Little things, weather woes, home

I have been having trouble getting started this morning. We had a dinner at church last night. It probably should be called our Christmas dinner but it has been called the Holiday dinner. That name was acceptable until one of the men asked in jest if we were trying to be politically correct. So now we have to adopt a new name for the event. I thought the entire exercise was cute but unnecessary.


It was a big event. I am not sure how many people attended but it was more than we usually have on a Wednesday night. We did not get out until 9:30 p.m. which is at least an hour past my bedtime. I woke up about an hour later than normal and after getting dressed sat in one of our recliners and slept another forty five minutes before leaving for work. I will catch up to the activities of the day. I will not so easily catch up to the missed sleep.

Sadly, Mama left the evening with her feelings hurt because the ladies in charge of the kitchen and the food assignments fussed at her because she brought more than she was assigned. I have a very difficult time understanding how that could be a problem, but it has turned into one for the moment. I will only let it go a little while before I say something. It tends to be little things like that that build into unnecessary problems. When you couple with that the fact that we seem to keep fighting with another couple for the seat we usually sit in, it breeds tension. But we are creatures of habit seeking to control our environment and when that control is threatened, when we are required to be “out of the ordinary” it quickly becomes uncomfortable. This too shall pass.

The morning temperature was near freezing this morning which is a good thing. It should be warm enough today to melt some patches of ice that still remain on our secondary roads. The next predicted morning temperature above freezing is next Tuesday. Of course with the weather patterns we have here on the high plains, this morning’s temperature could be the high for the day.

We plan on leaving for Bowie after church Sunday night next week. I am looking at the extended forecast to see what the predictions are for that night, bearing in mind, it is only a prediction and subject to change without notice. The good news is that when we get to Bowie, we will be south and east of the more severe winter weather patterns and probably safe in our travel from that point on. Again, only the Lord knows but tomorrow morning the outlook for that day should be posted on the ten day forecast. Technology is a blessing and a curse.

I love my children and grandchildren and am looking forward to seeing them and spending time with them, but I have to admit to looking forward to the last week of December when I can spend a few days on our farm. I appreciate the generosity of Maggie and Aaron in helping us make this trip and I want to devote my full attention to them while we are together but I am able to better understand my father’s devotion to the work on the homes we restored in Chappell Hill.

With the stress I am under at work and the financial burdens we have taken on to develop the farm, it is a blessing to have that kind of work to do, that kind of long-range plan to put in place, that kind of release of energy in a totally different manner. If all goes well it will be our home soon.

It is already beginning to feel like home.