training on Wednesday so they will have full days to look at properties on Thursday and Friday. I will be allowed to look at the approved properties in the evenings. I can almost hear the woman’s voice from HGTV narrating the moment. “Tim joins his wife, Kim, and her parents as they go back to the farm with the smaller home and the greenhouse to have a second look. Kim and her parents are excited, Tim is not so enthusiastic.” We will not finish the episode that weekend.
Chase will only have to worry about getting to and from school on Thursday. He has no school on Friday. Victoria, Maggie and Seth can take care of the needed driving. Mama and I will make sure there are plenty of Hot Pockets and peanut butter and jelly for the three nights we will be gone. Since we will have Grandma (if she feels up to it) and Grandpa with us, they will really be on their own recognizance.
Maggie has been a grumpy grouch lately and it is understandable in part. I have not had the chance to talk to her over the past few days due to her schedule and my bedtimes conflicting. But when I see her this weekend we will talk. I can’t let the tantrum go on too long. It is too difficult on the rest of us. She has to learn to deal with Aaron’s absences in a more positive way and Aaron will have to understand that Maggie still loves him even if she does not fall to pieces when he is not with her.
They’ll both eventually grow into it.
I traveled to Elk City, OK yesterday after a morning Safety meeting and spent some time with the two ladies I have there. I told one of the ladies, who has been a problem, that she would lose her job at the end of April. She took the news okay but it was obviously disappointing to her. I was as honest as I thought I should be about the reason; that she was being let go because of issues with her troubled interactions with office personnel. She is the type of person that people try to avoid, but make the best of. She, on the other hand, considers herself one of the most liked people in the office. It makes this part of the job unpleasant.
That is never an easy message especially since I have not been a part of the last four years she has been working in that office. I explained that there was some disappointment about her work and that I was giving her six weeks notice -unofficially - so she could look within her employment agency for another job. It was still difficult to do. Officially, I will let everyone know on April 18th.
I am headed to the office in Guymon, OK today to visit with my direct reports there – two ladies. Mama admitted that it bothers her a little for me to be taking women out to lunch, even if they are company employees for whom I am responsible. It bothers me too, but I try to make light of it and do it as circumspectly as possible. All of the ladies have seemed to understand so far. If it ever hints at being a problem I will apologize to the ladies and stop going. I will pay for them to go out by themselves. Everyone has treated the matter very professionally so far.
Mama has appointments set up for us in Decatur already. We are leaving after my training on Wednesday so they will have full days to look at properties on Thursday and Friday. I will be allowed to look at the approved properties in the evenings. I can almost hear the woman’s voice from HGTV narrating the moment. “Tim joins his wife, Kim, and her parents as they go back to the farm with the smaller home and the greenhouse to have a second look. Kim and her parents are excited, Tim is not so enthusiastic.” We will not finish the episode that weekend.
Chase will only have to worry about getting to and from school on Thursday. He has no school on Friday. Victoria, Maggie and Seth can take care of the needed driving. Mama and I will make sure there are plenty of Hot Pockets and peanut butter and jelly for the three nights we will be gone. Since we will have Grandma (if she feels up to it) and Grandpa with us, they will really be on their own recognizance.
Maggie has been a grumpy grouch lately and it is understandable in part. I have not had the chance to talk to her over the past few days due to her schedule and my bedtimes conflicting. But when I see her this weekend we will talk. I can’t let the tantrum go on too long. It is too difficult on the rest of us. She has to learn to deal with Aaron’s absences in a more positive way and Aaron will have to understand that Maggie still loves him even if she does not fall to pieces when he is not with her.
They’ll both eventually grow into it.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Struggling to pray together, Air Soft battles
Sometimes it is difficult to see progress in our lives. Goals and the milestones attached to them help identify forward or backward movement, but it seems I am most overwhelmed by those area where I have no clear directives, no clear goals. Usually those areas where I struggle the most are money related; areas where I have a fixed income and a very volatile outflow.
Maybe it’s because I do not recognize the “needs” around me the way others who help me spend money see them. I know it is selfish on my part but I am starting to resent money being spent on eating out. It, to me, seems a particularly peculiar waste; money spent on buying prepared food at twice to ten times the money required to buy groceries which rather than feeding on person one meal could feed three persons several meals. The quality would definitely differ but the end product is unvaried. It all ends up in the toilet anyway.
Things just seem a little off track to me. Maybe it is a reflection on the current state of affairs in the world today. Maybe the stress of my job, but there are relatively few things I can alter about either of those circumstances. As for my household, I am responsible. It is up to me to identify the problem, in both action and attitude, find a solution and apply the solution to the problem. All this has to be done without assigning any individual blame. It has to be done by getting individual participation in the problem; a recognition of each persons responsibility to apply the solution to the problem.
I have come to the conclusion that we are not praying together enough. That is an easy idea to offer. It has proved a very difficult practice to implement. I have not been diligent about a family Bible study time or a family prayer time. It is awkward to get going again. Not difficult, just awkward. But it must be done if there is to be any real leadership offered or any unity experienced. It begins with me.
Chase is spending the night tonight with friends who are going to have an all night Air Soft battle. I understand the Air part of the weaponry. There is nothing soft about it. They often draw blood. Unlike paint ball battles, these battles can rage on for hours because the evidence of a “kill” is less obvious.
There is very little difference in the price of the rifles used in the activities but I am told that the $300 rifles really are mechanically superior to the $125 rifles and infinitely more reliable. Anyone should know that reliability is crucial for battle. I remain an unconvinced non-participant.
I asked, “Why would I want to run around the woods, risking a heart attack or stroke, while trying to avoid the pain in getting peppered with painful plastic pellets?” All in the name of fun. It was then that the heart of the “sport” was explained to me. It is not the pain inflicted on me that is fun. That is merely a requisite of participation. It is the pain I would get to inflict on others that is fun.
I still remain an unconvinced non-participant.
Maybe it’s because I do not recognize the “needs” around me the way others who help me spend money see them. I know it is selfish on my part but I am starting to resent money being spent on eating out. It, to me, seems a particularly peculiar waste; money spent on buying prepared food at twice to ten times the money required to buy groceries which rather than feeding on person one meal could feed three persons several meals. The quality would definitely differ but the end product is unvaried. It all ends up in the toilet anyway.
Things just seem a little off track to me. Maybe it is a reflection on the current state of affairs in the world today. Maybe the stress of my job, but there are relatively few things I can alter about either of those circumstances. As for my household, I am responsible. It is up to me to identify the problem, in both action and attitude, find a solution and apply the solution to the problem. All this has to be done without assigning any individual blame. It has to be done by getting individual participation in the problem; a recognition of each persons responsibility to apply the solution to the problem.
I have come to the conclusion that we are not praying together enough. That is an easy idea to offer. It has proved a very difficult practice to implement. I have not been diligent about a family Bible study time or a family prayer time. It is awkward to get going again. Not difficult, just awkward. But it must be done if there is to be any real leadership offered or any unity experienced. It begins with me.
Chase is spending the night tonight with friends who are going to have an all night Air Soft battle. I understand the Air part of the weaponry. There is nothing soft about it. They often draw blood. Unlike paint ball battles, these battles can rage on for hours because the evidence of a “kill” is less obvious.
There is very little difference in the price of the rifles used in the activities but I am told that the $300 rifles really are mechanically superior to the $125 rifles and infinitely more reliable. Anyone should know that reliability is crucial for battle. I remain an unconvinced non-participant.
I asked, “Why would I want to run around the woods, risking a heart attack or stroke, while trying to avoid the pain in getting peppered with painful plastic pellets?” All in the name of fun. It was then that the heart of the “sport” was explained to me. It is not the pain inflicted on me that is fun. That is merely a requisite of participation. It is the pain I would get to inflict on others that is fun.
I still remain an unconvinced non-participant.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Applied Scripture, a safe distance
My son-in-law was working with my granddaughter recently on a memory verse for a Wednesday night activity the church has for those her age group. Since Nate and Cori work with this age group it makes sense that their children would be prepared for reciting the assigned verse. The verse was a small excerpt from 2 Corinthians 13:7 (I think). “Do no evil…” Since evil is a difficult concept for a three year old when applied to actions, he was explaining.
“Evil”, he explained, “is when you do something wrong or naughty like saying ‘No’ to Mommy or Daddy, or taking a toy away from Grant when he is playing with it.” Like all parents in that situation he was not sure if he was getting through. As if to illustrate the point, at that very moment Grant came up to them, grabbed Mykenzie’s toy and ran down the hall to his bedroom. Without hesitation, his older sister ran down the hall after her errant brother shouting, “Grant, do no evil! Do no evil!” Needless to say when it came time to recite the verse, she nailed it.
It seems almost brutally callous to sit here in safety with my home in tact and my pantry full, looking for humor in everyday life while tens of thousands of Japanese families are either displaced or deceased; with those yet still living staring down the very real possibility of being diseased. Though I have often felt myself despairing, without hope, I have never seen myself or anyone I know in that position of unfathomable loss – in life or property.
My opinion may be biased but I believe the Unites States of America to be the most generous country in the world. Those who either hate or envy our prosperity may scorn us in public but they rarely turn away the vast amounts of money given to aid their countries. The Japanese have been tolerant allies of ours for some time and in this hour of need we will help them. It is part of our heritage and culture to do so.
As we watch from a safe distance we need to remember that, “There but for the grace of God go I.” We are walking a dangerous path financially, intellectually and spiritually in this country. The devastation in Japan will not change the culture or mindset of the population. They are proud to be Japanese and this loss will not change their national pride, nor should it. It should, however, give us pause.
Are we proud of the America the world sees as they watch our television programs, or our news broadcasts? Do we reflect the proud heritage of those who came here from all over the world to become Americans? Are we Americans by default rather than by choice? How much free stuff does it take to sear the conscience of a nation into believing that they deserve what has been earned by someone else?
Japan will recover from this disaster. Our prognosis is not quite so clear?
“Evil”, he explained, “is when you do something wrong or naughty like saying ‘No’ to Mommy or Daddy, or taking a toy away from Grant when he is playing with it.” Like all parents in that situation he was not sure if he was getting through. As if to illustrate the point, at that very moment Grant came up to them, grabbed Mykenzie’s toy and ran down the hall to his bedroom. Without hesitation, his older sister ran down the hall after her errant brother shouting, “Grant, do no evil! Do no evil!” Needless to say when it came time to recite the verse, she nailed it.
It seems almost brutally callous to sit here in safety with my home in tact and my pantry full, looking for humor in everyday life while tens of thousands of Japanese families are either displaced or deceased; with those yet still living staring down the very real possibility of being diseased. Though I have often felt myself despairing, without hope, I have never seen myself or anyone I know in that position of unfathomable loss – in life or property.
My opinion may be biased but I believe the Unites States of America to be the most generous country in the world. Those who either hate or envy our prosperity may scorn us in public but they rarely turn away the vast amounts of money given to aid their countries. The Japanese have been tolerant allies of ours for some time and in this hour of need we will help them. It is part of our heritage and culture to do so.
As we watch from a safe distance we need to remember that, “There but for the grace of God go I.” We are walking a dangerous path financially, intellectually and spiritually in this country. The devastation in Japan will not change the culture or mindset of the population. They are proud to be Japanese and this loss will not change their national pride, nor should it. It should, however, give us pause.
Are we proud of the America the world sees as they watch our television programs, or our news broadcasts? Do we reflect the proud heritage of those who came here from all over the world to become Americans? Are we Americans by default rather than by choice? How much free stuff does it take to sear the conscience of a nation into believing that they deserve what has been earned by someone else?
Japan will recover from this disaster. Our prognosis is not quite so clear?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Boots, dog troubles, goodbyes
For an afternoon activity we took Aaron to try on Cowboy boots. People from the Northeast think we are a little loopy when we suggest the activity, but most of our visitors really get into the moment when they begin. I tell people there is no footwear as comfortable as Cowboy boots when you find a pair that fits well. It may take trying on several dozen pairs to find the right one, but once found it is impressive how comfortable they feel. Mama always enjoys it.
Aaron did enjoy himself. He picked out a pair of boots he knew Maggie might not like and spent the rest of our time there trying to convince her that he really likes them better that anything else he tried on. (At least that was my take on it.) Maggie wasn’t buying it and was not the least bit afraid to tell his so. I asked Mama what she would have done in that instance twenty nine years age. She said she would not have been nearly so honest.
We have had our share of problems with dogs this last weekend. Grandma tripped over the new pup that is staying with them. She fell hard and bruised her right side, shoulder and face. She has a black eye from the incident now. She was doing pretty well on Sunday but she started to feel sore on Monday. She will recover and the pup is endearing enough that she will be forgiven soon.
On Monday, Seth went with Pastor York to a church member’s house to pick up some scaffolding so they could do some work at the church. The member gave them permission to get the scaffolding from the back yard, but it seems no one told the German shepherd he keeps. Bro. York got a nasty bite on his lower left leg. He was wearing a light pair of pants and the dog tore pants and skin in his first attack. I do not have the details but Seth, who was wearing jeans, got a less invasive bite but the dog still drew blood on him.
I do not know who got bitten first but I cannot Bro. York being able to out run or out jump Seth. Either way they were both sore. Seth had some obvious bruising along with the scratches. Neither of them got any treatment for the bite but Bro. York said he was going to get a tetanus shot. I am having Mama call today to see what the recommended treatment might be so we can advise Seth but we will probably let it go barring any symptoms other than the soreness from the bruising.
Maggie said goodbye to Aaron at the airport yesterday. We got him to our little airport about thirty minutes before his flight left. I thought his flight was scheduled to leave Amarillo at 4:30 p.m. So did Aaron. It was scheduled fro 4:10. We got him to security at 3:45 p.m. It is a very good thing that there are no long lines at the check-in counters or at the security checkpoint. There is only one checkpoint and the terminal lists the available gates as 30-34. They might as well be 1-5, but that would make the airport seem very small.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at furniture. Three stores, thousands of sofa’s, chairs, and recliners. It is a disappointing search for me. When we finally stopped at an Amish furniture store I found what I liked, all wood, and no upholstery. Mama liked it fairly well but thought it a bit unwelcoming for guests. I told her I am not furnishing a house for guests and if I have to pay two or three thousand dollars to outfit a living room, I would like to buy something that will last. We’re still looking.
I went to bed too early for the arrival update on Aaron.
Aaron did enjoy himself. He picked out a pair of boots he knew Maggie might not like and spent the rest of our time there trying to convince her that he really likes them better that anything else he tried on. (At least that was my take on it.) Maggie wasn’t buying it and was not the least bit afraid to tell his so. I asked Mama what she would have done in that instance twenty nine years age. She said she would not have been nearly so honest.
We have had our share of problems with dogs this last weekend. Grandma tripped over the new pup that is staying with them. She fell hard and bruised her right side, shoulder and face. She has a black eye from the incident now. She was doing pretty well on Sunday but she started to feel sore on Monday. She will recover and the pup is endearing enough that she will be forgiven soon.
On Monday, Seth went with Pastor York to a church member’s house to pick up some scaffolding so they could do some work at the church. The member gave them permission to get the scaffolding from the back yard, but it seems no one told the German shepherd he keeps. Bro. York got a nasty bite on his lower left leg. He was wearing a light pair of pants and the dog tore pants and skin in his first attack. I do not have the details but Seth, who was wearing jeans, got a less invasive bite but the dog still drew blood on him.
I do not know who got bitten first but I cannot Bro. York being able to out run or out jump Seth. Either way they were both sore. Seth had some obvious bruising along with the scratches. Neither of them got any treatment for the bite but Bro. York said he was going to get a tetanus shot. I am having Mama call today to see what the recommended treatment might be so we can advise Seth but we will probably let it go barring any symptoms other than the soreness from the bruising.
Maggie said goodbye to Aaron at the airport yesterday. We got him to our little airport about thirty minutes before his flight left. I thought his flight was scheduled to leave Amarillo at 4:30 p.m. So did Aaron. It was scheduled fro 4:10. We got him to security at 3:45 p.m. It is a very good thing that there are no long lines at the check-in counters or at the security checkpoint. There is only one checkpoint and the terminal lists the available gates as 30-34. They might as well be 1-5, but that would make the airport seem very small.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at furniture. Three stores, thousands of sofa’s, chairs, and recliners. It is a disappointing search for me. When we finally stopped at an Amish furniture store I found what I liked, all wood, and no upholstery. Mama liked it fairly well but thought it a bit unwelcoming for guests. I told her I am not furnishing a house for guests and if I have to pay two or three thousand dollars to outfit a living room, I would like to buy something that will last. We’re still looking.
I went to bed too early for the arrival update on Aaron.
Aaron’s visit
Aaron was able to squeeze some time in to visit Maggie and our family between Basic Training and reporting to his first duty station in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Mama, Maggie and I picked him up at the airport at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night and took him home briefly. He and Seth spent the night over at Grandma’s house since there was not enough room in our house. I think Grandma kept him up until after 1 a.m.
He was up again before 4 a.m. and lay awake until Maggie answered her phone around 7:30 a.m. after which she went over to get him. That is a very short night especially when you consider that Saturday was time change night – springing forward. But to his credit he did well through Sunday School and church; much better than Maggie who does not do well at all on less sleep. The two love birds stayed busy through the afternoon with lunch at Grandma’s, several short walks and thirty to forty minutes stretched of staring goo-goo eyed at each other; the precious moments broken only by Victoria’s “Good grief!”
Mama and I took over the children’s churches this Sunday morning and we were so focused on those preparations that we did not even think about taking pictures. It was an oversight we were soon reminded of when Aaron’s mom asked about pictures. It is hard to remember that we are sharing these moments across multiple families, not that we are selfish, only distracted by the moment and so many other pressing matters, we simply forget.
I smiled at one point when we were going somewhere and I was able to see Aaron and Maggie in the rear view mirror. They were in the back seat of the van because Victoria was adamant about having them behind her. Anyway, as I glanced every now and then at the two of them staring at each other like a mommy looks at her new baby, I thought, I can’t ask if Mama and I looked that silly to her parents at that stage of out romance, because I know we did. Twenty nine years later our children still tell us how silly we look sometimes.
Maggie chose well. I have always been impressed with my son-in-law Nate, Cori’s husband. I believe Aaron will carry that high standard forward. I have prayed for many years for the spouses of my children and now to see God fulfill those prayers is nothing short of miraculous.
I can only hope that Aaron’s family feels as comfortable and as confident about our daughter Maggie as we do about Aaron. When they got lost trying to find a restaurant after church Sunday night and Maggie was freaking out I was a little worried but then I had to remember that she knows how to get to church, to Grandma and Grandpa’s and to work, other than that she does not venture off the known path.
We told Aaron, it’s not possible to get lost in Amarillo. Just turn around and follow the road to I-40 or I-27. Every major road will cross one of the two and most times both of them within a few minutes from any point in town. He was enjoying the moment; Maggie not so much, but when you live in a town that you can cross in fifteen minutes going any direction you might choose, “lost” is a little too strong a word to choose.
They finally ate at Burger King. I told Maggie it is not the amount of money spent that is important, it is the amount of time spent that matters. He dropped Maggie off and took her car over to Grandma’s house to spend the night.
She was up waiting for him.
He was up again before 4 a.m. and lay awake until Maggie answered her phone around 7:30 a.m. after which she went over to get him. That is a very short night especially when you consider that Saturday was time change night – springing forward. But to his credit he did well through Sunday School and church; much better than Maggie who does not do well at all on less sleep. The two love birds stayed busy through the afternoon with lunch at Grandma’s, several short walks and thirty to forty minutes stretched of staring goo-goo eyed at each other; the precious moments broken only by Victoria’s “Good grief!”
Mama and I took over the children’s churches this Sunday morning and we were so focused on those preparations that we did not even think about taking pictures. It was an oversight we were soon reminded of when Aaron’s mom asked about pictures. It is hard to remember that we are sharing these moments across multiple families, not that we are selfish, only distracted by the moment and so many other pressing matters, we simply forget.
I smiled at one point when we were going somewhere and I was able to see Aaron and Maggie in the rear view mirror. They were in the back seat of the van because Victoria was adamant about having them behind her. Anyway, as I glanced every now and then at the two of them staring at each other like a mommy looks at her new baby, I thought, I can’t ask if Mama and I looked that silly to her parents at that stage of out romance, because I know we did. Twenty nine years later our children still tell us how silly we look sometimes.
Maggie chose well. I have always been impressed with my son-in-law Nate, Cori’s husband. I believe Aaron will carry that high standard forward. I have prayed for many years for the spouses of my children and now to see God fulfill those prayers is nothing short of miraculous.
I can only hope that Aaron’s family feels as comfortable and as confident about our daughter Maggie as we do about Aaron. When they got lost trying to find a restaurant after church Sunday night and Maggie was freaking out I was a little worried but then I had to remember that she knows how to get to church, to Grandma and Grandpa’s and to work, other than that she does not venture off the known path.
We told Aaron, it’s not possible to get lost in Amarillo. Just turn around and follow the road to I-40 or I-27. Every major road will cross one of the two and most times both of them within a few minutes from any point in town. He was enjoying the moment; Maggie not so much, but when you live in a town that you can cross in fifteen minutes going any direction you might choose, “lost” is a little too strong a word to choose.
They finally ate at Burger King. I told Maggie it is not the amount of money spent that is important, it is the amount of time spent that matters. He dropped Maggie off and took her car over to Grandma’s house to spend the night.
She was up waiting for him.
Friday, March 11, 2011
It has a name, Chase’s piano teacher, Mama and babies
I got the call yesterday about 8:30 a.m. that the dog was on her way home. Its name is Bella, which in both Italian and Spanish means “beautiful”. I am not sure if I agree with the title but Mama, Grandma, Grandpa and Victoria seem to think it fits. She does have a very laid back personality and, unlike Rosie, is not prone to bark at everything. (Like Mike said to Sully in Monsters Inc., “It has a name? You never name it because once you name it you get attached to it!”) I suppose its too late now.
Grandma and Grandpa are excited to have her. Mama got them pretty well outfitted for the adoption. Bella should do well with them since they are homebodies. It will give Grandma some of the attention she craves - so it should be mutually satisfying.
Grandma said yesterday when they came to the house to collect the dog – who was visiting Rosie – that she was going to make the perfect farm dog; didn’t I think so? “Well”, I answered, “It seems a shame to have to buy a two hundred thousand dollar farm for a free dog.” My most expensive pet yet; which will be easily surpassed if Mama ever talks me into getting a horse.
Chase really likes his piano teacher. I have not met her but Mama and Chase are really impressed. Yesterday Maggie asked to start taking lessons for the time she will be here. Maggie said she loved the way the piano teacher explained certain things to her. She asked if it would be a good thing to continue lessons while she was here. I told her that’s kind of a “Duh!” question.
The momentary excitement of having a new charge to labor over has temporarily soothed the ache of maintaining the mundane. Mama does not do well in the ordinary. Coasting along has never been her strong suit which is why we have always had little ones around us. The constant needs of the very young keep her mind stirred and her body in motion. Sitting still grows old for her very quickly. We are both like that.
She met a woman several weeks ago somewhere in town. The woman was very far along in her third pregnancy; obvious from the two little ones she had with her. As she and Mama talked she mentioned the need for help when she went back to work. Of course Mama offered her help and gave the lady her number. Nothing happened after that until they bumped into each other in the mall a week or so later. The young lady had lost Mama’s number and was thrilled to see her again.
Two days ago Mama got a call from the young mommy. She was in the hospital delivering her third little one. Mama and Victoria rushed right over. They met the newest little one and the daddy of the brood. They had a wonderful visit and the two older siblings loved Mama right away. Mama encouraged them to come to our church and mentioned that she was still available to watch the three children when needed.
We’ll see what happens now.
Grandma and Grandpa are excited to have her. Mama got them pretty well outfitted for the adoption. Bella should do well with them since they are homebodies. It will give Grandma some of the attention she craves - so it should be mutually satisfying.
Grandma said yesterday when they came to the house to collect the dog – who was visiting Rosie – that she was going to make the perfect farm dog; didn’t I think so? “Well”, I answered, “It seems a shame to have to buy a two hundred thousand dollar farm for a free dog.” My most expensive pet yet; which will be easily surpassed if Mama ever talks me into getting a horse.
Chase really likes his piano teacher. I have not met her but Mama and Chase are really impressed. Yesterday Maggie asked to start taking lessons for the time she will be here. Maggie said she loved the way the piano teacher explained certain things to her. She asked if it would be a good thing to continue lessons while she was here. I told her that’s kind of a “Duh!” question.
The momentary excitement of having a new charge to labor over has temporarily soothed the ache of maintaining the mundane. Mama does not do well in the ordinary. Coasting along has never been her strong suit which is why we have always had little ones around us. The constant needs of the very young keep her mind stirred and her body in motion. Sitting still grows old for her very quickly. We are both like that.
She met a woman several weeks ago somewhere in town. The woman was very far along in her third pregnancy; obvious from the two little ones she had with her. As she and Mama talked she mentioned the need for help when she went back to work. Of course Mama offered her help and gave the lady her number. Nothing happened after that until they bumped into each other in the mall a week or so later. The young lady had lost Mama’s number and was thrilled to see her again.
Two days ago Mama got a call from the young mommy. She was in the hospital delivering her third little one. Mama and Victoria rushed right over. They met the newest little one and the daddy of the brood. They had a wonderful visit and the two older siblings loved Mama right away. Mama encouraged them to come to our church and mentioned that she was still available to watch the three children when needed.
We’ll see what happens now.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Yes, maybe no, the unmarked parcel, job news
Canine update: On Tuesday Mama, Grandma and Victoria went to look at an Australian Shepherd pup, the last of the litter. They were gone a long time, so long in fact, that I went to bed without knowing if the pup was coming home or not. Mama and Grandma loved the pup but Victoria had some reservations. So they decided to sleep on it and decide in the morning.
You know the outcome. They could not wait to contact the owners and tell them the happy decision; that they had decided to take the pup. It turns out Grandma was the most excited about having a dog at her house – outside, of course. She called and asked how soon Mama could go get the animal.
Now for the rest of the story; When Mama and Victoria got to the farm where the pup was born, neither mother nor pup could be found. The owner was terribly embarrassed and tried for almost an hour to call the dogs home but to no avail. So Mama came home from a second trip empty handed.
Last night after we got home from church we got a call from the owner that the pup had been found. No one was sure where they had gone but they were home safe. I assume Mama and Grandma will go today to retrieve the dog and take it to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Dishes, leashes and food will probably be on us as a house warming gift for the new arrival. All we need is one more mouth to feed.
I called the realtor that has the twenty acre property in the same area as the pup’s home to verify we were looking at the correct piece of property – we weren’t. But on the good side, the property for sale is at the top of the hill and is larger than the one we had been inspecting. Tonight Mama and I are going to look at the right parcel but it may be after the fact for me since Mama and Grandpa will go there this morning after they pick up the dog. The property, I was told, has frontage on two main roads which opens up some pretty nice possibilities.
Today may be Seth’s make-or-break day and we are not sure how to pray about it. He is working at Sonic. It is very close to out house – almost right out our back door. So it is convenient. But there does not seem to be any organization to how the scheduling or training is done. While it is a job and it took some time for Seth to find it, we are not sure if he ought to look elsewhere. I will use my old fall back decision making process. When in doubt, keep doing what you are doing until the Lord directs you otherwise.
Chase is hoping to hear today about a job at Game Stop. I’m not too sure about that one either.
You know the outcome. They could not wait to contact the owners and tell them the happy decision; that they had decided to take the pup. It turns out Grandma was the most excited about having a dog at her house – outside, of course. She called and asked how soon Mama could go get the animal.
Now for the rest of the story; When Mama and Victoria got to the farm where the pup was born, neither mother nor pup could be found. The owner was terribly embarrassed and tried for almost an hour to call the dogs home but to no avail. So Mama came home from a second trip empty handed.
Last night after we got home from church we got a call from the owner that the pup had been found. No one was sure where they had gone but they were home safe. I assume Mama and Grandma will go today to retrieve the dog and take it to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Dishes, leashes and food will probably be on us as a house warming gift for the new arrival. All we need is one more mouth to feed.
I called the realtor that has the twenty acre property in the same area as the pup’s home to verify we were looking at the correct piece of property – we weren’t. But on the good side, the property for sale is at the top of the hill and is larger than the one we had been inspecting. Tonight Mama and I are going to look at the right parcel but it may be after the fact for me since Mama and Grandpa will go there this morning after they pick up the dog. The property, I was told, has frontage on two main roads which opens up some pretty nice possibilities.
Today may be Seth’s make-or-break day and we are not sure how to pray about it. He is working at Sonic. It is very close to out house – almost right out our back door. So it is convenient. But there does not seem to be any organization to how the scheduling or training is done. While it is a job and it took some time for Seth to find it, we are not sure if he ought to look elsewhere. I will use my old fall back decision making process. When in doubt, keep doing what you are doing until the Lord directs you otherwise.
Chase is hoping to hear today about a job at Game Stop. I’m not too sure about that one either.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
What Mama wants, Sonic operations
Mama has found an advocate in Victoria for her idea to accumulate dogs, specifically a new puppy. The original argument was that Rosie is getting on in years and we certainly cannot be without a dog. Then the argument shifted to breeding dogs when we have the farm. Not a terrible idea but we don’t have a farm yet.
Buying plants is one thing. They do not poop in the yard and bark every time the front door opens. I am in favor of growing things but plants are not animated enough for Victoria. And all Mama needs is a tiny suggestion to initiate a fully throttle advance toward accomplishing an idea she is in favor of.
When Mama and Grandpa were looking at the twenty acres north of Amarillo they chanced to stop at a pig farm where the owner had Australian Shepherds. The mama dog hopped into the car as soon as the door was opened and as it happened, she had recently had a litter of pups. One female was left – and she was to be given away. Free! Can you imagine Mama’s delight?
They did not get the pup but it has been eating away at Mama and with Victoria’s help has become an obsession. Last night they went out to the farm with Grandma to see the pup. I went to bed while they were out so I do not know if the dog came home with them, but if it did it is over at Grandma’s house. I was assured that if anything gave her pause, she would walk away without the pup. Apparently, my dislike of the idea is not a reason for pause on Mama’s part since I didn’t actually say “no”.
Chase got stood up for the interview at Sonic, but he remains confident that there is still a position for him at Game Stop. Seth goes in for an eight hour shift on Thursday and I think it will be a make-or-break night. I am not sure what he is lacking or if there is someone he works with that is not interested in helping, but the manager has given him at least some help. When I asked what information the manager wanted him to pick up from the videos she sent home with him he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “She didn’t really say.” Having walked out before the interview she set up with Chase, I am not too sure how involved she is in the day-to-day operations.
Mama has been studying her verses for the make up quiz, but she still doesn’t have a very positive attitude about it. She is not much for intellectual challenges, but I enjoy watching the struggle. When it comes to actually taking a test, she really resists. She relies on me or one of the kids to pick up any information she needs but has no interest in testing herself on; internet searches, electronic device operation, the Wii excluded, cell phone operation, etc.
It keeps my life interesting.
Buying plants is one thing. They do not poop in the yard and bark every time the front door opens. I am in favor of growing things but plants are not animated enough for Victoria. And all Mama needs is a tiny suggestion to initiate a fully throttle advance toward accomplishing an idea she is in favor of.
When Mama and Grandpa were looking at the twenty acres north of Amarillo they chanced to stop at a pig farm where the owner had Australian Shepherds. The mama dog hopped into the car as soon as the door was opened and as it happened, she had recently had a litter of pups. One female was left – and she was to be given away. Free! Can you imagine Mama’s delight?
They did not get the pup but it has been eating away at Mama and with Victoria’s help has become an obsession. Last night they went out to the farm with Grandma to see the pup. I went to bed while they were out so I do not know if the dog came home with them, but if it did it is over at Grandma’s house. I was assured that if anything gave her pause, she would walk away without the pup. Apparently, my dislike of the idea is not a reason for pause on Mama’s part since I didn’t actually say “no”.
Chase got stood up for the interview at Sonic, but he remains confident that there is still a position for him at Game Stop. Seth goes in for an eight hour shift on Thursday and I think it will be a make-or-break night. I am not sure what he is lacking or if there is someone he works with that is not interested in helping, but the manager has given him at least some help. When I asked what information the manager wanted him to pick up from the videos she sent home with him he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “She didn’t really say.” Having walked out before the interview she set up with Chase, I am not too sure how involved she is in the day-to-day operations.
Mama has been studying her verses for the make up quiz, but she still doesn’t have a very positive attitude about it. She is not much for intellectual challenges, but I enjoy watching the struggle. When it comes to actually taking a test, she really resists. She relies on me or one of the kids to pick up any information she needs but has no interest in testing herself on; internet searches, electronic device operation, the Wii excluded, cell phone operation, etc.
It keeps my life interesting.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
It rained, more properties, job opportunities
It rained here last night and there was still standing water in some areas. That may not seem like a big deal to many of you, but it is a big deal here. We have had only two or three rains in Amarillo since we moved here last November. There have been three relatively large snow storms but almost no rain. I know that the thunder storms are coming. In this area they are tornado generators. So there will be some rain soon, but it will not last long.
I was told by my boss yesterday that the move to Decatur is on hold for the moment. It seems there was purchase the company was trying to make which would have necessitated our relocation to that area but the sale fell through. It was disappointing news to me and Mama, but not terrible news.
We are still going to look in the Decatur area for a farm because it is a great area of Texas to retire in, but the permanent move may not come for some time. As it stands now, we have a nice place to rent, a great church and almost everyone has a job. So what’s the hurry?
Mama and I looked at a twenty acre tract of land that is totally unrestricted. It looked pretty nice. We also looked at a sixteen acre tract with a small doublewide on it. It was “yuck”. The twenty acres has an asking price of fifty thousand dollars. The other property was two and one half times that much. Fortunately, we actually enjoy looking.
Mama and I talked about buying the twenty acre plot as an investment. Neither she nor I want to stay in the Amarillo area indefinitely, so building a home there is pretty much out of the question; that and the fact that the adjoining property to the west is a small farm that breeds fighting cocks. While we were there Mama was complaining about the crowing of the more that fifty roosters trying to outdo each other as the night approached. I enjoy the sounds but I can imagine it could become a little unnerving if you were trying to spend an evening outdoors or worse, trying to entertain guests.
Chase has an interview at Sonic tonight. He told Mama if the interview was for a position that would replace Seth he would tell them he was not interested. Personally, I would like to see him in a job where he would be off on Sunday, but I am not sure where those positions exist for a young, first time employee. Brittany says she will apply at the local area banks when she comes here after her semester is over.
I do not know if Chase is old enough for that.
I was told by my boss yesterday that the move to Decatur is on hold for the moment. It seems there was purchase the company was trying to make which would have necessitated our relocation to that area but the sale fell through. It was disappointing news to me and Mama, but not terrible news.
We are still going to look in the Decatur area for a farm because it is a great area of Texas to retire in, but the permanent move may not come for some time. As it stands now, we have a nice place to rent, a great church and almost everyone has a job. So what’s the hurry?
Mama and I looked at a twenty acre tract of land that is totally unrestricted. It looked pretty nice. We also looked at a sixteen acre tract with a small doublewide on it. It was “yuck”. The twenty acres has an asking price of fifty thousand dollars. The other property was two and one half times that much. Fortunately, we actually enjoy looking.
Mama and I talked about buying the twenty acre plot as an investment. Neither she nor I want to stay in the Amarillo area indefinitely, so building a home there is pretty much out of the question; that and the fact that the adjoining property to the west is a small farm that breeds fighting cocks. While we were there Mama was complaining about the crowing of the more that fifty roosters trying to outdo each other as the night approached. I enjoy the sounds but I can imagine it could become a little unnerving if you were trying to spend an evening outdoors or worse, trying to entertain guests.
Chase has an interview at Sonic tonight. He told Mama if the interview was for a position that would replace Seth he would tell them he was not interested. Personally, I would like to see him in a job where he would be off on Sunday, but I am not sure where those positions exist for a young, first time employee. Brittany says she will apply at the local area banks when she comes here after her semester is over.
I do not know if Chase is old enough for that.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wedding delays, Property shopping, job news
Maggie got to talk to Aaron for quite some time this weekend. Well, on Saturday anyway. It seems from those extended conversations, that the wedding plans are going to be put off until later in the year, possibly October, but it is difficult to tell. At the very least Maggie is learning what she and her future husband will have to contend with as he progresses in rank in the Coast Guard.
She and Mama went to look at rings on Friday and I think she found what she was looking for but she and Aaron are going to get together on that purchase to some extent so there was no purchase that I am aware of. We are all just settling into a routine of daily activities as we plan for the wedding and the other activities coming at us quickly.
Mama and I are still looking at properties. We even went to look at a log home on ten acres here in Amarillo. It was disappointing. The pictures the realtor had online were the best possible pictures of the property and home. It took us some digging to get the address and several wrong turns to find the property even when we were in the right area. At first glace it was kind of exciting, but a closer inspection made it pretty obvious why it has been on the market for six plus months.
The home is in need of repair and looking only from the outside, it may need major repairs. The land is nothing but caliche; calcium carbonate rock in a mix of gravel, sand and clay. It is used a road base because it packs so well. It is not conducive to gardening. Almost nothing can grow in it, and almost nothing is. We took Grandma and Grandpa out to look so they could get a feel for what is available in the area. Grandpa was excited about the ten acres and the possibilities of what could be done with it. He enjoys looking also.
The realtor called us back that evening to find out if we were interested. I did not talk to him, but I got the impression as Mama talked to him that he was not surprised by her responses. He sent us several other listings for land in the area but buying twenty acres of prairie grass does not excite us either; hence, our interest in areas southeast of us.
For those of you wondering why we are looking here in Amarillo as well as in the area near Fort Worth, I can only answer that it would be unwise not to look here since this is where God has put us for now. We can not be sure that we are going to move because that decision is out of our control, so if God chooses for us to stay here it would be foolish not to look into our options locally. Besides, Mama and I enjoy looking. It settles our hearts on what God needs of us.
Seth is meeting with his boss this morning to discuss the videos she sent home with him over the weekend. He is pretty nervous about it. Chase could hear today about a job at the Game Stop near our house. Mama and I are not excited about the employer but the manager told the owner that he wants to hire Chase. That decision could be made today. Chase is nervous about that.
We took a quiz in our Soul Winning class last night. Mama refused to take the quiz so the pastor gave her another week to prepare. Mama is nervous about that. After talking to her and Maggie (who complained about how hard the verses were to learn) he told me he was putting me at the top of his prayer list.
She and Mama went to look at rings on Friday and I think she found what she was looking for but she and Aaron are going to get together on that purchase to some extent so there was no purchase that I am aware of. We are all just settling into a routine of daily activities as we plan for the wedding and the other activities coming at us quickly.
Mama and I are still looking at properties. We even went to look at a log home on ten acres here in Amarillo. It was disappointing. The pictures the realtor had online were the best possible pictures of the property and home. It took us some digging to get the address and several wrong turns to find the property even when we were in the right area. At first glace it was kind of exciting, but a closer inspection made it pretty obvious why it has been on the market for six plus months.
The home is in need of repair and looking only from the outside, it may need major repairs. The land is nothing but caliche; calcium carbonate rock in a mix of gravel, sand and clay. It is used a road base because it packs so well. It is not conducive to gardening. Almost nothing can grow in it, and almost nothing is. We took Grandma and Grandpa out to look so they could get a feel for what is available in the area. Grandpa was excited about the ten acres and the possibilities of what could be done with it. He enjoys looking also.
The realtor called us back that evening to find out if we were interested. I did not talk to him, but I got the impression as Mama talked to him that he was not surprised by her responses. He sent us several other listings for land in the area but buying twenty acres of prairie grass does not excite us either; hence, our interest in areas southeast of us.
For those of you wondering why we are looking here in Amarillo as well as in the area near Fort Worth, I can only answer that it would be unwise not to look here since this is where God has put us for now. We can not be sure that we are going to move because that decision is out of our control, so if God chooses for us to stay here it would be foolish not to look into our options locally. Besides, Mama and I enjoy looking. It settles our hearts on what God needs of us.
Seth is meeting with his boss this morning to discuss the videos she sent home with him over the weekend. He is pretty nervous about it. Chase could hear today about a job at the Game Stop near our house. Mama and I are not excited about the employer but the manager told the owner that he wants to hire Chase. That decision could be made today. Chase is nervous about that.
We took a quiz in our Soul Winning class last night. Mama refused to take the quiz so the pastor gave her another week to prepare. Mama is nervous about that. After talking to her and Maggie (who complained about how hard the verses were to learn) he told me he was putting me at the top of his prayer list.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Glenn Beck and Grandma
Mama was home late yesterday after taking Chase to meet a piano teacher. I don’t remember where they stopped for Chase to interview but it was a restaurant in Amarillo that had just hired two of the girls that Chase goes to school with. The owner told Chase that he would have to wait a couple weeks until he had hired a couple of people who could work on Sunday’s because if he honored his word to the girls he had just hired and did not schedule them for Sunday’s, he was going to end up short handed on the weekends if he hired more employees with the same request of schedule.
As I was waiting on Mama, Grandma and Grandpa came over. I was watching Fox News so they sat down and began watching with me, which is not too bad in and of itself. What makes it difficult is trying to listen to those who probably know what they are talking about, while Grandma comments non-stop on things she thinks they said.
Mostly she agrees with them. In the times that she does not, I am never sure the source of her information. While the people on TV are relying on eye witness reports, interviews with people on the scene and known experts on a given topic, Grandma seems to draw on an endless supply of events and conversations in which she has been involved. To give her credit, she is mostly right in her assessments. When her opinions disagree with the reports – I hesitate to say “facts” because I cannot be absolutely certain – it is difficult to understand her argument and impossible to correct.
Enter Glenn Beck. We started to replay his segment from yesterday and when Grandma agreed with him, he was one of the wisest and bravest men on the face of the earth; when she did not agree, not so much. To his credit, she agreed in large part, with things as stated, but there were several divergent conversations and additional proofs which Grandpa had to quiet down so we could hear Glenn Beck.
One point on which there was some discussion was when Glenn Beck said, “After the death of Hitler..” To Grandma’s recollection, Hitler had just disappeared. For many years after the fall of Germany, that was the prevailing thought. The Soviet army had captured the bunker where Hitler had made his last stand and they were fearful of releasing information about what they found there. That was in April, 1945. Although papers reported in May 1945 on his death, mystery surrounded the event until late in 1969 when the Soviets released the autopsy reports.
I thought it was an interesting point. Certainly not one worth arguing at the time, but it shows how we can get things wrong and then set them so firmly in our memories that the facts, to us, are indisputable. I had to do my homework to find the facts, which is what Glenn Beck stresses.
It made me ask myself if there are any forty two year old ideas in my head that need correcting. I doubt there are very many, because every time I am wrong, Mama lets me know right away. Although I rarely reciprocate, that pattern of correction has remained in effect for almost thirty years.
As the saying goes, “Behind every good man there is a woman correcting his every mistake.” – something like that.
As I was waiting on Mama, Grandma and Grandpa came over. I was watching Fox News so they sat down and began watching with me, which is not too bad in and of itself. What makes it difficult is trying to listen to those who probably know what they are talking about, while Grandma comments non-stop on things she thinks they said.
Mostly she agrees with them. In the times that she does not, I am never sure the source of her information. While the people on TV are relying on eye witness reports, interviews with people on the scene and known experts on a given topic, Grandma seems to draw on an endless supply of events and conversations in which she has been involved. To give her credit, she is mostly right in her assessments. When her opinions disagree with the reports – I hesitate to say “facts” because I cannot be absolutely certain – it is difficult to understand her argument and impossible to correct.
Enter Glenn Beck. We started to replay his segment from yesterday and when Grandma agreed with him, he was one of the wisest and bravest men on the face of the earth; when she did not agree, not so much. To his credit, she agreed in large part, with things as stated, but there were several divergent conversations and additional proofs which Grandpa had to quiet down so we could hear Glenn Beck.
One point on which there was some discussion was when Glenn Beck said, “After the death of Hitler..” To Grandma’s recollection, Hitler had just disappeared. For many years after the fall of Germany, that was the prevailing thought. The Soviet army had captured the bunker where Hitler had made his last stand and they were fearful of releasing information about what they found there. That was in April, 1945. Although papers reported in May 1945 on his death, mystery surrounded the event until late in 1969 when the Soviets released the autopsy reports.
I thought it was an interesting point. Certainly not one worth arguing at the time, but it shows how we can get things wrong and then set them so firmly in our memories that the facts, to us, are indisputable. I had to do my homework to find the facts, which is what Glenn Beck stresses.
It made me ask myself if there are any forty two year old ideas in my head that need correcting. I doubt there are very many, because every time I am wrong, Mama lets me know right away. Although I rarely reciprocate, that pattern of correction has remained in effect for almost thirty years.
As the saying goes, “Behind every good man there is a woman correcting his every mistake.” – something like that.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Memorizing scripture, Seth’s first check
Mama, Maggie, Chase, Seth and I are in a soul winning training class at the church. This Sunday we have the second of two tests over the verses we are memorizing for the class. Everyone did fairly well on the first test. We had to write out the verses for Part One of the course. All of them were familiar; 1John 5:13, Rom. 3:23, Rom. 5:12, Rom. 6:23, Rom.5:8, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 10:13 – The Roman Road.
The verses for Part Two are not so familiar. I usually do not struggle in memorizing scripture but these verses have been a challenge. From the beginning of the course our pastor warned us that these verses were much more difficult to learn than the verses for Part One. He was right. It is not that they are totally unfamiliar, they are however, very similar in content and that makes them difficult to separate in memory. The verses are, Jn. 3:16, Jn. 3:18, Jn. 3:36, Jn. 5:24, Jn. 10:27-29. These are the verses of assurance of salvation. Added to these are two additional verses encouraging making a public profession of salvation, Rom.10:11 and Matt. 10:32.
Where I saw an effort on the part of Mama and Seth on the verses for Part One, I have not seen the same effort on Part Two; and it is crunch time. Mama really hates to be tested and it is sort of fun to see her struggle with the idea of having her work graded. She’ll do fine. So will Seth, but it is Thursday and the test is Sunday night and they are both squirming. I can’t wait to see what anxiety the final test brings.
Seth went and picked up his first check yesterday. He was pretty excited. Chase is so ready to get a job and he had better hurry because in his mind he has already spent the first two or three thousand dollars of his earnings. Seth is working on two big projects, the first of which is to repair his car. I could have paid for it myself but I am already maintaining three vehicles while keeping gas in four vehicles total. It just made more sense to let his car sit until he had a job and could pay for the repairs to put it on the road and the gas to keep it on the road.
When Mama asked Seth how he was doing on the job – at What-a-Burger – he said he really didn’t know but he was not going to quit. He was going to work until they fired him if it came to that. I appreciate that resolve. The biggest hurdle for him is the cryptic text used to communicate the orders to the cooks. I am not sure how it looks on the monitor as Seth sees it, but when he struggles with reading in the first place, I can only imagine the confusion he has to wrestle through in making whole thoughts out of abbreviated text.
He has been staying with us mostly since his classes are right around the corner and his work is less than one hundred yards from the house. I think the fact that we have food available has motivated him to stay close also. Add to that the video systems, cable TV, and the internet and we have a winning package.
Gas jumped almost twenty cents overnight. Scary!
The verses for Part Two are not so familiar. I usually do not struggle in memorizing scripture but these verses have been a challenge. From the beginning of the course our pastor warned us that these verses were much more difficult to learn than the verses for Part One. He was right. It is not that they are totally unfamiliar, they are however, very similar in content and that makes them difficult to separate in memory. The verses are, Jn. 3:16, Jn. 3:18, Jn. 3:36, Jn. 5:24, Jn. 10:27-29. These are the verses of assurance of salvation. Added to these are two additional verses encouraging making a public profession of salvation, Rom.10:11 and Matt. 10:32.
Where I saw an effort on the part of Mama and Seth on the verses for Part One, I have not seen the same effort on Part Two; and it is crunch time. Mama really hates to be tested and it is sort of fun to see her struggle with the idea of having her work graded. She’ll do fine. So will Seth, but it is Thursday and the test is Sunday night and they are both squirming. I can’t wait to see what anxiety the final test brings.
Seth went and picked up his first check yesterday. He was pretty excited. Chase is so ready to get a job and he had better hurry because in his mind he has already spent the first two or three thousand dollars of his earnings. Seth is working on two big projects, the first of which is to repair his car. I could have paid for it myself but I am already maintaining three vehicles while keeping gas in four vehicles total. It just made more sense to let his car sit until he had a job and could pay for the repairs to put it on the road and the gas to keep it on the road.
When Mama asked Seth how he was doing on the job – at What-a-Burger – he said he really didn’t know but he was not going to quit. He was going to work until they fired him if it came to that. I appreciate that resolve. The biggest hurdle for him is the cryptic text used to communicate the orders to the cooks. I am not sure how it looks on the monitor as Seth sees it, but when he struggles with reading in the first place, I can only imagine the confusion he has to wrestle through in making whole thoughts out of abbreviated text.
He has been staying with us mostly since his classes are right around the corner and his work is less than one hundred yards from the house. I think the fact that we have food available has motivated him to stay close also. Add to that the video systems, cable TV, and the internet and we have a winning package.
Gas jumped almost twenty cents overnight. Scary!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Driving less, Next
Even though gas prices have leveled out, the level they chose to stabilize is not very attractive. Even Mama feels the pinch and has promised to drive less. I am not sure how, in a town the size of Amarillo, we can burn through more than a tank of gas per week, but somehow we do. Considering that we usually get +/- 380 miles per tank full of gas and everything is within ten miles of the house – at the most distant point - that’s nineteen round trips to somewhere. Most of those are to get Chase to and from school and she has begun to incorporate her shopping trips into her school runs. But it still hurts.
I really have no right to complain since I have an hour commute. That is not necessarily a gas saving exercise. Besides, we have good friends in New Jersey who also have a large family. They drive a large vehicle of necessity. The father posted the other day that he hates telling the attendant, “Fill it up or $90, whichever comes first.” I am sure that happens more than once per week.
It seems that the farm we were looking at has some problems. That is why it is still on the market at the price we were excited about. I am not a lawyer so I do not know if the problems are insurmountable but I do know they are obvious enough that even interested realtors have shied away.
One of the problems is that the original deed (January 1963) was written with a reverter clause. It states that if any of the restrictions placed on the deed are violated that the property will revert to the grantor or his heirs. It is obvious when reading the deed that several of the restrictions have been violated. Most deal with placement of dwellings. So it looks like the property must go to the heirs and whoever is unfortunate enough to now owe money on the land is still fully liable to the bank for the balance of the note when ownership reverts to the heirs.
You learn something new every day.
So we move on. I am going to do a little research to see if the property is still viable but I will not waste too much time on it. There are other properties out there and we have no clear direction where to buy yet. What is clear is that Mama and I want to have a farm again. It is not a bad desire, but we are not completely sure it is a Godly desire. So we will continue doing what we are doing until it becomes clear what, if anything, we are to do differently.
Meanwhile, our plants seem to be doing nicely.
I really have no right to complain since I have an hour commute. That is not necessarily a gas saving exercise. Besides, we have good friends in New Jersey who also have a large family. They drive a large vehicle of necessity. The father posted the other day that he hates telling the attendant, “Fill it up or $90, whichever comes first.” I am sure that happens more than once per week.
It seems that the farm we were looking at has some problems. That is why it is still on the market at the price we were excited about. I am not a lawyer so I do not know if the problems are insurmountable but I do know they are obvious enough that even interested realtors have shied away.
One of the problems is that the original deed (January 1963) was written with a reverter clause. It states that if any of the restrictions placed on the deed are violated that the property will revert to the grantor or his heirs. It is obvious when reading the deed that several of the restrictions have been violated. Most deal with placement of dwellings. So it looks like the property must go to the heirs and whoever is unfortunate enough to now owe money on the land is still fully liable to the bank for the balance of the note when ownership reverts to the heirs.
You learn something new every day.
So we move on. I am going to do a little research to see if the property is still viable but I will not waste too much time on it. There are other properties out there and we have no clear direction where to buy yet. What is clear is that Mama and I want to have a farm again. It is not a bad desire, but we are not completely sure it is a Godly desire. So we will continue doing what we are doing until it becomes clear what, if anything, we are to do differently.
Meanwhile, our plants seem to be doing nicely.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A day with Mama, exploring options
I finished out February with a day off, which I spent with Mama. It was a typical day with Mama. We left the house at 10 a.m. and got home about 4 p.m. We got lot of little things done for us, for Grandma and Grandpa, for Victoria and for Chase. It will be a nice change of pace to be back in the office today; although it is going to be very busy here today, plus it will save me a ton of money.
Mama, Grandma and Grandpa and I went to look at a “slightly wrecked” car lot yesterday. It is called Amarillo repairable autos. There were a couple of cars that really excited Grandpa and one or two that interested me also. Of course neither of us have any money to pursue the idea of buying to fix for sale nor for upgrading our cars right now. But it may be something we do look into in the near future.
There was a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse on the lot that would have made Chase and Seth drool – blue, five speed with a sunroof and sport wheels. It was in good shape. I would drive it as is if we could buy it. When I told Chase about it and the fact that we could not get it right now, he had us drive him to several different places he had put in applications to see if they had been reviewed. Oh, how we love to think about spending money. He kept saying, “I gotta get a job.”
Grandpa and I also went to Harbor Freight. He had never been to the store and since it is right by the house it seemed a good idea to take him to look around. Right away we found a tool he had mentioned several times. It was much less expensive than he has thought it would be. We did not get it but we will eventually. We were also looking for an engine to repair the air compressor he has in his garage. We found it but it was not on sale. It should be soon since they have about twenty of them in the store right now.
Still no word on the farm we looked at and prayed about. Mama is exasperated with the lack of response from the realtor. Actually she is unhappy with the realtors in the area in general. We have had a very poor response from all but one of them. Mama will contact that realtor today to see if we can get some information.
So far we have two blueberry, two black raspberry and two red seedless grape plants growing in pots with the intention of transplanting into a garden plot on a farm. It may be a vain hope but we will have a start if things do work out. Besides, it keeps the dream alive in a tangible way and all of us love growing plants. Two are at our house and four are at Grandma and Grandpa’s. I think it is a real encouragement to Grandpa. Every little bit helps.
Mama and I were asked to take over the 4-5 year-old Primary Church. We are genuinely excited about it. We have been away from little ones too long. Mama has kept the stuff that we used in New Jersey very close at hand for such an opportunity. I am not sure when we will begin, but I think it will be the week of the 20th of March. We are taking over the Children’s Church the week of the 13th since the couple that normally does that will be on vacation.
This year is already going too fast.
Mama, Grandma and Grandpa and I went to look at a “slightly wrecked” car lot yesterday. It is called Amarillo repairable autos. There were a couple of cars that really excited Grandpa and one or two that interested me also. Of course neither of us have any money to pursue the idea of buying to fix for sale nor for upgrading our cars right now. But it may be something we do look into in the near future.
There was a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse on the lot that would have made Chase and Seth drool – blue, five speed with a sunroof and sport wheels. It was in good shape. I would drive it as is if we could buy it. When I told Chase about it and the fact that we could not get it right now, he had us drive him to several different places he had put in applications to see if they had been reviewed. Oh, how we love to think about spending money. He kept saying, “I gotta get a job.”
Grandpa and I also went to Harbor Freight. He had never been to the store and since it is right by the house it seemed a good idea to take him to look around. Right away we found a tool he had mentioned several times. It was much less expensive than he has thought it would be. We did not get it but we will eventually. We were also looking for an engine to repair the air compressor he has in his garage. We found it but it was not on sale. It should be soon since they have about twenty of them in the store right now.
Still no word on the farm we looked at and prayed about. Mama is exasperated with the lack of response from the realtor. Actually she is unhappy with the realtors in the area in general. We have had a very poor response from all but one of them. Mama will contact that realtor today to see if we can get some information.
So far we have two blueberry, two black raspberry and two red seedless grape plants growing in pots with the intention of transplanting into a garden plot on a farm. It may be a vain hope but we will have a start if things do work out. Besides, it keeps the dream alive in a tangible way and all of us love growing plants. Two are at our house and four are at Grandma and Grandpa’s. I think it is a real encouragement to Grandpa. Every little bit helps.
Mama and I were asked to take over the 4-5 year-old Primary Church. We are genuinely excited about it. We have been away from little ones too long. Mama has kept the stuff that we used in New Jersey very close at hand for such an opportunity. I am not sure when we will begin, but I think it will be the week of the 20th of March. We are taking over the Children’s Church the week of the 13th since the couple that normally does that will be on vacation.
This year is already going too fast.
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