Shopping with Mama, Victoria, kids

Mama talked me into shopping with her yesterday evening. Not the kind of shopping we typically do. She wanted my help in the workshop to cut some 4x4’s into craft sized pieces. She and Kim had been working on other craft projects all day and Mama wanted to be able to paint and otherwise prepare some blocks of wood for further craft projects. I just happened to have a very warped 4x4 laying in the goat paddock. It had been recovered from the little metal building we built to house our chickens when we moved from Bowie to Chico. I had completely dismantled that building and floor and had already repurposed all the other materials from that demolition, so the last 4x4 was also reassigned for new uses. It was good for nothing I was doing but would work well for a particular craft idea, so I had promised it to Mama and Kimberlyn.

I was not feeling well so we did not work long, but I taught Mama to use the miter saw and the belt sander. She also used the drill to remove some screws that had not yet been removed from the 4x4. Kimberlyn is proficient in the use of all the tools in the shop, but this was Mama’s very first time to use any of the equipment. She was pretty excited to cut and sand the few blocks we worked on. She immediately saw the benefit of having the variety of items available for woodworking. It is interesting that over the many years of our marriage, Mama has never chided me for any money I have spent of tools, but she has never expressed any interest in learning how to use those tools either.

Last night was different. It was fun. It was a good distraction for me. Over the next few days Mama will paint the blocks in preparation for Kimberlyn to further embellish then with detailed paintings. They will become pumpkins, snowmen, Christmas trees with candle holders, etc. I failed to get a picture of the double-sided tall project they finished yesterday. It is a snowman on one side and a scarecrow on the other. It is really cute. I think if they made some desk-top sized ones, I could sell them at work. Or Mama could sell them at the coffee shop in Bridgeport. I know they will be excited when they start selling any of their items. I will be interested to see what items sell best. Whether or not we start to ship those items like Makayla’s parents do remains to be seen. But if we do, we have a resource for questions on how to package the items and how much to charge to ship them. Meanwhile they are taking over my shop.

Victoria has been home the past few days with back issues. Saturday, she hurt her back somehow and the pain has been relentless. She has tried several therapies with limited success but Kimberlyn got her started on a blend of oils yesterday that have given her some relief. I will get out the inversion table this evening so she can see if that will help her ease the pain further. Still, rest is still the best remedy for the injury she is struggling with. Rest is an expensive commodity in our busy culture.

All the baby goats seem to be doing well; nannies and kids. They enjoy the rockpile made for them in the paddock. Last night, Julian was jumping off one of the rocks at the edge of the pile. It is only five or six inched high, but that is half his height. The other three babies are moderately active, but they will get more so as they develop. They are only three days old right now and getting more active by the day. By the end of the week, they will be pestering their respective mommies all day long. Both Millie and Aspen have more than enough milk for the twins each of them will be nursing, so we have no worries there. These kids will be a couple weeks old when the next ones are born. That will be quite a difference in size the newer kids will have to deal with. But somehow, they will manage.

It is good to see all the new life on the farm.