Farming foes, revival, snow

For the past several mornings Grandpa has found fresh footprints around the chicken coup. On the first morning they were the prints of coyotes and on subsequent mornings those of a skunk or possum were added to the mix. No chickens have been taken yet, but my worry and that of Grandpa is of snakes and weasels which can get through a much smaller opening.


Grandpa told Mama he was going to stay over there late one night to see what he could shoot and I may do that one night when we are up there, but I am not sure if I could stay awake long enough to be any good. When we get the donkeys on the property – hopefully this weekend - they will at least discourage the coyotes. We can deal with the skunks and other smaller vermin. Grandma is still convinced she can sell them for big money, but I am not so sure. I am still seeing horses, mules and donkeys being given away on Craigslist.

We are in revival this week. It will last through Sunday night. The evangelist is very good and his sermons are direct and short. He uses lots of scripture to make his points and the weaving of thoughts through his delivery it very effective. Tonight is the only difficult night I will face since I can sleep in on Saturday morning. These conferences become an endurance contest for me and others, but they serve a great purpose in our growth, besides, God always gives a special strength to keep those of us going who have to work on less sleep through these events.

As Mama worked with help yesterday, I looked at the ten day forecast and discovered that rain and snow are predicted to blow in early next week. I called Mama to let her know that putting things on the covered patio is probably not the best idea in the short term to address the clutter in the house; I just assumed that is what was happening and it was. The thought of snow alone threw her into a tailspin.

She immediately stared to make plans for Chase to drive himself to work if it does snow. “Really”, I countered, “how much sense does that make to have the most inexperienced drive take our only good vehicle for a drive in the snow?” The panic was on then. Remember we are talking about the possibility of snow a week away. Mama put me in mind of Maggie worrying about and planning for the possibility of events months, even years away. Don’t get me wrong, such preoccupation can have its advantages, but it is more often a futile expenditure of emotional energy. So far I have discovered that snow and ice are the only things that instantly do that to Mama. I have not broached the idea of weather condition should she and Victoria take Chase to New Jersey – in late December – which is an idea I threw out yesterday. Mama is excited about the thought of visiting there, not so much about the idea of getting there…and back.

I have told my children my theory that we are only given a finite amount of emotional energy for a lifetime, so I council that it is best not to waste it on things that are of no real consequence. Deciding what is of value and what is not comes with experience and maturity – not that one always leads to the other.