March weather, our purchasing agent, Victoria

I do not know about where you are but March here is coming in like a lamb; I think. It will be over eighty degrees here today which is officially “unseasonably warm”. The winds will be calm with relatively high humidity. That seems like a lamb to me. It will be interesting to see if it goes out like a lion.


By the weekend it will be in the fifties and sixties and rain will be in the forecast by mid next week. Things will be back to normal – at least as normal as it gets. It is better to have Grandpa’s attitude toward weather; get up and look out the window. Do this several times per day and you will always be up to date, maybe not prepared for a sudden shift in atmospheric conditions, but then again, who really is anyway?

With all the technology we have available to track and forecast severe weather conditions there was still tragedy in Missouri and Illinois this week. I am not blaming anyone. It is a sobering fact that we are not now nor will we even be in charge of the atmosphere. That is why I am glad to have a storm cellar at the farm. We may never have to use it for anything other than a cellar but it is available to us in the event of such severe conditions.

Last report I got on our purchasing agent abroad, is that Grandpa is building side boards on the trailer to contain and cover the hay he has purchased. He had better hurry. We are about out of the great deal Grandma got on hay the other day. She bought a bale for $9 then got a busted bale for free as well as being allowed to gather some of the hay that was littering the trailer in which it is stored. A young boy from the store helped her load it all into the trunk of the Lincoln. She was proud of the purchase even though that same money would have bought three full bales in West Virginia.

My training next week was cancelled but we plan to remain in Bowie through next week as planned. It will be no hardship on me and Mama was really planning on it since Grandpa will need the extra help as soon as he gets back. I may try to squeeze a day of vacation into the tight work schedule I currently have, but I will have to work that out with my boss.

It will be like Christmas in March to help unload and look through all the things Grandpa is bringing back. Most of the items are for the farm but Grandma is more excited about the apples he is bringing back from their favorite orchard in West Virginia; being able to maintain the familiar is always comforting. Since Mama introduced her to the mini pie maker I bought, Grandma is doubly excited about the possibilities. She told me last night that she could make two chicken pot pies and two apple pies at the same time and have dinner and dessert ready for Grandpa in less than twenty minutes. The unspoken translation to that is that I now have to purchase another mini pie maker so Mama and I will have one.

Where I have set myself up to work in the Decatur office is not a quiet spot but I am convinced there is not a better spot for me. It is not a quiet office no matter where I would choose to work, but at least where I am is more private than many areas I could choose. The major drawback is that, of the four cubicles in this wing, three are occupied with women who chatter all day long.

Almost thirty years for marriage and the privilege of raising five daughters – four of whom were quite chatty – has equipped me with the ability to get work done in spite of the noise. At least there is no one looking over my shoulder. In that way it is somewhat private.

I have asked Mama to take Victoria to the doctor today to help her get rid of the bronchitis she has been wrestling for several weeks. The weather conditions here – constantly vacillating between cold and hot and always windy – have wrecked her immune system. Add to that her “tough it out” attitude and you have the breeding ground for rampant viral multiplication. I asked Mama to suggest that Victoria be given a shot of antibiotics to speed the healing process.

We will deal with the side effects herbally, but right now she really needs some help.