Weekend update

I spent the day Saturday working on the surround above the shower on the apartment. We bought the tile and accent piece while we were in Florida a couple months ago and I just now saw the opportunity to assemble the pieces. I did get all the tile in and got the shower back in use but it took considerably more work than I had anticipated. I was thoroughly worn out by the time I got done. I will have to go back later this week to grout the joints and do the final seal of the surround.

Father’s Day was pleasant and uneventful. I got calls and cards from our children and a book from the church in celebration of the day. It is always nice to hear from our children a reassuring note that we did not mess up too badly at parenting.

Mama and Victoria found a property in the area I am most interested in relocating to but the price they are asking is much higher than I have been planning for. It is certainly a beautiful place and the location is just about perfect. It is a struggle to find the right combination of location and price with the features we are seeking. It is even a greater struggle for me to have to consider a thirty year mortgage at my age. Thought it is not at all uncommon, I am not convinced that is prudent.

I am a little concerned that the quest is starting to affect my sleep. I have been having serious trouble sleeping for several months now. I will have a couple good nights if sleep followed by several very troubled nights where I might get four or five hours of sleep – mostly in the very early morning. It has been many years since I have struggled with sleep. Whether the events are related or not is still a matter to be sorted out by prayer – another thing I am having difficulty finding time to do.

On the brighter side Mama and Victoria dug potatoes this weekend. I did not make it over to the garden to see how far into the rows they actually got but what they brought to the kitchen was pretty encouraging. I did not expect there to be either the volume or the size of potatoes but it looks like this will be a banner year for them. It might make up for the pea crop we lost.

On Sunday we took several chickens to a new family at church. They recently moved into the area and have been resurrecting a small farm. The wife and Mama have talked for several weeks about the transfer and we just now were able to coordinate the timing. However, it was more of an undertaking than I had thought it would be.

Mama and Victoria caught the hens and the rooster on Saturday morning thinking the couple would be coming to the farm to fetch the starter flock. As the day wore on the rooster and a couple of the hens managed to escape the dog cage they had been put in. Late in the day we found out that the couple would not be able to come and the arrangement was made to meet in Decatur Sunday morning.

So at roosting time Mama and Victoria went to the coop again and caught the rooster and hen that had originally been in the group to be transported and they were once again put in the cage. The cage was then put in the back of the truck. About an hour later Mama read the weather forecast. It called for thundershowers through the night. So the cage with the chickens was moved into the shop – just in case. The rooster woke Mama at 5 a.m. with his usual welcome to the morning. Since he was I the shop we got the full effect of his crowing.

It did not start raining until Sunday morning but Mama and I loaded the cage back into the bed of the truck and the “poor chickens” had to hunker down and travel the best they could as we drove in the rain to Decatur.

Mama felt so bad for those poor birds.