Halloween costumes, visiting with Dad

Today, management allowed those who would like to to dress up in Halloween costumes. Some were pretty inventive, some were very comical and some were coordinated to be a cast of characters from Star Wars. One entire department put on a display of about ten characters from the series including Princess Leah, Luke Skywalker, Darth Mal, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Darth Vader and some sand people. It was pretty impressive. One of our younger female sales persons dressed up as a bumble bee in black leggings with a little tutu of frills in yellow and black; not one of the costumes i could really study. In fact, I had to look the other way quite often. There were witches and withered old men. A penguin and a trapper with his son - also in costume. One of the ladies I work with dressed as the Firefox log - complete with twitching ears and wagging tail. She had to turn off the ears in our first meeting because they were sound activated and it was making the presenter nervous. She was going to wear them to a ball game that her son was to play in tonight. I suggested she have an extra set of batteries on hand since the noise would never stop.

Over the weekend I drove down to help Martha and whomever else showed up to clear out the big house and some of the outbuildings. Don on Friday night, back on Saturday afternoon. With our roundabout way of skirting Ft Worth I did not get into too much traffic, which was good since I left Decatur at 5 pm. Saturday morning Martha and I started at 7:30 and were joined by Cathie, Chuck and one of their teen sons about 10 a.m. I worked until about 1 pm and I called it a day at the house so I would have time to go see Dad and still make it home before dark. That was stretching it but I did make it.

My visit with dad was a very good one. I could have spent a couple hours because he was in good spirits and very chatty. I found him in the common area so I pulled up a chair and sat down where he was. He is having difficulty getting up and down so it was good to see him out of his room. As soon as he saw me his face lit up. It was very encouraging to be welcomed in that way since last time we visited he seemed to be really struggling to get any words out. He asked me my age and reflected that most of his issues stem more from advancing years that any other ailment. He talked about Mom’s quick fading away and his lingering as he waits on the Lord to take him home.

We spent the majority of our time talking about the Lord. That is the one area where he really can connect. He seemed to really enjoy the conversation and the interaction and I wish I could have stayed longer but I got ready to leave after about an hour. He started to get up but I waved him back and we prayed right where he was. It caused a bit of a stir in the people around us but Dad enjoys prayer more than he enjoys any other conversation. He has a sense of ‘knowing” when it comes to prayer. In that type of conversation he becomes a true, engaged participant. He probably could not word a prayer by himself but he certainly can enjoy listening in on one. To some it seems like a little thing, but not to Dad. 

I wish I could get there more often but my new full-tine job leaves me with full days and short evenings. It would be lying to say I am enjoying the job more each day but I can honestly say I am learning to do it better day by day.

The pleasure will come later.

Making the most of the day, confirmations at work, traveling

When I got in this morning both of the ladies I work with had had rough evenings and nights. What I found out later is that the morning was rough for each of them because of the drinking they had done the night before. Can’ t feel too sorry for them but it did make for an interesting morning as both of them traded faces about the interruptions, the calls, the background noise, the headaches, etc. I introduced the two of them to the concept of making the most of the day. So when one asked for a hot sauce for a burrito she had bought for breakfast, the other pulled out a large bag of Taco Bell sauces. I asked her if she had robbed a Taco Bell.If we should be looking out for the authorities. That just started the two of them going. But it improved their morning.

Early in the day I had another meeting with my boss and her boss, the man who hired me. In that meeting we discussed how I could take over some if not all of the training the sales staff was now doing. This would free them up to do more in the sales line of the business. I am more than okay with that idea. I am just not sure what all it will eventually entail but I have confidence that I would be watched over to ensure I did not get overwhelmed by taking too much on. It would involve travel but again, I am not sure to what extent. What I do know is that it would not start until January. That gives me time to put the pieces together. 

At church last night Sam Echeveria and I went over the portion of a play the choir will be doing for Christmas this year. Even though the time is short - less than eight weeks - he feels it is doable. I have to concur as long as we have the musicians, actors and choir members to support the effort. Lately we have gotten a few new participants in the choir but I am still praying for more. It is a good ministry. An easy an fun way to really impact the services on Sunday. I enjoy leading the choir but I feel I have so little talent for it that it is sometimes a little intimidating. But we keep going; until the Lord brings someone along who has the skills to do the leading more capably than I do. When and if that happens, I will still enjoy being in the choir.

I will be traveling to Chappell Hill this weekend to meet again with my siblings as we finalize distribution of the remaining items in the big house. It will be another sad time but needful none the less. I hope to limit the amount of things I have to bring back to the farm but I will do what I have to do to help Martha get job done. This will not be the last trip but it should be the last one where I take the trailer to haul things back. 

I plan on seeing Dad sometime Saturday. I will not know how to work that out until I get there but I am looking forward to the visit.

Our “not girls”, more carving photos, babysitting

With Mama and I both working full time jobs the servicing of daily chores on the farm has had to be reworked. Since I have to be dressed in slacks and a nicer shirt in the morning and since it is dark when we get out of bed until about the time I have to ready to go, the burden of the morning feeding has fallen to Mama for the most part. She does not have to be at work until 8:30 which gives her more time - by a little bit anyway. I generally hear about how the morning went when I meet up with her for lunch or sometimes later in the evening when I finally get home. Today was one of those later revelations. 

We were getting ready for church when she began telling me about the Bantams. We leave the door to their coop open so they can roam because they have a small area and the flock is getting pretty large - in number. It was no surprise to hear they have discovered the goat building and the fact that there is usually feed left in the dish we feed the billy’s out of. She was telling me that she was concerned about the hens getting that food since our chickens are on a particular diet to ensure they lay eggs made with organic feed vs the processed feed normally sold. It was the “not girls” that she was not worried about. “The not girls?” I asked. She realized what she had said and told me she could not think of the word rooster. So now, on our farm, we have girls and not-girls.

Victoria watched the Echeveria from last night through church time today. That is always an interesting time when we have them overnight. The burden of those babysitting times has fallen exclusively to her - again, since Mama and I are both working. It was especially difficult for her this time because she is hurting. When she and Gracie were playing the other day, Gracie suddenly shifted her weight to Victoria as Victoria was crouched down and it pulled out her back pretty badly. That was on Sunday. It is now Wednesday and the pain has only gotten worse and is radiating through her legs into her feet. It is time to get help but with her work schedule she has not had the time yet. Her one day off was spent in keeping the kids - a full time job for anyone. Pray for her to get better. She is too young to have a hurting back.

I have included a few more photos of our pumpkin carving - taken as we were actually carving the gourds.

Day 2

I did a lot better today especially since I knew where I was supposed to fit it. We spent most of the morning carving pumpkins. I was on the team with the CFO and one of the salesmen. It was a lot of fun and as you can see from the pictures there was a lot of creativity exposed in the numerous teams. Bear in mind that we had only an hour to carve them so there was a lot of time and preparation that went into putting the idea into a carved work. My team had me bring barbed wire and fencing staples to adorn our Frankenpunkin. What we did not do is get the right kind of paint to fully cover the pumpkin. We did not do as well as some of the others but we got an honorable mention for the stitching and staples.

The remainder of the day was spent in learning the program I will be mastering to do my job. I am becoming more and more familiar with the program. I was even able to do a bit of fill-in work for one of my peers; assigning certain permissions to over one hundred people. Not necessarily heavy lifting, but it was a help. By the end of the week I should be able to move about in the program pretty well and by the middle of next week I am hoping to be fully ready to answer the phone and become part of the team.

On my out today I was stopped by the CFO and asked about how things are going. When I told him things were all okay and that I would be ready for work pretty soon, he expressed his interest in y background and experience with my previous work. I am hoping to be used in a variety of posts as I am allowed to really help.

Mama is at the ladies Tate Supper at church. She was asked to be one of the tater characters this year and was assigned of all things to be “Miss Hesitater”. She even had to write a little speech. That was the part she got in character on. She had it ready just before the dinner. Unfortunately I will not get to see her perform but I would love to be a fly on the wall.

I sure hope to sleep better tonight than I did last night.

New job, testing

I arrived to my new job a few minutes before my new boss. We sat through orientation together and later sat through several other training sessions together. She is young, energetic and raring to lead. It should be interesting to work for her. But all through the morning I got the feeling that something was off. I had been interviewed for the supervisory position and thought that is what I had been hired for, but when I saw where I was seated and where she was seated I got the distinct impression that that was not the case. So I learned and listened through the day until I had access to a program that revealed my position title - and it was not supervisor. Interesting, I thought, but said nothing. In a meeting that afternoon she introduced herself as the Supervisor of Client Relations. Good thing I had not said anything. But it made me think to when I had originally accepted the offer from Energy World Net and questioned the salary - thinking I was being hired into a supervisory position. I should have cleared that question up then. Hindsight. At least tomorrow I will know where I fit into the hierarchy.

Everyone at the company seemed very nice, very happy to be working EWN. I am expecting no less but am having trouble shaking off a sense of disappointment. On the good side, my immediate coworkers are very supportive of me in the learning curve they  also have all been through. One has only been there since February, another for a little over a year and the third has a whole two years in her current role. ll are equally proficient at what they do so I have hope to get there quickly. As it was with most all of the people I spoke to, many have been in their current role for less than a year; an interesting fact. I am not sure if that is the result of recent growth or of recent turnover. I will listen and find out later.

Tomorrow morning will be spent in a pumpkin carving contest. I am told it is the second annual event. We are to be placed in teams of two or three for the competition and everyone is being very secretive about their plans for the jack-o-lantern we are tasked to make. I will have to gather some items from the farm this evening before we go to FBI to be used in the staging of our proposed Frankenstein head. My teammates are getting other items to complete the carving. It should be fun - as long as the competition stays in the friendly vein. 

Mama, Victoria and I are not looking forward to the first test we have in FBI. It will cover our study of the book of Acts. From the study guide it looks like it will be a difficult one; lots of memorization of sequences, lots of memorization of verses and lots of identification of places and people. None of us have begun to study yet but I took the time while I had it to type out the study guide so I could fill in the responses required when the time did come to study. 

We have two weeks from tonight.

Chemicals, the viewing, Norman news

I spent the morning applying chemicals to our fencerows. The hope is to lessen the growth and thereby lessen the weed eating needed. I will not know for several days if I applied everything heavily enough to make it work but I have high hopes. Now Mama needs me to apply some weed inhibitor to the yard to combat the infestation of a ground cover type of burrs. These are not as bad as the sand burrs but they are certainly prolific. Everyone in the area is fighting them and they seem to be winning. After all, their life depends on it. Sometimes I am reticent to use so many chemicals - even fertilizer - but I do not have the time to dig up the spreading weeds and burn them. That is the only other recourse against their spread that is remotely successful.

Mama got home n a panic this evening. Our neighbors bull and a cow were out on our road. That in itself is not a dangerous situation but keeping them from getting onto the main road that connects to ours is pretty important. They were headed that direction rather than down the road to us. I hurried over to the barn and got a bucket of feed to try to lure them back and just as I was getting far enough down the road to see them the dump truck that makes several trips a day to the quarry just beyond us ambled past me. Wesley, the driver, saw the pair headed for the road and quietly drove past them, got out and started getting them turned around. When the pair saw me they dove back through the fence where they had made their exit. Mama and Ethan Burns, Zach and Alissa’s son who had come home with Mama, drove up the road to check on me as I stood guard at the broken fence. Just when they reached me the owners drove up. Mama had called them to alert them about the wanderers. They are alway thankful about her watch care. This is the same property where our cattle are currently running. Everyone is back where they should be for the night.

Right after we got that done and were finished tending to the evening feeding routine we got in touch with Zack and Alissa and found out they were headed to Victoria’s house. We took Ethan and met them there. Zack took a long time looking inside the house while Alissa, Mama and the kids looked around the outside. Zack does not have the skills to do the work required on the house so his biggest fear is finding the people necessary to teach him how to do it or to do it for him. Those skills, like any other, are learned; but there is always a price to learn, whether it is time or money or both. The bottom line is that this house may be too much for him. When the looming question is, “What do you do with all this ground besides mow it?” there is no interest in developing a farm life. If the acreage is not an attraction, the house is not enough to draw a buyer to the property.

Norman went to see the doctor yesterday but we have not heard if there were any results announced. He is having the same bowel bleeding issues that Grandpa is having. From what I understand he will be going back to the doctor in November for further testing. As for the property negotiations with the owners of the property in Bowie, that is on hold until December. 

No news is good news for now.

Disappointment, possibility for Victoria, Norman

I spent the day at the church hoping to use the internet there to help me upload a spreadsheet from Victoria’s computer to one of my online programs but she did not have the necessary software on her computer to allow me to do what I needed. I have been hindered loading a spreadsheet created in Mac proprietary software into the database I need to get it into. I can load a very simplified version but it does not allow me to add columns used as identifiers. I will try from home on the older Mac I have there to see if it will do what I need. Otherwise, I will work with the limited version for now. In some ways I am on hold with my little business until I can stabilize my own income but I am actually getting some money from the business. So this little setback is not debilitating.

Since that was what I had taken the day to accomplish it was a little disappointing to fail. But I did get to use the faster service to research a couple items I have been putting off. When my Mom passed away she had donated her body to science. In doing so she spared us the expense of a normal burial and all the related costs. Mama and I are intrigued by the idea. Why add the expense and cumbersome coordination of a traditional burial - casket, burial plot, etc - to leaving this world? So I took the time to research organizations that do that for people. It was interesting to see just how many organizations provide that service. It will still take some time to do the reviews and make the calls to whichever one we choose but it will complete our estate planning; something Mama and I are committed to do. It is one of those unpleasant tasks that if not completed makes things difficult for those who have to pick up the pieces of final arrangements left unfinished.

Also, since I was at the church to have lunch with Mama I got to talk at length with Zach Burns - our assistant pastor and principal at the school. He is interested in Victoria’s house. It will be an uphill battle to convince his wife it is a good idea, but he and I got to crunch some numbers so he could see both the overall costs as well as the ongoing monthly costs while in the process of completing the remodel. I got the sense that it was all pretty overwhelming but he is still very interested in at least considering the purchase. He and his family will be looking at the house tomorrow. That will be the telltale moment for his wife. Many buyers - men and women included - lack the vision to see the finished product when the actual physical condition is presently no where close. I have been fortunate in having a wonderful wife with such vision; not to mention trust in me.

Tomorrow Norman et.al. will sit down with the owner of the property in Bowie. Grandma and Grandpa have been renting the trailer house for most of the year. (It is the same property they rented before we bought the farm in Bowie.) Now, Norman has approached the owner who is in poor health for the opportunity to lease with the option to buy. 

The outcome of this meeting will determine how easy or how difficult their relocation to Texas will be. They need your prayers.

What a morning, redeeming the truck, Victoria’s news

I started off the morning by going to the Men’s Prayer Breakfast at church. Those who are able gather for breakfast and fellowship on the morning of the third Wednesday of each month. I do not make it often, and will probably be less able starting next week, but I had the chance today. I always enjoy it but more often than not in the past I forgot to go. After we ate and talked for a bit I dropped off some paperwork at the office where I will start working Monday morning. I got to meet the CFO and see where they have me set up to work. Fortunately they moved the desks of the foursome I will be a part of into a longer area so we are not so tightly packed together. I do not know if the three ladies like it better but it will help me to have a little more space than I first expected to have.

When I left there I went to Bowie to see if I could talk to Roger - the mechanic who is working on our truck. Mama has left several messages and he has not called back so I had hoped to catch him at his shop. That was not to be. When I got there no one was around. With nothing better available I wrote a note and since the hood was up on our truck I put it in the engine compartment in the area he was working. He called about three hours later to explain that he and his family had been out of town with a very sick uncle who passed away on Saturday. The funeral was yesterday and they were all just now getting back home. The good news was that the truck was ready to go. The total repair cost was $60. All he could find wrong as a burned out fuse. He still has no idea why the fuse blew causing the EGR system to mess up. He tried to get it to blow out again to see if it would repeat the failure but could not. Hopefully we will be good for a while.

While I was in the area I stopped to talk to Rick Giesland about our nanny goat. Mama and I cannot tell if she is bred or not. Both of us are thinking that she should be much bigger than she is if she is in fact only a couple weeks away from kidding. The bottom line is that we are still not sure so Saturday we will pack her up and take her there so Rick can examine her. If she is not bred we can have that taken care of and if she is we will have solid confirmation. Either way we make out well. He also has some hay Mama and I want to buy so if we are making the trip either way it makes sense to double up on what we need to get done. The only one who will not enjoy it is Millie; unless she needs to be bred.

Victoria and I drove back to Roger’s shop later in the afternoon to pick up the truck and once again did not find anyone home; at least that is the way it looked. I was finally able to knock loudly enough on the door of his home for him to hear me. That worked out well for me since Victoria was headed to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a visit. The main purpose of her visit was to announce that she would like to sell her little house. The magnitude of the coming expenses - a septic system, reworking the well, an HVAC system and all the remodeling needs - were overwhelming her. All of the promises of cabinets, windows and doors had not come to fruition so she would need to refinance the house to buy all the required items for the remodel. Since she alone was having to fund the project it makes sense to get out now before too much money has been spent on what may ultimately be an unfinished project. Victoria said there was not much discussion on her grandparents part but she felt a whole lot better at having initiated the idea.

Now we pray for a buyer.

Our day at the Fair

Most of our day was spent at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. Norman and Seth were over pretty early and after a quick breakfast we swapped out the desks in Mama’s and my bedroom. We loaded the roll-top desk in Seth’s truck to be taken back to Bowie for Grandpa. Mama and I fed the animals as we normally would except Mama decided to lock up the cattle - who now have free access to the farm - in the barn lot in case we wanted to sort out the cows from the calves while we had help. I nixed the idea hoping we could do it at some later time and get on the road to the fair. It is about an hour drive to get to the fairgrounds and the day was expected to get very hot. We ended up getting on the road by 9 a.m. Not too bad.

Since we had never been to the fair we trusted the GPS on the phone to get us there and ended up parking by Gate 2 which, I think, Is on the north side of the fairgrounds. Next time I will take a different, more direct, route but we got there without incident. On the bright side it put us in the fairgrounds near the best curio shopping at the fair; which made it our last stop on our way out. We got a couple of unique Christmas presents there so we are down on the total number we need to accumulate for this year. And this gave us the chance to get some really interesting gifts without them being overly expensive.

Sadly, since we were late getting to the fair most of the animals were gone. There were no hogs, no horses and no cattle other than the Brahmas. That barn was full and the cattle there were very impressive. One bull we were up close to weighted in at a little over 2680 pounds. We were eye to eye with him as his owner was leading him to the bathing area. He was mostly a sliver color; dark in the front and light in the back with a huge hump on his shoulders. As a bull’s life goes I am guessing he had it pretty good.

One of the most interesting places in the fair was the children’s area. They had giraffes, camels, zebras, a Watusi steer and several other exotic animals (buffalo, porcupine, emus and ostriches, etc.) as well as a large collection of regular farm animals. Among the sheep was one we had never heard of, a group of Jacob Four Horned Sheep. Mama and I are going to look for a couple over the next few months. Depending on what Rick, our goat guy, says about compatibility we may end up getting a weather to run with the herd because they are protective over whatever flock they are herded with. They trace their name back to Jacob, the son of Isaac; one of our Bible characters. That makes it even a a bit more interesting to have a part in maintaining the heirloom breed.

We rode in a revolving, enclosed ride that took us up about one hundred feet above the fair. It provided a very good view of both the fairgrounds and the Dallas skyline. It was one of the cheapest things we did. Everything took tickets which were sold at kiosks throughout the fairgrounds. So, other than the curio shopping we did at the end of the day, everything we bought required us to have tickets to exchange; rides, food or drinks, souvenirs. Unless you paid pretty close attention it was hard to tel just how much everything really cost. We only stayed about four hours because it was getting very hot and expensive. Thankfully, there was a pretty good breeze blowing throughout the day. It helped with the heat, not much, but it helped.

Mama and I finished out the day by going to Gainesville with some of the church people for an Old Fashioned Tent Revival. It was well worth the trip. We will probably be going back on Thursday night.

Visiting Dad, the desk, farm chores

Mama and I made the trip to Chappell Hill without incident. It was a five hour trip each way but we had a lot of time to visit, plan and enjoy each other’s company - something more precious since Mama started working. Our visit with Dad was a sad one, as I stated on Friday, but our time helping Martha was a good one. We tackled a couple areas around the property that had overwhelmed her; emptying the upstairs of the big house, emptying the contents from the rotting shelves in the oldest shed on the property, rearranging the large shop so we could get it set up for our siblings to peruse in the near future. There are actually some things that will do someone good it they have a need for those items. There were a greater amount that will not do anyone any good regardless of the need or the ingenuity of the individual. Those items were beyond use. It made me renew my commitment to get rid of the same kinds of useless accumulated items in any of our storage areas. That is easier said than done. But in reality, the numerous moves Mama and I have made make that burden somewhat lighter since we have purposely not carried many such items with us. At least that is what I now think.

One of the things I got in return for the extra trip was that Martha allowed me to take Dad’s old desk. It is more of a chest of drawers with a fold down top that hides a desk. It is a beautiful cherry piece of furniture that served Dad for all the years I can remember and I am challenging myself to relocate my items from a large roll-top desk to the much older, much nicer desk. I emptied the roll-top desk this morning - along with a large variety of outdoor farm chores - into a collection of boxes so Norman and Seth could help me relocate the desk to my bedroom tomorrow; before we all go to the State Fair. Victoria and Mama tried to help me do the moving but the cherry desk was too heavy for them to handle. Since Norman and Seth are here this week and since they are taking the roll-top desk it makes sense to make the change at the same time and with their help.

I stayed home this morning - my last Monday to be able to do so - so I could get a variety of little things done here. I had brought back some cedar boards from a large collection Dad had to fill in a gap in the flooring in the loft of the goat barn. It was wider that two sheets of plywood would cover so I left the gap in the middle fully intending to fill it with a couple of 1x4’s but I ran out of money and that little gap did not matter to me - until the grandkids wanted to play in the loft. Mama wisely would not let them until I got it completely covered. Well, now it is. What I had to rip off of the boards was used to reinforce the cage Mama and I are using to raise the five Bantam chickens recently hatched. I put the large cage in the west side of the coop so we could have all the chickens in one place and that has been working out well.

But in order to rip the boards I had to get the table saw moved out of the garage, To do that I had to get the tractor to move the pallet just inside the garage on which I have my generator, wire welder and buzz box welder sitting. And since I had the tractor out, I mowed the garden to get it ready for tilling - all the leftover plants had to be shredded to enable me to see where I needed to begin tilling. The seven foot tall okra plants were still producing but we had long since quit picking that produce. I think it looked better when I got done but that is my humble opinion. All that and I was done before noon.

Cleaning the coops waited until after lunch.

Prep time, travel, work day

This morning was spent in preparation for Mama and I to go to Chappell Hill so we could help my sister Martha get the house that Mom and Dad had lived in for thirty or more years ready for sale. The pending closing is set for mid-November but there is still quite a bit of work to get done both inside the large house and in the adjacent buildings - which also have to be emptied before the  sale. In order to the ready to travel I had to get the animals prepared for a lesser volume of care since Victoria will be working tomorrow and Mama and I will be gone; making sure the waterers and feeders were full for the chickens at our farm and at Victoria’s house, giving Victoria instruction on how and when to feed the pigs and goats and where to collect the eggs from the errant Bantam chickens who have decided that the nesting boxes they have used for months are no longer suitable places to lay. It was a fun morning for us both - she was off today.

Early on in the morning I logged into the “back office”of my internet business and was very pleasantly surprised to see that my sales have gone from one to four overnight. All from an email I sent out yesterday morning. That was very good news. It still is not a whole lot but it is good to see the efforts yield fruit. Speaking of which, I did not water the trees and shrubs this morning because we were promised a very high chance of rain that never came. Now the plants will have to wait until Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. More than likely Monday morning.

Mama and I took 4 1/2 hours to travel to Chappell Hill. I have made better time but that usually happens when I am by myself. Those times are discounted because I like having Mama with me - even if it does take longer. But we made the trek without incident - not that Mama did not see many opportunities for an incident to take place. We were traveling with the trailer so I could have it available to move things while we are here and to haul items back home so that they are no longer in the house here.

We took time to see Dad right after we got here, which was about 6:30 pm. When we got to the care unit where Dad is staying it was 7 pm and he was sitting in his room on the little couch he has there - just about asleep. When we came in and Mama turned on the light he perked up and said, “Good morning.” To him, with day and night,  one is the same as the other except that days tends to be more crowded…but I doubt that even that registers. He is less cognitive than last month when Brittany and I were here. In a way he was anxious for us to go because it is nearly impossible for him to put any thoughts into words. It was a sad visit bit overall he seems content. We prayed with him before we left. That always seems to register with him in a way nothing else does.

Tomorrow Mama and I will work until about 2 or 3 o’clock and then head back home. Martha and I laid out a tentative plan for where I should concentrate my efforts but I am hoping to get more done than she is expecting.

We will see how that works out.

Errands, more errands

This morning I took Mama to work so I could run a few errands. I had to pay the electric bill, check on being able to vote and take a drug test. Since it was early I went to the electric company to get the bill handed off - along with a check. I was not overly surprised they were opened but I was surprised to be in a line at the payment window before 9 a.m. On the off chance that the Wise County Elections Office was open early I went there next. And lo and behold, our taxpayer dollars were at work even at that hour. 

After researching our voter registration I found out that we were still listed on the rolls of Montague County. It was good we were registered but it is in the wrong county. The ladies at the office were very helpful. As it turns out, we will be able to vote in Wise County in the weeks prior to the national election - early voting. Since we are not listed in this county we will not be able to vote in any of the local elections but will be able to cast our ballot for state and federal elections. I can live with that since that is out primary concern. I knew I had missed the registration deadline but I did not know that that also covered any change in that registration; address, name, etc.

The drug test was anticlimactic. I found the center I was required to go to and got directions to the lab pretty easily. From there it was pretty slow. The technician working the drug testing was in no particular hurry - to do anything. However, when we did get started collecting the sample she was quite militant. “Empty you pockets.Put everything in the basket. Wash your hands with soap. Discard the paper towels in the waste basket outside of the restroom. I need 40 ml so fill the jar over the temperature strip or we will have to do this all over again. DO NOT FLUSH! DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS UNTIL I TELL YOU TO!” I just smiled and went through the routine I have done dozens of times. She was not impressed. She was ready to seal the sample bag and tell me goodbye. I realize it may not be a pleasant job role but that should not ruin the entire day. Poor girl. On the bright side I washed my hands with soap and water twice today. That should hold me over through the weekend.

Once home I did set up my computer and sent out about 300 emails, created a landing page and contacted a company that had overcharged me for their services, all before lunchtime; at which time I was meeting Mama. I had to get all the little pints of ice cream we had bought and take them to the school along with stopping at Walmart to find a quart of chocolate ice cream for one of the students who did not like all the other seven or eight selections. Mama was not expecting me so it was a little surprise for her. After 34 years of marriage we still have those for each other. I spent the rest of the day at the church working on my business - waiting for Mama to get off so we could go to Costco for a few items. She was later than usual because he pastor was counseling with the parents of one of the students and Mama was tasked with watching the siblings.

After dinner at Red Robin, which was pleasant food in an unpleasant atmosphere, we finally set out for Costco. It was the first of many little ventures as we accumulate Christmas presents. This time it was PJ’s. We have to stretch ourChristmas shopping fun over many weeks to get the most out of our finances.

Mama really loves this time of year - once Halloween is over.

Three little visitors, fetching Kira, more small successes

Victoria picked up Luke, Gracie and Joseph this morning so their mom could go to some work related meetings. They have been on vacation visiting family for a couple weeks. They have only been back a few days now so Erin is having to catch up on some work assignments. If ever Mama thought she could be forgotten Joseph put that thought to rest Sunday night when the toddlers reentered the service for the change offering and shouted out “Mommy Kim. I missed you!” The entire church got a kick out of that. And today when Erin came to get the kids Joseph told his mommy that he wanted to hide. “Who do you want to hide from?” she asked. His answer; “Mommy.” 

Victoria was sweeping this morning just after they arrived and got the cutest video of Joseph having tumbled over into a box as he had tried to back away from the vacuum. I do not have a copy or I would include it. He and Victoria both thought it was pretty funny. Luke did a quick inventory of our toys and announced that we had more Legos than last time. (True; Cori and Nate left what had been given to their kids during the time they stayed here last month.) The kids watched a movie, went for a walk and played inside and out through the day. I think they were all worn out when it was time to go. They are usually very hesitant to leave but today was especially hard for them since it has been a while since they were here and we usually keep they until church on a Wednesday evening. Today we needed the afternoon to get Kira.

Victoria and I left for Gainesville at the same time Erin was pulling out of the driveway with the kids. It is over two hours round trip and with a few minutes to visit and get the updates on Kira and Leo I figured it would be closer to three hours. I wasn’t far off. It turns out that Leo and Kira did very well together. We are not sure how many times she and Leo mated in the 24 hours but hopefully it will be sufficient. I know Kira was very excited to see Victoria. She was sitting still but quivering as she waited for us to get her out of the kennel. Leo was boundless energy. I can see where the pups that have that jumping, yelping, setting off at a dead run energy get it from. We were home before 5 pm so having time to get ready for church was not a problem - even with a quick dinner included. 

Through the day today I have had some pretty notable successes related to my online business. I only wish I had understood a month or two ago what I needed to do to generate these successes, but if I had I would have missed the learning opportunity from the trial. Perhaps, even, I would not have been looking for the job I have recently been given. I will trust the Lord and continue to follow through on both opportunities.

Who knows what might come next?

Success, Kira and Leo, visiting, visitors

I did finally have a moderate success today in both of the internet programs I have been working in; a landing page builder and an autoresponder program. I have been steadily working on getting comfortable with both for about a month now and today I was able to see the payoff for all the effort. My ultimate goal was to have a good enough working knowledge of both programs that when I started working full time it would take me less than an hour per day to get everything done that is required to keep this little business operational and hopefully, profitable. I remember years ago when my mom was taking a logic course in college that when she completed the final and graduated the class with a solid C, she said she felt like she had fought and slain Goliath. I am almost there.

Mama and I took Kira to the Cantrell’s so Leo and she could get together. Last time the time together resulted in eleven pups - all of which sold quickly. In fact, we have ongoing emails and Facebook posts from several of the buyers of the pups from that litter. None of us can be certain what will come of this breeding but we all have our differing levels of expectation. I am just hoping to raise the pups somewhere other than the sunroom of the house. Victoria and I will be going back tomorrow to pick Kira up. Her “Mommy” is worried about leaving her too long. And we all hope to limit the litter size by shortening the conjugal visit.

We spent the time visiting with Kimberlyn and it was time well spent - especially for her. She is a very good friend to Mama and they have been apart too long. I have found that phone conversations are only a limited stopgap for women who do far more visiting when they are face to face. I personally think is is because being in a person’s presence allows then to both talk at the same time thereby doubling up on the topics covered. Normally, when two men are taking at the same time they are arguing. When two women are talking at the same time they are conserving time; whether in agreement or not. If two women are silent in each other’s presence it is time for one of them to go home.

Such was not the case tonight. This was one of those times that we needed to allow someone to talk freely until they were finished. There is little we can do to help be we listened, we prayed and we cared. From this time on we will be far more earnest in our prayers for her and her husband and the burdens they have silently borne. It is amazing how little we know about each other’s needs because we are unwilling to share those needs in a way that will allow others to take up the yolk of our cares and bear them together with us.

On our way home, on our little county road actually, Mama and I herded two little bucks down the road. They stayed in our headlights trying to decide where to go until we got close to the house - where Sam and Sasha were. I finally turned off the high beams so that the bucks could see the fence they needed to leap over. Mama was  not initially sure they could clear the fence but they showed off for her had handily and gracefully bounded over into the field beside us. Their grace is always amazing. 

I wonder if that is why they are so tasty?

Feed shopping, better, FBI, old pics

I dropped Mama off at the church this morning so I could keep the Sequoia. Since I am still awaiting my start date I still have the time to go to Muenster to get feed. This morning may represent my last opportunity to do that during the day for a while. Not that that is a bad thing. It is one of the little changes we will have to adapt to when I start my 9-5 routine - and Mama keeps her day job. We will figure it out as we go but we will still have to find a way to get the feed when needed and if we want to continue getting it from the same supplier, we will find a way to accommodate that need. Others do; so will we. Maybe larger purchases less often, provided we have a place to keep the stored feed away from the squirrels and rats and mice - and moisture.

I am feeling a bit better. I am still wrestling with a persistent cough - not as badly as I have in past bronchitis episodes. At least I can make it through the night without waking up strangling or have to sit up to cough the spasm out. I should be clear soon. I was talking this last episode through with Mama to see if we could come up with a triggering event but we did not stumble upon one. I have resigned myself to getting back on the herbs that will help be deal with a weak respiratory system and see if I can get some longterm relief from these repeated illnesses. One thing is certain - at least in my mind - I am in a better climate here than I was in either New Jersey or West Virginia.

We are now in week nine of FBI so our first test is only four weeks away - and it looks like it will be a difficult one. I say that because study sheets are provided for each test and this study sheet is packed with place/name/order matching sequences. Those are difficult but you can usually use the process of elimination to get the ones you can’t fully remember. The questions I like least are the true/false. (Another large section of the test.) Although most are pretty clear, there are always a few that make you unsure; the ones you go back to your notes to verify as soon as you turn in the test. Mama, Victoria and I normally make very high marks, but when the perfect score is 103 and I make a 100, it irritates me that I cannot figure out what I missed. Still it has been a great experience to take these classes/lectures. We are now closing in on the end of the fourth semester of six. When it is completed we will be wondering what to do with all out Monday nights and the Bible Degree it will give us.

I am enclosing some pictures from when Nate, Cori and the kids were here last month. It was an overwhelmingly busy time and Victoria was taking pictures and videos throughout that time. These are some of the ones she got to me today. We were enjoying a picnic dinner outside while the kids played follow the leader on the stumps we use as seating around the fire pit.

Fortunately the evening turned cool enough that we could really enjoy the evening.

Very slow day, Mama’s rotten day, late feeding, the evening

My day was very slow today. I did not realize I felt as bad or as tired as I did until I got dressed this morning, but as Mama got ready to go I laid down on the couch and fell fast asleep. I was wakened by Victoria as she got up and going so I moved to the chair and from there to the bed. I finally got up at a little after noon. Even then it was a huge struggle to make myself get out of bed. At least that is the way it seemed at the time. I did not get much done after that but I did check emails and was able to get a couple little things done for my online business - but my heart and attention were not in any of it.

Mama and the school kids went to play in tennis today in a tennis competition with a larger school from Saginaw. The kids from our school were not good to her or for her today. They were in a mood to partner up and tease, sass and generally misbehave the entire afternoon. She was not happy with them especially because they seemed very pleased with themselves in their attitude and behavior. There is never any good way to stop such behavior. When a child asks “what” to every corrective remark made to them when they know they are in the wrong, discipline is ineffective. That is when punishment comes. However, in that setting, punishment is so limited that the school kids are not affected by it. They actually welcome it to show their friends how tough they are. Unfortunately, peer pressure is more often affected toward the negative than toward the positive. The whole atmosphere made for a bad day for Mama. Good thing it was Friday.

We got an inch of rain through the night - one of the reasons I was not in a hurry to get out to feed the animals; that and not feeling well. Anyway, it was difficult to tell we had gotten any rain by the time I did get out. The goats and pigs were hungry but only the pigs have no grass or hay to munch on between feedings. They were quite vociferous in their objection to the late breakfast. I hate to disturb a  routine but today I needed the exception. In the very near future we will have to get a new routine set because I will be leaving for work just as Mama is getting up. Additionally, in only a few weeks I will be getting home at or very near dark. The load will shift back to Mama once again. I am not sure what kind of routine we will have to adopt but the animals will adapt more quickly than we will.

This evening all of us went out to make the rounds. We have adopted the routine of feeding bread to the chickens and pigs each evening. Mama buys it in bulk at the day old store. We go through a loaf per day here and about half a loaf at Victoria’s house. And they go nuts over the bread; especially the chickens. It is fun to show visitors the excitement the chickens show over the broken pieces of bread being cast onto the ground. One of the farm’s little pleasures.

Mama and I were given a paper, actually an extract from a book about natural cures for cancer, to read for a friend so she could get our input on the information. This article alleges that the cause of cancer, singular, the cause of all cancer is an infestation of fluke worms; specifically, faciliolopsis buskii. It is an interesting supposition but well worth looking into.

I will do some more research and see what I can find but the curative herbal combination seems harmless overall. If it will provide more than a general cleansing, it is worth further investigation.

More on that later.

Home, visitors, storms

I stayed home today partly because I felt bad and partly because I wanted to get a few things done around the farm. I rested a little more since I was at home than I would have if I was at the church. So that helped some. But I am still feeling poorly. Even with that I took time out from the computer to pull both screen doors on the coop and cut each of them to make them more functional. The screen door on the east side would not open all the way; it hit the rafter about half open. The door on the west side dragged against the floor as you closed it. So I shortened both of them so they would fit under the rafters when fully opened and not scrape the floor at any point in that travel. Mama was well pleased. I also reinstalled the knobs on one door so Mama had them to grab to operate the door from either side. It’s the little things.

I straightened up the pig pen where the grandkids had dragged all kinds of sticks and small boards into the shelter while they used it as a fort. I also had to move out some pallets they had dragged out from under the old portion of the shelter. I rearranged the walls and moved the sleeping quarters from the south side of the pen to the west side in the hopes that it would not be as wet. When we had significant rain the south side of the pen would accumulate a lot of water so it would get soupy as the pigs stomped through it continually. Maybe the relocation of the shelter will help with that. We should be able to test that theory tonight since we are supposed to get a good deal of rain. Of course we have no pigs to fully test the theory but we are hoping to look at some this Saturday ay Trade Days in Bowie.

We had visitors at the farm tonight. The Lukes came to see the farm and to pick up some eggs. Mama was supposed to bring eggs to church for over a week now and we just have not remembered. So they combined a visit with the pickup. Their little one loved the house, the farm and all the dogs. He is an eighteen month old who is not out of home very often but you would not have been able to see that with the way he took off on his own - in the house and out in various areas we took him to on the farm. He loved the goats and they seemed to really enjoy petting them. The goats would follow him around and nibble on his cloths when they could get a way with it. He did not seem the least bit concerned. His parents were delighted. They stayed late into the evening. It was a good visit.

When we were outside as the Lukes were leaving you could see the lightening streaking across the sky. Right now our dusk to dawn light is out so the light show was even more pronounced. I was supposed to call today to get the repair on the light scheduled. I forgot. It was not on my list. It is on my list for tomorrow. 

For now, we are enjoying the enhanced ability to see the stormy show.

Homework, a little sick, tricky repairs, Maggie’s news

I got my homework assignments from my new employer this morning. I had to go home to get the paperwork printed out because I do not have that capability at the church. It was not a lot of printing but the HR person who had sent the forms over asked that I have them back to her by the end of business today. I have to admit that it has been a long tome since I have had to fill in forms by hand - outside of a doctor’s office. Mama and I took the forms over to the office as soon as she was out of school this afternoon. Since I do not know anyone on the office I walked to the one area I had been shown - where I will be working - and asked for guidance. I did find the right office but the person I was looking for was outside taking a 15 minute walk; a routine kept by all office personnel. I was not the most presentable but I found her and introduced myself none the less.

I was not presentable, somewhat, because it is Wednesday and I have not shaved since Monday evening. I was also dressed in farm clothes. But what really made me less presentable is that I have been fighting bronchitis for several days now. I thought I was not going to make it through the song service Sunday evening because of the cough that was just starting - a real issue when you are the person leading the song service. But I did make it. I did not make it tonight. I had to pass the leadership off to someone else, but I got to let the pastor know about it this afternoon so he was not taken by surprise. I hated to miss the service tonight because we have a missionary with us for this service. 

When I came home to print out the forms Grandpa and Grandma were there. Grandpa was giving the tractor a good looking over to see if there were any issues I had not noticed. That is always appreciated. So, since he was available, I asked for his help getting the new wiper blades installed on the Sequoia. I had started to do it but quickly backed away when I could not figure out how to get the old wiper blades off without breaking something. I felt a little better when I took Grandpa about fifteen minutes to figure it out. Getting the right fittings to install the new ones took even longer. We tried to follow the directions but were not getting things to work for about a half hour when Grandpa found a part that had fallen to the floor when we opened the case containing the new blades and adapters. With that discovery we were able to get the new blade on in just a few minutes. The second one took no time at all. Like working with Nate to get the oil and filter changed, it was a learning experience.

Maggie called today to tell me and Mama that Aaron had found out about his new duty station. I am not sure she has made it public yet so I will not spill the beans but I can say that they got one of the stations on their wish list, just not one of the top three. They will be in the Lower Forty Eight and that will be a blessing when it comes to travel. 

She was happy about the announcement - even though it is still six to eight months away.