Saving vs. spending, the round up, ladies night out

The days seem to be flying by and I do not feel I a getting anything accomplished. I do know from experience that it is easier to spend money than it is to accumulate it. That is one of the frustrations I am feeling right now. I have had to adjust my time table several times for the second pour on the shop and I will have to push it out even further now. I had hoped to have Mama in the apartment by Thanksgiving, then Christmas, now I might be shooting for Valentine’s Day.


I am not overly discouraged because I know the wait will be worth it, but I had hoped to do better financially than I am doing at the moment – for Mama’ sake. Everyone is getting along well but it would feel more like home to have a place of our own even if it is only six hundred square feet.

As I got home yesterday I saw all of the calves out in the area near the calf barn. They were not too scattered about but staying pretty close to familiar territory. I think they knew it was feeding time. Grandpa decided we would wait until the bottles were ready to place them back in their stalls. So as we carried the bottles out we herded them up.

I had to get one out of the equipment shed. He had gotten in and could not get turned around enough to get out. Once I got his started in the right direction he knew right where to go. Victoria held back the stampede while Grandpa and I got each one placed in the correct stall. It only took a few minutes of dusty confusion for our bovine wards, but the whole exercise was enjoyable – since the little ones are so easily managed.

Mama told me she got a haircut yesterday. I am glad she announced it rather than making me guess. I would not have noticed – I never do. I am not sure why I do not see these things but I never have. She has often asked me if I like her hair short or long. I have always replied that it is entirely up to her. I suppose after thirty years of marriage such things would no longer be areas of deep concern, but that is not the case. Grandma got a haircut also and I could not have told you that either – unless I was told.

Now, if she changed her eye color or the shape of her lips, that I would notice because my focus is almost exclusively on her face. Once she got her hair permed into tight curls. I noticed that. Another time she got her hair cut very short. I noticed that, too. But yesterday’s cut was a slight shortening of her hair, even though she described it as “a lot take off”. That, I did not notice; even when I looked carefully. I will have to chalk it up to a “woman thing”. Mama just smiles and kisses me anyway. She’s happy. I’m happy.

Speaking of women things, Mama and Victoria are going with the ladies of the church to Denton this evening. The women are going to Golden Corral for a special event to thank them for their help in the nursery and with the toddlers at church. It is Dutch treat as far as I know, but the time together is what it important. Mama is looking forward to it. Golden Corral has a chocolate fountain on their dessert bar.

Besides since it will be only women there, they can each look at the other and say, “I really shouldn’t be eating this, but it is so good.” (She really shouldn’t but she will anyway.) And since each of them are doing exactly the same thing none of them will feel the least bit guilty about the indulgence.

That is what makes it so much fun.

No go car, one project done, slackers on the farm

Mama and I walked away from the car deal. As Mama worked with our bank in Amarillo, she and the lady there came to the conclusion that we were not getting the deal we should, based on loan value and asking price. After it was all said and done, the numbers were about three thousand dollars off – in their favor - and the dealer was set on what they wanted. It is not really a problem except for the salesman who lost the sale.


As Shelly (our banker) put it, we were “getting taken advantage of.” I have to agree in part. The bank was willing to loan us the money regardless, but it did not appear to be in our best interests to start upside down in the process. In my opinion, all auto loans are upside down. You will almost always owe more than the vehicle can be traded or sold for. I am completely okay with passing on the purchase. Mama is still conniving to find a way to make it happen, so I am not out of the woods completely.

I did get a little worried as I was driving up the road to the house. There were no vehicles in sight. I thought everyone had gotten mad at me for sticking to a “no” answer and taken off for the evening. I was aware that Victoria might have the Lincoln, but still did not see the truck. Turns out everyone was there. I still got my welcome home kisses. Grandpa had the truck down in the calf lot retrieving the trailer he used to haul the metal roofing. He likes to put things back where they belong. What a novel idea.

Grandpa finished the roof of the equipment shed and even went a little beyond what was necessary and dressed it up on the front and sides. It came out looking good; like someone intends to be there for a while and cares how things look. I was impressed. He was tickled with himself and the completed project.

Mama was a little upset with her flock yesterday evening. We got only five eggs. The least we have ever gotten. So to encourage them she gave them more fresh feed, cleaned their water containers and gave them fresh water, cleaned out the nesting box and spent some time talking with them as she let them out to catch some evening bugs. I am beginning to think I am sponsoring a government union disguised as chickens.

The donkeys come up almost every evening as we are feeding the calves. They stand on the other side of the fence from where we have the calves and bray at us trying to make us feel guilty enough to give them some grain and sweet feed. Grandpa and I dumped what the calves had left in their little feed boxes over the fence so they would feel like they got something for their efforts. They did not mind leftovers. We needed to clean out the boxes anyway to keep things fresh for the calves.

Victoria and Mama worked with the horses for a while in the evening. I think they, too, got extra grain and attention even though they have not been ridden or haltered for several days. It really is a treat to own a horse like Jazz. He is a beautiful animal. He is lazy as a black snake, but that only adds to the level of comfort we have with him. He might run if his life depended on it, but since Wes has known him, his life has never been in jeopardy so we do not know if he even can run.

It suits us; we do not have anywhere to get to fast.

Banking and buying, clean up crew, weather, news

I have to admit that when the local bank turned down our offer on the Flex I was a little relieved. What we are asking is to buy the Flex as well as a ’97 Ford F150. That way we would have a second vehicle without taking out a second loan. I do not know if it is a good thing or not but our bank in Amarillo is still looking at the numbers to see what they can do. So the deal is not dead yet. Banks are unwilling to finance the older vehicle. Grandma really hopes it goes through because she loved the seats in the Flex.


Mama was just finished cleaning out the calf stalls when I got home yesterday. Grandpa has relegated that job to her so he can work on other things. It is a smelly job, especially when the calves have the scours (diarrhea) and it has to be done on a fairly routine basis. I have not been available to participate so far, but I am sure my time is coming. It does make a huge difference in the looks and the smell of the calf barn. When we went down to feed yesterday evening, Grandma was very thankful.

Yesterday that other thing that Grandpa had to work on was the equipment shed. When we got through with dinner I went out with him and we put the metal on the roof. I did not take the time to put in every screw but we did get every piece of metal up and lined out – minimally attached. He will finish today getting every screw in place and we will be done. It looks good.

As we were working on the roof panels Victoria came outside and announced that severe storms were on the way; damaging wings and seventy mile per hour winds. As I looked at the sky, as far as I could see, there was nothing to indicate any such event was near, but we took the precaution of securing the edges of the roof. Mama came out to confirm the forecast but I was not convinced.

I looked up the local weather on the internet and could not find anything to indicate what they were all convinced was eminent. They were getting their information off of a screen saver I got on ROKU. It broadcasts the local conditions as well as many other weather related items. I am not sure where that information was coming from but it could not have been more wrong. The weather continued as forecast by the internet; 60 degrees for the low temperature and winds, SSE at 4 miles per hour.

I do have some lingering concerns about the equipment shed. I do not think we have taken adequate precautions to make sure the posts supporting the roof are sunk deep enough in the ground. I am sure they are not. The other day I took the time to drive some metal rods into the ground next to each pole and secured the rods to the poles in the hopes of making them less likely to be pulled from the ground in a strong wind.

I learned my lesson when the cover I put over the log package was ripped up, shredded and thrown across the field. I had taken the time to sink those poles as far as the dry, compacted ground would allow at the time. The same wind tore the roofs off of buildings less exposed than the cover I built, so I did not feel the loss was from a lack of attention to detail in the construction, but it still taught me a lesson and I am still just a tiny bit worried.

Mama has not communicated any information from our children and I am sure some of them have called to relate events in their lives; somehow I am left out of that loop. I do know Becky has three pups. She described the color of one of them as blue. I am not sure what that would look like but I have read naptime books that had blue dogs in them.

I am waiting for a picture to confirm my imagination.

Rain, church, warnings

The rains came in earnest on Saturday evening. It had been threatening rain all day but that was not what stopped Grandpa and I from completing the equipment shed. The wind started picking up in the very early morning and by the time we were through feeding the claves, it was pretty blustery. We will get the roof on this week and call it good, but it was not going to happen on Saturday. We ended up with an inch and one half of rain for the day even though it seemed like a lot more.


Mama and I took the day and went back to a Ford dealer in Munster so she could show me the vehicles she and Grandpa had found on Friday. They stopped at the dealership on their way home from getting the metal roofing in Gainesville and even Grandpa was impressed by the vehicles available on the lot. All were them were low mileage and competitively priced. Grandpa found a diesel pickup and Mama found a Ford Flex.

We were there about an hour test driving cars and trucks. Of course, Mama is very interested in the Flex. I am too, but it is difficult for me to understand the need to upgrade. I know Mama does not like the little car but I think the dislike is exaggerated by Grandma’s complaining about it. The bottom line is that she and Grandpa are going back today to let him test drive the Flex and see what kind of final price we can agree on. For me it is a matter of trading one car payment for another; one that Mama really likes. I only wish it helped in our push to get out of debt.

Church was great for both services. It is good to feel such ease with a body of believers. It has been some time since we have felt that. Even though we were growing and learning and working for the Lord at Central Baptist, there was not a real spirit of friendship, of inclusion. It was more of a falling in line, knowing and doing your assigned duties, keeping in step with the team. Though we enjoyed our time there, it was not family. Both Mama and I are very happy here.

Our pastor was at a conference last week. The theme was Politics, prophesy and preparedness. The preparedness dealt with the frightening times many see close at hand; supported by a horrendous political environment and certain prophetic indicators. It renewed my focus on getting things in order to be better prepared if some of the things I have mentioned before, happen; economic collapse, civil unrest, etc. We are not in stable times and I have heard the warnings from too many sources now to gloss over it.

I talked to Mama and Victoria on the way home about getting started back with our efforts stockpiling food; especially dried goods and staples like sugar, flour, rice and beans. We are going to be cautiously forward-looking, as if preparing for a tornado or hurricane, but we are going to be contentiously preparing.

Vigilance is the key. We do need to heed the warnings. At the very least, it will save us money in the long run. It will be one of those times that if we are wrong, we will be able to eat our mistakes. If we are right, it will be a necessity.

Either way it will be a blessing.

Smorgasbord, riding, construction completions and plans

As we were feeding the calves last night it struck me that the dogs are really enjoying this. Mama was scolding one of the big dogs for eating from a pile of straw and dirt that had been scraped out of the calf stalls when they were cleaned earlier in the day. Sasha was not eating the straw – or the dirt. What I realized is that we are giving the dogs and whatever other creature that eats poop a smorgasbord of poop to choose from; horse poop (I believe that is their favorite), calf poop, chicken poop and whatever the guineas litter around the property. It must be difficult to choose; dog food, people food and left overs. What a life!


Later in the evening Victoria, Mama and I went to halter the horses and work with them for a bit. It took a few minutes to gain their cooperation but all in all, they did pretty well. Victoria rode Jazz bareback – which really blackened the seat of her pants - for about thirty minutes while I led Misty around. It was pretty pleasant. I do not know if the horses enjoyed it – until they were given special grain and hay as a reward for their participation. They also got doctored up with fly spray. Mama has been diligent in that.

While we were in the horse pasture we saw some signs of hogs having been through the area very recently. They had torn up the ground under several of the oaks in that pasture digging out the tiny acorns that had fallen there. Maybe it was not in our best interests to expose that ground by brush hogging it, but we did it for the horses, not the hogs. It gives us a better understanding of where the torn up hog’s head came from that the two big dogs had been eating on for the past several days. (I think Grandpa put it in a box and threw it in the dumpster.)

Today Mama and Grandpa are going to get the metal roofing and the lumber to cover the equipment shed Grandpa and I framed up a couple of weeks ago. We need to have it done before the rains begin in earnest. I will have to make some changes to the way we have anchored the supports in the ground, but we should have it done by Saturday evening. I will not work in the rain this weekend like I did when we framed it out.

Grandpa and Mama completed the hookups for the waterline to the shop and to the calf lot. Now we have everything covered and hydrants installed at the shop and at the calf lot. It is a major improvement in how we are able to handle water for the calves. Grandpa is very contentious about keeping clean, fresh water for the calves.

The little ones only now need to drink water as they begin to eat grain and hay, since most of their liquid needs come through the milk we give them, but we have made sure it is available since the day each of them arrived; having it right there, a few feet away, saves a lot of work. It also makes things start to look thought out and complete.

It is our hope (my hope) to pour another portion of the slab at the shop and get that all roofed in at the end of the month. It is only a matter of money. That will change the looks of the farm completely. We are also planning on using the log package we bought to build a barn, which will be set up with stables. The long range plan is to be able to accommodate four horses. That should begin next spring.

My plan is to tear off the roof and upper story of the farm house and use the materials from that demolition to complete most of the barn loft and roof. If all goes well we should not have to buy too much new lumber for the project. We will save the new lumber for redoing the farm house.

It is only a plan, but all the residents at 548 Van Bebber Road are excited about it.

Dogs in the news, experiencing technical issues

Dodger has become a constant companion when we are feeding the calves. At first the dog and the calves did not get along very well but in the process of the past two weeks they have adopted each other. I do not know if the calves get anything out of the friendship but Dodger makes out like a king. After feeding, each of the calves have a milk slime on their nose and mouth. Dodger is kind enough to clean that off for them. Everybody is happy!


Grandpa was telling me more about the encounter between the big dogs and the coyote. He was down at the calf barn tinkering with something and the big dogs were gnawing on the head of a wild hog the two of them had found during the night. All was peaceful until a coyote ran by the pair, heading at breakneck speed toward the meadow. The big dogs were instantly in hot pursuit. Had it not been for the barbed wire fence – which the coyote slipped through pretty easily – the big dogs would have caught and killed the trespasser. Grandpa was very impressed.

Grandpa said that Sasha made it through the fence by slipping under the bottom strand but it slowed her down just enough that she was not able to catch up to the fleeing coyote. Sam tried to charge through the fence and was up ended in the process. Grandpa said Sam did a complete forward flip with a full rotation before he landed hard on the grass in the meadow. After that, he was not a threat to the varmint that perpetrated the fancy fence dive. (There were no animals hurt in the recounting of this episode of farm living.)

Grandpa could hear the growling from across the open lot separating the horse pasture from the calf lot. Sasha, as he tells it, was within striking distance when the coyote ducked the fence. He is sure they would have killed it had they caught it. That’s why we keep them around. Besides they are a special charge to Grandma. She has them, Mama has the chickens and the horses (whose care she shares with Victoria), Grandpa has the calves and the donkeys and I have the guineas. Fortunately the guineas are extremely low maintenance. All of us share Dodger and Rosie even though they belong to Victoria and Mama respectively.

Mama and Grandma were watching episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show last night as I was getting ready for bed. We are able through ROKU to watch Netflix on the TV we have in the mobile home and lately Grandma has been making constant use if it. The signal to the internet connection we have comes via satellite so when there is heavy cloud cover or some other atmospheric interference, the transmission delay is extended.

What amazed me was to watch the two females that are the least technically inclined – in the whole USA – complain about how slowly the new episode was loading onto the TV. Neither of them had any idea of what it takes to get the signal there or what could be hindering it, but they were both frustrated having to watch the little spinning circle that tells you the program is loading; albeit slowly. It only took about two minutes for them to abandon that and move on to something else.

What is a real pain is when stormy weather hits and the phone – which is supplied through Vonage via the internet connection – goes out temporarily. It is like the end of time has come. “No one can call us even if they wanted to. What if I really needed to call for help? It’s dead. There’s no signal at all! This is so exasperating!!” We spend a few terrifying moments completely separated from the rest of humanity; cut off from humankind.

Then when the phone comes back on, it is like a mad rush to pick someone to call just to verify that the world has not spun out of control. I believe some of you have gotten those calls. “The phones were down for a while and we just wanted to make sure you had not tired to call us.”

I am a simple man, so I find the pseudo-panic pretty funny.

Guardians, egg count, feeding issues

Mama told me yesterday that Grandpa was thrilled by something he had seen on his morning walk. He was down by the big pond looking at the new growth of fresh grass uncovered by the brush hogging Mama had recently done, when he saw the big dogs chasing down a coyote. They chased it across the road onto the neighboring property, charged through the fence and kept going. That is a good thing.


The bad news is that they chase the deer away also, and for the most part that is not a bad thing since deer are accomplished destroyers of landscaping, gardens and desirable vegetation. I will not fault them that lapse –except during hunting season. Then, for that week or so, I will have to put them up when I go afield with the intent of hunting and possibly killing a big buck. In that instance I would strongly prefer a stationary target.

The rain held off and the sun eventually broke through the clouds yesterday allowing Grandpa to put up the hay he had cut the day before. There were only seven bales retrieved in the process, but it is fine hay none the less. It will work well for the intended application – feeding to the young calves as they begin to eat hay and grain.

Mama was back up to ten eggs yesterday. Chickens are interesting birds. When we allowed the two groups to mix, the egg count went down the next day – to six. I guess the other four layers were either too traumatized to lay or they were too busy traumatizing the new hens to take time to lay. Either way, pressing social events kept back the harvest. As soon as we separated them again, the count returned to the normal ten eggs per day. I have yet to understand the psychology involved in keeping the hens laying eggs, but the solutions seem straight forward enough. The crux of the matter; Mama is enjoying her little flock.

I got home yesterday just in time to help with the last of the feeding. We are having some little problems with the nipples we attach to the rather large bottles. They are all relatively new but there are certain ones that collapse quickly and depending on the calf you are feeding, can cause a problem.

We have one in particular that cannot get enough flow through any of the nipples we have. In his frustration he will very forcefully butt the bottle – and depending on how you are holding it while attempting to feed him, it can hurt when he gets really frustrated. Grandpa tried to switch him over to a bucket last night but I do not think it was a success. I think he will try again this morning and when he does succeed, it will save us a lot of jarring during feeding.

Butting is natural for the young calves and all of the little bulls do it. In some cases it is a gentle nudge. In other cases it is rather rough, but it is instinctual. If you have ever watched a calf nurse from its mother, you will see it butt the utter as it nurses. The difference is that in nature, if the butting gets too aggressive, the mother will kick the calf and not let it nurse any further. It soon gets the picture. We do not have that advantage – although I would like to figure out a way to practice such instruction.

If you rub the head of any of the calves you can feel the little nubs that are the growth plates for the horns they will eventually have. Right now they are tucked under soft folds of hide to protect the mamas from damage during the nursing months.

It is always amazing to see the cleverness of creation.