Progress, escapees, angry animals, Missions Conference

This weekend I feel like I made progress on the apartment. I worked Saturday from about 8:30 a.m. until just after 7 p.m. non-stop. Mama brought me water and cold green tea at intervals but other than that I was in the shop or the apartment. The sad part is that when I looked back at the day it did not appear that I had really gotten that much accomplished.


It all started with Emma getting out. I had to take the time after feeding the animals to try to secure the sheepcote. I had already spent a Friday evening putting more posts in the fence to tighten and strengthen it so neither sheep could get out of the enclosure without being let out. Then on Saturday morning Emma was out again. So I spent another hour getting the bottom of one particular area – with the oldest fencing - tightened up to prevent her wandering out of her assigned area. I had no sooner turned my back and she was out again. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.

I left the escapee to her own devices because we realized she would not go to far astray and I began to work on the wall in the bathroom that will hold the shower enclosure. Since I am working on a floor that took me multiple hours to finish I was trying to work carefully. I am also installing walls after the fact. I did that on purpose because I did not have the materials for the walls at the time I needed them and I wanted to stain and seal the floor with the apartment still open.

The bathroom wall was not difficult other than assembling it in pieces because it had to be built in a very small space without the advantage of any layout or preassembly. It took longer than I had thought it would. Besides I was still feeling the sting of being outsmarted be a seven week old sheep. I got done but I really wish I had done it long ago. At any rate it defined the bathroom layout much better. My little bit of planning paid off there.

The bedroom/living room wall was more difficult even though there was room to lay it out on the floor for assembly. It had to be built around the old metal pipe that was the exterior support for the structure years ago. After some layout work I had to cut each stud individually to fit the opening under the brace for that pipe. When it is covered with sheetrock, no one will ever know what it took to make it look like it is supposed to – other than me and Mama. I took pictures to show the progress, but it belies the effort it took to get it done.

I was able to frame up one garage door on the north end of the shop and in doing so was able to complete that end with the exterior siding. I still have the trim to put up to completely finish it but a third corner of the shop is done. It really changed the looks of the overall building. By the time I got the opening sealed with a tarp again, I was worn out. I took time to water the garden before I stopped for the night. I was hurting and tired by the time the sun set.

Mama had decided that the calves would not get an evening bottle starting on Saturday night so they were bawling pretty insistently from the late evening into the night. Lily was also upset that one of her four normal bottles had been cut out. She still gets a bottle at 8 p.m. so I had to run the gauntlet through the four little bulls to get to Lily to give her the last bottle of the night. She attacked the bottle like she had not eaten in a week while the calves stood and protested on the other side of the gate. It amazed me how loud they can get.

We are in the start of our Missions Conference. The man who is preaching it was the pastor of the church in Fort Worth that was taken by our associate pastor from Central Baptist Church in Amarillo. When he mentioned some decisions he had made to spare the new pastor, Jeff York, from having to make them in his first months (decisions concerning the administration of missions’ giving) Mama and I knew the person he was referring to.

It was then that it dawned on me how much the two men resemble each other; in physical form, in speech, in delivery, in sense of humor, etc. This pastor had been in that church for thirty years. Mama and I are hoping that Pastor York has the same opportunity.

Last night was a fellowship after church. Mama, Victoria and I left at 9 p.m. just as they were setting up to pick and grin. I have no idea how late anyone stayed but it looked like they were setting in for a while. Victoria got to make the trek to feed Lily after we got home. She said she enjoyed the all male bovine choir that serenaded her during the feeding.

It was a late night for all of us.