Travel, truck, troughs

Mama and I did not get to head home until a little after 11 a.m. Friday morning. We stayed in Amarillo finishing errands and stopping at Cracker Barrel for brunch. On the way over from the farm we stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Wichita Falls and ordered the Country Boy breakfast; pork chops, grits, fried apples, three eggs, hash brown casserole and biscuits and gravy.

It was almost more that we could eat that morning. We liked it so well that we repeated the order in Amarillo. It was just as good the second time. I am afraid we are going to be like Pastor and Wilma Parrish and stop at Cracker Barrel every time we travel.

It was good to finally get back home Friday afternoon. It was very short lived since we had to be at RU in Decatur that evening. We finally got home that night at 11 pm. Mama and I were both very worn out and vowed we would sleep in in the morning. Both of us woke before 7 a.m. For me that is sleeping in – not so much for her.

We accomplished a lot of little things while in Amarillo last week. We met with Chase and Makaila several times, Mama did a lot of shopping, we visited in the evenings and we bought a truck. We were finally able to trade the Flex for a truck and we came out better than either of us had expected. The truck is a 2007 Dodge Ram Megacab Diesel. It is a big truck. It was a little bit of a challenge this morning to get it into the parking space I normally take in the office parking lot. Tomorrow I will park it in a more conveniently located space.

We clocked the mileage on the way home from Amarillo and it was about what I expected; 14 city and 17 highway. The first time we filled it up it cost $113. The dealer put only enough fuel in it for a test drive or two. Oh, well. We did not buy it for the fuel economy but rather to serve us on the farm – and we are both excited about having it available for our use…finally.

I am still going to have to get a smaller vehicle to make the commute to work. Mama and I are praying about what that vehicle should be. I know what I want and she has her preference also but we need something that serves dual functions. I need something I can wear out over the next several years and Mama needs something she can put children in to make doctor and dental visits if we are able to enter the foster care program; assuming we get smaller children. It should also serve as a church commuter for us.

Since there is a limit to how much I am willing to take on for maintenance and insurance we will be limited to only one more vehicle. In that we must choose wisely. We are both leaning toward a mini-van but neither of us is willing to make the commitment to that style of vehicle. In this selection we will want decent gas mileage and some prospect of longevity. Other than that we are still praying and waiting.

Lee Davis came out to the farm Saturday to install the water heater in the trailer. It had been out of commission for three weeks now so it was a real blessing to get it back in service. I am planning on taking the old water heater and having it cut in two long ways so we can make two feed troughs from it. We had several of those on the farm in West Virginia and they work well for just about every animal kept as livestock.

It will be a practical reminder of our farm there.