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 15^th – 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.