Plans in the works, our kids traveling in, new focus

Mama and I had almost no time together yesterday. She was at an eye appointment in Decatur about the time I was leaving Decatur to go home to get ready for church. It was on the drive home from church that we did get to talk about the farm needs in our absence and she convinced me that they are covered sufficiently to allow us to go to Florida after the wedding – which is this weekend. The only caveat is that we will have to take all the dogs with us to Florida.

I am not thrilled about making a thirteen hour drive with three dogs. Kira is getting big enough that her natural aroma is more than a little noticeable. When she is wet it is almost more than I can take. Sharing the van with the three of them, meeting their potty needs, ensuring their safety at every stop, etc., does not give me fun, happy thoughts. Grandpa has always had a phobia about sharing the same air with animals. I am starting to lean that direction also. In the end, I will go whatever Mama needs me to do to get her to Florida and back but I do not share her emotional attachment to the dog and therefore am far more reluctant to go to extremes to meet their needs; past any basic needs.

Cori called last night to report that the rain was falling in such vast amounts that her house was flooding. The back yard was submerged in over four inches of water and the sheer volume of water coming down was finding its way into the backroom of her house. Nate opened the gates to the fence in the back yard in an attempt to let the water out but it did no good. The entire area around their neighborhood was equally flooded.

She and Nate and the kids are supposed to leave Florida this morning to travel to the farm but that might have to be postponed if the cleanup from the flooding is severe. As she and Mama talked just a bit later in the evening the rains had abated somewhat and the water getting into the house had slowed but the threat of more such rains is extended through tonight. We will see what today brings and adapt our plans accordingly.

Tonight is the last night of the Mission’s Conference. I am always relieved and apprehensive at the same time when meetings like this come to a close. I hate to see them end but I am almost equally glad that they are over. It is a very busy and uplifting time simultaneously. God is doing something wonderful in our church and I do not want it ever to return to a sense of just maintaining the normal flow of services.

So the bottom line is that after tonight Mama and I will be busy with visiting family, the wedding and plans for travel with a more focused approach to personal and family needs. I will be setting up the farm for someone else to care for and repairing farm implements for service when we get back from vacation. I had thought about working a couple days next week; in between the wedding and our leaving for Florida, but that is still undecided.

Tomorrow I pick Brittany up at the airport and the following morning we will pick up Joshua at the bus stop in Denton. Saturday we will all head to Amarillo for the wedding. Chase and Makaila are about ready to get this over with – and all their plans have been relatively low key.

Mama is more receptive to the whole idea at this point but she and I are praying much about it also.

Long weeks, coverage

The week of Mission’s Conference and the week of Revival are two of the hardest weeks or me to make it through. Maggie and Aaron are being faithful to attend the services with me and Mama – that is a blessing. It is hard not to enjoy Bro. Ogdie’s preaching. It is about as down to earth as it gets. He reminds me of Bro. Joe West in the simple life applications he uses to communicate the message.

We are having dinner before the services each night and I was careful to not eat too much last night since I have to lead the singing. I have enough trouble breathing as it is. With a full belly it is far more difficult to get the breath I need to keep up with the songs. Though to be honest, as uncomfortable as it might make me, I enjoy the song leader duties.

Cathryn is getting a little cough. The dryness here is definitely not helping her respiratory issues. It was made worse by the screaming fit she had in the nursery last night. Grammy was with her but that did not allay her anger as she protested her incarceration. I still think she is a good baby. She is adjusting to the ever changing demands of life as she grows; less time in her mommy’s arms and more time by herself is her current life application study. She will more readily adapt to a more independent life as she learns to walk. That is when the fun of training a child really begins.

We are still struggling with getting adequate coverage for the farm duties in our proposed absence. The family we were counting on to come to the property and care for the animals and gardens is not available during that time. They too have a wedding planned during that time so their plate is too full to take on additional duties. Several other sources of help are rapidly drying up as well; one of the constraints of having a farm.

I guess it’s a guy thing but I do not feel comfortable with asking people who are already leading very busy lives to take on my responsibilities just so I can go play on the beach. I would have been very comfortable with Grandma and Grandpa taking over for us in our absence but I really wrestle with imposing on others to do it. Mama does not seem to share that struggle but she is starting to get pretty concerned.

If it was only checking the chickens and making sure the cattle are okay I would not be so hesitant but with the special needs of the new baby pigs, Mama’s neurotic rescue dog and the watering of the gardens I am very reluctant to shift that burden to anyone other than family; especially for the stretch of time Mama is considering.

We’ll see how things turn out, but I am not all warm and comfy right now.

Arrivals, the week ahead

Almost as soon as I got home Friday Mama and I left for DFW to meet Maggie, Aaron and the baby. We took the van since all the repairs had been completed. It was the first time I had to fill up the van because we were keeping the fuel level in the tank low until the straps holding the gas tank in place had been replaced. With that done we topped it off; boy, was that a shock!

As we were entering the airport we got the call from Maggie that they had landed. They were thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Mama and I parked like we knew what we were doing and ended up just outside the baggage claim area for their airline. It was less than twenty minutes later that they came through the doors to meet us.

Cathryn lunged for Mama the moment she saw her. I am not quite sure what caused the response but it thrilled Mama and much as it shocked Maggie and Aaron. We made a couple stops on the way home because Maggie wanted to eat at Chick-fil-A and Mama wanted to go through Costco. Fortunately the two sites are in very close proximity to DFW. It was not too late when we got to the farm but it was after dark. Everybody slept in the following morning – except the baby. She was up at 4 a.m.

We had a full day on Saturday – but all the activity was farm related. Aaron spent enough time out in the light that he was pretty burned by that evening, but he was a big help. He started collecting rocks for Mama’s rock garden; which thrilled her quite a bit. I spent the day working in the garden as well as running the weed eater for a couple hours. Aaron helped with that chore also. Between the two of us we got a lot of the farm living area trimmed. As for the garden, I wanted to make sure when we leave in to the care of others that the rows of vegetables are clearly defined and a couple were not so obvious until after I got done.

Cathryn was not impressed with the dogs when she first arrived at the farm but by Saturday evening she had warmed up to them; all five of them. By Sunday afternoon she was actively seeking their attention – especially Kira. With her sleep schedule so messed up by the trip and the resulting change of daylight hours, Maggie and Aaron have delighted in anything that will distract her and keep her contented. She really is a good baby.

Victoria got sick over the weekend and was not able to go to church either service yesterday. That was a shame since yesterday started our Mission’s Conference. The services will continue each night through Wednesday. By then I will be thoroughly worn out – and we have a wedding to go to this weekend.

Brittany will arrive on Thursday in the afternoon and Joshua is supposed to get to Dallas some time Friday in the very early morning. To date we are still unsure what plans Joshua has made or is in the process of making, but I will have to make both of those pickups.

It looks to be shaping up to being a whirlwind week ahead.

Victoria’s test, multiple trips, airports

I took the day off yesterday to take Victoria to her test in Ft Worth. She was not due at the testing site until noon but we left the farm at 9 a.m. just to make sure. Mama wanted to leave much later but Victoria is more like me in liking to get to a destination early rather than just in time. Since I felt like she would be under a pretty fair amount of pressure with the test looming over her, we left early.

We made it to the test site about an hour before Victoria was required to report but on the way we spotted a couple of places where Mama and I could hang out while we were waiting on Victoria. Since we were so early we all went to a nursery that was only a few blocks from the test site. Mama found her yellow tomato plants there so we had to buy a couple. If they are heirloom plants we will save the seeds and try to grow them ourselves next year; if they are not, I will have to go back to this nursery to get more.

About twenty minutes before her scheduled time we drive to the building where Victoria was to report. Victoria and I went to the test site and I was promptly run out of the room – I was promptly informed that it was for persons taking the test only. I prayed with her and left. As Victoria was getting out of the car to go up for her test Mama remarked at how spoiled she was that her daddy would take a day off from work to take her to her test. Victoria was pretty quick to point out that she asked Mama to make the drive with her, not daddy. “So who is really the spoiled one?” she quipped. Good point.

Mama and I went to several stores to look around and eventually ended up at a Chick-fil-A near the building Victoria was in. It was a little over an hour later that Victoria called to say that she was done and that she had passed the test. She was ecstatic. That has been hanging over her for about a year and now it is done. Lunch at Chipotle was a celebratory time.

We were a long time in getting back to the farm. We stopped at a furniture store and at the tractor dealer before we even got back to Bowie where we stopped at the feed store to pick up more baby chicks. Whoever is going to be coming to the farm in our absence is going to have their hands full. The only “bright” spot is that, at this time, Mama and Victoria are planning on taking the piglets with us to Florida. Oh, joy!

Maggie and Aaron will arrive in DFW this evening so Mama and I are making the trip back to Dallas to pick them up. Next week we will be returning twice more to pick up Brittany and Joshua. The following week we will be making the drop off trips. Fortunately these are not difficult trips but Mama and I certainly miss the airport in Amarillo. It was only ten minutes from the house.

We are quickly getting very familiar with this airport also.

Giving, hunting, the Uplander

True to his word, my coworker brought a load of camping supplies to work yesterday and Mama and I took the load to BBTI. There were sleeping bags and lots of bedding, mats to put on the ground under sleeping bags, cooking implements and utensils, a potty and two rafts – and lots of other things accumulated over years of using the equipment. The people at BBTI were very excited. It will be the best supplied Jungle Week the students there have ever had.

After we got back home I had to go on a mouse hunt. I knew I would eventually get my prey because the mouse I was hunting was already dead. It had been smelling up the mobile home for several days and Mama was determined to deal with it – so she commissioned me to deal with it.

She had actually called an A/C man who told her to look in the vents by using a mirror and light – something I had spent countless hours doing in my work in South Charleston for Union Carbide. He said he could do it for us but the two guys that worked for him were total wimps and did not like dealing with dead mice.

I cleaned for about an hour going from vent to vent and checking all the ductwork and the A/C unit in the process. I found nothing that could be producing the smell. When I was cleaning under the sink it dawned on me that there could be an opening under the cabinet Grandma had in the kitchen so I moved it out from the wall and found the offending rodent.

In the process we got the vents cleaned and a lot of other neglected areas cleaned up. I am not entirely certain the one dead mouse I found was the real source of the smell so tomorrow night I will have to look under the mobile home to see if Allie has a small rabbit stored for future consumption. The dogs seem to like them well dried out – when they are past the rotting smell and really chewy.

After all that we took a break and checked out the van we bought. Mama wanted to see if the DVD player worked. It took us a few minutes to find out how to get the sound system working – by setting the appropriate channel on the radio – but when we did we were both very impressed. Mama is really thrilled with the vehicle. I think it will be a good one for us for the next several years.

Before I went in for the evening I took time to look over the garden to see if we have any new growth. We have a little life showing from the seeds we recently planted but it will not be until we get back that we will see many of the new plants above ground. We are still working on getting someone to tend the animals and plants in or absence.

We will be taking Victoria to Ft. Worth tomorrow for her Pharmacy Tech test. After that things get really busy at the farm as our children start to arrive for the wedding next weekend.

Travel plans, clean up items, repurposing things

Plans are forming up for the arrival of our children in preparation for Chase and Makaila’s wedding. Even Joshua is getting his itinerary together so he can serve as best man to his little brother. Maggie, Aaron and the baby will be here in a few days and Brittany will soon follow. By the middle of next week everyone should be at or en route to the farm. It should be a fun time – even though no one will be staying very long during this visit.

In preparation for the visitors Mama and I spent some time in the mobile home getting the beds and other sleeping quarters ready for occupancy. That mostly involved cleaning up mouse droppings in all nooks and crannies that have been neglected in Grandma and Grandpa’s absence. It is not as bad as Mama and Victoria make it out to be but it is a real inconvenience.

Grandma and Grandpa will not be coming back for the wedding. Grandma is feeling too poorly to make the trip. That allows us greater latitude with the bedrooms but it puts a greater burden on me and Mama as far as the farm is concerned. The help I had planned on to do fencing and put up hay will not be coming – so I am on my own for those chores. It also greatly complicates the care of the animals and the gardens in our absence. Oh, well. God will give me the help we need when we need it.

I investigated the leak in our bedroom last night and I could not find anything obvious in the roof or walls of the apartment that would have allowed water to accumulate in that particular spot. When I got to the spot I suspected, the insulation was indeed wet but there was very little water anywhere else to give me a clue how it had gotten to that spot. It was also very clean – as if someone had poured a glass of water there. I will keep an eye on it and see if I can ferret it out during a hard rain – sometime in the near future.

Maggie and Aaron will be with us for our Mission’s Conference. It starts on Sunday the 27^th and runs through the 30^th. It is always a great time. Our church is a very giving church and we are blessed to be a part of the work there. Our church has exceeded its missions giving goal every year for many years. That is an unusual testimony of grace giving. It will be neat to see what God does this year.

Jungle week is coming for the students at BBTI. It is a week before graduation that all the students set up makeshift shelters in the woods on the BBTI property and spend the entire week living in those shelters; really roughing it. In preparation for that a friend at work is donating his old camping gear for the students to use – sleeping bags, cots, a cook stove and utensils, etc.

He and his clan are past the age where that holds any charm to them and the accumulation of those items is taking up space he needs for more a relevant horde of items. When he told me he was getting rid of those things I told him of a recent need I had found out about at BBTI. He was elated to give them to the school; to know that they had real value to supply a real need rather than just be set aside in someone else’s attic  never to be used again.

It really is neat how God works those things out.

Vehicle news, planting, porch roof, rain, leaks

Mama and I had a really good weekend. We were able to purchase our second vehicle - in Bowie. I found the add online before I left the office on Wednesday last week and Mama made the calls to see the car – at a local car dealer in Bowie. We got to look at the car on Wednesday afternoon and made an offer pretty soon after looking it over. We had to write a check for the amount of the purchase so we left the car at the dealer Thursday and picked it up on Friday. The vehicle was being sold to a person who worked at the dealership and not the dealership itself.

It needed new tired and some brake and shock work but we were able to get all of that done by late Friday evening. We waited too late on Saturday to get the car from the mechanic so we picked it up yesterday afternoon on our way home from church. The mechanic will get it back later this week to replace the bands that hold up the gas tank because he found a significant amount of rust on two of the three bands – enough rust that we feel we should replace them before we drive the car too much.

Mama will use it today to do some running she has to do for title transfer and to get some things to the laundry may. She is elated to have a second vehicle that we can swap between. She does not go out much but when she does want to go she really appreciates having a vehicle available.

We did a lot of planting this weekend – both in Mama’s flower garden and in the vegetable garden. If we can find someone to come to the farm and water while we are in Florida we will have the potential for a good crop this year. If not, we will have spent a lot of time working in the dirt only to see the plants die in the time we are away.

On Saturday I was able to finally complete the majority of the porch roof. I still have a small area to cover that we added to the project only recently. It was well timed to get the roof up. We had rain from Saturday night through Sunday. I am not sure how much we actually got since the cows pulled the rain gauge out of its holder. They do that every time they hang out in the corner of the field by the apartment.

It was a good, extended weekend – until we got home from church last night and found water on the floor in the apartment bedroom. Mama had mentioned that there might be a leak in the very spot where the water was dripping through the ceiling, but we discounted the idea because it did not look like a water leak at that time. Leaks are the most troubling to me of any fault of construction of assembly.

I abhor water getting anywhere it is not supposed to be and the shop has provided a score of such trouble spots. However, not until now have any of the leaks come in through the ceiling in the apartment. That is especially troubling because of the finish on the sheetrock that will have to be patched when the leak is repaired. I am not sure if I can match the finish well enough to not leave a constant reminder of the patch – or the leak that created the need for the patch.

I hate leaks. I tend to take them personally.

Car shopping, the moon, schedules

Mama and I drove to Burkburnett, TX yesterday evening to look at a car I had found online. The dealer, once I had called them about the car, was very persistent in encouraging me to make the trip to look the vehicle over. It was a 06 Ford Fusion with relatively low miles. The one concern was that it had a manual transmission, but with a little four cylinder engine it was a good candidate for great fuel economy.

When I got home Mama was willing to make the drive so we dropped off the truck to Victoria and we headed out. It was not far past Wichita Fall so the drive was less than an hour. After meeting the sales lady we went out to look over the car. It was a very clean, nice looking car so we went for a test drive.

When we were heading back to the dealer we started to smell a burning oil smell and it was only a moment later that the car started to fill with smoke. Fortunately we were almost in the parking lot of the dealer by the time it became intolerable. We are not sure what happened. They will look the car over this morning, but Mama and I were relieved it happened on a test drive. It potentially saved us from buying a big problem.

On the way back we stopped at Smash Burger in Wichita Falls and ate dinner. We also stopped at Sam’s for a few items. There was nothing we desperately needed but there were a couple items I wanted to price for potential future purchases. We went ahead and bought a little window air conditioner for the apartment so we would have it available when company is here next week. Who knows what the weather will be then but the heat is coming.

There was so much yet to do at home that it was a sacrifice to take the evening to do what we did but it seemed appropriate to the time to start looking at vehicles. It is a shopping effort that I do not particularly enjoy; a necessary evil. We did not get home until late but both of us enjoyed the trip.

While we were driving home we got to watch the moonrise. It was spectacular. The moon was just at the horizon, five times the size it normally it and sunset red in color. It maintained both size and color for the duration of the trip as it edged into the sky. When we got home we found out that Victoria had been watching it also – while she played with the piglets. It was a good finish to the evening together.

I am looking at the possibility of taking tomorrow off. We have Friday off this week for the Good Friday holiday and I could use the extra time at the farm to catch up. I will know later today if I will be able to forego coming into the office tomorrow.

We already have one on my days off planned – and it will be all day away from the farm. I have to go to Jacksboro to pick up some cedar posts so we can reinforce patches of fence near the house. Since it is close to a friend’s house we will probably stop for a visit on the way back. That will take one day out of the farm work catch up schedule but it is a trip I have to make none-the-less.

We’ll see how it all works out.

Freezing temps, blood moon, farm questions

Mama and I were taking precautions last night to protect what we could from the freeze that was predicted to happen overnight. Fortunately, we have very little above ground in the garden but I did try to protect the blueberry bushes in my little orchard. There was nothing I could do for the other trees. All of them are too big to cover easily; especially with the winds we were dealing with. They should be okay since the temps were just above freezing.

The plants we bought at Trade Days went into the laundry room with the baby pigs where they could stay warm through the night. Those plants were my chief concern because we would have no opportunity to replace them at the dollar per plant price we get at Trade Days – and we would lose two months of growth since we will not be back to Trade Days until June.

There was a total lunar eclipse last night and I bet it was spectacular. When I went out to close up the chickens the moon was so full and bright that I called Mama and Victoria out to see it. It was late in the evening but there was still enough light for Victoria to get some pictures without the flash. It will be fun to see how those pictures came out. (The peak of the eclipse was at 3 a.m. so I missed it by choice.)

When there is a lunar eclipse the moon turns a deep red. The Indians called the event a blood moon and it had a very significant meaning for them. For us it is interesting to note that this blood moon happened on the first day of the Passover. Whether that is significant or not is beyond my grasp but it is still interesting. Jesus said there would be signs in the Heavens at the last days but I have no idea if the blood moon will be one of those signs. There is one more predicted for October this year and two more in 2015 so we may yet have a chance to watch one.

It will be back up to the eighties by the end of the week. Spring will soon be burned away by summer and we will be complaining about the heat. I am starting to get a little apprehensive about the wheat we have growing in the big meadow and how I am going to get it cut and baled this year. I am not even completely sure when it needs to be done but it will have to wait until we get back from Florida - late May. I hope that is not too late.

I am new at most of this farming stuff and our resident expert is in West Virginia. I suppose I can learn from my mistakes as well as anyone but I would rather be taught to avoid the mistakes. We are still up in the air as to whether Grandma and Grandpa will be coming back to the farm this spring or not. I do know Grandpa needs the break from the winter weather they are having up north.

The warmth would do him good.  

Purchases, Trade Days, planting, dining with friends, Joshua’s birthday

Friday evening before RU Mama and I went to visit Peggy, a lady in our church. She has a lot of little things for sale. When I sat a lot, she has a house full along with several large shop buildings completely full of items from tools to tables to heavy machinery. Her husband loved to accumulate things and had big plans for a wood working shop, a mechanic shop and who knows what else but he died before he was able to follow through on those plans.

She had a set of shelving Mama and I wanted to get for our shop; the kind that is on wheels so I can move them as needed. These shelves are wider by six inches than the ones I have had for several years. We managed to get the three of them into the back of the truck like it was made for them and Mama added two tabled and two tricycles to the load. Peggy also gave Mama three small pictures from the house and a light fixture – a really ugly one. I am not sure what Mama has in mind for it.

Mama and I have been interested in her property and have thought seriously about selling the farm to buy it but we have not acted on that impulse. It is one of those things that pique an interest but when the cost is counted we settle back into the farm and the long term options we have with it; in spite of the work that lies ahead of us.

Trade Days was particularly fun on Saturday. We spent almost all our time visiting with friends who set up a booth every month. Mama was not able to get any more boots because the lady did not have anything she was interested in.  What boots she did have were brown – Mama already has three pairs of brown boots – and most of the pairs were pretty gaudy; not what Mama was looking for. It saved me $60.

After we got back from Trade Days we worked in the garden. I marked off rows while Mama and Victoria put seeds in the rows. We put out a lot of seeds. If they all produce we will have a pretty nice garden. We planted onions, corn, beans, peas, brussel sprouts, beats, cucumbers, zucchini, Indian corn and carrots. At this point my biggest concern is getting help to care for the garden when we spend two weeks in Florida.

I set stakes at the end of each row or the end of each seed planted if the row contained more than one type of seed. If I did not it is nearly impossible to tell where the rows are until the seeds sprout. On some of them I stapled the package the seeds came from to the stake. With the winds we endure in this part of Texas I do not know if the packages will last until the harvest but it was worth a try.

We were a little disappointed that we did not get any rain Sunday through the morning and afternoon; heavy thunderstorms were predicted. It was not until we got home from church last night that we discovered that we had finally gotten some rainfall. Mama and I were worried about getting the newly planted seeds their first drink of water but the Lord took care of that for us.

We had to pick up Andrew for both church services yesterday. That is always fun. Since we had to make sure he got some lunch we took him out after church. We had planned on going to Cici’s pizza but Mama invited Kim and Kenny Cantrell to go with us and Kenny is on a restricted diet so pizza was out. We opted for Chinese instead – Andrew does not like Chinese.

We had a delightful time with the Cantrell’s. Mama and Kim are very good friends. Since we were at a buffet everyone got plenty to eat. Andrew even found a few things he had not tried before. Several that he liked enough that he went back for seconds – after his second helping ice cream and pudding.

Joshua turns 31 today. I would call but I do not know if he had a working phone so I texted him instead.

Dinner, repairs, plans, bait

Mama and I enjoyed the international dinner last night. There was a vast variety of food and it definitely had an international flavor. Mama did not prepare too much because she had been out until late in the day at a vet appointment for Rosie – who is suffering from some stress-related illness. How eighteen hours of sleep interrupted by bathroom breaks and feedings can cause stress is pretty hard to imagine.

The only thing I can imagine is that Kira and Allie have caused her so much frustration when she is focused on begging for Mama’s handouts at every meal that it has finally affected her physically. It is either that or she has a dreadful fear of the vet.

On the way to the dinner we dropped the truck off with our mechanic so he could evaluate the air conditioning system. It is no longer blowing cold air; in fact, it barely blows any air. On the way back from the dinner we checked in with the mechanic. He told me we have a leak in the a/c compressor; a gasket is leaking at the fittings on the back of the unit. He said of all that could have happened it is about the best possible scenario – and a very easy fix. The total repair price will be a little over $200. We will be dropping it off for the needed repairs this afternoon.

I do not have very high hopes of getting much done this weekend. I am taking off the afternoon from work to get the truck to the mechanic and hoping to work some in the garden to prep it for planting tomorrow – Mama wants to get the plants and seeds out ASAP. I also hope to plant the variety of plants we have for her special flower garden. Whether we accomplish that or not remains to be seen.

Trade Days happens this weekend and Mama and Victoria are in full flea market mode. Mama is hoping to snag another pair of boots from the person we bought some from two months ago. Victoria is hoping to get more of the honey she really likes. I have nothing particular in mind but always enjoy the time at the market. One thing I do not need is more trees or shrubs to plant.

I do need a better mouse trap. We are battling mice in every building. They are worst in the mobile home but we are seeing evidence of their occupation in the apartment also. It is pretty funny to go out to the chicken coop to shut them up for the night and shine a flashlight into the coop. You will several mice running for cover from the light.

I think we have come across a bait dispenser that will be safe to use in the coop and barn to set out poison for the mice and rats. I have to be careful not only of the chickens getting into the “bait” but also the dogs. We have one entire tray of Decon eaten one afternoon and Mama and I are not sure which dog ate it.

None of them have shown any symptoms of poisoning but it is something we really want to avoid in the future. With the way every animal on the farm thinks everything we have in our hands is a treat for them, I have to be careful what I set down anywhere – especially poison.

I have grown a little frustrated looking for another vehicle. I have not even settled on what we need exactly and prices are out of sight. I suppose I really don’t like shopping; even on that level.

Busy evenings, working girls

Wednesday evenings are very short for me. By the time I get home and spend a few minutes talking to Mama it is time to get ready for church. I do not mind it. We plan to accommodate the limited time at home, but it does feel a little rushed at times. Living where we do adds an extra hour and a half of travel time to anything we do at church, but it is worth it – so far.

I was looking forward to getting a few little things done this evening but that is not going to happen. Mama and I have been invited to an International Dinner at BBTI. Mama will be baking today in preparation for that event and we will have to leave the house by 5:30 this evening to make it to the dinner. It will be another rushed, late evening.

Tomorrow night is RU. It will be the same baking routine for Mama and about the same timetable for me. Mama and I are getting worn out, but it’s a good kind of worn out. There is some satisfaction in knowing that the things we are tiring ourselves doing have a spiritual significance. “Only one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” I hear my pastor say that quite often.

Last night I was invited to a wedding. One of the young men recently saved through the RU program is getting married to his long term, live-in girlfriend. It will be a very simple affair but I do not want to miss it. What it represents in his life is very important.

One of our more fun struggles is finding enough egg cartons to put eggs in so we can give them away. We are getting an average of eleven eggs per day. I eat about three eggs per week. Mama and Victoria average far higher and Mama uses a dozen or so in her baking every week. That still leaves us about four dozen, on average, ahead of what we can consume. That is a lot of eggs to give away – and Mama insists on putting them in egg cartons. I have included a picture of our working girls.

Mama spent a hour or so getting one of the guineas out of the shop yesterday. She thinks the noise the guineas make reminds Kira of a chew toy – and she loves chew toys, especially when they can be chased. I do not think she did any permanent harm to the bird, but it was in no hurry to expose itself to another round of Kira’s game of tag.

The piglets are warming to Mama and Victoria and all four of them are enjoying the process.

Jury duty, growing things

Mama had a pretty long day yesterday. She was at the Montague Count Courthouse from 11 a.m. until a little after 4 pm. She was among the finalists to be selected to serve on the jury for a narcotics related case. At the final selection process she was let go. She should be good for a couple years now.  All in all, it was not a bad experience for her.

I did not do too much yesterday evening. I ran the weed eater for a while. I am neither as practiced nor as proficient as Grandpa. What areas I practiced on looked like the weeds were cut by a machete. I am going to have to better adjust the shoulder strap on the weed eater and get in a lot of hours of practice before it looks like I know what I am doing. It will also take some time for my back to strengthen to the task.

I checked out our vegetable garden and our little orchard and the rain really did those two areas some good. None of the potatoes have broken the ground yet but it has been pretty cool at night. The blueberry plants are loaded with tiny berries. I am not sure if they will mature but I plan to take the time to protect them from the wind and give them a fighting chance. Getting fruit from them this year would be an unexpected blessing.

The new arrivals seem to be doing very well – both the pigs and the chicks. Mama and Victoria fool with them several times per day with the purpose of making them friendly to all humans. She need not worry; all of her farm animals are pretty friendly. The chickens and dogs run to her every time she breaks the plane of the door expecting her to have some treat for them; they are rarely disappointed.

What Mama is really looking forward to is having the grandkids fool with the animals. I hope we have the dogs acclimated to the piglets by that time because there is a better than average change that the pigs will get loose from the smaller hands and they will be no fun to catch as we try to keep the dogs off of them –should that happen.

I tried to take pictures of the piglets with my phone. The camera built into the phone is excellent for still shots but it does not work as well for snapping pictures of things that will not stay still. I have an image Victoria got with her phone as we were bringing them home. It is okay but only really shows the red spotted one.

I am also a little concerned about saddling someone with the care of all the animals we have at the farm while we are on vacation after Chase’s wedding. If Grandma and Grandpa decide not to come down the farm we have family on standby. I just think it is a lot to ask.

But I suppose that is the life you choose with a farm.

More rain, pig updates, jury duty, internet

We got almost another half inch of rain yesterday evening. It came in short bursts through the evening. It was enough to keep me from getting anything done – not that I would have accomplished much had it not rained. Last night was one of those nights that was not going to produce a high volume of work anyway. Monday evenings are generally not my best evenings.

 I did stop on my way out of Decatur to buy a weed eater. Since Grandpa took all the weed eaters we had on the farm back to West Virginia, Mama and I have to start out new. I suppose that is for the better in the long run but it an expensive process to replace the equipment I lost access to. On the bright side, I am slowly reacquiring better tools than what we lost.

Mama and Victoria are a little more satisfied with the piglets now that they are calming down. There was also some worry about them eating properly but they seem to be on track there also. The lady who sold them to Mama had cautioned against setting out a portion of food but rather hand feeding them to ensure they each got the food they needed. When Mama did feed them yesterday morning they acted like regular pigs pushing and shoving at each other as they gobbled up the food; that made Mama feel better.

Mama has to report for jury duty this morning. She is very apprehensive about it. I have never been selected when I have had to report but there might come a time that that will happen and she is worried that this could be that time for her. We will have no idea until she shows up and finds out what is happening at the courthouse.

Between rain storms a man from an internet provider that we had called showed up at the farm. I had already showered and was dressed for bed but I got appropriately dressed and met him outside. He climbed up on the roof of the old farm house to see if he had line of sight to his tower just south of Bowie. He could see the tower from there but not so much from the roof of the shop.

He will come back this evening to test for signal and if we have a good signal he will set us up for the service. We have been struggling with satellite internet for almost two years; two different companies. The last company we have been with has been a horrible experience. We hope this will be better but only time will tell.

At least this service provides a signal without the data cap. With the satellite provider we would run out of data allowance very quickly. I was never sure how they calculated their data but it never added up to what I could get from the AT&T Hotspot during the same time – and at the same rate of data streaming.

While he was there he mentioned the tower that is just across the road from us. It is also a microwave tower but he did not know who owns the tower. He suggested we call a neighbor that appears to be getting their signal from that tower. Mama tried to reach them but without success. It would be nice if that turned out to be a possibility. So far, the biggest challenge we have had on the farm is to get connected electronically.

It was never set up for that – which, in the long term, may turn out not to be a bad thing.

Storms, shopping and refunds, medical news

While I sat in my office yesterday a thunderstorm roared through. It dropped dime sized hail then moved up to ping pong ball sized hail. I am guessing it put down more than two inches of rain in the half hour is lasted. It was good to see some rain. Meanwhile, back at the farm, Mama was enjoying 85®F with clear skies and light winds. The storms never made if that far west. I am not overly sorry that we missed the storms but we really do need the rain.

As I was heading to work this morning I heard about the storms just north of Decatur – only twenty miles away in Denton. Parts of the city of Denton got over six inches of rain and softball sized hail. I feel sorry for those who endured that damage and even more sorry for the cattle and horses in the field when that began to fall. I am truly thankful we did not get that.

Mama went shopping yesterday. I was aware she was going to get some of the sale items at Bowie Building Center because we had talked about that. I was aware she was going to get five little chicks she had ordered through the feed store. I was not aware of all the extra stuff she was looking for – potting soil, mulch, fertilizer, etc.

It ended up being about twice as expensive as I had anticipated so when I questioned her about it she discovered she had been seriously overcharged at both stores. She made the calls to the stores and when I got home we went to both stores to collect our refunds – over $50 worth of refunds. We turned around and spent it on started feed for the chicks and a small dinner at Golden Chick. I suppose I came out okay since we went home with thirty dollars in her pocket.

Once home I ran electric cords from the farmhouse to the chicken coop so the chicks would have a heat lamp overnight. The temperature was forecast to fall into the forties and those little ones produce no body heat of their own so they must be kept very warm until they get some feathers on them. I only hope they could get enough warmth last night because when I left the apartment this morning the temp was 37®F. I am sure Mama will give me an update on their condition as soon as she gets out there.

I went through my requisite biometric screening yesterday. ConocoPhillips requires us to participate in the annual screening if we are using the High Deductible insurance plan. My numbers were better than last year – especially blood pressure and girth. They measure the “waist” at the belly button so many of the guys were pretty upset by the numbers they recorded. One particular individual who boasts about wearing jeans with a thirty four inch waist had a measured waist of 59 ½ inches. He was one of the more vocal complainers.

My biggest point of contention is that the medical industry now recommends that your “bad” cholesterol be below 130. I remember only a few years ago when the number was 180. I have a suspicion the number is more a pharmaceutical driven initiative that a true medical directive; especially since I have been reading reports of low cholesterol numbers are causing a rise in testosterone levels in the mid-forties crowd which leads to more risky behavior and a high incidence of reckless deaths.

I think for now, I will avoid the cholesterol lowering meds but I’ll continue to watch.

Fast evenings, far too dry, technology

Wednesdays always seem to be a blur by comparison to the other evenings of the week. There is not much time at home before we have to rush off to church. I do not help the situation either. Since I have been leading the singing I like to get there early enough to make sure we have musicians and make sure the songs we have chosen for the night are ready to be played.

Last night we had to make a change only a moment before the service began. I generally have a backup plan but it is nice to have the few extra minutes to get things together. Everything turned out alright – even though I rushed Mama a little. Well, maybe more than a little since she walked out of the house without her make up bag. That rarely happens.

So far we have not gotten a drop of rain from the fierce storms that have passed over us. We have gotten a lot of wind which is not beneficial for any of our plants – domestic cultivated ones and native ones. Everything is dangerously dry. So far no April showers to give us May flowers, but that can all change in an instant.

The only good note is that we have lots of long hoses hooked up to the spigots supplied with water from a very good well. Only a little bit of water makes a tremendous difference to the thirsty plants. Though the plants look withered and droopy past redemption only a little water will perk them up in a matter of hours.

At this point I am a little hesitant to plant too much more - but only a little hesitant. If we do not plant the seeds we cannot reap the harvest – in spite of what it may take to keep the seeds growing properly. As I sit typing this page I can hear the thunder rolling. Too bad none of the noise will produce the rain we desperately need.

Last night Lee Davis preached. His theme was that we have allowed technology to become our idol, our god. He read several passages that said the children of Israel worshiped the things that they had “made with their own hands.” He used an iPhone as an example. It was not difficult to make the connection. He said we often pray (in practice) to our technology idols, “I want you. I want to know you better. I want you to teach me all things.” It is a poignant argument.

Speaking of technology; I had to spell the word poignant several ways before I got it close enough that spell check could bale me out.

So it is not all bad. It is only the prominence we give it in our lives that forces our focus away from God for our daily needs – especially spiritual and emotional ones.

Doctor visit, work, Mama’s garden, storms

Victoria and Mama went to Denton yesterday to see an ENT that someone at the church had recommended. Mama was impressed by the doctor. He diagnosed the drainage from Victoria’s ear and the knots around it as a skin condition – or rather a severe skin irritation. It is easily treatable and we should see some quick improvement once Victoria begins to use the creams he has recommended for her. They were both happy it was not a waste of time.

I had a very productive day at work yesterday. With a new employee to take over some of the little things we have not had time or focus to do I am starting to see some order come out of the tasks we have her taking on. That in turn allows me to go back to the things I have neglected over the past few months. My boss can already see the difference.

I had to get his feedback on several little personnel issues yesterday morning just about as soon as he arrived at the office. We took about twenty minutes to work through the three and come to consensus. As I was leaving I thanked him for the time and he replied that that was more stimulating than a cup of coffee, adding, “We should do this every morning.” I looked at him and answered, “I certainly hope not.” But I thought it was an interesting take on the discussion.

When I got home I got started on the flower garden again. By the late evening I was able to take the tractor and add the dirt required to fill the little garden up to the retaining strips I had just put in place. It came out looking pretty good. Mama was impressed and is gung ho to plant her flowers, bulbs and dwarf holly bush. It should come out looking pretty nice when we are done.

I also put the cage we have used for raising chicks into the chicken coop. On Saturday we cut out the wire that had been used to separate the coop into two areas. I am not sure what the purpose was but we needed it down to enable me to get the cage into the far side of the coop since that’s where Mama wanted to raise her little ones.

She is set up for now and expects to get the new chicks tomorrow. At least, that is when the feed store is expecting the shipment to come it. At some later point I will have to replace the wire to separate the coop again so we do not have the bigger chickens pecking at the little ones before they have time to grow to a reasonable size – and defend themselves. Mama is very particular about that.

We are supposed to get some severe storms today. I am not as worried about tornados where we live as I am about the straight line winds the storms can generate. A year ago we had two shed roofs completely torn off by those winds. I spent several evenings after that getting the tin out of the trees on our property and replacing those roofs.

At the time we had pigs in the pig building and were concerned they would get overheated by the lack of a roof. The storm took off tin and rafters in a matter of seconds. Then, when the roof hit the ground the impact shattered the boards and the wind sent the tin aloft. Some of it was mangled beyond use. That is what I worry about happening with these spring storms. The really discouraging part of these storms is that they generally have very little moisture associated with them.

We will see what comes and make the necessary repairs- if needed - once it is past.

Mama and Victoria went shopping with friends yesterday and had a pretty good time. They were a little disappointed by the prices of what they found in the discount boot stores but they enjoyed the morning out. Later they went to Denton to go to Sam’s. Their ulterior motive was to wait for a cancellation at the office of the ENT Victoria is scheduled to see today. That did not happen so they are headed back to Denton this morning so Victoria can make her appointment before she has to be at work in Bowie. It would have been nice to get her in yesterday.

The two of them got home a little after I did. I was changed and ready to repair the fence on the south end of the meadow. That is where the longhorn cattle have been gaining access to our meadow. We all went together to make the repairs. Mama drove the tractor because I needed tee posts, a sledge hammer and wire to make the repairs and it is a pretty good distance to carry things like that.

When we got there we discovered that our neighbors had already stretched the fence to tighten it so all we needed to do was to add three tee posts to make sure it was better supported. It will be nice to have that length of fence replaced. When that is done it should be good for the rest of my lifetime. The fence that is now in place is probably more than thirty years old and has seen numerous repairs over that time. It is a good thing we do not have cattle that challenge the fences.

When we got back to the barn we took an hour to muck the stalls. It had only been about three weeks since we last cleaned them so it was not too big a chore. It really helps to have the tractor bucket to take the loads from the barn to the area where we dump the manure. If we had to do it by wheelbarrow, it would be a major chore. Mama has the fun part of driving the load to the dumping spot. That is the really smelly part – and she lets us know it.

While Mama was cooking dinner Victoria and I worked on getting some boards up on the flower garden at the apartment. I was a little off on one length but we will make it work. At the very least it will keep Sam and Kira from digging up everything we plant in that space. I still have more to do but it is quickly taking shape. After dinner I did a little more work on the fence in the flower garden but was putting my tools away by 7 pm.

I went to look over the vegetable garden and saw that the plants we have there really needed water so I charged the hose and went to work. The dirt in the garden is dusty and dry when it is freshly tilled but once it packs it is hard as concrete. It is not the best soil for a garden but it is what we have inherited. It will take several years of concerted effort to add enough nutrients and moisture retaining compost to make it truly fertile. Regardless, it will always take a lot of water to make things grow properly.

While I was tending to the plants in the garden Mama and Victoria decided to plant a row of corn. It was too pleasant an evening to let it go to waste. I helped with that and then I planted some seeds for bird house gourds near the area I set up as a windbreak in the garden. I hope the trailing vines will shade the plants we put inside the enclosure from the wind and sun.

We will know this season if my garden enclosure experiment was a success or not.