Leaving – and the plans that go with that

The moment of truth has arrived. Victoria and I will be in Florida tomorrow; gone for twelve days. We have done everything we can to get the house and farm ready for Brittany Wycoff to tend to in our absence and we will have to trust the Lord to use her to keep everything alive. It is no small task we are asking of her. But it is a small thing for the Lord.

We did not see Brittany at church last night but she and Mama have talked several times about what is needed and Victoria left her an additional note to ask her to water the trees and flowers a couple times over the next twelve days. It is still a little frightening to leave all we have cared for and fussed over in the keeping of someone disconnected from those concerns and all the planning and work that has brought us this far. We will trust and hope for the best and know, regardless of the outcome, it is an offer of the greatest kindness on Brittany’s part to try and take on all those cares for us.

Victoria spent the entire day cleaning the house, doing laundry and getting the animals prepped for our departure. She will be out of the  house early this morning headed to Wichita Falls for a half day training session after which she has to drive to Bowie and work until 7 pm. She and I will pack the car once she gets home but she is going to be pretty worn out.  Hopefully both of us can get the rest we need to make the drive to catch up to Mama.

We had a group meeting yesterday for the office here in Decatur. The message was not one of hope. But it was, at the very least, a wakeup call to those who have not fully bought into the notion that things are about to change dramatically. The initial emphasis of the cost saving efforts on the part of our upper management started with processes and products in mind, but having not found the necessary saving needed in those areas the focus is now squarely on people. In was not a jubilant crowd leaving the meeting as we adjourned. The next few weeks will be fraught with emotion as we find out who stays, who goes and how each group is treated in the process.

It is one of those times in life that we must plan for the worst as we hope for the best. My forward plan does not look pretty. It would be nice to have eighteen months to put the plan in place but at this point I do not think I have eighteen weeks. We’ll make it work and God will certainly supply but shame on me for not getting my act together at the first of the year when I knew this might be the actual outcome. But to my defense, I was counting on the Licensing job to carry me through. Oh, well.

Before church last night Victoria and I dropped off eggs to our Chinese friends in Decatur and we stopped to wash her car. It was in need of a more thorough washing than we were able to give it but it is cleaner than if we had not even put forth that effort. It will be less troublesome to pack if we do not have to worry over getting dirty just putting suitcases in the trunk. We are planning on having a “cart washing party” at some point in our visit with the grandkids to get a proper cleaning done.

It is amazing how much fun that can be; a drudgery for one a party for many.

Withering heat, neglect, preparing to travel

Yesterday evening it was 102®F outside without a breeze of any sort. It was most unpleasant. I did not stay out in it very long but I have been trying to get enough water to the young trees I recently planted to try and get them through the heat. If they survive the time we will be away next week they should make it for the long haul, but it is looking touch and go for some.

I am hesitant to water the garden area with the sprinkler we have set up for that purpose because nothing is growing. All the plants have burned up at this point – even the okra. It is not a big garden but the amount of water I need to get it all soaked to the point of point any good is greater than if I just carry water to specific trees and plants I need to get that water to.

I was disappointed to see the strawberries had died out. I was really hoping we would be able to keep them for a couple years. My far-fetched hope is that they are dormant and will recover once the temperatures drop to a less life-threatening level, but that may be a vain hope. On those, I will try again next year.

This year was a kind of experiment to see where we need to put the garden and how well it would produce in the more temperate environment of the Chico property. Obviously, we will have to make some adjustments but overall we had a very successful garden – until we left it for a long stay in Alaska and everything suffered a horrible death in our absence.

I have told Mama we need to make a careful choice in the future; either we will not plant a garden or we will not travel during the time we need to be tending to that garden. Of course the obvious caveat is where Grandma and Grandpa reside. Grandpa would have tended the garden in our absence but he was almost as far from it as Mama and I were through this summer. It is certainly a pitiful sight now.

Victoria is off today so she is concentrating on cleaning, laundering and packing. I started packing last night after I got moderately cleaned up. I will not have too much trouble fitting what I need into one suitcase. I was planning to bring some of my shirts on hangers but once I saw the pile of hang-up clothing Mama has set aside for us to bring I abandoned that idea and packed them into the suitcase. I do not know exactly what Victoria is bringing that will remain on hangers but it will be a challenge to find room in the car for what I have already been given.

Victoria and I are trying to find a good time to get her car washed up. The oak trees lining the driveway, under which we normally park to be in the shade, put off some kind of mist of sticky sap which covers the cars in a few days’ time. It is not hard to remove but it takes time to get the vehicles to the carwash to remove the film and dirt. And we would rather pack and travel in a fairly clean vehicle. We should be ready in plenty of time.

I am looking forward to the break from work.

Escapee, money, getting set to travel

I spent an hour or more yesterday evening putting a wire on the inside of the backyard fence in an attempt to keep Kira from getting out of the yard easily. I only had enough wire to do the portion of fence by the driveway and shop building but that is where she had been getting under the fence. It was not a wasted effort but it did not keep her in the yard. She was at the front to greet me this morning and I know Victoria had just let them out – in the back yard. Oh, well. We will keep trying because she will certainly keep trying.

Mama has been enjoying her time with the grandkids but I had to fuss at her a little last night because she has spent over $100 on eating out in the few days she has been there. I let her know we were very short of cash before she flew out but I knew it would not do anything more than slow her down a little.

I explained that I still need money for gas to get there and back and the money she spent on fast food could have bought a lot of groceries but it was a moot point. Like I have always told my children when it comes to money, you can only spend it once – so make it count. Mama’s excuse for the eating out was “they don’t get to do it very often.” Well, neither will we.

We’ll make it there and back but at some point in the very near future we will have to come to grips with a new paradigm; one that may require us to go to our children for advice on how to effectively live on less.  It is not a frightening proposition because I can still work somewhere, but it will require a serious adjustment; perhaps long overdue for both me and Mama.

Victoria and I are trying to get things set up around the house so that Brittany Wycoff can handle the house and the animals in our absence. When you consider the chickens, the pigs, the dogs and the plants that have to be cared for it is a pretty big task for someone unused to the routine. We are buying feed and putting things in central locations so everything necessary is easy to locate.

I am making sure things are in proper working order. For instance, I had to make a repair to the garage door yesterday. Sam had gone into the garage to rest and as I ran him out he stepped on the sensor for the automatic mechanism for the garage door. It was a pretty quick repair but it is the little things – like the automatic opener not working – that can cause the biggest consternation to a visitor.

I got the ice maker working again and we are cleaning out the refrigerator – making the pigs and dogs very happy. They do not know what is going on but they love the food we are discarding. I think the pigs like moldy bread better than fresh bread and the dogs like any meat we give them regardless of how “aged” it is.

That is not saying much when you look at what they continually drag into the yard.

No new arrivals, weekend updates, job updates

I have not heard yet this morning but as of last night Cori was still having strong contractions but none consistent enough to accomplish the birth of Savanah. We are all very anxious to meet the little one – Cori most of all.

Mama has been enjoying her time there. As it is when she is with the grandchildren I seem to be an afterthought. She has always told me how accomplished she is in multi-tasking, but I tend to see things a little differently when she is occupied as she is at the moment. I don’t mind, it is as it should be. Besides I have plenty to do and can pretty effectively take care of myself.

Speaking of plenty to do, I did very little on Saturday. It was our first official 100® day of the summer and it was dead still. I did not have the energy to venture out until late in the day when I went out to weed eat along the fence line. I lasted about an hour with the weed eater – about normal for me – but I was completely drenched before is stopped. The end result was nice. It should last a few weeks since nothing is growing right now.

I watered the plants Mama and I just put in the flowerbeds in front of the house and watered the trees I am struggling to keep hydrated through these sweltering months. So far it looks like we will have success with most of them; far better than we had in Bowie. But there are a couple I will not be able to keep alive; especially when we are anticipating being gone for all of next week without the prospect of rain during that time. All I can do is water heavily before we leave Friday morning and hope for the best.

Kira has been finding her way out of the back yard every time we put her out so I will have to see if I can make that escape more challenging for her as I attempt to repair the fence this evening. Until this morning she has stayed close to home  but Victoria texted me to tell me she was gone somewhere with Sam and she could not call her up before she left for work.

The good news is that most everyone who frequents the property next to us knows her – they especially know the big dogs – so she is in no particular danger there. It is just upsetting that the wanderlust is so strong in her and Sam. We have no idea where the two of them go but they are always gone for several hours before returning, and they are always a mess when they get back. So far Kobe has not offered to leave the yard, but it could be only a matter of time. Leaving them in someone else’s care for the time we are gone and the ease with which Kira has been getting out does not particularly thrill Victoria.

As far as things at work are progressing, it is looking more and more certain that I will not be employed with ConocoPhillips through the end of the year. Nothing has been formally announced but the indications are getting more certain that my current job will be eliminated as my group of employees is rolled into another group. I had to turn into my boss an organizational chart with that very assignment of my group. My position was not part of the new organization.

We talked to our boss this morning about the tax implications of getting laid off at the end of the year and the severance package being applied to this year’s earnings – essentially forcing taxes to be paid on a year and a half of earnings in the current tax year. The management wants the write off to come this year and those of us caught in the reorganization will just have to deal with it. Not that it is a horrible thing to get the severance package but it does have consequences for each of us who will have to deal with it.

It is a sad way to end a very good job with a very good company.

Mama/Grammy, work, tiny visitors

I texted Cori yesterday after Mama confirmed that she was safely on her connection to Pensacola; “Get ready. Here she comes!” Cori responded that Blake refused to eat breakfast that morning because Grammy had promised to take him out to eat for his birthday – which was this week. Cori ended the text to me with; “So it begins.” I do not know how chaotic their normal schedule is at Cori’s home but it goes without saying that Grammy adds a whole new dynamic. 

Mama and I will celebrate 33 years together this year and she has been the delight of my life for all that time. I do not know what we will do to celebrate our anniversary but the date will come while we are there with Cori and the kids. I am sure we will figure something out but with finances being the way they are it will not be extravagant. Fortunately, it does not take much to make Mama happy.

I have been careful to let Mama know that we do not have money to do much more than get there and enjoy the visit but I know Mama pretty well and the best I can hope for is to slow her down enough to keep the finances manageable. I do feel, with things like they are at the moment at work, that we need to start ordering our finances as though we did not have my current income. We may very well need to adjust to that budget very soon – and very quickly.

It puts me in one of those uncertain situations where I have to hope for the best and plan for the worst. That is not a bad thing if you consider the slowing economy, global turmoil and the pending financial crisis. It is actually a very helpful exercise in budgeting if we really take it seriously; both me and Mama- along with Victoria, Grandma and Grandpa, etc.

I think of a portion of one line in the song “I’ve Got a mansion” that says, “I’m not discouraged, I’m Heaven bound. I’m just a pilgrim, in search of a city.” Or the lyrics, “This world is not my home, I’m just a’pass’n through”. My hope is not here. My home is not here. Yet, all I know is here. The rest is a step of faith. It should be kind of fun to see how all this plays out.

I was a little disappointed that what was supposed to be a confidential discussion with my direct reports on Wednesday afternoon went out to the masses even before we finished the discussion. I was prepared for that to happen so I did not give out any information that was not ready for general distribution, but I was still disappointed. It is only one person who behaves in that way but one is always enough to keep things unnecessarily stirred up.

I will have to refill the humming bird feeders this evening. From what I can tell we have three pairs that eat at them all day long. I can only assume that there is a nest near the house but I could not tell you where. I do know that it is quite fun to see them flit about and then hover over the feeder as they take a sip of the nectar. None of them is bigger than my thumb and at times it is difficult to keep them in sight as they move about. It is truly erratic – and impressively fast.

Hopefully we can keep them fed until they head back south later this year.

Mama’s flight, news trickling in, Walter

Mama and I were up at 3 a.m. to get her and her luggage loaded in the van and taken to DFW for a 5:30 flight. It was a very short night especially since I did not feel well last night. After Mama and I had checked the chicken coop to ensure it was set up for Victoria in the morning I got back to the house and got very light headed and nauseous. I lay down on the bed and broke out in a heavy sweat. Fortunately that only lasted a few minutes but the malaise it left me in continued through church. It abated somewhat as I lay in bad while Mama finished her last minute packing. It is gone this morning. I have no idea what caused it.

We got to the airport in plenty of time. It always surprises me how many people are traveling at that time of the morning. I helped Mama get checked in and watched her go into the screening area, then headed out. I ended up getting to the office about a half hour earlier than normal. Not too bad except for the five hour night that preceded it.

Mama is fired up. She gets an extra week with the grandkids, an extra week to help Cori in the final stretch, an extra week to finagle trips to the beach – she will be sunburned before I get there. She will get to Pensacola before 10 a.m. so she will have the opportunity to go down for a nap with the kids. Her only real obstacle is that her flight arrives in Houston at 6:30 in one terminal and departs Houston at 7 a.m. from a different terminal. If she makes that, she will be okay. I am waiting to hear that she made that connection.

I should hear more today about the timing of the layoffs ahead. Our boss was in Houston yesterday for several meetings, one of which is called a “leveling session”; an interactive meeting where managers get together and rate their groups (on and individual basis) against one another for ranking and potential financial compensation adjustments.

It happens every year but it is more common to take place at the end of the year. As it turns out, for many employees this will be the end of the year. I am pretty sure this session included a discussion of those employees and contractors we could let go and those we would like to keep. I expect the final tally by the end of next month and I was sure hoping I would be in a Licensing position so that I did not have to deal with letting anyone go; unfortunately it is not going to work out that way.

The news continues to trickle in and we continue to make adjustments in our ongoing efforts to quell the fears of our respective staff members while looking ahead to our own vulnerable positions. It is a delicate balance of what we know at this point and what we suspect will happen at some future point. Fortunately, many of the people around me have been through something similar in the past. Though we do not know how things will play out, we have all experienced the process play out. That helps a little – at least we know not to take it personally.

Maggie and Aaron are getting to really enjoy Walter. Maggie has told us that he goes to bed at about 9 pm and wakes at 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., then sleeps through to 9 a.m. That is a good schedule for one just over two weeks old. It gives Maggie time to put Cathryn to bed and get her up in the morning between taking care of her little brother.

Mama could only have wished for such an easy child.

Yard work, Mama’s on the road again, not so good news

Mama and I worked in the yard last night for several hours – after we cleaned the chicken coop and I mowed inside all the fence line on our little ten acres. It was fairly late when we put up the tools and came inside to cool off but Mama was delighted with the planting and weeding that we had done. I have to admit, things looked a good deal better than when we started.  

We also hooked up a hose to water the plantings in front of the house that will reach the trees planted in the backyard that I am trying to save in this drought. It was a productive evening but by the time Mama finally sat down in the house her back was hurting. I think she will be better this morning as she and Victoria clean the house and Mama finalizes her packing but I will wait for the update sometime later.

Tomorrow morning I will – Lord willing – deliver Mama to the airport very early. Her flight leaves here at 5:30 a.m. It is a little inconvenient for us but it will allow Mama to arrive in Pensacola before 10 a.m. local time and I should arrive a little earlier than normal at the office. Getting it all out of the way early works for me.

Savanah is still feeling comfortable enough where she is at the moment although her mommy is ready to have her in her arms as opposed to her belly. We have to trust the Lord on those things but I do not think Mama will be there many days before she and Savanah get introduced. I am praying that Mama being there will be a help to Cori and that she will really rest over the next couple days as God finishes His work on little Savanah.

Although we were not expecting rain for many days, it is raining now; one of those summer showers that give us a half inch or better in twenty minutes. It is a very pleasant albeit unexpected delight. For some reason the plants almost always do better when watered by rain than any other method. Even though we have well water – no chemicals added – to use on our plants, they respond far better to a rain shower.

I got a note from the Licensing Manager this morning in which he let me know that the prospect of being hired by him is rapidly diminishing. The longer the delay in getting Licensing help scheduled for the plant startup in southern Louisiana, the less opportunity there is for me to participate in that startup since there will be personnel available to take on that role by the end of the year. That is not a definite dismissal, but it makes the prospect of getting that job a very remote one.

I let my boss know and we will see what opportunities present themselves over the following weeks but I will have to focus on the very real possibility that I will be jobless by the end of the year.

Grandma and Grandpa, work issues, catching up

I got to talk with Grandma yesterday evening. She called because she could not think of a song she always associates with me and a Christmas cantata we sang years ago while we were attending the Church of the Nazarene in Ripley, WVa. Once we got that cleared up she told me about Grandpa and his disappointment with the doctor that was treating him.

The doctor’s heavy accent and clipped diction make it very difficult for Grandpa to understand him – so he just gives up at some point in the checkup. I made a couple suggestions that may help Grandpa with the fluid retention he is experiencing but I am not a doctor. I can only hope that the practical suggestions I made line up with what the doctor was trying to tell him.

They really are anxious to get back to Texas and in preparation I had Mama call the cardiologist in Amarillo to set an appointment for Grandpa. I think they were both excited that this particular doctor was still practicing and that he would still see them. They need some help. Maybe he is the right person to give it to them. The appointment is set for the 29^th of August.

The morale at work is at a very low level right now. It is difficult for the majority of the people I work with to stay focused – much less productive. Now is the time that the rumor mill spins out one iteration after another of the, as yet unannounced, reduction plans at a rather remarkable pace. By the law of averages, some of the predictions will actually come to pass. Others are so farfetched that they are not worth considering. None the less, we have to deal with each one in turn to quell the anxious spirit of the not so patiently waiting employee group. It can get disheartening at times.

Mama is packing for her flight along with the things she will have Victoria and I bring down when we come about ten days later. I have to have her at the airport by 4:15 a.m. on Thursday morning. We will not be following until August 1^st. There is still some debate about which vehicle we will be taking but I think we have settled on Victoria’s car. Savanah is still waiting on Grammy’s arrival to make her appearance.

I am putting on hold all the little projects I have in the queue in order to keep money on hand for the coming trip. There are a wealth of other chores needing my attention that do not require any cash outlay (Most of them are just plain boring.) and I will be focusing on those until we leave for Florida. Not the least of which is catching up to the overgrowth on our property.

The good news/bad news story is that the temperatures are predicted to be in the triple digits over the next two weeks with little prospect for rain during that time. That requires me to water the plants I want to ensure make it through the blistering heat but it also means that there will be very little growth in the weeds or the grass. So as we mow and weed eat the likelihood of them re-growing into the ugly mass they are right now is fairly limited – at least for the near future. We won’t get ahead but we may catch up.

My sister Cathy posted something cute the other day: Did you hear about the chameleon that could no change colors? He was diagnosed with a “reptile dysfunction”.

Now change for Cori or Grandpa, Mama’s fledgling loss, Kaylen and Brianna’s gain

Another week has gone and Cori is still keeping Savanah all to herself. Mama and I would not have been surprised for the baby to have come any day last week or through the weekend, but alas, that has not happened. Cori is starting to feel that exasperation that comes near the end of almost every pregnancy; that the baby will not be on time for anyone’s planned schedule and no one will get to enjoy the moment because they are too frustrated by the extended wait.

She was almost in tears earlier this weekend as she talked to Mama – who is heading to Florida on Thursday. I guess Cori feels like she is now officially on notice to deliver this baby and she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone; like that could ever happen, especially when a baby is the focus of the issue. So we are still waiting, still praying for mommy and baby, still expecting a new arrival any day now and, most importantly, preparing for Mama to be there.

On the other end of the spectrum of life cycles we are still waiting to get a diagnosis on Grandpa. I had been led to believe that there was a consensus among the doctors treating him but in the patches of conversation I happen to overhear as Mama discusses the issue with someone over the phone – the only way I get brought into the loop – it appears that was overly optimistic of me.

With Grandpa’s heart performing poorly he has begun to retain fluids and is experiencing the normal swelling that comes with that condition. In response to that the doctors prescribed a diuretic – which necessitates him going to the bathroom quite frequently. He does not like that solution and was talking to Grandma about not taking the medication any longer.

So Grandma rallied the forces to try to convince him to continue the prescriptive regimen he is on. She has plenty of affected persons on her side of the family that are either on the same medication or have recently been on the medication. I have not heard the follow up on how successful those efforts were but we continue to pray for Grandpa and his health – for a speedy and full recovery regardless of what it takes to get him there. They are talking about coming back to Texas the first week of August but I do not see that happening with his medical issues at this time.

Mama and Victoria worked pretty diligently with the little fledgling that Sasha carried into the yard but all their efforts were not enough to save the little bird. It died late Sunday afternoon. The good news is that we learned quite a lot about caring for fledglings. I do not know if we will be able to use that knowledge at any time in the future but time will tell.

Also on Sunday, Brianna moved out of the bedroom in our home and into an apartment with her husband. She and Kaylen were married Friday night in a small ceremony at the church. It was a family event so Mama and I did not participate but it got them past the hurdle of finding Brianna a place to live; something she has been struggling with since graduating from BBTI. We are happy for the two of them – and it frees up Grandma and Grandpa’s room for their return. It also avoids an awkward situation I would have been in with Mama leaving on Thursday morning; having a young lady in the home with me in Mama’s absence.

All in all, it was an eventful weekend.

Mama's disappoint and delight, Mama’s new fledgling

Mama had a rough morning yesterday. She and Cori talked fairly early in the day and Cori told Mama that it was not immediately necessary that she be there with her at the birth. Mama took it pretty hard and thereby suffered a little wounding in the thought that her children no longer need her. I know that was not the intent of the conversation so I just bided my time. (Mama is usually pretty quick to recover from such thoughts.)

Sure enough, that afternoon Cori called Mama back and the two of them talked further about the timing of her arrival. With three children old enough to really know the significance of the event about to take place it will be kind of neat to let the birth and homecoming happen in as typical a setting as the home can provide – without distractions or additional persons to interrupt the mix.

I believe mommy and daddy need that moment with the children before the cooing and fawning over the new arrival by the adoring herds of matrons (Mama included) begins to steal the focus from the children already in the home. It may be better said that I think the very immediate family members need their moments with little Savanah before they have to share her with everyone else. (That should ware off after a couple days for everyone under ten years old.) Then Grammy and Papi can swoop in to stir the excitement in the home for a week or so.

With that in mind we have booked Mama a ticket to Florida next Thursday. I told you I would not be able to hold out too long giving Mama what she wants. (I’m getting better. I made it a whole 24 hours.) It seemed reasonable to get her there ahead of me and Victoria because the week we will be spending with Nate, Cori and the grandkids in August will not be enough for Mama. It never is. She keeps telling me I have plenty of vacation and that I should be using it up. She is probably right but I am always a bit overwhelmed when I come back and try to catch up.

I knew Mama was better yesterday morning when she called me to tell me that Sasha had brought a very young bird into the yard. She was carrying the recently hatched youngling in her mouth but had not injured it in the least – except for the slobbers. Mama had gotten it from the dog and flicked away all the ants that had begun to swarm it and did not know what to do with it.

I suggested she put it in the cage we had used for the parakeets – which is exactly what she did. That is where it was when I got home. In fact she had brought it into the house because she thought it was too hot outside for the bitty thing. Victoria and I argued the contrary – that it needs to be warm; very warm in order to survive. We all finally settled on putting it in the garage.

Mama had it on a towel and it did not look comfortable to her so she scooped up some of the dried grass from the recent cutting of the lawn and put that in the cage, whereupon the fledgling scooted over into the familiar medium. That really excited Mama and Victoria.

We are not sure what species of bird we have – perhaps a Mockingbird or perhaps a dove. Time will tell if the tiny thing actually survives.

Coming very soon, what to do for Mama, young house guests

I would not be surprised to get the call from Cori today that Savanah has arrived. She called yesterday to alert me that Mama was incredibly anxious to fly out to be there for the birth (which is imminent) but the timing is pretty difficult for me. It would mean that I have to immediately fly Mama round trip to Florida – which is pretty expensive – or I would have to fly her one way- which would require her to stay there until she comes back with us when we go down in August; almost a month.

The third option is the one that Mama really hates; that she waits until we all go down on the first of August – which means that she will not see the baby until she is a couple weeks old. That, for some reason, is a loathsome outcome for Mama. But it is where I would like to settle if I can. Time will tell but I will do my best to wait until the time is more appropriate to send Mama – probably sometime next week. You all know I do not hold out too long against anything Mama wants.

Yesterday, when I got home, Gracie, Luke and Joseph were at the house with Mama and Victoria. Erin has been pretty sick lately and the family is leaving for a vacation in Colorado on Friday so Victoria took the kids for the day so Erin could rest a bit and pack a lot. It was quite the happening place when I walked into the house.

Joseph is walking very well now and Luke is all over the place. It is going to be a difficult process for Erin and Sam to line out Joseph as he gets older. He takes his queues for action and interaction from his older brother; which is as it should be. The problem is that with Luke’s autism his behavior is not the behavior the parents would want immolated. 

Luke was all over the place, flipping light switches on and off, slamming doors and walking in on Victoria as she was dressing after her shower. The kids love the house because it is so spread out and Luke loves the fact that there are endless places to hide, so many doors to open and close, so many light switches to flip the opposite direction than where they are when he finds them. He especially likes the master bath since it seems to be hidden in the walls. After all, it takes two left turns to get there from the hallway. The master closet is even better but Mama set him straight on going in there.

He is not an impossible child but he does require a lot of engagement and by the time I got home Mama was short on engagement energy, Victoria needed to start getting ready for church and Luke was pretty sugared up. Meanwhile, Joseph was trailing in his brother’s shadow like a Mimi-me. It was stimulating to say the least.

We all went to dinner at Wendy’s before church. During which time Gracie became very talkative. She told us that she had recently gone to visit daddy at work and I guess it was not what she expected. She explained that her daddy worked in a “little box” – complete with hand motions that looked similar to “Deep and Wide”. Of course she was referring to a cubicle – but her description was fairly accurate. Many employees that have similar work spaces refer to them exactly the same way she did.

What struck me as most impressive was when she congratulated Mama on the forethought of bringing an extra cup to split the frosty she had just brought to the table.  “That was a good idea, Mama Kim, to bring an extra cup so we can share”. I think Mama missed the remark as she was splitting the contents between the original and extra cup. Gracie ate the ice cream very slowly, licking it off the spoon in little bites because she did not want to get a “freeze brain.”

That remark Mama did not miss.

Overgrowth, eavesdropping on Mama, house guests

Victoria and Mama spent the day in Denton yesterday so by the time I got home they had just gotten home also. Mama was ready for her nap so Victoria and I went to her house (as we had planned) with the weed eater and a couple other implements and started hacking away at the incredible overgrowth of grass and weeds. We really should have looked at it long before now but to be honest, it was the last thing on our minds as we prepared for Alfredo and Daniella’s visit (while we were still hosting Brittany and Andrew )which was abruptly followed by our departure for Alaska – where we spent more than two weeks.

We were at her house for about an hour and a half but we did not really get much done even though I ran the weed eater continuously during that time. It will take more than we had with us to clear the two acres. So Mama and I will load her mower for the next run at the property. Meanwhile our own property suffers the same neglect – and the same overgrowth. Oh well, we will cut away at each as we are able which should take the rest of the summer to accomplish.

Mama and I have talked at some length about getting a smaller implement of some type to allow us greater flexibility and serviceability than the tractor with the brush hog we now have. Of course that would be an addition to our current implement inventory. The tractor with the brush hog and front loader is over twenty feet long which makes it difficult to use to mow within forest we have on our property – not impossible, just difficult.

However, a common riding lawn mower would be very time consuming to use since there are about seven acres to maintain. Getting sheep on the property would help in the portion where we plan to keep them but that is currently out of reach because I am not prepared to house them properly. We probably are not too far away from ready but I have not taken the time to prepare for them yet. So we are stuck with mechanical mowing. Like I said, by the end of summer we should have it done if it is only me and Mama providing the labor. When Grandpa is able to come back and help things will go much faster.

Speaking of Grandpa, I overheard that he is going to see the cardiologist this week during which time they will decide a path forward. It seems I only get the news as I eavesdrop on Mama as she is talking to someone about Grandpa. Last night it was Cori she was giving the update to. I was teasing Mama last night that maybe I should call Cori and have her fill me in.

Brianna is still sharing the house with us as she and Kaylen work to get and apartment. They have a reservation for one in Bridgeport but I assume it is not ready for occupancy as planned. They are planning to get married Friday so they can live together sooner than the planned October formal wedding – which, I understand, will still take place. I think that is a good plan.

We do not see much of Brianna. She leaves for work in the morning and does not come back to the house until after midnight each night. We have no problems with that. She is a big girl and she is fairly quiet in her comings and goings, but I think Mama is anxious to redirect the bedroom back to Grandma and Grandpa in hopes of influencing their return. Plus, Cori could have the baby any day now and Mama wants to be able to leave without leaving behind a female guest in our house while she is away.

It will all work out soon enough.

More repairs, Maggie and Walter, Grandpa

Yesterday morning – my first day back at work – one of the ladies that work for me told me she had had a “Tim Kline” week last week. On Sunday night the central A/C in her home stopped working. By Tuesday afternoon the entire unit had been replaced. The temperature last week averaged 95®F with nights not getting below 80®. Two nights without A/C was miserable. On that same Wednesday, the septic system backed up.

She called a septic repair company and a plumbing company and together the two companies dug outside, took up toilets inside, flooded the bathrooms twice each only to discover that a tee fitting near the septic tank was plugged. Once that was cleared and properly replaced everything was put back in place and she used a whole gallon of bleach to disinfect the house. She shivered in horror as she recalled cleaning the floors and walls.

Mama and I were laughing about it as I recounted the events to her. Then, that evening our central A/C began leaking water on the floor of the living room. It was only enough leakage to be annoying but it was definitely a problem, so I had Mama call the home warranty company and get the ball rolling on an inspection/repair. Hopefully she will get a call back today – which presents its own problem.

She and Victoria have a full day planned. Mama has to deliver food to the church this afternoon for a dinner being arranged for a funeral of one of our church member’s families; so that baking and cooking has to be done amid the distraction (hopefully) of a repair company working on the A/C. Then Victoria has a doctor’s appointment in Denton this afternoon. She is seeing the ENT that really helped her a year ago with her chronic ear problem. All that should be fun – and very warm since the temperature is expected to be neat 100®F.

Maggie has had some good reports on Walter. He is nursing well and sleeping well. She told Mama that he only gets up a couple times per night to eat which allows everyone the chance to sleep more than we all anticipated. As I understand it Walter will go to the doctor today to get circumcised – that should be a good time. At least he will be too young to remember.

Maggie is suffering from a pretty severe rash right now and she is very tender across her belly. She is hoping to talk to the doctor today while they are there with Walter. We are all hoping that the symptoms are not too abnormal and will quickly abate but some medical confirmation will be good. Otherwise we will see what needs to be done to help Maggie recover.

Meanwhile, back in West Virginia, Grandpa is getting around but every move expends enough effort that even to walk out to take the trash to the bin requires him to rest at the trash bin before getting enough breath to come back to the house. That is not good. Hence, the coming appointment to be evaluated for a pacemaker. I await information from Mama on that schedule.

Tonight we have made plans to go to Victoria’s house and weed eat some of the growth there – and there is a lot of growth. I do not know how much we will get done but it certainly is high time we gave it the effort so Victoria and Mama can have some clear pathways to walk when they do go over there.

That and the overgrowth at our property highlight the need for better equipment in order to keep up with the properties.

Some follow up notes

Grandpa was released from the hospital without any diagnosis of the problem that originally landed him there. He received several units of blood over a couple days and was greatly improved by that but all the tests that were run were inconclusive. He is scheduled for one more test in which the doctors will use a pill sized camera to get a view of the small intestines to see if they can pinpoint the source of the internal bleeding that caused his blood loss. Once that test is done they may okay him for travel.

One internalists and a cardiologist have reached the conclusion that the underlying issue with his blood pressure fluctuations may be related to improper heart function. The solution for that is a pace maker. That would explain some of the seemingly unrelated issues he has been having with blood pressure control and why the doctors have been unable to correct it. More on that s we get word from him and Grandma.

Cori is in better shape after the doctors gave her the medication to stop her contractions. It would not have bothered Blake is she had had the baby. He is anxious to be able to hug her in the front instead of sideways. He told her so just the other day. She is still having sporadic contractions and feels a good amount of abdominal pressure so she is having lots of trouble sleeping. It would be difficult to imagine that Savanah will stay in the womb too much longer but we are praying for as many weeks as we can get to close in on her due date.

Mama and I made it home safely Friday morning  – extremely worn out from the trip home. We got to the airport in Seattle at 6 pm Thursday evening and boarded a flight to Dallas just before midnight. That put our arrival time in Dallas just before 6 a.m. on Friday. The pastor was scheduled to pick us up at 6:30 – or there about. His wife texted Mama a little after 6 a.m.to tell us he had overslept and would be a little late. But it was not too much after the agreed time that he picked us up. We got to the house a little after 8 a.m. since we stopped for breakfast on the way home. It seemed the least we could offer him for getting up much earlier than is normal for him.

Mama and I unpacked only what was necessary and napped for a few hours before we got up to get busy on unpacking and start working on the neglected yard. We were back in bed by 9 pm and did not get up Saturday morning until just before noon. I cannot remember a time when we slept later than that but we each had taken a muscle relaxer before bed. That combined with the sleepless night as we traveled home did us in.

I got up and started working on the garage – rearranging boxes and clearing space to work. Mama actually went back to bed for a nap a little after 2 pm. I woke her at 5 pm. By that time I had finished grilling hamburgers and was anxious to get started on weed eating. As a consequence of all the sleep we had gotten we both had a rough night Saturday  night; but not nearly as rough as I had last night. Maybe we are readjusting our sleep patterns to what should be normal after being three hours off Texas time and in nearly constant day light for over two weeks. This too should pass.

All in all it was a great trip, a wonderful time with our granddaughter and her parents as we waited on her brother.

Walter is here, Grandpa’s still there

Walter is here – at least, he is in the hospital with his mom and dad. Maggie delivered him this morning at 5:15 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds 14 ounces. No one can denigrate Maggie’s tolerance for pain on that front. She, like Mama years ago, gave birth to a three month old. Both mommy and baby are healthy and doing well. We are expecting them to come home tomorrow; the day before we leave. The timing could have been better but at least we did not miss the birth.

Cathryn, Mama and I went to downtown Juneau yesterday evening after the baby big sister got up from her four hour nap. New cruised the shopping district for about three hours and then went to Fred Myers for another hour so we could return an item Mama had bought and get some things for dinner. By the time we got home it was almost 8 pm. We were all worn out.

We put Curious George on the tablet that she knows how to operate and she nodded in front of the player for about thirty minutes before Grammy put her to bed. It will be another hour or more before she is awake as I write this note. Today we will go easy on her and only keep her out for two to three hours total.

I realized as I was sitting with Mama in the quiet of the evening that I had walked about three miles from the glacier to the house and she, Maggie and Cathryn had walked bout a half mile with me on a little trail around the observation deck adjacent to the glacier prior to my long walk home. We are still hoping to see bears and fish in the creeks at the observation area. So far we have been skunked.

We will go see the baby, or I should say, Cathryn and I will go with Mama to see the baby later this morning. Maggie woke Mama at 4 a.m. to tell her she was pushing. (Maggie is a play-by-play type of person. I know this because she called us as well as Cori to a update her progress every time she dilated further.) She called back when the baby was born. Mama was dressed and out the door within five minutes. Now she (Mama) is frustrating herself tying to post this morning’s events on Facebook.

Grandpa is improving in spite of the fact that there has been no mention of want the root of Grandpa’s health problem is. Mama was told that he received blood through the night – which is what I suggested to her should happen early yesterday – so he has shown marked improvement. Still they continue waiting in the hospital as the doctors try to pinpoint the cause.

I can understand the consternation on the part of the medical staff because this has been an ongoing issue with Grandpa for many years. I also understand the angst on Grandma’s part and the hesitancy on Grandpa’s part in getting the diagnosis set because Grandpa’s brother died of colon cancer and his father died of prostate cancer.  For Grandpa, it could be something more simple than that – like a very poor diet – but we will not know that for a few more days yet.

From Grandpa’s perspective, knowing the issue is more frightening than ignoring it.

Maggie, Grandpa, Victoria

I have not written for several days because nothing has been happening here. We have gotten the chance to take a lot of pictures and walk on a lot of trails but Maggie has not progressed toward delivery in any noticeable way – until this morning. Now it seems that Walter is wanting to get out and she is in the throes of earnest contractions as he prepares his escape; or entry depending on which way you look at it.

Earlier this morning we got a call from Grandma that she took Grandpa to the hospital in Ripley; weak and barely able to move; ashen in color. By the time I had walked the trail from Mendenhall Glacier to the house they had transported him to Charleston. Early indications are that he is having colon issues. That, in conjunction with the heart issues he has had make for an urgent situation.

Grandma has been marking his deteriorating progress for some weeks now. But we have to look back to see it. We are less than completely trusting of her assessments on most occasions because she sees most things in a very negative way – and Grandpa has always recovered fully after each weak spell in the recent past. The fact that she was able to get him to agree to go to Jackson General Hospital is a testament to his grave condition. Neither of them have a high opinion of the medical facility.

The only caveat to the transport to Charleston is that the ambulance broke down in route and as I write this blog he is lying in ambulance waiting to be transferred to a serviceable unit that can complete the transfer to the hospital in Charleston. Such is the story of Grandpa’s medical care. So for the moment we await news on both pressing medical issues – here in Alaska and there in West Virginia.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Victoria has been taking care of the property and animals in our absence. On Saturday she had a run in with a large rat snake that did not want to give up the nest he was eating the eggs from. It was obvious that he had at least one already inside him but he was the greedy sort and did not want to move away from the several he had claimed from the fretting chickens.

She would not touch the snake with her hands –as I would have – but insisted on worrying it with a hoe handle until she had frustrated it into leaving. It will not be long before she will have to repeat the process. At least until I get back home and relocate the reptile.

Sunday was a big day at our home church. It was our pastor’s fortieth anniversary at the church so they had a big celebration for him. That along with the proximity to the 4^th of July made for quite a time with special speakers, special slide presentations and remembrance of the holiday and the years of service at Immanuel Baptist Church.

Mama and I hated to miss it but we have important family events to attend to.