Sick, bigger than expected, less than expected

Mama and Victoria both missed the Sunday morning service with Victoria’s absence stretching though last night also. That meant that I had to pick up Yilin and Cheyenne by myself on Sunday morning. I believe that is the first time that his happened since we started getting them for church. It was disappointing for them not to have Mama or Victoria there but they chattered as normal on the way too and from church.

On the way home Cheyenne was in a particularly happy mood while Yilin was a little dour. They were both concerned that once I dropped them off that I would be by myself so to cheer me up Cheyenne said, “That’s okay. I’m gonna marry Papa Tim.” I thanked her and said that was very nice of her. Yilin was not having it. “Cheyenne, by the time you are old enough to marry Papa Tim he will be very old.” “That’s okay. I will marry him anyway!” “Oh, Cheyenne. You don’t know what you are talking about!” That’s okay,”, I reassured them both. “That just means that Cheyenne loves me.” That seemed to satisfy them both. Mama was so sorry she had missed that conversation. I love those times when someone as grown up as six years old has to explain the world to a so much younger three year old.

Victoria was still sick through Sunday night. She had worked with Grandpa on her house she gets the same respiratory infection ever time she does that. There was a lot of dust and dirt accumulating in the nooks and crannies over the decades the house sat set idle and none of the irritants help her any. But the work has to be done to make the improvements. I have not seen what has been done but I do know there is a lot of work remaining. Even through the steady progress Grandma is claiming has been made, Victoria is still overwhelmed by the scope of what remains. But like all such projects, if we can afford to keep making progress it will eventually get done.

My fear is that Grandpa is being overwhelmed by the scope of the project and the fact that he and Victoria cannot fund it as heavily as they once believed they could. That and the health issues he has been recovering from, Norman and Seth’s inability to come down and help jumpstart the project, the rapidly approaching end of their lease in Bowie, all add together to weigh down the two of them. Grandpa’s original hope was that the house would be inhabited this month. In reality it may be another year. That’s difficult to adapt to. That’s life.

Though I had no great ambitions about quick completion dates for the projects I am working on, I have had to back away for the moment - at lest on purchasing and more materials. Without any money coming in it is difficult to justify spending on things that do not directly affect out living expenses. Mama and I are going to have to pass on buying the heifers from my sister in order to pay for repairs on the truck. We are also going to start selling some of our heifers and calves to bring in some money. It is not urgent yet but we are approaching that time very quickly. Still no job offers out there. God rarely moves on our timetable but He is always working on our behalf. I have to admit that all this is far less than what I had expected and hoped for when I started this internet marketing business and yet there are still avenues Mama and I can pursue to get on with our lives.

That too, is life.