Time issues, a lazy day

My streak of writing did not last long. I am trying to set aside time in the evening to write this blog, but no matter what time I try to dedicate to the effort, morning or evening, a number of interruptions seem to arise. A definite advantage to completing the blog in the morning is that Grandma is not typically talking on the phone early in the morning, while most evenings she is hurrying to get her words in for the day. Even when the door is shut to the bedroom she and Grandpa share, we can all clearly hear her conversations when they are happening via cell phone. 

Grandma loved the cell phone. When she is not in conversations on the phone, she has gospel music playing. From the time she gets up each morning until she lays down each night, you can track her whereabouts in the house by following the music. It is not a bad thing except that she has been on an Elvis kick lately. I do not like very many of his later works, but it is nostalgic for Grandma, and she focuses on his Gospel songs.

I did not really get much done today. I was not feeling well. Not too badly, but not well. So, I focused on little chores around the farm and computer work that needed completing. I spent almost forty minutes on the phone with a bank representative earlier this morning. I had to close three business accounts with that bank. The representative and I worked through each account individually to get that done. At least, when it came time to review and sign the required documents, the representative was able to group them into a single email. That helped. So, six accounts at three different banks have been closed successfully. Only one more to go, but that one will have to wait several months. 

After I got done, I took about an hour to burn the second crop of boxes that had multiplied in our garage. That was the second batch this week. I am not sure where they come from, but they take up an inordinate amount of room in the garage, so it is difficult to ignore the clutter they cause. After that, I put some insulation on the beehives. I have held off doing so for a couple weeks, but with significantly colder weather in the forecast, the time was right. 

Mama went to a feed store in Decatur that has changes owners recently and found some really good sales. You know how much Mama loves a good sale. She ended up with some shockingly good deals. Normand and I even got a pair of work boots out of the deal. Mama got some name brand – I do not remember what – gum boots and a pair of shoes of the same rubber material. 

I thought it was interesting that one of the colors I had to use to paint the insulation I put in the hives was a very similar color to the gum boots she came home with. I had only two good choices on spray paint colors, none of which were the earth tone colors I was looking for. I felt that it would be best to paint the silvery, shiny insulation before putting it on the hives. My thinking was that the bees would not react well to shiny hives. Maybe that was unfounded, but I painted the insulation anyway. The fact that one of the colors I had to choose from matched Mama new gum boots was kind of cute. 

Mid-afternoon, we replanted the blackberry plants that had to be moved when we relocated the backyard fence and mapped out our new garden spot. In the later afternoon, I made a pot of beef stew and Mama made some drop biscuits which we paired for dinner. Now we are settling in for the evening. I will finish out the day by closing up the chickens and pigs. Mama and I will spend some time praying together and I will surf the headlines before we call a stop for the day.

It has been a good day overall.