Vacation’s over, fireworks, fishing, travel plans

I worked out of the Decatur office on the 2nd and 3rd of July but is still felt a little like vacation since I had off the remainder of the week due to holidays and vacation on that Friday. Now that we are back in Amarillo and I am sitting in the Borger office it feels like vacation is really over. We have to rearrange the bedroom for Chase since he is back home and Mama is going to pick up the mail we have been accumulating for about a month. We are back to the grind – it is a little anticlimactic.


The 4th was fun for us. We went to the church in Decatur as usual on Wednesday night. After the service we went to the spot we were told was the best place to watch a fireworks display. Many of the church people were there also so we had a great visit with several families as we waited for the show to commence. It turned out to be the best display of fireworks I had ever seen. Mama assured me Disney World was better but I don’t think that is a fair comparison.

Chase had asked me about purchasing some fireworks for us to fire off but I balked at the idea. I have seen too many injuries as a result of people handling gunpowder without any idea how to do it safely. As a case in point, the boyfriend of one of the ladies we recently hired is currently in the Ft Worth burn unit because of a fireworks accident. They are beginning skin grafts in the next few days. It is sad how a momentary lapse in judgment can change a person’s life so quickly.

On Thursday evening I went to the big pond on our farm to see if there were any fish in it. Tuesday night I had gone there to see if I could shoot some turtles in order to keep them in control and I noticed several swirls on the water that are usually a good indicator of fish. I was not disappointed. After getting my bait stolen several times I cast into a likely area and the hook was immediately taken by something large enough to bend my pole over pretty significantly. It was a large mouth bass – about a pound and one half.

It was the biggest fish I caught that night but it was encouraging. Victoria was really shocked. She had seen the pond when the drought was at its worst. It was a muddy collection of water about fifteen lower that it is now. Somehow those fish survived. I caught two other bass. One was only about three inches long and one was not even hooked. He came up because he refused to let go of the worm. We have a reproducing population of bass in the pond. What a blessing!

Grandpa and I worked on outfitting one of our trailers to be ready to transport the hogs to the butcher. I think they are scheduled for delivery tomorrow. The makeshift panels should hold them for the trip but we will only know in the execution of the transport. Picking up the meat after processing should not be a problem – paying for it is somewhat problematic.

Grandma and Grandpa are scheduled to go to West Virginia on the 20th. I have not been able to help them financially so it has taken them several months to accumulate the money to get there. They are conspiring with Norman to get some jobs while Grandpa is there to help so that they can buy a baler Norman found and get the money to get back to Bowie.

The renewal of their wedding vows is scheduled some time while they are there. That is the only reason Grandma is considering the trip. I know the family reunion is also during that time so it will be very busy for the two of them. I hope all power is restored to the area by that time. I heard on the radio this morning that much of Kanawah County, West Virginia is without power this morning. Some of the more rural counties are still recovering from severe storms that ripped through the area over a week ago.

Please pray for Grandma and Grandpa’s health and finances.