Safely home, Mama’s very busy day

The director of the home in Honduras posted a video on Facebook of Nate, Cori and the kids arriving safely at the airport in Honduras yesterday afternoon. They had five men with them to help Cori and Nate get all the luggage through customs and out into the waiting vans. It was reassuring to see the procession of carts (seven in total) loaded to the max with totes and suitcases carrying all their personal items being wheeled into the waiting area. Customs turned out to be a non-issue. They made it through without any problems at all – and much more quickly than they had thought they would. Seeing the event in “real-time” was one of the blessings of our electronic age. Now the work begins. Pray for them as they learn the language and adapt to the culture. Pray for their safety; especially of the children.

We spent some time at the office last night; at least I did. Mama came with me prepared to go to the ladies meeting at church and while she was there I sorted through all the information we had gathered on the houses in Lawton to rank them in order of potential gain to us. That way we can know how to bid at the auction in a couple weeks. We have five finalists. None of them are the deal-of-the-century, but all of them are have good profit potential. Mama will begin making calls on each of them to get the hidden costs identified before we make a bid on any of them. But not today. Mama has a very busy day today.

This morning, Mama is going to work at the farm watering our garden and trees. We have to do the watering in the early morning or in the late evening. Any other time of the day is too hot. The temperatures are forecast to be over 100°F for the next eight days. For the past several days they have been in the high nineties. That puts a strain on everything. Even though we put up a large shade cloth at the raised bed, the plants still struggle with the ambient temperature. By the time evening rolls around, most of the plants and trees are drooped over and sighing because of the heat. Later this morning, Mama is going to Bowie to watch Rick vaccinate his new arrivals and trim the hooves of the older goats. We really need to learn that process. Our poor goats are in bad need of trimming – especially the Nigerian Dwarfs.

After that, she is meeting Victoria for lunch. They like to go to a deli called Creative Cakes. I am told they have a very good salad bar. That is what Mama and Victoria keep insisting. But with a name like Creative Cakes, I imagine they have good desserts also. And what better way to enjoy a dessert than to eat a salad before eating cake. That should put Mama home at the farm just before Alex and the girls arrive. He is getting another cooking lesson.

Alex has been making all kinds of sweet breads, but they are not coming out as expected for him. Mostly they are too dry. He has found that If he adds more oil to compensate, they do not rise. So, he and Mama are going to make banana bread this afternoon to see what might be going on. Of course, I have a theory. First, Alex is trying to drastically cut the amount of sugar used in his breads. That will make the breads drier than expected. Second, he is using vegetable oil or shorting in his recipes. That drastically changes the flavor. Mama and I prefer real butter. It adds a richness to the texture and adds flavor to the final product. Whether or not he is trying to make the recipe as cheap as possible or as healthy as possible, I do not know, but good bread takes the right ingredients. There is not a good shortcut if you want a moist, sweet bread. Applesauce can be substituted for butter or shortening, but that is not a cheap solution. She and Alex will still be in the final stages of the baking when I get home.

Tonight, we have church. Tomorrow, a buyer is coming to get the goats in the morning and Mama is going for feed in the afternoon. My busy woman.