Cold, cold, cold, a good day

The temperature dropped so suddenly over the weekend that we had to scramble to get freeze protection ready and make sure that we had enough three-gallon and five-gallon bottles to haul water from the well house out to all of the animals twice a day. Everything froze overnight Saturday night into Sunday morning, and Sunday never got above freezing. Today was well below freezing all day. Both days were accompanied with brutal winds as well. So, Mama, Norman, and I had to take water out several times a day Saturday, Sunday, and today. Any water that the animals did not drink was frozen solid in about half an hour. The freezing temperatures are forecast to end Wednesday. 

We will have several overnight freezes from Wednesday on, but the afternoon high temperatures will be getting above freezing which will allow the animals to drink from waterers that will thaw during the day. It's a fun time, but at least right now, with me retired, I don't have to be at my computer for 8 hours a day or in the office for 8 hours a day so I'm available to help as needed. Our hope is that we will be through with this brief cold spell and it won't repeat itself while Mama and I are in Honduras in a couple of weeks. That would put a lot of work on Norman.

To help the house keep warm we have had a fire burning in the fireplace 24/7 since Saturday night. Mostly it has been responsibility of Norman to keep the fire going overnight, but since he's up several times a night anyway, just for normal biological functions, it's a fairly easy thing to just stir the fire and put another log on. Mama and I generally put a log on the fire when we first get up, but that will only last a couple more nights. It has really taken a load off of our heating system to have the huge living room heated by the fireplace.

Today we spent some time and effort cutting up trees that had been laying on the ground for several months if not several years. It is probably the best firewood we have had access to in a couple years. Grandpa and Norman were both excited to see the wood that was split from the trees we cut up. The oak definitely gives off a nostalgic aroma. 

It was far too cold to work for long in the container, but since I had purchased the screws I needed to finish attaching the trim to the walls, I did take time to get that done. Hopefully, Wednesday, we will finish out the trim on the outside of the windows. If time allows, I would like to trim out the windows inside as well, but that is secondary. I need to rainproof the windows before we do too much more inside. 

During my time out in the cold today helping cut and split firewood, I also checked the barn lot well house. I was very disappointed to find the well lines had frozen. The freezing was not a hard freeze. More like the lines were filled with slush. The heater I have used in that well house for several years was not up to the task in the 6-degree overnight temperatures. Once I upgraded the heater, the lines quickly thawed, and I drained the tank and blew the lines clear to help expedite any repairs that will be needed when I get a chance to test the lines. It may mean hauling water to the animals for a couple more days, but we can handle that. 

I spent the early part of the day making phone calls. Some were just to catch up to individuals. Those calls were pure fun. Some were more related to what I will be doing in the near future. A call to Dr. Baugh, the curator of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, TX was one of the most important calls I needed to make. As we talked, my role expanded in the research I will be doing for the museum. I asked a pointed question as to expectations for the schedule that will be required of me to move the anticipated projects forward. Mama was listening in on the call, so she got to hear what I was hearing. It will require some accommodations here at the farm and perhaps the purchase of a camper to allow me to overnight in or near Glen Rose one night per week. That is still a matter of much prayer.

One other important call was to the realtor friend Mama, and I have in Lawton, OK. His name is Glenn. We spoke twice today and have set the sale of our house there in motion. The current lease extends through July this year, so we may not move on the house until after that lease expires. The realtor, who is a go-getter, called the occupant of the house and let them know the house would be put on the market when the lease was up. Glenn was led to believe that the renters may be interested in purchasing the house. We will see where that leads, but the wheels are set in motion. 

It was a good day. A day where we could see the Hand of God moving in our lives. 

Scripture, simple blessings, answered prayer, worry

“Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” This is one of the verses I have been memorizing. Mama and I have little plastic container that is made to resemble a loaf of bread. Inside the trough molded into the loaf are little Scripture placards with verses printed on both sides of each placard/card. The printed cards are small only three quarters of an inch wide and three inches long. I believe there are fifty placards/cards in the loaf. 

Recently Mama put it on our kitchen table again, and I have been pulling out a placard almost every day, but Ps 68:19 really caught my eye one morning, so it has been lying at my spot at the table for a couple weeks now. It thought, why not chose one or two verses per month and try to commit them to memory. As I have done so, it is fascinating the see the Lord bring the verses to light. To find ways to make them real in our daily walk. We acknowledge that we are blesses in a sort of “yah, I know I’m blessed” way but rarely take to time the thank the Lord for just how blessed we are. Mama and I are trying to do just that. Constant, continual, timely, simple blessing fill or days when we choose to give God credit for them. 

I prayed last night that the Lord would give me wisdom in trimming out the windows in the container, both inside and outside the container. I was not sure how that would need to be done. I had a vague idea but was not certain. However, as I started to lay out the pattern I would need to miter and cut the trim pieces to meet the insertion of the window into the corrugated container wall, it all suddenly came to me. Praise the Lord! I was also able to use lumber pieces already on hand to make all the trim pieces for the sides and tops of the windows. I will need a few pieces of lumber to cut the trim pieces for the bottom of the windows, but I was able to do about 2/3s of the work with what was already here. I made a lot more progress than I had expected, and it looks very nice. I will include images when the trim out is complete, but I am pleased with what the Lord helped me do today. 

Tomorrow, Norman is going a couple hours north of us to look at some hay he found advertised. He was able to borrow a heavy-duty dump bed trailer to haul the 1200-pound square bales for us. Mama and I are buying four bales and Grandpa is buying four bales. That is our plan if the hay turns out to be good quality hay. Unfortunately, we cannot know until we get there and inspect it. We are praying it will not be a wasted trip. God has been good, so we are trusting Him with the outcome. There is no quality hay near us for the bargain price we could get on this hay, but we will have to make the drive to see if it is what we want. 

I do not plan on going with Norman if Grandpa feels up to going. Grandpa did not feel well today, but he has had a few very good days this week. He tells me that most of his issues are bowel issues, not being able to go for days at a time. Today he did not eat much at all. A cinnamon swirl with his morning coffee and a cherry turnover late this evening. No fiber to help his bowels but not much volume either. Not the diet of champions, but that is all he wanted. Maybe giving his bowels a rest by taking in less food and more liquids will work well for him. We will see. Please continue to pray for him.

We have a lot of sickness around us at the moment and Mama is a tiny bit apprehensive about our upcoming trip to Honduras. I allow her to spend all the emotional energy given to thinking about not getting sick. If she did not mention it to me, I would never think about it. Not that it is not a potential issue, I just don’t give it much thought. If I did, it would paralyze me in all my efforts to keep moving forward with the projects I am just now making great headway on. When it's cold, I dress warmer. When it a rainy, I stay out of the rain as much as possible. When I get too cold, or too tired, or too wet, I come inside and take a break. I can do that now. I’m retired.

Right now, we are getting flooded with packages from a variety of vendors, mostly shipped by Amazon, that Cori and the kids are ordering. The packages are being sent to me and Mama and we will pack them into our luggage and carry them to Honduras. It may be a very inefficient method of making purchases, but it works if you are in no particular hurry. 

One of the fun parts of every trip to Honduras is the initial unpacking when we get to Cori and Nate’s house. The suitcases are rolled into Cori and Nate’s bedroom and excitedly sorted through behind closed doors. Mama and I have to take our clothing in the suitcases as well as all the other items, so Cori is careful not to muss thing up too much. Then as all the purchased goods are laid out, the kids are allowed in to claim their purchases and be given the gifts Grammy and I bring. Each category is like getting a Christmas present. Even if the item was ordered by one of the kids. Just the fact that it arrived, that they have it in hand, is super exciting to them. It is truly fun to watch.

It makes all the struggle of getting those overweight bags through the airports. 

More great progress, cold ahead

For the past two days Norman had spent his time helping me finish work on the container so that Mama and I can begin working out there for our crafting area. Yesterday I mentioned that we had used up all the materials I had bought to cover the walls with very little remaining in excess. Today, early in the day, we went to Lowe's to buy the French doors that would be installed in the opening of the container and all the trim boards that would be used to finish off the base of the walls. It took the rest of the morning to get the French door installed but it looks fantastic. What a blessing!

Mama came out several times to check on our progress and was absolutely delighted each time she came. We actually had to have her help in unloading the French doors because they are extremely heavy. As it turns out, the opening I framed out to put the doors in was significantly larger than what I needed – by about two inches each way. But we managed to seal that up with some spacers made from scraps we had lying about. It took a bit more and then two hours to install the doors. Once they were in place, leveled, and squared to the opening, Norman expertly secured them with some special hardware that he had just for that. It took a bit of time to install the door handle and the deadbolt and to make sure that the door closed and latched properly, but the whole project came out very well. Even with the little alterations we had to make to the hardwire.

Tomorrow Norman is planning to give me almost a full day tomorrow as well, in which we will install the base trim, trim out all the windows, and caulk the outside of the windows so that we can eliminate a lot of the leakage that I had in the last rainstorm we went through. As we sealed up the door today with foam, it was amazing the difference in sound inside the container. As shocking as it was when we had finished applying the acoustical insulation to the ceiling, it was equally shocking to hear how much sound was dampened by sealing up all the little crevices around the windows and the doors It will not only be much warmer in there because of that, but it is so much quieter.

Mama, Grandpa, Grandma, and Norman are going to pick up feed first thing in the morning. Normally, I would pick up the feed using my truck, but since we're not sure if the transmission is sound, I hesitate to make that trip. Norman is more than willing to use his truck for that run, especially since they can pick up milk from the dairy on their way home from picking up feed in Montague. 

While they are gone, I plan on spending some time prepping for the extremely cold weather we are going to start experiencing towards the end of this week. The forecast predicts that we will be in the single digits, approaching 0°F, by Monday night. It is difficult to prepare for that type of cold here in North Texas. Fortunately, the cold snap is only supposed to last for three nights; However, for those three days and nights we are not forecast to be above freezing. That is especially difficult for me and Mama as we try and provide water for all our animals. It happens every year, but fortunately it does not last long when it does happen. Because these freezing episodes are brief, it is not prudent to spend too much money on specialty equipment to handle the extreme cold. So, we use what we already have and make it work. 

Norman, who will have to stay home during those excessively cold days because he will not be able to work at any of the projects he is currently being paid to do, and Grandpa, who stays home every day, have promised to keep a fire burning fireplace round the clock during those cold days and nights. That is a blessing and problem. It is a blessing because it keeps the house warmer than it would be without the fireplace heating with that large room. A problem, because it inhibits the heat pump from running as often as it should to keep the rest of the house, particularly the bedrooms towards the back of the house, as warm as it would have if the fire had not warmed up that large living room.

It will all workout, and they will have fun keeping the fire burning 24/7. In preparation for that we're planning on spending Thursday evening, all day Friday, and a good portion of Saturday cutting and splitting firewood. We have three trees that have been felled on the property and seven more trees that need to be cut down before they fall down.

The reality of having a tree crash down on our buildings has hit us several times in the past two years and we're trying to avoid a repeat of that surprise for at least those trees that we think are suspect at this point. It would be better if we took the time to lay them over in a controlled manner than to allow the wind and storms to do that for us in a completely haphazard and unplanned way. We have not had any animals injured in the falling of these trees, and so far, only the duck pin roof was damaged by the last tree that fell, but one in the front of our house and one that sits very close to the barn are giving us cause for concern. So, they will be the first that we will trim out and layover as soon as possible.

It is certain we'll have enough firewood just from the trees that we already have laid down. They just need to be cut and split so that we can store the pieces in the area where we keep our firewood and have it ready keep our fire burning. It is it is a pleasure to live where we live, to have access to the property and the trees that we have access to, to have a fireplace we can warm the house with if we choose to. Not many people have these things and Mama and I try to remind ourselves constantly of how much we are blessed.

Thank you, Lord.

A leap forward, helping where we can, working while we can

Today, Norman and I made the biggest leap forward on the container completion that has ever happened. We started about 8:30 this morning putting up the panels of bead board on the walls of the container. By 3 pm, we had finished that upgrade. In all the cuts for windows, outlets and various obstacles within the container, we made no serious errors in measuring and cutting pieces to fit. We had almost no waste of any materials and we had more than enough materials to cover the walls completely. 

We still have a lot of trim work to do around the windows and I have a lot of caulking to do to seal the windows. We had several noticeable leaks into the container during the heavy rain showers we had to today, but there is an easy solution to those address those leaks. Tomorrow, we will pick up the French doors and trim for the bottom on the walls. All that will be installed through tomorrow. We will also hang ceiling fans for some permanent lighting. By Wednesday, Mama and I should be able to paint the walls and begin the final repairs on the floor. A huge step forward in progress. I was very pleased.

There is a church family that lives close to us and we noticed that they were not in services yesterday, so Mama and I asked if someone knew where they were. Turns out that the whole family is sick with some kind of flu. The two preteen kids appeared to be the sickest, but the two-year-old, as well as the mother and the father, were all fighting high fevers and general aches and pains. So, this afternoon, Mama contacted the mother of the clan and asked if we could bring them anything. Mostly they wanted popsicles and Pedialyte. That was an easy request to meet. Hopefully they will not be down too much longer. They have already been sick for most of last week. Sometimes just a little encouragement is a great help on the road to recovery.

There seems to be a flu going around right now, but that is not uncommon for this time of year. So far, no one has been overreacting to the seasonal illness, but I can feel a momentum building. Hopefully, there will not be a repeat of the pandemic we were deluded by several years ago, but something akin to that level of panic is almost always lurking in the background. Be that as it may, as long as the Lord enables us to do so, Mama will help where we can.

As I was driving home Saturday morning from soul winning, I heard a noise as though I was dragging a piece of metal down the road, but when I turned a corner, the noise went away. I can assume that the noise came from the transmission in the truck – which we have been hearing whine softly for some time. I am not sure, but to be on the safe side we are contacting our mechanic to see if he can work on the transmission while we are in Honduras. That trip is still three weeks away, but the way time flies by, those days will elapse before we know it. Hence, the early call to our mechanic. Hopefully, the fix will be easy and inexpensive, but that is not always the case with transmissions. God has blessed that truck for us and we will trust Him to continue to do so. 

I have been trying to write in the evenings versus doing so in the morning. I am not sure which is better. The process of writing about 800 – 900 words typically takes an hour. Sometimes less and sometimes more, but about an hour on average. With feeding chores and a waking household each morning, the time can get absorbed into so many other things so quickly that if I do not get out of the house and begin some project early in the day, or sequester myself in my bedroom the write, I do not get to off to a good start. The fact that I do not have to set a time aside for an employer gives me open opportunities to use the day as I see fit. It also gives Mama opportunity to give me assignments as she sees fit. We are still working on that, but evenings seem more open than mornings right now. 

So, I will try this for a while and see how it works for me and Mama through this Winter anyway. 

Time issues, a lazy day

My streak of writing did not last long. I am trying to set aside time in the evening to write this blog, but no matter what time I try to dedicate to the effort, morning or evening, a number of interruptions seem to arise. A definite advantage to completing the blog in the morning is that Grandma is not typically talking on the phone early in the morning, while most evenings she is hurrying to get her words in for the day. Even when the door is shut to the bedroom she and Grandpa share, we can all clearly hear her conversations when they are happening via cell phone. 

Grandma loved the cell phone. When she is not in conversations on the phone, she has gospel music playing. From the time she gets up each morning until she lays down each night, you can track her whereabouts in the house by following the music. It is not a bad thing except that she has been on an Elvis kick lately. I do not like very many of his later works, but it is nostalgic for Grandma, and she focuses on his Gospel songs.

I did not really get much done today. I was not feeling well. Not too badly, but not well. So, I focused on little chores around the farm and computer work that needed completing. I spent almost forty minutes on the phone with a bank representative earlier this morning. I had to close three business accounts with that bank. The representative and I worked through each account individually to get that done. At least, when it came time to review and sign the required documents, the representative was able to group them into a single email. That helped. So, six accounts at three different banks have been closed successfully. Only one more to go, but that one will have to wait several months. 

After I got done, I took about an hour to burn the second crop of boxes that had multiplied in our garage. That was the second batch this week. I am not sure where they come from, but they take up an inordinate amount of room in the garage, so it is difficult to ignore the clutter they cause. After that, I put some insulation on the beehives. I have held off doing so for a couple weeks, but with significantly colder weather in the forecast, the time was right. 

Mama went to a feed store in Decatur that has changes owners recently and found some really good sales. You know how much Mama loves a good sale. She ended up with some shockingly good deals. Normand and I even got a pair of work boots out of the deal. Mama got some name brand – I do not remember what – gum boots and a pair of shoes of the same rubber material. 

I thought it was interesting that one of the colors I had to use to paint the insulation I put in the hives was a very similar color to the gum boots she came home with. I had only two good choices on spray paint colors, none of which were the earth tone colors I was looking for. I felt that it would be best to paint the silvery, shiny insulation before putting it on the hives. My thinking was that the bees would not react well to shiny hives. Maybe that was unfounded, but I painted the insulation anyway. The fact that one of the colors I had to choose from matched Mama new gum boots was kind of cute. 

Mid-afternoon, we replanted the blackberry plants that had to be moved when we relocated the backyard fence and mapped out our new garden spot. In the later afternoon, I made a pot of beef stew and Mama made some drop biscuits which we paired for dinner. Now we are settling in for the evening. I will finish out the day by closing up the chickens and pigs. Mama and I will spend some time praying together and I will surf the headlines before we call a stop for the day.

It has been a good day overall.

Banking, wet and cold, doctor visits

Mama and I spent the majority of the morning doing banking. Having the time to do so has eluded s to this point, so we took advantage of the opportunity. We physically visited two banks in Decatur, one, to close an account and a second to restore Mama’s web access to the account. That was kind of funny, because the lady helping Mama get her access straightened out told Mama her User ID, which Mama thought was her password. So, Mama had all the right information, she was just entering it backwards. Anyway, we placed the money from the account we had closed into the new account, made several stops around town and eventually headed home. Mama and I are still adapting to my open schedule.

Before we had left home, I had spent almost thirty minutes on the phone with a representative from another bank (our third for the day), resetting my online access. It turned out that the bank had recently reset many of the web access features and my access had been lost in the transition. 

The reset required three test codes to be entered at different intervals in the process, a copy of my driver’s license be sent – front and back - and something else I cannot remember at the moment. It was somewhat convoluted, but the account manager helping me was extremely patient and kind. In the end, we got it all worked out. I regained my online access and will complete getting funds moved and the accounts closed tomorrow and Thursday. We are consolidating to make things simpler in my retirement. At least, that is the intent.

On the farm, I did not get much done. It was a cold, wet day and working outside was miserable, so I did not attempt to tackle too much. I did cover the opening that will soon hold a French door on the container. My hope is that I can warm the container sufficiently to complete the touch up on the insulation we blew onto the ceiling and seal up the sides of the window opening I cut into the container. Both applications require the metal to be warmer that the ambient temperatures we are currently experiencing. Once we get those nagging tasks finalized and I complete the walls, we will be able to paint. That is, if I can get it warm enough inside the big metal box. For now, I have only one oil filled heater inside the container. To start the warming process. I want to see how much that does before I get too aggressive and drive up our electric bill more than necessary. 

Late this afternoon, actually into the evening, Mama and Norman both had appointments scheduled with the doctor they are seeing. The arrangement with this doctor is for a nominal fee each month paid for her services, they have virtually unlimited access to her and can call at any time for help. They can schedule appointments as often as needed and can have a full blood workup once per year, all for a set monthly fee. It is a very reasonable charge. From my way of seeing it, it is a pretty good arrangement. There is no catastrophic coverage for hospital stays or surgeries, but we will cross that bridge if we get there. For now, this is all Mama or Norman need, and it has proven a workable primary care solution. 

As Mama rested this afternoon, I started feeding early. I had feed to haul to two locations around the enclosures, and the forecast was for rain to start about the time we typically go out to feed. As it turned out, I was putting things away and heading inside as the first raindrops began to fall. The rain that started at that time has continued through the evening and is predicted to remain steady through most of the night. It is a soft, very cold rain. So, we will not get a lot of accumulation, a half inch or less. It is a welcome respite and a relief to our dry conditions. 

It seems that the fire we kept burning in the fireplace all day yesterday would have been more appropriate today, but that is not how we did it. 

Answered prayers, retirement

I have not written in quite a while, but I would be remiss if I did not begin to do so once again. I lost interest in updating this blog because it seemed a less than profitable way to spend an hour or more each day, but I began to be convicted about losing this opportunity to praise the Lord for all the blessings He gives us in our daily walk with Him, especially lately. Mama and I have had one answer to prayer after another and week after week, the Lord has opened the windows of blessing for us.

The answers we have seen are not big things, but each answer to prayer was met in a very specific way. For instance, I decided a few weeks ago that we should get rid of our ducks. Mama was not thrilled with the idea, but eventually saw the reason behind letting them go. With Winter setting in, the work required to keep the ducks in water was a huge chore. So, we prayed that the Lord would supply buyers to purchase all our ducks. I set up at Trade Days in December with the fourteen ducks we had left. I did not want to bring any home with me. I sold eight that morning, but I had to leave at 1 pm to make a choir practice scheduled for Saturday afternoon. I left the six remaining ducks with Norman, who had also set up to sell some odds and ends. Before he left for the day, Norman sold the remaining six ducks. As we had prayed, we came how with empty cages.

Although we miss the loud quacking as we head out of the house to feed each morning and evening, we are pleased that we made the move to sell the ducks. Now, our evening routine of closing up the animals each night takes only a few minutes instead of a half hour or more. 

We have had very specific prayers answered concerning individuals we have been praying for. I cannot mention them specifically, but it is exciting to know that our prayers have touched the heart of God. Each time that happens, we stop and thank God for letting us connect to the work HE is doing in the lives of those around us. 

Another answer to prayer was finally getting the spray on insulation applied to the ceiling of the container. After a couple failed attempts to apply insulation panels to the ceiling, I discovered that there are only certain adhesives that will stick to metal. Nothing Norman or I tried to use worked properly, so we started to do a lot of research. I finally found an acoustical spray on insulation that would work. With a little more research, I discovered that not all the spray on insulation formulas are white or that ugly yellow. I found a gray colored spray. Not only did it go on well and adhere well, but it looks great. Even Norman was very impressed with how the project came out. Mama loves it!

Now I can move on with the project finishing up the insulation on the walls, installing a set of French doors, and all the paneling that is waiting to be attached to the interior walls. Once I get the container sealed up, I can get it warmed up inside and painted. Following a little bit of trim work, Mama and I can set up shop. I am so ready to get this done. An added bonus is that now that I am officially retired, I will have the time to put in the hours to make that happen.

Yes, I am officially retired. I waited until the end of the year to retire in order to give myself the financial bump I felt we were lacking at the earlier proposed June 30th date. I am glad I waited. I was given two bonuses from my employer prior to the end of the year and Mama and I got a sizable refund from our mortgage company because I changed insurance providers, saving almost $1500 per year on home owners insurance. Praise the Lord!

So, for the past week, I have been exploring what it is like to not have to report for work but rather tackle all the little projects I have let slide because I had only a few hours per week to invest in them. I almost overdid it for a couple days, but I will learn to pace myself. It is amazing to have full days to spend in whatever way I see necessary for that day. Eight years ago, I took a year between jobs to practice retirement, but now I am fully committed. The only downside is that at 67 I can feel my strength lagging a bit more than I did those years ago when I was laid off and spent a year living off my severance package. Oh, well. I still have enough strength to do most all the things I see that need to be done. 

It may take me a bit longer or require some extra help, but I can figure out a way to meet the task. God is Good!