VBS, heat, pressing on

VBS has been great. It does make for some late nights for me, but it is worth the little sacrifice. I can attest to the fact that I have had no trouble getting to sleep once I am home in bed. I had almost forgotten just how much Mama and Victoria get into the excitement of VBS. It has been fun to see Victoria really enjoy herself. I do not get to see that very often.

It has been miserably hot over the last few days. When I got to the farm yesterday the temperature was just topping out – at 108®F. Today is supposed to be about the same. Grandma and Grandpa have elected to stay in West Virginia through August and come back some time in September. With the fields burned up and the temperatures in the triple digits it would be a good idea even if Grandma was not still recovering from surgery.

I would like to have Mama and me in the apartment by the time they get back but I am not overly expectant on that front. The main hold up will be completing the sheetrock and I have made no headway on that for several weeks now. I called someone who was recommended to me but he has not returned my call so the plans are that I continue to do it myself which will add a couple weeks to the completion date.

I should be able to complete assembling the cabinets throughout the week next week and if I concentrate on the kitchen and bathroom, we will be close to being able to occupy the apartment by the time Grandma and Grandpa arrive. I won’t say, come home, because I am not sure where home is for them right now.

I told Mama last night as we were driving home that I think Grandpa’s sense of expectation of some glorious success in living on the farm has been shattered and I think he is having trouble dealing with that. He has typically not been one for the long haul although he has put together a five year plan for the farm. So far we are a couple years behind on the plan but at least we have a plan in place.

I have to smile when I realize we are not alone in this. The pastures might be dormant if not dead and the tanks may be drying up, but the cattle are still thriving and we have water enough and feed enough to make it through one more year. We are really doing pretty well and if nothing else, we will eat well since we can turn our cattle into beef.

Grandma’s brother, Stanly Paul Lawrence, also known as “Hooker” had a work model of looking for “big bucks, no whammies”. All his life he chased one pot of gold after another while his brothers got jobs and worked a daily grind. Even if Hooker’s life had not been cut short in a tragic auto accident, I could predict who would have retired more comfortably. I am afraid Grandpa and Norman are stuck in that same mindset and it is ultimately debilitating, often destructive.

Thank you Lord for the good job you have given me in spite of the fact that many times I do not like it. Help me keep pressing on.