Travel with Mama, brief time at home, hot chili peppers

I will be in the office for today only this week. The good news about that is that Mama gets to make the trip with me this week. We will be heading to Port Huron, MI tomorrow morning. I have two classes to teach to a company there. The classes will be on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Each class is about seven hours long, which gives me and Mama the evenings off to look around the town. Canada is just across a bridge from Port Huron so Mama and I may drive over the border to look there also. She has not decided yet. I am going to check this morning to see if the rental car policy we use will allow Mama to drive the car while I am in class. If not, she will have to explore on her own – on foot. She is excited about the trip although she is apprehensive about leaving her herds and flocks in the care of anyone else. Nate, Cori and the kids will be at the farm during our absence to help with the feeding, but Mama strongly prefers to do those chores herself. The entire routine happens a lot faster without the pigs in the mix. And hopefully soon, we will sell the boy goats, which will alleviate all the animals in that area – speeding up the feeding process even further.

I spent Saturday getting a couple repairs done. One of which was removing more of the insulation in the ceiling of the coop. A large rat had filled one area to the point that the piece was starting to collapse under the weight of the stored food piled on it. While I was pulling down one piece, I saw our rodent homesteader. Mama was freaking out so I sent her to the house to get my pistol. It was over ten minutes later that she returned with the firearm. The rat was long gone. I guess it was not as urgent a problem as I had imagined. When I asked what took her so long she told me that she was thirsty so she stopped to get a drink and when she headed out of the house she realized she had forgotten her egg basket and as soon as she got her egg basket she realized she needed to use the bathroom. But she hurried through all those distractions so she could get my pistol to me quickly. Oh, well. We will have to apply other means to trap and eliminate the pest.  It is almost a shame the rats cannot be eaten. They are quite large.

My training last week in Las Cruces went well enough. There were some technical issues and the hosting company kept calling their employees out of the class throughout the day, but overall it went smoothly. The area is brushy and mountainous; very sparse in vegetation. I tend to like mountains in all forms and the desert mountains were beautiful to me. There were storm clouds resting on top of the mountains both mornings I was there, adding to the beauty. I am sure it gets boring to those who live in the area, but for a short visit I found the vista worth taking time to enjoy.

On the advice of the man who operates our little dump in Chico, I shopped around for some of the peppers that the area is famous for. I took some shopping to find them but I eventually did. I bought a couple pounds of the hot peppers and a little over a pound of the very hot peppers (Arizona 88) to bring home and share with Harrold. He was thrilled. We have not used any yet but I was given a couple recipes by the locals and Mama and Victoria are ready to try them out. Just the three pounds of the dried peppers filled the suitcase I used to get all the books and related class items to the training session.

We will have peppers for some time to come.

Quick meetings, rain issues, services

I had hoped to have a leisurely morning this morning as I got ready to fly out in the early afternoon, but that did not work out. I had a request from my boss to set a meeting for this morning to go over some items that have taken on an urgency since we took over the scheduling and implementation of all instructor led training. When I was asked to contact our clients concerning an upcoming class, I asked a series of questions about what information was being offered and/or requested concerning that contact? Did we have a checklist for the call? How do we qualify attendees? How do we invoice them? Are we sending our proposals for services to track those invoices? They seemed like fair questions to me and it seemed to stir a conversation that no one has had yet. Hence, my meeting this morning. I decided that since I had to come to work, I should maintain my normal schedule for the morning. I find it easier to do that than to worry about having forgotten something when I deviate from my routine. When I got to work I discovered that my boss is out sick today – so the meeting will be less productive than it could have been, but those are the issues we deal with daily. Once my meeting is over I will go home, get the final packing done and head to the airport.

I hurried home yesterday evening and put the drip edge on the back of the shop. I should have done it much sooner. It only took me about 45 minutes – even with several special cuts to get everything to fit properly. It was as good a timing as I could have hoped for since it rained again last night. When I checked the shop this morning the back of the shop was dry but the rain had blown in from the north and left a large puddle in the middle of the shop because the eight foot opening the large rollup door will fill at some point is wide open. It provided a rather large opening for blowing rain to accumulate in the shop. I have a plan to remedy that temporarily, but I will not get it done until I get back from New Mexico this weekend. I at least have things set in such a way that nothing important got wet.

Nate and Cori and the kids had gotten to the farm just before I got to the farm. He had the camper mostly set up by the time I got there. They had driven through several hours of very heavy rain on their way back from Brittany’s. Other than the stress and aggravation of driving in troubling condition they had no real issues on the road. However, when they made their first stop on the way here they discovered that they had left the little vent in the bathroom open as they had been driving through the torrential rains. It turned out to be a minor issue. Cori had to launder all the towels, rugs and other bathroom items that gathered the influx of water and they lost several rolls of toilet paper. A minor cost for a very important lesson.

Nate went to church with me last night. Mama was not feeling well. Victoria was at work. The grandkids needed an early night and Cori needed to ensure that happened. Some of the students and teachers from BBTI came to the service last night and I let Nate know who they were as I made the rounds. The teachers he recognized. When I told him the name of the visiting students, who are also veteran missionaries to Bolivia, he recognized the name and immediately turned around and started up a conversation. I did not get to participate in that conversation but I got the impression that he knew the son of the visitors. He and Cori have made a lot of contacts over the last year and Nate has a very good memory of such encounters.

He and Cori are still hoping to be ready to start working in Honduras by next summer. At the rate God is answering their prayers, I feel confident they will make it.

Rain and a mess, pigs, rabbits and goats, family

We got rain last night for the first time in about three weeks and it made a mess in the back of the shop. I knew I would have to deal with the roof not overlapping the wall at the back of the shop, but I have put it off because I was toying with different ideas for adding a small room to the back of the shop to house the gas cans and all the implements that use gas; the mover, the chainsaw, the blower, the weed eater, etc. Well, now I am going to have to deal with it. The roof panels rest on top of the back crossbeam of the shop without extending past the support beam on which they rest. When I added my wall panels to the shop, there was no overlap of the roof over the exterior walls so the rain water runs inside the raised portions of the wall panels and into the shop. I have the metal laying at the back of the shop to remedy the situation, but I have not taken the time to install it. Now, I realize I should have put up the drip edge and, if needed, remove it later as I build the flammables room. Oh, well. I will let it dry out and then clean it up after I get the pieces installed to eliminate the issue.

Bro. Schnell from BBTI came by with some help yesterday evening to load the pot belly pigs for use in one of the yearly events called Jungle Camp. During the week of Jungle Camp, the students camp out on the BBTI property and live as though they were actually in the jungle. No running water; cooking over an open fire, no provision from BBTI of camping equipment – they fend for themselves. Unfortunately for the pigs, they will provide the main fare of the meals for the week as they rough it. It was a sad thought for Mama but I am relieved the pigs will be put to good use versus us dreading the possibility of more unwanted litters. Mama would not allow me to have the pigs processed for our use so this was a good compromise – at least in my mind.

Interestingly enough, Molly and Tilly chose yesterday to get out of their enclosure and roam the farm. Fortunately, they were close enough that Mama was able to call them back with an offering of stale doughnuts. Rather than try to get them back into their sty, we walked them into a corner behind the chicken yard and used a hog panel to trap them while Bro. Schnell backed the trailer into position to open a passage for them to walk onto the trailer. When we tried to catch the little female piglet, things did not work out so well. She got out of their little yard by jumping up into an opening in the hog panel that she was able to wiggle through and ran off at lightning speed. We will have to retrieve her later (when she comes home) and deliver her to BBTI. When the Wycoff’s take the remaining two male piglets, we will be pig-less at the farm; for the first time in about four years.

I will be processing one of the two female rabbits some time very soon. She has gotten very aggressive. She will attack your hand every time you reach into the cage. Mama has a couple scratches to verify the behavior, so it’s time to eat her. Also, our two young Billy goats need to either be sold or taken to the meat market. At least we know we like goat meat. That is another idea that is hard for both mama and Victoria; eating animals you have raised and named. They are two very finely build male goats but there is no market for them other than for meat. Before they turn a year old, I will make the call if they are still on the farm with us.

Nate, Cori and the kids have thoroughly enjoyed their time with Brittany. They will be headed back to the farm today. So much for quiet, boring, uneventful evenings.

Light duty, moving, paint, travel

Since my back was pretty tender and my diverticulitis was still giving a good deal of me pain, I did light duty things this weekend. Blake and I harvested and processed more elderberries; moving our total of reserves up to eight quarts of frozen berriers. There are still so many ripening on the bushes that we are hardly making a dent into the ripening fronds. I also took the time to cut up the special pumpkin Mama grew. It was one of the flat greenish white ones that we have been told make the best pumpkin pies. Last year we let the one we were given rot in the window sill before I took it out to the garden and spread pieces of it out, hoping it would produce. We got miles of vines but only one ripe pumpkin. I canned it up and got three quarts out of it. It made a beautiful orange pumpkin puree. Mama was thrilled with the outcome – as long as it was me that took the time to do it. With the Instant Pot and the Vitamix it did not take very long to process it all.

I did not have much I could do on the shop so I moved a couple shelves and file cabinets full of tools from the garage to the shop. It will help me determine how to lay out the shop as I try to decide what to do to insulate the building. The rolling shelf and the two file cabinets did not take up much room in the shop but their removal from the garage left a noticeable opening. When I am able to move everything to the shop it will not be difficult for Mama to park in the garage. That will be a first for us. In all our married life, the garage has never been available for the vehicles. Of course, my truck will still be parked outside. Only Mama’s and Victoria’s vehicles will fit in the garage. Someday I will be able to park my truck and my tractor under cover…someday.

In the move, I uncovered things that have been either forgotten or neglected for the almost three years the shelves have stored them. I found over twenty containers of paint; all varieties, all colors, all of varying volumes. Many of the paints were not salvageable and I am not sure what we used them for or even when we bought them. I made a shelf out of an old louvered closet door and a couple saw horses and opened all the cans to allow them to dry out the rest of the way so they can be discarded. Just when I thought I was done I went into the well house to get something for Mama and found five more cans of paint. They were added to the shelf of drying paint cans. It will take several weeks for some of the paints to harden but I will be on the road for most of the next three weeks so it seemed like a good time to get started. Now, I just need to keep the grandkids away from that shelf. All in all, I am guessing that the contents of the table represent over $250-300 worth of paint, and I still have three five-gallon containers of paint in the well house. Mama has plans for some of that paint so it is being kept for now.

I will not leave until Wednesday morning for Las Cruces. I am a little more interested in the venue after talking to Harrold, the guy running the mini-dump near the house. He is quite familiar with the area. He told me several stories about his experiences in the area but what struck me was his insistence that I buy a bag of peppers from the local farms. Chili peppers are the premier crop of the area. It is also home to the world’s largest chili pepper – a roadside display. From the way he talked, there will be roasters in every grocery store, gas station and restaurant. The roasted chili peppers are where we get chipotle peppers. I will be sure to get some of the local hot sauces while I am there.

Fall -sort of, Sasha, Mama’s party, more travel

Today is officially the first day of Fall. It will not feel like it for us. The hot temperatures we are experiencing right now are seriously stressing out my plants. Even though I have continued my normal three-times-per-week watering schedule, all the plants look like they are about to whither up by the next evening. The only plant that seems to be thriving is the blackberry plant I put in the bed with the blueberries – and it is doing so well I will have to cut it back to keep it from taking over the entire bed. When I transplanted the puny little branch and the attached root several weeks ago I had no idea it would flourish the way it did. Now I know what to do for the other blackberry and black raspberry bushes I have struggled to keep alive.

The leaves on our little forest of oaks are starting to change and fall but I am not sure if they are just exhausted from the summer heat or if they are on a timetable enforced by something other than the temperature. The days are now about an hour and one half shorter than they were at the peak of the summer, so, maybe that is a driver for the seasonal change. Everyone, plants, animals and humans are ready for cooler weather. It is coming. I predict that by the time it has settled upon us we will be lamenting the cold, wet days and longing for warmth. We are fickle creatures.

Mama took Sasha to the vet yesterday evening. She has a lesion on her skin that looks very angry. It has gotten worse over the course of the past week so the vet visit was inevitable. I was not thrilled about the process because now is not a good time to be spending money on vet visits, but Mama cannot help herself. The vet kept Sasha overnight so they could operate this morning on what he deemed to be a cancerous lesion. The bill will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. Not necessarily horrid, but very poorly timed. We should have her home this afternoon. Mama and I discussed last night as we were returning from dropping off the goat innards to Alex and his family, that I do not want to replace either Sam or Sasha if something should happen to them. At least, until we know where we will be in four or five years. Adopting a dog into the home or onto the farm is a fifteen year proposition and we may not have fifteen years of farm life to give. She reluctantly agreed, but I am sure the topic will come up when either of the two Great Pyrenees is no longer with us.

Mama has a party scheduled next Friday. She is getting very anxious about it because of the condition of the house. She and Victoria mostly keep up with the sweeping and cleaning of the bathrooms but everything else is very hit-or-miss: mostly miss. She is conscripting Cori into cleaning windows, dusting furniture, cleaning ceiling fans, etc. in anticipation of having visitors at the house. Nate will be replacing lightbulbs and rearranging furniture. The timing would have been better had she moved it out one week further but that would have put it on the day after we are scheduled to get back from Port Huron. The new windows are scheduled to be installed during the time we are away. Having those in the house would have eliminated the need to clean all the windows we now have that are nearly impossible to get clean. The party is a LuLaRoe clothing something or other sales event in which Mama hopes she, Cori and Victoria can garner some new clothing for free or at a greatly reduced price. I hope it works out for her. On my part, I get a cleaned house. Not a bad deal for jut enduring a hen party.

We have a full weekend ahead of us and a very busy week next week. We are starting a Prophesy conference at church on Sunday. It will go through Wednesday night. I will miss the final night because I will be in Las Cruces, NM to present a class to a group there. I should be back Friday afternoon for a short stay at home before Mama and I head to Michigan for classes I will be doing there.

I am looking forward to the time in Michigan with Mama.

Wipes, birthday, hurting

Our granddaughter Savanna is obsessed with wipes. I am not sure why there is that fascination but if items come in a box packaged like wipes of tissues she feels compelled to find the bottom of the box. She has a fair understanding of the purpose of wipes. A case in point, while everyone but me and Nate and Savanna went to the area in the park where we ate dinner that is designated to be a swimming area -complete with a beach – Savanna got hold of the travel pack of wipes and proceeded to “clean” everything in sight. Dirty or used is a very relative term for her so the wipe can be used for one swipe at cleaning something and them discarded or it can be used until it truly is filthy. I got my hands wiped, my face wiped, my boots wiped, my pants wiped, etc. until the entire package was empty. That lasted a good thirty minutes or more. Cori and Nate consider it inexpensive entertainment for her which has the potential to have a useful and beneficial outcome over the coming years. She does seem tuned in to the need to clean things. I told Mama when we got home I had been wiped down so much that I needed a shower.

Some of the ladies at work really get into decorating a person’s work area for their birthday so I did not know what to expect when my birthday came around. To my pleasant surprise, my desk was untouched. In the Education team, we do not have very exuberant personalities. The entire department is more subdued than the Client Relation’s team I originally hired into. While I was out to lunch yesterday, they got a card and passed it around the office. It was laid on my desk along with a few Starburst candies. More than sufficient for the occasion. Besides, Nate, Cori and the kids, along with Victoria met me and Mama for lunch yesterday. I had to block my side a bit when Blake came running up to be the first to hug me; but it was worth the pain not to suppress the joy of his winning the race.

I cannot remember when it started, but it got to be a daily thing in New Jersey, the kids would compete with each other and with Mama to get the first hug from me when I got home from work. It often turned into a mad jumble to crash through the door to get to me first. It was always great fun. Now Cori has the grandchildren participating in the game.

I did not go to church last night because I was hurting so badly with a diverticulitis flare up that I could barely walk. I almost called in sick to work but the fever I had last night – like the night before – passed by this morning; at least, mostly. I can tell I am still running a little high in temperature because every time I take a sip of coffee I almost break out in sweat. The pain is now manageable and should start to abate as I allow my belly and bowels to empty and rest. For some reason, I felt it was important to be at the office today. Time will tell, but I did not like the idea of sitting at home doing nothing, waiting for the day to pass.

I generally do not so well I those circumstances.

Wet August/Dry September, cookout, birthdays

If I remember correctly, we recorded the wettest August for many years but we are following that with the driest September in many years. As the humidity rises we get closer and closer to rainfall, but we are obviously not there yet. Last night we had a storm blowing through the area with strong winds, lots of lightening and dark skies – but no rain for us. I was going about watering the plants last night when we got home from our evening out and had to give up because my back hurt so badly that I could not finish the chore. Each time I water the plants at the house I disconnect the hose from the camper, hook up the watering attachment and then reconnect it to the camper when I am done. Not a big deal, but last night I was hurting too badly to go through the exercise of dragging the hose to the back yard to wet down the fruit trees, the elderberry plants and the bed where we have blueberries, blackberries and asparagus growing. The front flowerbeds are fairly easy once the back is done but I had to leave it all undone. The poor wilting plants will have to wait until Thursday evening to get the life-giving water they need.

I feel better this morning. I took a muscle relaxer last night and I think it helped. It is hard to tell because I got hit by chills when I got out of the shower last night and they continued until about 2:30 when I woke up soaking wet. The fever – or whatever it was – passed and I slept the rest of my short night without shivering. Little Gracie Echeveria asked her mommy on the eve of her birthday last year, “Can you get sick on your birthday?” Unfortunately, yes. They postponed her birthday for a few days so she could enjoy the festivities that year. Fortunately, we are mostly well for all the birthdays we have in the family this month. I believe there are seven birthdays to celebrate this month. We will celebrate with one birthday bash on Friday – before Nate, Cori and the kids head east to meetings in the Temple area. Sometime in early October they will head north and be on the road until just before Christmas. Mama is already dreading that.

Mama and Cori planned a cookout for yesterday evening. The weather was warm and very windy. We headed to a nearby park that borders a small portion of the north end of Bridgeport Lake as soon as I got home and got changed. It is often a challenge to light a charcoal grill but with the wind we were dealing with, it looked like we would not make it. However, after three attempts to get the fire going, moving the truck to block the wind and rearranging chairs and trashcans to further shield the grill, we got the charcoal burning enough to cook hamburgers, hot dogs and frog legs.  Mama was worried at the outset about the timing of the evening meal but we were all as full as ticks by 5:30. The wind kept the flies at bay – at least partially.

The kids played in the shallow water near the table where we parked the vehicles and the grill. Savanna had to be stripped down to her diaper after only a few minutes in the water. The older kids had to be constantly called back closer to the shoreline in order to keep their baby sister in shallow enough water to make things safe for her. She certainly was not going to allow her older siblings to go anywhere without her. They had a good time and Mama and I know we will go back to the park many times in the future since it is only about ten miles from us.

We need a little getaway by the water – and this one will do nicely.