Found and lost, puppy news

Mama and I had a coaching session last night. It was one of those found and lost experiences. We got to the office over an hour before the session and worked the lists in Arkansas before meeting with Theresa. We had predetermined that we would move on with her to Florida, so we could see how to research another state. Mama and I are very comfortable working the process in Arkansas. That state has gone out of their way to make things easy to navigate. Florida, not so much. That is why I refer to the training last night as a found and lost experience. We have become comfortable, almost proficient, in Arkansas. When we started in Florida, we were definitely struggling to keep up. It helped that Frank had spent the time with us earlier this year looking at properties in Florida or the pace we kept would have been truly overwhelming.

When Theresa started to get going, Mama asked her to “drive” so I could take notes and she could watch. I will try to make sense of the hurriedly scribbled notes some time today, so we can reference them as we do more research this week. It is becoming a challenge to try and keep up with everything – especially as Summer approaches and the demands of the farm increase. Mama and I are taking the night off from our business tonight, so we can do some odd jobs on the farm – water the plants, work in the garden, finish disassembling the little metal building, make more elderberry syrup, etc. Mama and I are praying that the Lord would show us how to get all of this done. We can see a way, maybe a couple ways to move forward in this business, but we sure would like to do it God’s way because we are heading into a very busy time at the end of this month. We will not get everything done without Divine intervention. Beyond the confusion, exasperation, and desperation, there is expectation. There is hope. With the Lord, there is always hope.

I think we might have finally contained the puppies. I spent some time Sunday afternoon putting a wire cover over the access between the birthing center and the kennel. That seemed to be where the pups had been getting out of the enclosure. We have been keeping the sunroom shut to protect the shoes in there after the pups destroyed some of the potted plants Mama was housing there. But I had not taken the time to make the flowerbed where out asparagus, blackberries and blueberries are growing puppy proof – if there is such a thing. I have small decorative fence around the bed but that was not enough to keep the pups from getting to the plants and chewing them. They chewed about a dozen branches off the blueberries and about half that many off the blackberry bush. I was not happy but after Victoria punished them, I straightened the little fence and let it go. The second time they got in there I was ready to dispatch all three of the pups. Instead, I put up a barrier to try and keep them in the kennel through the day – so they do not have too much time and too much range while they are unsupervised. It has worked for two days so far, but I do not have long term hopes of containing them. They have been with us too long now and Mama and Victoria are getting attached.

I am praying they sell very soon.