Puppy sitting, blessed rain, Dolly the dog, ducks

 Mama’s puppy sitting activity has turned out to be a little more demanding than anticipated. The pups are up early each morning, usually before 6 am. That is a little early for Mama. Not too much so, but to have to wake early to the urgency of getting five puppies out of their small enclosure and into the back yard so they can do their business is a sudden disorienting way to have to wake. Nevertheless, Mama is a nurturer by nature and quickly adapts in her loving manner to do everything needed to meet the needs of the puppies. They are delightful, after a fashion. It is very hard to be irritated with them since they truly do not know what they are doing that could possibly be upsetting, so most of our interactions with the little ones are happy ones. They respond in kind, seeking attention above all other needs. Fortunately, the puppies sleep away a lot of the day and all night. They will be going home tomorrow or Friday. A blessing and a sad event at the same time.

For the first time in almost a year there is rain in the forecast every day for the next ten day. If is improbable that we will get rain each day, but it is nice to see the forecast has shifted to wetter weather. As nice as it is to see that predicted rain, is it problematic as far as keeping the puppies happy since they enjoy the outdoors – wet or not. In fact, they seem to like the rain. Unfortunately, that means that Mama is required to wipe down the pups one by one to bring them back inside. They do not like the heat of the outside, so it is a quick run outside (about 20 minutes) then a chorus of whining to get back inside. Dirty or not they would rather sleep on the rug in the living room versus resting outside or in their crate. So, Mama is taking the pups out and bringing them in as many times as necessary to satisfy their fickle moods and ensure they have the opportunity to potty outside. Far better than them having an accident indoors. Plus, Mama just simply enjoys cuddling the pups at each convenient opportunity. The wet outdoor environment just makes that exercise necessitate a little more effort.

Dolly, the dog, was brought to the farm Monday evening. We met the keepers at a park in Muenster – a beautiful part, by the way – to make the exchange. We spent a few minutes getting a little background information on Dolly but were back on the farm before dark. As much as we would have liked a better acceptance from Gemma, that was not to be. Gemma was not aggressive toward Dolly, but she was not welcoming. Even today, after a couple days with us, Gemma will not allow Dolly onto the front porch – the place where she has been fed since her coming to us as a puppy. Dolly has managed to find a place near the house to station herself through the day. She has also found her way into the garage when it rains. That is a good thing. Gemma, it seems, has no need to deny Dolly access to that refuge.

We are not sure, at least, I am not sure, that Dolly will work out for us. We may need a dog that is more sure of herself – less timid. I do not want an aggressive dog for many reasons, but Dolly, being slight in build and timid in nature may not be what we need as a helper to Gemma. Gemma herself has less of a protective nature than either Samson or Sasha, but both dogs have accepted this as their territory, and we will have to wait and see how those instincts manifest in their activities over the next few days. On the brighter side, the rescue owners have two other dogs that might possibly work out for us if we should choose to abandon Dolly as a replacement for Samson.

Our ducks have been allowed out of their enclosure each day, but we have had to herd them back into the enclosure every evening. So far, that has not been a problem. They know where they need to go, I just have to tell them it is time to go there. However, in the next few days, we will be getting a trio of duck hatchlings to raise, and I will need that enclosure for the little ones to raise them in. With that in mind, I will hurry to complete the larger enclosure and move the older ducks – now only three months old – into their new pen to make the smaller pen available.

Mama and I are really enjoying the ducks. They are sufficiently different from the chickens in their interactions with each other and us to make their mannerisms and behavior fun to learn. They, like the chickens, love the meal worms Mama has available to treat the birds. We like putting those treats in their water dishes to hear them snap up the meal worms floating on the water. They love eating what is on the water. Preferring that to any dried food offered them. Their rapidly smacking bills snatching the dried worms from the water which is a hilarious sound.

Everything the ducks do is new to us. It is a fun learning process.

More kids, Color Street, five pups, maybe today

Over the weekend, two more of our does kidded. Dolly started Friday evening about 5 pm. Mama and I were thinking she would have triplets, but she had twins. Sadly, one of the two kids was stillborn. I had to bury it next to Samson. I did not handle the stillborn too much, so I am not sure if it was a little boy or a little girl, but it was a shame to lose it. It was beautifully marked. It’s surviving sister is also nicely marked. Considering the very rough way Dolly pawed the newborn as she was cleaning it and getting it to stand, it is a wonder that she did not injure it. Last kidding, she broke the leg of one of her newborns and we had to take it to the vet to have the leg set.

Dolly's one

Mama called a family from church that had bought two of our little goats recently so they could witness the birthing. When they arrived, Dolly had had her initial kid and the stillborn. Since Mama and I were expecting to see triplets, we all waited patiently for the last little one to come. The whole family came. The dad, three boys and the mom. Grandma even came out to join the party which forced me to find at least three chairs and a couple buckets for seating the crowd. It was very disappointing to wait so long without seeing anything, but they enjoyed the farm outing – even Grandma. I wish I had gotten a picture of the assembly, but I was too distracted to think of it.

On Saturday afternoon, Honey, one of our new nannies, had a little male kid. Our first buckling of the four kids born so far. I just happened to check in the goat barn as I took a break from working on the duck enclosure. I was supposed to check several times since Mama was busy elsewhere, but I had forgotten until then. We still have three does yet to deliver, but none are showing signs of that happening soon. We are expecting those births this week, but not until later this week. At any rate, we are lower than we had expected on little ones due to the limited births of two of our does. It will all work out well, especially since we have four healthy babies – three of which are females. They sell better than males and for much higher prices. None of the little ones are marked so uniquely that Mama would want to keep them, so we may start advertising them in a couple weeks.

Saturday. Mama spent the better part of the day at a fair in Denton. The fair had been going on for the week leading to Saturday, so Mama was helping another Color Street stylist – someone high in the leadership – to meet the crowd and sell their product for the last day of the fair. Mama did not do extremely well, but somewhat better that at a smaller venue. It was a good experience for Mama, and she made some money to boot. I think every time she sees an experienced representative plying their unique method of selling, it helps her build confidence. She is developing her own style as she sees multiple ways to approach the prospect of selling Color Street.

Last night, Mama took on the task of pup sitting for the Burns’ five Australian Shepherd pups. The Burns dropped off the pups for her to care for because they are traveling north to attend the funeral for Zach’s grandfather. They will return, Lord willing, in just four days so our time with the puppies is limited, but it will be busy. The pups are used to being taken outside at 3 am each day for their morning potty. Today that happened at 5 am, when Victoria got up to go potty and the pups expressed their urgent need to be taken out of the pen to empty their bladders. They were not satisfied with being set outside to do their business. They wanted attention and impatiently whined for it, and that not quietly. Needless to say, it was not the quiet morning I am used to. Mama will have a very busy day today, but Grandma and Grandpa will help as much as they can.

Mama and I were planning on going to meet a rescue worker to look at Dolly, a two-year-old, Pyrenees/Andalusian mix to replace Samson as a working dog for our farm, but we called that off when Dolly (our goat) started to birth her two little ones. That meeting is tentatively rescheduled for this evening. Having six more dogs on the farm for the week may prove interesting, but that is where we are. I am a little apprehensive about getting the older dog, but we are assured the rescue facility will take the dog back if she does not work out for us. We have a very specific task requirement for Dolly. Whether she is up to meeting that task will be a little challenging to determine, but between, me, Mama, and Victoria, we should be able to see if we are meeting our farm need or simply feeding another big dog just to provide company for Gemma – our remaining farm guard dog who is less than two years old.

Mama sure does keep us busy.

Grandpa’s new therapy, Honey’s kids, Dolly the dog

Several days ago, Grandpa asked me if it was okay for him to use the tractor to brush hog the property. Of course, the answer was Yes. Well, Tuesday he finally felt up to the challenge. I made sure he was okay with repeatedly getting on and off the tractor to open gates, move smaller obstacles, etc., and he assured me he was. So, a little after noon that day he took the tractor and began working in the barn lot. He was out for a couple hours but came back to the house to tell me he had lodged a piece of wood in the blades of the brush hog that he was not able to get out on his own. Having been shut down for the day, he collected the mail – which included one fairly heavy box of books – and set out to rest for a bit. He had not been in the house for long (only a moment really) when we had a downpour of much need rain. Grandma has shared the story of the log that brought Grandpa back to the house before he was stuck out in the rain. God’s timing is still perfect.

I was able to dislodge the log – a piece of firewood – from the blades. It took me some effort to do so along employing a sledgehammer and a wedge. That allowed Grandpa to get back out on the tractor Wednesday morning. This time he stayed out long enough that Grandma began to worry about him. To assure herself everything was alright she and Mama drove over to the barn lot. They took a picture of Grandpa on the tractor so Grandma could share it with those who have been praying for Grandpa. He is still a little unsteady on his feet, and struggles with his energy levels, but I can tell it encouraged him to be back on a tractor. The nurse who came to do his weekly checkup was thoroughly impressed with his progress. She especially liked is new form of physical therapy.

I generally hurry out of the house when I am working from home to help Mama with the morning feeding. It does not take long to do so, and it is a help to Mama. However, this morning took a bit longer because as I was walking into the enclosure of our nanny goats, I noticed two little additions to out flock. Somewhat unexpectedly, Honey kidded earlier this morning and delivered us two beautiful little girls. By the time I saw them, they were cleaned up and fluffy, so the kidding had happened several hours before. Probably in the wee hours of the morning. Neither Mama nor I were expecting her to be the first to kid. We are looking hard at Lilly who will be kidding within a few days followed closely by Dolly. Both of those nannies will probably give us triplets no later than early next week. Sugar and Jewels may come within that same timeframe, but on the first kidding, as it was with Honey, it is very difficult to predict.

Recently, Mama and I contacted an animal rescue facility to see if we could find a Pyrenees to replace Samson. We are hesitant to start with a pup – especially since Gemma would be the senior dog in charge of training the pup. So, we began looking for an older dog. We are not sure if integrating a two-year-old dog into our farm will work, but we are willing to give it a try. Having a dog past the puppy stage will be a benefit. Having a two-year-old that has already developed her personality, her habits and her routine could prove unfruitful , but we will give it a try if we are allowed by the adoption shelter that will choose to release release the dog to us or find her a better home. We are still waiting to find out if this will work from their perspective. If so, we will meet the current caretaker of the dog and see if we like her. Yes, her. Mama insists on getting a female.

The hummingbirds have been very active lately. We are seeing four, five or even six at a time swooping to the feeder.  It is an almost transfixing acrobatic show. I took a video, but it was too long to place on the blog site. The heightened activity will not last long, but we are enjoying it as long as we are able. To attract even more hummingbirds Mama has been faithful to refresh the sugar water every other day. Whatever she is doing, the tiny birds are taking advantage of what has been made available to them. We are enjoying he show.

Mama is watching Rosa Lee today. It is not a big deal, but we may have to meet the owner of our perspective Pyrenees this afternoon – if they like our application – and Rosa Lee would have to make the trip with us to Muenster. Mama will not leave her with Grandma and Grandpa even though that has been done in the past. Grandma has already lost her temper a couple times when Rosa Lee would not instantly obey her instructions. Since the baby is not used to following instructions, it is not surprising that she would resist any directions or instructions, but her steadfast resistance is an affront to Grandma. As much as Rosa Lee loves Grandma, the child has had no training in being subject to anything but her own whims. She does what she wants, when she wants, and her parents bend to her will. So, we cannot leave her in Grandma’s care…for both their sakes

I am waiting to see if we will make the drive today or some other day. Life is always interesting with Mama.  

Rain, appointments, seeing the forest, training all week, eat to live

After promises of heavy rain over the weekend and into next week, we finally saw some raindrops begin to fall in the early morning hours Monday. The forecast is still for us to see up to three inches of accumulation today, but I do not have high hopes. Mama and I were not necessarily counting on the forecast being accurate, but we did forego watering both Friday and Saturday. By yesterday evening, our fig trees looked puny. Hopefully, we will get enough rain to revive them today. We shall see. At the very least it would be nice to have some rain so the inch of powdered dirt we have laying everywhere is wet down sufficiently to settle the dust we have constantly blowing. When the nanny goats walk toward their barn from any direction, they create a dust trail by dragging their hoofs through the powder. It is sad to watch.

Mama has appointments for both Grandma and Grandpa in Decatur this morning for some preliminary blood work the doctor requires. In addition to those appointments, Mama will be going with me to an appointment with a cardiologist this afternoon in Denton. Hopefully, Mama and I can make that visit on our own so we can spend the time alone together. Any trip to Denton requires a stop at Texas Tea, Sam’s and WinCo. With that in focus, we will stretch the two hours for the appointment alone, doctor time plus travel to and from, into about four hours as we shop just a little. After forty years of marriage, Mama is still my favorite person to spend time with – even if we just go grocery shopping.

That is one of the reasons that Mama and I are so disappointed by what is happening with Brittany and Andrew right now. Ten years of marriage is quite a milestone. Plenty of time to figure out the paths toward reconciliation for either party should those pathways be sought. Mama and I are praying about the situation especially on behalf of our grandchildren. Three precious, innocent lives are at stake, but the parents (one or both) cannot see the forest for the trees. They are focused inwardly with a horrifying intensity on what they feel they need. Wounding because they feel wounded. Seeking justification for thoughts and actions they know deep in their hearts are not right in God’s eyes.

I do not know if Mama and I will ever know the truth – the real truth. The truth only God knows. We just have to settle with whatever each party is willing to admit to as their part of the blame. The truth lies somewhere between those two sets of accusations. The result of choices made on both parts. Zoe, Sophia and Audrey are burdened with the outcomes of their parent choices, knowing that something is wrong but too innocent to understand why they are confused about things that seem so clearly right or wrong based on how they have been raised to this point. It is not about picking sides with either Brittany or Andrew. It is about being available should either of them need our help. It is about keeping in touch with our grandchildren, should we be allowed to do so, so they have that consistency in their lives. It is about being ready to pray specifically when we are made aware of the need to do so. It is about remaining on the outside as we allow God to work. Our opinions are irrelevant. This is between Brittany and Andrew and God.

My weeklong training continues this week starting tomorrow. So far it has been a good experience, especially for those new members of our workforce. From my perspective, it has been instructive since we have gone through a reorganization recently. I get to find out who is in what group and who is responsible for leading that group. Mostly, it has allowed me to rest my voice to the point I was able to lead the singing in the morning service yesterday for the first time in three weeks. I could not lead the music in the evening service because my voice was spent, but I am seeing marked improvements in both strength and power of voice.

Diet wise, I have succeeded by God’s grace in maintaining the low carb diet for a week now. Even with the snack cakes that have been piled up on our kitchen table and a church dinner Saturday night. I have lost six pounds so far and surprisingly have been less hungry over this week than in days past. Less prone to snack as well. When I looked back and calculated my carb intake before I started counting and limiting the carbs I eat, I was shocked by how many carbs I was eating daily. No, really, I was shocked. There were some days just prior to the doctor’s visit that kindled this urgency that I could add up over 350 to 500 carbs in a single day. My average intake was bout 300 carbs per day. At my age, my body was revolting, and my pancreas was not able to manage the load. Hence the very high blood sugar. That alone will keep me counting carbs for the rest of my life. Even if, at some future point I can increase my carb intake, I imagine I will have to stay at 150 per day or lower. Oh well, as I told Mama the other day, it is only food, and I can learn to eat to live.

So far, I have actually enjoyed it.

Rain, class, habits

For the first time in many weeks, we have rain in the forecast. A little today and a lot over the weekend into the next week. If we get all the amounts that have been listed as predicted totals, we will get almost five inches. We will wait and see how that plays out. That rain, falling in amounts forecast to be about an inch per day over the next six days, it is the best outcome we could ask for in dealing with our present drought conditions. It will take many weeks to refill out ponds and creeks, but things are looking more hopeful than we have seen for a good while. It would have been nice to have some of this rain before I had to dig a grave for Samson. I could have done a better job in softer ground, but that was not the case.

With rain in our potential future, I spent a couple hours working on the larger duck pen yesterday evening so I could clean up the area and put my tools away in the shop. I am now using wood I took from the pallets I disassembled. With the rails of those pallets being made from two by fours and the planks made from half inch pine, the eight pallets gave me a good bit of wood to work with. It is not prime material, but it should last a few more years especially since most of the wood is under a roof. I still have a long way to go which will require more dimension lumber to be purchased, but the pen is slowly taking shape. Mama and I are hoping to move our three large ducks into the pen in a couple weeks. The current pen is too small for them and gets nastied up quickly because they have a tendency to get everything wet. Plus, they are Giant Pekin ducks, and they are already larger than most breeds of ducks.

What is funny is that the ducks will not leave the pen even if we leave the door open. They scurry about when Mama or I enter the pen to give them clean water or to feed them. Always doing their best to stay as far from us as they are able in the cramped enclosure, but they will not, under any circumstances, go through the door even when it is open. It is entertaining to watch as they flee about as though they are terrified of us yet will not cross that line. Like they hit an invisible barrier at the doorway and recoil in sheer panic. That at least takes much of the worry from Mama and I of losing them should they get out of the pen. Something we have been careful to avoid since we got them.

I have been scheduled for morning classes – as a participant – from yesterday through Friday. Those morning sessions will continue through next week. Tomorrow however, I am teaching the attendees for the four hours we are spending together. It will be the first time I have presented a class in several weeks. Since I began struggling with my voice a month ago, my coworkers have been very careful to take the longer classes and let me rest. Tomorrow’s presentation, a four-hour class, will be a good test of how much I have recovered. Since I have these meeting every morning next week, all the classes for that week have been reassigned to others. My hope is that by the end of next week, I will be much better.

As for maintaining a strict diet, I have kept to the regimen of sixty carbs or less for only two days and already it seems a drudgery. Fortunately, we have options available to me that suffice to meet the restrictions and Mama is careful to try to expand those options. I have avoided all carbs at breakfast so far. I had very few carbs for diner last night (less than 4) and will repeat that tonight. For lunch I allow myself up to forty carbs which still requires the main course to be a salad made of green leafy vegetables with a measured amount of dressing. I use jalapeños to add some spice and a spoonful of macaroni salad (which I finished up today) to give some texture difference. No crackers. No chips. No bread.

I keep reminding myself that I am eating to live not living to eat. How long can I keep that diet up? As long as it is important to me. As long as my health matters more than my cravings. I believe that the longer I can follow through, the more it will become a habit. Once this food focus becomes a habit, cravings will shift, and behaviors will be set in place that will help maintain that focus. How long will that take? I do not even want to guess, but I am told that if you do something routinely for twenty-one days, it will become a habit. We will see. For now, I am rather enjoying the experiment. Admittedly there is one area that I am truly struggling. Snacks. All the snacks I am accustomed to eating are not off-limits to me if I am to follow this diet. I am now able to see just how often I was snacking in the past.

Mama and I will tackle that challenge next.

Samson, bad blood

When I got home from work yesterday, I had to dig a grave and put Samson down. While Victoria, Grandma, Grandpa and Mama went out to dinner to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa’s birthdays, I stayed at the farm and took care of Sam. He had not moved from the spot in the front yard where Mama and Seth had earlier deposited him. He was breathing in shallow breaths and his back legs were not working at all. He did not seem to be in pain, but he was not going to be with us much longer. It was very difficult to dig a grave for him. The ground right now is as hard as iron, and Samson was a big dog. Using the front loader on the tractor I was able to scratch deeply enough to make a suitable resting place for Sam in the paddock of our nanny goats. Positioned there, the grave will not be disturbed by hogs or coyotes. So, Gemma is on her own now and she is noticeably unhappy about it. Overall, it was an unpleasant task. He was a good dog and we will really miss him.

Part of my day yesterday involved a visit to the doctor for some follow up. Last week I had gotten some blood drawn and we were to review the outcomes of that testing. Everything on the lab tests was exactly within the margins – except for one little thing. My A1C was 6.0. That is bad. It is an indicator that my body is struggling to keep my blood sugar levels in check; an indicator of potential diabetic issues should I keep eating as I have been. That information was both good news and bad news. Good news in that I now know the underlying issue I have been dealing with but unable to identify; the lethargy, the headaches, the unexplained weight gain. Bad news in the diet change that will be required to address the issue. Like my grandson Blake, I will be required to drastically limit the carbohydrates I eat. I, unlike Blake, will not be able to dose myself when I eat a carb rich meal – especially Mexican food (like a bean burrito from Taco Casa – fifty-five gram of carbs) or a rice or noodle dish from our favorite Thai or Chinese restaurant (about sixty carbs per meal).

Such a diet mandates eating those things that are either high in salt or high in fats or tasteless. One of the reasons diabetic individuals struggle with weight gain is that they have to focus on foods that are high in proteins and fats in order to avoid carbs and sugar rich foods. Most of the things recommended for me at this point are fairly flavorless – green salads, green leafy vegetables, and the like which require some type of flavoring be applied to make them satisfying. Meats are low in carbohydrates, but they are high in fats and my body can only handle a limited number of fats per day and still avoid gaining weight. Same story with nuts. That will require an enormous shift in focus. No wonder Mama could not maintain that diet when she gave it her best effort several years ago.  

It is a further challenge to me and Mama to avoid sugary snacks when there are constantly several boxes of snack cakes sitting on the dining room table that must be avoided. A Swiss Roll – we have two boxes on hand for Grandma and Grandpa – weighs in at 42 grams of carbs per roll. There are two rolls in a package. My recommended diet is to keep my carb intake below sixty per day. Nine Vanilla Wafers have twenty-two carbs. Ten of my peanut butter filled pretzels contain seventeen carb. It is a good thing Mama and I use Truvia to sweeten our green tea, or I would give that up as well. It will be a challenge, but it is only food. It could certainly be far worse.

Also, based on a record I have been keeping of my daily blood pressure for the past month, my new doctor is recommending a change in medication. My average blood pressure over the month is not bad, but it could be better. To that end, I have to take on a new medication. That is always fun. I will start that tomorrow. The three-month supply of the old medication I have is going to waste. I do not know a way to get unused medications to a clinic that could use it for someone.

Oh, well. Life goes on – hopefully.

Details, Samson, Grandma and Grandpa

I am probably not going to say too much about the situation, but it appears that Brittany and Andrew are getting divorced. So far, we have heard only one side of the story. Every story has two sides – especially when there are circumstances like this involved.  From Brittany’s perspective, her ex-husband is the devil incarnate and she is saintly for having endured her torment for ten years. As much as I love my daughter Brittany, I am almost certain that that is exaggerated. I just don’t know how much. At some point, we will get Andrew’s side of the story and see how the accounts mete out. For now, we are praying for the children involved that whatever the truth is, they will be protected and shielded from the most damaging effects of this decision.

I asked Victoria last night, since I had no other children close to question, why four of our seven children show no interest in God. She had no answer. I am truly curious. I cannot be the judge of my own actions from the perspective of how those actions affected our children, but Mama and I have lived our Spiritual lives in front of our children for all the years of our marriage – for all their lives. Were we perfect? Not even close. But we tried to be consistent. Yet, my two sons and two of our five daughters have estranged themselves from God. How much am I responsible for that decision? I do not know, but I certainly bear some responsibility. How much of that discounting of our Spiritual standards is the result of the spouses they have chosen I cannot tell, but it is deeply saddening to witness. Every decision we make has consequences; outcomes built into the decision. Poor Spiritual decisions yield hazardous Spiritual outcomes, often with Eternal consequences for the children unaware of how those decisions on their parents’ part impacted their Eternal destination.

We raised our children in church, so they had the opportunity to learn Spiritual truth. What is concerning to me and Mama, is that our grandchildren will not have that same opportunity because they are not in church, much less a good Bible-preaching church. Mama and I realize that each of our children must make those decisions on their own, but we had higher hopes for those life choices that what we are seeing. Mama and I have the promise of God’s Word to rest upon. “Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 So, we continue to pray and trust the Lord.

Mama called me in desperation this morning. She could hear Samson barking from somewhere in the property beside us. It was his “Help me!” bark and Mama responded appropriately. She found him stuck in a bog near the quarry lake. Her first attempt to approach him resulted in her almost losing a shoe in the soft ground around Samson, so she called me. I changed as soon as I got home and grabbed a half sheet of thin plywood that had been sitting at the duck enclosure.

Once equipped, I opened the gate to the property and carried the sheet to place it by Samson. He was buried in the bog with only his back and head above the slimy, smelly, sucking mud. It took all my strength to pull his back legs free of the mud while Mama tugged on the front of his body, but together, we managed to get him dragged up onto the sheet of plywood. He did not whimper too much although we are sure that tugging on his fur to extricate him from the mud was painful to him.

After several minutes of coaxing, Samson tried to get up but was unable. We are not sure how long he was encased in the mud, but I could have been overnight. It was certainly through most of the morning. Anyway, he was too tired to get up. He tried several times but failed to raise his back legs. If exhaustion is the only issue, he will rest and come home. If there is a deeper problem with his hips that is limiting his motion, I may have to put him down where he is lying. Either way, we will deal with him later this afternoon since I had to get back to work and Mama had to get herself and Grandma to doctor’s appointments.

As far as Grandma’s multiple extractions goes. She is doing well. There is obviously some pain from surgery required to get the broken teeth out of her upper jaw, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am certain the swelling is a bit more than it should have been because Grandma has never stopped talking. When the numbing was still active in her mouth, she talked incessantly even though Grandpa warned her against so much yammering. What pain she is experiencing has not slowed her down any which I take as a sign that things are okay. By the end of this week, she should be able to eat anything she wants, although most of what she wants is sweet cakes and pudding. She should be able to get back to safely eating her harder cookies soon.

Grandpa is making significant progress. He was out sweeping the front walk Saturday afternoon. That is a huge step up in activity. He is talking about brush hogging with the tractor this week.  Another huge step forward in activity, and a real blessing if he does have the energy to do so.

Mama and I are both very encouraged with what God is doing in their lives right now.

A nice evening, Glen Rose, Grandma, Victoria

Monday evening Mama and I spent the time together celebrating our anniversary. We drove about an hour away to a Thai restaurant for dinner only to discover that our first choice was closed on Mondays. Their website had not reflected that change in schedule. We only found out as we arrived at the restaurant and read the hand-written sign on the front door. So, while we were parked, we looked for another nearby Thai restaurant and found one only twelve miles away. When we plugged that into the phone for directions, we found out that it would take forty minutes to make that drive. We stopped again and looked once more at potential restaurants and found one we had overlooked that was two tenths of a mile away. We drove the short distance, looked it over, and decided to try it out.

The restaurant turned out to be a great choice as a backup. We had a wonderful meal in a very relaxed atmosphere. I ordered duck for the first time, but Mama stuck with something more familiar. The duck was amazing. I cannot wait to try one of our own. By the way, it is looking like we have three hens in our care, but time will prove whether that is correct. While we were at the restaurant, I looked online to see how close we were to a Rita’s. We were only two miles from the nearest Italian Ice shop. We went there for dessert. By the time we had finished our custard and gelato, the traffic had dissipated, and we had an easy drive home. All in all, it was a very pleasant, much needed time alone together.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I spent in Glen Rose at the Creation Evidence Museum. Glen Rose is about 100 miles from home. An easy two-hour drive. Pastor and I made the trip to and from each day which gave us time to fellowship en route. The time at the museum was spent unpackaging, assembling and testing an electron microscope the museum had purchased. The microscope had been delivered in March but the lab where it would be stationed had not been ready at that time.

In those two days of activity, I was privileged to be around a group of men who are gifted, intelligent, and committed to the Lord. Pastor admitted that a large majority of the discussions we engaged in during those many hours of conversation were far above his ability to follow even on the fringes of those discussions. I admit that is has been some time since I have engaged in such technical and complicated conversations.

Biology, physics, cellular chemistry, electronics, microscopy and microanalysis, all focused on creation and the evidence available to support that truth. It was fun to revisit that part of my mind, to bring out those memories, and access that information once again. It reminded me that nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy. Everything we learn will be used by God at some point in our lives. Therefore, it is best to follow the Bile’s instructions that whatever we do, do it to the best of our abilities. Learn things well so that when God uses those lessons in some future setting, you have well established facts and methods to retrieve and use.

In the future, I will be able to participate in the operation of that electron microscope. There is already a schedule being developed to accommodate such participation. We did not get to run the microscope through the initial startup and test its function for the museums purposes because the power supply set up for the machine was not properly sized for the equipment. We were unable to step the power down properly to plug in the machine and operate it like we would have liked to do. That will come in late September. I am scheduled to be at the lab again for the proper startup and initial testing of the microscope. Everyone is looking forward to that, but for now, the electron microscope is set and ready.

Grandma had a dental appointment today to have her upper teeth pulled out in preparation for dentures. I am a little apprehensive about the recovery process for her after the extractions.  Grandma is not overly willing to follow instructions carefully, so the prospect of avoiding a dry socket from the multiple extractions is a viable outcome if we are not very careful. The extractions took less than an hour and so far, Grandma feels great, but the numbing has not worn off yet. We should know her pain levels in a few hours. Hopefully, all will turn out well and the healing will be quick and complete.

Since Victoria is coming home today, Mama had already put that on her schedule following the trip to Denton for the dental visit, but the flight is not due to arrive until around 7 pm. However, Alex asked Mama yesterday if she would meet Yilin at the airport about 2 pm today. With that change in schedule, Mama will leave to pick up Yilin early in the afternoon and spend the time between that flight and Victoria’s flight in the general area of the airport. That will save us a half tank of gas. The airport is about fifty-five miles away, making the round trip a couple hours – depending on traffic. If Mama brought Yilin home after meeting her flight, she would have to repeat that hundred-mile trip again only a couple hours later. We both want to save that mileage, that time on the road, plus, there are a lot of stores to explore in that area. Not to mention a Chick-Fil-A there was well.

If Yilin is moderately cooperative, Mama could have a good time enjoying the delay.

Anniversary, no real plan

Mama and I get to celebrate forty years of marriage today. In some ways it does not seem like that many years have elapsed since we stood before our friend and pastor at a church in West Virginia and promised ourselves to each other. But seven children, fifteen grandchildren, and one greatgrandchild later it is easy to see how we have marked those years and how those years have left their marks on us. I was, at the time of our wedding, the second of my eight siblings to get married. Only so because my younger sister, who had been engaged for several years, decided to hurry their wedding up to predate mine and Mama’s. It still tickles me and Mama to remember that hurry on my sister’s part. Nonetheless, both couples are still together celebrating all the years that have slipped by us.

It hard to encapsulate the idea that a long-term love is not about loving everything about a person, but rather being able to accept those things you do nor necessarily love about a person, while focusing attention on those things you do really love about a person. None of us is perfect and forty days in a relationship reveal some of those imperfections starkly, much less forty years. Mama and I are together after forty years because each of us made a decision to love each other and God has blessed our ability to do so. We are together because that love is freely given to each other. It is not earned from each other by things we do for each other. It is not bought through sexual surrender or gifts given to pay for an intimate moment. We love each other because we each have chosen to do so.

I know what pleases her and I seek to do those things – simply to please her. Not to gain any advantage over her or to buy some affection from her. She knows what pleases me and does those things simply because she knows it pleases me. Conversely, we know what words, actions or expressions anger each other and we avoid those whenever possible. We apologize when we know we have crossed that line. I am wholly hers. She is wholly mine. We are wholly God’s. It is not a perfect relationship, but it is one God has blessed as we put each other first and center our focus on the Lord.

We do not have another forty years ahead of us. Perhaps ten or maybe even twenty, if the Lord allows, but what years we do have, we will be together through them. That is enough for each of us. A promise honored one day at a time. We have accumulated 14,610 of those days. Each one a precious gift. Most of those days have not been individually memorable although Mama has made each of those days fun in one way or another, but taken as a whole, they are certainly worth celebrating.

Mama is headed out for feed today. It is the only day this week she has available, so the chore is being squeezed between doctor’s appointments, dental appointments and physical therapy visits. To that end Grandpa and I spent some time talking over the past few days – mostly when Grandma was not around to dominate the conversation – and I got a good feel for his outlook and future plans – if I can call them plans.

He would like to have a place of their own but understands that neither he nor Grandma are capable of taking care of themselves on their own just yet. (Any food that is prepared for them comes from Mama’s efforts.) He is okay with the idea of putting an RV next to our house but is sternly against going into debt to do so. He can tolerate the current arrangement as long as Grandma and Mama can continue to work together to make that close quarter living work. He is deeply appreciative or our willingness to do whatever is needed to provide for him and Grandma in their current situation.

Psychologically, he is very discouraged by his current physical conditions. His persistent weakness, His constantly numb feet, and legs. Since he cannot feel his lower legs and feet, it is difficult to know if he has placed his foot properly on each step. He is pinning a lot of his future plans on an upcoming visit with a neurologist to determine the cause and potential remedy for his neuropathy. If that visit produces no promising outcomes, he will be very discouraged. He said so plainly. It would mean that there is no remedy for him. No chance of being able to walk with confidence. Of his continuing to be a fall risk.

That risk of falling is exacerbated by the big dogs we have in the house and their desire to constantly be underfoot. Additionally, the step we have down into the living room is an issue at times. I can do little about either. Both obstacles make the use of a walker impractical. They make the use of a wheelchair impossible. So, it is good that both Grandma and Grandpa are ambulatory at this time. When that ability to get around on their own is compromised, Mama will have to make some big adjustments.

For now, we are making things work but Grandpa is finding it difficult to keep trying.

Yesterday, special days, Victoria

Even though my voice was weak, and I continued to wrestle with a cough, I taught class yesterday. Granted, it was only a 4-hour class, but I barely made it through the class. My voice was almost gone, and my cough was much worse by the time I has sent the test out to the participants. I was very relieved when the class was over. As is customary, one of my colleagues followed along with the class as I taught, and she was a little unsure if I could complete the class but said nothing until the class was over. Based on that assessment, she made sure I was not set as the instructor on the list of classes being taught next week and replaced me with another instructor on the one that I was set to teach. I am thankful. I need the time to fully recover. Fortunately, others had been set as instructors on two of the three classes because of vacation I am taking next week, so there was minimal rearranging required. Nevertheless, I will use the respite to regain my voice.

While was teaching, Mama ran errands with Grandma and Grandpa. One of the stops was for a dental appointment, while several others were for necessities and a brief stop for lunch. The dental appointment was for Grandma. She has been seeking such an appointment for months but was hindered until yesterday. Her appointment was an initial consultation to have all her remaining teeth removed and dentures made to replace them.  Lunch was at Wendy’s. Mama has learned that it is wasteful to buy a nice, more expensive meal for Grandma and Grandpa because neither of them eat much at any given time. Neither of them like good food as much as they like to snack.

So yesterday, Grandpa ate a small hamburger, a few fries, and a Coke, along with a cherry turnover bought at WinCo. Grandma ate chicken nuggets and a small Frosty. Spending more than that small cost for any meal eaten out is a waste of money. Mama is learning to adapt to their tastes which lean more toward snacking than any type of meals we would consider a proper diet. It is hard to watch, but if that is what they want to do, there is little reason to oppose them too forcefully. We still offer them good food and sometimes they accept that offer, but for the most part Mama and I make meals we enjoy and let them do as they please. We at least overlap in tastes of breakfast foods.

Also, while I was in class, Mama helped celebrate Savanna’s birthday party. Her seventh. Victoria was able to be there in person, but we got to participate online. It was not an elaborate affair, but Mama was glad to get to see the goings on for the brief time that she did. FaceTime is Mama’s friend as she maintains a connection with our children and grandchildren. I rarely get to participate, but I do get to hear about things after the fact. At least when Mama remembers to share with me the information any of those connections yield.

After I finished out the day, I took apart the smoker to replace the control box. The part was delivered earlier in the week, but I was busy with other things. It was not as difficult a repair as I had thought but it did take some time and a couple tries to get the seven connections the installation required made correctly. I had to affect the repairs while lying on my back on the floor of the shop. That in itself is not a huge issue, but the trifocals I wear make such positioning problematic. Anyway, when I first tried the power button on the new control panel nothing happened. I was disappointed, but I slowly went back through the connections and found one that had not been properly fitted. Once that connection was made, everything worked as expected. I ran the grill for a short time just to make sure the controller was working properly. It took about an hour before I was convinced that the controller was working as needed. I will know for sure the first time I use it.

Next Monday Mama and I will celebrate forty years of marriage. It seems more like an expected outcome versus some type of milestone. It is not like we are saying “We made it to forty years. Now what?” Not that it is not an important date to both of us, it is more like something that is happening simply because we are continuing to do what we started out to do; to love the Lord and to love each other until the Lord calls us home. We started out with some plans for celebrating this anniversary in a more memorable way, but instead of that we will spend the day doing something far less inspiring than the travel and time with our grandchildren we had planned. Are we disappointed? Maybe a bit. But the circumstances we are currently dealing with were no surprise to our Lord and our special times together are not necessarily based on what we do but the fact that we are doing something together.

Victoria, during her stay in Honduras, has gotten sick. I am not sure how ill she is, but she sounds bad – like she has a very bad cold. I probably should say she is sicker now than she was feeling before she left. Fortunately, she has a full week to recover before she gets tested and flies back home. Honduras still requires a negative COVID test within three days of travel to their country. I am just assuming that the same test will be required of her before she is allowed to board a plane to come home.

So, please keep her in your prayers.

Work ahead, Grandma

During my lunch break yesterday, I added sugar water to the feeders in the hives. As I was looking into the hives, I discovered that I have some work ahead of me to make the hives ready for winter. In one hive the bees have built comb that takes up the void between two frames instead of building the comb on the foundation in either of the two frames. That is an issue as far as raising brood is concerned. The void will also cause a cold spot in the hive when the colder months come. So, I will go back when I have the time and cut out the misaligned comb. That will not be to the bees liking, but in the long run, it will serve them well.

In the second hive, I broke a frame when I was trying to raise it out of the hive. That has happened a couple times before, but not too often. Sometimes the propolis used by the bees to glue the hive together and seal any drafts is stronger that the glue I originally used to assemble the frames. That frame will need to be extracted from the hive and replaced with a new frame. Any work the bees have done on that frame will be lost to them, but they will quickly replace the loss. I am constantly amazed at how quickly the bees can fill the hive even when there are very limited materials available to the bees naturally right now.

The heat is abating somewhat. As the temperatures begin to drift down from the triple digits to peak in the high nineties, we are seeing some relief in our animals. It is still very hot and will remain so through this month, but the nights are cooler, the breezes are more noticeable, and the temperatures are under the 100° mark for the most part. As a result, we are getting more eggs each evening and the goats spend more time grazing on the dried stems of the long dormant grasses in their paddocks.

In building the larger duck area, I had to move a fence to give us access to that enclosure. I could not budge the one T post that had supported the fence where I needed access. The ground is like iron right now so there was no hope of getting the post out without some preparation. To soften the ground, I wiggled the post to create a little trough between the hard ground and the post. I carefully filled that with water so I could begin loosening the dirt around the post. Over the past couple days as the ground yielded to the influence of the water, I wiggled the post even more to enlarge the hole I could put the water in.

Yesterday evening, as I went to do a few things to the enclosure, I found a young rabbit nestling in the wet spot I had created on the ground. It was stretched out over the small damp area to get as much of the “coolness” as was possible. It was extremely hesitant to move away from the cool ground even as I approached it. Slowly and sadly, it hopped away. That is how dry the ground is right now. After a couple more times wiggling the post and some more water being applied, I was able to get the post out of the ground.

Grandma insisted on Mama taking her and Grandpa today to the storage unit where Norman has placed all the items from the RV when it was emptied. When I went there last with Mama, I took some time to rearrange some of the many items deposited haphazardly on the floor of the unit. All I was able to do in my organization was to make a small opening just inside the roll up door so if we went to look through the unit while it was raining, we would not have to stand at the doorway in the rain. That is how disorganized and overstuffed the unit currently is. Whether or not Mama will be able to help Grandpa locate what Grandma is looking for remains to be seen. But Grandma is not to be put off when she has a specific thought her on mind.

To that point, Grandma asked me point blank last night if she could use Victoria’s to run some errands. The thought of her driving scares me and Mama almost as much as it scares Grandpa. My answer was a little to quick and perhaps too blunt, but I basically said No. I used the excuse that Grandma is not on our insurance policy, and it would be very concerning if anything happened. Realistically, I do not even know if Grandma could find her way around the area if needed. She has not driven in over two years. She has not been in this area for over a year. Before they moved to Florida, Grandpa greatly limited her driving even to Bowie and back from their home just a few miles out of town. I am sure she will bring up the question to Victoria when Victoria is back home, but I think we are largely in agreement to restrict Grandma in that particular activity.

Mama was likewise a little emphatic. She told Grandma to remember that she had not driven a vehicle in over a year, and it would be prudent for her (Mama) to make some short excursions with Grandma driving just to test her ability to handle the task on her own – and only if Grandpa approves. Since Grandma’s mental capacity is not at its best, it will take some convincing to keep her from behind the wheel. I did not see, but Grandpa must have given her a look to halt the conversation because it abruptly ended.

Unfortunately, I feel that the discussion is far from over in Grandma’s mind.

Victoria, maybe better

Mama and I dropped Victoria off at the airport this morning. Her flight was set to board in Dallas at 6:45 so we got her to the check in kiosks at 5:15. That means that we had to leave the farm at 4:15. Victoria was having some stomach troubles last night into this morning, so I had to stop once on the way to the airport, but we still got there in plenty of time. She has done this so many times that the check in process took her about ten minutes to complete. I do not know how long it took to get through security, but the lines looked short. Mama and I headed home as soon as we saw her bags checked so I could clock in on time.

She should be arriving in San Pedro Sula a little before 2 pm. These early flights are both good and bad. Good in that traffic is minimal at that hour of the day and the security lines are not long yet. An early departure generally means an early arrival which affords the time to enjoy an afternoon at her destination on the first day.  The early morning flights are bad only in that we have to be up so early to make the flight. The tradeoffs make it worth the short night before the initial trip.

Mama’s night was very short. She was up and ready when I got up just before the alarm was to go off at 4 am. She had been awake since 12:30. We had gone to bed early the night before; about 9:30. So, she got only about three hours sleep all night. That is a very short night. Victoria did somewhat better, but not by much. Hopefully both of them will get to catch up on missed sleep over the next couple days and nights. Cori has not put much on the docket for this visit – other than Savanna’s birthday, which was the occasion for the visit. We are hoping this is a nice break for Victoria who has gone out of her way to accommodate Grandma for the past several weeks. Mama and I will not get a break until perhaps February, when we plan to visit Honduras. It is still disappointing that we had to give up our plans to be with Zoe and Sophia for their birthday, but that could not be avoided.

Although the physical therapist came by to work with Grandpa this afternoon the day has been pretty quiet. Mama has taken a couple opportunities when Grandma and Grandpa rested or napped to lay down as well. We all need days like that. I will get rested back up over the next several days since I am working from home, and I do not have as much sleep to catch up on as Mama does.

I am feeling much better but I still have bouts of coughing. The cough is a productive cough versus the dry cough I often get so I am at the point of weening myself from the over-the-counter meds I have been taking to make the cough productive. Each time I treat such a cough, I end up overusing the expectorants which can prolong the cough if I am not careful. I am not feeling better enough to go out and work in the heat each evening. That will come later. Besides, we have VBS this week and I am pushing myself to get to some of the evenings at church to enjoy those services. If I can manage this cough.

Last night, I dropped Mama off at VBS for a short spell. She had someone to meet and introduce around and I had to buy some fasteners to keep working on the duck pen. Mama was feeling a little sick to her stomach last night. I think it was because they ate at Jason’s Deli for lunch after Grandpa’s appointment. I always get a little nausea after eating there if I am not very careful what I eat. Anyway, Mama was better today so whatever she had suffered from was a passing discomfort.

I think many of Mama’s issues come from eating too much sugar. Although Grandma was fired up to get that addictive substance out of her life (for a few hours), that determination faded as quickly as it originated. When someone made a casual comment about it, Grandma’s response was one I have heard many times over in my life, “Well, we just need to take small steps to change out diet rather than try and get rid of everything at once.” We’ll keep working on it, I am told. Meanwhile we have loaded up on double stuffed and mega stuffed Oreos, pop tarts and toaster strudels, Sam’s Cola’s, and half gallons of Blue Bell ice cream – all of which were on sale. Not to mention the salvaging of cookies bought for VBS that were clearly not needed to be used there. “They had so many cookies there.” I am told.

We do also have pears, cantaloupe, and watermelon in the fridges. We have apples and bananas for the eating as well. I will wait to see what of those commodities gets eaten first. In my experience, it is rarely the fruit that is consumed quickly, but I could be wrong.

We have gotten word that Victoria is safely received in Honduras. Praise the Lord!

Weekend work, Grandpa, car troubles

 

Although I was not feeling well over the weekend, I worked over seven hours on the new duck enclosure. Instead of an 8 x 12 enclosure, the new enclosure will be 16 x 16. I went through two sets of clothing Saturday because every time I came in to get a drink and cool down, I had to change my shirt and pants. Each couple hours, I had to get out of the heat, and I could not sit anywhere in the house in my sweat-soaked cloths. Besides, the seventy-five-degree setting we keep on the A/C right now feels chilly when you come in from over one-hundred-degree temperatures and are soaking wet to boot. So, when I changed my shirt and pants, I hung the wet clothing outside to dry off – which happened by the time I needed to change again. It was only after I came in for a nap that I noticed that the ambient temperature, was 106°, with the “feels like” temperature at 112°.

I got a good way along on the construction of the outside walls and the roof of the enclosure, but I did not get as much done as I would have liked to. Working by myself with twelve-foot pieces of lumber and fourteen-foot pieces of metal is challenging. It was nice to have almost all the materials on hand to build what I did get assembled but I went through my supply of lumber very quickly. In fact, I eventually had to quit because I ran out of the special screws I needed to attach the metal to the roof and walls. I will still have sixteen pieces of metal left from what I bought from Norman of the materials he recovered from his house in Abilene. The lumber and metal were a direct answer to prayer so I got to praise the Lord with each piece I added to the structure.

Earlier in the day Saturday we also got a period of rain. All in all, we got one third of an inch. Not enough to make a real difference when we are almost ten inches behind in our annual rainfall. We were happy for the rainfall, and it did give me time to break from work and go with Mama on a grocery store run, once I got into dry clothing, but the benefits of that rainfall had evaporated by early afternoon. Hopefully, some of the moisture managed to penetrate the ground versus being totally evaporated, but it is difficult to tell. Everything is so dry and brown that it will take much more moisture to urge things back to life. We go through this every year; it just started a little early this year.

I did not get to go to church yesterday, and I really miss it when I do not get to go. Mama did get to attend the services without me. Even though I got to watch the service online it is not the same. Hopefully, by Wednesday I will be better, but still may not go. We will be having Vacation Bible School through Thursday night this week. Unless I feel much better and have gotten rid of the cough troubling me, I will not expose anyone to that cough. Just in case.

Mama, Grandma and Grandpa were out today for appointments for Grandpa. This appointment was with a neurologist that the hospital requested he follow up with. I am not sure what needed to be done, but the obligation was met by Grandpa. This neurologist is concerned about the neuropathy Grandpa has in his feet and hands. Especially his feet. According to Mama, the doctor as able to push a needle into Grandpa’s feet without Grandpa being able to feel it. I am not sur they made the doctor aware but it has been that way for a considerable time. That is one of the issues Grandpa has in walking. Since he cannot feel his feet at all, it is difficult to know if he has placed them properly for each step. I am certain more tests will be required to satisfy the neurologist. Will a battery of tests produce any benefit? That is the question.

In the same excursion, they went to WinCo and Sam’s. I am glad Grandpa was up to the time shopping because we needed a few items and Mama and I like to get our little chores done in Denton while we are there versus spending the gas to make a special trip. Besides, Grandpa needed the exercise in a climate-controlled environment instead of doing his walking outside in the triple digit temperatures. Because of the heat, he fatigues quickly when he ventures outside here.

Yesterday on her way to church, Mama called to tell me she was turning the car around because of the panel lights flashing on the dash. When she got to the house, she left the vehicle running so I could see exactly what she was talking about. I shut off the engine and restarted it without issue. I started looking in the fuse box for any obvious clues. We have been constantly troubled by one fuse that will burn out at random intervals. Because it happens so routinely, I have several of those fuses on hand. That fuse was burned out – as expected – but it does not usually cause the issue we were seeing. I replaced that fuse while Mama headed back to church in the truck.

Well, today they drove the Sequoia to Denton for the appointments, lunch, and shopping stops. It did fine. I am not at all sure what the issue may have been, or if we will see it again (hopefully not!), but for now, it is gone. Whether or not it is resolved, remains to be seen.