Travel, news, Christmas, more travel

Thirty hours on the road is a bit taxing but that is what it took to get Mama, Victoria, the pups, the Christmas presents, et. al. to Florida and back again. The way down was a long trip and we never seem to make it without excessive stops. This time the main excuse was the six puppies we had with us but an hour for lunch at Chick-fil-A didn’t help.

We learned early in the trip that when the pups started to cry it was time to stop and let them relieve themselves. Fortunately, we are not all that difficult to train. So, about every two hours we had to find a place for them to get on a patch of grass and go potty. They had us so well trained that there was not a single time they used the potty in the kennel. Pretty good for old fogies like us.

Nate had a place set up for the pups and they were all too happy to get out of the kennel to play. The grandkids even spared a moment to welcome Grammy and me while they played with the puppies. That only lasted about half an hour and the puppies were ready to crawl back into the kennel for the night. They were quiet every night from about 9 pm until about 5:30 a.m. each morning. We had some very early mornings while we were with Cori, Nate and the kids.

As we congregated together just after we arrived Blake brought a little onesie to Grammy that said “Baby’s First Christmas” on it. We did not know the significance until Blake explained that it meant that mommy had a baby in her tummy. Yes, number four is on the way. Mama and I will gain two grandchildren next year. And Mama will get to travel – Lord willing – to each of those births.

Christmas with the grandkids was fun. Mykenzie got a piano and the boys got a basketball hoop. They also found out that they got to keep one of the puppies. It was a good morning. Brittany and Andrew were there also so we had a pretty good crew to celebrate with.

The next day Nate took the Christmas tree down and cut all the branches off of it. We used it to start a fire that night and burned the branches and all the wrapping paper –as well as several boxes. It was a nice evening. The kids always like a good fire and it was pleasantly cool outside.

We left Florida after breakfast with Grant. Yesterday was his sixth birthday. Sunday night Mike and Alana’s three boys spent the night both for Grant’s birthday and for Alana to go to the hospital to have their fourth child – their first daughter. It was quite a night with all those busy boys in the house.

The trip home was relatively uneventful. We were in traffic for over an hour but other than that we had pretty clear roads for the entire eight hundred miles. We ended up getting home about 10 pm and were all in bed by 11pm.

Not bad for a day’s work.

Frustrating little things

Though neither Mama nor I felt up to it we struggled through play practice last night. We were the better for it but it made for a long evening for me. I did not get to bed until after 10pm. That is pretty late for me and I have still not gotten myself to sleep past 5 a.m. on weekday mornings even though I have my alarm set for a half hour later than that.

Yesterday evening I got home before Mama and was in a foul mood because of the pee spots I found the living room, kitchen and hallway. I am pretty fed up with this dog and despite all Mamas’ attempts to coax her into not relieving herself in the house she prefers that over waiting like the other two dog do. I have been patient until now but that is at an end.

Grandma and Grandpa will be keeping her next week while we are in Florida. That will not be a pleasant week for the two of them – or for the dog. I purchased flooring for our house that was not affected by moisture – in part because of Allie. They are not so blessed and I know neither of them will enjoy cleaning up the pee from the carpet in the trailer. I am not sure where we go from here. But even though she is a very gentle and loving dog, my strong preference is that she go to some other home.

The pups Allie produced are growing bigger by the day. They are fully weaned and eating puppy chow – when Allie does not eat all of it. She will still not suffer any container of water to be in the same area as the pups. Mama and Victoria know they need to drink but Allie will deliberately spill out any bowl they put water in for the pups.

 I do not know if it is her way of getting the water to them for drinking off of the floor or it is a protective mechanism because she fears they will drown in the deeper dish of water. Whatever it is she is insistent that water never be near them. That is also frustrating – even though we have the flooring that will tolerate it well.

Today is the last workday for me and Victoria until after Christmas. I am looking forward to the break. With what I have had to deal with at work recently I need the time away. The unfortunate reality has been that even though I am away from the office I still have to deal with work items on a daily basis; job security, I suppose.

Tonight we have play practice along with RU. That ought to be interesting.

Adjustments, more Christmas, skunks in the city

Mama and I went to see the chiropractor yesterday right after I got off work. Both of us needed the tugging and twisting and popping he did on our spine. I am a little sore in a couple spots but overall feel much better. When he was examining me he connected my back issues to the stomach and bowel issues I have been dealing with lately. The relief I now feel is a wonderful respite from the heartburn and nausea.

He, like other chiropractors, warned me to begin to stretch and regain my flexibility. Like my dad, I have great core strength and it was difficult for the chiropractor to make the adjustments to my back, but I am horribly stiff. That, in itself, only adds to the issues I continue to have with my back. At least Mama and I have someone nearby we can visit several times a year now.

At church last night the children presented a short play. It was mostly the kids from Master’s Club but they opened it up to other children in the church also. It was about a family traveling to visit Grandma at Christmas who got stranded at a hotel by a blizzard Their van was broken into and the presents stolen and the hotel lost all power because of the storm. Still they found a reason to rejoice in the Lord. It was well done.

We exchanged gifts after a short devotional and altar call and the pastor handed out some thank you cards and fruit sacks. That is the tradition at this church. I think this is only our second time to be here for the gift exchange. Everyone really seems to get into it. There is also a place to pile presents to be given to specific church members so the teens can deliver them during the gift exchange.

Andrew Brooks handed out pictures he had colored to a few people. He explained that he only gave them to his really good friends. Mama and I each got one. His dad, Dennis Brooks, gave out his traditional plateful of baked goods which had a sampling of all the items he normally bakes at Christmas time; pumpkin pie, pecan pie, tres leches cake, brownies, etc. it is not a convenient time of year to be worried over calories or carbs.

During the morning yesterday someone spotted a skunk in our parking lot. Out on the farm in Chico or at the at the farm in Bowie we would have been concerned but not surprised at the sighting but our office is at the edge of a neighborhood, so there was quite a bit of excitement about the visitor.

We have been told over the years that any time a skunk is seen during the daylight hours there is a good chance it is in the last stages of a rabies infection. The rabies virus affects the brain and causes them to act like the one I had to kill the other afternoon at our home. I am not sure where the skunk got to from our parking lot but I sincerely hope no one nearby or their pet is affected.

Rain fell throughout the day yesterday. I am not sure how much we got but it was a great relief to the very parched ground. It also settled the accumulation of leaves we have around the house because of the trees baring themselves to the winter. It has been a long time since Mama and I have heard the rainfall on a carpet of leaves.

That is a very unique sound with plenty of memories attached to it.

Busy times, shopping, house hunting still

The busy evenings leading up to the presentation of our Christmas play at church Sunday night begin tonight. Tonight is not part of the evenings of practice for the play but those will follow after services tonight. In light of having every evening spoken for and the need to finish some of the required Christmas shopping before we travel to Florida, Mama and I went shopping last night and spent the entire evening out.

Some of the stops we made were for items needed at the house but the more expensive stops were for gifts we needed for a gift exchange at church tonight and for regular Christmas presents – none of which were expensive, there were just a lot of them. Mama also completed her gifts for her secret sister at church. She’s been working on getting that put together for several weeks now.

We did not get home until after 9 pm. The same arrival time back home should follow through the remainder of the week. It is harder to gauge the time at this time of the year since it is dark by 5:30 every evening so most of the time I am home from the office is spent in the dark. Many evenings I have looked at the clock with mild shock when I realized it was only 7 pm.

Since Mama and I do not have TV we do not measure time unconsciously through that medium – by tracking the evening through the lineup of programs. Neither of us have a desire to have that back in our lives. The content has gotten more and more questionable in the last few years to the point that even commercials have very suggestive if not moderately pornographic content.

Before I went to bed I did my customary visual of the property in back of the house. There were three bucks just outside the chain link fence that surrounds the back yard. When the light shone on them the dogs went crazy – especially Allie. Two of the three bucks would have made any respectable antler hunter proud.

Rain is forecast for the next few days so there will be a delay on outside projects but Mama can get the well house and a couple of closets painted if I can keep her home. She has spent the past couple days house shopping with Grandma and Grandpa. They are continuing to look for a rental house that will fit in their budget. They are meeting with very little success.

When they look within their price range – which is pretty low – all they are able to find are homes that they are shocked someone would offer for rent much less ask what they are asking for the “privilege” of paying a landlord to occupy it; at your own risk, of course. So the hunt goes on.

I am not sure why Mama is involved in the process, but she is. So the sense of accomplishment that Grandpa feels having gotten all our stuff to the house and property in Chico is overshadowed for me and Mama but the daunting task of sifting through all those packed and stacked items and getting them put away properly.

Chase and Makaila are coming over Friday afternoon so Makaila can paint Mama’s kitchen cabinets. That will help a great deal since Mama has been hesitant to put anything away while she waits to get the cabinets finished.

We are still weeks away from getting settled but we are happy to be where we are.

Spare time, enclosures, wildlife

Mama and I will be busy with church and play practice beginning tomorrow evening so I was anxious to get some things done at the house last night in a brief moment of uncommitted time. It is difficult in times like this to know where to start so I started in the well house getting a makeshift work bench torn out in order to paint the wall behind it so we can put shelving there enabling me to empty the garage. It took Mama’s help and about an hour to get that done – less the painting.

There were some things I could arrange in the garage to give us more room until we can move things into the areas where we are going to either use them or store them, so I worked on that for about an hour also. Now there is room to actually park a car in the garage when needed. In the very near future I hope to have room for two cars in that garage.

All of that happened after dark because Mama and I went to Lowe’s after I got home because she wanted to show me a small metal building she and Grandpa had found that could serve as a chicken coop. They had already bought the material for the hog building so getting the coop ready would be the next project. Grandpa should get started on the hog building late today after they look at a house for rent in Weatherford.

The little metal building will do for the present but I would like to build a proper coop in the near future, but with Grandpa anxious to get off the farm in Bowie I will have to make something work for now to keep Mama’s flock near her. With the enclosure we have at the house in Chico we can make the coop and yard in very short order. And it should be defendable against a family of raccoons we see on a regular basis at the property as well as serving a secondary purpose for more storage at the farm once we get the larger coop in operation.

Last night before I went to bed I got one of the powerful flashlights I keep on hand and looked over the back yard and the property beyond it. I saw a large hog for the first time – about a 250 pounder. I also saw the raccoons in question as well as several deer.

I suppose our property has the largest concentration of oak trees in the area and the wildlife in our area are well aware of that fact. These oak trees produced a huge crop of tiny acorns which all the variety of animals seem to like. I do not think we can keep them off of the property so we will have to figure out how to share it with them while still getting the produce we desire from the ground – like garden plants, fruit trees and flowering bulbs.

So with the rabbits, the squirrels, the hogs, the deer, the raccoons, the birds of many varieties, the armadillos, the skunks, the possums and the  regular population of rats, mice, moles and lizards we will have to figure out how to make this work. Not to mention adding our chickens, pot belly pigs, cattle and dogs to the mix.

This could become quite entertaining.

Small moves, skunk issues, party at church

Friday night at RU we had a new couple come to the program. That is always an encouragement to Lee and Laura. We were very late getting home that night. I am not sure why. I guess we just stayed there visiting longer than usual. It was a good night even though Mama and I were very tired.

Saturday was a busy day. I took down the ceiling fan in the living room of the house in Chico and replaced it with the one Mama and I had put up in the apartment at the farm in Bowie. I am hoping that fan – which has followed us in all our moves beginning in New Jersey - has finally found its final home. The apartment is completely cleared out. It looks very much like it did when Mama and I moved into it a little over a year ago. I am praying it will be a blessing to Danny Benson in the years to come.

We did not have a lot of items to move on Saturday so we were done pretty early. That was a good thing since we are weary of moving – and we are running out of space to put the boxes we are amassing at the house in Chico. Victoria started putting some things away; mostly books. Mama is still not wanting to arrange the kitchen because of the pending work to be done on the cabinets.

As we unloaded Saturday afternoon, I was working on items in the truck which was parked at the garage while Grandpa, Mama, Victoria and Grandma unloaded the trailer, which Grandpa had backed up to the front of the house. All of a sudden I heard everyone screaming at Rosie –who is pretty hard of hearing. I did not react too quickly because I am used to such commotion. (I did get a call from the Chico Emergency Response Center about the commotion but I told them things were under control.)

When I did round the corner of the house Mama let me know that there was a skunk on the driveway and Rosie was getting too close to it. When Grandpa and I looked closely we saw that the skunk we just walking around in circles between pointless dashes in one direction or another; obviously rabid. I had to get the rifle and shoot it. Oddly enough, even Grandma gave me permission to do so.

I should have gotten the 410 shotgun but I got the .22 rifle instead. I say that because I cannot see the front sight of the rifle without my bifocals; however, with the bifocals I cannot see anything clearly past the front sight. It took four shots to kill it (because three of the shots were misses – before I got my glasses out) but I did finally succeed. Fortunately, it had wandered back across the road by the time it was put out of its misery.

We are seeing (and smelling) lots of skunks by the roadside these days but this one was a little close for comfort. Mama and I counted the dead skunks along the road on the way to church yesterday morning and I think we got to eight between our house and Hwy 380. That is a distance of about six miles.

Victoria, Mama and I went to church Saturday night for the Adult Sunday School Christmas Party. We had a really good time. I think that at this Chinese Christmas everyone got something they could live with if they were not pleased to have it.

The dinner was Mexican food and there was an abundance of it. It would have been very easy to over indulge but I had not eaten anything that day – on purpose – and I was not about to get full that night. Mama and Victoria took home two plates of leftovers but I was disappointed to discover that it was all desserts, no real food.

Peggy, who usually does not attend such functions, came to the party because Mama and I were coming and we had a great time during dinner.

Backing away, play practice, another busy weekend

Mama found out yesterday that the house we put a bid on for Victoria to buy – and did not get the bid – is not open for bidding again. This time our realtor was able to get us some more information on the dwelling. It is in need of about $                15,000 worth of repairs. Which would not be overwhelming or difficult if Mama and I were buying it to fix up to live in. However, it presents a major obstacle to Victoria and her grandparents since I will not be funding the repairs. In light of that we have backed away from it.

Yesterday evening, Mama got home a little after I did because she was at the laundromat in Chico getting the dogs blankets and towels watched. And just after she got home Grandma called to tell me she and Grandpa were at our barn unloading some miscellaneous items – it was mostly junk but would be useful in the right situation. We went over to help them and spent a few minutes visiting before they headed back to Bowie and we got ready for play practice.

We were at play practice from about 6:30 to a little before 9 pm but it was a great time. We went through the entire play and none of us had ever seen it put together. To this point Sam Echeveria has worked with all the scenes independently. It is going to be an effective presentation of how much one life really matters; of how an enduring faith leaves a tangible mark on the lives of others.

This coming weekend we have a short reprieve from practice.  We will not get together again until next Thursday but we will practice every evening from then through the weekend. At that time we will be adding lights and other theatrical effects to the presentation – like where we stand during our lines or how we sit and still face the audience rather than each other, how loudly we need to speak, etc. It is fun. It is rewarding. It is tiring. But every time we are done with things like this, we realize just how much we enjoyed it and doing it well.

Friday night we have RU, Saturday we will be loading more items from bowie to bring to our new farm and Saturday night we have the adult Sunday School Christmas Party. We are preparing Mexican food and having a Chinese Christmas. That is where, at your turn, you select a gift from the pile and open it in front of the group so everyone can see what you got. Any person coming after you can exchange what they got for what you have. The only rule is that a gift can only change hands three times.

The goal is to get what you want and make sure you are the final, or third, recipient. None of the gifts are expensive. I believe there is a five dollar limit so none of the losses of gifts are great; however, the competition is fierce.

Since I do not enjoy such competition, I do not enjoy the game and last year I did not participate. I supplied a gift for someone who did not have one to put into the game and I watched from outside the circle. This year I do not think I will be allowed to do that – either by Mama or the folks at church. Boy, am I looking forward to it.

My new boss is a breath of fresh air. Time will tell how things will work out for my position in particular but for the moment I am enjoying discussions aimed more at giving my folks every perk available to them rather than taking the easy out and denying them something that takes a little effort and coordination to implement.

I am cautiously optimistic.

 

Plugged lines, little blessings, doctor appointments, Nate’s interview

Mama and I missed church last night because of septic line problems. It started with the shower not draining properly while Mama was taking a shower. I had nothing to plunge it with so I started to take a shower in the other bathroom. I flushed the toilet in that bath and it did not go down. In fact it almost overflowed. Then I knew we had a real problem.

I called Lee and he sent his helper Ryan Stollard out to tend to the plug. Neither of us could find the clean out for the line so he had to pull the toilet in the hall bath to snake the line. On the good side, I was able to find the clean out while he was snaking the line.

I could feel the clean out tool vibrating the ground and tracked it into the yard where I could feel the vibration closest to the surface. I got a shovel and dug just a little bit of dirt and grass away and there was the clean out fitting. Too late to be used for its intended purpose, but now we know. It was almost 8 pm before we got the toilet set and the mess cleaned up. Neither of us are sure he got the plug cleared so I am going to have the septic tank cleaned out to ensure we have a clean start with this house.

One of the items the sellers left in the house was an industrial mop bucket and mop. Mama and I were pleased that the sellers left it for us because it will come in very handy with the type of flooring we had installed. It sure came in handy when we were cleaning up the floor. Who would have thought that Mama and I would be happy over having a mop bucket?

Mama and Grandpa were able to rig up hoses from the well house to the barn to water the cattle while Grandpa keeps them penned up. We have several containers at the new farm to use for water but the largest had several bullet holes in the bottom. They discovered the holes when they thought to move it to the barn. The one they are using is a 35 gallon galvanized tank. I kind of like it better anyway.

Daisy and Baby Huey are thoroughly enjoying having unlimited access to the thousand pound bale of hay we set up for them in the barn. I do not think they have had free choice in feed before but they quickly abandoned the hay when Mama walked into the barn. They both stood by the feed trough in case she was going to give out some sweet stock or cattle cubes. Boy, are they spoiled.

Grandpa has an appointment with a cardiologist in Decatur this morning. Danny Benson recommended this particular doctor to us based on his experience as a paramedic. He gets to hear all the local scuttlebutt on the medical personnel in the three nearby counties. I think Grandma and Grandpa are excited about the prospect of having a doctor closer than Amarillo or West Virginia.

Grandma has been after Grandpa to see a specialist ever since he started having episodes of blood pressure swings. At this point we do not know if it is the medication they have Grandpa trying or if there is a problem with the stints he has in his heart. I think it is heavily dependent of his caffeine and sugar intake – for those of you who know his dietary habits.

Grandma has diagnosed it as a problem with the stints because of something that happened with her sister Janie, but we are reserving the diagnosis for the doctor. Hopefully, he will get to talk to Janie before the appointment this morning.

Yesterday Nate interviewed for apposition in an investigative branch of local law enforcement. He came away with the impression that he did well enough on answering the questions asked but it is always difficult to tell what the interviewers might be looking for. We are continuing to pray about that opportunity.

It would be a wonderful change in schedule for Cori and the kids.

Still moving, deer, no - for now

I helped Mama empty a couple more boxes last night after I got home but Grandpa is bringing them over faster than we are able to cope with them at the house. At least everything will soon be in one location so we can sort through it and get it placed for use. I do appreciate the help although I still do not understand the urgency.

Mama and Grandpa brought over our herd yesterday. Actually, there are only two head to our herd and one of them is destined for the butcher. But they are all we need for the moment. They are pinned up in the corral at the barn until they clam down. Mama said Daisy May was pretty agitated by the move. The farm is all the two of them have ever known. Now they are displaced in a new home.

There is a fresh bale of hay in the barn – one of the big round bales of good quality coastal hay – so they will not take too long to settle in. Once we can trust them to stay within the fence on our property we will let them roan the small lot where the barn sits and get their water from the tank on that lot. All in all, that is about five acres of ground within that fenceline.

On my way home last night I saw three deer on the road in front of the house. Two were bucks; the bucks were fighting over the doe that was with them. As I drove up the bucks jumped the fence and ran off. The doe stayed close by as I parked the truck in front of the house and pretty quickly returned to the road – with the larger buck following closely.

I sat in the truck and took a picture as they moved closer. They did not seem to be in a hurry so I called Mama and had her look out the bay window in our dining room. From there she and Victoria had a clear view of the two deer. As we ate dinner they moved onto the property in the middle lot and moseyed about eating their fill or acorns. I took a picture from our bedroom window – about twenty feet from where the two were feeding. That was fun.

Mama and I went to play practice last night and spent about an hour a half getting the scene the way Sam Echeveria wanted it. That was also fun. Now if we can only remember the lines and positions as we move forward. I am hoping someone will record the play so we can see it also but I do not know if there are any plans to do so.

We found out early yesterday that we did not get the bid on the house in Bridgeport that Mama was so interested in. We are in second place at the moment. Victoria, who would be the buyer, is still struggling with the idea of taking on a mortgage –as am I.

But for the moment the issue has been placed on the back burner.

The rush is on, mind numbing choices, needing space already

Mama and I are struggling with the sudden urgency Grandpa feels to vacate the farm in Bowie. Grandpa is pretty much flooding us with stuff as he aggressively clears out the apartment and shop. Mama said the desperation is driven by a remark Danny Benson made a couple weeks ago about his daughter possibly moving into the apartment at some undetermined future date. Grandpa is strongly opposed to the idea of being on the farm with anyone else – even if it is okay with the current owner. So after taking our time and pacing ourselves in the move, we are leaving in a hurry.

He and Grandma have rented a storage building to put some of their things into while they wait to see what will come of the shopping we are doing for housing for them. They are talking about renting an apartment or moving into the spare bedroom we have at the house. His anxiousness about the situation is not contagious. However it is as perplexing as it is frustrating.

In that search for housing, we looked at a property the other day that Victoria could qualify to buy but we are not settled by any stretch of the imagination on her getting into a thirty year mortgage. On the other hand, if that is the way we go, we could not have found a better property for her to share with Grandma and Grandpa. The caveat is determining how committed Grandma and Grandpa will be to the purchase and whether we should plan to handle it without them.

I am praying for wisdom and insight because it is a bigger commitment than any of us understand at this point. My adage has become,” just because we can does not mean we should”. The uncertainty surrounding us at the moment, a faltering economy, Victoria’s young age and unknown future, my company cutting back hard against the downturn in oil prices, etc. is a little confusing to work through. This one has to be a matter of obedient faith. A clear unction from the Lord is required. That only comes through much prayer.

Mama and I went to Sam’s last night to get some supplies for the house. I had a list of about three items and Mama had about the same but we still came out of there with $265 worth of purchases. Either we had a very incomplete list or we had a very overactive sense of need. I will vote on the list being too short and really “needing” the items we bought.

Mama is due at the farm in Bowie pretty early this morning to help Grandpa load the cattle for transport to the farm in Chico. We have the lot with the barn ready for their arrival. I wish we could say the same for the pigs and chickens. Grandpa has a plan for the pigs enclosure and pen that we are okay with and he should be able to get that done in a few days. We are not as excited about his plan for the chickens.

He is looking to squeeze the twenty plus chickens into a six by eight kennel set up at the house. In the kennel is the cutest little chicken coop, but it is more designed for about six bantams than for twenty plus full-sized chickens. But I have nowhere else to put them right now – if they must be moved right now.

We will figure it out but it is difficult not to feel pushed.

Moving more stuff, spotlighting

Saturday we had quite a day. It was the first time I had been back to the farm in a week. It was impressive to see just how much Grandpa had gotten done there. The shop was almost completely empty and the apartment is getting very close to being empty. Grandpa and I concentrated on getting the last of the items out of his little shop and then loaded up a lot of two-person items from the apartment.

All the items from Grandpa’s little shop were put in the barn until we can find a home for them elsewhere. None of the items require special placement. It is an accumulation of items that have followed Grandpa from West Virginia, through Arkansas and now to Texas. If we find him and Grandma a place of their own, these items will follow him there.

Mama was still not feeling well but she managed to get in the mix and box up a few items. She concentrated on getting the kitchen cabinets empty. That took about twelve boxes to accomplish – and we still have not touched the plates and bowls and pots still needing to be brought to the house. We accomplished quite a lot in emptying the farm – not so much in getting the things we now have at the Chico property put away effectively. We have boxes everywhere at the house and the open spaces are beginning to fill up quickly.

Mama and I loaded up all our clothing from the closet in the apartment (At least, that’s where all my clothing was. Mama’s was stored in three totes, a large suitcase and two additional closets.) Just the clothing filled up the back seat of the truck and the back of the van. Grandma kept remarking how few clothing and shoes she owned and how little closet space she needed. That did not carry over to her daughter. But in the end, we left Grandma and Grandpa with a lot of closet space available.

Once we got to the house and began unloading the cloths Mama got to see just how big her closet is. All the clothing we carried from the farm did not begin to fill the walk in closet we have in the master bedroom. I did put all my suit coats and winter jackets in the small closet we have in our bedroom but all of Mama’s clothes fit on just one side of the closet – with lots of room to spare. She actually had full view of all her potential outfits on Sunday morning. That’s a first.

Mama is going to meet up with Connie to pick out a different piece of carpet for the closet. The piece she put in the closet is too dark for us. It shows every footstep taken on it. Not something we are fond of. Of course, that means we will have to empty the now fully organized closet when the new carpet is laid.

Late Saturday evening I took one of the very bright flashlights we have and used it to see what was lurking in the dark. There were more than a dozen deer just behind the house and one buck to the west of the house in the center paddock between the house and the barn. When I went out a few minutes later to show Mama there were two large bucks in the center paddock. One was an eight point. The other had a much taller and wider rack but I could not be sure how many points it had.

Through the years we lived on the farm in Bowie I never got to see any deer on our property. Once we get to big dogs to the property in Chico, the wildlife patterns may change there also.

A night at home, old habits, putting things in service, the pups

Mama was still feeling badly last night so she called Erin to let her know we would not be able to come to play practice. She found out that the Echevaria’s were at Urgent Care with Joseph – their youngest – who is suffering from ear infections. That gave me the evening to get some things done at the house; and I used it to do so.

Grandpa has brought over most of the tools and shelves from the shop at the farm to the house and last night I helped him unload the tool chest that has been a part of my shop since we left Nazarene Publishing House in 1988 and moved to West Virginia. The chest is actually a set of twenty deep drawers that was used to store metal plates that were stamped with addresses – for monthly mailings to supporter’s way back in the day.

Now it has a large assortment of tools from pliers to screwdrivers to scraper blades and knives to large bolts and small valves, etc. It is quite heavy and grandpa complained about having to wrestle it onto the trailer. I usually move it only if I take all the drawers out of it. Anyway, Mama and Grandpa were giving me grief about getting a proper toolbox to store all the items that load down the current one.

I am not sure I can part with it. I know what is in each drawer and where to find those items. Even my children know pretty well how to find what I need from that chest. It has been set up the same way, with the same drawer labels, for over twenty six years. Replacing it may be too much to ask.

Lee came by last night and replaced the leaking valves in the laundry room. It took him less than thirty minutes to get the washer set up for service. It took Mama less time to put the washer in service. I think she did three loads last night. She was one happy home maker when she got those appliances working.

I put most of the closet shelves in last night. There is one that I need to replace the brackets on before I reset it but we have thirty feet of shelving and closet rod ready for service. Mama is hesitating putting the clothes in until she and Connie work out the flooring in that closet. The carpet that was recently put in is not appealing to me and I would rather have something different. I think Mama would also.

I cleaned up the counters in the laundry room, the butler’s pantry and the master bath last night. It looks much better. The countertops in both the butler’s pantry and laundry room – where we have an additional kitchen sink – will need to be replaced or recovered in new Formica at some point in the future, but they are serviceable for now.

We have Allie and the pups in the butler’s pantry for the moment. It keeps her contained and it is a smaller area to keep warm on colder nights. The pups are starting to play with each other now and their antics of pretend fighting are really entertaining. Eventually they will figure out how to move more efficiently but for now it is hilarious to watch as they belly flop or face plant with each lunge.

They’re getting bigger by the day.

Mama, slow as Christmas, one year anniversary

Mama is better this morning; not wholly recovered but better. Hopefully as the weekend approaches she can come back to full strength. I know she is ready to feel better.

Mama and I called the home warranty place last night and I was not impressed by their responses. They did agree to have someone come out to look over the issues I have with the connections for the washer but their focus is in repairing things that break after we have lived in the house for a period of time, having taken position of the house with those things in good working order; not any pre-existing conditions.

Our friend Lee Davis recommended that we not use the plumber who was called by the home warranty place so I will call him back today and tell him we do not need him to come. I will be money ahead to give his fee to Lee when he comes out to do the repairs. I am hoping we can get the laundry room in service tonight – before play practice.

With the difficulty we are having getting things going with this home and property I am really glad we did not try to build on a vacant piece of land. Being closer to work is allowing me to be home before 4 pm but it is dark about an hour and a half later – so any outside work is on hold until the weekend. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, our weekends are pretty booked up since we are currently busy every evening through the week.

I am going to get some outside help to get the chicken coop and hog run put together because I do not have enough time to devote to the projects to get them done in any reasonable amount of time and Danny Benson, the man buying our farm, has told us that his daughter will be moving into the apartment as soon as Mama and I are out of it. That changes things a little bit.

With us going to Florida the week of Christmas, I lose that time to work at the house so I am a little behind the eight ball trying to get a plan together to get the things done that Mama needs me to have done with the time I have to do it. It will all work out but it certainly will not be in the time frame I had hoped.

I tend to visualize completed projects so I know what the finished product will look like. The only problem with that – other than not being an artist so I can draw them out for Mama to see – is that the time lag between when I settle on a completed project and the actual completion of the project (that is already finished in my mind) can be quite overwhelming emotionally. I just need a longer outlook.

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of our RU program at the church. It is hard to believe it has been that long that we have been helping in this ministry. Then again, when I think about how the boys we watch every Friday night have grown over the past year, I can start to make the connection. It still seems like that year went awfully fast.

But then, don’t they all.

Mama sick, missing pieces

Mama has been sick for a couple days now. It looks like a mild case of the flu but it is hard to tell. The fever she had all day yesterday looks like it is breaking but that too is difficult to define. With her down things have come to a crawl in the move but Grandpa and Grandma have been making trips over to the house from the farm to help get our kitchen items to the house. I helped with unloading the second small load they brought yesterday afternoon while Grandpa worked on Victoria’s car.

I wanted to put our closet back together last night but with Mama resting as her body fights whatever infection she is battling I did not want to disturb her so I refocused on the leaks I have been trying to seal up. I did manage to stop the leak in the hall bath but I did not make any headway on getting the washer supply lines to stop dripping. I am hoping Mama feels enough better today to contact the Home Warranty people and arrange for a plumber to make the needed repairs.

Victoria and I were looking at the leftovers last night and came up with an idea for combining them with a couple cans of vegetables to make ourselves lunch for today. I was digging out a suitable pot to do the cooking when we realized we did not have a can opener. It is still in a drawer in the kitchen in the apartment; so much for that idea. I could have used a knife to open the cans we needed but it did not seem like a good idea – or a safe one.

I think Mama told me last night that the flooring people are going to be back today to lay the carpet in the master closet. (That would complete the flooring through the entire house.) That will make the rebuilding of the shelving in that close even more practical since it will be ready for our clothing to be moved in with us. It is always a benefit to have your clothing nearby vs. twenty miles away. Fortunately, Mama and I brought enough stuff with us last week to make it to this point but without a washer and dryer in service at the house it will be difficult to make what we have with us to last much longer.

Eventually we will have everything with us as well as have all the appliances working, just not yet.

Trials with an older home, moving, sort of, puppies

My endeavors on the house have been fraught with disappointment lately. I still have one toilet that has a small be annoying leak and as I attempted to hook up the washer and dryer last night I was not able to get the two supply valves – which are in pretty sorry shape – to stop leaking. Neither of them leaked very much but it was enough to keep me from succeeding in getting the appliances in service. It is time to call a professional to get some complete repairs - not make-due fixes - so we can move forward.

I did get the stock trailer unloaded and, with Grandpa’s help, moved a couple pieces of furniture in to the garage and house respectively. Grandpa has been working at the farm getting the shop and barn organized and ready to load. That is a big help. Mama has been working on getting the kitchen items ready to move.

Unfortunately, it does not take much to distract her, so there is still a lot that needs to be readied to come to the house and Grandpa, Grandma and Victoria have started looking at houses for purchase in the hopes of getting one under contract by the end of the year. That is taking a good amount of time both in the online searches and doing initial drive-by’s. But there is a time sensitive program we have been made aware of that would allow them to purchase a house with very good financing terms if they can meet the end-of-year deadline.

Grandpa is planning to continue using the stock trailer for the move while it is clean. Once we move the cattle in it we will not want to use it for household items until after I clean it out and it dries completely. With that in mind, we will probably not finish the fence on the new property and get the livestock moved until the middle of next week. Daisy and Baby Huey will be happy to be able to move around more freely after being cooped up in the barn lot for the last three week.

I am not sure what we are planning on doing tonight but we do not have play practice so I can work at something. I need to get our master closet put back together and the master bath cleaned up sufficiently that we can set out things on clean surfaces in it.

Grandpa is going to look at Victoria’s car this evening to see what needs to be done to help it shift better. We parked it in the garage at the house last night so it would be warm enough this morning to be available for him to diagnose. It was 24®F this morning when I left the house but this is the only cold morning we are forecast to have this week. Fortunately the heating unit in the house works well.

The puppies have opened their eyes and ears. It is fun to watch them as they try to make sense of the sounds around them; how they blink their sleepy-looking eyes and turn their heads to try to connect a face with a voice – especially Mama’ and Victoria’s voices.

They are trying to walk also and they have not learned to fully coordinate the movements of the front and back legs so they stumble and fall over as they move. It will not be long before they master the movements and are able to climb out of the shallow box we have them in.

I have deeper boxes set aside that we may need by this weekend.

Updates

It was a fun filled ten days off last week and the weekend before that. I say the facetiously because I spent the entire time getting things from one property to the other so there were hours loading and unloading equipment and hours on the road to and from one farm or the other. We did get a lot done even with taking the entire day of Thanksgiving off. ( Mama and the kids took Friday off for shopping but I had enough standing in lines on Thursday evening.)

Brittany and Andrew came over a day early and surprised Mama by coming to the dinner we had at church Tuesday evening. Grandma had gone with us and she carried on and on about being surprised by their arrival. It was a really good evening.

The crews painting and flooring finished up on Monday and Wednesday respectively. The supplier for the flooring was two boxes short of what was needed to complete the master closet so they are supposed to return today or tomorrow to put some carpet in that closet so Mama and I can move our things into it. We just took enough clothing to do for Sunday and this morning when we came over Saturday night and set up the bed in our bedroom. (The large room swallowed up our king sized bed.)

Brittany and Andrew, Chase and Makaila, and Victoria spent the night over at the house on Friday evening. It was partly to have the honor of beating us to the first night in our house and partly to get away from the trailer at the farm because Grandma is not very accommodating of dogs – Kira, Lucy and Stormy were being pretty rambunctious. You know how dag cousins get when they have not seen each other in a while. (Mama and I are very pleased with the flooring we chose for the house with the dogs and the farm in mind.)

In order for the kids to spend the night at the house I spent all morning Friday getting toilets set. I thought I was never going to get done and when I got most of the leaks sealed up I still was not completely satisfied with the results. I ended up with two working toilets but one still needs some work to stop a very persistent leak and the other does not set to my liking. It is about a half inch too long for the opening I had to use so it looks a little cockeyed. It works but I still do not like it.

Mama and Makaila are going to redo the cabinets in the kitchen, laundry room and the butler’s pantry at some point but I have asked that the kitchen be moved regardless of the exterior work that needs to be done in the near future.so I believe Mama is going to be working on that this morning. We have a lot of cabinets through the house so storage will not be a problem for a while, but it also will make for quite a bit of work for Mama and Makaila to get them all redone.

Mama and I bought new vanities for the master bathroom on Friday morning at Lowes. I have to install those pretty quickly in order to put our bath in full service but if all goes well I should be able to do one per evening once I get a free evening. After I get the washer and drier hooked up (one evening) and get the master closet rods and shelves replaced (on evening) and get the back door repaired (one evening) and once we get through play practice (two evenings per week) and RU every Friday evening. I believe I have a small window of opportunity every Monday evening and every other Saturday afternoon.

Grandpa and I have a small portion of fence to get done before we can bring over the cattle but we should be able to get that done - in one evening.