Rain, pain, to travel or not, little projects

Last weekend we finally got the rain we have needed for some time. We got three- and one-half inches over the course of the day Saturday. The rain was never heavy. It was a gentle constant rain. It soaked in deeply. So deeply that Mama and I were sinking into the softened ground at various places around the farm as we fed that evening. I did not even attempt to do a close inspection of the garden, but it was clear that the rain had helped the plants. The lightening helped to green up all the vegetation around us and the constant rain finally cleared the air of the dust and pollen we have been breathing for a couple weeks. The dust and pollen will be back quickly enough, but for the moment, the air is clean, all the trees are washed, and the tanks are filled. Who could ask for more? Many of the squirrels around the farm are out playing tag in the trees as they celebrate the dewy morning. One of the benefits of now working from home is that I get to enjoy the commotion every morning brings to the farm. Goats, chickens, dogs, birds, squirrels, and frogs all chime in to greet the day.

It was a good thing that it rained all day. I was hurting so badly that I got nothing done. I spent all day trading time sitting in the recliner and sitting on the toilet. I have not had a bout that painful for some months. The pain continued through Sunday afternoon, easing in the early evening. The pain has largely passed now and I can feel a dramatic difference in the stress on my colon. I will eat carefully for a few days and hopefully, this too will pass.

Mama spent the weekend agonizing over whether or not to make a trip with Victoria to visit Brittany tomorrow through Thursday, finally erring on the side of staying here. It would be a difficult trip for her with as much pain as she has been in. Not to mention the timing. Timing for these things is everything and now the timing seems a little off. Travel is not restricted per se, but many places of business – especially restaurants when Mama and Victoria plan their stops – are still closed. Most gas stations are still serving customers without a problem so bathrooms will still be available, but there is still a lot of apprehension among the masses.

I feel it would be better to wait a few more weeks, but Victoria has the time off. She scheduled the time before any of this nonsense happened. Her time was supposed to be spent in Honduras with Cori and the kids. Of course, that fell through. Victoria could potentially fly to Honduras, but she could not get to Cori, Nate and the kids from the airport since they are not allowed to travel outside their city. Plus, one more mouth to feed would have been a noticeable hardship on Cori right now. Soon, this will be over. But for now, we must adapt as graciously as possible. In lieu of flying to Honduras, Victoria will use some of her time off to see Brittany and her three girls. Zoe and Sophia are excited about the visit. So is Victoria. Hopefully, it works well for Brittany and Andrew.

Mama and I are still waiting on our CPA to get a document to the bank on behalf of our business entity. When that is done, the bank can begin the paperwork to evaluate our requests. Until then, we are on hold. It is not a nail-biter for us but there is an element of stress involved in the wait. Hopefully, it will all be settled very soon.

While Mama and I wait, we have plenty to do here at the farm. Finishing the small coop so that we will be able to let the chickens out of the cage they have clearly grown too large for. The “yard” is ready enough that we can put the chickens out of the building so that we can remove the large cage they are in and put up wire that will keep the chickens in their part of the little coop building. Getting the cage out of the building is the key to getting all the other work done. All that should be finished enough this evening to allow us change how the chickens use the building. Mama will be relieved and excited about the change when it does happen. As for me, I have cut to size all the wire and wood pieces needed to fill the openings.

It will take me a couple hours to get the work done to make the conversion complete…and quite nice when it is done.