Animals in the news, Becky and the fire, relationships

Victoria and Grandpa seem to be enjoying working together on the farm. She called several times yesterday to ask directions and to update me on several issues. One of which was the traps we had set out. It turns out that the larger trap actually did catch a predator; Droopy, the hound Grandma has adopted. He did not technically get caught; he only robbed the trap of the bait we had set in it. He is too large to be caught in it. Victoria saw him sneak off to eat the chicken head we had set for bait. Feeding Droopy was not the intent of the trap so we will have to set it more carefully in the future.


I was also informed that we will be getting the three burros we were promised last year. Evidently they and the cattle they were with went “walk about” on several hundred acres and have just recently been located and contained. Grandpa is going to set them in the feed lot we have set up. This will allow him to get to know them and vice versa. We can access which ones we will adopt and which we will get rid of. We are planning on having only pets on this farm and any difficult animal will be eaten or sold; whichever is appropriate.

The same individual has some 80# pigs for sale. Grandpa is going to buy at least two. Good thing we are thinning our flock of chickens so we can afford the hog feed. These particular pigs are young purebred Durocs; they are a beautiful russet color, which is neither here nor there because pork tastes like pork. We saw them several months ago just after they were born. There are also some Hampshire piglets to be gotten later but the Dorocs are to be raised to butcher. We will buy a Hamp sow in the spring so Mama can raise some little ones.

We have held off getting pigs until we can protest them from coyotes and roaming dog packs. It looks like now may be the time. Grandpa and Victoria will have to hurry to finish out the hog building and put the last runs of barbed wire above the hog panels to secure the building and small lot, but for the most part, it is ready. Delivery will be some time this week.

Last night I called a man in Bowie who has a dairy. We drove by it several times last Saturday and noticed several newly born Jersey calves. He told me last night that he has been keeping all the calves for his herd but he has ten more cows ready to drop calves in the next several weeks and he may sell them. The only problem is that Grandpa does not want to pay $85-100 per calf. He wants to stay around $50. We had a chance to buy ten calves at $45 each last Saturday but we had to pass due to time constraints and the lack of protection for them on the farm. That problem will be solved this week.

Becky called me several times on Sunday to talk to me about a large fire that was burning a building only a block from their house. They were in no immediate danger of losing the house but it was filling with smoke and she wanted to know what to do. When I suggested they take their doggie and leave she balked citing Charles’ rotten attitude over having to deal with the problem in the first place. Oh, well. By last night all was well. She mentioned another drama concerning their tenant harboring a runaway, but I kept clear of any details. She has a knack for involvement in interesting situations.

She is studying to become an EMT and I have the feeling she will do quite well at that should she get through the program. She is a little on the petite side for some of the lifting and carrying that may be required in the performance of some EMT duties, but she is pretty intuitive when it comes to rendering aid and since EMT rendered assistance is limited to external applications – no intubations or starting IV’s – she should be a great candidate. It is not a high paying job, but the craft can offer a full time job with good benefits. Time will tell.

Cori and Nate are already having to struggle through troubled relationships with their two oldest. Mykenzie’s heart was broken when Stewart “snatched” – her words – her balloon from her at a recent birthday party. In the ensuing tussle it drifted to the ceiling of the gym, far out of reach: the replacement balloon was poor consolation for the wounding. Boys can be such a pain. Case in point; Grant, having been refused a hug from his targeted amore, simply knocked her to the floor. (Seems reasonable in a caveman-like way.)

To date, Blake still likes his mommy better than any other female; however, the teenage years of their children could be quite a struggle for this young couple.

Farm life, the house, women drivers

We got to Bowie after 2 a.m. having left Amarillo after services on Thursday night. We all slept until about 8 a.m. Mama was expecting to sleep much later but it does not seem to work that way when we are near the farm. After doing the morning feeding Grandpa and I went to look at a hay rake that we had looked at some months earlier. We ended up buying it because of the way it was set up. We think it will be a great help to us as we begin to harvest hay, hopefully later this year, because it can be pulled by a 4-wheeler or a truck since it does not require a tractor to operate it.


On Saturday morning Grandpa and I killed and skinned eight roosters. We are trying to thin the flock to cut back on the feed required. The weekend after next we will do eight more and follow up with the final eight roosters some time in late February. That will put us down to a manageable flock of twelve laying hens and a couple roosters. We will begin raising butchering chickens in April.

Mama and Victoria were both fascinated and horrified by the exercise of turning our live roosters into edible chickens. I have to admit it was more effort than either Grandpa or I were prepared for. From now on, we will limit the amount of birds to be handled to the eight we did. The first one took us a full twenty minutes as we rediscovered how to get the job done. By the time we were on the fifth bird we were down to about five minutes each. Grandma then had to wash the chickens and bag them for freezing. It took her a good bit of effort also. The birds were a little small to be butchered, but it was good timing for us.

While Victoria and I were catching the roosters to put them into the cage we were using to house them for the final kill, two of the roosters got in with the hens and the large rooster housed with them. That did not make him happy and the fight was on. While that was happening, Mama left to coop door open and two hens escaped. So while our caged birds looked on, Victoria, Mama and I tried to catch the errant hens and separate the young roosters from the older one. I am pleased to tell that no hens were injured in the production of this episode. Eight roosters lost their lives and will be eaten soon. Three more were wounded in the fighting. They are recovering in the coop infirmary.

I tore into one corner of the house this weekend. There was already a hole in the floor by a large front window so I ripped out the wall and flooring from that point. What I found was extensive termite damage to the floor and floor joists. The joists were sitting on the ground and had been backfilled with dirt almost level with the floor. No thought was given to controlling termites and it shows. The walls are in good shape. Most of the damage is confined to the sheetrock layer which is attached to a solid interior wall of 1” Southern Yellow Pine boards.

All of the interior wall will have to be removed to properly insulate but we will make tables, shelving and cabinets out of the pine boards once they are removed and cleaned. I have decided to tear off the entire roof and redo it so it can be constructed with more available room and insulated properly. It will be a nice house when it is done; it will require only time and money to get it there. Any hopes of being ready for occupancy this fall may ill placed, but we will see. Victoria and Grandpa are fired up about getting the work done and Grandpa has surprised us thus far with the amount of projects he has completed by doing a little bit every day.

Cori told us about an episode this last week in which Mykenzie and Shepherd were playing on one of those battery operated trucks that Shepherd’s family owns. Shepherd, three and one half years old, was teaching Mykenzie to operate the vehicle, which was funny enough as Shepherd sped them around the yard with Mykenzie practically pulling Shepherd off of the vehicle as she made no attempt to lean forward as they drove together. If Shepherd had not has a tight grip on the handlebars, they would have both fallen off the way Mykenzie (arms wrapped around Shepherd) was pulling him backward. But that was not the end of the story.

Mykenzie, not one to let a little lack of training stop her, decided to drive the little truck herself – unbeknownst to either mommy. She came into the house a few minutes later and interrupted the mommy conversation with the casual announcement, “I’m really sorry. I ran over Shepherd.” Both of the mommy’s ran outside to find Shepherd literally under the truck, trying to free himself. He was not hurt. They lifted the truck off of him and all play resumed – without any motorized equipment. Fortunately it will be several years before Mykenzie will operate anything heavier than a plastic vehicle.

It may be several weeks before she is issued a permit to operate this one again.

Hurrying along, Victoria, Makaila

January is almost over. It is hard to believe. I do not know why it is always such a shock to realize the sudden advance of the calendar date into a new month, but it does seem so. Plans that were made in December now have to be put into action even though it seemed so far away during the Holidays. We are talking about Grandpa and Mama going to West Virginia in late February to gather purchased farm equipment while Victoria and Grandma hold down the farm. I will remain alone in Amarillo while everyone else is having fun.


My children bought me a plaque many years ago. It reads:

Daddy’s Dream; To someday have enough money to live as well as his wife and kids do.

I am still working in that direction.

In March we are going to triple the number of plant starts we will have made in February and put some of the earlier plants in the garden. It will be the first produce grown on the property in a decade. All of us are excited; especially Grandpa. He will be warming up some soil next week for the beginning of the starter plants – mostly tomatoes. Seeds will not be put in the ground until late March and early April, but even that is only several weeks away.

I can only imagine that Brittany is starting to freak out about her wedding plans. The date is only twenty weeks away and there is so much to do. Between that we have Andrew’s graduation from the Air Force Academy and Chase’s graduation for Somerset bible Baptist Academy; not to mention birthdays, holidays and special events we have not heard about yet. All this to be crowded into a few dozen weeks we will fly through in the first half of 2012. Time really is not on our side very often.

Victoria and Mama will do the final packing today for her trip to Bowie. Several people in the church here are worried they will not be able to say goodbye to her because she has been sick most of the week. She did not do to church last Sunday night nor did she go last night. Makaila (that is the correct spelling) did go with us – at her own invitation, but Victoria had a fever. She had been sent home from work early because of it. We are hoping she can go tonight, but I do not know yet if she will.

Mama will have to come to Borger to get me today. I am turning in the truck I have been driving while awaiting an assigned truck. My boss is making the case for taking away all “non-essential” vehicles from personnel within my group and with that in the works I do not feel comfortable continuously borrowing a truck not assigned to me. I hope it is short lived, but there is no way to tell at this point. I told Mama I hated to interrupt her nap time but there was not a better way to work it out today; besides there are people here in Borger that would love to see her for a few minutes.

We will leave after church as planned and Victoria will move as planned. I hope it is the right decision. Victoria says she is not really ready to leave this church but all she really participates in is her Sunday School class and Children’s Church. We have to drag her to Soul Winning and threaten her to make her go to any special function. She rushes out the door after the service is dismissed – like her Grandpa used to do. So I am not sure where the connection is, but it is a matter to bathe in a lot of prayer. Perhaps, the little she does is enough for her, but it is a far cry from what I a used to after being with her Mama for thirty years.

Makaila is trying to get her family to go to revival tonight. Her mom and dad are interested but church has not been a part of their life for some time now. It is always difficult to go back.

Decisions, thunder, training, moving Victoria

I left work after the requisite eight and one half hours yesterday so I could take a nap before our scheduled training. When I woke from the nap I realized it was much later in the afternoon than I should have slept. Mama had cancelled the appointment and I was relieved she had. I went back to bed at 8:30 and slept through the night. It was much needed.


She and I seriously discussed the prospect of foster care and have come to the conclusion that it may not be the right thing for us to pursue at this time. Part of the decision not to continue is due to the undue burden it puts on those around us. For instance, if we leave a child in our care for more than eight hours with any person, that person has to have a criminal background check, be fingerprinted and be registered with the foster care agency. Anyone who lives with us who is over eighteen years old must go through the training and maintain their certification during the years they are in our home.

With those restrictions, Chase and Victoria would have to go through the training as would Grandma and Grandpa since we stay with them when we are in Bowie. Any adult who regularly is in our home must go through a criminal background check.. It all seemed like too much to ask. Then there are the home inspections, the financial statements to be recorded, the disclosure of all chemicals and medicines in the home, the disclosure of all firearms in the home, the registration of all pet, etc.

At this point Mama and I are looking at other avenues of ministry which are less personally invasive and do not require the registration of all persons associated with our lives. After joining the discussion, Victoria gave Mama a brochure about helping unwed mothers at a shelter here in Amarillo. Her timing seemed perfect. Mama is going to check into it next week. I do feel a sense of relief in the decision – at least as it stands today.

Last night some thunderstorms rolled quickly through the area and the noise that accompanied them scared Victoria’s little dog to the point of total confusion. After one particularly loud clap of thunder he ran from where he was in the kitchen begging food from his mistress into the living and tried to hide under every piece of furniture in the room. Then he ran to the bedroom and tried to hide there. Finally, Victoria had to pick him up to calm him down. Boy is the spring going to be rough on him. Rosie watched the excitement and barked at him a couple of times while she sat shivering on the couch.

Mykenzie is already progressing in her preparation for marriage. Grant, who has not felt well for the past several days, came out of his lethargy yesterday and began to play with his sister. Cori says Mykenzie was noticeably excited by having her playmate back to his usual self. They were playing something that required jumping over some pillows and having a great time until she got hurt. At which point she turned to her brother and sternly scolded him. “Grant”, she boohooed melodramatically, “Why did you make me play this game? Now I got hurt!” Us males (especially those of us who are married) know that the unspoken portion is “And it’s all your fault!” At four years old she still has several years to perfect the technique, but she is showing real promise.

Mama and Victoria will be packing the van today for her move to Bowie. I get the impression she is more excited now than she was last week. There is not much to do to move her. There is a bedroom already set up for her there. Her car is already there. All we need to do is get her cloths, her books, a computer and some miscellaneous items packed. We are planning on leaving for Bowie after the service on Thursday evening. It will put us in after 1 a.m. but it will give us the opportunity for a fresh start on Friday morning.

Victoria is more worried about how to get internet there than she is about anything else.

Place your order, varmints, peace

Cori let Mama in on a family secret yesterday; they are thinking about having another baby. It seems they have been talking to the children about the idea and of course, they are totally on board with it. Both Mykenzie and Grant favor the next member of the Mortenson clan being a girl. In fact, Mykenzie has a name already picked out – Morgan. In their true childlike faith, they are already asking God’s blessings on their sister. They have a 50/50 chance with genetics. With God, the potential goes up much higher.


One of Cori’s friends in now pregnant with her fourth and her oldest also placed his order for a sister. That seemed a bit unusual since he has two brothers. His mother was expecting the request to be for an additional brother. The mother wants to name the child Campbell – though I am not sure why, but her son insists on praying for baby Sally. When his mom asked him why Sally, he answered as though she should know. “Our names are Stewart, Shepherd and Sabin, all S’s. So her name has to be Sally.” Who could argue with that? I hope he is not disappointed since the little one is already 6-8 weeks along, which, I am pretty sure is past the exchange date.

Tomorrow will be Victoria’ last day at Sam’s. We will drive over to her new home on Thursday night after revival services. I think she is excited about the move, but, honestly, it is hard to tell. Grandpa on the other hand is quite excited about the move. He is making plans for the next several weeks that will require her help. Starting the seeds for the garden is a very high priority. Getting equipment hauled in is another.

While Mama and I were in training last night Grandma called and left a message on Mama’s phone. Last week we began to set out live traps in an attempt to catch whatever varmint is killing our guineas. One of those traps caught a very large rat. Mama was freaking out though never having seen it almost as much as Grandma who had seen it. Grandpa shot and killed it; then shot it twice more to make sure.

Now both Mama and Grandma favor burning down the little house in lieu of remodeling it. I do not know what one has to so with the other, but I am wrestling that issue for the moment. Changing the structure will not eliminate the vermin any more than a thorough remodeling job will do. They would simply have newer materials to build their nests from either way; with remodeling being cheaper and faster to complete. Goodness sakes. On this farm we do not want the rats and mice to have to work with any old stuff. We will give them fresh materials to use.

While Mama, Victoria, Grandpa and the two guests were cleaning up brush last weekend, they stirred up a few mice which were caught by Victoria’s little dog. He seems to be averse to the little creatures and was murderous on them – literally. Maybe, with him in the house there will be some security for the women. My solution; catch and introduce under the house several snakes to keep the rat population in check. Grandma is opposed to that one although nature may work it out in my favor regardless.

Mama and I were talking on the way from our training about the idea that a direction, an unction must be associated in our hearts with a perfect peace before we are to act upon it. I am not in agreement with that thought. Personally, I rarely have a true peace in any of the difficult decisions I make. There is a resolve in my heart to act upon the perceived instructions or directions I have, but not necessarily a peace. My wicked heart and selfish nature always cause me to second guess even the most certain of those decisions.

Our pastor calls Phil 4:6-7 the red light/green light verses for spiritual guidance. He teaches that if there is not peace in a decision, do not act. Perhaps what I equate with resolve is peace, but I am not certain. Patience will always reveal more and more of God’s plan but waiting can lead to deleterious results also if it is motivated by fear or procrastination. There is rarely the need to hurry with God. So there must be a balance. Even in buying the farm, an exercise in which God obviously showed His leading, I told my father that I would only know we had made the right decision several years from now as we see God’s long term involvement in the project.

Perhaps, I am not spiritual enough and I know I do not spend enough time in prayer. But I am working through the idea.

Weather, a rebuke, our guest

When we left for church Sunday morning it was 45 degrees with a blistering 45 mile per hour wind. The sky was turning brown with the sand and dust being vacuumed into the clouds by the wind. As we got out of church, it began to rain. It was dirty rain; like driving through a mud puddle. By the time we got to Wal-Mart, about ten minutes later it was beginning to hail. I dropped Mama and Victoria off at the door and waited in the car.


People were running for their cars and trucks with grocery bags over their heads, their coats of little use unless they were securely zipped and snug fitting. They were tossing their purchases into their vehicles, abandoning their shopping carts and fleeing the scene as those carts became errant parking assailants, driven by the fierce winds. More than three cars were struck, that I could see.

By the time we sat down to eat dinner, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. All that remained of the storm was the water running down the full ditches. Pastor told us that night at church that was vintage Texas panhandle weather.

Victoria missed church last night because of a cold and cough. She really would have disturbed the service if she had gone, but it was a little sad that she missed her last Sunday night here before we take her to Bowie this weekend. Mama and I are going to miss her help in Children’s Church and I know Mama will miss having her around in a lot of other ways.

Pastor came by just after we got home on Saturday to tell us he was against her moving to Bowie. He was disappointed that we had not conferred with him about the decision to seek her transfer to the Wal-Mart in Bowie. I assured him we had been praying about it for several months and God seems to have answered. We cannot know for sure for some time to come, but we were confident in the move; less so about the church, which is where his objection was focused.

Mama and I have prayed more about it and we are going to let her go through with the move. It will be a blessing to Grandma and Grandpa. I hope in the long run it will be a blessing to Victoria; again, there is no way of really knowing for sure until we see God work in the situation. As I told the pastor, it is a choice between better and best and there is rarely total peace in those decisions.

Pastor did ask while he was in our home if Mama was still babysitting children. There is a young couple attending our church that has twin two year old girls. The mother is looking for a job and she will need the twins watched if she gets the job. Pastor is praying against that also, but we will see how it turns out. Mama may need the company with Victoria and Chase gone, but she does not want to tie herself down. She wants to be able to go with me to Bowie every time I go – which is not a bad thing. That idea limits the scope of foster care we will be able to provide also.

Makaliah, Chase’s sweetheart, came to church with us last night. It was obvious that it was a new experience for her. Our “traditional” services are not what she is used to, but she adapted and seemed to enjoy the church as a whole. I have asked that she come with us on Sunday nights so she can see where Chase’s faith and doctrine comes from. I cannot know how things will work out between them and they seem set on taking the relationship to a more serious level. At the least, going to services with us will expose her to the expectations of his belief system. At best, it will expose her to the plan of salvation if there is that need in her life.

Chase is at Winter Camp this week. Please pray God is very clear with him. It often takes more courage than we can anticipate to act on the issues God lays on our hearts in those teachable moments.

Farm visitors, Victoria, chicken question, real mommy

Mama invited two young ladies from our church to go to the farm with us. Since it will only be a couple nights, it seemed a perfect opportunity. We did not leave Amarillo until about 4:30 p.m. so we did not arrive in Bowie until almost 10:00 p.m. Needless to say I had a very short night. The sisters rode with Victoria for the entire trip and they all seemed to have a good time. One of the sisters, the elder, is an entertaining yakker, the younger is very quiet.


Victoria registered a complaint to me about the additional travelers but by the time we had made our first stop – a potty break – she had been won over by the two. Both of the house dogs traveled with the girls since the little van was fully loaded and despite our muted worries about the car, it made the trip without a hint of trouble.

Mama asked me if I would take the car to work today and I explained that I would not because it would stand out far to starkly in a parking lot full of pricey vehicles at this office. In Borger, that was not the case. There, even the work vehicles have seen quite a bit of wear and people are not so obsessed with what they drive. She got a big kick out of my hesitation to use Victoria’s car; preferring to take the van instead.

I went to bed as soon as I could but the girls, Mama included, stayed up for some time talking to Grandma. That is what Grandma lives for and I am sure they all got along splendidly. They will spend the day at the farm and Victoria will go to her interview at Brookshire’s at 11:00 a.m. I am not sure how that will turn out but there is the sure job at Wal-Mart – which is why we are transferring her things to Bowie. Either way she starts next Saturday.

Victoria’s being here will be a great boon to Grandma and Grandpa and I hope it will be a blessing to her as well. With Victoria, it is difficult to tell if her heart is in the right place or not, so we will have to pray and wait to see how the Lord will affect her in this setting. I am hoping her husband is around here somewhere – maybe at the language institute located here in Bowie. I am not sure of the name of the school, but they train missionaries in whatever language they need to learn for their field of service. God knows.

The chickens Grandpa recently bought have given him several eggs as a reward for their keeping. There are five hens and a rooster in the lot. Right now they are separated from the chickens we have been raising until Grandpa figures out how to arrange to new quarters. He is excited to have the hens and the eggs. We are still a little at odds trying to figure out which of the thirty chickens we have are hens and which are roosters. Grandpa and Mama thought they had made the determination until he bought the laying hens. They look just like the ones that were thought to be roosters. We are taking a step back to reevaluate the issue.

Cori and Mama were talking late yesterday about poor little Grant. It seems he was going through the house yesterday calling out, “Real Mommy! Real Mommy!” He needed some adult council on how to settle a sibling dispute. Mykenzie (pretend Mommy) would not continue to play with him because of some expectation on her part that he had not met and he wanted to make sure his real mommy was aware of the gross injustice.

Cori was laughing and sympathizing in the same breath. As his real mommy, she has to discipline as well as punish his for an infraction of the rules, while his pretend mommy simple refuses to continue to play with him should he offend or challenge her. He is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Real mommy had a hug, a kiss and a little tickle session for him. Pretend mommy had to endure his mock distain for her as he enjoyed the affection.

Victoria’s answer, too busy

We often pray without knowing what the outcome will be. In those cases when a better-or-best outcome is being sought, we are doubly unsure. Such is the case with Victoria and our prayers for her to be transferred to Wal-Mart in Bowie. The answer came rather suddenly when her boss in Amarillo called her into his office tell her she was to report to work in Bowie on the 28th of this month.


We are going over to Bowie this evening after work so that I can do reviews there on Friday but the underlying personal events scheduled for the area are also compelling the travel. Victoria is scheduled for an interview at Brookshire’s on Friday. With the job already lined up at Wal-Mart it is difficult to know if the interview is really necessary, but it was scheduled before the news of the transfer came. Victoria is going to follow through and determine if she will be able to work both jobs for a time.

Now that we have our answer we are starting to second guess the Lord. I am not sure why we do this. But with any life decision where some transition is required it is beneficial to do a brief inventory of what the changes will interrupt or discontinue. For Victoria the most notable disruption is in the area of church; still a question for us. The church there is a good church, just not as good as the one she is currently attending. Will it suffice? Time will tell. We are expecting to be there soon also so it is something we will monitor closely. For the moment we must assume the Lord is orchestrating the relocation. It very well could be permanent for Victoria.

Of course our pastor here in Amarillo is not in favor of the idea and it as always troubling to go against the pastor. He is not opposed; neither does he consider the decision to be wise. He could be right. He could be wrong. For the moment we are assessing the value to Grandma and Grandpa to be worth the risk. Perhaps Grandpa can get through to Victoria’s wound and begin the healing process I have been praying for. We will move prayerfully and cautiously forward.

Mama and I missed our first foster care training because she and Victoria both were feeling badly. They had spent the day cleaning the house. It looks great, but they are obviously allergic to the work. I thing we have classes planned for next week on Monday and Tuesday but I have not heard. With all the moves and other activities I have going on at work it is difficult for me to keep up with our private life. So much of my work spills over to the late hours of the evening that I feel somewhat disconnected from a private life.

With this weeks activities closing out, I may get some breathing room at work, but the slack is immediately taken up by the needs of coordinating activities and expenditures of the farm. Now, with Victoria there, there may be even more even more activity generated. It is getting complicated, but the fun is still close at hand, so we manage.

Case in point, we are planning to transfer some of our chickens from the yard into the freezer on Friday – providing I can get there early enough that afternoon. It is not good news for those chickens to be chosen, but it will fulfill our intent in raising them. Yesterday Grandpa and Grandma bought five laying hens and some nesting boxes along with various other items. Buying those hens will necessitate culling our flock to accommodate the new arrivals. Besides we have probably twenty five roosters and we only need one.

Mama and Victoria are a little overwhelmed at the idea, but I am looking forward to chicken and dumplings.

Travel, Victoria and Mama, prayer

Lots of travel for me this week. I will be driving to Guymon, Ok today, to Elk City, OK tomorrow and returning to Decatur on Thursday evening to do reviews in all three locations. I get to visit with staff and give them an idea how they were ranked among their peers and by my peers. Everyone takes it pretty well through the disappointments, but it is not fun for me.


Victoria and I were talking about comfort zones and this job has expanded my comfort zone by leaps and bounds in lots of areas. Giving feedback – especially negative – has not been included in that new territory. Victoria was specifically talking about the herb shop and what part she could play in it. I told her that was barely in my comfort zone, I am almost certain it is out of hers until she decides to expand emotionally. She asked, “Why am I like that?” To a very large extent, we all chose who we are. God strengthens the parts that glorify Him; the other parts are a constant struggle.

She and Mama spent the day together yesterday. Mama’s regular routine is to leave the house at about 10:30 a.m. and begin her prescribed route whether it is grocery shopping or some other errand. Yesterday it was the Laundromat and makeup shopping and as usual the $25 I approved for the purchase turned into $49 by the time she made it out of the store. During that time Victoria got her phone service restored and made a test call to me. Her greeting; “Daddy, that wife of yours…” By this time they had been out for two hours, had eaten at Chick-fil-A, (It was all free of course – except the extra fries and a large tea.) had been in several stores and were nowhere near making it to the Laundromat. Welcome to my world.

When I told Mama I would not need lunch for the rest of the week, she was very obviously jealous; this from a person that goes out to eat three to four times per week. I will be having lunch with a group in each location where I will be doing the reviews. The exception is for Thursday. There is a benefit luncheon being held here in Borger which most of us will attend after the Safety meeting. ConocoPhillips will be buying the tickets to support the activity.

Chase called yesterday to talk with Mama a while. The only part of the conversation that was relayed to me was the part where I need to send him $150 as soon as I can to help him with something or other. This is after sending a check to the school of $668 to cover tuition and books for January. It is a good thing I have a money tree growing in the house, otherwise this could get difficult.

Cori and Mama had a long talk yesterday about the revival Cori’s church is having right now. The sermon that impressed her most thus far was on prayer; praying until… She is correct in her understanding that we do not pray with the earnest expectation that God will really do what we are needing Him to do in our lives and in the lives of those for whom we are begging His help.

Most of our prayer time is spent on scattered, selfish and hurried thoughts offered to God with the pretext of true interest. To pray with commitment is a treasure few of us ever invest in. The wonder of it all is that God understands our needs and our most intimate desires and meets so many of those requests – spoken and unspoken – that we take for granted the intimacy we could have with our Creator, Redeemer and Friend.

Cori and Mama have committed to fervent prayer for Joshua. The fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) still availeth much. It is a promise worth investing in. Now if the Lord will lay it on Mykenzie’s heart to pray for her uncle, it is hard to say what God might do.

Double duty, dogs, work woes and the well house

We got home at almost 11 p.m. on Friday night. I was exhausted. I had gotten up at 4 a.m. and we made the decision on Friday afternoon after Grandpa and had successfully moved the well house to cover the working well. Victoria was all for it and I wanted to get to soul-winning at the church on Saturday morning. It was the same drive we have done over and over but that night it seemed to take quite a bit longer. We did get home safety and I praise the Lord for that. Mama helped me with the drive by staying awake almost the entire way; which is very unusual. It is getting tough living out of two different homes and working out of two offices.


Victoria did enjoy the week there and it was a good time for her to work with all the pups. Dodger, the ½ Scottie pup did well in transit and did well playing with the two Pyrenees pups even though they were huge by comparison. He really had to live up to his name as they interacted. Rosie loves the farm but she is in hunting mode the entire time she is there and in not the least interested in play. Grandpa seemed to enjoy Dodger and the time spent with Victoria in adapting him to a set schedule seemed to help with his stubbornness on the potty issue. At the very least, he has become more affectionate towards all of us, which is a big help since he tends to cower at every inflection of any of our voices.

Last night we were watching TV after church and Mama and Victoria were on the love seat with the recliner footrests extended. Rosie, as usual, was tucked between them but Dodger was sprawled out in the extended footrests. When the show ended Victoria abruptly kicked down the footrest dumping the pup onto the hardwood floor. He never knew what hit him. Victoria scooped him up apologizing and Mama and Victoria were laughing so hard that it necessitated a potty run.

I am once again in one of the three weeks I dislike the most of the managerial job I now have. I have to do performance reviews this week and there are going to be some pretty upset people. There is nothing I can do to relieve the emotional hit to the individuals in question, but it is something I would rather not have to do. At least the moment will be over soon enough. Then I will have to readdress the issue in October when we have to assign the ratings I am now dreading to report to my staff.

More on the well house move: Grandpa came up with the idea to flop the well house onto our trailer and move it to the new location, flopping it over the working well. I was very much in favor of giving it a try; realizing that the structure which is in need of a lot of repair could crumple on us at any time. As it turned out, we were able to use the front loader on the tractor to flip it onto the trailer. Once we chained it in place, we drove it to the new well, disconnected the tank to minimize the chance of hitting any thing important and we flipped it off the trailer into place.

Mama was shocked that the idea actually worked and was teasing me and Grandpa about taking the idea of reusing materials too far. Grandpa is convinced he can make it look nice enough to get us through the next several years while we repair the farm house and (hopefully) build the big house.

It will at least keep the well and tank from being exposed to the freezing winds we will still have to deal with for several months to come.

Victoria’s call, better vs. best, the vet visit

Victoria has put in applications at several locations including Wal-Mart, Brookshire’s and Tractor Supply. As it turns out she got called for interviews to two so far. At Wal-Mart this morning they will talk about the job they are offering to her as a transfer from Sam’s. The hope is for more hours and not too great a loss in pay. She also got called for an interview at Brookshire’s – a local grocery store. That interview request was for Saturday at noon and we will be on the road home, if not already there. She has postponed that interview until next week


There are applications going to City Hall, Sanger Bank and several others today. She was really encouraged by the positive response and equally discouraged by the thought of having to make a choice. Pray for her as we all talk this through. I am happy that she is willing to bring us into the conversation, in fact, she would allow me to make the decision for her, but the decision will ultimately be hers.

It is one of those times in the Christian life when we have to choose between better and best. I cannot elaborate fully on the pros and cons but the major ones are more hours, life in Bowie where she would be available to help Grandma and Grandpa on the farm and in the home, and a head start on being where she feels she needs to be; vs. less spiritual depth in the local church and far less amenities than Amarillo offers – including internet service. There is a great need for her in this church and I know the Lord would use her, but is that enough to make the change? I don’t know.

If it is not obvious, I too am torn about her decision. It would all be positive if it were equal in content, spiritually speaking, but it is not and I am not sure if it will ever be. On the job front I am very encouraged for her. I feel certain that she would help Grandma and Grandpa to grow spiritually – from a Bible study in the home kind of relationship – but I do not know if they will stay faithful to Bible Baptist Church in Bowie. Victoria is not one to move around once settled in a church. It is not what we have taught her. Keep praying and we will see how the Lord works it out.

I plan on leaving work today at about 11 a.m. so that I can put in a fair day on the farm before we head home early tomorrow. The plan is to move the well house to its new location. The underlying plan is to sell the scrap now loaded on the trailer and use that money to buy a new battery for Grandpa’s truck. The empty trailer will be used to transport the well house – if it survives being tipped onto the trailer. I wish Victoria had brought her camera this week. Of all the pictures she has missed, getting images of this relocation could be among the best for our farm chronicles.

Yesterday evening we took all four dogs to the vet for shots. The Pyrenees pups, which now weigh 35 and 45 pounds respectively, did not do too badly, but it was very obvious that they did not like the experience. They would not even eat the treats offered to them after they got their shots. Samson, moaned in the waiting room as Sasha was being treated. Rosie was in full attack mode at the glass door of the vet’s office and greeted each guest with her bark and growl. No one seemed to mind.

On the way back to the farm Mama was telling me that Sash was very clearly stressed out by being in the vehicle and was absolutely paralyzed with fear about getting out when they arrived at the farm. Mama had to drag her out of the truck and flop her onto the ground. Once her feet hit the ground, she was noticeably relieved. As she relayed the story to me and Grandma I commented, “So it is a good thing we did not take the dogs to Amarillo last weekend, if she was that stressed out over a ten minute ride.” To which Mama replied, “No, she would have been fine. All she did was drool a little bit.”

Grandma about fell over laughing.

Dr. Becky, farm talk, dogs at the door

Becky called yesterday to tell me she had purchased all the items required for her to start her EMT training. She was pretty excited about being able to complete the course of study in one semester. The hospital affiliated with the training program is close enough that the logistics should be pretty easy. I do not know if there are a lot of job openings in her area, but it is a marketable, albeit, low paying skill. I am curious to see how well she can do with shift work. Charles, it seems, will pursue a B.S. in Biology and teach High School science. If Becky goes on to Paramedic training, they will both graduate at about the same time.


I have not had much time to spend on the farm this trip and today will be no exception. It has been busy at work and with Victoria and Mama both there to help Grandpa they have been able to get a lot of things done. On Friday we are going to move the well house from where it sits at the little house to cover the new well. Grandpa has ideas of transporting the building in one piece to the new location and I think it is a good idea in theory. We will have to see how well it plays out in practice.

We had to make an emergency run to cover the well head and tank last night after church because the predicted low temperature was 28 degrees. The wind was the issue. It was predicted to gust up to forty moles per hour through the night; which, by the way, it did. So Grandpa and I went out and did an emergency wrap to keep the wind and weather from freezing our brand new well.

The three able bodied farm workers were all complaining last night about how tired and sore they were from loading up all the metal roofing that had been scattered about the property. I have to admit it was a pretty big load on the trailer, but that did not stop me from disparaging their complaining; especially Mama. Today they are planning on hauling the load to the scrap yard to see how much they can get out of it. I hope they have not set their hopes too high.

Mama has been after me all week to cash a check given to us by the lady in our church who bought the Wii. I do not have an account here with enough funds to cover the check amount so I have not been able to get her the cash equivalent. It is really weighing on her mind. It will have to wait until we get back to Amarillo. Depending on how much cash they get today, I could be off the hook.

Whatever the sale price is, it will not much; no acceleration of our development plans by selling junk. We will continue to come here a week at a time to do what we can to help develop the farm. It could be a much slower process than I had originally envisioned, but that means it will allow us to stretch out the money needs over a larger amount of time, which should relieve some of the anxiousness I have been feeling financially.

Last night after church, Grandma was frying some bacon to make a sandwich for Grandpa when she and Mama decided to check to see if her ornamental snowmen were still in place on the front porch of the home they live in. They opened the interior door and were staring through the glass storm door trying to focus in the dim light when one of the local dogs that visit every time Grandma fires bacon decided to jump up on the door – just to let them know he was in the area. I do not know who screamed first, but I know who screamed the loudest. I don’t know if Grandma was more startled by the dog’s sudden appearance or by Mama’s scream; that too, is too close to call.

The dog, a basset pup was let in while Grandma’s heart rate normalized and Mama ran to the bathroom.

Rainbows and sunsets, setting traps, Victoria, Chase

On my way home Monday afternoon, the rain let up and the sky opened up to show some blue through the bunched up rain clouds. As it did, the most brilliant rainbow I have seen in years projected across the sky. It had at least six well defined bows within in and the mirror image that is rarely seen was easily seen above it.


I called Mama to see if they were seeing it also and she answered with, “Do you see this rainbow? It’s right over our farm!” From where I was stopped it very well could have been right over the farm. It lasted about forty five minutes before the outer rainbow started to fade. Then the main rainbow shrunk back into the horizon, but it was a sight while it lasted.

Last night Grandpa, Victoria and I were at the farm in the late evening feeding the dogs and making sure the chickens had water as the sun began to set. Again, the sky was beginning to clear but the lingering clouds were painted such vibrant colors that it made us stop in our tracks to watch the display. I cannot describe the colors – I would get them wrong anyway – but it was, like all sunsets, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Grandma and Mama were watching from the house, but I think we had the better view in the open field at the farm. They argued the point but I know I’m right.

While we were at the farm we set out two traps in an effort to catch the predators that have been slinking around in the dark. I went to the farm this morning before coming to work to check the traps and both were undisturbed. I also wanted to see if the dusk-to-dawn light was working because as we left the farm it had not come on even though those of our neighbors were already shining. It was in fact working, but we may have to rotate the sensor to the east to get it to come on earlier.

Victoria talked to the personnel managers at the local Wal-Mart to see if they had gotten the request for transfer from Sam’s in Amarillo. They had not. The people here told her they would call her today or tomorrow to let her know if they would be able to use her here. I hope they will be more diligent than the folks in Amarillo. On my part, I talked to my boss for about an hour yesterday and he let me know that there would be no moves to Decatur from Borger this year. So Mama and I will settle down in Amarillo and continue to make the trip over at least one week per month – until we begin to foster, if we follow through on that.

I suppose that is good information. It is at least something we can act upon for future planning purposes even though it is not the news I wanted to hear. God is still in control and I have every confidence that He will do that which does us good and glorifies Him. I can ask for no better than that. Mama still loves me. God still uses and blesses us. Grandma and Grandpa are settled where they are and doing great.

I’d say we are in good shape for the moment.

As we were reading through the Farmer’s Almanac last night I came across several cute quotes. I do not have it in front of me but one I particularly remember is, “Your ears are not made to close, but your mouth is.” One other was, “You cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do.”

Chase and Mama have talked several times but I have not been read into his situation. He seems to be enjoying school and the pace of extra curricular activities that accompany it. He has already been out to eat several times at places that made Mama jealous and everyone in the church was excited to see him again. They are even more thrilled that he will be there for several months. The quibbling has already begun over housing him with several families in the competition to keep him in their home and the sparring over favorite sports teams is in full swing.

Like most teenagers, my son loves the” my team, your team” trash talk. The really funny part is that he has Mama engaged in it.

I never saw that coming.

Victoria and the farm, garden plans

January is picking up steam as we roll through the second week. At the end of this week it too will be half over. In my current job I am looking forward to June and July for some pretty significant events that being are planned within the company – not to mention the family plans we are gearing up for. It will be here very soon and I already feel unprepared.


Today is Victoria’s birthday. She will be turning in some applications and submitting some resumes at various places in Bowie. I do not think she is as excited about moving to the farm as when she was when she was sitting in Amarillo dreaming about it. Somehow, reality is far less exciting than fantasy. Yesterday was a case in point. It rained almost all day. It was cold and windy to boot. Mama, Victoria, Grandma and Grandpa sat around most of the day. It was too wet and too cold to work on the farm – other than the required feeding – and no one had any money to go out and shop; until I got home. When I called to see how things were going, Mama told me they were watching Dodger lick his butt. That’s really sad.

There is no internet and no TV so by the time I got there everyone was trying to not grow tired of everyone else’s company. I suppose that is what happens to Cori when the weather is similar, only her youngsters do not yet have the grace to bite their tongues when they are bored and irritated; a fault of age, not upbringing.

Today is more of the same. It is predicted to rain all day and the temperature will stay in the low 40’s. The big difference is that today Mama has $20 in her pocket. Somehow that makes a huge difference. It is all the cash I have to give her and I do not expect to see any residual later this evening. I do hope they get out and put in the resumes we have been talking about.

Last night Grandpa and Mama sat on the couch and looked at each packet of seeds we had recently bought. The idea was to get a plan together to plant them in the seed starter cups we had also bought so we can get an early start on the garden. As they worked through the packets it turned out that the end of January and beginning of February are going to be very busy getting the plants going. Mama now has a very detailed list of what else I have to buy in the seed line. It should be fun to really have garden after so many years without.

We grew some things in New Jersey but we never planted a garden. Up there the rabbits were so overpopulated that they ate almost anything we set in the ground. It was very frustrating. So, our years in the Garden State never did live up to that name. Now we may have a chance. We even have a cellar to store our vegetables.

We have lost all our guineas now. The last one was attacked and partially eaten by what Grandma is convinced was a mink. I do not think we have them here but whatever it was, between it and the hawks, our guineas have not had a good survival rate. We are hoping the pups will soon be able to guard the stock. If there was ever a question in our minds about their ability to fight it was dispelled yesterday when Sasha had a piece of rawhide that Samson wanted. He attacked her with such fury that it made Mama scream. Now, if they channel that against predators, we will be in great shape.

Cori was telling me that on a recent Sunday morning one of Mykenzie’s friends was asking her what she had gotten for Christmas and she opened her purse to show him the new Bible she had gotten. A few moments later his mother was asking the same question when her son quickly volunteered, “She got a new Bible. I saw it when I was peering into her purse.” Cori and his mother about fell over.

Someone is spending too much time around grownups.

Being hurried, Victoria in Bowie

Yesterday seemed to be rushed but it was the cap to a rushed weekend. It was so rushed in fact, that when I got to the office in Decatur this morning I discovered that I had forgotten my computer when I left the office on Friday evening. Fortunately there is a backup in the office for me to use while here. It does feel weird to have to borrow a computer. That was not a happy discovery this morning.


Saturday Mama, Victoria and I spent the entire morning trying to pick out a pair of work boots suitable for the farm. (That is, after we dropped off Chase at the airport.) It is forecast to be quite wet today and tomorrow and Mama does not want to spend the entire week in gum boots. Victoria has no shoes suitable for wet work. I do not have the same worries since my time is almost always limited to only several hours.

I insisted that both Victoria and Mama spend at least a half hour in the boots being considered prior to buying them because I have been through the purchase and return process too many times with Mama. She will swoon about how comfortable a pair of shoes is when she tries them on in the shoe store only to return them several days later because when worn for a longer period of time they turn out to be not so comfortable.

I spent a lot of time in Lowe’s trying to get the right electrical parts for our part of dropping power to the well. Only last night did Grandpa and I discover that one of the pieces will not fit the disconnect I bought. I am hoping to get the correct part at the local store today but I am worried that they will not have the same brand as the box I bought. Oh well, we will find a way to make something work.

I suppose we will discover today what items we may have forgotten in our rush to pack our suitcases, pack the car, rush to eat lunch after rushing away from church in order to make it to Bowie in time to be in church with Grandma and Grandpa. We did make it to the service. We did enjoy it, but the unpacking after church was a little harried since I was still rushing to get it done and have things ready for me to leave in the very early a.m. today.

Victoria was pretty happy to make it to Bowie. Her pup had her worried since he is a difficult fit for us and a very difficult fit for Grandma and Grandpa. While we were unpacking in the cold, the pup decided to test his potty skills in the home Grandma and Grandpa are renting. Victoria fussed at Mama for not watching closely enough. She fussed at the pup for a poor introduction and I fussed at Mama for getting so distracted by Victoria, Grandma and the pup that I was running out of room in the little laundry room where I was staging the items being unloaded from the car. Meanwhile, Grandma was ducking her head and Grandpa was shaking his.

It took Victoria a while to recover, but after getting started on some of Grandma’s chicken and dumplings, corn and green beans and she was feeling better. The pup was too interested in the food we were eating to be worried about his unfortunate “accident” even though Victoria continued to scowl at him. Grandma was trying to find happy songs to play and happy thoughts to tell so Victoria would smile, but in the end, it was the food that worked its magic on her.

I have been after her for several days to put together a resume. That has not happened so today I will be writing it for her. There are several applications she will be filling out and turning in over the next several days but it is one of those things that are difficult for Victoria to do. She wants to have another job, she just does not want to go through the exercise required to get it. It often requires too much talking on her part – which is why I wanted her to have a resume ready. That would at least organize her thoughts when she does get an interview.

Right now she is hoping for the best and longing for it to be over.

Goodbyes, big plans, funny weather, Becky and her dog

This is Chase’s final day in Amarillo before leaving early tomorrow. His flight is at 8:30 a.m. which is very early for him. He spent the majority of the day with Mama and Victoria but by the time I was home he is ready to go somewhere else. Tonight will be the goodbyes to his particular friend and her family. Pastor Fisher has been in close contact with him to keep abreast of the schedule of his arrival and has informed him that there will be some basketball games coming up very quickly. I hope he is up to it.


He is leaving behind the little truck which I have thought about taking to the farm, but if Victoria goes to Bowie, we will need it as a backup in an emergency. Besides, it is always good to have a truck around. Mama and I might find some other animals to transport to the farm. I will have to work on getting the topper reinstalled. I am old enough to appreciate it.

All this means that Mama and I have to start paying for school again. I do not mind so much, but it will be a difficult five months or so – right in the middle of some big plans for the farm. It will all work out and there is always the fallback plan of borrowing money to fulfill our plans but we will hold off on that until the very last minute. Any additional debt right now could be financially debilitating in the long run. We are trying to take the more painful path of patience. Like Inigo Montoya, I hate waiting.

I transferred the money last night and this morning to cover the expense of plumbing the water well on the farm. It is the first step in getting more livestock and eventually getting the farm house set up for inhabitants once again. Next we will have to dig a septic system and make the structural repairs needed. Then we raise the roof – literally. I had big plans for all this to happen this year but it does not look feasible at the moment. All this means I will have to continue working two to three more years if this current job remains our only source of income. God knows.

Today Mama, Victoria and I will get our TB tests read and report the results to the agency that we are going through to apply for foster care certification. Mine, which has turned out positive in the past, looks like a negative. That is good news. I do not think a positive on this test would have helped our efforts. That just goes to prove that some tests are better to fail.

For the past several days the weather has been un-seasonably warm. That is predicted to end today with a cold front that will bring the temperature back below freezing through the next several nights. Sunday night is forecast to be wet and cold with snow and ice accumulations in some unknown amounts. Looks like a rotten commute on Monday and I would be worried except that we will be in Bowie Monday morning. We missed three snow storms and many freezing days when we were on vacation and it looks like we will miss this one also; heartbreaking.

Becky and Charles have been visiting family in Mississippi and Becky reported that she now has a new car – new to her. If I remember correctly it is a Pontiac 3000. At least that is what she told me. She seemed very excited about it and I hope it works out well for them. Her dog loved the fact that he could get in and out without help.

He is becoming well traveled.

So long Chase, Bowie, TX

Last night was Chase’s last service at our church here in Amarillo until he returns from New Jersey. His little girl friend came to the service and it turns out that she is distantly related to our pastor. It was a long goodbye for some, but everyone realizes that he will be back after graduation. A lot of different people took time to wish him well but his bus captain offered the best parting shot. He said Chase had been in Texas long enough that his going back to New Jersey will raise the IQ in both states by ten points.


We have two large suitcases set out for him to pack and he kept telling me that he did not know if he would be able to fill them both. (Obviously he needs a woman in his life to help with that.) So Mama and I both began to ask if he had included certain items, his suits, winter coats, his hoodies, all of his shoes – dress, sports and casual – etc. I think he will be able to fill them to capacity with a little help.

He will be boarding a plane on Saturday morning. His graduation is scheduled for June 1st. We are still wrestling with what college he should attend for the year I am asking him to spend in Bible College, but we are leaning to one in Oklahoma City. I forget the name at the moment, but it comes with the recommendation of our pastor. Chase and I did not get the chance to check it out but if he is still interested, we will do so this coming summer.

Next week when we are in Bowie, Victoria is hoping to interview for a job at the Tractor Supply store there. I have no idea how that might turn out, but I pray for her to be prepared for the face-to-face discussion. I am a little worried about a disappointing outcome. She is pretty frail emotionally at the moment and this sort of interaction challenges her far beyond her comfort zone.

She will be a great help to Grandpa on the farm and I will be glad to have her there. I am still a little concerned about her spiritual growth. At this point in time I think Grandpa may be the best person for her to be around. She needs some type of emotional healing and his listening ear and gentle approach to Victoria might be the perfect combination to begin the process. I do not know in any certain way, but I do know that the Lord knows and will open what doors He will and will close what doors He will to get her to the right place.

If that happens, Mama and I will be on our own for the first time since Joshua was born. I get the impression that she is beginning to like it that way; or at least not mind it so much. It gives her the freedom to spend time on the farm whenever the opportunity arises. That is a good thing for me. It is one of the reasons she is hesitating on the foster care idea. It would limit such travel for her.

As for me, it is a whole lot more fun for Mama to be in Bowie than it is for me. I do not enjoy working out of that office as much as the office in Borger. I have very limited time on the farm when I am there. I enjoy what time I do have there, but it is not the vacation for me that it is for Mama.

This too shall pass. For right now it is enough that she loves it as much as she does. It is good for her to be this close to Grandma and Grandpa. It is a real blessing to have Grandpa there to maintain and improve the property.

Thank God for the job He has given me to make this possible – regardless of the challenges.

Back to it, picture taking, planning

For those of you still out on vacation, enjoy it to the max. It is downright difficult to get back to work after a couple weeks off. We are managing but it is too easy to get used to late mornings, unscheduled days, unlimited time with Mama and relaxing without the need to hurry anywhere. Boy, are those days gone quickly.


I do not know if it is the same for Cori with three young children. I suppose any outside help is help enough to ease the stress of being the only caregiver, diaper changer, booboo kisser, book reader, movie manager, etc. You get the idea. Getting home and everyone getting back into a routine might be more comfortable but the free spending, the unique activities and the time with friends and family that the holidays afford is more fun in action than in retrospect.

I think Mama is going to have the film developed today and we will see if any of the pictures came out. I am hopeful we salvaged some of the images for posterity. I have come to the conclusion that every event is a “once in a lifetime” event – or at least should be treated as such. We can never recreate the moment in the exact way we just experienced it. We can get close and reinforce the memories of a given event year after year, but each one will be unique.

That is why I rarely argue with Mama’s insistence on getting pictures at every opportunity. Years from now we can relive a part of each of those moments with the memories a picture can generate. Last week Grandma was rummaging through pictures taken when she was a small child. Many of the people in those pictures are gone now, but it was fun for her to remember. We had to listen to each memory in several variations with spiritual summaries attached, but it was fun for her. Grandpa has no pictures from his youth and he is a little sad about that, but there is no remedy for that lack.

My point is, with all the grumbling that took place at my Mom and Dad’s last weekend, most will be glad we took the time to take a picture. I know my parents will be. With the children present, the grandchildren present, the great-grandchildren present and the visiting friends all captured on film, it will serve as a marker in our family history – and that is a good thing.

One of the interesting things in starting a new calendar year is the juggling that goes into planning for the year. One of the most difficult things to plan has always been vacation. I told Mama I would like one year to take a vacation that did not require 3000 miles to be driven; one where I did not have to work the day before and the day after the vacation. Those days may be coming, forced on us be the economic times we see ahead, but having to come to work to rest up is wearing me down a bit.

So, when Mama gave me her proposed itinerary for May and June of this year I about fell over. Two graduations and a wedding are scheduled and none of the events are close to us. Andrew’s graduation is only six hours away, but Chase’s graduation and Brittany’s wedding are both significant road trips for which Mama has two week planned – each. According to her schedule I will work eight says in the month of June. I need 25 days of vacation and about $4000 to meet the objectives of her plan. Boy, does she shoot for the moon.

I am just glad I have enough advance notice to work it down to a reasonable plan.

Travel, the farm dogs

I am hesitant to say it is good to be back at work but I can say that it is good to be back home – even thought our hearts are at the farm in Bowie. Mama and I traveled over 3000 miles since we left Amarillo on the 18th of December. We left after church on that Sunday night and drove to Bowie; arriving at 1 a.m. We left for Maggie and Aaron’s the next morning after walking on the farm for a few minutes. While in Gulf Breeze we did some pottery, picked up the grandchildren after meeting halfway, went to the commissary in Gulfport, and met Aaron at the dock (who, incidentally arrived with Santa) on Thursday morning before leaving to go to Cori and Nate’s.


On the way we hit some horrific traffic and were delayed over an hour during which time Blake fell asleep in his car seat. That was not necessarily a bad thing. When he woke up in his car seat, that was a bad thing and he cried for about 45 minutes as we finished the trip to Pace. He was ready to see his mommy once he recognized where we were. We had Christmas with Cori, Nate and the kids and it felt more like Christmas because of that. It is always fun to see the little ones open presents and share their expressions of sheer job and unrestrained delight at what they find within the wrapping. Blake is still interested in the boxes while Mykenzie and Grant can’t wait to get everything out of the boxes.

We all left Florida at the same time. Mama and I headed for the farm and Cori, Nate and the kids headed north to attend the wedding of his sister, after which they had some fun things planned. I think they arrived at their destination a little before we did at ours. Mama was excited about trying a new way which looked like it would save us some time. It did not. It was not a bad way to come home, but it still took 13 hours plus to make the trip to Bowie.

I had to be at work in Decatur on Friday to begin my callout coverage for this week, but on Saturday we went to Chappell Hill to a birthday party for my Dad who turned 87 years old. (We actually left on Friday night and spent the night with Sarah and Fabian so we did not have to do ten hours of driving on Saturday.) Seven of the eight kids were there and we hopefully got some great pictures. I say hopefully because we left the digital camera with Cori and we took the film camera with us. On the second roll of film it began to mess up. I think the sensor that tells the camera the film door is shut was malfunctioning and the camera kept advancing the film and re-zeroing the count. We will not know what we have until we get the film exposed, but I know I missed some very good pictures as a result. We only returned to Amarillo yesterday evening.

On Thursday night, prior to heading to Dad’s birthday party, we went to Costco which is about an hour away from Bowie. We needed to get some toilet paper for a friend who had made the request of us before we left Amarillo. I told Mom and Dad that I know I am back in Texas when I drive an hour each way to get toilet paper and five hours each way to attend a birthday party.

We released the dogs from quarantine after we got back to Bowie. Mama was afraid they would run off and not come back but they did just the opposite. They followed close on our heals the entire time we were there. Grandpa and I built rebuilt the area we had them pinned up in and now they get put up each night – for their own protection, at their current size they are good coyote bait – and let out when someone is there. They do have a tendency to wander but we try to keep an eye on them and do not let them get too far afield.

Mama was going to bring the dogs from the farm to Amarillo but I was not in favor of the idea at all. Mind you, I was not opposing it, but I was not in favor of it either especially when we are planning on returning to Bowie next week. Victoria gets to spend that week on the farm with us. Anyway, since Grandpa was not in favor of the idea either, Mama left to dogs in place in Bowie. Grandpa is really enjoying having them around and they seem to be very much at home on the farm with him.

It really is getting harder to leave each time.