Mama’s weekend, other happenings

Mama had a great time at her conference. She got some very practical ideas to work with in growing her business. She made some interesting contacts and caught up with some good friends. She came back fired up and ready to keep moving forward with her Color Street business. Her drive home Saturday night was a harrowing experience for her because she does not see well at night, but she made it home before 9 pm, a bundle of energy and excitement. Tired to the core and excited to the max. It took some time for her to wind down, but once she did, she was instantly exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow. I am sure I have not heard the last of all her experiences, but from what I have heard, and the discernable outcomes evidenced today, I am very glad she attended the conference.

Mama is out today on a commissioned errand to stock our empty pantry. Actually, the pantry is not really empty, but we are out of many of the staples we like to keep on hand. She has a couple items to return, and a couple predetermined stops to make outside of the grocery line to purchase items we will need for the cold snap we are forecast to have mid-week. With the prediction of several inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits for later this week, Mama is making her shopping run today. Tomorrow she will get feed we need for the coming weeks and meet with Kim Cantrell for a catch-up visit. I do not plan on having her travel after the snow and ice descend upon our roadways. That travel threat will extend into next weekend since the highs for a couple days will not get above freezing. If our electric stays on, the cold should be a minimal inconvenience for us, effecting mainly our ability to get fresh water to our flock and herd.

The very cold temperatures are forecast to last only two days, but the ambient temperatures are predicted to stay at or below freezing overnight for a couple weeks. As long as the days get above freezing, our animals do well enough through the cold. When the temperatures do not get above freezing, it tends to be a little hard on our goats. I will be making some minor changes to their shelters to help them endure the next couple cold weeks but especially for this week’s single digit nights. As for the bees, I am planning on wrapping the hives with insulation to help them cope with the temperatures. I have not done that in the past, but I feel it would be a benefit now – if I can get the materials to wrap the hives.  At least we have today and tomorrow to prepare. Those two days will be in the seventies by the afternoons. I am thankful we have a warning about the coming cold. I cannot imagine what a shock it would be to deal with that change in temperature without some forewarning.

Saturday, I cut a frost-proof spigot into the wellhouse at the house. That project took about as long as I had predicted, but I like the outcome. I tried one more time to work on the well tank to keep the pump from running so often but got no better results than the last time I tried. I have one more idea in mind to see if I can remedy the issue and if that does not work, I will seek outside help. I also cleaned out the goat barn removing five tractor front loader bucket loads from the floor of the barn. I could have done at least two more full loads, but I stopped to avoid injuring my back. Also, the dust that kind of cleanup produces is something I have to limit my exposure to. It was good to get done what I did, but I am glad I limited myself as I did. Even still, I was hurting very badly in my back Sunday. That pain has largely passed now, for which I am thankful.

Today Trace will turn in the keys to the house he and his family rented in Decatur. That ends a month-long project of sorting through, storing or trashing all the contents of the house, cleaning the bathrooms, the refrigerator, the stove, the microwave, etc,, sweeping clean all the floors in the house as well as cleaning up the patio and yard of the house. From the pictures he took, he did a great job. I do not know how many trips he made to the storage units, but I do know we took three trailer loads of junk and trash to the dump and three truckloads of the same over the month it took for him to complete the cleanup project. With that behind him now, we will see what his forward plans will be. There is a lot to consider on his part. Please continue to pray for him.

I will be teaching a class tomorrow. I am looking froward to that.