Victoria’s car, what a storm

I tried to go to bed early last night but after I had been in bed for less than an hour Mama woke me to tell me she was going to rescue Victoria. She was on her way home from Bowie and her car was having trouble. As I understood it, she was safely off the road but the car was not running properly so Mama was headed out to get her. How do you go back to sleep after that?

I got up but Mama was already gone. It only took a few minutes for them to get back to the house – with both cars. Victoria’s car has a failsafe mode that allows the engine to run at very low rpms when it senses a major problem. That has happened several times over the past few months but we have always been able to clear the alarm and get the car running again.

So was the case last night. After Victoria let the car set for several minutes she was able to start it and it ran properly the rest of the way home. I told her the last time this happened (It needed over a quart of oil) that we needed to get the car properly serviced but that has not happened yet. With her tight budget that is something pretty far out of her reach. Grandpa will be back in a couple weeks so will probably eek by until then – or until something happens that we cannot easily remedy. Once they were home I went back to bed.

It was starting to storm in our area about the time Mama went after Victoria and it must have rained very hard through the night. The patio was no more flooded than usual but I did see some boards I have out there moved in the direction of the runoff. It was raining as I left so I did not check the rain gauge.

When I got out onto the road (our little county road) I saw more evidence that it has indeed rained very hard; gravel washed into piles on the road, large pieces of wood washed onto the road and lots of standing water – more than I have seen before.

When I got the intersection of 1655 and 1810 there were firetrucks with lights flashing blocking access to 1818 into Chico. I could only assume that the road was flooded. Fortunately, I go the other way. I was very cautious as I drove to Decatur this morning but I did not see anything dangerous on the road. I am anxious for Mama to tell me how much rain we had overnight.

Last night I had to take the screens out of the waterlines to the washer and clean them. Mama had called me early in the afternoon yesterday to tell me the washer was not working. It displayed an error and would not progress any further than where it was in the cycle. Getting water to the machine seemed to be all that was wrong so she was off and running pretty quickly. Today she will have to cancel the service call she had set up.

Before the storm hit I was able to spend about an hour weed eating the fence that abuts our driveway. I was not thrilled about the amount of poison ivy and poison oak I had to cut down. On one tree the vines had gotten pretty well established and were up about ten feet on the trunk. Those same vines swept out from the tree for at least fifteen feet in all directions. I did the best I could to permanently harm them but I did not want to get infected with that toxin. I do not do well with that.

Mama was pleased with how the trimmed area looked. She inspected it while I took a shower.

 

Finals ore over, more snakes, more rain

Last night we took our last test for this semester. We also got our grades for the previous test as we were leaving. I do not know how I did on the test last night – there were a lot of trick questions – but we all did well on the pervious test. Mama, who thought she failed the test made an 85. My score was 101 and Victoria got a 99. I do not expect that high a score on the test I took last night. Still we are excited about the coming semester which will start in late August; about the time I find out about the Licensing job. After everyone was finished with the test we all went to IHOP for dinner. It was a good time of fellowship.

We are still having a problem with snakes at the mailbox. Another one was discovered yesterday. The lady carrying the mail dropped the mail off to Mama and the two of them went to look over the mailbox to determine what I needed to do to seal it off more completely. I did that last night. Tonight I will look at the possibility that there is a nest of snakes in the column where the mailbox is inserted. If that is what I find, that will necessitate a different solution.

The snakes we are seeing are non-poisonous so I do not want to kill them outright. I would like to relocate them but keep them healthy. I fear that may not be possible but it is my goal. The mail lady is terrified of all snakes so I have to somehow allay that fear – which may be very difficult since she has seen two snakes while delivering our mail. This is country living at its best.

Rain begins again today and is forecast for everyday for the next eight days. I suppose that is nothing extraordinary for someone like Maggie and Aaron who live in the temperate rainforest of the Northwest but it is not a common weather pattern for us in north Texas. Some creeks and rivers have been above flood stage for over ten days now with no respite in sight.

As a company we are feeling the effects of constant rain with some of our wellheads and tank batteries flooded and many of our roads impassable because they are either underwater, washed out or so slimy and soft we cannot get to the wells that need out attention. Production has suffered as a result. Like the work I have been trying to get done on my little koi pond, much of what we do will have to wait for several weeks after the rain lets up.

On the farm, we will have to section off a portion of the barn lot that we have not been able to get sufficiently cleaned out because it is too soft to get the tractor near it and it is getting too bad to allow Daisy and Dash to use it. I could clean it with a scoop shovel but it is a lot of muck to move by hand. I am not sure I am up to that at the moment. We will let it dry out and remove it when I can have some machinery to help.

Now that I have another night of the week free to work I hope to start making quicker progress on projects that have been languishing for lack of time.

RU, Youth rally

Friday night we had a fish fry for RU. It turned out pretty good and we had a few visitors as a result. It was encouraging to Lee to see a bunch of new faces – including a couple of his boys. I get confused whether the two that came are Laura’s sons or Lee’s but it was good to see them at Ru again. (Both of them were in church Sunday morning and evening also.)

I had a hard time getting Mama to leave Friday night. She got to talking with a couple ladies there and while I cleaned up they must have gotten onto some deep subject – like shoes or purses or curtains – because it was very difficult to tear her away from the conversation. She probably is lacking in grownup conversation right now, besides my old adage still holds. If she uses up her words on someone other than me I will not have to bear the whole load personally.

I finally went to her and said, “I finished cleaning up so we can go anytime.” That interrupted the train of the conversation and got a laugh out of the three women talking but it was still about fifteen minutes later that we finally left. It was almost 11 pm before we got home. Even Victoria called to see where we were.

Saturday we worked at the farm in the morning; working on the equipment shed (which is a much neglected project), painting mirrors for the master bath and cleaning the chicken coop. The outside portion of the coop has gotten so wet that we are closing it off to the hens for the time being. Mama will have to let them out more but it is too great a risk to have them in the dirty muck – and it is very difficult to keep it even marginally dry, much less sanitary. We have gotten seven inches of rain so far this month and have already passed the 21.5 inches we received all last year. It is a soggy, nasty blessing.

Later Saturday afternoon we went to the church to help with a Youth Rally. The theme was from a rhyme by C.T. Studd “Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” The church was decorated (?) with tombstones complete with names and dates. Most of the deceased represented were young when they died. It was a somber but potent theme.

Mama kept the nursery and I helped grill 200 hamburgers. It all came off without a hitch. We served about 180 teens and adults in all. As is customary, cleanup took the most time and Mama and I were there until about 8 pm. While I was sweeping the floor aand tables and chairs were being put away, I heard a burst of laughter from the kitchen – with Mama’s unmistakable laugh being at the center of it.

What started it was Mama picking a piece of lettuce from the trash - announcing it as she did so -  so she could feed it to her hogs. One lady, who doesn not normally participate in these events,  did not know the reason for the dumpster dive so she was quite taken aback. She offered to give Mama the money to buy a fresh head of lettuce if she needed it. That innocent comment struck everyone in the kitchen as too hilarious; especially Mama.

Mama and the lady in question, whose name is also Kim, came looking for me. The other Kim told me she was going to give me “what for” until Mama explained that the rescued scraps were for her pigs. Sunday morning I would not have been surprised to see a couple heads of lettuce sitting on the pew where we normally sit. But that did not happen.

It is what I would have done.

Hummingbirds, results, busy weekend ahead

Last week, Mama put out a couple little hummingbird feeders. She has been amply rewarded for the effort. She has had to refill the one in the back yard a couple times since the tiny creatures have found it. Now they have also discovered the one in the front yard. To date, she has not seen any of the more colorful species. The visitors have fairly dull in appearance but frequent in their feedings. I am beginning to think we may have nest nearby. If we could discover its location that would really thrill Mama.

Every evening the birds have been especially vocal. We hear the cardinals, the doves and several other calls that I am not familiar with; not to mention the mockingbirds driving all of them crazy repeating song after song of every variety of bird it hears. It is very soothing to hear the nightly chorus and know the song is because they are satisfied with the day; welcoming the night. We can not only take heart in that – we could learn a lesson from it.

We have enjoyed the past couple of days without rain. Each morning I leave the house the big dogs are sprawled out in the driveway and have to wake to move out of my way as I leave. On the wet mornings they are snuggled on the front porch under the glider we have sitting there. I am not thrilled that both the front porch and the sunroom have become dog habitat but under the circumstances it is the best we can offer. Hopefully, as the summer rolls in they will find other places to leave their shed hair, shed mud and their body odor.

Mama had to call the doctor yesterday to get the results of her CAT scan. As expected, there was nothing to report. The nurse actually told Mama that they had found nothing but quickly corrected herself and said they had found nothing abnormal. I question both variations of the report. But we are pleased that there is nothing out of the ordinary we have to deal with. Mama’s phantom pains will remain a mystery.

Our busyness continues this weekend with RU meeting tonight and a youth rally on Saturday. Both are events happening in the evening and at both we will be watching the children of the participants. It would not be so bat but we still have the last test for this semester of FBI hanging over our heads and none of us have been able to devote much time to studying for that test. Hopefully we will be able to take a couple hours each day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to get the information locked in our minds before we have to sit for the exam Monday night.

That remains to be seen.

No net but plenty of rain, Victoria’s job search

Well, things did not work out too well concerning our internet. The technician showed up at the house but said he could not do anything because it was raining. Mama did not happen to be there since she and Victoria had scheduled hair appointments at the same time. Mama had hoped to be finished by the time the technician came to the property but that did not work out.

Since we missed the first opportunity we have another one scheduled two weeks out, but I am not too sure I want to go with this company. If it is that difficult to get an appointment to install service I can only guess what it is like to get something repaired once the equipment is finally in place. We will wait and see but my enthusiasm has waned significantly.

The rain continued through the afternoon into the evening. It finally let up about the time we were headed to church. It was not a gully washer but rather a steady shower. All in all, we got a little under an inch. Everything is thoroughly soaked in our area.

All the lakes are full to capacity or overflowing. That presents a unique problem for the persons controlling those lake levels. As one releases water that water runs south to the next overfull lake which overflows to the next and so on. It is a problem we have not had to deal with for over seven years. It will take some time to get the levels adjusted without flooding the adjacent neighborhoods.

Hopefully, there have not been any houses build on the land that has been high and dry through the extended drought. That will prove to be very foolish, shortsighted decision but you never know what developers are thinking. I do know that it is a possibility because in Amarillo I saw people setting mobile homes in what were, and will be again, playa lakes. It would be interesting to see those homes right now since we are now surpassing the total amount of rainfall we received for all of last year.

While Mama and Victoria were in town Victoria put in her application for a school bus driver position. There are several people in our church that drive for various school districts so it was not a foreign idea. I am not sure what of the applications she has submitted lately we will hear back on but she has put in several now and is anxious to find something closer; something other than Walmart, something other than a pharmacy job.

In a lull between meetings yesterday I found an ad for some cattle that Mama is going to call on today. I am not completely sure we are ready but it never hurts to make the contacts.

The call, bone yard, internet evaluation today

Between meetings yesterday I got a call from the hiring manager in the Licensing group. The call was to bring me up to date on developments in the construction at the plant in Sabine Pass, LA. The licensing group is waiting until the contract with the operating company is in place and the plant is nearer completion before they extend any job offers. That should happen in August; possible September. In this cash constrained environment they are hesitant to carry people on their books longer than necessary.

I let him know that those dates will work well for me because of the births Mama and I will be attending through the summer. I also thanked him for letting me know that I was on the “short list” – which means that an offer will be extended to me for the job when the posting is actually ready to be filled. At least that is out in the open and Mama and I can begin to plan for it; versus planning on losing my job with ConocoPhillips.

Mama was both excited and anxious about the announcement. It will still be two weeks on and two weeks off. It will likely last through 2016 into 2017 before I have to move on to another assignment. What that may be is unknown at this time but I do know that plants are being built in China, Africa, Australia and the North Slope of Alaska. We will see where all this leads. The first step is getting the job offer.

It began to rain as I was getting home yesterday and Mama was very frustrated because she had been waiting on me to get home to clear the yard of carcasses and bones. I think I need to start ordering body bags for the refuse that is constantly being dragged into our yard. Fortunately, the rain passed quickly and she was able to get out and complete the mowing fairly quickly. Now, if it rains as predicted, at least she can look out on a trimmed lawn.

I should have taken more time to study yesterday for the test we have to take on Monday evening but I was too tired to concentrate. I napped in the chair and eventually showered and went to bed about 9 pm. It was the earliest I have been in bed for several weeks. I do feel better this morning but I could use a few more eight hour nights.

Today is the day a technician will be coming to the farm to see if we can get internet. I am not holding my breath but I have made every preparation I could to facilitate the matter. Victoria will be home today so she will be available to test the system and get the passwords set up in the event that we are successful. We are not interested in getting television but it is frustrating to be without internet - especially when I need to work from home.

If I do get this licensing job, internet will be a necessity rather than a luxury. If I end up not getting the job, internet access is luxury I would like to have.

Bone yard, FBI

Yesterday was the one sunny day we are going to have for the week – and it was beautiful. The only issue at the farm was that Sam drug a deer carcass (the head and shoulders with the rib cage) into the front yard. It was already well seasoned; aromatic one might say. We are never sure what they will find in the open land around us; especially since the persons leasing the property are determined to kill every hog they see and leave the carcasses lay where they fall. In that respect, a deer carcass was a little surprising.

I did not take the time to bag it up because I did not get home until a little after 5 pm due to meeting we are having in the office this week. We needed to be ready to leave by 6 pm so I had very little time to get ready. This morning as I left for work I noticed that the dogs had gone back to wherever they found the skeleton and dragged the skin home with them. Mama will be very pleased.

Tonight the rains start again with our area expecting over ten inches through the remainder of the week. Chico is supposed to be a little more fortunate with only about four inches forecast by the middle of next week. Flood watches are in effect throughout north Texas. From seven years of drought to flooding on every side. At least, when all of this passes, the lakes will be full.

FBI is not normally as entertaining as it was last night. We began with the doors to the fellowship hall – which doubles as a gymnasium – open to let in the cool evening air. It saves the a/c from having to cool the entire space for the dozen of us meeting for a couple hours. At some point, shortly after our first break, and unfortunate sparrow flew into the building. For the next hour everyone in the class was very distracted.

One of the ladies tried throwing a ball at the bird – which was now in the very upper part of the building – in an attempt to get it to fly out the doors it had come in through. That was not working well but it looked fun enough that Victoria got in on the action. Of course, that only added to the distraction as the DVD continued to play.

At some point the tiny sparrow landed on the volleyball net that was still strung across the gym and Mama yelled “Victoria, he’s in the net. Somebody take off their shirt!” With the group consisting of ten women and three men, that statement brought the house down. Anyone who was trying to concentrate on the lesson being taught gave up entirely at that point.

We turned out the lights in the building hoping the bird would see the light of the open doors and make its escape but rarely will a bird take the lower path to safety. They are usually looking to get higher and I am sure the melee of people focused on it gave it sufficient fright to occlude what we thought was an open path to freedom.

What came next was even more interesting. Kaylen, our FBI leader, came back from his truck with a blowgun (I kid you not!) and began to hunt the bird with the objective of stunning the poor creature and carrying it to safety. His weapon proved more lethal than expected and very soon the sparrow was impaled by one of the darts and collapsed onto the gym floor.

The ladies were mortified. I was very impressed.