Rain, poor conditions, pre-Honduras prep

The rain has persisted daily for almost a week. Mama and I are not complaining; far from it. The little pond we have on our farm is filling up slowly. That is a good thing. Parts of the farm are getting very soft, but those are areas we can avoid until they firm back up. One of those areas is the garden. I pass through the garden when I add feeding the cattle to my evening or weekend routine. There are areas in the garden that are soft enough right now that I cannot walk in them. The sad part of that is that those same areas become as hard as stone when they are dry. To combat that, Mama and I have been adding the chicken manure and chaff that she puts down in the coop to absorb that manure onto the garden. It helps loosen the dirt somewhat. In about three more years of adding our organic supplement we might have a pretty good garden area. However, through the winter, we will avoid the soft spots as best we can. Meanwhile, all the animals on the farm have a safe, dry place to stay during these rainy times. For that I am truly thankful.

There is a little farm on the highway not farm from us. We pass it on our way home, so we see it often. The farm has chickens, guineas and ducks that sometimes venture close to the highway. Within the small enclosure they have set up for the fowls there is a separate, smaller enclosure where they keep a Great Pyrenees dog. Right now, the entire enclosure is overgrown with those big, tall, stemmy weeds we get in these parts. That is sort of a blessing. When those weeds did not hide the doghouse in that enclosure Mama could see the standing water in the dog’s “shelter” and bemoaned the terrible plight of the dog housed there. The poor animal, chained to the structure, had no place to lay down. When we could see the dog in the shelter, it was always standing because there were several inches of water in the shelter. We have not seen the dog door the several months that the area has been consumed by weeds, but I fear that the winter will reveal him to Mama once again as the camouflage does off. That will be a very sad moment. My hope is that the dog has been removed from the enclosure. Otherwise, it will sadden Mama every time we drive past that little farm. My fear is that the dog will be brought home with Mama one day and I will have three large dogs digging caverns in the front yard. Rescuing the dog would not bother me. Housing is for the next ten years might.

We are still accumulating items to be taken to Honduras. I believe we are far past fitting those items into less than three suitcases. At this rate we will have to purchase clothing in Honduras for our stay there because we will not have room to pack our own. Of course, I am kidding – a little. At this point we can only suppose we know the needs that Cori and Nate face in supplying those things that are familiar for their family and personal use, but we will definitely have a better idea as we go there and see the need first hand. I am not implying that Cori, Nate and the kids are lacking in any necessary thing. Only that some of the things they consider comfort foods and normal life and home needs are not available. To this point they have not found in-country substitutes for those items. Even when they do, it will be fun to get those everyday things to them. At that point it will be more like giving a gift than supplying a need.

Health wise, Savanna is much better. Cori is still suffering arthritic type pain. Mostly in her hips and wrists. As a family, they are attending a conference this weekend. I am not sure where the conference will take place, only that there is very limited access to cellular service. Mama and Victoria will have to spend the weekend disconnected from Cori and Savanna. They will especially miss their video chats with Savanna.

Please pray for safety for all those involved in the conference – and for Cori’s continued recovery.