Tea time, burning, building, training

Yesterday evening Mama had visitors at the farm. Their mission was a bit incongruous with the setting. They were there to look over Mama’s collection of tea pots with the intent of having “tea” with the ladies in the very near future. I suppose you can have a proper tea in any setting, but I would think of it being served in a more formal setting than at the farm. I am sure Mama and her friends can pull it off. I just found it humorous that our home and farm would host a proper tea. The O’Conner’s, our visitors, had a good time visiting and looking at the collection of tea pots as well as looking at the house. They are a large family who moved to the area recently. There was very little rental property available to them when they got to Decatur/Bridgeport, so they were forced to take a house that is much smaller than they needed. Seeing our big sprawling house and the land surrounding it reinforced to them how small their living quarters are at the moment. We will definitely have them back over one evening for a leisurely dinner and a walk around the property.

With the ground so dry and the constant winds lately it has been a bit dangerous to burn anything – even in the burn barrel. But I started a fire yesterday so we could get rid of the big opossum I had to shoot Sunday evening. I did not let the fire get too high, but I had to get it sufficiently hot and keep it burning long enough to get the job done. In addition to the opossum, I had to shoot another squirrel we trapped in the chicken coop. I am purposely not going to number the total of rats and their tree-dwelling cousins that have had to be dispatched because they found their way into the coop and began destroying everything they could get their teeth on, building nests in every corner and hording pounds of chicken food. The problem is that once they claim residence there, there is no way to run them off. It’s sad but necessary.

This evening I hope to take the time to put my roof panels back in place above the rollup door. I will have to insert a spacer to allow room for the door when it is opened and fully wound on the roller, but it should not be noticeable once the building trim is in place. I have some small welding projects to do on the fence but I will have to wait until the fire danger lessens before I go making large amounts of sparks. Saturday, we were very careful to keep the sparks minimized. I had a hose ready to dampen any smoldering in the dry grass or leaves in the areas we were welding or grinding. I had to use the hose only twice, but I was glad we had it ready.

There are enough parts left for me to build a small stretch of fence by the large gate I am installing on the south side of the paddock I am creating. It should be enough to make sure the gate and that patch of fence are structurally solid in case we ever have to open it up to cattle in the future. At a minimum, there will be cattle on one side of the fence and gate while the goats are enclosed in the paddock, so a little extra support will be welcome. I realized that mistake on the common fence I have with the cattle on the first paddock we enclosed for goats. I will eventually have to go back and rework that fence to stiffen it sufficiently to discourage the cows from mashing it down when they see something attractive on the other side – like a scrap of alfalfa Mama dropped on her way to throw the residue from the feeder in the goat barn over to the cows. Daisy knows no restraint.

Tomorrow I will be teaching all day. It is a mock training. That is, I am doing a full blown eight-hour class presentation as though it was an actual class setting, but my audience will be my training peers. I am as prepared as I will ever be and anxious to get through it. Thursday, Friday and Saturday Mama and I will be in training all day. The seminar is for Tax Liens/Deeds Training.

Both Mama and I are anxious to get the information we need to get started.

Help, unwelcome visitors

Mama and Victoria helped me get the rollup door in place Friday night. I was confident the three of us could get it done although Mama was less so. When I had it in place I discovered that I was off by about ¼ inch on my height measurements. The door fully would on the drum just barely brushed the underside of the roof panels as it turned. To be able to get the door into the side rails, I had to take the roof panels loose at the front of the shop and raise them slightly. Now that the door is down and properly adjusted, I can screw the roof panels back in place – with only a tiny spacer to ensure I have all the room I need. Mama did not know that I had ordered the door to match the trim. That really excited her. This week I will complete the siding and trim on the front of the shop. Installing the smaller rollup door on the back of the shop should be fairly easy since it is only a four-foot door.

My coworker came over Saturday in the early afternoon. By the time he got there I had already begun cutting the fence loose. I cemented in the posts that had the gate attached to them and had the holes almost complete for the two posts we were moving. The night before I had gone to Harbor Freight and bought a portable band saw to ue on the fence. That turned out to be a real timesaver. I had all the cutting wheels I needed for my grinder, but I did not have the adapter required to use them so before he got there to help I had been using the Sawzall to cut through the welds. It was slower, but it worked. His grinder outfitted with the proper cutting wheels sliced through the welds much quicker than I had been able to with what I had available. Within an hour we were pulling posts to be reset.

When he had looked at the fence last week, he had suggested leaving the smaller rail pieces as long as possible, so we would have less cutting and less welding to do when we reattached them to the relocated posts. That turned out to be a very good idea and saved a good bit of time when we did weld the fence back together. We were done by 4:30pm. It does not look perfect, but it accomplished something I had wanted to get done since we took out the tree the fence had been routed around shortly after we moved onto the farm. It opened a large space in that area of our driveway and makes it possible to access the shop much more easily. It also makes it easier to back out of the driveway from the garage. What a blessing. Now I will gravel or blacktop that extra area to make it look like it belongs to the driveway.

When Mama went out Sunday afternoon to check on the animals she discovered the remains of the two Banty hens that have roosted on the hay feeder we use for the goats. We had tried several times to get them relocated to the coop or the Banty house without success. They always ended up back in the goat barn. We will fight that battle no more. When she saw the feathers in the hay feeder she followed the trail of feathers back to the Igloo dog house we keep in the barn for the goats to discover that one on the two missing birds was half eaten inside the Igloo. By the time she got back into the house to find me, I had already dressed for church. We decided to get the mess cleaned up after church.

That actually worked out to our benefit. By the time we got changed and gathered what we needed for the cleanup we discovered the culprit. When Mama shined the light into the Igloo to show me the half-eaten chicken, she also found the opossum that had done the deed at work on his kill. I headed to the house to get my pistol while Mama fussed at me to hurry. I knew the opossum was not going anywhere. It’s not their nature. A raccoon would have been different. One shot and he was done for. One more unwanted visitor gone but so many more to yet contend with. That one was quick and easy.

But it did reinforce the need to make sure the chickens are closed up every night.

Almost - on several counts

On my way home yesterday evening I was stopped by a serious accident at the intersection of 1810 and 1655. There was no way around. All lanes were blocked, and all traffic was routed out 1655 to Bridgeport. I ended up following the traffic to Bridgeport and back around through Chico to come west on 1810 towards home. As I was making the trip the long way around, I paced through alternate routes I could have taken and the time cost of each route. All were about the same since I do not know the back roads in the area. By the time I got to the intersection I needed, traffic was coming from the direction that had been blocked. Oh, well.

I was supposed to get the front opening of the shop ready by the time Zach could come that evening, but I knew there was no particular hurry since he had a meeting at the school at 6 pm that had to be taken care of before he could meet me at the farm. I worked on taking down the panels I had installed to temporarily close the opening and got all the fasteners in place so we could get right to the task of raising the new rollup door when he was able to help. By the time Mama got home at 7:20 I began to realize he might have been held in the meeting much later than he expected. I had Mama text him at 7:40 and he responded that he had just gotten home and was getting ready to change and come over. We postponed the installation for that night. His children’s bedtimes were rapidly approaching, and I hated to interrupt that contact time. My door is not that important. It is a simple thing I can add to Saturdays activities. I suggested to Mama that she and Victoria and I could do the installation since it is a relatively simple process. It is not something I can do by myself, but it does not require much additional help.

Saturday morning, I will have help getting the fence moved.  My coworker has gotten his welding rig and is planning on being at the farm in the morning to start cutting apart the old fence so we can relocate it. Neither of us was able to get hold of a cutting torch so we are borrowing a gas-powered metal saw from Norman. It is one of those that can be used for cutting metal or concrete depending on what blade is used. It is heavy and awkward, but it beats grinding every weld off the rails we want to preserve for resetting the fence. I am seriously tempted to go to Denton and buy the metal cutting band saw I have been looking at, but I will restrain myself.

While waiting on Zach, I finished the holes for the portion of fence Nate and I took out from behind the shop. Right now I have the front loader of the tractor resting on top of the fence as it stands in place. I was about an inch shy on one hole when I manhandled it into place. I figured I could mash it into place the rest of the way this evening. To do that, I soaked the two holes it is resting in to soften the hard clay in the bottom of the holes. That portion of fence has a five-foot gate built into it. I needed a gate on the driveway side of the fence, so Mama would not have to walk around the shop to tend to the goats we are going to keep in the enclosure. There will be an additional large gate in the back that we can also use, but I did not want that to be the only access for Mama. She is not very adept at climbing fences at this stage of her life. If I have thought it through thoroughly enough, we should be able to get the fence cut and reset in about four hours.

The unknown factor is the time it will take us to make the needed cuts.

Cooking, company news, little setbacks

I did not mention our cooking lesson in yesterday’s blog, but it did happen Tuesday night after I got home from my ill-fated dental appointment. By the time we got the Chinese home in Decatur it was around 6:40. Grandma C already had everything cut up and ready to cook. The rice, which is a distinct variety, had been soaking for about two hours. That has always been the challenge with Asian cooking. The time required to prep the food for cooking is generally much longer that the time it takes to actually cook the dish being prepared. Anyway, the instant we were there we were ushered into the kitchen for our lesson. That is, as soon as we were given house shoes (slippers) to wear since we had kicked off our shoes at the door. (Mine were way too small and Yilin and Cheyenne got a big kick out of watching me try to keep them on my feet.) the pot was put on to start heating and a bit of oil was added. When that was sufficiently hot the shrimp was put in the oil to begin the process. They were allowed to cook for about a minute.

Grandma kept Shulin busy translating her every move as she put the Chinese Cabbage, the fresh ginger and carrots – all cut very small – into the pot with the shrimp. Those cooked for a few minutes before the rice was added. As Grandma was adding the rice she added water heated in a kettle. So, everything was at boiling temperature very quickly. Once the pot began to boil, the heat burner was turned off and the pot was let stand for about twenty minutes on the burner. That twenty-minute wait was the longest part of the whole process. Grandma kept wanting me to taste the porridge and Shulin kept reminding her that my mouth was still numb. All in all, we were in and out in about forty minutes. We went home with a fresh pot of porridge and the information on how to prepare it ourselves. Grandma, through Shulin, told us that she loves to cook and does not get many opportunities to do so, so, if we make the soup and it does not turn out as well as the soups she has made for us, she would be very happy to make the soup for us anytime we want. That is a wonderful backup plan.

My company had a company wide meeting yesterday to announce some changes to the employee handbook. All the changes were good policy changes or updates. All reflect a cultural shift away from a small, mom-and-pop organization towards a more established corporate mindset. One of the changes that resonated with my fellow employees was the more relaxed dress code. We will no longer be required to dress business casual; rather, we will be allowed to wear jeans to work while at the office. There are caveats that I wish were clearer, but overall, that particular item made everyone very happy. Outlining a new bereavement pay policy and moving payroll to an in-house function were also good changes. Though less immediately impactful, they will prove to be very good choices on the part of our leadership. It reflected a huge step forward in our HR oversight.

Mama and I stopped by the office after church last night. We would like to advertise our two little female goats for sale on the Myotonic registration site and that requires more internet power than I have available at the house right now. But we were unable to find out just how to get the advertisement placed on the site. Mama will call today to get a detailed explanation from the ladies that run the site. We know it is possible because Rick – our goat mentor – has used the site often, but we were totally at a loss to discover how and it was too late to call for help.

Our Sequoia has been burning out fuses lately. The one that fails allows power to the dome lights and the clock. It is not noticeable so much during the daylight hours – other than the clock not keeping time – but at night it a bit disconcerting. In the past I have been able to replace the fuse, and all is well. But when I replaced the fuse Tuesday evening, it did not rectify the issue. Tonight, I will spend some time on troubleshooting, but there is a limited amount I can do. Maybe the replacement fuse was bad.

I have several to experiment with but few ideas past that.

Dentist, more information, Hope

I got to the dental office in Bridgeport a few minutes early yesterday evening and they were not overly busy, so I got in right away. That was 4:15. The dentist that tended to me was not the same one that had recommended the treatment I was there for but that was not a problem. This dentist I could actually understand when he spoke to me. Those of you who know me know that I rarely have a problem understanding anyone who speaks to me – regardless of their background. Anyway, he was pretty short with the dental hygienist tending to me. I had already agreed with her that the two fillings identified on the left side of my mouth (they were doing one side at a time – upper and lower) could be done since I would already be numb for the treatment. The dentist let her know rather sharply that he would not be doing any fillings. He wanted to do a buildup on some tooth but was not specific. He said it in such a way that I got the feeling that he did not want to say it in front of me. I got that impression even more strongly when both of them left the room to discuss it further.

After the shots in my upper and lower jaw I sat there for over an hour. Longer than required for me to get fully numb. They had left the TV on above me, so I was counting the time by the programming. At a little before 6 pm the hygienist came back to let me know that the dentist was doing a root canal on a patient that had been scheduled for the same appointment time as me. When I asked how much longer it could be before they started on me, she said there was no way to tell. Having had several root canal procedures done myself, I could relate to what she was telling me. Some of the root canal procedures took an hour. Some took three hours. When she came back I told her that the numbing was starting to wear off in by front lower jaw. It was decided that I would go home and reschedule the appointment for a later date…NOT. When I called Mama to let her know what had happened, she was not happy. The numbness in my upper jaw had not worn off by the time I went to bed and this morning my jaw is hurting from the series of shots I received. All in all, it was not the worst dental experience I have ever had, but it will make the top ten list. I still need to have my teeth cleaned but we will not be going back to that office.

Mama and I spent an hour on the computer last night listening to a webinar about tax deeds. It reinforced the opportunity once again and added a few missing pieces of information to the mix. Mama will spend the next few days looking over the material we were originally given when we attended a presentation in Ft Worth. She has slack time while she is performing her classroom monitoring duties and assures me that she will be able to extract the information we need to get county contacts and lists to begin researching liens and deeds. I am anxious to get started. Mama is starting to see the plan come together – especially as she is questioned by others about what we are going to do. We are being careful to understand the process fully because we will soon be teaching it to several other people.

I got word from Hope Children’s Home this morning. I applied for a position there but there are no openings at this time. However, the director wanted to keep my application and resume for consideration later in the year. Right now, they have no housing to offer and staff is required to live on campus. He mentioned that there would be an opening sometime this year but was not specific as to when that would happen. There is no urgency. Mama and I are happy where we are living and serving. Just not so much where we are working. If the opportunity comes, we will happily go.

I still have plenty to do on the farm.

Success – mostly, dental appointment and cooking lessons, study

Yesterday evening I was finally able to install the water line to the frost proof faucet at the wellhouse. It took all of twenty minutes to make the final connection once I had all the parts in hand. It will be very handy in the future. As I was working one of the calves noticed the “something new” on the outside wall of the wellhouse and crowded himself into the opening between the fence I have there and the wellhouse. To keep him out I leaned a pallet against the wellhouse to mostly block the opening. As the trough was filling I walked back to the garage and got a faucet cover to use at the wellhouse. When I got back with the cover I put it on the pallet rung – the bottom of the pallet was facing outward – and went inside the wellhouse to check for leaks. It was brutally windy yesterday, but I did not think about that as I both stood the pallet in place and put the foam faucet cover on the leaning pallet. Wouldn’t you know, the wind blew the pallet over and crushed the faucet cover. I berated myself for not being a bit more careful. It was the last cover I had available to use on the faucet. It probably was not needed but I wanted to take the precaution since the temperature was supposed to be in the twenties. It was just one of those times that I had unknowingly set myself up for failure. I was able to use the very broken cover on the faucet and place the pallet in a slightly more stable manner. I will go back this evening to check for leaks once more and set a more thought out temporary blocking mechanism to keep the curious steer away from the faucet.

Tonight, we are once again slated to spend the evening with our Chinese Grandma. She is going to show me and Mama how to prepare the porridge that she has been making for me. It will be nice to have another Chinese dish in our cooking repertoire. More than likely, I will not be able to eat any of what we prepare because I will be coming from a dental appointment to the cooking class. I am scheduled to have a “deep cleaning” done on my teeth. That requires a full numbing of the entire mouth. It would be unreasonable to expect that the feeling would have returned by the time we are supposed to meet Grandma for our lesson. I cannot express just how excitedly I am looking forward to this appointment. I thank God for dentists. I just do not like to visit them. They always seem to have bad news to report.

We have waited until tonight for our cooking lesson because Yilin’s mama will be there to translate for us. That will be a big help Grandma C. Yilin can do okay, but she does not have a large Chinese vocabulary. Sunday evening when we were getting the girls for Master’s Club, Grandma C was asking what day we were coming, and Yilin did not know the word for Tuesday, so she told her Grandmother we would be there in three days. Shulin, Yilin’s mother, will be a big help in getting all the chatter translated. It will be nice to visit with Shulin as well. She has been working at a restaurant in Dallas for the past year or more and is only in Decatur in short stays. Not the ideal arrangement to raise a daughter, but at least Yilin has the constant of her extended family here; of which we feel we have become a part.

Mama and I spent about an hour listening to a tax lien investing training CD as the evening wound down. The more we hear about the opportunity the more excited we are to pursue it. There are several people at the church that are eager to know more as Mama and I learn the process. It is our hope that we will be able to partner with two couples as we get more involved in evaluating and purchasing the liens and deeds. Last night, the training covered tax deeds. Mama was hesitant to look into tax deeds before we listened to the explanation of how that process works. Not she is not only receptive of the idea, she is wanting to thoroughly investigate it.

We still have so much to learn – but we are moving steadily forward.

Weekend events

Friday evening, I started to gather the things I would need to install the frost proof spigot in the wellhouse. Along with that I took time to assemble the miter saw table I had ordered a week or two ago. I still have not assembled the woodworking tables I got on Black Friday – but they are probably safer in the boxes while I continue to get the shop set up. Other than that, I did not do too much. Later that evening, Norman came by to help Mama find and order the gas logs for the fireplace. He has slotted some time to do the installation and Mama is pretty excited about getting the fireplace working again. There are some gas logs in the fireplace now but we have no idea how old they are or how they were used so we felt it was better to start new.

While Norman was at the house, we packed up Mocha to go home with him. Mama has nursed her back to health and she and Norman thought it best for her to go back to his home. Mama was missing her as soon as the two of them talked about Mocha leaving. Mama started immediately searching for a small dog to replace Mocha (and Rosie) a week ago when she and Norman began to coordinate Mocha’s relocation. Fortunately, or unfortunately, her stay with Norman did not last long. Sunday afternoon as we were all napping Mama got seven phone calls and Victoria got four. All of the calls were from Grandma except one. That one was from Norman. “You can have Mochie back. She is throwing up and I am too sick to handle it. Come get her. Bye.” Grandma’s voicemails were a little more cryptic but they all pointed the same direction. Grandma dropped Mocha off late Sunday afternoon. So far, she has not thrown up – nor do we expect it.

While Norman was at the farm we talked over a variety of subjects and he was able to guide us to a way to redo the countertops in the kitchen without it costing so much that we would regret redoing the countertops properly when we have the money in hand to replace and upgrade the cabinets. In addition to that, I got enough information from him that I can see the solution to getting the sliding doors installed on the west side of the goat barn. Both of those chores have bee on hold awaiting a better understanding of how to get them accomplished. Now they can move up on the list.

After Mama and I go back from Bus Calling with the pastor Saturday morning I started on the wellhouse. I had carefully accumulated all the items I thought I needed to get the spigot cut into the well, but I still ended up making three trips to the shop for tools I found out I needed as the job progressed. I also made a trip to the hardware store in Chico to buy a part I had not remembered to get. Two hours later I had the spigot stabbed through the wall and secured in place, but I could not cut it into the water lines because I lacked one of two items to make it work. There were two ways I could install the line and with either of those two pathways to success, I lacked one crucial piece to get it done. A fitting for one way and a short piece of ½ inch PEX for the other. Since I was planning on going to the men’s prayer time at the church that evening, I postponed a trip to Lowe’s – but when that was cancelled, I ended up stalled and unfinished. Oh, well. I spent the remainder for the day cleaning up around the farm and getting the larger of the rollup doors ready to be installed.

The door is too heavy and awkward for me to do by myself, but it should not be too difficult to get the help I need to get the door into place.

Rescheduled, pillows, bulk buying, thawing

Well, as it turned out late yesterday, I have been rescheduled to give my mock presentation at a later – to be determined – date. I am not overly disappointed, although it is one of those assignments that I would like to get done and out of the way. Having that off my calendar for the moment will leave me more time to get a couple other assignments moved along. Plus, I will be free to have lunch with Mama.

Mama and I went to Costco yesterday evening to return a two pack of pillows she and bought a couple weeks ago. They were pretty expensive, but the salesman assured Mama she would not find a more comfortable pillow anywhere. They were bamboo fiber material. The main feature that attracted Mama’s attention was that they were supposed to be cooling to the head while you slept. I did not even try the second of the pair we bought because I could tell from the feel they were too rigid and too tall for me to use comfortably. Mama only lasted half the night on the one she tried – for the afore mentioned reasons. Getting the right pillow has been a quest of ours for some time but it has become particularly urgent for Mama recently. So far, we have struck out. Even the much touted My Pillow did not meet her needs. So, last night she bought another two pack of much cheaper pillows to try. I have not heard the report of them yet but at the price we paid, they will remain with us as extras. I continue to use the one I have had for several years now. Mama says we bought it a BJ’s in New Jersey. I honestly do not remember, but I do know it has worked well for me for a good while. I dread the thought of having to find a replacement.

After Costco, we went to WinCo. I do not think we have seen the entire store yet, but what we have seen keeps bringing us back. Last night we bought raw honey there – from a bulk dispenser. That was a first. I could not argue with the price. Mama dipped her finger in the honey to try it and assured me that it is very good honey. That and the bulk coffee they sell will keep us coming back if nothing else stirs our interest. At the entrance they had a rack of one-liter soft drinks for $.25 each. One of the produces was the Sangria (non-alcoholic) that I like. Since the cheapest I have seen them is $1 each, I thought I might as well pick up a few. I got four for me and two for our pastor. He also likes the carbonated grape juice. I di not buy too many because it takes me several days to drink one liter – if Victoria helps me. Mama will not drink it. It works well as a digestive aid for me, so I drink it in small servings.

Nate, Cori and the kids got safely to Pensacola last night. It is as close to home as they can get right now, and they were happy to arrive. Because of the very unusual weather, they were stuck in Arkansas an extra day because the camper was frozen in place. They had to wait for the ground to thaw enough for them to break loose without damaging the camper before they could leave.

That was all for the best since the roads were probably not in the best shape while they were frozen in place.

Good service, the twins, training – sort of

We had a great service at church last night. A missionary to Palau was there. He was one of those individuals that did not know quiet. He spoke loudly. He sang even more loudly. It was humorous during the song service how everyone kept looking over at him. Personally, I enjoyed the help. From where he was sitting, on the outside end of the front pew to my right, he drowned me out. Fortunately, he had a great voice; a well-trained voice. Would that everyone would sing as boldly as he did. What a song service we would have then.

He sermon was just as bold and powerful; filled with quips and pithy thoughts. It was difficult to write down even a portion of what was truly noteworthy. “God can’t steer a parked car.” Not original, but it has been a long time since I heard it. “When the timing could not seem worse, just trust God. Remember all those prayers He answered for you that you know took multiple circumstances to fall into place at just the right time to meet your need. How long was God working on that answer before you thought to pray?” It was a timely sermon for me and Mama – especially Mama as we wrestle with what He would have us do with the farm; with our lives. Having finally gotten to the place where we have always wanted to be, there is an inkling that more is required of us that to simply maintain what we have accrued. On the bright side, we are definitely not in PARK.

Brittany is struggling with one of her little one’s teething – and the diarrhea, fever and general malaise that accompany the process. Her sister will not be far behind, but it is a blessing that they are not both going through it at the same time. Both have a touch of some bug to boot, but they are recovering fairly well. She has introduced them to baby food and both of the twins are loving it. I cannot imagine having to juggle both hungry girls at the same time every feeding, but Mama and I have had a taste of it in spurts during her child care years. It had its own way of working out as far as the timing of getting both bellies filled through eager mouths but it was often best that the feeding stretched out over a longer period of time so their bellies could register being full. Oh, that we would remember that lesson for ourselves.

Tomorrow I will be delivering training. It is a mock training exercise. I will give the same eight-hour presentation that I have given many times – but to a group of my peers. It has been a long time since I have been in that sort of setting – where I was giving a presentation that was very familiar to the entire audience for the sole purpose of being critiqued by that audience. I realize the same critique happens in every training setting, but not with the same level of focus that will be applied tomorrow. It is not a pass/fail. It is merely an exercise in sharpening presentation skills and ensuring we each adequately cover the required material and use the appropriate number of hours required for the course. I have been guilty of abbreviating the course in the past to accommodate travel plans for one or two class members – as have other instructors – but going forward, we will be required to use the full eight hours for the presentation and test. On the bright side, I am reworking the course to eliminate a lot of irrelevant material as well as update and, hopefully, enhance the most relevant material.

Over the weekend, I hope to assemble the rollup doors and see if I can get the help to install them. That will make the shop really look like a shop.

Uncomfortable cold, cooking, training

I think last night was the coldest night we have had this winter. I do not keep careful track of the temperatures but the temperature reading on the clock we have at our mantle registered 9.5°. When I started the truck, the registered temperature was 5°. The official reading is 10°F. At those temperatures the cold is uncomfortable regardless of how carefully dressed you are. When I worked in Kansas City, MO the temperatures were much colder through the height of winter and I discovered that when the temperature got below 10° it was difficult to determine just how cold it actually was. At some point, it all felt the same – freezing. Many mornings I would operate a Bobcat to remove snow from parking lots, driveways and sidewalks at temperatures well below zero. It was never comfortable, but I learned to dress for it, tolerate it, and keep working. The cold this morning reminded me of those mornings. Fortunately, I did not have to work out in it.

Mama on the other hand, will have to be out in it for a little bit this morning to open the coop and set out feed for the goats. It will be pointless to try and get water to them this morning. The temperatures are forecast to get above freezing this afternoon. That is when we will give water to the animals. Yesterday, the highest temperature was 27° (at 3 pm) so I put out water as soon as I got changed into my farm clothes. The poor goats and chickens were so thirsty they downed all the water I poured into their watering troughs. I made sure they all had their fill while I was available, knowing that the water I poured out would be frozen within the hour. The temperatures are not forecast to be below freezing for the remainder of the month – after one last freeze tonight. That is definitely good for the animals. Mama won’t mind it either.

We did not make it to the Chinese home for our cooking lessons yesterday evening. With the cold and the need to set up waterers for the chickens, get sufficient water to the goats and close up the barn lot well house properly, there was not time to make the suggested time for the cooking lesson. We rescheduled for Thursday evening. I still need to learn to make the porridge. Since I have been eating it as my primary food intake, I have felt much better. I would like to continue that trend; however, I would like to be able to change the recipe a little since the porridge with shrimp is the only way I have had it prepared. Mama cannot understand how I can eat the same thing day after day. I have no problem with it; especially if it is promoting good health, but it would be nice to try it with ham or turkey or chicken or egg or even goat meat. Alex told me that if I used dried fish or squid I would have to allow more cook time, but I do not see that happening. I might enjoy it fixed with those ingredients, but Mama would not kiss me if I ate it that way.

Also, last night Mama and I watched a two hour webinar on Tax Liens. Well, I watched it while Mama sat on the couch and listened to the Lu La Roe lady – but she had it “turned way down”. She insists she can do both but mostly she just expects me to fill in the details for her at a time when she feels that she needs those details. It was a very helpful presentation. Mama and I are both looking forward to the three-day training coming up at the beginning of February. Zach and Alissa, Kenny and Kimberlyn and even our pastor are all excited to know more. That puts the onus on me to learn this well; well enough to teach it. Our homework assignment is to select six tax lien states and six tax deed states. Within each of those states we are to select three counties. Once that is done we will request lists from each of those thirty-six counties and begin culling the lists for only the properties that meet a very select criterion.

I am looking forward to getting started.

Winter – sort of, porridge, refi

Last night was another winter storm that wasn’t; at least for our immediate area. If I understood correctly, there is some icy weather south of us, but we ended up above the dry line for this one. I have to admit to being a little disappointed. I do not wish ill on anyone, but it would have been helpful to get some moisture to our area – regardless of the offensiveness of the form it comes in. When I got to work this morning, there were little drifts of snow at each of the parking blocks. At the farm, I was not able to see any accumulation. It is quite cold. Temperatures are in the teens with the forecast tonight of temperatures in the single digits. Hopefully, we are ready for that kind of cold at the farm.

I started filling the cattle trough last night as Mama and I were in the barn lot. I hooked the hose to a valve I installed in the well header that will be used to drain the system for repairs when needed. I have not yet cut in the frost proof spigot that will allow me to attach the hose outside the well house. Since the trough was empty, I pulled the door shut as far as I could and let the water run. There is a float in the delivery end of the hose at the trough so we do not have to worry about leaving a hose running – like Mama has done several times. I meant to go back over to the well house to shut the valve, disconnect the hose and shut the door fully. I did not think about it again until this morning as I was getting out of bed. I hope everything is alright. I will find out this evening after we go to our Chinese family’s house for another cooking lesson.

Recently, our Chinese Grandma has been cooking a rice porridge with slivers of carrots and shrimp. It is very good and it is perfect for my current colonic issues. We will be told that there is a pot of the porridge ready for us and we will go to the house and get the pot. Every time we return the pot, it is refilled and given back to us so somewhere in the Chinese household the decision was made to teach us how to make the porridge. That will happen tonight after Cheyenne and Yilin are home for the evening.  I will enjoy knowing how to make the soup. That way, I can do it as needed – and in whatever flavor I want at the time. It is one of the dietary items that is fully beneficial to me; plus, I like it.

Mama and I are closing on a loan to refinance the farm today. I put off the refinance for as long as was practical. When we bought the farm, our income was more than double what we now earn so paying for the property and maintaining our herds and flocks was not an issue. I am not complaining, there are so many around us that have far less than the Lord has given us, but I had to make a few major adjustments to keep things operating as usual. Now with the refinance, we will buy ourselves about three to five years. That will give us time to evaluate the financial practicality of continuing to operate our little farm. Unless there is a significant change in our income, it will be difficult to continue as we are now doing. Balancing the books year by year will not get us to the financial position we need to be retire in seven to ten years. Understanding the underlying financial issue will be the key to coming up with a long-term solution. For now, Mama and I will keep enjoying the farm, the animals, the privacy. We love our little patch of dirt and it had provided well for us.

It is nice to have something nice and in the next few years we can only make it better.

Saturday news and my dental report

Nate, Cori and the kids got off safely Saturday. They did not have far to go so they waited on me and Mama to get back from the dental appointment she had scheduled for us that morning. Meanwhile, Nate worked on emptying the black water tank on the camper. It took longer than normal because the plug was frozen in the line. He had to get a heater out of the house and warm the line sufficiently to get the plug to come out. Everything past the plug was operable, so once that was loose, he was able to empty the contents into our septic system.

I did not get good news at the dentist. I need a “deep cleaning”. Not a big issue, but not a cheap procedure. Additionally, a bridge I had put in over twenty years ago has reached the end of its functional life and needs to be replaced. Since the bridge spans the gap caused by the removal of a non-repairable tooth, the insurance company will not pay any part of the expense to replace it. They call it a “missing tooth clause.” I always thought that was the purpose of installing a bridge; to bridge the gap caused by a missing tooth. Silly me. Anyway, the price is $2250. That is on top of the other fillings (4 recommended) and the deep cleaning, bringing the total to about $3000. I hesitate to speak ill of any dentist because I have to trust that they have a genuine concern for my dental health, but I struggle with the costs associated with the care they attempt to provide. Nothing hurts, so I will get the special cleaning and see where we go from there. I am not totally certain there is not a better, more cost-effective solution.

After lunch Saturday, a coworker and his family came over to help me access a fence relocating project. He was a welder by trade and since the fence is a welded pipe fence I thought he might be able to see a better way to get the fence relocated than I was seeing. While his family looked around the farm with Mama, he and I looked at the fence. Sure enough, he studied on it, thought it through and saw a very easy solution. Next weekend he will got his welding rig and a cutting torch and the following week we will do the actual work. It will be a real blessing to get the fence moved over.

After we had worked out a solution to the fence we caught up with Mama and his family. He has a 10-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son. They were feeding the fainting goats. His wife was raised on a large ranch in Oklahoma and one of her relatives had a large herd of goats. There was always an unexpressed competition between uncles concerning who would make the most money in livestock sales; the goat herder or the cattleman. Believe it or not, year by year, measuring cost versus return, the goat herder was always a little ahead of the cattleman. Gross revenues may not have been as high, but return on investment was very close. Since they do not want to own a large property, they are considering goats in their future.

We visited for a couple hours as the youngest played with the dinosaur collection we have in a clear container in the living room. He knew quite a bit about dinosaurs. His mama only had to help him on a couple occasions when he could not remember a particular name. It is always fun to watch the fascination some young minds have with dinosaurs. It is good to encourage that fascination especially when one is willing to learn the complicated names associated with reptiles. They are not a churched family. We got a chance to witness gently. Even the dinosaurs helped present the Bible as truth. Only the Lord knows what will come of that.

Friday after work I was able to get the rollup doors for the shop. I hope to get both of them installed this week. That is exciting.

Training, partying, homecoming, outgoing

For the past two full days I have been in training – a refresher for all the trainers at my company. It was good to see the course presented as it was and get a fresh perspective on the material and its application. Definitely an opportunity to see areas where I can improve my presentation of the same class material. They were long days but the participants in both training sessions made the time enjoyable. One group traveled from Minnesota to get the training Wednesday. Both days were caught on video. I am sure I will be in a large portion of the video for Wednesday because I was sitting at the front table right by the speaker. He and I interacted a good bit because it was the first time he had presented the material is a year or so and we had made some updates to the presentation that he was not totally familiar with. We concluded the day with a short review of the class to capture key opportunities for further improvement and to share other observations.

I headed from the class to Pizza Hut where Mama and several others were waiting on Cori and Victoria. Mama and Cori had set up a surprise birthday party for Victoria. Right after Victoria got there – about 5:40 – I headed home to get changed for church. The Echeveria’s, the Wycoff’s, the Burn’s, Norman and Grandma were all there for the party. I think she was surprised, but I did not take time to find out. I know Mama ordered eight pizzas and there were only a few pieces left when the party was over. (I got one piece after church.) On the way home from church, each vehicle had one of the grandkids. Mykenzie rode with Victoria. Grant rode with Mama. Blake rode with me and Savanna rode with Cori and Nate. I think this was the first time we had all four vehicles at church on the same evening.

I was pretty late getting home yesterday but Mama had waited on me to get out and do the feeding. All the grass eaters needed hay, so I had to get the bales down from the loft of the goat barn. I needed to get a large bale for the cows – especially since Daisy and her calf were returned to our farm – but the temperature was dropping quickly, and the wind was howling out of the north. We had some old bales that needed to be fed out anyway, so Mama and I used them to fill up the herd for the evening. The goats were so excited to get the fresh hay and alfalfa that they almost fainted. With the cows, I thought I had a day or two before we needed another round bale, but Daisy cleaned up in one afternoon what was remaining from the bale the calves had been working on for a couple weeks. Although it is nice to have our herd back, I will need to be far more proactive in making hay available through the remainder of the winter. A big shout out to our neighbor for wrangling and delivering our wanderers. Other than keeping Daisy full – if that is possible – her calf is even more skittish than #75 and her calf were. Mama is not thrilled about that.

Nate, Cori and the kids will be finalizing packing today and heading out tomorrow. Lord willing, this will be the final stage of deputation for them. They have firm-ish plans to leave for Honduras in May. Mama is both excited and sad.

Fortunately, they are heading south this weekend.

Escapes and releases

As I drove into the driveway yesterday evening, it was apparent that something was amiss. The grandkids were all excited about something, but it was not a happy excitement. It did not take long to find out what was up – the grandkids are always eager to be the first to share news. Someone had left the gate to the back yard open and all the dogs had gone for a frolic in the countryside. The blame was quickly laid on the tiny shoulders of the youngest, but as the dialogue continued it turned out that she was simply the last one to walk through the opened gate. Regardless, all three dogs had run off as though they had somewhere to be.

Nate was walking the road and as soon as I had Savanna, the other three grandkids headed to catchup with their father. Mama and Cori were gone to the LuLa Roe lady in Bridgeport and would not be home for a while. Victoria was not home from work yet but was expected soon. So, Savanna and I began to feed the goats, collect eggs and get water to the cattle in the barn lot. From the engorged look of Daisey’s utter it was apparent she needed to be reintroduced to the neighboring property to be reunited with her calf. However, with Savanna in tow, I was not going to attempt to separate Daisy from the two calves we are trying to keep at the farm. That little chore would have to wait on Mama to help me.

Once Victoria got home and could watch Savanna I started working on a yard hydrant that would not drain when the valve was closed. It is the only one I have poured a little cement pad for. Fortunately, I poured the pad so that the hydrant was in one corner of the pad, but I still had to dig under it to get to the weep hole in the stem that was not allowing the stem to drain. Once I got there, I saw the problem. I had allowed some of the concrete to plug the weep hole. It was all repaired and backfilled before Mama got home. Maybe now the hydrant will not freeze. Still no sign of the dogs in spite of the intense efforts of Nate and the kids to call them in.

With Mama’s help Daisy was released to find her calf just before dark. Mama and Cori had brought home some Arby’s sliders and I ate one as well as some soup that our Chinese Grandma had made for me. While I was at the table Sam and Sasha started barking like an intruder was near. Kobe had made it home. The Pyrenees did not treat her well. They never do. Kobe is not submissive to them and it always leads to a fight. No on is ever injured, but it sounds horrible and Mama always panics. I went out to let her into the yard and Victoria went out to see if she was injured in any way from her time out in the countryside. Bella came home about thirty minutes later. Kira was still out. Those two seemed to be okay; filthy, but okay.

It was now fully dark and the coyotes were on a tear. It sounded like there were one hundred of them nearby.  Sam and Sasha were challenging them from the front yard for a while, but they must have heard something that needed further investigation because they suddenly ran out of the yard and full speed. Victoria was worried about Kira because she is still in heat. That is a powerful attractant to anything canine. It was another thirty minutes before Sam and Sasha came home with Kira in tow. According to Victoria, she looked to be in better shape that Kobe and Bella.

Both Victoria and Mama were in that mommy mode where there is a delicate balance between scolding and welcoming; between stern rebuking and sweet relief. All three will need to be thoroughly bathed today and Cori has volunteered her family for the task. After all, the kids spent yesterday afternoon brushing the dogs. Cori watch as all three dogs and all four kids cooperated in the effort. The dogs were carefully brushed and then the removed hair and grass was gathered and put back on the dogs, so it could be brushed off again.

I wish she had taken a video.

Herding, or not, puppy news

Saturday morning as Nate, Cori and the kids were packing up to leave, Mama got a call from Wayne. He had Daisy and her calf penned up and ready to be loaded. As Nate was pulling out of the drive I headed to the barn to get the tractor. I figured it would be easier and much quicker to use the tractor to hitch up the trailer and drive the short distance to get the rest of our herd. That turned out to be a good decision. I was able to quickly get into position to load Daisy and her calf. Once we were in place at the simple corral Wayne has on the property he leases, we saw that there was an extra calf in the mix. We did not think it would be a problem but boy, did it turn out to be a major issue.

We got all three into the stock trailer but could not get the little steer to separate from our calf and Daisy. I got into the trailer from the front door high on the side of the trailer and tried everything I could think of to get the errant calf out of the trailer. After several near missed getting the calf to offload, we locked our little heifer calf in the front of the trailer and ran Daisy and the steer back into the corral to try again. What Wayne and I did not know was that Mama had left the gate to the corral open and Daisy and the steer calf walked out of the open gate and ran into the pasture without even so much as a backward glance.

Wayne and I groaned, shrugged and decided I would take our calf and get Daisy later. Mama had ideas of her own. She walked Daisy over to our gate and let her into our barn lot. I got on the tractor and started home with our calf; mission accomplished. Wayne stopped me as I turned the trailer to head home because I had forgotten to latch the front gate on the trailer and it was swinging open. About the time we got stopped, both of us rushing to seal the breach, our heifer calf jumped out of the opening and ran as fast as she could to the open pasture. The gate is about four feet above ground level, but the calf made the jump with little effort. We both laughed about the fiasco and Wayne assured me he would try again soon. Meanwhile, Mama had successfully gotten Daisy into our barn lot. She was quite pleased with herself, until I told her that I did not have Daisy’s calf with me.

Later that evening I tried to let Daisy back into Wayne’s pasture, but she was not interested. So, I wired shut the cow panel we have in the opening and she stayed with us for the weekend. If she is willing tonight, Mama and I will let her back onto the lease so she can be with her calf. Just goes to show you we are not very proficient at herding cattle. We both felt badly for Wayne and all the effort he had put into getting Daisy and the calf separated out for us.

On the other hand, Mama and I got up Sunday morning and saw that the dwarf goats were not in their enclosure. We hurried out to see if we could get them back in. I headed out through the back yard as I usually do and by the time I had crossed the yard, all five goats were waiting for me in their little area. Mama and I do not know if one of us left the gate open or if one of the goats managed to raise the latch, but getting them back was much easier than fooling with a 1200# cow and two skittish 400# calves.

On the puppy side, Victoria sold her last pup to someone in Oklahoma. As we were trying to figure out how to get the pup to the person wanting him, it dawned on us that Cori, Nate and the kids were heading to Oklahoma City for a Sunday morning meeting. The buyer was only a short distance outside of Oklahoma City, so they took the pup with them and handled the delivery. We were all thrilled. I do not have pups to deal with. Victoria sold all the pups successfully. Cori, Nate and the kids got to play with the pup all the way to their destination. Mama was just happy for all the rest of us.

That’s how she is.

Car issues, investment strategy, Mama’s resume

When I met Mama for lunch yesterday she let me know that the kids were coming to join us. Sounds like fun, right? Well, Cori called about the time I got my soup warmed up and told Mama that they were having car trouble and needed Mama to come and get them. I told Mama that did not make sense. If they were at the farm why would she need to get them to come to Decatur for lunch? (Mama told me they were at the farm.) What Mama did not know before she left the church to rescue them, was that they were at Walmart in Decatur. The engine alarm came on as they were starting the vehicle to come to the church to meet us. That made a lot more sense to me. I had a feeling neither Cori or Nate would have Mama run to Chico and back just so they could have sandwiches in the gym.

Nate dropped off the vehicle at a local repair shop that people in the church use on a regular basis and all of them came to the church. The repair shop is supposed to run a diagnostic to see what the issue could be, but as far as I know, no word has come back yet. So far, the vehicle they bought has done exceptionally well for them. We are praying it will continue to do so through the end of May – when they are planning on relocating permanently to Honduras. The Goings family, the administrators of the home in Honduras, are going to be state-side during the earlier time Nate and Cori were planning to leave the US, so they requested the later date in order to be there to help Nate and Cori make the entry into the country. I believe that is a wise decision. Anyway, the vehicle needs to be ready to go as soon as possible. With meetings scheduled in the Northern States for the last two weeks of January and into February, they need trustworthy transportation for what could be difficult travel.

Meanwhile, back at home, Mama and I are going to a seminar this weekend to investigate tax lien investing. We looked at the investment process while we were in New Jersey but could not make the system offered to us at that time work for us. The way things are done in New Jersey did not fit our personality or investment style; too rushed, too high dollar, too aggressive. Now here we are, looking at the opportunity again but the company offering the help has a completely different approach to the process. One that looks like it will fit us much better. We’ll see when we attend the seminar – translate that sales pitch – Saturday afternoon. I have been looking for something Mama and I can do together. This may not be it, but she is willing to investigate the potential opportunity with me. Real estate is something she understands and knows how to research.

Also, I recently put in an application to Hope Children’s Home in Tampa Florida. That is the ministry that the children’s home in Honduras operates under. Their recent news letter mentioned several openings. Mama and I have long-term plans of working for the home as part of our retirement, but if they could use us at an earlier date, we are wiling to go. Anyway, they responded to my application by requesting that I supply a resume for Mama also. Their practice is to hire husband and wife teams. So, I took a resume template home last night so Mama could help we with dates and other information. As we paced through it, things got cute. We talked about helping her Dad and Norman doing lawn care, providing childcare in the home, home schooling, etc. Then I wrote down, traveled extensively.

That started Mama and Cori talking about the trip they took from Amsterdam to Paris with a missionary wife who was living in Amsterdam at the time. Mama was having some potty issues on the trip, much to the consternation of their guide – who had mapped out their time in fifteen-minute increments. So, Cori offered “You can she peed in Amsterdam and Paris.” To which I added “all over England and Scotland.” We laughed and continued on with the real resume theme until Mama began to look over what I had written down. When she got to the line about peeing in Amsterdam she shouted, “Timothy Owen, you actually wrote that down!” And proceeded to cross it out. I assured her that the piece of paper it was written on was not going to be submitted for review, but she scratched it out anyway.

I told Mama even though it would not show up on her resume, it might show up in my blog.

Reflection, look alikes

Some days I sit and think about what to write; nothing comes to mind. Other days the page seems to fill itself. I was reflecting back over the holidays and trying to remember a moment when we all laughed so hard Mama found it impossible to stop. Even quite a few minutes after we had all calmed down, Mama conjured up the hilarity of the moment and spewed water all over me as she laughed in the middle of taking a drink. I honestly cannot remember what generated that much spontaneous laughter, but I feel like I should. It was a great moment. I should have taken the time to record at least a piece of it to save for future reference, but, alas, I thought I would be able to get it jotted down later.

One of the things the Lord has impressed on me it to take more time to annotate events throughout our daily lives. I tend to get caught up in the daily news cycle, the daily grind of work and farm duties, the minutia of life and miss the moments when we really enjoy living life. I have not reached a solution on just how to accomplish that, but it looks like it will take a multi-resourced approach; jotting notes on paper, recording notes on my phone, writing notes on a phone app and even taking pictures of the moment, compiling all that information in some central location.

I have to admit, I am one who needs pretty detailed notes. I have too often come back to some jot or tittle and not be able to make sense of the scribbling – even if I could read what was written. The fear I have is being so involved in taking note of the moment that I fail to truly enjoy the moment. Somewhere there is a balance. I will be led to it at some point. Giving equal treatment to all our children and grandchildren is also a moderate concern. That too should work out over time.

At church last night Mama and Alissa Burns got tickled by how similarly the pastor and I were dressed. I was standing with the Pastor at the front pew of the church and notices Alissa taking a picture with her phone. Mama was egging her on. When I pointed it out to the Pastor he put his arm around my shoulder and posed for another picture. People often remark how much we resemble each other – and I guess last night the similarities were more than usual. There is one couple at church, both of whom are special needs. The guy in the pair is always approaching me thinking I am the Pastor. The girl in the pair is constantly correcting him, saying “That’s the other one.”

Looking at the picture I can see why he gets us confused.

The heat pump, hurried returns

Last Saturday morning Mama, Nate and I were working outside and were all alarmed by the sounds our heating unit was making. Alarmed enough that I had Cori track down our pastor’s wife and get a reference for a repairman. The temperature was 15°. That was near the high temperature forecast for the day. The constant drizzle did not help in dealing with the cold. When we finally got hold of the man, he assured us we could run the heater on Emergency Heat if the outside unit was failing. He could not get to us until sometime Sunday afternoon. By late that evening everything seemed to be running properly so Mama contacted the repairman and rescheduled for Tuesday – yesterday; after the holiday weekend. When she called him to discuss the unit, he assured her that there was probably nothing to be concerned about. Heat pumps go through defrosting cycles when needed. That could have been the cause of the sounds and the steam we saw coming from the unit. He is scheduled to come to the farm tomorrow to give the unit a thorough inspection. It has been running well but we would like a confirmation of it’s overall health. The temperature is supposed to get above freezing today for the first time in four days. That will be a nice change. My truck thermometer registered 11°F this morning. Mama and I are counting our blessings. Zack Burns said his parents would be thrilled when the temperature got above 0°.

After spending Monday shopping – yes, New Year’s Day – Mama had to hurry back to the store to return some shoes she had bought during that shopping trip. I was looking for shirts and was very disappointed to see sale prices that were still too high to attract my spendable income. I suppose $25-30 is a good price for someone used to paying $110 for a single shirt, but that was not enticing to me personally – regardless of the brand. I looked at one other major retailer as Mama waited in a long line to get to the show department to be outfitted with shoes, but I did not find anything there either. We went to Burlington and I found a couple shirts I was moderately interested in. They were still not priced as I would have liked.

Fortunately, Mama “needed” to stop at Academy. I finally found some shirts I was willing to buy. They were $10 each (1/2 off the original price) so I bought five for work and two for the farm. Meanwhile, Mama and Mykenzie stumbled across a rack of marked down sandals. Normally $15 a pair, they were marked $1.98. By the time I dragged her away, she had grabbed $38 worth. Since Cori and Nate and the kids would need that type of footwear in Honduras, it made sense to Mama to stock up. Cori was pleased with the purchases and those that do not fit well enough to suit the person they were bought for can be given to some child or adult at the home when they get there. They will not go to waste.

However, the very comfortable shoes she had bought for herself were suddenly not a good fit and prompted the return last night. She assured me that we could be there and back by 8 pm if we left by 6 pm. I was not thrilled but she does not do well driving at night, so I reluctantly agreed to the road trip. Fortunately for me, Cori volunteered to go and do the driving. Since Mama’s real goal for the return was to get her money back so she could go to Bed Bath and Beyond, I was even more pleased that Cori had volunteered to go. I do not do well at that store. What I found out later was that she and Cori had been looking online and had found the scents Mama really likes. Those have not been available for a couple years according to Mama. However, when they got to the store, the store did not have what she was looking for. She ended up ordering what she “needed” online. Mama is slowly warming up to the idea of online shopping. Lord help me!

They did return the shoes, so it was not a totally unnecessary trip.

Long, cold weekend, potty training

Friday into Saturday last week the weather turned sharply colder. By Sunday morning the temperatures were in the low teens. There was not much we could do outside so Nate and I finished burning all the pallets from the pig pen and I tried to set up waterers for the animals that would keep their water thawed in the cold overnight hours. I shut down the well in the barn lot and let the lines depressurize to keep the hydrant at the chicken coop from freezing. It is a proper yard hydrant and would not ordinarily freeze but the weep hole that allows water to drain out of the stem of the hydrant must be plugged. We have had some trouble operating the handle on other cold mornings. Since this was supposed to be colder than we have had in the recent past, I wanted to do what I could to protect the hydrant; besides, I needed to cut in valves at the well so I could selectively shut off the hydrant at the barn. It has been dribbling badly for over a month and has caused quite a mess. I am replacing the hydrant and rerouting the water line into the corral for ease of use in the future, but the area will have to dry out a bit before I can do that work.

Sunday morning was the coldest day of the long weekend. The temperature was 12°F when I bundled up to go out and feed. Believe it or not, the goats were ready to get up and eat. The chickens were not so enamored with the idea of exiting the coop. There is no heat provided for any of the animals, but the coop and barns keep the wind off of them and over Saturday night, the enclosures kept the drizzle off of them. Sunday morning was not only very cold, everything was covered by a layer of ice. It was not a heavy layer, but it was everywhere, on everything.

We were a little worried about the roads but all of us got ready for church. Nate, Cori and the kids were going to do a drop in, but the church they were going to visit canceled their services that morning. About the time we got that news, the person I had asked to song for the a.m. service texted and said she would not be coming to church because the roads were too slick to travel on. A few minutes later, the Pastor began sending out word that services were canceled at our church also. Everyone got changed for a day at the farm. Mama was relieved that we did not have to attempt the sharp rise at the end of our road with ice on it as well as the county road it intersects. We did see some lingering patches of ice on our way into church that night – yes, we had services that night and had a pretty large crowd to boot.

Mama and Victoria had charge of the toddlers for that pm service. Savanna was one of that crowd of little ones. As they were all coming back into the church for the change offering (which the children collect from the adults in the service) Savanna burst into the sanctuary and shouted, “Mommy, I went pee-pee in the potty!” It was a great moment for the church. Every parent in the congregation could appreciate the moment with us. At home, we have all been teamed up to get her potty training off to a good start. There has been a modicum of success; only a few setbacks. It seems she prefers using the big potty rather than the potty chair. Whatever will work. Cori and Nate have a few more days at the farm to continue the training process before they travel to meetings somewhere up north. For that trip the camper will remain at the farm and they will stay in a hotel or a home at the destination. With the weather as it is in that direction, traveling without the camper is a good idea.

At work, we have a very busy January ahead of us. I am not sure what traveling I have over the next several weeks, but I do know there are at least five classes to be taught. I have a hunch, that pace will continue throughout the year.

Welcome to 2018.