Old utilities, being overrun, babysitting

Yesterday evening as I was pulling in the driveway I saw Grandpa digging near the fence. I was curious so I walked over to see what was going on. He was trying to uncover the electrical line that had a junction in that spot to see if he could determine how the power was fed to that junction. It has not been used in years and could be completely defunct but he is curious.

He also discovered a set of valves for a water delivery system that appears to service the entire ten acres. There are spigots throughout the property but we have no idea how they are lined up or which of the two wells they originate from.  Since his curiosity is piqued I will let him do what he can to figure it all out. It can only help us as we try to redevelop the property.

It was pretty chilly all day yesterday so I did not stay out very long. Grandpa came in pretty soon after I did but it was what made him come in that was fun. He heard a stirring in the leaves in the section just east of the house and saw the baby pigs heading our way. When he pointed them out to us we were able to really get a good look at them. They crossed the area just in back of the backyard – and took their time doing it.

There were fifteen in all and all of them looked like they were about the same size. Either they came out of the same litter or they were born within days of each other. They were certainly moving together as a herd. It was fun to watch but kind of frightening to think that in several months they could all be ready to reproduce. Grandpa is desperate to get a garden in but with that many young pigs in the area we will need a fortress to protect anything we plant – especially potatoes.

Mama and I met Erin Ehceveria at the junction of Hwy380 and CR1655 at about 6:30 so Mama could lead her to the property for the first time. She had been to the farm in Bowie but now that we are closer she and Mama are talking about watching her three young ones more often. Last night Erin had a meeting in Bridgeport for the special needs baseball support group and Mama is near enough that we could help her with the kids.

We only had the kids for about three hours but in that time we really discovered just how far from baby-proof our house was. Her toddler, Joseph, is just not walking and he is into everything. He is a very heavy little man and Grandma tried to hold him for the first few minutes because she thought the floor was too dirty for him to be crawling on – especially since Mattie nervous peed in about five places as soon as she saw the children. That did not last long. I guess he weighs about twenty five pounds.

All the children are terrified of dogs so all the dogs had to be banished. Grandma would not give up on that. Rosie did not take to it very well and yipped from Victoria’s room where we had shut her up until I went back and “reasoned” with her. Mattie and Kira were sequestered in the sunroom but every time the youngest two saw either of them they acted very frightened. You can only assume it is genuine with children that small.

It was a busy three hours – especially with Grandma calling out instructions for things we were already doing – as the children acclimated themselves to the new surroundings. We do know these two things: our house is not ready for toddlers, and we will not babysit regularly while Grandma lives with us.