Errands, more errands

This morning I took Mama to work so I could run a few errands. I had to pay the electric bill, check on being able to vote and take a drug test. Since it was early I went to the electric company to get the bill handed off - along with a check. I was not overly surprised they were opened but I was surprised to be in a line at the payment window before 9 a.m. On the off chance that the Wise County Elections Office was open early I went there next. And lo and behold, our taxpayer dollars were at work even at that hour. 

After researching our voter registration I found out that we were still listed on the rolls of Montague County. It was good we were registered but it is in the wrong county. The ladies at the office were very helpful. As it turns out, we will be able to vote in Wise County in the weeks prior to the national election - early voting. Since we are not listed in this county we will not be able to vote in any of the local elections but will be able to cast our ballot for state and federal elections. I can live with that since that is out primary concern. I knew I had missed the registration deadline but I did not know that that also covered any change in that registration; address, name, etc.

The drug test was anticlimactic. I found the center I was required to go to and got directions to the lab pretty easily. From there it was pretty slow. The technician working the drug testing was in no particular hurry - to do anything. However, when we did get started collecting the sample she was quite militant. “Empty you pockets.Put everything in the basket. Wash your hands with soap. Discard the paper towels in the waste basket outside of the restroom. I need 40 ml so fill the jar over the temperature strip or we will have to do this all over again. DO NOT FLUSH! DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS UNTIL I TELL YOU TO!” I just smiled and went through the routine I have done dozens of times. She was not impressed. She was ready to seal the sample bag and tell me goodbye. I realize it may not be a pleasant job role but that should not ruin the entire day. Poor girl. On the bright side I washed my hands with soap and water twice today. That should hold me over through the weekend.

Once home I did set up my computer and sent out about 300 emails, created a landing page and contacted a company that had overcharged me for their services, all before lunchtime; at which time I was meeting Mama. I had to get all the little pints of ice cream we had bought and take them to the school along with stopping at Walmart to find a quart of chocolate ice cream for one of the students who did not like all the other seven or eight selections. Mama was not expecting me so it was a little surprise for her. After 34 years of marriage we still have those for each other. I spent the rest of the day at the church working on my business - waiting for Mama to get off so we could go to Costco for a few items. She was later than usual because he pastor was counseling with the parents of one of the students and Mama was tasked with watching the siblings.

After dinner at Red Robin, which was pleasant food in an unpleasant atmosphere, we finally set out for Costco. It was the first of many little ventures as we accumulate Christmas presents. This time it was PJ’s. We have to stretch ourChristmas shopping fun over many weeks to get the most out of our finances.

Mama really loves this time of year - once Halloween is over.

Three little visitors, fetching Kira, more small successes

Victoria picked up Luke, Gracie and Joseph this morning so their mom could go to some work related meetings. They have been on vacation visiting family for a couple weeks. They have only been back a few days now so Erin is having to catch up on some work assignments. If ever Mama thought she could be forgotten Joseph put that thought to rest Sunday night when the toddlers reentered the service for the change offering and shouted out “Mommy Kim. I missed you!” The entire church got a kick out of that. And today when Erin came to get the kids Joseph told his mommy that he wanted to hide. “Who do you want to hide from?” she asked. His answer; “Mommy.” 

Victoria was sweeping this morning just after they arrived and got the cutest video of Joseph having tumbled over into a box as he had tried to back away from the vacuum. I do not have a copy or I would include it. He and Victoria both thought it was pretty funny. Luke did a quick inventory of our toys and announced that we had more Legos than last time. (True; Cori and Nate left what had been given to their kids during the time they stayed here last month.) The kids watched a movie, went for a walk and played inside and out through the day. I think they were all worn out when it was time to go. They are usually very hesitant to leave but today was especially hard for them since it has been a while since they were here and we usually keep they until church on a Wednesday evening. Today we needed the afternoon to get Kira.

Victoria and I left for Gainesville at the same time Erin was pulling out of the driveway with the kids. It is over two hours round trip and with a few minutes to visit and get the updates on Kira and Leo I figured it would be closer to three hours. I wasn’t far off. It turns out that Leo and Kira did very well together. We are not sure how many times she and Leo mated in the 24 hours but hopefully it will be sufficient. I know Kira was very excited to see Victoria. She was sitting still but quivering as she waited for us to get her out of the kennel. Leo was boundless energy. I can see where the pups that have that jumping, yelping, setting off at a dead run energy get it from. We were home before 5 pm so having time to get ready for church was not a problem - even with a quick dinner included. 

Through the day today I have had some pretty notable successes related to my online business. I only wish I had understood a month or two ago what I needed to do to generate these successes, but if I had I would have missed the learning opportunity from the trial. Perhaps, even, I would not have been looking for the job I have recently been given. I will trust the Lord and continue to follow through on both opportunities.

Who knows what might come next?

Success, Kira and Leo, visiting, visitors

I did finally have a moderate success today in both of the internet programs I have been working in; a landing page builder and an autoresponder program. I have been steadily working on getting comfortable with both for about a month now and today I was able to see the payoff for all the effort. My ultimate goal was to have a good enough working knowledge of both programs that when I started working full time it would take me less than an hour per day to get everything done that is required to keep this little business operational and hopefully, profitable. I remember years ago when my mom was taking a logic course in college that when she completed the final and graduated the class with a solid C, she said she felt like she had fought and slain Goliath. I am almost there.

Mama and I took Kira to the Cantrell’s so Leo and she could get together. Last time the time together resulted in eleven pups - all of which sold quickly. In fact, we have ongoing emails and Facebook posts from several of the buyers of the pups from that litter. None of us can be certain what will come of this breeding but we all have our differing levels of expectation. I am just hoping to raise the pups somewhere other than the sunroom of the house. Victoria and I will be going back tomorrow to pick Kira up. Her “Mommy” is worried about leaving her too long. And we all hope to limit the litter size by shortening the conjugal visit.

We spent the time visiting with Kimberlyn and it was time well spent - especially for her. She is a very good friend to Mama and they have been apart too long. I have found that phone conversations are only a limited stopgap for women who do far more visiting when they are face to face. I personally think is is because being in a person’s presence allows then to both talk at the same time thereby doubling up on the topics covered. Normally, when two men are taking at the same time they are arguing. When two women are talking at the same time they are conserving time; whether in agreement or not. If two women are silent in each other’s presence it is time for one of them to go home.

Such was not the case tonight. This was one of those times that we needed to allow someone to talk freely until they were finished. There is little we can do to help be we listened, we prayed and we cared. From this time on we will be far more earnest in our prayers for her and her husband and the burdens they have silently borne. It is amazing how little we know about each other’s needs because we are unwilling to share those needs in a way that will allow others to take up the yolk of our cares and bear them together with us.

On our way home, on our little county road actually, Mama and I herded two little bucks down the road. They stayed in our headlights trying to decide where to go until we got close to the house - where Sam and Sasha were. I finally turned off the high beams so that the bucks could see the fence they needed to leap over. Mama was  not initially sure they could clear the fence but they showed off for her had handily and gracefully bounded over into the field beside us. Their grace is always amazing. 

I wonder if that is why they are so tasty?

Feed shopping, better, FBI, old pics

I dropped Mama off at the church this morning so I could keep the Sequoia. Since I am still awaiting my start date I still have the time to go to Muenster to get feed. This morning may represent my last opportunity to do that during the day for a while. Not that that is a bad thing. It is one of the little changes we will have to adapt to when I start my 9-5 routine - and Mama keeps her day job. We will figure it out as we go but we will still have to find a way to get the feed when needed and if we want to continue getting it from the same supplier, we will find a way to accommodate that need. Others do; so will we. Maybe larger purchases less often, provided we have a place to keep the stored feed away from the squirrels and rats and mice - and moisture.

I am feeling a bit better. I am still wrestling with a persistent cough - not as badly as I have in past bronchitis episodes. At least I can make it through the night without waking up strangling or have to sit up to cough the spasm out. I should be clear soon. I was talking this last episode through with Mama to see if we could come up with a triggering event but we did not stumble upon one. I have resigned myself to getting back on the herbs that will help be deal with a weak respiratory system and see if I can get some longterm relief from these repeated illnesses. One thing is certain - at least in my mind - I am in a better climate here than I was in either New Jersey or West Virginia.

We are now in week nine of FBI so our first test is only four weeks away - and it looks like it will be a difficult one. I say that because study sheets are provided for each test and this study sheet is packed with place/name/order matching sequences. Those are difficult but you can usually use the process of elimination to get the ones you can’t fully remember. The questions I like least are the true/false. (Another large section of the test.) Although most are pretty clear, there are always a few that make you unsure; the ones you go back to your notes to verify as soon as you turn in the test. Mama, Victoria and I normally make very high marks, but when the perfect score is 103 and I make a 100, it irritates me that I cannot figure out what I missed. Still it has been a great experience to take these classes/lectures. We are now closing in on the end of the fourth semester of six. When it is completed we will be wondering what to do with all out Monday nights and the Bible Degree it will give us.

I am enclosing some pictures from when Nate, Cori and the kids were here last month. It was an overwhelmingly busy time and Victoria was taking pictures and videos throughout that time. These are some of the ones she got to me today. We were enjoying a picnic dinner outside while the kids played follow the leader on the stumps we use as seating around the fire pit.

Fortunately the evening turned cool enough that we could really enjoy the evening.

Very slow day, Mama’s rotten day, late feeding, the evening

My day was very slow today. I did not realize I felt as bad or as tired as I did until I got dressed this morning, but as Mama got ready to go I laid down on the couch and fell fast asleep. I was wakened by Victoria as she got up and going so I moved to the chair and from there to the bed. I finally got up at a little after noon. Even then it was a huge struggle to make myself get out of bed. At least that is the way it seemed at the time. I did not get much done after that but I did check emails and was able to get a couple little things done for my online business - but my heart and attention were not in any of it.

Mama and the school kids went to play in tennis today in a tennis competition with a larger school from Saginaw. The kids from our school were not good to her or for her today. They were in a mood to partner up and tease, sass and generally misbehave the entire afternoon. She was not happy with them especially because they seemed very pleased with themselves in their attitude and behavior. There is never any good way to stop such behavior. When a child asks “what” to every corrective remark made to them when they know they are in the wrong, discipline is ineffective. That is when punishment comes. However, in that setting, punishment is so limited that the school kids are not affected by it. They actually welcome it to show their friends how tough they are. Unfortunately, peer pressure is more often affected toward the negative than toward the positive. The whole atmosphere made for a bad day for Mama. Good thing it was Friday.

We got an inch of rain through the night - one of the reasons I was not in a hurry to get out to feed the animals; that and not feeling well. Anyway, it was difficult to tell we had gotten any rain by the time I did get out. The goats and pigs were hungry but only the pigs have no grass or hay to munch on between feedings. They were quite vociferous in their objection to the late breakfast. I hate to disturb a  routine but today I needed the exception. In the very near future we will have to get a new routine set because I will be leaving for work just as Mama is getting up. Additionally, in only a few weeks I will be getting home at or very near dark. The load will shift back to Mama once again. I am not sure what kind of routine we will have to adopt but the animals will adapt more quickly than we will.

This evening all of us went out to make the rounds. We have adopted the routine of feeding bread to the chickens and pigs each evening. Mama buys it in bulk at the day old store. We go through a loaf per day here and about half a loaf at Victoria’s house. And they go nuts over the bread; especially the chickens. It is fun to show visitors the excitement the chickens show over the broken pieces of bread being cast onto the ground. One of the farm’s little pleasures.

Mama and I were given a paper, actually an extract from a book about natural cures for cancer, to read for a friend so she could get our input on the information. This article alleges that the cause of cancer, singular, the cause of all cancer is an infestation of fluke worms; specifically, faciliolopsis buskii. It is an interesting supposition but well worth looking into.

I will do some more research and see what I can find but the curative herbal combination seems harmless overall. If it will provide more than a general cleansing, it is worth further investigation.

More on that later.

Home, visitors, storms

I stayed home today partly because I felt bad and partly because I wanted to get a few things done around the farm. I rested a little more since I was at home than I would have if I was at the church. So that helped some. But I am still feeling poorly. Even with that I took time out from the computer to pull both screen doors on the coop and cut each of them to make them more functional. The screen door on the east side would not open all the way; it hit the rafter about half open. The door on the west side dragged against the floor as you closed it. So I shortened both of them so they would fit under the rafters when fully opened and not scrape the floor at any point in that travel. Mama was well pleased. I also reinstalled the knobs on one door so Mama had them to grab to operate the door from either side. It’s the little things.

I straightened up the pig pen where the grandkids had dragged all kinds of sticks and small boards into the shelter while they used it as a fort. I also had to move out some pallets they had dragged out from under the old portion of the shelter. I rearranged the walls and moved the sleeping quarters from the south side of the pen to the west side in the hopes that it would not be as wet. When we had significant rain the south side of the pen would accumulate a lot of water so it would get soupy as the pigs stomped through it continually. Maybe the relocation of the shelter will help with that. We should be able to test that theory tonight since we are supposed to get a good deal of rain. Of course we have no pigs to fully test the theory but we are hoping to look at some this Saturday ay Trade Days in Bowie.

We had visitors at the farm tonight. The Lukes came to see the farm and to pick up some eggs. Mama was supposed to bring eggs to church for over a week now and we just have not remembered. So they combined a visit with the pickup. Their little one loved the house, the farm and all the dogs. He is an eighteen month old who is not out of home very often but you would not have been able to see that with the way he took off on his own - in the house and out in various areas we took him to on the farm. He loved the goats and they seemed to really enjoy petting them. The goats would follow him around and nibble on his cloths when they could get a way with it. He did not seem the least bit concerned. His parents were delighted. They stayed late into the evening. It was a good visit.

When we were outside as the Lukes were leaving you could see the lightening streaking across the sky. Right now our dusk to dawn light is out so the light show was even more pronounced. I was supposed to call today to get the repair on the light scheduled. I forgot. It was not on my list. It is on my list for tomorrow. 

For now, we are enjoying the enhanced ability to see the stormy show.

Homework, a little sick, tricky repairs, Maggie’s news

I got my homework assignments from my new employer this morning. I had to go home to get the paperwork printed out because I do not have that capability at the church. It was not a lot of printing but the HR person who had sent the forms over asked that I have them back to her by the end of business today. I have to admit that it has been a long tome since I have had to fill in forms by hand - outside of a doctor’s office. Mama and I took the forms over to the office as soon as she was out of school this afternoon. Since I do not know anyone on the office I walked to the one area I had been shown - where I will be working - and asked for guidance. I did find the right office but the person I was looking for was outside taking a 15 minute walk; a routine kept by all office personnel. I was not the most presentable but I found her and introduced myself none the less.

I was not presentable, somewhat, because it is Wednesday and I have not shaved since Monday evening. I was also dressed in farm clothes. But what really made me less presentable is that I have been fighting bronchitis for several days now. I thought I was not going to make it through the song service Sunday evening because of the cough that was just starting - a real issue when you are the person leading the song service. But I did make it. I did not make it tonight. I had to pass the leadership off to someone else, but I got to let the pastor know about it this afternoon so he was not taken by surprise. I hated to miss the service tonight because we have a missionary with us for this service. 

When I came home to print out the forms Grandpa and Grandma were there. Grandpa was giving the tractor a good looking over to see if there were any issues I had not noticed. That is always appreciated. So, since he was available, I asked for his help getting the new wiper blades installed on the Sequoia. I had started to do it but quickly backed away when I could not figure out how to get the old wiper blades off without breaking something. I felt a little better when I took Grandpa about fifteen minutes to figure it out. Getting the right fittings to install the new ones took even longer. We tried to follow the directions but were not getting things to work for about a half hour when Grandpa found a part that had fallen to the floor when we opened the case containing the new blades and adapters. With that discovery we were able to get the new blade on in just a few minutes. The second one took no time at all. Like working with Nate to get the oil and filter changed, it was a learning experience.

Maggie called today to tell me and Mama that Aaron had found out about his new duty station. I am not sure she has made it public yet so I will not spill the beans but I can say that they got one of the stations on their wish list, just not one of the top three. They will be in the Lower Forty Eight and that will be a blessing when it comes to travel. 

She was happy about the announcement - even though it is still six to eight months away.