Grandpa, ducks, tight finances, honey

Yesterday afternoon Grandpa spent about two hours outside walking over the farm. He was gone long enough that Mama and Grandma sent me to look for him. I found him sitting on a log near the barn. He was fine. He just wanted a little time alone. But the good news is that last night he let all of us know that he was starting to get some feeling in his right foot. It has been several years since he has had those sensations. The swelling in that appendage is starting to go down as well which means that the blood thinners he is on are starting to allow for an increase in blood flow to the lower leg and foot. That and the exercise he is getting is increasing the muscle usage to augment the venous flow. He was excited about the improvement. So are we. Time will tell if there will be any pain involved in reconnecting those nerve endings to the brain, but it is a serious improvement.

Grandpa has been using the exercise straps I have installed over the door to the laundry room. Those straps allow Grandpa to do very low impact exercises to increase the muscle mass in his arms and legs. He can do so safely without compromising his balance. That light exercise, coupled with the walking and sweeping the walks around the house are combining to give Grandpa increased strength and confidence in his movements.

Friday evening, all day Saturday, and culminating on Monday, I worked on the newer, larger duck enclosure to complete it.  It is much better suited to the large bodies Jumbo Pekins we are currently raising but will work with any duck breed. I even put a kiddie pool in the enclosure. It is not deep, but it provided a large enough pool of water for the three ducks to actually get fully into the water. They did so very quickly when Mama and I managed to herd them to the new pen. The downside to the kiddie pool is that the ducks managed to dirty the water in only a day. Since the pool has no drain on it, we will be required a couple times per week to bail it near to empty before we lift and fully empty the pool. It will be a mess to do, but Mama likes the ducks to have clean water. Even if it lasts for only a few hours. I am looking for another workable solution, but am not willing to spend the money for another container to provide the ducks a pool to swim in.

The current economy is very telling on our finances, especially the price of fuel. Mama and I are feeling the pinch in measurable ways, and we are making adjustments to offset the nearly doubling of our fuel costs. It is not necessarily that fuel prices have doubled as much as the need to make many extra trips for appointments and extra runs to the store has made us “spend” more gas to meet those demands. Our grocery bill has been pretty constant because Grandma and Grandpa largely pay for their sugary snacks and other particular selections of food items. Plus, I am not eating much other than salads right now and Victoria fends for herself without any special requirements. Anyway, our budget is most affected by fuel, but we are also seeing much higher electric bills – about 40% higher. That is painful, but unavoidable. I cannot imagine how others who are less fortunate than Mama and I are doing right now.

The most troubling part of the tight finances is that it limits our ability to give as Mama and I would like, but God is still blessing what we are able to give. There are many missionaries at their disparate ministries across the world who are feeling that pinch in much more tangible ways than are Mama and I. We look for every opportunity to help them meet the ever-growing financial needs of the work they are doing, but it seems a puny gift that we are able to offer. Nevertheless, we give, trusting the Lord to multiply that gift to the missionaries God lays on our heart. It is the sad outcome of these new pressing money needs we are attempting to balance against our giving as best we are currently able to do so.

Yesterday my work compatriots scheduled a workday from the HQ house. I was there early to try the internet. It was not working so a workday from the house was not going to be possible. Since I had two hours to wait on any fellow workers, I headed home to spend the day working from there. However, everyone else met at the house for breakfast, moved to the office for a few hours and then returned to the house for a group lunch. I missed the activity, but I would not have been able to eat any of the food offered for those meals. I had planned to take a salad and some toppings for the lunch but had taken all that home with me. So, this morning, a scheduled day at the office, I brought a loaf of sliced French bread and some honey from what we had harvested this year. Mama will not allow me to sell any of it, but she let me share it with my workgroup. Everyone who tried it, went back for seconds.

It is really good honey. I am not sure what to do with the residue of the honey I brought for sampling today, but we will figure that out together.