Close call, Kobe’s spurning, Mama's outing

Mama nearly fell yesterday. She was going from the hallway into the living room. Our living room is about four inches lower than the rest of the house and Mama failed to navigate the elevation change with her walker. As she was attempting the change in level, she did not lift the back of the walker enough and it hung on the trim at the step. She was already in the balance mode of going forward with the step and had to hop, stumble, catch herself, what ever you want to call it, on her injured leg. It turned out okay – aside from the pain it inflicted on her rebuilt knee – but it frightened her and Victoria thoroughly. Those are the moment we hope to avoid entirely. We all get into situations where we are not attentive to what we are doing. We have done something so often that we move through the task on autopilot. For Mama, that cannot happen. In this instance, her focus was elsewhere and a few millimeters of error in the height of adjustment of her support nearly caused us a painful, if not injurious accident. Please continue to pray we can avoid anything near a repeat of the incident.

Mama and Victoria are heading to the doctor this morning to have her dressing and bandages changed. Mama is frustrated because she has not been able to shave her legs. I am assuming the attending nurses are used to that, but it still bothers Mama. She slept all night last night, so I helped her out of bed for her morning bathroom run. Then back into bed to rest and nap until Victoria is up to help her get rearranged for the start of her sedentary day. She is starting to show signs of cabin fever but is prudent enough to realize all excursions farther than the edge of the patio are ill-advised for the next couple weeks at least. I plan to get the tractor and disc and try to level the path through the yard to the coop area, but it may not be this weekend. I will have it done before Mama has to navigate the path.

One of the ladies at church recently had repair surgery on her right knee. She has struggled a great deal through her recovery. Now, at six weeks out, the doctor (the same one who did Mama’s replacement surgery) is sending her to physical therapy. He told her at her appointment yesterday that she was not where he wanted her to be at this point. Her reply was that she was not where she wanted to be either. The point being, the recovery process is slightly different for each person. Mama’s full recovery could be shorter than the 12 -16 weeks normally expected. But, it could be longer. Our prayer is for a full, pain-free, full range of motion recovery. Regardless of the time required. We only have to do this once if we do it right. The doctor has told Mama his expectation is that the new joint will last a minimum of 24 years. That should be more than sufficient.

Victoria took Kobe to see Leo. Our go-to German Shepherd stud. It did not turn out well. She was not remotely interested in his attentions – yet. Victoria guesses that she is a few days too early. In other words, Kobe is not in standing hear yet. It reminds me, when we went to pick up or bred goats, Rick told us about a buyer who came to him for a Billy goat for his herd and was disappointed by the Billy he first bought from Rick because the nanny goats could so easily outrun him. Rick tried to explain that when the nanny goats are ready to be bred, he will not have to catch them. They will stand and wait on him. The buyer ended up getting a second Billy goat who could move a little faster anyway. Rick just laughed. He got two sales out of the deal and the buyer got what he wanted – even though he did not need it. So, when Kobe is ready, Leo will not have to fight with her. That day was not yesterday.

If Mama is able, we are going to the restaurant for lunch. It will be Mama’s first outing since the surgery. I am not convinced that she can be made comfortable in the chairs at the restaurant, but we will try. Our Chinese family will be very pleased to see her.

Business update. still focused on Mama

With our attention focused primarily on Mama, we have not devoted much time to our business. Fortunately, with the approach we are talking, there is a three-week respite in the auction schedule we are following. That has worked to our advantage this month, however, Mama and I have to be on the ball right from the start next month. Several counties we are following will allow mail-in bids on properties that did not sell in the initial auction. Mama and I have our eye on two properties that we will need to provide bids on at about the same time I will be attending an auction in Garland County, AR. I have been using a portion of my lunch hour each day to continue working through the large list of properties in Garland County in order to be ready for that auction. At the same time, I am contacting realtors to look at the houses we are interested in buying in two other counties. I sure have missed Mama’s help this week but have muddled through as I can while still being available for her through the evenings. Since we are not leaving her alone at any time, I have not been able to get back to the office any evening this past week. Again, the need to do so has not been great with the lull in activity in county sales in this particular state. And, I have to remember that it has only been a week since Mama’s surgery. It just seems like longer to all of us. The bottom line is that although our routine is completely thrown into chaos, we are still on track to purchase at least one house early next month, with the probability that we will be able to get two houses by the middle of July.

After several not so good nights, Mama had a really good night last night. I had promised her when she laid down for the night that I would wake easily should she need me to help her out of bed during the night. I meant it. I even woke a couple times during the night to check to see if she might be waiting on me to rouse so I could help her. As far as I knew when I got up before the alarm this morning, she had not needed me. When I kissed her goodbye this morning, she confirmed that she had slept through the night – but was desperate to get up right then if I had time to help her. Of course, I did.

Before Victoria got home yesterday evening, Mama and I were thinking about who we could call to help her tomorrow. Victoria has Thursday and Friday off so today was our only concern. Mama made a call to an older lady in the church that had offered to help and left a message. When Victoria got home, she let us know that she had taken today off as well as the previously scheduled days. That took care of today. Tomorrow, Victoria will take Mama to the doctor’s office to get her dressing changed and get any updates on medications and physical therapy needs. Mama is scheduled to see the doctor next Tuesday. I will be in attendance for that appointment. That is when we will find out is we are really on the right track with her care.

For now, Friday afternoon is the only time we do not have Mama covered. On that afternoon, Victoria will be heading up to visit Brittany. That visit was scheduled before Mama’s surgery was scheduled, we did not want Victoria to change that. It will leave Mama alone for a few hours that afternoon, but we are pretty sure she will be okay until I get home. If not, Grandma will come over to sit with her and help her if needed. Mama can get some rest when I get home. I will be on duty for the weekend with Grandma covering during church services. Victoria will be back Sunday evening – and we start all over. We probably only have a couple more weeks to exercise such caution, but we will do so for as long as needed. It’s easier when we know there is healing on the other side.

Last night, Mama satin a chair at the edge of the patio as I took care of her animals. We are not in a hurry for her to venture any further.

Mama, the plants, the animals

Mama had a good day overall yesterday, but she had a rough night. She and Victoria decided to stop taking the pain meds until she had a bowel movement. One of the aftereffects of surgery, anesthesia and pain medications is that the bowels tend to shut down. It takes some time to get the colon moving again. In Mama’s case it has been since before her surgery Monday a week ago that her bowels have moved. So, last night I bought her a Big Mac. That is her laxative. It worked. It was painful for her but if we can keep her bowels active, she will heal more quickly. It is always a balancing act to get the right combination of pain relief and pain expressed to enable the proper use of the injured body part. Too much pain relief and the appendage will not work. Too little pain relief and you simply will not use the appendage. For Mama, any pain meds equal long periods of sleep. Long periods of sleep through the day make resting well overnight problematic; as we discovered last night. Today, we will start the pain meds again and hope the other issues will resolve themselves as the incision heals.

Mama has a doctor’s appointment next Tuesday. She and Victoria thought it was today, but Mama called to confirm that it is next week. However, the nurse at the office told Mama she could come in and have her dressings changed at any time. I am hoping she and Victoria will go today to have the incision re-wrapped. What was applied a week ago is loosening and sliding down her leg, bunching up around the back of the knee. I straightened it out some last night, but it really needs to be redone. If they do not have the time to get to the doctor’s office today, I will redo the dressings tonight. Unfortunately, we will have to reuse what is already applied. Some new wraps would be an improvement.

The weather continues to be very hot and very dry. I am spending about an hour and one half every night watering the garden, our trees and the beds around the house. It is almost a losing battle. But for the moment I seem to be breaking even. I have pulled up some plants that not going to survive regardless of my care. Others are on the verge of dying but still might make it through the season. The best-looking plants are those where I have laid a soaker hose which I use nightly. Next season, we will employ more of those, but I am not going to try to implement any more right now. The evenings, although they are still 85°, are pleasant and I enjoy the task.

As for the farm chores, Victoria has been handling the morning feedings and I have taken care of the animals in the evenings. So far, it has worked out well enough. I am sure the animals miss the ministrations of Mama who routinely took aver and hour each morning to do the same things that Victoria can get done in fifteen minutes. Mama takes a different approach to feeding and watering her charges. For instance, one morning when Victoria was filling the water pans on the side of the coop where we have the younger chickens, several of those younger chickens got over on the side with the older flock. It was only last night that I realized that those younger chickens may not be eating because they have had only crumbled food. The older chickens are eating pelletized food. So, last night, I got Victoria and we took the escapees off the roost and put them back on the side they should be on. Mama wanted to go out with us. We would not allow her. The ground in the back yard is too uneven. That would have been a dangerous walk for Mama.

Maybe next week…or next month.

Mama, Daisy, help

We were doing all the good until Saturday afternoon. Mama was getting around the house well. Walking with normal steps – but still using the walker. Until Saturday afternoon. She tends to move from the bed to the couch; not sitting very long in any other location because of how different chairs hit her leg as she sits. In this particular instance, she was setting herself onto the sofa as she raised the recliner and did something wrong. I am not sure what. I was in the kitchen. Just a few feet away, cleaning up after lunch. Somehow the recliner came up too quickly and struck her leg in a way that hurt her. A hurt that did not go away. She has been taking her pain meds routinely since the incident. I was not with her because she has gotten herself onto the sofa recliner multiple times without a problem. Bit it only takes one wrong move at this point.

I am noticing that she has more control when raising her leg. She is not able to raise it far. Nor is she able to hold the full weight of the leg as she moves into and out of the bed, but she is definitely gaining that function. For now, however, we are trying to play it very safe. Victoria even fussed at Mama yesterday when she took a few steps without the walker. This morning reinforced the need for her to avoid doing that. As she was walking from the bedroom to the kitchen, her knee “popped” a little. Mama is not good at describing things, but I got the impression that it moved somewhat into a straight position as she was stepping forward with her weight on it. We do not know if anything is wrong, but those will be good pieces of information to share with the doctor when she goes to her appointment tomorrow. At least, we think it is tomorrow. Mama got us confused on the dates.

 As I was going out to feed yesterday morning, I noticed a calf running along the fence of our barn lot. It appears that Daisy had her calf overnight Saturday night. It is a little bull calf. He is small. Most of her calves are. And he is full of energy - while he is up. Mama has not seen him yet. Victoria has not named him yet, but he is a welcome addition to the farm. Mama was not expecting him for a couple weeks but as we looked her over before Mama’s surgery, Daisy looked like her udder was filling and her teats swelling. So, we knew it would not be long. I could not tell that there was any change when I fed the cows Saturday. But there must have been. I did not get a picture of the calf yet. I will try to do that today.

Yesterday, we had Cheyenne and Aubrey for the afternoon. Their Grandma is still in New York. They are no problem to keep. They play quietly while we nap. While we were at church, Grandma spent the morning with Mama. Helped her get cleaned up. Changed the sheets. Didn’t let her rest much, but she did other needed things. Mama was relieved when the CD player was packed up and taken home. It had been on all morning as Grandma talked over Jim Reeves singing Gospel songs. We do not mind quiet. Quiet and Grandma have never been close friends. Still yet, Mama slept a good bit of the morning and all of the afternoon. Trace, Krystal and the boys stopped by after church to say Hi and deliver some ice cream to Mama. Since Grandma was there, their short visit turned into about 45 minutes. But Mama, who stayed in bed for the duration, was pleased they had thought of her.

Right now, we are trying to take things one day at a time. I still have to get up with Mama during the night to help her out of and back into bed for her nightly potty excursion. I don’t mind. I am normally up at least once per night for the same reason. This morning, I got her out of bed and situated on the couch. Made coffee and left her with Victoria until help arrives. Today, one of the ladies from the church will stay with Mama until I get home. The circumstances are not the most pleasant for company, but we certainly appreciate the help. Mama remarked this morning that she would like to delay surgery on the other knee until I am home with her fulltime. 

Our business is not there yet so it may be some time before I can satisfy that desire.

All about Mama

So far Mama is doing okay. Her pain is manageable. It seems to come in spurts and each of those is short-lived. She is getting a greater range of motion; albeit, not as rapidly as I had expected. Her confidence is growing when it comes to getting around the house. She still cannot maneuver her left leg completely on her own when sitting or getting up from a sitting position, but she is gaining on that front. Getting in and out of bed is one of her biggest challenges. It will be a few more days until she can accomplish that on her own. At that point, she will not have to get me up in the middle of the night to help her get out of bed to go to the bathroom. That will be a nice change for both of us. She had trouble getting me up at 1:30 this morning. I am not sure how long she waited on me, but it was not a short period of time.

I left her this morning sitting on the couch with her hip propped up on a pillow, both legs wrapped in the compression sleeves we were given by the doctor’s office and ice packs on the top and bottom of the left knee. Victoria was not up yet. Erin was on her way with the kids. Grandma will be arriving mid-morning. She should have plenty of help. What we need now is some trained help to get her range of motion back. She still is not bending the knee more than about 60°. We need a lot more than that, but we do not have the training to recognize how much force we should apply against the resistance of the wounded appendage. That takes someone much more skilled than Victoria and me. Those who are trained Physical Therapists know how much to push, pull or stretch to apply to the injury to help it to heal. For us, when Mama groans or cries out in pain, we stop. They know when that pain is part of the healing process. They are not offended when a patient gets mad at them for the pain they are inflicting. We, on the other hand, have to live with Mama after the hurting.

Victoria and I are trying to work out how to care for Mama Sunday. She will not be going to church this week. Perhaps not next week either. We not only have to get her to the point of walking confidently, we have to get her to the point that she can survive being bumped and jostled. She is a child magnet and the children that are drawn to her will not care about the knee being banged about. They are not used to such a thing. They will not know to care. So, we have to get Mama to the point of being able to tolerate the impact to her incision as she deals with the children who will be very happy to see her again.

For now, we err on the side of caution.

Good progress

Mama is home as of about 6 pm last night. She is dealing with some pain, but the real issue is the injury to the tendons and soft tissue from the surgery. She is almost able to maneuver her left leg on her own but the large thigh muscles (the quadriceps and the hamstrings) both got some tendon work done during surgery and are being stubborn in their recovery. In order to get into and out of bed someone must help Mama lift her injured leg up and onto the bed or down and onto the floor. I did notice last night that she has a greater amount of control than she did just a day ago, but she still requires help. The physical therapist said that those two muscles or muscle groups take about a week to regain the strength required to control lifting and lowering the leg without assistance. So, for now, pain is not the biggest issue. Mobility will be the focus of the recovery from this point forward. Mama still has some mild pain meds available to her, but we are diligent only with taking the antibiotics, the muscle relaxers and the blood thinners. That will continue for the next four weeks. Full recovery is expected to take about 12 weeks – if we can find some home health care and an outpatient physical therapy provider. We left the hospital with both of those needs unanswered last night.

I left the house thing morning with Victoria on her way out. Erin and the kids on their way in and Grandma slated to arrive about 8 am. Victoria originally had the day off but that changed once her supervisor looked closely at the hours. She will only be required to work until 9:30 or 10 am but we did not want to leave Mama alone for any time right now. I am not entirely sure how mixing Erin and Grandma will work out, but I am sure Erin will be able to cope with anything Grandma finds to pick about. We just know that as much as Grandma loves to care for the sick and wounded, she does not have the strength or mobility to handle a crisis, should one arise. Our greatest concern at this point is Mama falling. With that in mind, all rugs have been moved, obstacles have been eliminated wherever possible and the dogs have been cautioned and scolded about getting too close to Mama when she is up. For the moment, her walker protects her from being crowded by the dogs, but I imagine, the dogs will be put outside once Grandma arrives. Having eh kids there might be good for Mama. Time will tell.

On the bright side, the home we have is nearly perfect for Mama’s current needs. Good floors that allow the walker to slide easily. Open, straight pathways throughout the house. Only one small step to navigate and that is not necessary in order to get through the house. It was built by a family who had a child confined to a wheelchair. That makes it the perfect house for us– especially right now.

Now that Mama is home and alert she can coordinate us on the finer points of caring for her plants and animals. I am sure the animals will appreciate the more intimate knowledge of their specific needs being addressed my a professional versed in their care. It may be a month before we allow Mama to venture further than the patio. I will have to be convinced that she is able to safely navigate the uneven ground around the farm before she is allowed off the proven flat surfaces of the house, the driveway or the patio. One misstep could cause a severe setback. One that neither of us would want to deal with.

She is still much in need of your prayers.

Update on Mama

This is day three and Mama is finally alert. For the past two days she has been so drugged up that she struggled to stay awake much less converse with me or the staff caring for her. Don’t get me wrong, she is still on some strong pain meds and is sleepy more than she is alert, but there are signs that she is coming out of the funk of surgery, the anesthetics used in surgery and the strong pain meds needed to get her through the first couple days. I was told by the doctor post op, that the first three days were the worst for all patients having this surgery. He definitely told the truth. For the moment, mama is sitting up in a recliner, nearly pain-free, looking forward to going home.

She will probably be discharged today. No one has said so for sure, but she is able to get to the bathroom on her own. Sitting on the toilet once there is another issue.

Final prep, cook out

Mama is beginning to agonize over the pending surgery. She is not as concerned about the surgery as the recovery time that follows. She has the hospital staff second guessing what anesthetic to use. One of the past two knee scope surgery’s she had a very difficult time waking after the surgery. Neither of us know what anesthetic was used but she would like to avoid the experience being repeated if possible. As far as the recovery process is concerned, Mama is worried that Victoria and I will not exercise the same level of care and concern for her animals as she has been giving them. She has not yet realized that she will be there to coach us through the finer points of animal husbandry as she convalesces. I am fully aware that as well as Victoria and I might do in providing care for her flocks and herds, all the livestock will be elated when she returns to full duty. Even if that is six to eight weeks away.

Yesterday, at the hospital. She got detailed instructions on what she should do following the operation. She got a very detailed explanation of the procedure along with a demonstration of the device that will be replacing her knee joint. That was a real help to her. It will not alleviate the pain or shorten the recovery, but it did give her a depth of insight into the procedure that will help her understand why she must do as she is told during the recovery. I am a strong believer in knowing the “why” of any issue. Armed with that information, what must be done and how it must be done make more sense.

Today and part of tomorrow she will be buying specialty feeds because Victoria and I might not know what to get when the current supply runs out. She will be packing her bags for the hospital stay. That, I graciously admit, I would not do properly on my own. She will be lining up a schedule for Victoria and I to keep for the days she is in the hospital, etc., etc., etc. She will be getting together with a lady in our church who has a walker Mama can borrow for a couple weeks. That will save us some money. She and I will be cleaning up the potty chair and shower chair we somehow inherited some time back. Mama will need those for several weeks because she has specific instructions to keep her leg straight for at least three weeks – even when she is sleeping. Bending the joint will damage the tendons as they repair and could result in a follow up surgery being required. I told Mama I have a broom handle I will cut and strap to her leg to help her keep it straight through the night. I have a shovel handle as a backup. She can be quite stubborn.

Saturday evening, we are all gathering at Norman’s place. Mama suggested a cook out in honor of Father’s Day and Norman thought that was a great idea. So, in addition to getting her farm items today, she will be getting the grocery items for the dishes she has volunteered to supply. Norman and I will be cooking the meat. He is supplying all the meat. He and Grandpa just took a steer to be processed and the meat they got from that steer is far superior to anything Mama and I can supply. You have to know Norman and Grandpa to know how that works. Trace, Krystal and the boys will be there as will Seth and Gabriella. And, of course, Grandma and Grandpa. It should be a good time.

Mama is looking at it as her final hurrah before being injured for her own good. Fortunately, the incapacitation will be short-lived.

Mama’s surgery, some success, training

Mama got the call yesterday evening for her appointment with the hospital requiring her pro-op. She will be going to the hospital this morning for a two-hour training session followed up with some required blood work. The training session will outline the knee replacement procedure and familiarize her with the post-op requirements and expectations. The hospital staff are talking about rehab following a week in the hospital if Mama does not have someone to tend to her during that period. I am hoping that she finds out this morning what the extent of that care is, so we will know what will be required of the person providing that care. If it requires 24/7 attendance, I may not be ale to provide all that care, but we should find out today. At a minimum, I will have to take off next week (without pay) to be with Mama at the hospital.

This morning Mama was up very early so she could get the feeding and watering done before she had to leave for her training session. I think the forewarning will be very helpful for her and I wish I could have been in attendance, but we did not have enough advance warning for me to make myself available. Mama promised me she would try to take notes during the training, but I am not holding my breath. She is not the note-taking type.

Last night, we got a call from our friends that attended the auction with us. They stayed over in Lawton to go to the foreclosure sale yesterday. Our coach was not positive they would have enough cash to buy a house at the sale because there are not generally houses available in the price range they needed. It is a good thing they stayed and attended. They were able to purchase a house – and still have some cash left over. They were thrilled. They walked away from a week in Lawton with two houses to fix up and resell. It will be interesting to follow up with them and see just how much they were able to clear on the houses. Regardless, it is a great start to their business and we wish them well. We were glad to be able to help; so were they.

I was in class all day yesterday. I was not the instructor. This was a second run with a coworker to prepare him for a regional event he is scheduled to teach in August. As an additional benefit, he will be able to take a class next week in Conyers, GA while I am at the hospital with Mama. That will give him enough time in front of enough audiences that he will be confident at the event that will be attended by some on our leadership team. Friday, I am meeting with the second person that will go through the same steps to be evaluated as an instructor with the expectation that he will teach a regional class in September.

The next class I am scheduled to teach is in September in Alabama. It is a high-profile training venue for EWN. For some reason I am not excited about presenting the two classes I am responsible for, but it should be fun. The workshop is a week-long event with special events nightly. It is always well attended and the classes I am scheduled to present are only four-hour classes followed by a lengthy activity…outside. That is always the tough part. It is not the coolest time of the year. Last year we were shut out by a hurricane that moved through the area at the beginning of that week.

This year they are hoping to avoid that interruption.

Friday, Sunday, Monday, today

Friday, I took a half day vacation so Mama and I could travel back to Lawton to try to expand our list. We added two houses to replace the seven that had been redeemed off our original list – but we were really only interested in two from our original list. It is an easy drive to Lawton and Mama and I needed to be as sure a possible that we had all our research done to the point that we could bid confidently at the auction Monday. We could not be sure what to expect, but we wanted to be as prepared as possible. What we wanted to avoid was buying the wrong house – even at a potential profit. It was not a wasted trip, but it proved to be unnecessary.

Saturday was spent at the farm doing nothing particular. I did manage to rearrange the garage, so the Sequoia could be parked inside. It has been many years since Mama has been able to park her vehicle inside. Most of the issue over the years was that the garage was our mini-storage facility, but the major issue was that we drove a fifteen-passenger van for many years and it would not fit in a normal garage. Because of that, and the items required for a household of nine (and all my tools), we needed the garage for all the overflow. A lot of which was beanie babies and seasonal decorations.

Saturday evening, we went to watch Yilin and Cheyenne perform in a ballet – The Glass Slipper. It was fun to watch but I was very tired from working in the heat all day. I struggled to stay engaged through the two-hour ballet. It was well done. I mostly enjoyed it. Alex and Xiu Lin were happy to have us there to share the event with them. The girls were thrilled to have us there. We got home late – after 10 pm – so I am sure the girls did not get to bed until after 11 pm that night.

Sunday Trace and his family came to church with us. The boys really seemed to enjoy it. We went out to the restaurant even though the girls had not come to church that morning. They were sleeping in, so they could get geared up for the second performance of the ballet that afternoon at 3 pm. That would be when Cheyenne’s mommy and grandma could attend. We ate again after church with Trace and his family. At Wendy’s. When we finally got home, I took about an hour to water the trees and bushes in the back yard and the garden. Another late night.

Monday morning, we were off to the courthouse in Lawton, OK bright and early. We met a couple there who had taken the three-day training in February with us and we met our coach. Our coach had flown into Dallas for a seminar last week and had driven from Dallas to Lawton Friday night to do her research. The couple we met there, had spent the weekend in Lawton doing their research. Unbeknownst to as, allof us were in Lawton Friday evening. Once we got registered and got the most current list from the county we found that the only houses left on our list were the two from our original list – and our coach was bidding on one of the two. So, our trip Friday night was not necessary. Oh, well. Our last hope to get a house was way at the end of the list. We watched out first choice go for three times what Mama and I were prepared to bid. (Our coach bought that one.) We watched our friends get a $90k house for $10,100. Mama and I had passed on that one because of the extent of work it looked like would be required to get it ready to sell.

We finally got to bid on our house about 2 pm but were outbid by nearly double the amount we had agreed to spend. We left empty handed. We could have picked up a house or two after the auction over the counter but did into do so. None of those available were on any of our lists so we would not have known what we were getting. We were a little disappointed but also relieved. We had executed our plan well. We just were not prepared to pay as much as other bidders for the properties we identified. Good luck to them. We will move on to the next opportunity.

Mama has her doctor’s appointment today. This time she is seeing the orthopedic surgeon. We will find out what surgery he recommends. I know my preference, but I am not a doctor. Mama will have Aubrey today. The grandma flew out to New Your City this morning to be with her son as he appears before the immigration board. Not sure about that process at all, but they seem to know how to get through the hurdles to become registered here in the US. Anyway, Mama will be keeping Aubrey today and Friday. I think she needs the baby-time to help her through the diagnostic process. How carrying around a toddler helps her knees feel better is beyond me, but she swears that it does. We are prepared for the diagnosis and recommended treatment; whatever that may be. Mama needs the relief.

More on that later.

Goats at VBS

At VBS last night the girls were declared the winners of the overall competition. There was a lot of cheering and booing – depending on which side of the auditorium you were on. It had been predetermined that the captain and workers of the losing side would have to kiss a goat. The original concept was that they would have to kiss a pig (or piglet) but we could not find anyone with a pig small enough to use for the shaming. So, Mama and I offered to provide a goat – two actually. We took Patrick and Aspen. They are going on four months old, so they are still very cute. It lessened the embarrassment for the boys having to come up on stage and kiss the animal. Getting the goats to the church could not be that difficult, right?

We had it all planned out. While I got the dog crate into the Sequoia, Victoria went to get Aspen and Mama went to get Patrick. For some incomprehensible reason, once she was in the yard, Mama put Patrick down. I suppose she has watched too many Disney movies because she thought he would happily follow her across the yard. That was not how it worked out. Once he was on the ground, he did not want to be caught again. After she and Victoria had tried several times to get hold of him, I had to go and help Victoria corner him. It took me getting on my knees to grab him. Neither Mama nor Victoria had wanted to do that. Fortunately, the area he chose to run to was not a particularly bad corner of the yard and I did not get anything on me more than a little dust when I had to take a knee. Once the two goats were in the crate, we headed to church. They protested the entire way.

It is a good thing that we have such a versatile vehicle. On the way to church, we had the back seats down to accommodate the dog crate with the two baby goats. There is a mat that can be used to cover the area when the seats are down. It has a rubber side as well as a carpeted side. Last night, the rubber side was showing. We dropped the goats and Mama off at church and Victoria and I went back to get Yilin and Cheyenne. When we got to the girls house we found out that Aubrey and Lin were also coming. So, I had to raise the seats back up and fold the mat we used to put under the goat cage in order to get all of them into the Sequoia.

It only takes a minute to do all that, but it would have been a great commercial for how to get the most out of your Sequoia in Texas. Lin and the girls had a great time. Lin got to hear a really simple Gospel message. I think he told me and Mama that he is saved, but since he does not get to come to church very often it was good that the message was reinforced. On Wednesday night, Cheyenne raise her had in response to the invitation, but she did not get up and go talk to a worker. That is the first indication we have had that she may understand the salvation message. Tuesday night Trace’s oldest, Norman, got saved. It was a good VBS.

The goats both did wonderfully for the entire evening. They were fairly quiet throughout the event. The only time they got noisy is when a child – or adult – would bleat at them. They immediately responded to every goat-like noise. Some people have incredible bad goat imitations. Once, they were carrying on so long that I thought someone was tormenting them, so I went to check. Instead, there was a very little girl at their cage “talking” to them. Her bleating must have sounded authentic to them because they were searching all around for the goat they were hearing. The little girl was delighted with their participation. It was well after dark when we got home. The baby goats were very happy to get back to their quarters.

Tonight, Mama and I go back to Lawton to look at the several homes that were added to our list since we made our last trip. Hopefully it will not be as late an evening as we have had the past four nights.

The restaurant, VBS, Sam

Victoria was not interested in making anything for her to eat last night – and Mama rarely has anything prepared for dinner – so we went to the restaurant. I ate very little. I had made some soup for myself when I had gotten home, so I did not need anything more. Since we were there, Alex brought the girls to the restaurant to meet us. We were scheduled to pick them up at the house about a half hour later, but Cheyenne found out where we were and wanted to come there to meet us. There were not many patrons at the restaurant, so we got to visit more than usual. At the end of this month, Lin is leaving for what night turn into a couple years. He is courting a young lady he met online. Mama asked if he was going to come back married. He made no promises. We got to meet the young lady and she is delightful. He asked Mama to make him several loaves of bread to take with him. He told Mama he will miss that while he is in Florida.

VBS took over our service last night. Even though the church family knows that there will be no formal service, most still come and watch the antics of our VBS. With over 100 kids and the required thirty or so workers, it becomes a challenge to find enough chairs to provide adequate seating for the non-participant observers; but we always manage. Tomorrow will be the carnival night. It is typically the best attended night of the four. Parents will come to see what is going on and to give their children and grandchildren extra points in the contest that will conclude tonight. There will be a short Bible lesson, winners will be announced for the boys and the girls respectively. Team leaders and workers for the losing side have to kiss a goat. Mama and I are providing the goat. Following that there will be a lengthy activity time at the carnival.

Ninety percent of those who came last night and were not involved will be back tonight to watch over booths, games, rides, inflatable obstacle courses and bounce houses. It will take all of us. Meanwhile, for fifty cents you can have someone arrested and locked in “jail”. That is always fun; especially for the adults who like to have some other adult put in the jail for a photo op. Trace and Krystal came to pick up the boys and we got to visit for a while as snow cones and cookies were eaten. Trace may not like the thought, but he reminds me of his dad just about as much as his oldest reminds me of him.

When we got back from church last night, we laid down the seats in the Sequoia and covered the back of the vehicle with a sheet so Mama can take Sam for his yearly sheering. He is a mess right now. I have to confess that I am not at all enamored with the idea of letting him into the Sequoia under most circumstances. Right now, with how filthy he is, I am almost opposed to it. However, there is no other way to have him groomed for the summer. Without that grooming, he will be miserable in the heat through the next several months. Mama stresses over the ordeal almost as much as Sam does. She has returned to pick him up on a couple occasions to find him in a large crate in some obscure part of the shop behind closed doors because his continual moaning howl was so disturbing to the other dogs being groomed that day. I find it very comical. Mama does not.

While he is at the groomers, Mama is going to Mineral Wells to do some banking. She is worried about that taking too long and causing Sam to stay cooped longer than absolutely necessary. I had to ask several questions to find out that the urgency was self-imposed and not a condition of the groomer. If Mama thinks the groomer will be done quickly enough that she cannot make it to Mineral Wells and back before Sam is ready to go, the bank trip will wait until this afternoon.

Mama does love her animals.

VBS, Trace’s family, at the farm

Mama and I missed the first night of VBS, but we did go last night. Mama got ready very early so she could drive to Sunset to pick up Trace’s wife and kids. Grandma had brought them on Monday night so Mama wanted to make sure they could find their way last night. It gave us a chance to visit at the farm while the boys played with Lego’s and Lincoln Logs. They are not what I was expecting – in a very good way. They are more what I had hoped for as we prayed over Trace and his siblings as they lived with me and Mama many years ago. Trace’s wife is from Trinidad. She seems to have a very good head for business, is focused on the physical and spiritual health of her three boys and is a pleasant and respectful person. Quick wit. Good sense of humor. At least, that is my first impression. Her three boys are being taught manners and respect but are all boy. I am sure as they get to know us they will show the customary orneriness of young males growing up together, but they were well behaved last night – and they loved VBS. Tonight, their mama will drop them off at the church for VBS, so Mama and I will serve as a point of contact for them while there. Tonight will be the first time Yilin and Cheyenne will get to come to VBS. They have been busy the past two nights.

The Walker’s always put on a first-rate VBS. This one is no exception. The focus of the preaching has been the story of Joseph; how he chose to do right and run from evil. To illustrate the point of the Bible story when Potiphar’s wife tore Joseph’s coat from him and accused him to Potiphar, Bro. Walker went behind the large screen to ostensibly coax out a reluctant participant in his little skit. He already had two young boys on stage playing the part of Potiphar and Joseph, but he needed a Mrs. Potiphar. He was talking to someone behind the curtain the entire time he was out of sight. We all thought he was trying to coax a reluctant participant onto the stage.  Suddenly came out in an ugly moo-moo and hideous black wig. All of us were laughing hard through the rest of the skit; especially as Joseph ran around the gym with “Mrs. Potiphar” in pursuit, finally catching him onstage. Joseph shed his coat and exited stage right. The moms of the two acting the parts of Joseph and Potiphar got some hilarious pictures of the onstage antics of Mrs. Potiphar with each of them – their faces the darkest possible shades of red. The story had an impact. Three children got saved last night.

I had intended to water when we got home but it was too late when we finally did get home. We took Krystal and the boys to Wendy’s after VBS. The boys were very hungry. They practically inhaled their cheeseburger and order of fries. It was 9:30 when we dropped them off. It was right at 10 pm when Mama and I got back to the farm. Mama will have to water this morning – heavily.

Victoria is nursing Kira back to full strength after Kira’s surgery. Kira got fixed yesterday. The vet did an outstanding job. There are no visible sutures and the incision has very little inflammation. I can see why Mama and Victoria like this veterinary office. The plan is that Kobe will have one more litter and receive the same treatment. I suppose that is the responsible thing to do. But in light of the loss of birthing of both Kira and Kobe, Victoria is talking about getting a Minatare Dachshund pair to breed.

Somewhere in the very near future, there will be a very unpleasant discussion on that topic.

Feeding, coaching, planning, not planning

As soon as I got home yesterday, Mama and I went to get a bale of hay from our neighbor. It has been very convenient to get our round bales from Wayne. If I did not have to go through the gates to get the bales it would be less than one hundred yards from the barn to get one. They are stored in an enclosure that can be easily seen from our pasture. In fact, our cows knew where to look for us as we drove the short distance down the road to get into his pasture to get the bale. They were standing at the fence not thirty yards from me and Mama when we opened the gate to get into the area where Wayne keeps the hay. Needless to say, they were waiting at the gate in our pasture when we got back with the hay – and that drive takes only a few minutes. I had waited until yesterday to get a fresh bale because I wanted the cows to clean up all the strewed excess from the last bale before I refreshed it, but even at that, there was still more waste than I like. For now, that is all the hay we can get from Wayne. He is running low and will need the rest of his reserves to feed his cows in the coming months. Mama and I will need to find another supplier. On average, we use one bale per week. That will continue through October when we take two of our herd to be processed. After that, we can make a bale last two weeks.

Our coaching session was cut short last night. Theresa, who is on the road, was preoccupied with issues of travel and asked if we could wait until after the auction to do the coaching session. I had left to go to the bathroom just as she was calling into the meeting, so Mama forget to ask her the one question I needed answered; once she buys the house, is there a checklist she uses to get all the follow up items done to complete the sale and take possession of the property? I will email her this week to get that question answered. I will also review all our notes to compile a checklist from our training sessions with Jason and Frank. I have a feeling, they are all so familiar with the process that they do not have to spend a lot of effort remembering to do what they know they should do. I, on the other hand, am not completely sure what I should do. I will learn, but I typically use a list to doublecheck myself. That is the list I need to compile.

After we got off the phone with Theresa, Mama and I looked over our new list, reviewed the county list and reranked what we have left of available properties. Of the thirteen properties we started out with, six have been redeemed and are no longer on the list. That is not a bad thing. It means the owners were able to pay their taxes. It is a missed opportunity for us and it reduces the number of houses we can bid on – raising the competition for those houses – but still, it is not a bad thing. For now, Mama and I have enough houses to pick from that we have a good chance at getting one property. The chances of getting two is a bit slim, but still possible. We will still drive up Friday evening to look at the properties added to our list from the last time we did our scouting run in Lawton. Fortunately for me, Mama is really getting into this.

On the not planning side, Mama quietly admitted to me yesterday that she had gone to Rachel’s. I guess out of boredom, she got on the phone and started watching the online show going on and there was this shirt that she really liked, and she did not know if it would fit – because that particular style does not usually fit her – so she went to try it on. While she was trying on the shirt, there was this dress that she really loved… The end result is that she got a bill for a little over $100 later that evening. She told me she got the dress for $45. That is a decent price. Evidently, the shirt was almost $50; however, Mama left without even knowing the full price. It is hard for me to grasp why these cloths are worth what she has never even considered spending for a shirt at any time in the past. I fussed a little, but what is done is done. Mostly I wanted to know why she did not call me to ask how to pay for the items – since she forgot to take cash with her. The answer was obvious.

The cat made his way into the sunroom last night. I would hate for him to meet the same fate as the squirrels that get too familiar with the house area.

Business, guests, watering, Honduras update

Friday evening Mama and I were anxious to get to the office to do some more research for our business. She had called the county and gotten a lot of valuable information on the homes that we had chosen as our finalists. One of the homes had a large sum of money attached to the property that stayed with the property. Meaning, the person who purchased the property would be responsible for that large debt. Two others had been redeemed. That left us with two finalists. What we needed to do was look back at the properties that did not make our first cut in case either of the two properties we were ready to bid on were not available at the time of the auction. We spent several hours expanding our list and got several other propertied selected to drill down on. We have some additional work to do on each of those properties in order to be ready to place a bid, but we have a bigger list should any of these propertied get redeemed or prove to be a poor investment. That should be done by Thursday when Mama will call the county again for an update on our list. We are close. Next Monday is the auction.

Saturday evening, we had guests. We invited a family from church over for dinner. I grilled hamburgers, goat burgers and sausages. Mama made macaroni salad, baked beans and a mandarin orange cake. That was another reason for being anxious to get to the office Friday. We knew we would not have Saturday to work. We had a good time getting to know the family. They are all quiet, but they are all ready to serve when they are needed. The kids all play instruments, but they are too timid to sing. One of the older brothers recently played a beautiful offertory on his guitar. The younger two sing in the choir; quietly. Without the kind of social interactions like we had Saturday evening, there is little opportunity to really get to know someone – regardless of how much time you spend with them in church.

The Walker Family came in this weekend. We have Vacation Bible School this week. Tonight, through Thursday. Mama and I will have very little opportunity to work on the business this week. We are going to the office tonight. We will have to miss the first night of VBS so we can keep our scheduled meeting with our coach. With the auction next week, there are some fundamental questions I need to ask about the follow through once a house is acquired. Mama and I have made none of those contacts for insurance, property management, or general repairs. Plus, we need to know how to deal with the occupant once we own the house. Most, we are finding are, are not vacant. Once we get that process under our belts, we will feel a lot more confident and competent to do this business fulltime.

Mama and I continue the process of watering morning and evening. Even with that routine, the plants are struggling to live. We have lost less than ten percent of out plants overall, but it seems like more. This morning there is a good possibility of rain. One morning only. The rest of the week is forecast to be dry and hot. So far, the fruit trees, berry bushes and grape vine are doing okay. Mama has been keeping up with the blackberry bush. It is about through producing for this season. It seems to be unaffected by the heat. It also seems to love the bed in which it is planted. I have pulled up more than a dozen shoots it has sent out as well as digging up three or four and giving them away. I cannot allow it to take over what I need for the blueberry bushes. Whether or not Mama and I can keep up with the watering needs for the next several months remains to be seen. Fortunately, she enjoys it.

Cori, Nate and the kids are in their house now. Everything was delivered on Saturday – an entire house full of furniture and appliances. The kids were all excited about their new beds. For the first time in two years, Cori has her own washer and dryer. The price to set it all up was about a third of what it would cost here.

They feel very blessed to have been able to do the full house at once.

Plans and new plans

I am finding that no matter what the point in life you are currently living, it is still very difficult to make plans too far out from where you are at that moment. Mama and I are virtually on our own. We have the animals and the farm to tend to, but we do not have to answer for the direct needs of anyone -as we did when we had our seven children at home. You would think that planning Mama’s surgery would be an easy issue. Pick a date. Clear your calendar. Get it done. Move on. That has not proved to be the case. Now all the plans we made are on standby. I am not complaining. Just stating the facts.

Right now, Maggie is the wild card. She has a doctor’s appointment on the 3^rd and the 8^th of this month. During those appointments she hopes to find out what her treatment options are and at what point they will begin. Those dates do not directly overlay with Mama’s scheduled knee surgery on the 18^th of this month, but her surgery may have to be postponed so she is physically able to help Maggie should her prognosis call for surgery to deal with the cancer. Someone will have to be there to help after a surgery. Mama is the someone of choice. I understand that. She is always my someone of choice. So, we will keep our appointments and Maggie will keep her appointments and we will plan according to the dates Maggie is given whether or not Mama will get her surgery done this summer. We will know more about Mama’s prognosis and related treatments when we see the doctor on the 12^th.

Adding to the summer’s overlapping, conflicting plans, Victoria has scheduled vacation for herself at the end of July into the beginning of August. She is planning a trip to Honduras to visit Cori, Nate and the kids. At this point, neither Mama nor I can plan to go with her. She is quite capable of handling the trip by herself, but if she goes Mama will want to go also. Depending on our finances and the progress of our business through this month, Mama could perhaps go but there would be a financial hardship to us in her going and I would have to wait until either much later in the year or early next year to make the trip. And, to make that trip, Mamas surgery would have to be further postponed until later in August. Perhaps September.

At this point there are too many unknown factors in the equation. Maggie is still the determining factor for this month. Victoria has become the wild card for next month. Only the Lord knows what August will bring to hold us back. The adage “failing to plan is planning to fail” certainly applies to life in general, but a plan is only that. We have to execute our plan based on the needs of those who need our help and attention as long as we are able to accommodate those needs. However, at some point, Mama will be forced to reckon with her need for the corrective surgery on her knees. Hopefully, she will not wait until it is an emergency situation. Which is where Maggie is literally, in the medical sense, and Victoria is only by constraints forced upon her by her employer.

We should know by the time Mama sees the doctor on the 12^th whether or not she will be available for surgery. She wants to put it off as long as possible. That is her heritage. When I know something like that is pressing me, I would rather get it over with and move on. Like fasting, there is no “good” time. It always interferes with life. There are always things that can be done to justify waiting for a “better” time. A more “convenient hour”. Like Maggie, if it must be done, I would rather get it done and over with.

We have a plan in place. At least, I think we do.