Livestock, office moves, Becky, Chase

Yesterday, as soon as Mama and I got out of Children’s Church we hurried to get the things loaded to go to Bowie – among them were the chickens. After we emptied the little van of all but the front two seats we had enough room to put the chicken cage in without having to put the little chickens in other boxes as we had originally planned. I suppose it was better for the livestock but Mama was paranoid about the little feathers that occasionally floated up to the front. She nearly scared me to death by how she reacted to one that she says got up her nose.


We had the rear windows cracked open but we did not want to open any windows too much because the outside temperature was only 55 degrees. Mama and Victoria had struggled to keep the little chicks warm for the last two weeks and we were not about to give them pneumonia now. Besides the cool temperature we actually drove through some areas of rain; in fact for the last hundred miles or we drove in a heavy mist. Grandpa says the tanks are filling up fast and this evening I will get to see for myself.

Though we hurried through loading and lunch, Mama and I got in too late last night to join Grandma and Grandpa at church. The service started at 6 p.m. and we got in to Bowie at almost 7 p.m. We met them at their house and transferred the chicken cage to Grandpa’s little truck, hiding them under the topper, but we could not close the tailgate because the cage was about one inch too long. It really is a big cage! But I checked this morning on my way out to the car and the little ones were huddled together but okay. I did not want to stir them up too much.

Today is a holiday so Mama will have to wait until tomorrow to do some of the business we have to get done this trip. It is too muddy to do much at the farm today either, so I assume they will concentrate on filling the dumpster again with the contents of the farmhouse. Grandma is anxious to show Mama how much they have gotten done in the house. Grandpa is anxious to show us what he has gotten done on the buildings. They both look better for the activity.

The initial office rearrangement in Decatur will happen today and I will oversee it even though the personnel here are not happy about it. My boss insists that I take the lead in order to emphasize the fact that we are all part of the same company – an attitude that is not well received at this site. In ways it is a little bit fun to stir the pot. In other ways it is exasperating to have to cajole and coddle in order to keep everyone from complaining too much.

According to the latest word from Becky, she should be home as early as Wednesday. She has gotten her phone every weekend – boy, do we know it! She has talked non-stop about a puppy that Charles has gotten for her. I should remember the dog’s name but I don’t. I remember smiling at hearing it but that was the extent of attention I gave it. I am sure it will come up again. At any rate, her experience in the National Guard will soon be over and we will see soon how much of an impact it had on her and by extension, Charles. God never lets any experience go to waste.

We let Chase back the car into the driveway a couple times Saturday and he did very well. Other than almost running over the curb on the opposite side of the street, he did alright. He is hoping Victoria will take him to get his official learner’s permit this week. He is also hoping she will teach him how to parallel park so he can take the driving test in a couple of weeks.

The most difficult part for me is having to add him to my insurance.