Jake at the Ft Worth Stockyards

We took Jake to the Ft Worth Stockyards today. The Stockyards is a preserved area that really used to be the stockyard of Ft Worth. Millions of hogs, sheep and cattle were shipped out of the stockyards in the years of its operation. It was one of the premier places for the european armies to buy mules and horses during World War 1. A plaque there tells of how many millions of dollars were spent by foreign buyers in the early decades of the 1900s. Now it has been restored and filled wth novelty stores, restaurants and souvenir shops. We found one shop on our way in that had a genuine going out of business sale and Jake was able to buy a nice cowboy hat for $7. 

We got there about an hour before the cattle drive. Every day at 11:00 and 4:00 they let about twenty longhorn steers walk from one end of the boulevard to the other end - about three blocks - to allow a photo opportunity for all the visitors. It is a pretty big safety production. They have security personnel keeping people at the curb on each side. No one is allowed to even put one foot into the street. Then they have about ten riders on horseback herding the very compliant group of steers. Mostly the riders stay between the crowd and the steers. They are very well behaved but the length of the horns each steer has is a real hazard to an unwary bystander - hence the attention to positioning the crowd. 

We took a few pictures of Jake on a longhorn steer - one of the highlights of the visit. I think we went through every shop and knick-knack store in the shopping area. We debated a bit about where to go for lunch but settled on barbecue.  It would not have mattered too much to Jake. He is not an adventurous eater. He almost enjoyed the grilled chicken sandwich - Mama thought it was very good - but he would rather have had it fried. That is his preferred food type; fried.

Jake and Victoria went into a maze across the street from the restaurant. It was fun because Mama and I could stand on a deck overlooking the maze and try to direct the two of them through. The problem with our direction is that we could not always see the wall that blocked the path we suggested. So they got turned around several times. There were “short cut” signs throughout the maze that never led in the right direction. One of the challenges was to find the four stations to get the timecard they were each given stamped with the letters M-A-Z-E before exiting the maze. They got to the exit missing the Z and had to go back in to get that letter. All in all, it took them about ten minutes to get complete the course and stamp their cards on exiting. They both thought it was worth the money. Mama  and I enjoyed it but we were not much help.

They have a virtual gun range in the railway mall area and we checked it out as a possibility for him to spend his money but we eventually had to pass. I did not want to do the course with him because he was stuck on shooting zombies and I did not think that would be a good experience for either of us. It was not overly expensive so we may go back when Nate and Cori are with us or when Chase and Makaila come over. 

Mama and I got a couple of speciality coffees and vinegar flavors and Victoria picked up a couple small packets of tea. I think there is only enough in each packet for three or four cups of tea but she was thrilled about the purchase. We did not get much else and I was thankful for that since I did not have the money on hand to do much more. 

But overall, Jake really enjoyed the outing.

Shooting with Jake, defunct refrigerator, our truck

Mama went to a funeral with Grandma this morning. It was for a woman Grandma had been visiting in the nursing home for over a year now. She was 102 years old. She missed her 103rd birthday by only a few weeks. At the funeral the minister spoke of all the events her lifespan had contained; two world wars, sixteen presidents, the Great Depression, etc. I do not plan to make it that far into the count of years but it is amazing to meet someone who has seen as much life as she had. She was a wonderful witness for the Lord for all of her adult years. What a testimony.

As Mama was at the funeral, Jake and I went shooting. I had left the backstop up from when we had our License to Carry class earlier this year so all I had to do to get ready was print up some targets. Jake had never shot a live firearm before so I only used the 22 caliber rifle and pistol. He did very well although he shook as he pulled the trigger each time. It was a trembling, yet fairly accurate, fifty rounds. 

I took over my single 410 gauge shotgun so he could feel something with a kick. I think that was his overall favorite even though he  showed fast improvement as he continued to shoot. The only issue we had is that the 410 jammed up after three shots and I had nothing to help eject the jammed shell. We went though about 150 rounds so he could have time to really get the feel of the rifle. We were only over there about an hour but he had a lot to tell his mom and dad when he called this evening.

I have to finally give up on the refrigerator I have been trying to repair. Even though I managed to replace what seemed to be the offending part, it still will not stay properly cooled unless we constantly thump the thermostat to make it start. After almost $300 spent and no improved functionality, I have to give up. I am at the point of diminishing returns. It was very disappointing. But I keep trying to remember that it is only an appliance that - at some point - can be easily replaced. Not having the money available to do it now adds to the disappointment.

 We went to pick up our truck this evening. Roger has had the truck for about six weeks now as he struggled to fix a problem with the turbo. He completely disassembled the turbo to find the non-working part but once he got there he found that it is not available for sale as an individual part. So he fixed the unit to a good functional condition and called it good for now. When he called the Dodge dealer to ask for any insights they might have, they told him he was the first person they had come across who had successfully reassembled one of those turbos.He is continuing to research how to get the turbo unit completely fixed but that may take some time.

While he had the dash apart repairing the a/c in the truck he put in a new heater core so we would not have to disassemble the dash in the near future to get that repaired should it fail. That was a good report but I cannot imagine that he charged me for all the hours he actually spent in making all the repairs. It may take him a long tome to get the work done, but he always does great work at a very fair price. 

It used up the last of the cash we had on hand, but I feel it was a good way to spend the money.

Mostly farm news

Monday’s aways seem difficult to get going. I am not sure why, especially now that I am not pressed to get up and report to a particular job. But this morning both Mama and I are having the same problem; just getting engaged. Fortunately, Jake is not an early morning person. He is more of an early afternoon person - even though he went to sleep last night before 11 pm. That is unusually early for him.

He remarked to Mama last night that he sleeps better here than at home. At home he has the TV going all night, a lamp on in both his room and the hallway adjacent to his room. Here he sleeps with the room completely dark. I think he and Mama are on the same page when she says she sleeps more soundly when she hears the Pyrenees barking through the night. With Jake in the spare bedroom, he is even closer to the should than Mama and I are. Normans and Seth hated the barking when they stayed with us last year. I don’t think either one of them had a good nights sleep through the time they were here. For Jake it is comforting. I like that.

One of the elderly ladies at church, Betty Lemon, who has recovered completely from the horrible experience she had in having a lung removed due to cancer, told me she was talking with Jake last Wednesday night and he was telling her that he wanted to come back here for Christmas. He told her that he was going to tell his parents they did not have to give him anything if they would let him fly down Christmas Day. She was very impressed about the remark and added that it shows just how highly he thinks of us; well really, Mama. Buy it is a sweet thought.

Early this morning Mama and I moved Boomer and Kai into the separate area away from the girls. Boomer, now four months old is showing a little too much interest in the little girls we have been raising him with. Kai is fixed, so he is just there to keep Boomer company. If we work our plan we will have him separated until June or July next year. I am not sure we will keep them as far away as we have them right now but it works for now.

I got to work on the pig shelter this morning using the lumber we got from Victoria’s house. It will be a very sturdy enclosure for any pigs we happen to get in the next several months. Victoria and Mama are looking regularly and starting to find some reasonable deals. I do not imagine it will be too much longer. At least I feel like I am ready.

We have new baby Bantam chicks hatching out. Three hens are sitting on another dozen eggs so we have no good idea just how many we will end up with. This time Mama allowed the broody hens to keep the chick rather than bringing it into the house. We did put food and water in the upper part of the shelter where they have the chick but we still do not know if leaving them is the best course of action. If they start to get weak we will intervene. 

We still have four full sized chickens and four Bantam hens (all hatched and raised here) ready to incorporate into their respective flocks, but Mama is dragging her feet because the integration ritual is so painful to watch. The ‘pecking order” is a very real dynamic in each coop. It is remarkable how brutal the hens can be in keeping their spot in that order. Generally, the lowest hen is the most brutal to the new ones - and Mama agonizes over it for days.

I have filled out several resumes lately but still no contacts. I am continuing to press forward with the internet business, but still no sales. I am also starting to write a book about our travels as a family. That is proving the most interesting project on my plate, and the most neglected.

FBI is tonight. It is the only time Jake will have to endure it this year.

Clean up, Work Day, RU

Mama, Victoria and Jake went to town this morning to get the food items we are to prep for RU tonight. While there, Mama took Jake to What-a-Burger for the chicken honey biscuit he has been hinting about since he got off the plane. He told Mama that he normally sleeps until 2 pm so he rarely eats breakfast out. So this is a treat for him. I stayed at the house since I had a little work to do and because I did not feel like I would be good company. When I get overloaded, like I am at the moment, I tend to need a bit more space.

I spent the time listening to the Christmas Play that Sam and Erin had loaned me to review. I was almost finished when the breakfast travelers got back home. They were all charged up for me to hook the trailer to the Sequoia so we could tow the mower to Victoria’s house. Grandpa was there working and Victoria and Mama wanted to turn it into a work day. It was one of those moments when you come into a decision has already been made for you and you are expected to know what is going on even though you were not part of the discussion. Plan C was bulldozing right over me and I had never heard Plans A and B. I complied - at least to the point that I actually understood what I was supposed to do to fit into the chosen course of action. But only after I finished listening to the play.

For some reason, Mama and Victoria left in a rush to get to the house so Victoria could  start helping Grandpa and Mama could start cleaning the chicken coop. I could sense Mama’s motivation because we had to kill a pretty large rat in the coop last night. Her scream was loud and quite genuine although I had no idea what had triggered it. She was no less panicked after I stomped the rat and got it out of the coop. So to combat the infestation, the coop had to undergo a thorough cleaning up. Little does she understand that the rats actually like it that better. It makes scraps easier to find.

She was well into the cleaning when Jake and I got there with the mower. I took over the coop cleaning so she could start moving - about a two hour chore even with her Bad Boy mower. Once finished to my liking I started helping haul debris out of the house. Grandpa had borrowed a wheelbarrow earlier this morning and had Victoria filling it as I got inside. There was a good bit more there  than I had expected. To Grandpa’s delight Victoria and I took several large loads out of the house which cleaned up one of the back rooms he has been working in. Next week he will be able to make a lot more progress with the broken bits of brick and discarded wood off of the floor.

While Mama mowed, Victoria and I loaded some old yellow pine 2x6’s onto the trailer to clean up a pile in the little shed Grandpa is outfitting for some animal or another - probably pigs. We hauled those to the farm since there was not room to share the trailer between the mower and the lumber. Victoria used the trip to make a desperate potty run at our house. The old boards will allow me to put a floor in the new dry area of the pig sty. It saves me having to use new exterior grade plywood. And I may need to have it ready tomorrow since Mama and Victoria found a sow with piglets for a very good price. But really, without the truck and stock trailer I do not have any idea how we would get the lot of them to the farm. If it is a serious request, we will find a way but I am not sweating the details at the moment.

We have RU tonight. Jake is excited just because we are doing something. When he is home he is left alone through the day while his parents both work. By his account, when they get home they are too worn out to do anything interesting besides watch TV or a movie. ( I can understand their point of view.) So for him, just to be involved in the routine movement of our lives is pretty entertaining. It helps that he has a great spirit and is willing to go along with everything we are doing; regardless of how mundane we find it.

By the time we get him back to New Jersey he will at least be getting up in time for school.

Our herd, Jake; still a handful

For the last several mornings the heifers we put with the neighbor’s bull have bellowed for Mama to feed them, but they have come only in pairs or singly, sometimes with the calfs and sometimes without. This morning they were all together; all six of them; four cows and two heifer calves. Mama was thrilled. It gave us a good opportunity to check them out and see just how they were doing eating only pasture grass. They all looked really good. What I got from this morning’s encounter is that I will have to feed them supplementally when they come back onto the farm. I will never have enough grass to supply their dietary needs on the little patch of ground that we now have. We will tackle that when the time comes but it will be a good problem to deal with.

Jake is, and has always been, a little overwhelming. He is harmless and somewhat helpful but he is so full of chatter that it takes some getting used to. He is one of those talkers that does not let much of anything distract him from his conversation - including your disinterest. It is fun to watch the interaction between him and Mama; especially when she is having a difficult time keeping her mind on what she is doing as he continues to talk and talk. It is obvious that Jake thoroughly enjoys her company and though her attentiveness to him may not be all that unusual in his life, he is very pleased to be here with her. I do have a hunch that ten days will do Mama in, however much she enjoys his visits.

We have done little to keep him occupied other that go through our daily routine which is interesting enough to him because it differs so much from his normal days. But he is pretty comfortable entertaining himself and being a child of the electronic age he has the gadgets available to do just that. Being hooked to the world with an unlimited data plan only promotes such activities. Unlike many his age he is not that much into gaming but he does enjoy searching the answer to any and every question via the web. That has proved interesting at times because he can pose a query about as quickly as I can pose the question.

He returned searches for the Texas State Fair, Six Flags, Dallas City Pass and several others at speeds that had Mama’s mind reeling. Then for good measure he added in a few of his own searches to find available dates, ticket prices (that is where most of the disqualifications were made) and directions with travel times. I was impressed; not interested in any of the venues, but still impressed. 

Then the two of them turned their attention to just how to arrange for him to travel back to us at Christmas. The thought process was along the lines of spending Christmas morning with his family and having them take him to the airport to fly to us later that afternoon. He even provided available ticket prices and flight times that would definitely work. I would love to be there when he springs that on his mom.

Driving the whole process is his almost insatiable desire to see all our children, most of whom will probably be here for Christmas. These are his old playmates, instructors, confidants, pals, and lifelong friends. At times, when he was growing up, it took all of us to keep up with him. He started talking before he was two. He was reading before he was four. He was asking mind numbing questions of us before he was six. When he started First Grade he was reading on the Fourth Grade level - West Virginia accent and all. His teachers were amazed and had him read out-loud to the class just to prove to his classmates it was doable. His mom gave his Mama Kim all the credit and I know all of our seven children had a part in that because he was constantly being read to from the time he was old enough to look at a book.

The Lord has allowed us, as a family, to influence many little ones; but Jake particularly. It will be our prayers, our contact, that keep him close to the Lord because he has no Godly influence, that we know of, in his life. We are praying earnestly for the Lord to put someone in that role for him - soon.

Until then we will happily work in that role.

Idle time, roller coaster emotions, trading out; poor prognosis

Mama and I had planned on getting two head of young heifers from my sister Sarah, but we had to trade those plans out for the reality of getting our truck out of the shop. I have a feeling we are destined for many more of those trade offs in the months ahead since the internet business I am trying to do is not producing any income yet. I have been filling out job applications daily but still getting no response there either. On the bright side, the jobs I am seeing are better quality than I have seen in the past. Some of them I am not overqualified for.

For the moment I am idle. Never a good thing for me. I do not have the money to get materials for any of the projects I need to be working on and I am not making much headway on any money making ventures. I toyed with the idea of taking on a remodel job at the church just to get some money rolling but had to abandon the idea because it would be too much for me physically given my knee and back issues. I know the Lord is still leading but I am having difficulty seeing it. It will all come together soon. It has to.

The roller coaster emotions are hard to deal with. I am an optimist at heart and infinitely gullible because I take people at their word; an admirable quality except for the fact that we live in a world where lying has become a matter of course at the highest levels of authority. It takes a lot of emotional effort to keep my discouragement from spilling out toward Mama and Victoria - or anyone else for that matter - as I struggle to plot a path forward. Again, I know the Lord is still leading but I am having difficulty seeing it. It will all come together soon. 

Luke, Gracie and Joseph are here for the day so the level of activity in the house is pretty high. Jake is fitting himself into the fray as only he can and we have Victoria here to help. That’s a big plus for Mama since Joseph is being potty trained. Mama and Victoria are seasoned pros at the art of potty training. With the stubborn nature of the child in question, it will take both of them to get through the day with any success in this particular area of instruction. My philosophy has always been that until a child feels uncomfortable in a dirty diaper there is no incentive to go potty. Joseph is not uncomfortable yet.

Mama and Victoria went to see Peggy while they were in town. Peggy is an older friend of ours from church. When I take a moment to think about it I realize she is only sixteen years older than I am. She was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with additional metastasis in the liver and spleen. The prognosis is not good. She is weak but in pretty good spirits - for the moment. Her biggest concern is the pain she is having to deal with. She spent her life as a registered nurse so she is fully aware of the progression of the cancer and the additional pain that may be coming to her.

It presents us with one of those moments in life that we are helpless to do anything to help. All we can do is pray and trust that God will do what is impossible in giving her the relief and strength she needs to make it through to what is the ultimate form of healing for the believer; going home to Heaven. I do believe God has the power to miraculously heal her but the circumstances in which He would choose to do so are known to Him only. Peggy is not praying for that, so I will not either. She wants to go home. Until then we will care for her, comfort her, encourage her, smile when she smiles, cry when she cries and share the only things that really matter; our abiding faith and our enduring love.

God will do the rest.

Jake, Ernie

Our morning was occupied with going to get Jake - once the normal routine feedings were done. Since he flew into Love Field, Mama and I left about an hour and a half early but we still got there as he was landing. We did not have time go through security to meet him at the gate but the way Love Field is set up we could look all the way to the area where he was deplaning and watch him all the way through until he came through the exit to the secure area. It was pretty easy to spot him in his lime green shorts, a hoodie and flip flops. He looked like a true Jersey Boy. He has gotten a lot taller and his voice is starting to change but he is still Mama Kim’s Jake.

Once Jake was with us Mama asked if he had called his mom to tell her he was safely in our care. He told us he had texted his mom, his dad, both grandmothers, his brother and I for got who else was on the list. As it turned out his mom either did not get the text  or deemed it insufficient because she texted Mama in a little of a panic. Mama got that straightened out pretty quickly. Melissa’s only instructions for Mama for the next few days is to have him brush his teeth daily. Pretty funny when the first thing Jake told us is that he was a little upset with his mom because she didn’t say she loved him as she was saying goodbye. All she said was, “Make sure you brush your teeth.” Moms!

Jake was most excited about seeing the goats. What was driving the interest was the opportunity to scare them enough to see them faint. I am not sure our goats will survive the visit without some trauma - especially since he was able to succeed in getting two of the little ones to faint and fall over in the first attempt. We had to put some stipulations on how often he is allowed to terrorize them over the next ten days. All six of the goats and I will need therapy after this is over.

One thing we will have to work out pretty quickly is proper foot ware. He came with only the sandal/flip-flops that he wore on the flight here and a good pair of tennis shoes for church. He has no idea what size of shoe he wears but we have several pars of unworn or rarely worn shoes and boots available. Mama will have to supply the socks. I can only hope we get him to try a pair on that is inhabited by a toad or something similar. If not, I may have to engineer the experience for him.

We are looking at everything we can find to do with him over the next week to keep him busy…without spending any money - or not much money. The Echeveria children are coming over tomorrow so the day will be full. Jake thoroughly enjoys having the children here and he pretty well remembered their names and several other nuances about them. That should be interesting for Luke. Luke loves to have another boy to play with. I thought Luke might remember Jake and at church this evening that proved to be true. For now, they are both excited about a play day tomorrow.

We took Jake with us to an ordination at church tonight. Ernie Flores was ordained. He is heading the the mission filed working specifically in Xalapa, Mexico. Ernie, his wife and their son Noah will be leaving for the field next Monday. It is a wonderful thing for our church but we will really miss him and his family.

Jake is looking froward to any and all church.

Visiting Dad, Mama’s murderous pursuit, chance encounters, Jake

Mama and I had a couple very good visits with Dad. We got to Brenham about 4:30 Friday afternoon and visited with Dad for about an hour. He seemed clear and connected in our conversation; like those times I can remember in the past when he took on the air of authority when delivering some insight he though would help direct my life. It was encouraging to hear that particular style of speech again. When we talk about the Lord and our faith there is always enough common ground to keep his thoughts together, albeit, his vocabulary is more limited than it once was so his verbiage in often - in his own words - comical. 

While we were taking about difficult work situations he was reminiscing about his days working with surgeons who wanted to do things he disagreed with as the anesthesiologist he said, “When we were running the horses though the stable I had to keep those guys in check to make sure we didn’t lose any of the livestock, so to speak.” 

We left that evening promising we would come back the next morning to take him to breakfast but the next morning Mama was feeling pretty poorly. I thought about not going but felt guilty not to go even if he did not remember our promise. So we went, and it is a good thing we did. We fond him in the common room waiting on us. 

The care giver in charge told us he had gotten up that morning telling everyone who would listen that someone was coming to take him to breakfast. (Good thing we went.) She asked Dad as we sat down to talk if I was a friend or a son. Dad looked at me for a good seven seconds and said, “This one’s a son.” That was kind of nice. 

Mama and I debated over where to take him but settled on Denny’s since his heart was set on breakfast. It was fun. He can be quite animated when he is trying to get a point across - and he ate everything that was set in front of him; two pancakes, two eggs and two strips of bacon along with an extra piece Mama gave him. When we got him back to the care facility he was ready for a nap so we prayed with him and headed back to the house in Chappell Hill.

Somewhere in the opening and closing of car doors we picked up a nuisance hitchhiker; a mosquito. Mama was having none of that. In fact, she complained about itching just knowing there was one of the evil blood suckers in the vehicle with her. She tried to smash it by catching it between her clapping hands. That was not effective but people looking over at us thought she was having a really good time. Then she got a paper and rolled it up to smack the bug into the upholstery. I don’t remember of she got it or not. In a few miles it was forgotten but it was fun while it lasted.

On the was home we stopped for supper at another Denny’s. There was an older couple at the table to my back witnessing to a young waiter. His slow spoken, patient, country manner had cowboy written all over it. When they got up to leave I asked what church they attended. It was an Independent Fundamental Baptist church. I was not surprised. As we conversed he told me about an Internet business opportunity with a Christian company he would like to share with me so we exchanged numbers. I will look forward to talking with him even if I cannot take on anything else at the moment. (He called tonight while Mama and I were in FBI class so we will probably talk tomorrow.) 

Speaking of tomorrow, Mama and I are going to get Jake in the morning. This will be his fourth time to come to visit Mama since we moved to Texas. They are both looking forward to it and I can only hope and pray that it will be a good time for both of them - especially since we now have the farm here in Chico. He will, of necessity, be the focus of the next ten days. It is a shorter visit than the two of them have connived in the past, but I think that is for the best. I know he will get a lot of church in the few days he is here with us. That is always a good thing for him.

I will have to ramp up my hearing processor to try to accommodate his incredibly fast way of talking. If that does not work, Chase is coming over and he can translate for me.

Hummers, being still - sort of, working, visitors

I am never quite sure the duration of the humming birds stay in our area each year but we thoroughly enjoy them for the time they are with us. Right now we have about six - it’s hard to tell - that station themselves around the feeders Mama has set out. I do not know where they get the energy but they chase each other away from the feeders through the entire day. It is an ariel battle as they duck and turn in their seemingly harmless skirmishes. 

Over and over the chase continues from dawn to dusk. It makes for great entertainment. Every now and then we will see one of the thumb sized birds perch on the tiny branches of one of the oaks in our front yard as they rest and stand guard. I would think ti would consume a huge amount of energy to keep this up all day every day but so it goes. They never seem to grow tired of it - neither do Mama and I.

Like the hummers, I do not know if I am the only one who’s life seems to be in fast forward but it certainly seems to be the case. It is almost nice to be out of materials and have everything on hold at the moment. And since this is the case Mama and I are going to drive down to Chappell Hill for an overnight so we can help Martha pack and spend some time with Dad. You may not think of that as being still but it works for me. I have a difficult time watching projects go unfinished - especially when the hold up is materials. (Translate that “money”)

I have spent several restless nights and prayerful days considering a path forward for me and Mama. It is one of those times that it is better to put everything possible on hold until I get a clear direction. That has not come yet. Through many such trials I have learned to be patient. I will be so again and wait on the Lord. Honestly, I can use the break.

Besides, with Jake coming next week and Mama starting to working at the church school following his return home, it will get more difficult to get away. In addition to Mama’s schedule changing, when I chanced to fill out an application online this morning the hiring agency emailed me back within ten minutes asking for a resume. I say I chanced to fill it out because the email was in my Junk folder and I normally would not have even looked closely at it. But since I did, the hiring agent and I have been emailing back and forth through the day trying to determine if the interest is justified on both our parts. It has been a good while since anyone has followed up on an application I submitted.

I had one conversation with a gentleman this morning who is already in the same business I am and though I did not get to sell anything, I go to be an encouragement to him. I will follow up next week to see if he got to use the information I sent him. I have an appointment set up for Monday already and expect to get several more as the weekend unfolds. Things are looking up but not enough to call it a success yet.

Mama and I have had to be careful as we put our shoes on lately. I have not had the trouble to the extent that she had but we both have had to pull our feet out of boots and shoes to dump out some unwanted visitor. Mine have been ants and beetles. I can deal with that. Hers have been toads. The first time she shoved her foot into one nestled in the toe of her shoe, she screamed so loudly the dogs ran away.

Now she takes the time to check.

Real people, eating healthy, growing babies

It is one of the amazing privileges of our current technology that we can see in real time the antics of grandchildren far removed from us geographically. Were it not for the advent of video capable phones which can then send those videos to us, Mama and I would be pretty disconnected from the rapid rate of growth of our three small grandchildren. Of all the things I dislike about our cell phone dependent culture that is not one of my complaints.

We get to see Savanna, Walter and Bridgett as they grow so quickly that it is hard for me to keep up with. I, being a man, do not have same capacity as Mama to appreciate all the minute details of their faces as they change. I hope that does not make me a bad grandfather. I have never been so gifted as her so seeing the videos is a real help to me to keep up with the changes they are going through…when Mama takes the time to show them to me. I can still remember my father asking my mother when the grandchildren (and later great grandchildren) were there, “Which one does that one belong to?” She always knew. So does Mama.

Mama and Victoria are trying to eat healthy. Victoria more so than Mama. For those of you that know her that will not come as a shock. But the idea is starting to gain traction with Mama. Her weight has been stagnant at a level she is not happy with. Not a weight she is truly unhappy with, that would prompt a change. Anyway, Victoria is trying to influence Mama to eat a healthier diet. It is an uphill battle but lately they have been buying more vegetables and fruits, looking for rice noodles and brown rice pastas, eating sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes, etc. The problem is that to eat healthy requires more prep time than eating unhealthy. It is very difficult to buy prepackages healthy meals.

Neither of them likes to cook and since I have not been eating for a few days the diet has fallen on hard times. Once again Victoria has raised the standard and is charging forward in the press to delight the tastebuds with culinary recipes fit for a four star restaurant. Her problem is finding the time with her work schedule to prepare the dishes she and Mama agree would be  top picks for their meals. Victoria often gets home so late that cooking her lunch for tomorrow is no at the top of her to-do list right then. If I do not cook it Mama will probably not step in to do so. So they are temporary stalled out - until I start cooking again, or until Mama decides to give it a try.

Over the past couple days I have been sending out emails to the people who responded to an earlier ad but made no further contact - no sale either. Of those emails  I have gotten three responses so far. What I send is a link to the video I made a few weeks ago and ask the recipients to set up an appointment with me to have a five minute conversation. So far I have talked with two people. Tomorrow I have appointments with two more. I am hoping that will generate some sales. 

Time will tell but they have been good conversations so far and I look forward to many more.

Property shopping, small victories, those with loss

Mama spent most of the day today traveling to look at a property with Grandma and Grandpa. Those excursions are always better when I do not go along. By the way Mama described the property - fifteen acres with a mobile home - it was not one they will go back to look at again. Not that it was a particularly bad property but it was far enough out that it would have had to be much better to attract them as a buyer. So the search continues.

Mama had to drive because there is an issue with Grandpa’s truck that kept him from using it instead. It is not a big issue but one that needs attention before it can be taken any distance. And our Sequoia has a working a/c which is a great help to Grandma. There is talk of going to see a property in Dallas tomorrow but I am not sure Mama is up for that one knowing how much she loves the traffic in the metroplex. 

I spent the much of the day working on my little business and with a tiny bit of success this time. I took all the email addresses that had been captured as a result of my recent advertising  and resent a new email to each of those individuals. I did each individually so it was pretty time consuming. If there is a better way than to cut and paste over and over I do not know it. But really, what else do I have that is pressing - or could be lucrative. I got two solid responses for more information that I am already following up on. We will see where that goes over the next couple days.

I did work on the pig area today. I have had to move the shelter I built for the pigs to a different side of the sty. Hopefully it will gather less water in the new location. Where I had originally placed it was at the downhill portion of the enclosure. I did not realize just how much rainwater could gather in such a small area until I already had it built. not that it bothered the pigs at all, but it did make for a muddy mess during our wetter times. With the pigs occupying the area I did not dare move it so the project waited until now. 

At least with this little chore I already had almost all the materials for completion. I just had to arrange them differently. I was able to make a good bit of progress today and will require less than a day to finish - but I will have to buy a couple pieces of plywood to floor the shelter but that should be all. The slightly cooler helped. If you can call it cooler when it is still over ninety degrees.

Mama and I went to a viewing this evening for the ninety five year old mother of a man at our church. We did not spend long there but we were glad we had made an appearance. Then we went to the rehab facility to visit a lady who goes to our church. She is the one that has fallen twice and broken her tailbone significantly enough that it required surgery. Now she is in therapy trying to recover from both the injuries and the surgery.

I had wondered if there was something dangerous in her house that had caused the falls but that is not the case. Though she describes her house as cluttered, the falls were caused by her passing out. I am sure treatment for that is in the recuperation regimen also. It is always a little discouraging to see someone - especially someone so active - in that state. But hopefully she will recover quickly.

I f you ever want to find a true appreciation for what you have while going through some difficult circumstance in your life, go visit someone in a nursing home or rehab facility. It will short circuit your pity party.

Sick, bigger than expected, less than expected

Mama and Victoria both missed the Sunday morning service with Victoria’s absence stretching though last night also. That meant that I had to pick up Yilin and Cheyenne by myself on Sunday morning. I believe that is the first time that his happened since we started getting them for church. It was disappointing for them not to have Mama or Victoria there but they chattered as normal on the way too and from church.

On the way home Cheyenne was in a particularly happy mood while Yilin was a little dour. They were both concerned that once I dropped them off that I would be by myself so to cheer me up Cheyenne said, “That’s okay. I’m gonna marry Papa Tim.” I thanked her and said that was very nice of her. Yilin was not having it. “Cheyenne, by the time you are old enough to marry Papa Tim he will be very old.” “That’s okay. I will marry him anyway!” “Oh, Cheyenne. You don’t know what you are talking about!” That’s okay,”, I reassured them both. “That just means that Cheyenne loves me.” That seemed to satisfy them both. Mama was so sorry she had missed that conversation. I love those times when someone as grown up as six years old has to explain the world to a so much younger three year old.

Victoria was still sick through Sunday night. She had worked with Grandpa on her house she gets the same respiratory infection ever time she does that. There was a lot of dust and dirt accumulating in the nooks and crannies over the decades the house sat set idle and none of the irritants help her any. But the work has to be done to make the improvements. I have not seen what has been done but I do know there is a lot of work remaining. Even through the steady progress Grandma is claiming has been made, Victoria is still overwhelmed by the scope of what remains. But like all such projects, if we can afford to keep making progress it will eventually get done.

My fear is that Grandpa is being overwhelmed by the scope of the project and the fact that he and Victoria cannot fund it as heavily as they once believed they could. That and the health issues he has been recovering from, Norman and Seth’s inability to come down and help jumpstart the project, the rapidly approaching end of their lease in Bowie, all add together to weigh down the two of them. Grandpa’s original hope was that the house would be inhabited this month. In reality it may be another year. That’s difficult to adapt to. That’s life.

Though I had no great ambitions about quick completion dates for the projects I am working on, I have had to back away for the moment - at lest on purchasing and more materials. Without any money coming in it is difficult to justify spending on things that do not directly affect out living expenses. Mama and I are going to have to pass on buying the heifers from my sister in order to pay for repairs on the truck. We are also going to start selling some of our heifers and calves to bring in some money. It is not urgent yet but we are approaching that time very quickly. Still no job offers out there. God rarely moves on our timetable but He is always working on our behalf. I have to admit that all this is far less than what I had expected and hoped for when I started this internet marketing business and yet there are still avenues Mama and I can pursue to get on with our lives.

That too, is life.

All grown us, my little spill, ready for the rain, not many comets

This afternoon I fed Boomer his last bottle. Of course, he is not fully aware of that fact yet but he will quickly figure it out over the next couple of days. It’s kind of sad. The bottle babies are the ones that are the easiest to handle since they are used to being close to us and being touched by us. On the other hand, they can be the most obnoxious because they have no reservation about constantly being under foot. For now, having two bottle fed goats helps the other goats to trust us more easily - even if I have to dodge around them as I bring the feed into the barn. I tease Mama that there is no way to walk in a straight line with these goats.

As I was working on the goat barn today I had a little spill. By step ladder was not well set and teetered over with me causing me to land badly on my right leg. I did not think too much about it and went on working until I had finished getting up tarps to close off the openings that will eventually be covered by doors. (It started raining a few hours after I got things finished.) Now I am having a considerable amount of pain from the twist it put on my knee and ankle. Like most of these events, it was not how far I fell but the way I landed. This too shall pass, but I have to count this as my minor injury for the month of August. I promised Mama only one per month.

Mama and I had to put up several rain blocks to keep the chicks that are in cages under the garden shed from too much blowing rain. It is not pretty but it will be effective, I hope. Mama talked about putting them several other places around the farm but none of those choices appealed to me; too much work involved for a temporary cover. She loves her animals and will not allow them to suffer any difficult circumstances she can keep them from. Common thought is that chickens do not like to get wet, but I think it might have been good for them.

Last night was a little disappointing. It was still quite hot outside even after dark and the bugs are always on the hunt for fresh blood. They really like Mama’s. So it was not comfortable to stay out for too long and there was not much happening in our sky. I saw one shooting star and tracked several satellites as they passed overhead. I even waved - just in case someone was watching. But the one lonely comet was all I saw. I toyed wth the idea of getting back out in the early morning. I even woke up at 2 a.m. but I could not convince myself to get out of bed to go look again. If the show got better I will never know.

Tomorrow is bus calling, a wedding in the afternoon and very little else with the rain - and the pain I am in. But Victoria and Grandma and Grandpa are going to look at a ten acre property that might interest Norman. We will see how that turns out. Most of the ten acre properties are subdivided larger tracts that offer dozens of ten acre “country living” sites set one right on top of another. They are not at all like the one we have in Chico, But it could be good. You can only find out by going to have a look. Grandma and Grandpa are very excited because their lease in their current place ends in December and I think they are getting worried Victoria’s house will not be ready for them to live in by then.

I am concerned any good property - one that requires less work than Victoria’s house - will provide a good excuse to let her house sit idle. Time will tell.

Mama’s massage, extreme heat, comets

Mama received a gift card for a massage some time ago and just got around to setting the appointment this month. It was set for 10 a.m and was about an hour away. We left pretty early so I could stop at a metal shop to get more screws for the red metal siding I am putting on the goat barn. I ran out yesterday. I did not really need to go with Mama but you know how that is. I needed the break and we made a morning and early afternoon of it. The place where the massage studio - I hesitate to call it a parlor - was set up was in a very develpoed shopping area. There were probably one hundred stores and restaurants around it.

As it happened there was a store called the Leather Sofa Company right next door to where Mama was going so I started off there killing the hour I had to wait. It was the most interesting furniture store I have ever been in. I spoke at length with the owner, a very pleasant fellow who really knew his business - and loved what he was doing. The interesting part was that the handmade leather furniture, built right here in Texas, was not much more than the factory assembled furniture we see at the big name stores. The quality was so superior it cannot be compared. We will keep his business card.

After lunch at Chipotle’s and a quick stop at Costco, we headed home; arriving home about 1:30. The temperature was 104 F. I had big ambitions of getting some work done on the goat barn but only lasted about two hours. I came in soaking wet at about 4 pm and dried out as I worked on the computer. I have to be careful where I sit when I come in like that because even though I hang my dripping shirt in the garage, I am usually soaked though my pants down to my knees. Once I sat in the rolling chair Mama likes to use at the table and she did not appreciate the dampness I left for her to sit in. I only did that once.

Forecasts are for cooler temperature and rain starting Saturday so I only have to keep the things I am watering alive for a few more hours before I get some relief - and my plants and trees do also. Unfortunately, the goats do not like wet weather; either cold or hot. And the dampness tends to bring out the worms, which can cause problems  with their health if the infestation gets too bad. Mama and I will have to keep an eye on them.

Almost every day our cattle, which are running with the neighbors bulls, come to the back fence of the property to call out to Mama. They know it is worth the effort because she almost always responds to their pitiful pleas for grain and range cubes. Lately the bulls have been with them, so they get fed also. I only hope we can get out ladies back without having to chase off those big beautiful bulls. They are not showing any signs of being stressed by the heat yet but we are thankful to be able to see them daily so we can monitor their health.

As the sky darkens tonight I am hoping it cools enough that we can spend some time outside watching for meteors without getting dripping wet with sweat in the process. Reports are circulating that it is going to be quite a show. We have the perfect clear sky for it and the moon is only half way into its waxing phase so it will not brighten the sky too much. 

It should be fun. 

Minor disappointments, limited options, hopeful outlooks

I try not to write when I am down (disheartened, disappointed) but life has a way of giving you those days also. So every now and then I have to remind myself that it’s not about me. It is not about meeting my expectations or ambitions; however, I still do need to find the money somewhere to keep us here at the farm - which is one area of our lives that God is really blessing - and keep all the bills paid up. 

Until this month that had been a fairly easy task since Mama and I had a fairly large reserve to draw from. But, as is true with any supply, when you withdraw continuously and do not make any deposits, you are going to run out. So I sit here today pondering the sale of the Sequoia. It was bought for such a time as this but I really did not think it would come to this. Perhaps it hasn’t but I still need to work the numbers just to be prepared.

My online marketing business still looks very promising but has yet to generate any cash. That is a difficult issue to address. I am getting lots of help but am languishing financially. So, as always when we reach these crossroads, it is time to bear down in prayer. I have not seen God move yet.I firmly believe He started me on this path so I will keep moving forward until another avenue opens up - and trust the Lord.

Mama and I are planning on selling one of our cows with her calf - and hopefully bred back - when we get her back onto the property late this month. We need to get rid of her anyway because she is too wild to handle and the timing is really good financially speaking. That will put us down to a reasonable number to feed out through the winter and into the Spring as we wait for the other three bred cows to calve.

The part I ordered for the fridge came in this afternoon and I thought I could tell by looking at it that it was not what I needed but I took apart the cover for the control assembly. It required removing a large back panel inside the fridge and was disappointed to discover that my initial assessment was correct. It was not the part I needed. So everything is back together without any repairs being made while I try to figure out what to do next. Hopefully, we can get this problem solved before Mama gets too attached to the second refrigerator in her kitchen.

Victoria, Grandpa and Grandma had a workday at Victoria’s house this morning. It was more like a work morning but it was an encouragement to Victoria. Nothing has gotten done for many months since Grandpa has been in  and out of hospitals. Since I am not allowed to participate it has all been riding on his recovery. It is good to see him feeling better enough to get the whole project started again.

Right now he is beginning to run the electric so power can be run to the house. He is also having Mama and Victoria get estimates on the installation of a septic system. If you remember back, the electric is what I got in trouble for a couple months back and all I did was call the power company to see what we needed to get the hookups ready at the house. Someone had told Grandpa something about needing a special type of wire to be run - something I had never heard or - and that pretty much shut him down. So I called fro clarification and to meet the lineman at the one morning just to be sure we had not missed anything. We had not. 

So the project can now move forward…just without me.

Goat trim, signing, visiting

I finally got the time to get the trim in place on the goat barn loft. It was exactly what I needed to seal the upper wall to the lower roof. So tomorrow the north and south sides will be complete - and hopefully, sealed against the rain. I still have to finish the other two sides but that will require building barn doors for the lower ends and loft doors for the upper ends. Maybe by the end of the month I can have that all done. For now, we are in good enough shape to buy some square bales of hay to store in the barn loft. I will use tarps to seal the upper ends for now.

I had to stop working on the barn about 11 a.m. because I was getting seriously overheated. Besides, I needed to cool down and get cleaned up to meet our estate lawyer to sign the final documents of our estate plan. We still owe a balance on the work he has done for us and I asked to postpone the signing because we did not have the amount due right now. I am having to keep cash aside to pay repairs on the truck - when it is complete.

Instead, he asked us to go ahead and get the plan signed and in force and take whatever time we needed to pay the balance. To him it was more important to get the protection in place than to get him paid. Mama and I both very much appreciated that; especially that he trusts us to get him paid as quickly as possible.

After we got that done we went to the rehab facility next to the hospital in Decatur to look up a friend who is there recovering from a fall; her second in two months. This fall required surgery to correct some broken bones. We were disappointed that we were not able to locate her. She is probably between checking out of the hospital and checking into the rehab facility; no one was sure. Patient confidentiality would not let them disclose any of that information. (What a joke.)

But we did bump into a gentleman from our church that we did not realize was still in the rehab facility. We had a good visit with him. It really made his day. It is the third or fourth time I have visited him there but he should be going home this weekend. He told Mama that he had no idea just how much visits from friends would mean when he was laid up. He teared up as he recounted a newfound appreciation for such attention. It does not take long to say “I am thinking about you” but it means all the world for it to be said face to face.

Mama and I have always enjoyed visiting in hospitals and nursing homes and lately it seems we are called upon more and more to do just that. With my Dad in the care unit he is in I am not only grateful for the times Mama and I can make the trip to spend time with him, I am very grateful for those around him who take the time to give him their attention and love as well. It seems to keep him connected; as much as is possible right now. Visiting those who need us here is like paying it forward.

After that Mama and met a woman selling some children’s dress boots. Mama was thrilled with the purchase. I suppose Cori will be also since the boots will eventually fit Grant.

They are both funny about their affinity for footwear.