Appointments, living spaces, Tres and Norman, hot times

Grandpa’s move to the rehab facility did not happen until late Saturday afternoon, but it did happen. The original facility we were looking at was not able to take Grandpa due to an outbreak of COVID, so he was placed in the rehab facility in Bridgeport. It is the same facility that Mr. Plumley lives in – on the assisted living side. We were relieved and excited to get to see Grandpa about 5 pm Saturday evening. Mama is very relieved to have him this close to us and because of the proximity, Grandma is able to spend much more time with him without it costing us as much as the trips to the hospital had in both time and gas.

In a God ordained timing of events, Mama was able to schedule an appointment for Grandpa with a cardiologist who is typically booked up months in advance. When Mama thought Grandpa would be transferred Wednesday of last week she went ahead and made the appointment, but we began to worry about being able to keep the appointment when that transfer was delayed. However, it has all worked out and Mama took Grandpa to his first doctor’s appointment this morning – with many more appointments to come. Grandma will go along as is expected.

Hopefully, the three of them will feel up to stopping at Sam’s to buy the sugar I need for the bees, but that remains to be seen since this will be Grandpa’s first outing since his blood clot induced stroke. I can get the sugar at Walmart if they are not up the extra stop. This outing will give Mama a much clearer idea of where Grandpa is in his recovery. Grandma will get to see firsthand as well which will help set some reasonable expectations of Grandpas strength and ability in the days to come. He is recovering well, but he is still weak and struggles to use his right leg effectively.  

The nurse at the rehab facility is confident that Grandpa will not be in the facility long, which puts the onus on me and Mama to provide a space for Grandma and Grandpa. Mama gets the impression that Grandpa is resigned to occupying the spare bedroom we have available, but it would be far better to have them in a place of their own. As long as we can reasonably do so. To that end, Victoria, Norman and Mama are searching for a camper that would suit them which we would place nearby. So, everything related to Grandma and Grandpa is a work in progress at the moment. We are praying for wisdom and unity as we reorder things to accommodate them.

Norman and Tres headed to Florida today. With the two of them to make the drive, they will be able to make the trip pretty easily. It is still a twenty-hour trip but having two drivers who are used to long hours on the road will take the sting off the hours required to cover those miles. Tres, for his part, is not thrilled about going back to Florida but that is the choice that was left to him. There were many opportunities for Tres to take a variety of jobs in other areas over the past many months he has lived with us, but he was not very aggressive about pursuing those opportunities.  So, Florida was the default outcome for him and all the reasons he sought to relocate to Texas in leaving Florida are still left for him to deal with when he returns. We are praying that everything works out for him. It will take a great deal of effort on Tres’ part. God is able.

As for Norman, he will spend a few days in Florida finishing up some jobs he took on and once that is complete, he will go to West Virginia. There is a job opportunity waiting on him once he gets back to West Virginia, but it is not an urgency for him to get there to start. As is true with Tres, Norman has contacts that will give him a wide selection of possible income sources. In the near future, he will split his time between Texas and West Virginia. I do not remember what drew him to Florida, but it seems that that attraction is no longer an issue.  

We are forecast to get to 106° today. Wednesday the forecast is for 110°. To help our chickens and ducks get through the very high temperatures, Mama has been changing the waterers out several times per day. Mama does not like drinking one-hundred-degree water, so she assumes that they do not either. I cannot disagree with that assessment.  However, when she is gone through the day – as is happening today – she seeks to have me do those refreshing exchanges of water in those waterers. I am not as compassionate as Mama, but because it is important to her, I typically take the time to do those things that make her feel better about her husbandry of her flock. She insists on getting cool water from the well rather than setting water aside to be poured into the dirtied warm water. She wants to give the birds cool, clean water which they will then dirty up. They are definitely interested in the water when it is provided. If they do not get a drink right as the water is changed out, they will be drinking hot water in an hour. So, they are generally quick to the waterers once refreshed. It is an interesting interplay of simple communication between Mama and her flock.

Being an animal on Mama’s farm is about the best it can get.