Busy weekend, sad news, slow recovery

I barely sat down Saturday. I spent most of the day in the shop clearing out the corner where I want to hang the cabinets that have been sitting in my way for a couple weeks now. I did manage to get the smaller of the two cabinets hung but it was all I could do to get the heavy cabinet up and onto the mounting board I had attached to the wall to help me get it in place and stabilized. I was by myself while lifting the cabinet in place and at one point I thought I was not going to be able to lift it the last inch or so. Once that cabinet was installed, I moved the larger cabinet to the wall where it will be hung. I did not try to lift it. I asked Zach to come over this evening to help me do that. I only need help for about ten minutes, but I definitely need that ten minutes of help. Mama was not happy with me lifting the other cabinet by myself, but she forgave me pretty quickly.

After I got the cabinets placed, I started working on the front of the shop exterior. I am not sure why I have delayed so long in installing the three pieces of siding over the roll up door, but it got done Saturday and the shop looks so much better for it. It cut out a lot of wind by sealing that opening. Now I am anxious to seal over the smaller door at the back of the shop. I was one foot short on the exterior trim for the top of the wall, but I put on what I had. I will buy an additional piece of the trim later this week or early next week to complete the front and to complete the side of the shop – where I have also run short. I was very pleased with the completed look.

After doing the trim work and cleaning the coops, I hauled enough water to the calf to ensure she had sufficient for several days. Once I had that done, I distributed feed to all our feeding stations. We had fallen behind on those shores due to the ice and snow on the ground, but it was easy to catch up. Mama was with Grandma and Grandpa most of the day Friday. Grandpa got the battery for the truck while Mama did a little exploring at Walmart for some craft items. Once they got back to Grandma and Grandpa’s little house, Grandpa installed the battery and started the truck. No issues with that, so I should be good for batteries for a couple years since I replaced the other one (my diesel truck requires two batteries) only two or three years ago.

Mama got in touch with the man who we contracted to buy our little Highland bull from and was told that the coyotes had killed the little bull. He did not say when this happened, but we are not going to get our start in the mini-Highland cattle this month. Mama was devastated and somewhat put out by the manner in which the seller addressed her questions. I am not sure if we will go back to this seller, but if we what to get the mini-Highland cattle our options to do so are limited and fairly expensive, so we will see what other options we have. Nevertheless, we were very disappointed at the news. On the bright side, the seller refunded our deposit in full.

It was good to be in church Sunday. Services were canceled last week due to the freezing conditions, so Mama and I have only had Wednesday night (February 10) after our return from Honduras in our church services. We got to hear some of the stories of damage and subsequent repairs to frozen water lines due to the loss of power during the brutal cold last week. One elderly woman we stay close to had eight leaks that had to be repaired. Walls were torn out to locate and repair those leaks, so her little home is still a mess and she is not sure if the hardwood floors will need to be repaired as well. That evaluation is ongoing. The Wycoff’s had just gotten water restored to their home as well as helping several neighbors do the same. Their septic line thawed late Saturday evening, so Mrs. Donna went home with them after church Sunday morning. She had been with us since Thursday afternoon, but she was no trouble to keep.  

The temperatures have been more like North Texas since the warmup began Friday. We will have very few nights below freezing for the next couple weeks, but March sometimes brings a sudden cold snap for a few nights every year, so all the precautionary heat tracing and heat lamps will remain in place for the next few weeks. After we are passed the threat of severe cold, I will take down the lamps and unwrap the pipes, storing everything for next year. Assuming we will need it again. Only the Lord knows.

For now, we are enjoying the warmer air.