Little successes, Little treasures

Mama and I covered different ground today. She took off for Denton as soon as the animals had been cared for and I stayed home to work though another take of the video I needed to revise. I worked non-stop for four hours to produce a 3 minute 22 second video. 

Some of the first lines in the script I repeated at least forty times. I know this because I discarded 39 videos where I messed up at one point or another in the script. Some of the discarded takes were as long as 3 minutes 12 seconds. Some were as short as 5 seconds.

While I pretended to be a movie star Mama had a great day shopping and returning items. Why women love to return items is beyond me. I would rather throw something away than spend time in the return line - most of the time. But Victoria had several items to return so Mama took the assignment and came out with very high marks.

Mama also went to Sam’s, Kroger’s, Chick-fil-A, JC Penney’s, and a couple other stores in her outing. I did not go mostly because I had work to complete but also because I did not want to hurry her - directly or indirectly. She came home just after I had finished uploading the video for review in quite a happy mood. She had had a very successful day.

The only drawback to the entire shopping foray was that when she went to try on the foot ware she had bought - at a great savings - she opened the box to find only one shoe, or rather sandal,  had made it home with her. Whether or not we will recover the lost mate remains to be seen. She called to announce the loss and the kind clerk who took her call sad they would do their best to find the lone left sandal, but she was not too hopeful.

I expected to get more criticism on the video I shot today but the response was very positive. My mentor pronounced it good enough to move forward. His exact words were “Awesome job. Looks like a pro.” That was encouraging. I am on to my next assignments with him.

Tomorrow Mama and I travel to Brenham to meet with my siblings to assign Mom and Dad’s household items for distribution. It is a sad meeting of sorts but I am praying for a civil if not happy atmosphere as we discuss who gets what of the furniture items, pictures, clocks, rugs, lamps and dishes, etc.

I do not want to build a memorial to Mom and Dad. The heritage they have given me is far more precious than that. But, there are memories that I would like to cary forward with me and each item they collected, now passed on to us as heirs, are little reminders of who they were and what they treasured.

I have no idea what my children will want of what Mama and I have, but I will gather some of the memorabilia of their grandparents to pass along to them one day.  

I read a plaque once that said, “You are either a fountain or a drain.” Mama certainly was a fountain for me today. I have not touched enough lives today to know which I have been, but this weekend I hope to be a fountain.

Frustration

Today was a pure frustration. I spent all morning trying to video myself using the script I had been helped to compose. It was only 530 words long but it took me several dozen tries just to get all the words out properly…and the best video was really not good at all. ( Mama was silently praying for me and I needed it.)

I sent it off for review but I had a feeling I knew the outcome - and I was pretty close. My mentor requested more smile, more life, less reading. And he is right but quite frankly, I am getting worn out with the process. But what can I do but keep going keep improving; make it right. Because our future may literally depend on it.

Meanwhile I am completing work assigned by my traffic coach and have scheduled an appointment with her Monday afternoon. We will see what kind of results that gives me. Again, it is a pretty steep learning curve and I feel like I am living the title of the book James Dobson wrote years ago, “Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back.” But we’ll get there.

In addition to the trouble I had with the video, I somehow messed up my Skype account; lost all my contacts, all my history. So I had to start over there. My active account is timothy.kline3. If you need me on Skype that is where I will be. Hopefully I be able to keep that going.

I did not know when I asked to reset my password that I had multiple accounts open and I chose the wrong one to reset the password on - at least as far as history and contacts. I have no idea if the other accounts will continue to connect to me or not, but I am assuming not. I also have no idea what account I had made initial contact with my mentors on so I quickly reestablished those contacts.

With tomorrow being the only day I have left this week to work toward my business launch, my high hopes of getting started this week were dashed to nothing. (Friday and Saturday Mama and I will be traveling to and from Brenham to see Dad and spend some time with my siblings.)

Like Crazy Clara said to Matthew Quigley, “It’s not uncommon to have a bad day your first day on the job.”

Thankfully, tomorrow is a new day.

Help needed, non-news

Mama and I were supposed to drive to Wichita Falls this morning but I did not feel that it was the best way for me to start the morning. I have been feeling a good deal of pressure to focus exclusively on getting this business going and to that end I spent all day on the computer. I was able to complete almost all the assignments I have been given by two coaches. I lack a few written statements and shooting a video. I may upload it to the blog when I get it done - not sure yet.

I could use some help. I do not get to circulate much these days and I am being asked to answer some questions which I do not feel I can adequately answer through my own imagination or limited observation. Questions like, what drives people today? What motivates them? 

What are they scared of and what are they passionate about? 

What fears do they spend the most time dwelling on and how do they plan to alleviate those fears? 

What questions are they asking and what are the answers they are hoping for?

What do people look for online?

What excites them?

If you know an answer to one of these questions I would appreciate your help. Just put your comments in the comments section below. If you know someone who could give me some answers, please forward this blog to them and ask them to comment. I need all the help I can get and I am running out of time.

On more of a family note, Brittany and Andrew got disappointing news, but not the worst possible news. He will be assigned to his current post for one more year. Not a bad deal considering where they are. She made Mama promise she would come to stay with them when she and Andrew have a baby. We have not been told about a bun in the oven yet but it is what we are praying for.

Victoria has settled into her work schedule since getting home. It’s hard to tell if she enjoys it or not but she is pretty committed to it.

Grandpa is chomping at the bit to do something - especially on Victoria’s house remodel - but he is setting still for now while his incisions heal. It should not be much longer.

Mama is still my ever perplexing, ever distracting, time consuming delight. We are coming up on 34 year together. People ask me what the secret is to staying together that many years, much less staying happy together that many years. God first. Each other second. Ourselves third, if possible.

No reason to be sad if you fall in the high single digits behind that line up!

Fill ins, a second look

Yesterday was an interesting day at church. Our piano player called Mama to say she was not well but I did not think too much of it because the organist usually moves to the piano to take over. That was not the case yesterday.

Erin, our pianist, called a young lady in the church and asked her to fill in for her. It was a surprise to me and Barbra, the organist. All in all, it went well but Monica, the fill in, had to be allowed to play songs she knew. So we had to sing songs out of the first ten pages of the hymnal. Only one of the selections was anywhere near peppy so it put a little bit of a drag on the service. Not terrible, but still noticeable.

I got a lot of comments after the service was over that we did not make it very far into the hymnal; that we needed a little bit more life in the selections, etc. There was little I could say. That late in the game, I had to go with what the help could do. Monica, to her credit, did well on the songs she was able to play even though she was a nervous wreck.

In the night service I was greeted with another surprise. Katy, a young lady in our church - she is somewhat challenged, but capable was at the piano when I got back from the men’s meeting. She knew all the selections for the evening but struggled somewhat. I do not know if the pastor will allow her to fill in again soon, but we got by.  She has been practicing hard and really did do her best but there were some awkward moment as she struggled to keep up or catch up.

It was only after the service that I found out that Katy had told Monica, who showed up at 4:30 to practice the selections for the evening service, that “she had it”. It was an interesting situation. Once again, we got by - but not without comment. I am sure I have not heard the last of it either.

Here on the farm, there are days when I feel no sense of accomplishment even though there has been considerable effort expended. Today was one of those days. It is at times like these that I have to take a step back and look at what is happening from a different direction. It takes a moment to realize that not everything I have to do produces tangible results in our life  but all the tasks are necessary; from driving to the dairy to get chicken feed, to moving a pregnant nanny goat to a different location so she can wean the twins she has been nursing, to finally putting away the plethora of tools I have gotten out to work on a project, to helping Mama with various chores that she could do alone but finds more pleasure in them when I take time out to help. (I try to allow the relationship to win out over the project but I can be pretty task oriented.)

In addition to all we have to do in our morning routine, I did get the script for the video I have been asked to make finalized. I did get the roof on the loft of the goat barn finished. I did get a scheduling calendar set up for my business. I did confirm things for this weekend with my siblings. 

Not terrible for a day’s effort, but I always feel like I could have done more.

Grandpa update, barn progress

Mama, Grandma and Grandpa made it to Amarillo safely yesterday evening. They got to the hospital on time this morning only to have to wait several hours for the blood test results to be sent from the doctors office in Bowie. That put him second on the docket for surgeries. But, even at that they were through before 11am and Grandpa was released by 3 pm with a good report overall. He needs to be still for the remainder of the day to allow the entry wounds in his groin to seal up.

It is still uncertain if this procedure was enough to give him the heart function required to go about daily live without the dizzy spells and constant fatigue. We are all hopeful but only time will tell. God is still in the miracle working business so we will continue to ask for one. 

Mama and her party should come home tomorrow. What time they will head this direction depends on how Grandpa does through the night and into the morning. Most of the complications I have heard about with this procedure have to do with the cuts in the groin so what happens overnight is critical. We are expecting the best possible results with a quick recovery.

I have been working on the goat barn and it is starting to look like what I envisioned at the outset. (Pictures inset) I will have it complete to the point I need for now by the end of the week. It will still lack stalls and barn doors. I am still what type of doors would suit us best in the long term and with the one hundred degree heat right now I do not see the need to close it up.

When I look at where we are now with the goat habitat and where we started, I am pleased with how well it is turning out. I am guessing the area enclosed is close to 3/4 of an acre, so we did not have to sacrifice too much of the pasture to do this. We should have enough space for about a dozen head of goats at a time. That will be our first real income producing livestock for the farm.

Mama sells eggs so we have a small income there but if it is enough to consistently cover the cost of feed I am happy. I am hoping for much more with the goats - and they are fun to boot; not to mention far less messy.

Work on my business is going well but like learning anything new there is a very steep learning curve but I am getting there quickly. I was up a 2 am this morning because I could not sleep. I spent that time writing a script for a video I have been asked to put together. I sent it out for review by those who know how this marketing tool should sound - at 4 am.

I plan, Lord willing, on sleeping through the night tonight.

Self diagnosis, Pray for Grandpa

I missed church for both services Sunday because I had waited too long to go to the doctor. I had a mild fever Thursday night but did not seem too badly off on Friday evening at Chappell Hill. I was hurting with the normal pains of diverticulitis but thought the worst was over. Saturday night proved otherwise. My fever shot up to about 102 overnight and the pain was pretty intense. It was time to get help.

Mama and I go to the Urgent Care Clinic in Decatur because we do not have  a doctor nearer than Bowie and he does not see patients on Sunday morning - and because they are less difficult to work with and much less expensive than the emergency room. But like all medical personnel, they are skeptical of self diagnosis.

Megan, our attending health care provider (I am not sure of her certification or licensure status) was not overly thrilled about my understanding of what I needed her to do but as she asked her diagnostic questions and poked on me in a couple places, she came around to agreeing that I had a case of diverticulitis and prescribed accordingly; shot in the hip and all. When she got a feel for the level of pain I was in, she was genuinely caring.

I am better now but I realize I will have to be careful since I am not certain what triggered the incident; whether it was something I had eaten or something over which I had worried excessively. I am always impressed just how much happens in the subconscious while we seem to be overlooking the very things that are causing us such concern that our bodies suffer the consequences. (Sometimes silently. Sometimes for years.)

God is able to meet our every need so I try not to worry, especially over the things that I cannot influence, much less control. But this last round of pain may be telling me I am giving myself too much benefit of the doubt.

Between Monday and today Mama and I sold the rake to a kind elderly gentleman that traveled all the way from Turkey, TX to get it for his son who was recovering from back surgery. We had a fit loading the rake onto his utility trailer but we finally figured it out. I do not have Grandpa’s wealth of experience with either the front loader on the tractor or placing equipment in difficult accesses.

In the process we slightly bent his fender on the passenger side of the trailer and we completely tore up the wheels on the dolly of the rake. But he was thrilled to have it and we were thrilled to sell it. We will use that money to but two head of registered Red Angus heifers from my sister Sarah and her husband Fabian.

We also turned our cattle out onto the neighbors field so they can be bred by his bull. The bull paid us a little visit on Sunday morning so we took down the portion of fence he had already used as access to allow our heifers to mosey onto the large one hundred acer pasture. Our wild heifer was uncooperative and Mama would have shot her there and then if she had had a gun, but there were no animals hurt in the exodus from Mama Kim’s farm. We will fetch them back in a couple months.

Mama heads to Amarillo in the morning to take Grandpa to the hospital there for a heart oblation procedure. She, Grandma and Grandpa will be there Thursday and Friday nights. If all goes well they will be home Saturday afternoon.

Pray for Grandpa. He needs the healing this surgery is supposed to provide; and he is very hopeful of a good outcome.

Pray for Mama. She will need traveling mercies…and an extra measure of grace.

Visiting Dad

I did not get the chance to write on Friday since we were in Brenham, TX visiting my sister and my dad. I say it in that order because that is how the time actually worked out. Dad is in a Mental Care Unit in Brenham. It was a difficult decision to put him there but there was no good alternative if we were to provide the round-the-clock supervision he now requires.

Mama and I sat and talked with him for about and hour Friday evening (until he was called to supper) and again Saturday morning. It may be difficult to understand why a nine hour round trip to visit someone resulted in so little time spent with that person, but it is very difficult for Dad to carry on a conversation for more than that length of time. 

Even at that, what conversation there is can be very difficult to follow because he cannot remember names, dates, times, geographic setting, relationships, or even the names of food items, common articles of clothing, furniture pieces (like tables and chairs). He does love to hear me tell stories from my memories of him and Mom and my childhood.

So, with a limited ability to connect vocabulary words in a sentence, it is nearly impossible to convey a thought but he is not so lost that he is not aware that his intent or thought is not getting through - and he does try to express himself even with the realization that he is not putting the right words together for us to understand his meaning. It is beyond my ability to understand the frustration he might feel. But he still has a kind heart, smiles easily and apologizes for his lack of memory. 

He did mention that he is lonely. With Mom gone (after 67 years of marriage) and Martha and her daughter Trisha no longer keeping a 24/7 vigil, he has no one who he feels is near enough to him to hear him when he  has a need or a question; to truly care for him. There are personnel and other residents there, but they are not always sitting close at hand. To them he is a stranger and vice versa. 

It suppose it was a good visit. It encouraged Martha. It lets me know how to pray for Dad and for Martha.

The picture is of Dad with Savanna (Cori’s youngest) at Mom’s wake in February this year.

Planning a day away, living with a smile

Mama and I were out early again today. We headed to Wichita Falls to pick up the metal for the goat barn and well house. The people there were so much nicer than the people at the Metal Mart in Ponder, which is only a half hour away. It took longer to load than I had anticipate because as the load was being set on our trailer the guy helping us thought something was not right.

He started counting everything in the order - it was a big one. As he progressed he discovered that we were short several pieces of one particular length. How he was able to see that is beyond me. Have you ever counted sheets of metal stacked together? It is not a simple task. For him to notice that the order might be short was impressive…and far better to have caught it there than to end up short as we installed the metal. Especially since the missing pieces were for the upper roof of the barn.

Mama and I stopped at Sam’s after we had the metal loaded. It was directly on the way home and we did need a few things - although they did not have one of the items that was on the top of her list. We went in with a list of two items and came out with $108 worth of items. I can’t fault Mama. Part of that was my fault.

Mama and I will be leaving early tomorrow for Chappell Hill to see Dad. My sister Martha , our primary contact with Dad, tells us that he is settling in well at the mental care unit where he is being housed. I am not sure what to expect when we get there but we will make the most of whatever interaction we can get.

Although he cannot remember our names, he recognizes Mama and me and Mom used to say that he seemed especially glad to see me when we got the chance to come. Whether that holds true or not, he is still my Dad and one day, not very long from now, he will have a perfect mind. That hope sustained him for years and, thankfully, he passed that hope on to me.

Grandma and Grandpa will be staying here through the day Friday and on into Saturday. Mama is very worried about her animals - especially getting them sufficient water in this heat. But I think Grandpa is up to that challenge; even if it involves feeding our bottle baby goats three times per day. ((We have learned to put out fresh feed for the bigger goats each time we feed the bottle babies. (It is part of the training the goats are putting us through.)That way we have less spoilage because they will not eat food that has gotten wet - even with dew  - or has sat out too long.))

But just to make certain that everyone is cared for we will do the morning rounds, fill the bird feeders and the hummingbird feeders, give the cows a fresh round bale of hay and write out specific instructions for them to follow for the chickens, pigs, goats and dogs.

Secretly ,Mama is worried for the dogs that normally spend their days inside - not a routine Grandma is content to follow. So we will fill waterers and put them in shaded spots outside the house and hope for the best.

This life is fun to live day to day, but it is difficult to leave even for a day. Most of us have discovered that when there is pleasure in a task, it seems easier to do. I was told by an elderly gentleman years ago, “If you want to go through life with a smile on your face, a smile in your heart, start off with a smile and look for ways to keep it there.”

Can’t find a reason to smile? Look for someone who needs your help and help  them. 

The bigger smiles come not from having joy but from sharing it.

Internet ready at home, a busy schedule to keep

Mama and I have had a few busy days lately. I often wonder what path our lives would have taken if I had retained my job with ConocoPhillips. It is advantageous to have the free time I have right now and Mama and I are taking full advantage of the freedom I now have to spend with her, at the farm, doing the construction on the barn, the well house and the shop. Even though I am still in the beginning stages of making money online I am enjoying myself immensely.

I did not write yesterday because Mama and I were out pretty late and I was hurting pretty badly at the end of the day. I remembered late that evening that we would need a router at the house so when the installer from HughesNet came to do the install this morning we would have the router available. As it turned out, we did not need to have our own. He sold us one that was more comparable with their system.

Mama and I - but mostly I - decided that it would be beneficial to have internet at the house. Those of you who know Mama know that the internet is not high on her priority list. Since we are too far out of the way to get cable or a phone line run to the house, satellite internet was the only way to go. As I did the research, HughesNet looked to be always on the top. I think the  idea to finally get internet installed at the house rose out of the past several days at the church, being interrupted over and over as I tried to work. I realized that that was not a good solution for providing my internet needs if I am to really work this business. Also, I have a high level of confidence in the program I am now involved in so I need to get things lined up properly to succeed.

The installer was here pretty early and had the job done in about two hours. He had brought his dog with him so we put her in the back yard and kept Victoria’s dogs in the house for the duration. I have to admit that it is nice to have internet at the house again; even though it is somewhat limited in how much we can use in our billing cycle. I believe it will benefit me in the long run and it will still keep me accountable while using it as I sit at my desk or at the kitchen table. I am not sure it will be enough to satisfy Jake when he spends a couple weeks with us next month but we will deal with that as needed.

Mama mowed at our house as the installation was being done. I mostly stood by for questions and rested my injured knee. When we had everything set up and the installer was on his way out we loaded up the mower onto the trailer and went to mow at Victoria’s house; hoping to get that done before I had to make a phone consult with the lawyer who is drawing up our estate plan. That meeting was planned for 2 pm.

We ate a small lunch shortly after that meeting was over and headed out to the dairy to get milk and chicken feed. It was a little disappointing to find the silo that he stores the feed in was almost empty. Mama and I got only one bag out of it before we were getting nothing but powder. But we did get one bag - which went with us to church to be given to Alisa and Zach Burns - our associate pastor and his wife. Mama and I will have to go back when the dairy owner lets us know he has more feed. We buy from him because he buys our eggs only if we can assure him that we use non-GMO feeds; like the one he supplies to his egg suppliers.

Mama and I sandwiched a nap between the dairy run and church. We both needed it. Me because I have only gotten four or five hours of sleep per night because of the pains from my recent minor injuries. Mama needed to because she loves her nap. She is much easier to be around if she can get her nap. I must really have needed the rest because I had a very hard time rousing from my little siesta.

Church was fun. I got lots of comments about my black eye - since I lead the singing it is hard to hide. What was more fun was looking at the reactions of those who were too embarrassed to ask about the method of infliction. But I did get the number for a spousal abuse program from one friend; just in case I needed it.

After church I spent an hour listening to a webinar on how to create a webinar. 

That’s busy enough.

Trials and Losses

Grandma and Grandpa came over this morning to help us tend to the cows. Several needed shot but all needed to be treated for worms. Mama and I got them into the barn lot early this morning so we would at least have them ready to process through the loading chute once help arrived. The way it worked out, our crazy heifer was in the chute first.

It was no problem getting her into the head gate and this time the head gate held. The last time we had her in the chute she busted through the head gate so I had to re-weld it and reinforce it to hold her. Anyway, we applied the worm medicine and gave her the shot she needed. The trouble started when we tried to let her out of the head gate.

I thought she was backed up and ready to go so I released the latch locking the head gate across the chute opening, but she was not out of the clamp of the head gate and when she suddenly and forcefully pushed forward, I got hit across the face by the steel gate. It knocked be pretty hard and left me with a black eye and swollen cheek. 

It will be an interesting story to tell - and it will have to be told because this bruising is obvious. It took me a minute to recover and we finished getting the other cows treated without incident but we still have not found the glasses that were knocked off my face. With the chest bruising, the bruised arms and the knee that has started to give me fits, I just added to the growing list of little pains. Fortunately, no real harm was done. But I sure feel stupid.

What is a little troubling is that we cannot find my glasses. I am pretty sure I had them on when I took the hit but Mama, Grandpa and I have all looked multiple times and they are simply not there. At first I came back to the house to see if I could find them in one of the places I usually lay them but they were not to be found.

I do find it amazing that something that significant can simply vanish. I told Mama they are probably with the multi-tool I lost over at Victoria’s one evening . Though I looked thoroughly for that I never recovered it either. 

The bad part is that neither of us can remember if I even had my glasses  on when we were tending to the cattle - but I am pretty sure I did; maybe.

It is a sad fact of life that we do not remember a lot of what transpires throughout our day. For instance, do you remember the first question your child asked you this morning? Or the name on the name tag of the person who last waited on you at Walmart?

I try to stay connected; in the moment. But the hours tick by and one event melts into the next and soon we are getting ready to settle in for the evening; this evening it’s a black eye and no eyeglasses evening. The black eye will heal soon enough but my glasses may be lost for good. It makes me wonder what else I lost throughout the day.

My eyeglasses can be replaced. My day cannot. 

I hope to do better tomorrow.

Sam’s little adventure, things that take time

I got to the church pretty early this morning, Actually, I left about the same time Mama and Grandma were coming back from the Bridgeport vet. Grandma came over with the Lincoln to take Sam to be shorn - they call it groomed, but that is not what was needed - because I did not want to take the shaggy, smelly, shedding dog anywhere in my truck; and certainly not the Sequoia. I was going to use the stock trailer but Mama and Grandma would not hear of it.

Sam was ready to be picked up about the time I got through at church. Actually, I was at Lowe’s picking up some more 2x4’s for the goat barn so I could finish the structure for the roof. And, yes. Sam did ride home in my truck. He did not smell any better but at least the hair he was shedding was shorter.

While I was at the church our pastor came in and sat with me for a half hour. We talked in general about some thing, and specifically about a couple things, but he told me that I should pack up and go to Nazlini, AZ with the group that is going back again this year to do Vacation Bible School for the church Joel Haynes pastors there. This will be the fifth or sixth year they have made the trip and I have always wanted to go but one thing or another has kept me back.

This year it is a new business, tending to the animals in Mama’s absence - when she takes Grandpa to Amarillo for him heart oblation procedure the 22nd - and filling in at church for an absent pastor. But Mama reminded me that Victoria will be back on the 19th so if I could put everything else on hold temporarily, I could actually go. I am praying about that now, and might actually be leaning toward going, but I am not convinced to do so.

Mama and I had RU tonight. We were going to leave early enough to go and see a man from our church that is recovering from open heart surgery. I got to see him on Thursday evening as we were out soul winning, but Mama was not with us.

We were ready in time to make the visit and got everything loaded in the Sequoia but I could not find the keys. Mama remembered that she had left them in the ignition turned on so that she could extract a CD for Grandma. That was as 9:30 am. It was 6 pm. Of course the car would not start.

I tried to use my jump starter but the battery was too low to succeed in getting the vehicle  started. So we got the truck and moved the food we were hauling to RU from the back of the Sequoia to the back seat of the truck, with one little hitch. The back hatch would not reopen. The battery was too low to open the solenoid to release the door latch once I had closed it.

Mama had to fish out the food - Shepherd’s Pie - from over the back seats. It was tricky but she did manage it without any spills. We were too late by the time we got everything transferred, added to the time I had spent trying to get the jump starter to work, to go see out recovering friend.

Maybe we can get there tomorrow after we take Mr. Plumley to Trade Days. And after I finally get the Sequoia started.

Loving the Ordinary

Today was another ordinary day. Mama and I got up and fed the goat bottle babies and while I came back inside to wash the bottles and do my morning Bible reading, she tended to the pigs, chickens and cows; all of whom are doing well. I enjoy all of them but I take issue with the shedding dogs. Mama sweeps every day to try to keep the shed fur under control, and I appreciate the efforts but it still gets everywhere and on everything.

We are in that season when the temperatures are making thirty degree swings from dawn to dusk and the toll it takes on plants and animals is very easy to see. We water the plants every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evening. To my shame I discovered that I had not been watering heavy enough for some plants because the fig cast off the fruit it was loaded with. (I am assuming that was my fault.)

I went to the church early today and worked until noon. I was scheduled to talk to my coach today but we had to defer that conversation until tomorrow so he could get some things set up in the background. Tomorrow I should be set up and ready to go with my business. I will keep you informed as to how it works out, but I am expecting some good results within the next thirty to sixty days. I will keep you posted as to the progress.

When I got home Mama and I ate a quick lunch then headed to the feed store in Muenster, TX. It is about forty minutes away but we get such a good deal on the feed that it is worth the trip. It takes a chunk out of the day every time we go for feed but it pays me back in the long run. All it kept me from doing is working out in the heat on the goat barn - until later. 

Today was the first time we used the Sequoia for a feed run. The truck is having some turbine sensor issues and we are not taking it on long trips for the moment. I only mention that because we had to ride home with the windows cracked open - and the A/C on max - because Mama did not like the smell of the feed. It did not bother me. Only chemical smells cause my nose to wrinkle. It was not too bad, all in all, just a little hotter than normal for being inside a well cooled vehicle.

After we got all the feed distributed, I did manage to get about an hour and a half worth of work done on the goat barn before I had to get cleaned up to go on Thursday night visitation. During that short time I put the posts in place for the stalls on the south side of the barn so it is starting to look evened out. Everything came out surprisingly square when I was attaching the 2x4 bracing. I was pleased. I will post pictures tomorrow to show the progress.

We should be ordering the metal for the roof and sides next week. Mama insists on going to Wichita Falls for the metal because they offer seconds at a reduced price. She wants red siding and they have a good supply of red seconds for sale. t will be another long trip to pick that up but it will save us enough money to make it worthwhile…I hope.

So, today was pretty ordinary; the fun, pleasant, spent with the right company kind of ordinary.

Still busy - but not too busy

After the morning feeding, Bible reading and a quick breakfast, Mama and I went to Decatur to pick up Like, Gracie and Joseph. Erin was sitting though another audit - like a day in the Principal’s office as she described it - since she serves as payroll clerk and general bookkeeper for the small company in the hot seat.

This time we only had to stop at Walmart, Tractor Supply and Brookshire’s before we headed home. Of course, we had to wait at Walmart for over twenty minutes for the Wells Fargo bank to open so we could deposit the check given to us for the brush hog. Thank God for the toy aisle in Walmart; kids would spend days there if allowed.

Luke needs the TV going at all times and since we try to keep a healthy influence in what he watches, it is sometimes difficult to find enough appropriate movies to play. Fortunately, he will watch the familiar ones over and over; trying to get him to watch something new can be a challenge. So the other day Mama put in the movie, Up. (My personal favorite.)

All three of the kids fell in love with the movie. So much so that in the course of two days we have watched it four or five times. So far I do not mind. It is one I could watch over and over. [Thank you Victoria for replacing the copy we somehow lost over the years.]

I do not know if it is having the active children around or just the residual affect of the fall but I have not been able to do too much for several days - except cook, and help Mama keep up with the babysitting needs as well as the continuous animal cares. It is keeping us both busy - and worn out.

The little potbelly pig we brought home is quite the escape artist. We have never had a pig so intent on being free from any enclosure. But that is what she is used to. At the Gieslend farm she was caged overnight and when there was mowing being done. Other than that she went where she wanted, when she wanted. Unfortunately, we cannot afford her that freedom here. She would be eaten in a short while. The fortunate part of this is that she is so easy to put back away. She has taken a real liking to Mama. All animals do.

Tomorrow, we should not have the kids so I should be able to get back to work - both on the farm and on the internet.

Busy, productive days, Fireworks and the USA

Mama and I were up very early this morning so we could meet Erin to get the kids in order to allow her to participate in an audit - yes, another one. She and her employer have been surprised to have two sets of independent auditors go over the same set of books in consecutive audits. The stuff that makes you go, Hum?

Anyway that pretty much filled up our day as well as get us started early. We were already planning on going to Sam’s for dog food as well as a couple other items and we had planned on going to Panera’s for bagels at half price (every Tuesday) so it kind of worked out well. You have to be there early to get a good variety of bagels. The kids did very well through the several stops, starting with Panera’s followed by Chick-fil-a then Sam’s. We were still home by 10:30 am. 

I did not do any work on the barn because I am hurting pretty badly in my chest. I sort of overdid it Monday and my injuries were not at all happy with the strain I put on those areas. I woke up in an enormous amount of pain and it continued through the day. So Mama gave me one of her “you better not…” speeches, softened by a “Honey, you need to rest…” follow up. What could I do? I rested.

Anyway we were waiting on a buyer to come and look at the brush hog - which down here is called a shredder deck - and he was supposed to show up right after lunch. Which, he did, by the way.

He and his son came to look the equipment over. I was impressed by the both of them. They know equipment. The elder has been working farms and hay fields for over sixty years. 

They custom bale thousands of round bales each year so when they made me an offer for the brush hog and explained why they were offering less than what I was asking I took the offer. It was still a good offer. Besides, the son bought the box blade for the full asking price as part of the deal. 

I was happy to make the sale and they were happy with the purchases. Turns out that the young man that bought the baler from us bought the rake he had on his trailer when he got to our farm from the man buying our brush hog. It really is a small world.

Speaking of a small world, Sunday evening Mama and I watched a fireworks display in Decatur in the company of some elderly church friends. It is always fun to see the colorful explosions. Fireworks are not unique to the United States but the celebratory significance of the date certainly is. 

Cori told Mama that she and the kids had done the same thing, but on Monday evening in Pensacola. While they were being amazed by the display, Mykenzie turned to her and said, “I’m going to miss my country.”

What a revelation of the heart of my little missionary.

Happy Fourth of July

I was able to get to the church early this morning to do some online training so I feel like I got a lot done. The call I had with my coach was did not take long so I was able to watch several videos about how to generate traffic. At this moment I am waiting for my funding to be verified so I can proceed with making money and my coach is also chomping at the bit to get me going with the system he has developed for generating sales. I am anxious also.

When I got home Mama and I ate a bite and laid down for a nap. I did not get one. Mama let Rosie out at the same time she laid down and Rosie started barking to get back in just as I was getting good and sleepy. I could not get comfortable again after being disturbed so I got up and went to work on the goat barn…after I had set out a bale of hay for the cattle.

Mama came out about two hours later to check on me and bring me some tea. I had gotten several of the rafters for the loft put in place so it was much easier to tell how the building is going to turn out. I could only hang in for a little over two hours more before i had to quit for the evening. It was about 6:30 pm at that time; too early to sit for the remainder of the evening but too late to start in anything new.

Mama and I decided to use the time to go to the Giesland’s and pick up the micro potbelly pig Rick wanted us to take for him. Since he has only the one and no one really fools with her he felt like the pig might be better off with us. At least she would have the company of out potbelly Mollie. We have to let them get accustomed to each other  for a time or them will fight mercilessly.

Before we went to get the pig we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa’s to visit and ended up spending almost an hour there. Mama showed them both the recent videos and pictures from the grandkids - all of them. Grandpa is still pretty weak and although he had been thinking of not having the heart oblation surgery because of the mounting medical bills he has from recent stent surgeries he does not want to continue feeling the way he does; able to do so little before he has to rest. Keep him in your prayers.

I had to coax Mama out of the house because I knew we would not get away from Rick and Nancy with a short visit, and I was right. We spent over an hour there. Since we stopped at Burger King on the way home it was dark when we got back to the farm to deposit the pig in her enclosure and feed the bottle babies.

Fortunately, the pig is very small. She fit handily in the large dog carrier. When I put her in the carrier in the wheelbarrow Mama and I were able to wheel he across the yard, set the carrier in the enclosure and let her out. She seemed unconcerned about the change of venue. I am hoping she will make a nice addition to our little menagerie. 

With the goats fed and us fed I spent a few minutes covering the saws I have at the goat barn because it looked like it would rain overnight. Even thought the forecast has not called fro rain we have had overnight storms for the past several nights. 

We ended up getting over a half inch of rain.

Living

As I sit here to write it is difficult for me to get past the idea that today was an uneventful day, but such is never the case. Mama was called on the spot this morning to watch the Echeveria kids because Erin found out at the last minute that the company she works for part time from home wanted to do an unannounced audit. Boy, does that sound like fun?

Anyway, we split up to cover more territory when Mama got the call and I headed to the church to work on my internet training while Mama went to meet Erin. We had already been to the feed store and Victoria’s house to tend to the chickens. Not a normal routine but I was moving pretty slowly and did not do my usual farm work before I set off to work on training. I suppose I was resting - sort of. Mama was waiting for me at the church when I got there because I had taken the time to unload feed out of the back of the truck before I headed to town. 

It was a little disappointing to find that the internet at the church was still not working - the router needed to be restarted in order to return to service after the all day interruption during the previous day. I do not have access to the office where the router and modem are kept so I tethered my phone to get onto the sites I needed. It was slow but it worked.

Everything I am learning is helping me to get a much better understanding of how the internet works and how to adapt to those nuances in order to succeed where many others have failed. I am slowly starting to see a path forward but I will still need the coaching I am being offered in order to grasp the concepts fully. 

Time will tell but it is much like when Bro. Lane (a Master Welder for thirty years) came to the farm to help me get started welding on gates and fences. One simple statement he made as we worked together made all the difference between success and failure. I went on, using that one tip, to make the best welds I have ever made - and on some pretty difficult materials. I am hoping for the same value of insights as I mov forward in this new business.

Meanwhile, I am continuing to work on the goat barn. (I put in three hours this evening.) I am sore but not hurting to the point that I have to lie still. Last night was rough because of the fresh bruising but I did manage to get a few hours of sleep and seem to be no worse off today for the loss. If you prayed for me, thank you. It still hurts to cough but fortunately, I am not having a huge problem with that right now.

When I was up late last night thinking about the fall, I began to realize how gracious God had been throughout the accident. Had I stepped onto the loose joist with the other foot I would have fallen much differently and possible been hurt much worse.

As badly as I hurt at the moment, it would have been very discouraging to have broken a leg or an arm or dislocated a shoulder…or far worse. All in all, I am blessed to be bruised and nothing else.

Mama fixed biscuits and eggs this morning. I love her fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuits. I fixed fried potatoes and bacon to go with them. That is not exactly the healthy way we are trying to encourage each other to eat, but you know Mama. “We don’t do this very often” or “It’s not like we do this all the time.” At our age and disappointingly slow metabolism we indulge too often to succeed at losing a significant amount of weight. It’s funny to think that we had started out with oatmeal as the main menu item for breakfast.

So back to the beginning. To say that any day was “uneventful” when you get to spend it with the one you love, doing the things you love and including family and friends along the way reflects too small a view of living. Especially when so many are so unhappy doing what they are stuck doing just to survive.

Mama and I are very blessed.