So many little things, repairs, Grandma, Rosa Lee

Over the weekend and into the holiday yesterday there were so many little things to do that it is difficult in retrospect to see what we actually got done. From helping Mama get Christmas decorations put away, to helping Norman sort through thirty totes and boxes, to relocating the Banty house so the quail could get more sunlight, to making little repairs around the house so that doors could close properly, to trying to repair the sliding glass door only to discover that I had ordered the wrong sized roller replacements, to splitting firewood in preparation for more cold weather, and on and on.

The weather could not have been more perfect to tackle all these little projects. We had afternoon temperatures in the mid to upper seventies. Warm enough for us to have the windows open and warm enough for Grandpa to sit on the porch or be on hand to help Norman through several consecutive days. Considering that many of the containers Norman had to sort through were sitting outside at the front of the shop, it was a good thing the weather was warm and largely rain free. We did have a couple sparse sprinkles of rain, but not enough to wet the ground – or the boxes left in the elements.

Yesterday Norman recovered an enclosed trailer that Seth had been using for storage. The trailer had fallen into disrepair and Grandpa and Norman began to make the required repairs once the trailer was moved to the farm. I was surprised to see just how bad the exterior of the trailer was due to the years of neglect. Conversely, I was surprised to see how quickly Norman was able to make the needed repairs to get the trailer roadworthy. It was interesting that Norman had left for Seth all the materials needed to make the repairs to the trailer when he had loaned it out, but none had been used, so all those materials were available to Norman to affect the repairs over two years later. the interior of the trailer was in surprisingly good shape. That was a blessing.

Monday, I looked into repairs that I thought needed to be done on a waterline leak at the garden but upon careful investigation I found that the majority of the water was leaking from the faucet which was not sealing properly. A very quick repair to that faucet eliminated most of the leakage. The further repairs needed can wait a while, although I am anxious to make the line repairs since I have gotten a specialized clamp to secure the connectors in the waterline and I want to see how well that clamp will work for me in handling the little line leaks I am experiencing at those fittings in the line.

Saturday night we had a get together at church to celebrate New Year’s Eve, but Mama and I did not stay very long. The party started at 6 pm. Mama and I were there for the start. Norman, Victoria, and Grandma came along about 7 pm. They stayed for only an hour to allow Grandma to visit. She has been in a lot of pain recently and was not able to endure on the chairs provided in our fellowship area. Mama and I were on our way home before 9 pm. None of us except Norman saw the midnight hour come.

Grandma’s pain is unusual in that Friday last week she received treatment to deaden the nerve causing the majority of her back pain. However, since that procedure she has complained of hurting from head to toe without relief. I am not sure what the pain is, but the doctor was certain that the nerve pain would be gone after the procedure. Grandma will visit with the pain doctor next week, so we will get his opinion then, but for now, Grandma seems to be hurting far worse than before. I am concerned that she may have interpreted the ending of her nerve pain as ending all her pain. That was never to be the outcome, but she may have truly thought that. Time will tell.

Norman kept Rosa Lee overnight last night and will keep her again tonight. She definitely adds a busyness to our routine at all levels. As I worked from home today while Mama was out running errands, I had to run outside several times to herd the little tike back to Norman and Grandpa – who had forgotten about her – ensuring she left the chickens alone. On the bright side, for a three-year-old, she is very careful to keep the gates secured behind her. I am not sure what trouble she could have gotten into on her own, but I did not want to run the risk of her entertaining herself unsupervised in the coop area.

I will be teaching my first class of 2023 tomorrow. My employer has been very conscientious about keeping my schedule lighter than last year. In fact, my coworker and I did a retrospective survey of 2022 to determine just how many classes were needed and when was the prime time to offer those classes. What days of the week worked best for attendees. What months were busier and what months were lean. Lean months from last year were scheduled lean for this year in anticipation of that process being repeated. We will see how that works out.

I will be ready whenever needed until I retire.