Still waiting, change of plans, looking ahead

This month marks a year since we purchased the house on Dover Avenue in Lawton. We are still waiting for our realtor to complete the remodels on that house. On the bright side, we will not have to pay any short-term capital gains on the proceeds from the sale of that property when we do have the chance to sell it. The whole project has been a lesson in patience. It will serve us very well going forward. I am not entirely sure how it will serve us well, but I have served the Lord long enough to know that any lesson of this magnitude is meant as a lesson for a lifetime. It has affected all the decisions Mama and I have made over the last twelve months. Fortunately, we have made prudent decisions as we wait on the sale of this and out second house in Lawton. The financial lessons alone have been of great value. The emotional lessons learned are still to be determined. The spiritual lessons will spill over into all areas of our lives as we continue to grow. But, honestly, we are ready for the training session to be over. Soon, maybe.

I had suggested to Mama that I would drive up to Lawton tomorrow evening after work, but she reminded me that that is my birthday and she did not want me to spend the evening chasing down our elusive realtor. Saturday is out of the question. We are busy both morning and evening. Next week has some open slots. The week after, October begins. Time certainly waits on no man. Mama and I are completely convinced that the Lord is on control of this situation. We are still working prayerfully on lining up our expectations with His. I believe we are getting there. Only time will tell. In the long run it will all work out. After all, we will have a house to sell at the very least. That a huge.

 Victoria and Mama were toying with the idea of going to Brittany’s this weekend, but they backed out. Victoria has been working for fourteen straight days with only Sunday off. She is worn out. She really needs to stay home and rest. Mama was excited about getting to see the twins, but she overlooked the fact that she invited several people over for dinner Saturday evening. Six to be exact. It would have been possible to reschedule, but she thought better of it. So, they will stay home this weekend. We will get up to Britany’s at a later date. Perhaps a date when I am free to travel as well.

Mama has lost only two chicks out of the batches she recently started raising. That count does not include the four of five lost to snakes. The recent losses were from natural death. Cause unknown. That is not uncommon, but it always a sad note for Mama. Me as well. Neither of us likes to see anything die. But I am confident that those losses are not a result of neglect. Everything gets babied by Mama. From chickens, to goats, to dogs, to cows, to pigs. Yes, even to me. When all these chicks are finally grown enough to occupy the coop, we will have a rather large population of chickens. Hopefully, a large population producing a large number of eggs. I reported yesterday that we have 34 mature chickens. I was wrong. We have only 30. We get less than half that many eggs daily. I do not know if that is good or bad. I have nothing to compare it to. We just take what we get. Mostly we find all the eggs that have been laid, but not always. Case in point, those being set on in the goat barn. I have always been curious how the chickens know where to lay to fill the nest under a broody chicken, but somehow, they do. Watching that work itself out under the watchful eye of God is always fascinating.

For our fruit trees, berry bushes and grape vines, we are entering the maintenance mode of Fall and Winter survival. The fig tree has yet to ripen the figs on it, but all the other fruit producers are getting ready to go dormant. We will get on a schedule of watering them sufficiently through the months ahead until Spring of next year. When the grape vine goes to sleep for the Winter, I will move it to the bed beside the garage. I believe it will do much better there. I will have to provide a trellis for it in order to keep it from blocking the sidewalk, but I would like to see it produce next year. I am still pulling blackberry shoots out of that bed almost a year after I removed the original plant from the bed. Amazing! Along with replanting the grape vine, I will relocate the asparagus from the garden to that bed. Planting those transplants next to the asparagus already in that bed. It will be convenient to have them all together.

It’s the little things that keep us busy.