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Monday, July 31, 2017

Trenching, traveling, transitioning


Friday evening and Saturday, I slowly worked on the trench that needs to go from the utility pole to the carport/shop. Digging is like weed eating for me. I can only do it for about an hour per day because of the back issues I am having. The trench is only about 125’ in length but it is in clay and roots. I used the potato plow to mark the path and get the first four or five inches of dirt and root cleared away. Other than that, I have about six feet of the trench taken to the correct depth. I am guessing it to be about four hours of work total – which will take me several evenings. That is not even the hard part. I still have to go from the shop, across the yard, to the other side of the house to put in a receptacle for the camper Nate and Cori are living in. That is about 225’ total. Fortunately, Nate will be here to help. Maybe he will see an easier way to get power to the camper. Power will go to the shop regardless.

Nate, Cori and the kids will be on the road today heading from the Pace, FL area to the farm. It will probably be a two-day trip. Mama and I have driven it many times and the best we have done is about thirteen hours of driving time. Everyone is well right now and the kids are looking forward to being at the farm. Nate and Cori are praying the Lord will fill up their schedule so they can continue to gather the support they need to get to the field. At this point I believe they are at 43%. With only one year of deputation under their belts, I think they are doing well but there is always a sense of urgency to get the job done and get started on the work that initiated the calling. The lead missionary at the work in Honduras suggested that they come down with the kids in this slack time. It was a good suggestion but a costly one. Well, one of the churches they recently visited is going to pay for the airfare to get the family to Honduras so they can expose the kids to the work. Praise the Lord! Now all they need to pay for is the hotel they will need to stay in – unless the Lord provides something else for them.

Brittany and Andrew got to bring the twins home last night. There is still a bit of concern about Zoe’s bilirubin count. She was the first through the birth canal and spent the longest time in that state of compression; causing some bleeding under the scalp (perfectly normal) and all that blood has to be treated and removed by the newborn liver.  It may take her liver a just a little longer to get about the business of normal activity with the increased initial load it has been assigned; but it knows what to do. When I think about the little lives, even the normal act of breathing, digestion, liver function, kidney function, etc. it truly amazes me how wonderfully made the human body is. Just so you know, bilirubin is a yellow substance that the body creates when it replaces old red blood cells. Too much bilirubin in the blood causes the yellowing of the complexion known as jaundice. The liver helps break down the bilirubin so it can be removed from the body. If we knew all the autonomic functions our bodies carried out in the course of a normal day we would have a much greater appreciation for our bodies – and perhaps a greater interest in their care.

The twins first night at home was a good one. Brittany had to get up and feed them at 12am and 3 am. Zoe is still having an little trouble regulating her body temperature – another wonderful thing our bodies for us – but they were able to wrap her warmly to compensate. Other than that, the two of them slept through the night. As they begin to realize that they are hungry and crying out for mom is the way to get that hunger sated, they will become more demanding, but the current patterns are working well for Brittany. Mama slept through the 3 am feeding – as did Andrew. Brittany said she could not wake him. I vaguely remember Mama telling me the same thing many years ago. It did not take long for her to realize that those early morning feedings were better handled on her own. It made for more pleasant mornings overall; especially when I had to get up and go to work two hours later.

I am sure Brittany and Andrew will work it all out – and the babies will help.


Friday, July 28, 2017

The twins, work changes, the farm constant


Zoe and Sophie were born about 2 pm yesterday – in that order. I am not sure how Brittany decided on that but that is the way it transpired. Mother and babies are doing fine. Everyone other than the medical staff attending to them is completely worn out. Mama and Andrew are exhausted from the wait; Brittany from the work; the twins from the whole birthing process. It took about two hours for Zoe, who came through the birth canal face up, to come out. Sophie, followed very quickly. Now, the easy part is over. Yes, the easy part. The entire process so far has taken none months. The labors following the birthing take an entire lifetime. The real labor is just beginning. I do not know when Brittany and the babies will be sent home, but it should be tomorrow or Saturday. That is the moment when the reality of having these children will hit Andrew the hardest. At least, that is the way it worked for me – many years ago.

Mama was excited to be there. I would like to have been there too but circumstances prevented it. New job; limited vacation; limited finances, etc. As it stands now, Victoria and I will be going up to meet the twins late next week. The delay gave her time to get the vacation scheduled at work. The dates were originally coordinated with the arrival of the Mortenson clan at the farm. I have heard rumors that Cori, Nate and the kids will be coming to the farm on that earlier schedule – arriving next Tuesday or Wednesday – but those are unconfirmed rumors as of this morning. If they do make it over, Cori will go up with us. It will be Brittany’s chance to show off a little bit.

At work, things are a bit chaotic. We have four or five new people being added to the company next week. In anticipation of their arrival there are equally that number of persons being relocated within the building. Some of the moves are well received. Some are not. In our department, we have also been affected by the moves. Fortunately, ours has been limited to a single swap of persons. Other departments are undergoing a more dramatic reorganizing. It will all work out, but it is somewhat disruptive none the less. Growth pains are never pleasant, but they are a welcome interruption when they are handled well and enough information is given to compensate for the displacement. Time will tell how well this shuffle has been handled.

At the farm, things continue as usual; even better with the soaking rain we had early in the week. I met an engineer from Wise Electric at the farm yesterday afternoon to outline how they could get service to the carport we are converting into a shop. It was all pretty straight forward; expensive, but straight forward. I am a little pressed to get it done so I can get the power run to the station I will set up for the RV Nate and Cori are bringing with them. It will still be a couple weeks before I can get it all put together but in a week I will have Nate to help. In the long run, it will be a blessing to have all this done. It will make the farm nor serviceable in the years ahead. If the Lord calls on us to sell the property, having all this work done will only add value to the property – and that, far above the cost of getting it done.

I have always promised myself that one day I will be caught up on all the projects I have going. It does not look like that will happen soon.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Back at the farm, Brittany


If you have ever watched a very old movie or TV show you will see the header come up that reads, “Meanwhile, back at the ranch,”. I believe that was done to help viewers, new to the media, understand the flow of the story. Well, in our case it is “meanwhile, back at the farm.” So far Victoria has handled the morning feeding and watering and I have taken care of the evenings; except yesterday. She was off yesterday so the only thing I did was close up the chickens after I got home from church. I will have to start setting out the trap for raccoons again. On the way home last night I saw two young coons crossing our road. It will not be long before the smells of the farm draw them to the chickens, the rabbits and the garden. In Mama’s absence, we get a deeper appreciation for all she does daily at the farm; not just the feeding and watering of the animals but all of the scheduling of feed purchases, the setting up of allotments for the various groups of animals and the little treats she makes sure each type of animal gets every morning and evening. All the animals miss her – even if they are not able to express it. The dogs are very forthcoming about the little things Mama does that Victoria and I do not typically do – especially in the area of evening treats.   

So far, everyone is doing well enough in this heat. The daytime highs are now over 100°F and the heat index associated with that, depending on the relative humidity, fluctuates between 104° and 107°. The rabbits seem to be the most stressed by the heat, but even they are getting along well enough. Mollie, our oldest pig, has shrunk down in weight by about thirty pounds since the piglets were born. The problem is not the heat or the nursing piglets; she refuses to eat anything but scraps. She will not touch the feed we normally put out for her. I wanted to see how long she would go without eating her feed but finally gave in to her demands and fed a her a healthy portion of scraps. She would not allow any of her babies to get the smallest bite of the meal. So, Victoria and I have amassed all the eatable items we have in the pantry that need to be thrown out and have begun feeding her with those items – brown rice bowls, chips, grits, pancake mixes that are expired and overripe veggies from the garden. Mollie wonders just where we have been hiding the delicacies.

As of this morning, Brittany is having stronger contractions, dilated to a five and they broke her water early this morning. Mama called me to let me know she was on her way back to the hospital anticipating the arrival of the twins by midmorning. Her only concern was that the last ultrasound showed Zoe, who is in the birth canal, to be face up. That is not the best position for birth. Most doctors prefer the baby to be face down to reduce the pain of birth as the head passes over the tailbone of the mother. I suppose the face is slightly more elastic or pliable than the back of the head as the child is extruded through the compressed opening. I also think it alleviates the risk of the child ingesting fluids during the end of the birthing process – depending on how vocal the child is at the birthing. Brittany and Andrew should meet their children, and Mama meet our grandchildren, sometime in the next several hours.

She was trying not to speed on her way to the hospital.     

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Travel, trouble, twins


My trip to Abilene yesterday did not take as long as I thought it would. My coworker, who serves as our videographer and I went to team up with a man who works for a client of ours who has been very supportive of our training development efforts. Our intent was to record me doing a performance evaluation as well as get some pictures of line locating. Red and I expected the whole process to take several hours with retakes of portions of the script we were using. With repositioning the camera for capturing different angles of the action and with the retakes we were satisfied with what we had recorded after only an hour. We took our time reviewing as well as getting the images I needed to complete the line locating course I am writing and were wrapped up by noon. We took our time eating a bar-b-que lunch and headed home about 1 pm. Three hours ahead of where I thought we would be. We were both pleased with the time taken to get a video my company has been talking about making for over two years. It was a productive and pleasant day out of the office.

When Victoria got home she told me about a vehicle accident Cori and Nate were involved in – while they were parked in a parking lot. As it was related to me, a woman with a very expensive car which was brand new to her hit the side of their vehicle damaging a fender and almost ripping off a door. Cori was in the process of changing Savanna before they headed out when the woman struck the vehicle. No one was hurt, so that was a blessing. The woman immediately called the police only to be dumbstruck when the police informed her that the entire accident was her fault. She later called Nate and asked if they could settle the accident without insurance getting involved. Too late. Once the accident report is filed and the ticked issued, the course of the investigation has been set.

We are not sure if all of the repairs will be covered by her insurance but we are certainly hoping so. Just think, all the miles they have covered and all the near accidents they have avoided only to be struck in a parking lot in their hometown. Repairs to the vehicle will hinder them from coming to Texas on the earlier schedule we were making plans around, but they should be here within a week or so of those dates; sometime within the second week of August. It does mean that Victoria and I will be going to Brittany’s without Cori for our initial visit but we will make the trip up at an appropriate time after they do get to the farm safely. It also means we will have to get coverage for the farm while all of us are away. Fortunately, we have someone on standby.

Brittany has made it all the way through now. She is scheduled to be induced at 7 pm this evening. By the time Victoria and I get home from church, her labor should have started. Within 24 hours we should be introduced to the twins. Mama is in the I’m-trying-to-act-like-an-old-pro-at-this-but-inside-I-am-about-to-explode-with-excitement” mode. We all are to a certain extent. These are grandbabies eight and nine for me and Mama. Our first set of twins. A miraculous answer to prayer.

What a good God we serve.

Monday, July 24, 2017

The weekend, prayer and perceptions, Mama, Brittany


The weekend was hot – very hot. Still, we worked on clipping the goat’s hooves – that proved to be an interesting and far overdue experience - and I hung a ceiling fan in the chicken coop. I had replaced the ceiling fan in Victoria’s bedroom and the one I took out was just the right size to put into the coop. It took more of an effort than I had counted on. I had to reset the outlet and the support board for the outlet to move the fan far enough into the coop so that the door could open with the fan running. I also raised it a couple inches to be on the safe side. The noise it makes while operating is not a bother to the chickens like it was for Victoria; however, we had to catch the stubborn chicks and put them back into the coop the first night the fan was running. They do not like anything new.

As for the goats, they have to have their hooves clipped several times per year. We had not taken the time to follow through since we bought them. Like our finger nails, the hooves grow out and begin to turn under making it painful for the goats to walk. For Kai, it was way overdue. His had grown out to the point that the “fingernails” were growing into the quick of the adjacent side of each hoof. He was having trouble getting around. I started with him because he was having the most trouble but we went on to clip two others before we moved on to other things. So, we still have three girls and the two boys to do. Hopefully, Victoria will help me do that this week. Kai is getting around better, but I am trying to talk Mama into taking him to the market so we can get some real use out of him. I’m not sure, but at this point he may be too old to provide good meat.

Sunday sermons were on prayer in the morning service and perceptions in the evening service. Both were good instructional sermons. The one on how we interact with God through our weak, timid and selfish prayer efforts. If we communicated with our spouse in the same way we pray, we would not have very strong marriages. I don’t know about everyone else but I need some serious improvement in my prayer life – and I could always improve on my communications with my wife.  Likewise, our perceptions of ourselves, others and God are mostly lacking. We tend to vacillate between thinking either too highly of ourselves or too poorly of ourselves – moving from self-deprecating to self-promoting with fascinating ease. Neither is productive. Neither is honest. That struck home for me and Mama; guilty on both counts.

Mama heads out this morning for Brittany’s. She has made the trip several times now so it should be uneventful. She missed a call from Brittany last night and was panicked thinking she had missed something important. I tried to reassure her that if there were something important, Brittany would have left a message but Mama started talking about heading up last night – until I told her that I would not permit her to drive six hours to Wichita in dead of night. After several attempts to reach Brittany, Brittany finally called back and reassured Mama that everything was really alright; hence, the departure this morning.

So far, Brittany is in good spirits, the babies are healthy and the doctor is confident that all will go well with the delivery. Andrew is home for the birth and Mama is headed up to be the matronly support for our daughter in this, her first delivery. As with all pregnancies, things are subject to change without notice. We are hoping for the best and trusting the Lord in all those areas where we have no control. He has brought the twins safely this far, we can trust Him to complete the work He started.

There were storms in the area last night and we hoped for some rain. At the very least, the lightening show was beautiful. I told Mama I would be happy with an inch or less of rain. We ended up with 3 ½ inches total. That’s not a bad thing but it damaged the tarp we have over the little chicken house, flooded the pig areas with water and filled the feeders we use for the goats with water. Mama had to dump water from the feeders and dry them because the goats will not eat wet food. We will deal with any damages or extra work because the tradeoff is to the benefit of all the plants and trees that are struggling to survive in the triple digit heat.

Friday, July 21, 2017

The weekend, the call, the heat


As usual, we have a full weekend ahead of us. Mama and Victoria are going to some store in Arlington to order a mattress and box springs so she can upgrade her bed – she has needed that for some time. (It is frightening what mattresses cost.) Plus, we have a wedding to attend Saturday afternoon. It does not seem like much but when those two items are added to the normal weekend routine, it can get hectic in a hurry. One of the hassles of having to attend to chores or events in town is having to change clothing to do so. When Mama and I have been working outside in the heat it takes a few minutes to cool down sufficiently to ensure that the clothing we are changing into does not get immediately soaked. Mama routinely changes several times a day during the week to get into dry cloths once she gets back into the house from feeding and watering chores, but if we have to leave the farm for an errand the change is more significant for her. We manage, but it adds a certain dimension of inconvenience to the requirements of daily life.

Mama has a bag packed for the trip to Brittany’s. She had had it ready to go for several days. The Lord has blessed Brittany with a very uneventful pregnancy so far so Mama is waiting until Brittany’s appointed delivery date. The fact that there are twins growing in Brittany’s womb has not seemed to affect her noticeably – which is a huge blessing since this was considered a high-risk pregnancy. We are excited about finally meeting the babies. Neither Brittany nor Andrew are fully aware of how significantly their life is about the change. They have planned carefully and set up the house as needed for the twins, but none of us can know the extent of the impact that the infant twins will bring to daily life. Will they sleep well? Will they eat well? Will they stay well? Will there be special dietary needs for either of them? Will they be pleasant or cranky babies? Those and a thousand other questions linger, but the overall expectation is that this will be a lifelong blessing – constantly bathed in prayer.

In an attempt to be instantly available should Brittany call and say they are on their way to the hospital, Mama has been keeping her phone on the nightstand every night. Or course, the volume has to be left on so she does not miss the call – even though I think the phone vibrating against the nightstand would wake her. So far, the only thing that has disturbed us is the gong that sounds with the notifications she receives; from Facebook, Marco Polo and weather or Amber alerts. It has not been too bad through the night but the mornings have gotten noisier than I am used to. Maybe it is my age.

Mama’s main concern for being gone is leaving the care of all her animal charges to me and Victoria. Intensifying that concern is the fact that I will turn those duties over to Nate when Victoria and I go up to meet the twins. She is worried someone will be forgotten and die of thirst in this intense heat. She takes her ministrations to the pigs, chickens, goats and rabbits very seriously. As thankful as I am for her dedication and diligence, I believe all the animals will survive her absence for a short time. They will not be as pampered but hopefully, they will not be forgotten.

The heat is brutal right now. The temperatures are near 100° F and the humidity is below 40%. The plants are in the usual summer stress mode and Mama and I are watering carefully and thoroughly three evenings per week – if not more often. As is typical for the summer months, my concern is centered on the fruit trees and the berry bushes. Mama focuses on the garden and animals. So far, we are keeping everything alive, but even our best efforts can be thwarted by long periods of severe heat. – especially in the garden.

Two months to go before we have to start setting up for cold temperatures.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Growth rate, history lesson, Mama’s phone


As my role at work continues to change, I am amazed at how fast the company I am working for is growing. In the very near future, I can easily see an additional 50% growth. That’s pretty incredible. It is also a little overwhelming and I can see the growing pains associated with such rapid growth – especially when there is relatively little established with regard to job titles and responsibilities. There is so much flux that is difficult for anyone to know exactly what they are supposed to be doing and /or where they fit. For the very responsible, conscious staff that has been hired by this organization, that makes it difficult to know where their priorities should be placed so that they can maximize their contributions. On the bright side, management is aware of the problem and seeking solutions to help pin things down. For the moment, only those who are the most structured in their approach to life are truly overwhelmed. But all of us are looking for stable footing and a clear path forward while managing an ever-increasing work load.

We had a missionary at church last night. He is connected to a ministry among the Jews and it was very clear that he had a great passion for those people. He gave an interesting history of how the US treatment of the Jews over time had directly affected our country; whether for the good or the bad. Like the story of Hyam Salomon who is considered the “Financial Hero of the American Revolution” because he loaned George Washington the money needed for arms and powder that allowed Washington to win the Civil War. And the story of President Nixon giving to Golda Mayer the arms, ammunition and military equipment needed to secure Israel during his presidency. He outlined several of the bad consequences that followed when we abandoned Israel and the Jewish people. It was a great sermon. It was a great history lesson with a direct application to our daily walk and our attentiveness to the things of God.

Mama is still deciding whether or not she likes her phone. She loves having an iPhone. She is still getting used to the smaller size of the SE. We discussed her ordering a case for the phone but I suggested that she order something inexpensive so that if I end up with the phone because she needs a larger model we will not have bought items that are no longer needed. That somehow got lost in the translation and she ordered three cases for the phone. None were expensive but I will not use any of the cases should the phone come to me. We will see how it finally works out. It will not be the first time we wasted $40; nor, sadly, will it be the last. I have to admit that I love the quality of pictures the phone captures. It even enhanced the quality of the images transferred to the phone from her android phone. That part of the phone she likes; that and the huge memory. The only drawback is the size. It is funny when you think that that is all we had for years only a short time ago, but all of her friends at church have iPhone 7 or 7+ which dwarf her little 4’ screen. Thankfully, the price of her small phone matched the size of the phone.

At least now she can make and receive phone calls; even though that seems to be a peripheral use for a smartphone.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Quick trip, working from home, mama’s phone, Brittany’s time


I got back into DFW about 9 pm Monday night from an overnight trip to Birmingham, AL. The class I taught there was a very enjoyable one. Those happen about one in three. The two that are not as enjoyable are still pleasant but the participants in those classes do not seem to enjoy each other’s company and/or the material in the same way that the very enjoyable classes seem to. In every class, there is at least one person who will admit to me that they are anxious about the test – some are very anxious. In my last class, the person who confessed to being scared of the test made a 100% on the exam. I challenged him to stand by me and watch me grade the exam and when I finished and announced the final score, he grabbed me in a bear hug. Since he and the other participants were scheduled for meetings through the remainder of the week, that moment made his whole week a great week.

Since I was back in so late Monday I was told to not come into the office until noon. It was an order that was easy to follow. I needed the rest. Additionally, I was told to call before I came to the office to see if the internet was up and running. Our connection at the office had been lost on Monday afternoon. I called and found out that there was still no internet service, so I worked from home using my mobile Hotspot. It was not productive but it was enjoyable – especially since I had spent so much time away from home recently. Today, the internet is up and running so things are back to almost normal at the office.

Mama has needed a phone upgrade for a few months. The one she has started messing up on the one required operating capacity or function of a cellular phone – making and receiving phone calls. It was exasperating to call Mama and not be able to actually converse with her. All the gaming and texting and Marco Polo and Facebook functions worked perfectly but it would not make or receive calls very well. So, Monday she worked out a deal with the local Cricket store and got an iPhone SE 64 GB phone brought in from another store so we would not have to wait on a phone to be shipped to us. I spent an hour in the store waiting for the transfer of videos, calendar events and images from phone to phone while Mama went to the church to drop off a gift and talk with a couple women there. There was a ladies meeting last night to reveal the Secret Sisters and to draw names for the coming year. Mama was not feeling up to participating but she did want to drop off her and Victoria’s final gift to their Secret Sister.

The transfer was on 21 of 41 videos when she got back to the store so we went to eat while the phone continued the transfer process – internet was required for the transfer to happen. We did all this at the store because we were not able to order a phone via the internet Cricket website because our personal information was all messed up on their site. Mama spent an hour on Monday with Customer Service and in between the “Are you still there? and “Can you hear me?” questions, got all of that corrected. In the Cricket system, I was Timothy Klirg, living at some address I had never heard of. We are not sure how that happened but it should be corrected now. I don’t know if Mama will be happy with the smaller phone, but I am happy to be able to talk to her via cell phone and it has enough memory for her photos and videos for some time to come.

Brittany called Mama yesterday and told her that she is to be induced on Wednesday the 26th if she does not go into labor prior to that time. Mama will be heading up the day before – if not earlier. Victoria and I will not go up until sometime during the first week of August because Cori, Nate and the kids are due to arrive at the farm that week and Cori requested we wait for her to make the trip to see the babies. That should be an interesting week with all the new arrivals – both temporary and permanent. Regardless, we are all looking forward to meeting the twins.

God it good.

Friday, July 14, 2017

Travel, Jake, home


I have been on the road since Monday afternoon so it was good to get home last night. Unfortunately, I will only be home for a couple days since I will be flying back out Sunday afternoon to teach a class Monday. On the bright side, it will only be an overnight trip since I will be coming back that night after class. All in all, the two classes I taught earlier this week went really well. Other than the six-hour drive from Muscle Shoals, AL to Mobile, it was an easy week – and even the drive was not bad. Besides that, I got to spend Wednesday evening with Cori, Nate and the kids. It was a great moment when I walked into the house where Cori and Nate have been staying and knew instantly that Savanna recognized me. She was sitting at the table eating a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. The smile on her face was worth the trip. Yes, I enjoyed seeing everyone else, but that was a special moment; especially, when she very quietly said, “Papi.” Then she looked at her mama and said, “Mama, it’s Papi.” I had to leave about 8:30 to drive back to the hotel in Mobile, but it was worth it.

I had a rental car for the time I was traveling; a Kia Soul. I was more pleased with the car than I thought I would be. It was nicely equipped, sat comfortably and was more powerful than I would have guessed. It was set up like a SUV rather than a car so it sat a little taller, had very good access for me to get in and out. With a car, I often have trouble getting into the seat because they sit so low. With the back issues I am now having, that presents a very big problem. But this vehicle was made with a taller roofline and thereby, taller doors for my stiff, awkward access. Cori and the kids really liked it.

Jake leaves this evening. I think he has had a good visit. He spent a couple days in San Antonio with me and Mama. He spent a day at natural spring water park with Norman and Seth. He went to the movies last night with Victoria, Norman and Seth. And in between all of that he spent most of his energy trying to get the goats to faint. I am not sure if he is ready to go home yet but it is on the schedule. We will drive him to the airport at about 6 pm tonight so he can catch a 9 pm flight. Mama will be equal parts sorry to see him go and relieved to have her peaceful life back. I was going to use the word “uneventful” rather than “peaceful” but uneventful does not apply as a descriptor for Mama’s life regardless of who or what her primary focus is at any given moment.

While I was away, Grandpa and Mama took #75 to the meat market to be processed. We needed to get rid of her. She was a very difficult cow to work and I always feared the she would hurt Mama if she could. But now we will get some good use out of feeding her for the last two years. Mama and I discussed how to have her processed. Since we are already ahead on hamburger and some steaks I asked if she would look into some specialty processing but have the processor concentrate on giving us mostly roasts and stew meat. For some reason, we are not eating as much beef as we used to. (Maybe because I have trouble with it.) After talking to a couple people at the meat market she found out that we can get beef link sausage and summer sausage from them. So, those are in this order. We will see how well we like the processed meat and find out if we will order it going forward.

I was home just in time to get my berry bushed and grapevine watered before they gave up the ghost. They are out of the way and easily forgotten. For now, I am sure they will recover. If I had been gone much longer, that certainly would have been in question. Mama and I are having the pastor and his wife over for dinner Saturday evening so we can talk to them about our infant desire to relocate to Honduras in the future.

We’ll see how that goes.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Packing and transfers, San Antonio


Thursday evening after work, along with packing for the trip to San Antonio, we hauled a load of yard sale items to Norman so he could market them for us while we were traveling. I had loaded most of the items onto a trailer Tuesday when I was off but we still had a few big items to complete the load and get it over to Bowie. As I sit here this morning, I am not sure how well we did in the yard sale but I do know that Norman and Grandma gave away the bed that Victoria had taken there to be sold. It was continuing proof that business ventures with the Thaxton’s never pan out well for us. When we got back to the farm, it did not take long to pack.

Mama and I spent Friday and Saturday on a trip to San Antonio with Jake. It was a really good trip. As with all such trips, it cost more than we had anticipated but we did not really put ourselves on a budget for the trip. We did some things we would not have done had Jake not been with us, like the Wax Museum and a short movie about the Alamo, but we had fun. We got to San Antonio a little after 1 pm Friday and started on a walking tour of the River Walk very soon after we arrived. We were not able to check into our hotel until 4 pm so we had a few hours to mosey through the shops and look over the restaurant choices. We did eventually get to the hotel and rested a short while before heading back out. Most of Friday was spent getting our bearings, shopping and getting a plan together for the next day. We were out until a little after 9 pm. We were all pretty worn out.

Saturday morning, we went to a panaderia near the hotel and had a wonderful breakfast before we headed to the Alamo. Everything was within walking distance – four blocks at the most – from the hotel which made it nice for us. We had valet parked the car so we did not have to worry about it or fight for a spot in the very crowded area around the Alamo. When we finished at the Alamo, we headed to the IMAX Theater to see the 45-minute movie about the Alamo. Mama and I felt like it was a good way for Jake to get a feel for the history of the story and understand the reverence showed to the remains of the old fort. By the time we finished the movie, it was time to check out of the hotel and get headed home.

Driving home was the worst part of the trip. It took nearly eight hours to make the 5 ½ hour drive. There were major vehicle accidents at three different spots on the interstate. I seemed like we were in bumper-to-bumper traffic much of the way home. Mama managed to navigate us around each of them but we were not the only ones on the road who looked for an alternate route, so even though the freeway was very slow, the alternate route was quickly choked with stop and go traffic as well. One wreck that slowed the entire intestate was not even on the interstate but everyone wanting to rubber-neck the scene slowed up traffic for about twenty minutes. The last of the three wrecks we wormed our way around looked like it was a very bad one. The vehicle was completely destroyed. All the doors had been cut off, all the glass was gone and the hood was lying beside the remains of the wreck. It was hard to imagine how anyone could have survived. Because of the impatience after cars cleared each of the chokepoints we were nearly involved in an accident; it was a very near miss. Irritated drivers were cutting back and forth trying to get out in front – only to get to the next jam. Mama did not have kind words for the inattentive driver that almost hit us. We were not in a hurry so it well worked out in the end, but it was a brutal drive back home.

I fly out today and will not be back in the office until Friday.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Safe travels, sickness, storms


Jake got to DFW without any issues. He and Mama shopped their way home from the airport. She had planned her stops at Sam’s and Winco while she was in the area but they also managed to squeeze in lunch at In-and-Out Burgers. Jake somehow knew a secret menu for In-and-Out Burgers so when he ordered something that was not on the very simple menu displayed above the registers Mama was a little shocked. The clerk taking the order was not the least phased by it when he ordered “animal fries”.  They are fries topped with grilled onions, cheese and some other sauce – and cost quite a bit extra. I have learned that you can get your burger done “animal” style also, but I will probably never do so.

All of us were sick last night. Mama was complaining about an upset stomach when I got home and I was not in much better shape. Victoria called on her way home to say she had been battling diarrhea all day. Only Jake was free from symptoms. We were beginning to think it was something we ate at the wedding on Tuesday but when I texted the pastor and the musicians to let them know I would not be there, we found out that Erin and her family were battling a stomach bug also. Cori, Nate and the kids are also sick with a stomach bug – so I suppose it could be other than something we all ate. It was not a pleasant evening. I never enjoy missing church.

Mama did cook some dinner for Jake. She had bought a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s so she made some mashed potatoes and green beans to go with that. Jake told Mama that his visits are as much for the good food he gets when he visits her as it is for the company and the fun. Melissa, Jake’s mom is still wondering what makes Mama Kim’s food taste better than hers. I think it is more that Jake and Mama like the same sorts of foods so her cooking is more aligned with his desires, but I could be wrong. The potatoes Mama mashed turned into a sort of thick paste when they were mashed - something like gum. Jake did not mind. He affirmed that they still tasted good. The pigs got the leftovers. Neither Mama nor I ate.

Late in the evening a storm rolled in. It was very impressive. Lot of black clouds against a contrasting bright blue sky. Lots of wind and lightening. I was lounging in my chair almost asleep when Mama went out the front door to feed the big dogs. She called to Victoria to have her come see the storm and just about the time I heard Mama say, “Did you see that lightening?” a boom of thunder shook the house and both Mama and Victoria screamed; so loudly that both of the Great Pyrenees ran off as if they had been shot. Mama and Victoria got to laughing at themselves so hard that they both had to run to the bathroom.

That is the part of being here that Jake enjoys so thoroughly.


Wednesday, July 5, 2017

A pleasant 4th, pig sales, yard sale prep, a wedding


Mama and I were up fairly early the morning of the 4th. We had to get the piglets into the building, separated from Tilly, so we could catch them for the Wycoff’s and the Cantrell’s. Brittany and her mom were there just after 8 a.m. They wanted to get the three males to take and raise for meat. The other four went to the Cantrell’s. Mama told me it would be easy to run the piglets back into the building as long as Tilly was eating – and she was right. As long as I stayed at the far end of the pen, the piglets ran to the building once Mama began to round them up. I put a piece of wood over the opening to the pen and cornered all of them in the little building. I had to put a few screws in the wood since the piglets would launch themselves at the blockage to try to knock it down. That was pretty entertaining. Once the Wycoff’s were there and we had the kennel they brought in place, Mama and Brittany started handing out the piglets. It was not a quiet affair. The piglets were squealing as though they were being tortured and Tilly was “barking” and grunting to let us know how irritated she was, but we managed to get the three we wanted into the kennel and carried to the vehicle.

When Kimberlyn and her daughter-in-law and grandchildren came we had only to catch the four that were left – not a problem. So, Mama took the grandchildren on a small tour of the farm for a few minutes before we actually transferred the piglets into the travel kennel. While on the tour Mama discovered that one of the piglets in the pig sty had gotten trapped in the back of the shelter. It was not quiet; neither was Mama. I had to take some sheets of metal loose so I could reach in to extract the little one. It protested loudly, as did Molly, but I think the little ones visiting with Kimberlyn were more frightened by the urgency in Mama’s voice than anything that was coming from the pigs. You know how excited Mama can get. It all ended well and all of the piglets in one litter are gone now. Mama’s hope now is to transfer Molly and her litter to the hog building lot and put Tilly in the pig pen. The pen is a muddy mess that I will have to tear down, level out then rebuild – if we feel it is needed.

As we waited on the Cantrell’s to get to the farm I loaded items from the shop area onto our small trailer so they can be taken to Bowie tomorrow to be put in Norman’s yard sale this weekend. One of those items is a claw-foot tub we bought to use in Victoria’s house. It was on its side on a pallet in the driveway getting cleaned up after a year of sitting. I looked really good after we got some bleach to it and scrubbed a little. When Kimberlyn saw it, she thought she and Kenny could use it to redo their bathroom. Sometime today we will know if it will fit where they need to place it. If so, they will buy it. I will be happy to see it go to a good home. I also plucked up the propane tank and loaded it on the trailer to be sold at the yard sale – hopefully. I needed the items moved so the shop was clear for the concrete to be poured next week – while I am gone.

All that was done by 11 a.m. Then we rested so we would be up for the wedding. Seth and Gabriella had their wedding yesterday. They are already legally married but I think having the formal ceremony made everyone feel better about the union – especially Seth and Gabriella. It was a casual affair without too many attendees. They had it a house in the country that is used as a “resort” or weekend getaway. It was a nice venue. Victoria took a lot of pictures for them. It will be fun to go through the pictures and see what came out. It was hot but not unpleasant since there was plenty of shade – and the house was airconditioned. Everyone that stayed has a good time – especially with the fireworks at the end.

Mama is on her way this morning to get Jake.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Mama’s load, repairs, babysitting, memories, fireworks


I am having to put a lot om Mama lately. Since I have had to travel pretty routinely and since my back is in the poor shape it is in, the bulk of the work for the daily operation of the farm has fallen to Mama. I am trying to get set up for her to be able to handle next week without my help. I will leave Monday afternoon and not return until Thursday night. During that time, we have contracted to have the slab poured in the shop, to have one cow taken to the meat market and to entertain Jake through the week. Jake arrives on Wednesday and will be with us through the 15th – Saturday of the following week. I am also slated to travel the week following Jake’s flight home, leaving on Sunday afternoon and returning Tuesday morning. I am not particularly enjoying the travel time but so far, it has not become a drudgery.

This last weekend we got Mama’s mower tuned up and ready for her to mow at any time she wants. We had been dealing with a flat front tire. I could air it up and it would last long enough for her to mow but would go flat as soon as it was parked. We repeated that process for several weeks until this last weekend. I pulled the tire off the mower and Mama took it to be replaced. In the replacement tire is a leak preventer that has worked in the other tire so we have high hopes. I also replaced the plugs, changed the oil and the oil filter and put in a new gas filter. The only thing I did not do was replace the blades. I am not up to that at the moment.

I also ordered new headlamp assemblies for the truck. They came in Friday. It took me a few minutes to discover how to get the assemblies off the truck but once I saw how they were mounted and secured, I was able to quickly change them out. I already had one headlight burned out so I went to O’Reilly’s and bought two new headlight bulbs as well as two new turn signal bulbs. I was looking forward to seeing the improvement this morning but had to take the Toyota so Mama could have the truck to get hay – if she is able. Norman and Grandpa found some square bales for $5 each so Mama hopes to buy ten bales to allow us to feed out #75 before she goes to the market next week.

We watched the Echeveria children overnight Saturday night. It was a bit of a strain but not without its humorous moments. Once Luke tests and proves the boundaries of the home he is fairly easy to deal with. The issue is getting them all to sleep once bedtime finally arrives. Joseph was the biggest challenge for Victoria. She finally put him in the crib that we have set up for Savanna. He protested that he was not a baby and did not want to sleep in a baby bed. Victoria laid down the law and he submitted. It was well after midnight.

Last night after church, we went to the home of an elderly woman in our church to watch the fireworks. She owns a home in a condominium neighborhood just above the place where the fireworks are set off. It is a great location to view the display and she is great company. She loves to talk but she is one of those interesting persons that can talk about life experiences for the sheer joy of recounting the memory; no opinion, no instruction, no preaching – just a memory. I admired a print she had in her entryway and she shared the story of acquiring it.

She and her husband along with her sister and brother-in-law went to Europe many years ago. They made no plans or reservations other than the night of arrival and the night of departure. It was to be a ten-day trip by rail wherever they decided to go. On the morning of the first day she bought the print, had it packaged in a shipping tube for easy transport and spent the next ten days hauling it all over Europe. What made it a funny memory for her was that everywhere they stopped they found the same print available for purchase; every market of every town. For many years following the trip, her husband teased her in recounting the story of hauling the shipping tube from country to country as the struggled with train schedules, luggage and cameras, and all the other issues of travel when they could have picked it up anywhere. Last year we watched the fireworks with Betty and her sister and her brother-in-law. Early this year he passed away. Telling the story of the well-traveled print was a good memory of both her husband and her brother-in-law.

Seth and Gabriella’s wedding is tomorrow evening. It ought to be interesting.