VBS, Mr. Plumley, more snakes

VBS concluded last night. We will find out Sunday morning how many got saved during the four evenings of our Vacation Bible School, but I do feel like it had an impact on not only the children but also on the workers who helped Bro Zach make it happen. Especially on the teen workers I saw dealing with the children who raised their hands during the altar call each night. Our pastor has said time and again, only eternity will reveal the affect our church’s focus on children has made over these many years of running busses for Children’s Church and Vacation Bible School. Now that VBS is over the decorations will come down and the plane will be moved somewhere or dismantled. Mama offered to take it as a play toy for the goats. I am not sure if that will happen, but the yellow plane would add a significant flare to our yard ornaments.

Mama made several batches of cookies to be given out at snack time. When I got home, she was working on the third batch of cookies. All of which turned out well. Much to her great pleasure. She has had limited success with the older ovens we have, but with the new oven, she was able to see her success factor rise significantly. It was a great boost to her confidence. Hopefully, it will not be a big boost to our waistlines. She was hurting by the time we left for VBS, but we loaded everything up and headed out to get Mr. Plumley and then the girls.

Mr. Plumley likes to get out any chance he gets and special events at church are a good excuse for him to have us pick him up to attend. Since the bus was being used to pick up children, we offered Mr. Plumley a ride. He is not a problem. He can get about better than Mama and I can. He thinks clearly and can carry on a conversation at an elementary level. He is loud. Mama and I have to adjust to that every time we carry him around, but he means mothing by that, It is just how he talks. A big deal for him is for someone to swing by and take him out for a hamburger. He is easy to entertain, and he is quite entertaining himself.

Last night, because she was hurting from all the time on her feet baking, Mama swore to me that she was not going to hold any babies at VBS. I knew better. Within fifteen minutes of getting there she had Savannah in her arms. I just looked over at her and she gave me that “I know?” look. She was seated so I suppose that changed the dynamic sufficiently enough to keep her from hurting further. Her snuggling with Savannah did not last long. Savannah was displaced by Aubrey. For some reason, when there was not a game being played, Aubrey wanted to be on Mama’s lap. Not that Mama minded. The distraction probably helped Mama. I, on the other hand, was worn out last night. I almost begged of going in the first place but being tired is not an excuse to stay home from a church event. On the way home Mama asked me if there was something wrong. Nothing wrong. I was just very tired.

As soon as we got home, Mama and I changed and went to the coop. I caught another snake. Just barely. He was slithering out of one of the nesting boxes as I entered the coop. I caught the tip of his tail as he headed out the door the chickens use to access the yard behind the coop. He was a young one. Thin and fairly short. Only about three feet long. We put him in a feed sack and rolled down the open end. I have the sack sitting on the workbench in my shop. If he is still in the sack this evening, I will dispatch him as soon as I get home. We may have to resort to my old standby for keeping snakes. A pillowcase. In all my years of handling snakes, I never had one escape from a knotted pillowcase.

I will be gone Monday and Tuesday nights. Mama is hoping I can severely cut the snake population before I leave so she does not have to deal with them in my absence. I can make no promises on that front.