Travel, good news

I made a quick trip to the panhandle yesterday to deliver a letter that no one, including me, wanted to see done. It was not a pleasant meeting but it is done now and we will await the outcome to see if the message or intent of the meeting and the rebuke will accomplish its purpose as intended. It was a long drive over as I thought and prayed about what to say; about the heart of the individual I was having to deal with.

It is never pleasant to confront a person with wrong. It is even less pleasant to do so when they are convinced they have done no wrong; which is exacerbated by the fact they have gotten away with their actions for an extended period of time. Only the Lord can bring about the restoration we desire and the contrition needed to enable such a restoration.

While I was in the area I got with the man who does our taxes and completed the paperwork needed to get them filed. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that what I had thought was a schedule for repayment of taxes due for 2014 through 2015 was actually a schedule to pay taxes for 2015 on a quarterly timetable. What that means is that Mama and I only owe a few thousand dollars in taxes for last year rather than the ten thousand I had thought. One check and we are done. That is a blessing.

When I told Mama she was ecstatic. I do not how many people she called but last night everyone I tried to tell at church already knew. That is as it should be. Now if I can find out about my longevity in my current job we will have two of the major financial questions answered for this year; at least, those we know of at this point.

On the way back yesterday I stopped in Quanah and bought a yard ornament for Mama. She wanted to celebrate our tax news – not that we did not owe anything, but that we did not owe as much as I had thought. It was one that I had looked at every time we go through the area so I stopped to ask the price. I already had a price in mind and what they asked was pretty close, so I bought it and brought it home. Mama loves it.

Shortly after I got there the young man from the tree service company showed up with the stump grinder and chewed up the three trunks to about six inched below grade. The machine made very quick work of the job. He was done and packed up in less than an hour. Mama and I can now make plans to plant in those spots.

Last night before church we went to Peggy’s house for a quick dinner. While Mama and Victoria had been at her house the other night Victoria had mentioned that she was looking for a recipe for chicken and dumplings. So, yesterday Peggy made some for us. They were very good. I thing Victoria has finally found her recipe.

The man installing our septic system should be at the house this morning. We are all pretty anxious to get that done.