House updates, travel plans

Things are moving forward pretty well with the house purchase. Mama and I have asked for a little allowance – or a price reduction – based on the findings of the home inspection. It is not much money we are asking for but we will see how they will respond today or tomorrow. At that point the bank can begin the paperwork to get the loan originated. We have yet to get the bank appraisal but that should not be a problem since the house has had a very recent appraisal.

Mama and Grandpa were out looking at a piece of property in the area yesterday and stopped by the house to poke around for a while. Grandpa saw the repairs we need to make to the second water well when we do take occupancy. It will not require too much to get it in service again and it will supply water to the barn and all the water troughs on the acreage west of the house. It’s pretty convenient to have two wells.

Mama and I are looking for flooring. She wants wood. I would prefer tile that looks like wood – which is more scratch resistant. We will agree to do it her way pretty soon. At least she agreed with my approach to getting the work started. The materials are less relevant to me than the process chosen to get the work done.

I am going to start in the master bedroom. Once we get that room ready for me and Mama we will move our bed and clothing and get moved in so that I can commute to work from the closer living quarters. That will save me an hour or more per day; which I can use to get more work done at the house.

Besides, the repairs I need to do to the chimney and fireplace will make a pretty good mess on the living room floor. I want to make doubly certain that all the leaks in that area are sealed before I get any flooring down.

There is no urgency to get the living room and other bedrooms done right away since Victoria, Grandma and Grandpa will continue to live at the farm for the time being. I have not been privy to the plans they are making short term with regards to living arrangements but I have heard rumors of them buying a camping trailer and living in that at some RV park.

I am not in favor of that. In five years the money spent will be gone and we will have nothing to show for all the “sacrifice”. I would rather find a house or mobile home on some land and buy that for the two of them. Much later on (if the Lord tarries) we will at least have something to show for all the money spent. The cost of the used RV would be about the same as a down payment on a home and the payments, if we find the right price, will be about the same as a space rental in an RV park. It would be far more comfortable.

Mama and I will be off with the seniors tomorrow. Next week we are planning to go to the panhandle. I have a lot of little work related things to get done in the area and Mama is tentatively planning to come along. She is hesitating somewhat so I will not know for certain if we will make the trip together until Sunday evening.

One of the things that is holding Mama back is the anticipation of new arrivals to the farm. Allie is due to have her pups next week or the week after. Mama does not want to miss that event. There are things drawing her to make the trip with me – visiting Mrs. Patrick, visiting Chase and Makaila, looking at the Lumber Liquidator store in Amarillo, just getting away, etc. I will get to see soon just who wins out.

I know better than to bet against the pups.

Home inspection, traveling, sack lunch

The home inspection went well overall. There are a few little issues that have to be addressed which is understandable since the house is forty years old. The only repair that is more than a brief mention in the report is a problem with the chimney. It will need some attention as soon as possible to repair the brickwork at the top and make a cap to seal it against the weather.

Some of the resulting water damage from a leak which has since been repaired where the chimney met the roofline will require some trim and a door frame to be replaced but those are minor repairs that I can easily get done. Most of the flooring will have to be replaced or upgraded and the paneling will have to be taken down requiring the walls to be patched and painted. Because of the needed repairs Mama is going to ask for some money off of the selling price as compensation.

Victoria was impressed with the house. Yesterday was her first time to see the inside. Grandma and Grandpa have yet to see it but I know they will like it also. Not that I am wanting them to move in with us, but that could become a necessity in short order. Poor Mama.

I identified thirteen trees that need to be cut down pretty soon. All of them are oak trees. Three are too close to the house which affects the slab. Seven are dead or very nearly so and the remaining ones in the initial count will have to be taken down to get them out of the way of the driveway and carport. There is one tree in the middle of the circular driveway in front of the house. It might be the first to go.

Mama ran Grandma and Grandpa to Burleson yesterday. Since Grandma’s appointment is on Friday and we will be out of town with the old folks it was a practice run to make sure they knew the route. It was an hour and forty minute trip each way, which seemed like a poor use of time but Grandma is confident that she and Grandpa can find their way back to the dentist office. They will have to make the trip two separate times to get her dental work complete. Today Mama is slated to stay home. I am not sure it will work out that way but I know she is ready to sit still.

While they were out Mama stopped at Sam’s to pick up fruit for the senior trip. We will also be packing along cookies and a sack lunch. Mama asked me what I wanted in my sack lunch and I told her I was not sure of the protocols today. Maybe I should just pack a “Lunchable” so I would pass inspection by the lunch police. From the pictures I have seen of school lunches recently, even that may be too fattening to pass muster.

So I am settling for two apple slices, three baby carrots, four crackers and 4 ounce milk. I will make it up at dinner – that’s not regulated by the government yet.

Living arrangements, moving, a short trip

Mama and I are meeting the home inspector at the house this evening to go over with him his findings from the inspection he is supposed to start at about 2 pm. We will not with meet him until about 5 pm. I do not expect any huge surprises.  We should get a thorough look at the house by virtue of the inspection. Mama and I are both anxious to go back to the house and reaffirm what we think we saw when we looked at it the first time.

One thing is abundantly clear; I need to provide a separate living quarters for Grandma and Grandpa. In their insistence that that church is a lost cause and church goers are worse than many of the drunks they have known over the years, many if not most conversations quickly becomes intolerable – regardless of what topic the conversation started on.

So, I will spend sixty or seventy thousand dollars to provide a place to live for Mama’s parents, who have made no provision for their own care, in order to protect Mama from being constantly caught in the middle between me and them. I do not resent the need to provide for Grandma and Grandpa. Mama and I have known it was coming for years; they have exhausted all their means trying to support Norman and Seth.

At some point in the near future we will begin packing in earnest but to this point there has been very little done. Grandpa and Mama are formulating a plan to get the big items to the new property but those items are not my worry. Mama and I talked last night and I told her my worry was over the items that had to be individually wrapped and packed – the dishes and glasses, the knick-knacks, the pictures and clocks, the silverware, the pots and pans and pie plates, the canned goods in the cabinets, etc. All of those things have to be put safely in boxes to be handled in a move.

The garage shelving, the wardrobes and dressers, washer and dryer, desks, chairs and beds can be easily moved. It is all the small things that take a large effort and a great amount of time. Fortunately it will be a quick move –from one house to another only twenty minutes away vs a move from one state to another. So the care required to pack will be significantly reduced.

Thing are looking like we will be able to close by the 14^th but no later than the 21^st. Then Mama and I have a lot of upgrades to make in the new house and things can be taken to the new house as we are working on those items so we can stage the move in smaller, manageable portions.

Today Mama, Grandma and Grandpa are scheduled to do a practice run to the dentist in south Ft. Worth today. Grandma will be going to get her teeth pulled – five of them – on Tuesday of next week while Mama and I are in Amarillo/Dumas. That is, if Mama feels she can go with me on that trip. With Allie due to deliver sometime in the very near future and Grandma’s worries over missing her appointment, Mama is in high demand.

We are going to Fredericksburg this weekend with the seniors from the church. It will be a Friday and Saturday trip staying overnight somewhere in the area. Mama is very much looking forward to the trip. Since the area is known for its arts and crafts we will not come home empty handed.

Mama is already asking for a budget for the trip.

The house, maybe two, moving

Mama and I met with our realtor Friday afternoon to look at the house we contracted to buy earlier that day. The house far exceeded our expectations. Peggy Calvert wanted to look into the house with us so she met us there and did the initial walkthrough with Mama and our realtor. I tried not to get too far ahead of Mama and the ladies but I got to the master suite first and discovered a real jewel in the master closet.

I waited there as I accessed a couple very minor repairs I would have to make in the shelving and let the ladies catch up. When Mama saw the size of the master bedroom she was ecstatic. When she saw the walk in closet attached to the master bath she cried. It is pretty impressive. There is even a small bonus closet in the master bedroom for shoes and accessories. The other two bedrooms are not large but they will suffice for the time being.

The garage is large and very clean. The butler’s pantry is well set up and the laundry room is also larger than in most of the houses we had looked recently. There are several things we will update – mostly the flooring throughout the house – and a few minor repairs that have to me made but by and large the house is in very good condition. Mama and are both excited and relieved.

The bank is already on board with the financing and a recent survey has been completed. We will need a home inspection, which is scheduled for Tuesday, and an appraisal by a company the bank will select. An appraisal was done and the selling price was set by that appraisal, but our bank will want their own selected company to confirm that value. We are not worried about any of it at this point. We are just anxious to get started.

We are still considering buying the little rock house in Decatur for Victoria, Grandma and Grandpa but I am dragging my feet on making an offer until I know what the bank will say about it. Mama is anxious to move forward so she can be assured that she will have some distance – although not too much – from Grandma. Mama really likes having a place of her own and that is not possible without a little bit of separation.

From my perspective, I am still unsure if it is the right thing to do based on past experience of Grandma and Grandpa floating here and there trying to limit their commitments to anything or anyone. Grandpa is talking about wanting to be in Texas vs. West Virginia but any little thing can refocus that desire. I need to know Mama and I want to be ultimately responsible long term for the second house before I commit to buying it.

Today and tomorrow are moving days at work. The new building is now complete and the movers are scheduled to start helping the new occupants get relocated this morning. I am ready for this project to be completed so I can move on to the next building project in Dumas.

There is always something to do.

Another offer submitted, coming weekend

After calling up the place that Mama found for sale Wednesday night on Google Earth to see how it was situated I was pretty interested. After I saw where it was and that it was only twelve miles from the office I drove over to look at it. I was very impressed. I called Mama and told her we need to meet there that morning so we could compare notes.

She came out with Grandpa about a short while later and we walked over the place for about an hour. While we were there five cars drove down the road to look the place over. I knew that was the intent of all the visitors because the place sits at the end of a dead end road with no other homes on the road. There was no other reason for anyone to be there.

I had Mama call our realtor – who was out of town yesterday – to have her put together an offer right away. We offered the full asking price. Through the magic of electronic signatures and digital media we had the offer in the hands of the selling realtor by 5 pm. He will present the offer this morning at 8:30.

There was so much activity on the place that we have no idea if we will be considered to purchase the place, but we are hopeful. The selling realtor told our realtor that there were more than ten showings yesterday. I think they should have had an open house. It would have been easier.

We are praying that we can buy this place but it is in God’s hands. Grandpa liked the place more than the property in Alvord – which is still up in the air as to whether the people that have it under contract will pull off the purchase. Our backup offer is only good through Monday. We keep finding these “hidden gems” only to discover they are not very well hidden after all.

So we are in limbo as to a property to move to. Looking back, we thought it would be difficult to find a buyer for the farm. Yet that happened very quickly. We never imagined it would be difficult to find a place to purchase. Yet here we are.

Grandpa is going to work on the Ranger pickup today. It has a head gasket leak. I did some research online and found a material for plugging the leak – and some revised instructions for using that material. I shared that information with Grandpa and he is going to give it a try. The mechanic that put together the educational video said that his shop has had an 85% success rate with it. If it works I will have to regain insurance on the little truck.

I am hoping to complete the trim on the shower in the apartment this weekend. To do so I will have to unbury the table saw for a couple hours. After I get that done I may get on the tractor and brush hog for a couple hours. I need some time alone with a relatively mindless task so I can disconnect for a little while.

I imagine Mama is feeling the same way.

Update: Mama called me at 11:30 to tell me we go the house in Chico.
Praise the Lord!

Show and tell, long days for Mama

Mama and I took Grandma and Grandpa to see the place in Alvord that we are hoping to buy. I had Mama call the realtor to see if it was okay before we went and we were given permission – so I did not feel like we were trespassing. Our realtor did say that the seller’s realtor told her that it looks more likely that the current buyers may come through with the financing they need to buy the place – but they still had a couple more issues to work out with the bank. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa loved the place.

After we left Alvord we went to the little rock house in Decatur that Mama and I had considered buying when we were looking at a place to live while we were building. They loved that place too. It would actually work out pretty well for them for many years to come. They could share it with Victoria – an appealing thought to me and Mama – while Mama and I could have a place of our own; only the Lord knows where that is. On the way home we picked up Victoria since Grandma and Grandpa had taken her to work that day.

At this point we do not know how things are going to work out but I know that they will work for His glory and our good if we are patient and obedient. We still have the backup plan to build on the property on County Road 4010, but the debt load there would be higher than if we bought a more developed place. It’s not out of the question, but the Lord will need to make it very obvious to me that He wants me to do that.

For the moment Grandma and Grandpa are happy to be here. I do not know how long that will last because Grandma keeps talking about helping where she can and Grandpa keeps talking about doing big things so if Norman needs help and appears to be doing bigger things than me and Mama, they could pack up and go in a heartbeat. While they are here we will enjoy their company and be grateful for their help.

Mama is taking Grandma to a dentist that she knows from Decatur but that is now officed about an hour and a half away; south of Ft. Worth. Grandma needs the immediate attention and Mama really trusts this dentist. The fact that they cleared a spot on their appointment book to get her in right away speaks volumes. Hopefully, it will all work out well for Grandma.

This trip is on the heels of Mama spending the day out yesterday with Gracie Hecehveria – a just now five year old at our church. She is the oldest of the two children that we kept while their brother was in the hospital a week or so ago. Mama took her for a birthday shopping spree and a fancy lunch at Chuck e Cheese. It was very special since both of her siblings have severe milk allergies so that is not a place she would ever get to go with her family.

Mama bought her a pair of cowboy boots and some accessories. It was at least something that she will have for a while. Both of them were very excited about the fun they had. Both of them were completely worn out by the fun they had.

Gracie napped on the drive from Denton to Decatur. Mama fought the temptation to join her.

Safe arrival, grazing meat, no go for now, waiting

Grandma and Grandpa made it in last night – safe and sound. They got to the farm before I did. I did not get the chance to swap howdys with them last night because I did not get home until about 8:30. I had to attend a dinner given in honor of my current boss as a going away dinner. As such dinners go, it was a pretty painless event but it did go quite late.

Mama said Grandma was glad to be at the farm but I think she was really glad to be out of the truck after two days on the road. She and Grandpa had a good trip to here from West Virginia but it is always a long trip – no matter what route you take. Grandpa will get to look over the farm this morning for the first time in more than a year. I am anxious to hear what he thinks of Baby Huey – our 14 month old Holstein steer. I am also curious how they will feel about our miniature swine roaming the grounds.

I saw an article online the other day about the tallest cow in the world. She stood six feet and several inches at the shoulder. I knew before I saw the pictures that it would be a Holstein. Baby Huey is not quite that tall but I can barely see over his back when I am standing next to him.

Mama is getting a little apprehensive about his intended purpose on our farm but like Grandpa has always maintained, on a farm you can at least eat your mistakes. Daisy, on the other hand, will be with us for the rest of her natural life if Mama has anything to say about it. I offered her the compromise of keeping her through four calves then getting her ready for the table. That did not go over well. (I just wish we could eventually eat the horses. I’m stuck with them forever.)

We do not know how long Grandma and Grandpa will be with us this time but I get the impression they are not as comfortable living with Norman as they were a year ago – especially as he pursues his romantic connection to a young lady I the Ukraine. When I think about that situation all I can say is I am glad I have Mama.

I did submit an application to Rita’s yesterday. Mama, Victoria and I have been talking about starting a Rita’s in Denton and with the sale of the farm it looked doable. However, after I got a response from the lady at the corporate headquarters I am less convinced that we will qualify financially. I do not have the minimum required amount of cash available to meet their entry point. We are close; just not totally there. I will talk to her today and see if I am reading the information correctly. If I am, we will have to look elsewhere for a business opportunity.

Still no word on the Brushy Creek property.

Second chance, special purchases, Victoria, busy week

Mama got a text on Thursday that the seller of the property in Alvord on which we had been out bid is now looking for backup offers. The buyer that won the initial bid and contract is having difficulty getting financing together – land with mobile homes are very difficult for conventional banks to finance. I had told Mama when we heard that we had been outbid that the seller may regret his hasty acceptance of their offer; but that was only speculation on my part.

Mama and I now have an approved backup offer in the hands of the seller. We are waiting for the seller to terminate the contract of the initial buyer so we can step in and purchase the property. Financing should not be an issue. We visited with the banker we have been talking to in Denton on Friday and when I asked him what more he needed from me and Mama he said he needed to know what we were buying and how much money we needed to do so.

Mama is trying not to get excited over the prospect of actually buying this property. So far she is doing a pretty good job of holding everything in. For my part, I am planning layouts for the pig building, the chicken coop, the sheep pen and fence lines to separate the pasture between the horses and the cows.

If we, for some reason, do not get to buy the property I will have wasted no time in the planning since it will help me practice for the actual purchase and work that follows. But if we do get the property I will be that much farther ahead on getting things set up.

Friday I took the day off so Mama and I could meet with the banker in Denton and get some shopping done. Costco and Ikea were two of the stops on our list following our meeting in Denton. I was not planning on making an iPad Air purchase at Costco but they had it on sale for the best price Mama and I have seen yet. We have been talking about getting one for some time and Friday seemed to be the right time. We are still figuring out exactly how to use it.

Victoria was sick all day yesterday. I think the cough was somewhat worsened by her helping Mama clean out the chicken coop. We all worked together on it late Saturday afternoon. The two of them worked inside the coop (both were wearing dust masks) while I shuttled the collected waste in the bucket of the tractor and dumped it over the fence into the compost pile we have in the meadow. Her cough had been gaining a foothold through the week but Sunday morning it was finally full force.

This week at work is going to start off with a bang. We have high profile visitors coming in today and staying through tomorrow. I will have to attend a dinner to say goodbye to my current boss this evening and will probably not get home until after 9 pm. Tomorrow, the same group of visitors will go to the field here and look at a couple special project we are piloting in the area. Following that tour our operations group will go to Amarillo for a set of meetings that will end Friday evening.

After being the center of attention for two days the office will be quite empty for the rest of the week. I do not plan on getting any work done until Wednesday.

Updates

We got the Uplander van back last night and even though the mechanic has had the vehicle for three weeks he charged us only $40 for service. That was to reimburse him for a fuse he bought that had gone bad. Mama and I paid him more than he asked but he insisted that he did not really make any repairs to the van and would not charge us for the time he spent trouble shooting the alarm system that has been giving us trouble. People like that are a rare find.

Victoria is a little disappointed because now that we have all our vehicles back in service she will go back to driving her car vs. driving the truck – which she really likes. Last Saturday she had to return the children we were watching to their mother and she stopped at Starbucks in Decatur on her way home. That is a very tight parking lot – I avoid it unless I am driving one of the smaller vehicles  - so I was surprised she felt comfortable enough to take the truck into that space. It did show me just how much she likes driving it.

Before church yesterday evening, Mama, Victoria and I drove out to the property on 4010 so I could show Mama the cleanup that had been done to the area near the road and old barn. It looked very good. I would not have uprooted so many trees or torn down some of the attachments to the barn, but it does present the property in a great way. Should we decide to purchase that piece of property, it saves me several thousand dollars’ worth of cleaning.

Grandpa and Grandma are supposed to be traveling to the farm this weekend. Mama and I are not sure how long they will be staying with us but it will be a good change for them. I am anxious to show Grandpa the property, just referred to above, since we are considering buying it. I would like to get his thoughts on the lay of the land, the road maintenance that will be required, a home building site and any potential drainage issues that he can foresee. Where we would place the house on the property is paramount. I do not want to get that wrong.

I told Mama I looked over a job opening for a position in Houston. She was not enthused. Frankly, neither am I but I am getting to the point that I feel I need to do something else. I do not see myself maintaining my current role for the next seven years (until my 65^th birthday). So she suggested we look very seriously at starting the Rita’s business. That would give me someplace to go if things do not go well at work.

When oil prices drop as they have recently, company stock prices follow that downward trend and big oil companies start to get nervous. We are not too far away from those nervous moments. Nothing happens fast but adjustments will eventually be made and headcount is generally the first adjustment; quick, easy and definable in actual dollars.

I am taking tomorrow off. I need the break and I have to use the day I have earned for the month before things get crazy next week.

Bad night, a wide search, challenges

Last night was not a good one; at least the evening was not. Mama was not having a good afternoon when I got home. Chloe, our littlest pig would not go home. Mama feeds her separately every time she feeds the pig so that Chloe has a fair shot at a measured portion of feed. Then she will feed the bigger pigs and put them all up for the night.

Chloe would not cooperate with Mama in her efforts to put her up for the night and about the time I got ready to help Mama put her away I got a call from one of the ladies who works for me. The ensuing conversation took about forty five minutes during which time Mama tried to coax the pig into the confines of their temporary sty. She, the pig, was having no part of it. Mama gave up, exasperated. (She told me the pig could freeze to death for all she cared but I am sure she did not mean it.)

When Victoria got home the little pig walked right into the building to join her fellow pigs. I guess she had gotten chilled enough and was ready for a little cuddle time. That left Mama even more upset at the hard headed swine. I tend to think Mama will be over it by the time she gets up this morning. The pig, on the other hand, will remember quite distinctly. Chloe and I look forward to a repeat performance.

Mama and I have been all over the map in looking for housing – both literally and figuratively. We have looked at everything from small to large houses, from very inexpensive to very expensive, from double wide mobile homes to mansions, from raw land to highly developed land, from three miles from town to twenty five miles from town. Yet we seem to be no closer to finding a new home.

We may be back to the idea of building our metal home/shop but we will not be able to get with the banker until next week. At least we have found a banker that is willing to look at the plans we have for a metal home/shop building. We will know more in the weeks to come, but for now the hunt for a house on property continues.

Were it not for the horses and cows the search would be much easier but whether or not to keep them with us is not a negotiable item. Nor do I seek for it to be. At some point in the near future we will both be glad we took the time to consider all the options and keep all the animals but at times it feels a little too challenging. We are up to the challenge as long as God is in it.

The things I do for Mama.

Still looking, babysitting, storms

Mama, Victoria and I were hoping to look at one particular home and property last night but for whatever reason, that did not work out so Mama asked if we could look at the property on Hwy 730 one more time. She and Victoria were still strongly opposed to buying the property but I needed one more look.

I was the first to arrive and the heir was at the shop on the property so I introduced myself to him and we began talking about the place. I got a lot of information about the septic, the well, the shop and buildings in our few minutes of conversation. I also got the very strong impression from him that he is still so emotionally attached to the place that selling it is going to be extremely difficult for him.

As we talked he would make mention of all the things that were his – which amounted to just about everything lying about the place – down to the piles of trash. He has about a month of cleanup to get done and he is in no hurry to let go of his extensive storage area. It was at that point that I knew I had to walk away from the place.

I do not think we will find any property more conveniently placed than that property but I do not want to wrestle someone away from their emotional anchor – especially in light of the fact that a lot of expensive work needs to be done to make the house habitable by Mama’s standards. I am not buying his memories and it looks like he is not ready to sell them.  My only interest was in the property and his memories add no value to it – except in his eyes.

Mama and Victoria were in town because they were dropping off the children they had been watching. They were both bummed out and tired. I guess their baby fix had been cut short. Watching the two little ones helped bring home the idea that we really need to get closer to church – geographically.

Victoria told me and Mama last night that yesterday morning no one was in a hurry to get up. Four year old Gracie, who was sleeping in bed with Victoria, had been awake for a while when she poked Victoria and said, “I want to snuggle.” Who can resist that? It made Victoria’s morning.

It has gotten cooler lately but the cool weather comes in batches of days like it is interrupting the hot days that are still trying to keep their grip on the land. Eventually it will stay cold but for now we have three cool days then three hot days. It is an interesting mix of weather.

The only bad part of the cycling temperatures is the strong storms it creates. We have had to deal with very high winds, large hail and massive downpours lately. Fortunately, we have not suffered any damage at the farm but the damage has been extensive in areas to our east. Some are still without power from a storm that ripped through the area Sunday evening.

When talking about the storm the next morning at work I was telling my coworkers that it was not that bad out in Bowie. I learned from Mama later that morning that I had slept through it.

Babysitting, travel, longing for home

Friday night, as we were leaving the RU meeting at church, we met with Erin Echeveria to take her two youngest children home with us. Their older child, six year old Luke, was being taken to the hospital because he could not move his right leg. There were fears that it could be the virus that has been sickening children in Colorado but it turned out to be a much less virulent strain. He was eventually sent home and Victoria returned the children to the parents while Mama and I were traveling back from Chappell Hill Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night he was taken back to the hospital so the doctors could surgically remove the water that had accumulated on the hip joint causing a paralysis of sorts. We took the younger children home after the morning service at church Sunday morning and they are still with Mama and Victoria at the farm. They will go back home sometime today - after their brother is released. Until then Mama and Victoria are having a blast.

While we were eating lunch yesterday, as Mama was feeding the baby and herself, she playfully scolded the ten month old for accepting a bite of food while he still had food in his mouth. “You still had a full mouth you little toot-butt.” was what she said but the four-year-old laughed and asked, “Why did you call him a tulip?” Mama could barely finish her lunch – and we called the little one “Tulip” for the rest of the day. If her scolding words were going to be heard in any way, that was the better outcome.

Mama and I traveled to Chappell Hill on Saturday so we could be there for Grandma Kline’s 85^th birthday. (It looks like we will have to go back in late December for Grandpa Kline’s’ 90^th.) As it happened this was the weekend for the Scarecrow Festival in Chappell Hill and the town was packed. Main Street was closed to vehicle traffic so we had a challenge getting to Mom and Dad’s but we eventually wove our way through.

Seven of her eight children were there for the celebration and Mama and I had a good time. I am always taken aback by how very loud my brothers and sisters are. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves especially Mom and Dad. It is getting to be more and more obvious that Dad is having trouble keeping up with conversations due to his memory loss, but he tries. He does not seem to get too frustrated when he has to be reminded what the topic of conversation is currently.

Mom is, like her mother before her, is longing to go home. It is a spiritual selfishness that all of us will wrestle with at some point, but God is in control of that timing. I have always told Mama that it is my hope to live until I die rather than to wait until I die. I have seen too many healthy people waiting around to die rather than living through their days as effectively and actively as they are able. My Mom is not quite in a holding pattern but she is close.

It was a good visit and I am happy to be close enough to make these celebrations.

Changes, peeking, birthdays

My current boss is leaving at the end of the month. In light of that all of his duties are being parceled out among those of us who reported to him. It is always a delicate dance to shift priorities and assume duties that are both new and urgent; to report to someone to whom your boss once reported. It is not always a welcome exposure; especially in light of the fact that all of us have very fulltime jobs to maintain on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

This entire process is not aided by the fact that one of our peers has also left our group so his responsibilities are being taken on by one of the persons who reported to him, who also has a very fulltime job to maintain. He is very uncomfortable communicating at the current elevated level of the organization. It is kind of humorous to watch that level of discomfort evidence itself in meetings.

Mama and I are still a little lost in the process of finding a place to move to. There is still a good deal of distance between our individual expectations. The current lack of suitable properties for sale - of the type we are looking for- complicates the issue a good deal. I have suggested that we take a break from the search; no looking at realtor.com for a week, but neither of us can keep ourselves from peeking.

I stayed at work last night until about 6:40 pm as I waited on two different crews to complete work in the new office building. One crew finished up a little after 5 pm. The other asked for at least another hour. They will be back this morning. Hopefully they will not be looking to stay as late as yesterday.

It could work out okay since we have RU this evening but Mama looks forward to me getting home in time to help her get things ready for our weekly meeting. Tonight she will be putting together two Mexican casseroles for the dinner that always follows the meeting. It would be very disappointing to her for me to be stuck here in the office.

We leave in the morning for Chappell Hill. From the reports I am hearing, we will be traveling in the rain for a good portion of the trip. That is never fun with Mama. For some reason she is paranoid about driving in the rain, the snow, high winds, etc. We will try and make it a fun trip but there is always a little bit of drudgery spending eight to nine hours on the road.

I just have to keep the reason for the trip in context. At this point in their lives I do not know how much longer I will have my Mom and Dad around and birthday number 85 is a notable milestone. Dad will turn 90 in December.

At least now we are only a few hours from them versus being twenty hours away.

Where is home? Grandma Kline’s Birthday, work

Some years back, I remember hearing an interview with a Christian author who was quite popular at that time. I did not get much out of the interview but there was one thought that has stayed with me for many years. The author described the Christian life as a long, slow burn rather than a flash of fire and light. There are times, he said, that we are moved by God in mighty ways and accomplish great things in a short amount of time but those times are not the norm. Much of the Christian life is spent in patient obedience, faithful service and daily devotion; awaiting those times that God will need us to be ready for His desired purpose.

Mama and I are in one of those times of patient obedience. We know God is moving in our lives but it is a knowing of faith and not of sight. We have the rare opportunity to take our time looking for the place God has for us as we live in the place we have already sold. We know the Lord worked that out for our good and His glory. But we are having trouble finding a place we feel a peace about buying.

We are constantly reassured by the new owner of our farm that he wants us to make absolutely certain and have perfect peace about the place we buy. There is no urgency on his part to take possession of the farm and we are acting as caretakers in his absence. But as the holiday season approaches Mama really wants to have the question answered; where is home now? The final answer to that question is Heaven; but, not yet. Pray for us as we continue the search.

This Saturday we are going to Chappell Hill to attend a birthday party my sister Sarah has put together to celebrate Grandma Kline’s 85^th birthday. We have never been a family that made much of birthdays but this one seem special – especially after the open heart surgery Mom had a couple years ago. It will be a day trip for me, Mama and Victoria. I thing we are about five hours from Chappell Hill so there will be a good amount of time on the road but I think it will be worth the effort.

Work has tied me up pretty thoroughly lately. I even had to deal with a couple issues here in Decatur as I was with Maggie and Aaron and the baby in Alaska. But the past few days have been pretty overwhelming. We have had one setback after another in getting services to the new building we are getting ready for occupancy. Several crews have made multiple return trips to finish work that should have been done weeks ago.

Today I promised a crew that I would stay with them until they finished. They will be arriving from Houston this morning and want to get the work completed so they can go back home in the morning. I have been told that they expect to get done before 9 pm; but that is their best guess.

We will see.

Travel, looking but nit finding, the little van

I spent the day on the road yesterday. I met with my staff in Elk City, OK. Most of the ladies in my group had to travel to make the meeting but it was about equal distance for each office to meet in that location. We had a productive meeting; managed to get a lot of little issues addressed. Now my work begins as I follow up on various requests they had.

Mama and Victoria spent the day in Denton getting new phones – oh joy! They were each equally excited and exasperated as they tried to reestablish the games, contacts and other items on the new devices. It will take some time to get everything done and Mama will need lots of help in the process but we should be close in a day or two – depending on Victoria’s availability. For the moment both of them are carrying two phones each.

I was not overly impressed by the iPhone 6 tablet – whatever they call the biggest one they are now selling. It is too big for me. I had problems holding the device because it is so slick. I asked Mama if there was a cover available for it and she told me there is a “bumper pad” for it. I will not handle the phone until I am sure I can hang on to it. For the size, I would rather have an iPad.

Once Mama and Victoria were back in Decatur they met with the realtor and looked at a large log home on fifteen acres. I was curious to see the setup of the house and outbuildings – as well as the proximity to what looked like another house very near the one we were interested in seeing. As it turned out, the log home was set us as a retreat facility rather than as a home. As such, it has a very small kitchen, no master suite and fairly undefined living areas – more like meeting rooms with dormitory space.

Mama loved the house; Victoria not so much. I will go see it on Friday but I am not excited by what I can see on Google maps or by the report from Mama and Victoria. The sale is the result of a pending divorce and the nearby house, the residence for the conference/retreat building is being retained by one of the offended parties. It would have to be a great find for me to pay the asking price for what looks to be a headache in the making just to dissociate the two properties; set fence lines and agreed boundaries, etc.. Mama was pretty bummed out by my lack of enthusiasm.

The weeks are starting to pile up on us as we look for another place to live and I have to admit a sense of desperation setting in for both me and Mama. I know the Lord will work it all out, but as we watch one property after another come and go, we are a little apprehensive about still being able to find the right one. The real blessing underlying all the insecurity is that we still have a place to live. That, in and of itself, is a blessing only the Lord could have put together.

Our Uplander is still at the shop. I talked to the mechanic Monday evening on my way home and he told me he has not spent much time on the car since he was out of town for a few days last week. He thinks the problem is in the alarm module but he is not totally sure. We should know more this week. We miss having the little van at our service. I am not overly worried about the charge to fix it.

The mechanic has been very fair in everything he has done for us in the past.

Eating out, more looking, getting stronger

That weekend certainly flew by. Saturday started off with us losing electricity as Victoria was leaving for work – about 7:40 a.m. It was off for the next several hours because of a downed power line somewhere up Paddack road from us. It provided a good excuse for Mama and me to go out to breakfast. So we went to the Longhorn Cafe in Bowie for the breakfast bar. It was really good.

By the time we made it back home the power had been restored. Mama and I fed her menagerie as we usually do and I made a couple quick repairs to a few small items but we really did not get into too much because that afternoon we were scheduled to go with the seniors from our church to a restaurant in Jacksboro for dinner. Between both of those meals and the nap required since neither of us had slept well the night before the day was pretty well used up.

We did go to look at a couple of properties after we left the restaurant in Jacksboro. (We had met the group at the restaurant vs. meeting them in Deactur.)None of the properties were worth a second look but that’s why we take the time to do the initial investigation – to save us and our realtor the time and aggravation of meeting at a property that will obviously not meet our needs.

We appear to be no closer today than when we first began our search for a replacement home but I think we are closer than we are able to see. Mama and I both believe God is leading us and in His time we will stumble into the answer. I wish we would be less concerned about our needs and focus more on what exactly God is doing through us in our quest to honor Him in this move, but our human nature often overexerts its influence into the struggle – causing doubt, frustration and confusion. This too shall pass.

A missionary spoke in our Sunday School hour and told the story of a young Christian Army recruit who was placed in a platoon with a sergeant that was vociferously anti-God. The sergeant piled the extra duties, extra weight in the pack and extra push-ups and miles of running on the young Christian in an effort to demoralize and break his spirit and faith.

On one bivouac, in a remote, wooded area the sergeant was bitten by a poisonous snake. Immediately succumbing to the venom he passed out. When he woke in the Army hospital he learned that that young Christian had carried him – almost running – the entire way to the hospital.

Anxious to make amends for his behavior toward the young man, he called him to the hospital room and began to apologize but the young Christian interrupted, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. If you had not forced me to do all the extra work I would not have had the strength to carry you to the hospital.” The moral of the story: Our trials should serve to make us stronger.

At least, that’s His intent

Walking away, trash, Brittany

Mama and I received the news yesterday that we had been outbid on the property in Alvord. I was ready to walk away but Mama insisted on putting in one more offer. It was not enough to win the contract. Mama was pretty bummed out and our real estate agent was heartbroken for Mama. I was a little disappointed and felt the loss was because I was being too cautious but it is all in God’s hands. We will regroup and begin again.

It did teach us a lesson – that if we really see value in the property we need to be more aggressive in getting it under contract rather than trying to save a few thousand dollars. The realtor that negotiated the sale of our farm in Bowie advised us thusly, “Don’t let your money get mad.” In other words, when you like what you see, if it has real value to you, buy it. Don’t let your quest for a bargain get your emotions twisted up.

I took some time last night and finished the grout of the tile in the shower in the apartment. It turned out pretty well. At the very least, it looks better than it did with the little white spacers sticking out from between the tile. I also took some time to discard some more items from the farmhouse –trying to make the best use of the dumpster while we have it.

Mama was in the mobile home making calls letting everyone know we were not going to get the Alvord property so I went to sit with her but I got up and looked in the fridge. I had to nearly empty it out because of the shriveled, molded and rotting items inside. It is a good thing that the dumpster is going to be emptied tomorrow. It would not take long for the items I placed in it to stink as they warm up. Between the two sources we managed to fill the dumpster.

Brittany, aka, Princess Sparkles, called me yesterday and was telling me about her last day at work. During the day her coworkers would put a small gift on her desk every time she stepped away. One was a bad of Reece’s Pieces. It sat on a card that said, “We will miss you to…” with an arrow pointing to the pieces. Cute! And just down Brittany’s alley.

She is going to concentrate on school work over the next few months but especially when they move to Altus, OK where Andrew is to be stationed for a period of time. While they are there they will be only about three hours from me and Mama. It should provide more opportunities to visit before they are stationed in the UK.

Tomorrow evening, Mama and I are planning to meet the seniors from the church at a restaurant in Gainesville. It is always fun to hang out with that group. Mama and I will meet them rather than driving to Decatur, then to Gainesville, then back to Decatur, then back to Bowie. Besides, a feed store there had some bargains on feed that we need at the farm. It will put Mama ahead for the coming several months. It can always be relocated with us.

I have a small list of “to do” items for Saturday but, if I know Mama, we will be looking at properties somewhere.

Waiting on the Lord, changes at work, Ebola

Mama and I made a counter offer yesterday afternoon but have not heard back from the seller. Mama is tired of haggling and wants to get on with the sale. I am curious to see what God is doing in the delay. There is always a higher purpose and it is rare we get to see all the nuances of God’s hidden works but I think in this one we will get some insight into how we are being led, blessed and protected.

One outcome of the slow progression of the negotiations has been our introduction to another lender. One of the problems with buying land is that many banks will not finance the purchase. Those that will have lending tools that do not necessarily treat the buyer very well. Most land loans are written with a set period of time - usually five to seven years – that the loan will run followed by a balloon payment for the remainder of the load at which time the borrower is either reevaluated for extending the loan for another provisional term (at the prevailing rate at that moment) or required to pay off the loan in full. Not the best customer product on the market.

Our realtor gave us the contact information for another lender that will do the land loan on a conventional loan; one that establishes terms that will carry through the length of the loan. That would definitely be my preference. I will be getting all the required information to that bank this morning in hopes of meeting with the lender on Friday or early next week.

At work, the official announcement was made that my boss will be leaving for another position. He is going back to what his expertise is in – Liquefied Natural Gas. He will be leaving at the end of this month. In ways it is a good thing for us as an organization; in way not so much. Time will tell.

With the first acknowledged case of Ebola now announced in Dallas, it puts a special sort of angst in the air here. We are distanced enough from the area that there is not the panic that seems to be building at that local level; especially since there are school age children involved. I do not know where the truth is but it seems to be believable that the infection is pretty difficult to contract. If not the infectious rate in Africa would be far higher.

It also seems to be fact that it is frightfully expensive to treat but that it can be successfully treated. An outbreak of the disease in our country would quickly overwhelm our health care system.  It is a frightening scenario. For a potentially lethal disease, it is getting a lot softer sell that the normal hype that accompanies “flu season”. Perhaps that is due to the lack of marketable vaccine.

Liberal use of soap and hot water for hand cleaning is always a good preventive measure – especially until we know more. I would not trust the alcohol based hand wash solutions so ubiquitous in our lives right now. They are great for bacterial control but not too much for virus containment.

I am more concerned about the infected minors that have been inserted into communities across the US and the disease they are transmitting to our school age children than I am bout an Ebola patient. It is a little overwhelming to think of where this could end.

Fortunately, God is still in control.

Missed queues, bad movie, running

Mama and I heard from the seller of the Alvord property. He does not seem too interested in coming down in price enough to meet our offer. I was a little disappointed to see the slow progress but as I started to replay the bits of conversation that had been repeated to me I began to understand the hesitancy. I think, when we made to offer to deal with anything he does not want to move, he is considering the tractor and other fairly high dollar items in the selling price.

To answer my question I have asked our agent to investigate how our offer was interpreted by the seller so we are all on the same page. It is like two people almost talking about the same things until one of the two in the conversation says something so irrelevant to the other person’s frame of reference that it brings up the question of what exactly is being talked about.

In one scene from the Fiddler on the Roof, the main character is talking with the butcher. The butcher is trying to feel out the father about asking for his oldest daughter’s hand in marriage. All the while the father thinks the butcher is talking about his milk cow. It is a pretty funny conversation. Ours has not been as humorous, but it may have been as misdirected.

Victoria rented the new Transformer movie last night. It was awful. Mama and I were talking about the two hours wasted in watching it. I even left after about an hour and a half because some of the fight and chase scenes were so drawn out that they were not entertaining. Much of the storyline was so convoluted that it made absolutely no sense. There was some funny dialogue but it was sporadic at best.

I feel that I can follow a storyline as well as most people but I could not connect the dots at all – especially when they were trying to infer that the transformers were millions of years old. It was poorly written and acted. The graphics were good but they could not carry the movie. At least it only cost a dollar to rent.

Mama ran pretty much all day yesterday. In the morning she returned Victoria’s tablet – I do not remember what kind it was – to Sam’s and in the early afternoon she had lunch with me in Decatur. That was after she had gone to the Post Office and the cleaners in Decatur. I think she was home by naptime. All in all, we are not getting too much done at the farm right now but we still have time to get it all done over the next few days.

It is already October. That’s amazing. If we want to be in a new place by Thanksgiving, we had better get a move on.