Long weekend, Trade Days, pool party

Even though I took off Friday to be at home while Cori and the grandkids were visiting us the weekend seemed to fly by. Friday was a sort of free day. We spent the day at the farm letting the kids play to their hearts content – most of the time was spent on the dirt mountain. Things got a little tenuous a time or two. When you let three very young boys work in a pile of dirt with any type of tool things can get out of control. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt by the flying dirt clods and rocks.

I had to move Mama’s mower and two of my shelves to let the youngest two make a track in my shop for racing the little trikes we bought prior to the last time they were here. I stopped what amounted to a demolition derby several times but other than that they played well together. Grant was a bit of a pill and a couple times I had to run him out of my shop to quell his destructive behavior. But I think he had his fill of catching grasshoppers and toads.

Early Saturday morning we took Cori, Victoria and Connie to Trade Days to set up. We had things pretty much done by 8 a.m. That was a good thing because the temperature got up to 100®F by that afternoon. They had a really good spot – under some shade and in the main walkway through the sale area. They got a lot of attention even if they did not get a lot of sales. Victoria has already claimed the same spot for next month.

Chase and Makaila met us at Trade Days. They wanted to surprise us at the farm but we turned the tables on them - unwittingly – by leaving so early. He and Makaila ended up getting a puppy from one of the sellers there that morning. It is a cute Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. Once they had the pup in hand we left for the farm. I think it was a little before 10 a.m. Chase spent the rest of the morning replacing the screen on Mama’s phone. That turned out to be a fairly intricate and time consuming process.

That afternoon, while the kids napped, the girls attended their booth and Chase and Makaila outfitted and accessorized the dog, Mama and I made the cake and other food items for a pool party we had scheduled that evening. We did not get to Peggy’s house until well after 5 pm but once we did get there the kids made the most of the pool – starting off by getting in fully clothed.

I had to go to Wal-Mart to get some last minute items and by the time I got back the pool party was in full swing. I grilled the meat we had brought on a gas grill Peggy had by the pool and had the food ready pretty quickly, which was a good thing because everyone was “starved” after all the activities of the day. By the time we ate, had cake and opened presents it was almost 8 pm.

On the drive back to the farm we finished Kung Fu Panda a second time and the mommies rushed around getting the children showered and bathed in preparation for Sunday morning while I set up for fireworks. I do not think we used half of the bag of fireworks Mama and I had bought but the kids had a good time watching the show – humble as it was.

Chase and Makaila left for the hotel, the kids were sent to bed and just like that, the day was over.

Services were wonderful both Sunday morning and Sunday evening. I think everyone was able to rest through the afternoon which was good since Cori and her crew pulled out this morning before 6 a.m.

Life will return to normal at the farm this morning.

Mama’s phone disaster, weekend plans

With the heat finally settling into the area we are going to pick what we can in the garden and put it to rest for the remainder of the summer. Mama and I have never planted a Fall garden but I am thinking we might give it a try this year. We could get a second crop of corn and I could give okra a second attempt. There is some doubt as to whether we will still be on the farm at harvest time, but it would be nice to see something growing in the garden area for showing the property.

Mama is coming to Decatur today. We even had to make an appointment to meet at Wal-Mart so she and I could sign and deposit the check we have gotten to make the repairs to the apartment. We had to make the appointment because she dropped he phone onto the concrete floor last night and the screen went blank. The phone will still receive calls but it has no other functionality for the moment.

It is almost ridiculous how attached we are to those devices. Mama feels completely disconnected from the rest of the world right now – as if she cannot participate in the normal activities of life. It will be a sad and confusing day around the world if, for some reason, we lose our cell phone functionality. We might have to write notes to each other. We might have start wearing wrist watches again. We might have to have full conversations face to face; horror of horrors.

Cori, the children, and her entourage will be heading out from Florida this morning. We are praying for their safety and the safety of the vehicles as they travel in this heat. I remember when Mama and I traveled back from our honeymoon to Houston, where I was working at the time. We came to somewhere just west of Lake Charles, LA and it felt like we had pierced a heat bubble – something like the Dome. The sudden change in temperature was almost overwhelming. It was quite a shock for Mama.

I am still a little unsure what the agenda is for this weekend. I am up to speed on Trade Days – and we are still praying for an inside booth. We will not know about our placement until we register Saturday morning. At the very worst we are supposed to be near our friends, the Skills. If that works out we will be in the shade of some trees at least. I say “we” as if I plan on staying there for the day – NOT!

After the girls shut down at Trade Days we are scheduled to go to Peggy’s for a cookout and swimming. I am still not sure if it is a party for Blake or not but I think it is. It looks like I will be purchasing a cake for the occasion. I do not foresee Mama having time to make one but we will see. Cori has talked about Blake wanting to camp out for one night but I do not have a tent for them to use so I am not sure if that will be happening.

Chase and Makaila will be coming over Saturday morning and heading back on Sunday evening. Cori, et.al., will be heading back Monday morning – I think.

It will all be over so quickly.

Mama’s day out, property quest

Mama and Victoria had a great time in the pool yesterday afternoon – so much so that Mama has decided that we should buy Peggy’s house. It is not altogether a bad idea and we have considered it in the past, but the price is a little steep; at least, the price was a little steep. I think Peggy is more ready to sell than she was in the recent past. She keeps the place immaculate at all times and it is beginning to wear on her.

Mama and Victoria met me at the office so we could meet the realtor at a house in Bridgeport. Mama had made the arrangements on Monday and we were anxious to see if the house was a good fit for us.  Sadly, it was not. The approach to the house and where it is situated is beautiful. The property being sold with the house is perfect; exactly what we are looking for. The house however was tiny. Every room was tiny. I do not think our king bed would fit in the master bedroom; much less any of our other bedroom furniture with it. It was disappointing.

We came back through Decatur to get some things out of Victoria’s car since Mama had decided to leave it until tonight in order to facilitate driving by another property north of Decatur. (We will pick it up after church.) On the way through town we stopped at a Mexican restaurant to eat dinner. Since Mama knew that it was one of Peggy’s favorite places to eat she called her and invited her to join us – and Peggy did come. She did not get anything to eat other than chips and dip but she sat through dinner with us continuing the time together with Mama and Victoria. We had a good time.

As we visited through dinner we found out that she had not eaten at that restaurant since her husband passed away almost two years ago. That made the time a little more special. She still knew every waiter and waitress in the place and kidded around with each one of them. She said the salsa made her evening – and she took home a container of it with her.

Once out of town we went home a different route. We wanted to drive by a house a little further out from town to see if it would be worth actually looking at with a realtor. We found it without any problem and it was not as far out as we had thought. It sits on twenty five acres at the intersection of two county roads. It, once again, was a beautiful property. The only drawback was that the master bedroom suite is upstairs. I am avoiding that for Mama’s sake.

Once we did get home Mama rushed around getting the piglets and the chickens taken care of. It was brutally hot outside and the humidity has been unusually high for this time of year. That is not necessarily a bad thing since it promotes the popup showers we have been getting lately. It does not make it any more comfortable for us or the animals, but the plants seem to like it.

It may make it uncomfortable this weekend at trade Days. We are praying for an inside booth.

Lazy night, dog issues, fun day, fun weekend ahead

I did not get into too much last night. Both Mama and I were feeling pretty tired. I had left Decatur in a hard rain and gotten to the farm hoping the rain was coming our direction. The storm carrying the rain turned south instead of west so we got passed by this time. I had to drive home with the windows down in an attempt to dry out the seat that had gotten soaked in the brief hard rain at the office. I only had the windows slightly opened but the winds pushed enough water through the opening that it soaked the passenger seat.

While Mama worked on clothes I took out the cleaning kit and cleaned the rifle and pistols we have shot recently. It was long overdue for all the firearms. I guess cleaning them is something I do not enjoy doing so it gets put off as long as possible. Once I have everything set up it is not a terrible chore – and I really should be more diligent about it. It is less expensive to maintain them than to repair or replace them.

Victoria’s dog Kira finally killed a chicken yesterday. It has been coming for a long time. She went into the coop and caught one of the younger hens and was chewing on the still living bird when Mama caught her. Needless to say, Mama was furious. If it happens again I will have to find a more permanent solution to the issue, but I will not keep, nor allow Victoria to keep a dog that will kill our birds. Victoria may not agree but I value the chickens more than the dog.

She is young enough that we may be able to train her past the propensity to kill, but I have my doubts. I do know that Mama is in a continual panic mode trying to keep an eye on Kira to make sure her chickens are safe. That is no way to run a farm.

Mama and Victoria have a full day planned today.  The morning is to be spent on farm chores and cleaning but the afternoon is to be spent at the pool. A friend of ours at church has a pool that is rarely used any more. She is in her late seventies and lives by herself. Her grandchildren are in Illinois so the pool sits idle much of the time. Today they are going to stir the waters and Mama is pretty excited about it.

Peggy’s house is one we briefly considered buying but the price is too high. It has almost everything we are looking for except the acreage. It has two very large buildings one of which has served as a shop for her husband’s business – now being run by their son. The secondary purpose to the swim is to be available when I get off work to go to look at a house in Bridgeport. It is one we drove by on Sunday afternoon.

Cori and the kids are going to head this way on Thursday – Lord willing. She is coming with a couple other ladies and their children but I have not paid attention to the final count or the agenda for each person in tow. I know Mama is fretting over Blake’s birthday party –trying to work that out is becoming a challenge with the set activities for the time they are here.

If it all works out, we should have a good time.

Visitors, more visitors, shooting

Last weekend was a very busy time. Thursday, we spent the entire morning going back to the two houses with land near Decatur. It started raining that morning and Mama almost called off the meeting but I thought it was better to see them now versus later. So we went both places in the rain. I ended up getting pretty wet as I walked around on both properties. Mama and Victoria looked around the houses each in turn and it was obvious that the property on 380 was probably not going to work for us – especially financially.

The rest of the day we spent shopping. Victoria had to get finger printing done for the license she has recently gotten as a pharmacy technician and that appointment was set up at Cabella’s a few miles south of Denton. We wandered the store for a bit after that was done then we went to Sam’s. It does not seem practical to stock the pantry and freezer right now but there were things we could not do without and Sam’s is the place Mama likes to go for the bulk items we needed.

Mama and I had not really made any plans for the 4^th so we got up and began to do the chores around the farm. I got the weed eater and began to trim the fence lines around the living areas and the garden. I spent a lot more time than I normally would have but it seemed important to get it all done. Mama, meanwhile, got out her mower and spent the entire morning with her Bad Boy.

About noon we got a call from our listing agent that there was someone in the area visiting from Odessa that would like to look at the farm so we agreed to show them the property at 4:30. Mama was in a panic because the apartment and trailer were not in show condition but we got them there pretty quickly. I have been gently pushing to get them at least close in case something like this happened.

The couple had one of the matriarchs with them as well as their two young daughters. We showed the living quarters and then drove them around the property so they could see the tanks – both spring fed and wet weather ones. They were a delightful couple. We had a good time with them but it was shortened by the appointment we had for RU that evening. Our realtor told us he would contact them early this week to gauge their interest.

The whole experience convinced Mama that the sale of the farm could actually be forthcoming. Up until Friday afternoon she was convinced that the timeframe would be long if the farm did eventually sell. It was a wakeup call to both her and Victoria. That is something I have been praying for since Mama not full bought into the idea of letting the farm go.

On Saturday we had the Wycoff’s over for a cookout and some shooting. It was a fun evening. Daniel got there with Mike and Ida Grothe a little after 3 pm. The rest of the family did not come until a little after 6 pm. By that time I had the food ready so we ate then went down to the big tank to shoot the pistols and rifles they had brought. I got out my .22 caliber rifle so we would have two of them to shoot – since the Wycoffs brought one also.

Mama and Victoria went with the group because both of them are talking about getting their concealed carry permits this year. In fact the guy that did Victoria’s finger printing instructs the conceal carry classes at Cabella’s. So it was good for them to get the opportunity to at least feel what it is like to shoot a 9mm pistol.  All the ladies in the group liked the .22 caliber rifle best; go figure.

Sunday we drove by two more houses before we went home. One of the two we will go back to see this week.

Looking and more looking, anxious waiting, lost keys

Mama and I sat together last night and looked at a few new listings. None of them were outstanding, at least, not enough to shift our focus; which still remains slightly divergent between me and Mama. Mama is most excited about us going back to look at the log home she saw yesterday. I am trying to keep an open mind but I am a little concerned about the price and the fact that we would still lack in buildings needed to carry on her animal husbandry focus; which ranks a very high second place to the house attached to the property and buildings.

Mama has planned a full day tomorrow with houses to look at and shopping at Costco. This will be the second look on two properties and as such will be more detailed than out first perusal. Both of the properties we are looking at the second time are ones we anticipate offering far less than is being asked. So neither is a sure shot if we come to the point of making an offer.

 It is supposed to rain tomorrow so there will be limited number of things we can do at the farm so the timing is good to spend the day out – from the chore standpoint. There may not be as strong an argument for spending the day out on the financial side of the argument. Somehow, when I get Mama going on shopping she is difficult to stop. I know the error is mine; I fail to see all the many “needs” we continue to have.

I meant to take a picture of the sign that is now posted at the corner of our property but I did not have my phone with me last night as I passed – and I had two chances. Once I could have stopped on my way home from work and once I could have stopped while Mama and I were out gathering wild plums. We finally got enough to make a small batch of jelly; which we should do this long weekend.

I am still waiting on getting the insurance check back from the mortgage company so I can make the roof repairs we desperately need. Last night as I was going to get the tractor to do more brush hogging the sky looked like rain was imminent so I held off on being on the tractor but inwardly I cringed at the thought of more rain. As desperately as we need it I am apprehensive every rain that comes due to the roof repairs we need. As it turned out, it was a very gently brief rain even though the storm looked quite foreboding.

I have patched the cuts and tears sufficiently to keep the rain out to this point but there is always the possibility of strong storms coming up suddenly. I am not prepared for any of those and that is where the concern lies. I have to admit that the sunset through the retreating storm clouds was an exceptional exhibit of color and contrast. God is good!

Mama and I spent some time last night retracing her steps of the night before because she has lost the new set of truck keys; the ones that I paid almost three hundred dollars to have made. We did not find them but I am praying that we do. It would be disappointing to have to pay to have another set made.

Grant is coming to the farm next week. If they can be found, he will find them.

Time, forgotten phones and thwarted plans

We are now officially half way through the year. How did we get here so quickly? Even in the job I have where I am constantly looking out several months ahead, I am still staggered by how quickly the months go by. Some days seem to drag by but somehow the months move so quickly it takes me by surprise.

Things did not work out yesterday as planned. The realtor got to the farm at about the time he had anticipated but he and Mama did not get to leave the farm until after she had told me they would. He took some extra time to look over the property and get a clearer picture of how well the land lays. After all, it is a beautiful piece of property. (The sign he hung at the corner of the property is first rate. It is a good thing we have a brand new gate there to hang it on.)

As things turned out, I would not have been able to meet the realtor and Mama at the log home because of meetings I had scheduled that started at 1 pm and followed back to back until 2:30 pm. But I never found out if they were actually coming or what time I needed to meet them since Mama forgot her phone. I tried several time through the morning to get in touch with her but finally gave up and began preparing for the meetings I had scheduled.

As I was in the second of three meetings Mama pulled up in front of the office. I happened to be in my boss’s office which sits at the front of the building with windows facing the street so I could see her come into the building. I excused myself for a moment and went out to talk to her. That is when I found out that she had forgotten her phone. Couple that to the fact that she could not remember my number – either the cell or the office – and I got left out of the home showing.

It was only as she got to Decatur to see me that she suddenly remembered the number. Anyway, she was excited about the home and rescheduled a visit for this Thursday morning. On that day we will go back to two other properties for a second look. It will be a busy day off but it is something we really need to do.

I can’t fault Mama for forgetting her phone since I got to the office this morning and realized I left mine on the charger at the apartment. I will still be available to anyone through the office phone; that is, for anyone who has that contact information. I am not at all sure Mama has that number in her phone but it is in my contacts; on my phone, at the apartment.

I remember a time when you actually had to memorize telephone numbers. There was no digital storage on the devices we used as phones – they were mounted to the wall in your house or sat on a table in the home. When they rang, everybody jumped. I still remember the number to my childhood home – OV6-6824. I had to memorize that in the second grade and it did not change until my parents moved to Chappell Hill.

I was in college by that time.