I will be away from computers for the next ten days so I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to do any blog entries. There will definitely be a lot of things going on which would be worthy of note. I may attempt to write in the evenings to keep all of you posted but I cannot make any promises.
We did not get any gravel delivered yesterday but the company promised to be there early this morning. Grandpa continued working on the fields in order for us to be ready for seed next week. With running water lines, electric lines and traveling to Dallas to pick up an order of fertilizer and lime from Amsoil, there will be limited time to plant – but we are making plans to get it done anyway.
Mama, Victoria and I went to a little church in Nocona last night; Bible Baptist of Nocona. Victoria liked the atmosphere really well. The pastor and his wife are foster parents. They have three adopted and three foster care children. Two of the children in their care are two and under. That was right up Victoria’s alley. She kept the two year old quiet through most of the service which did not last long.
Honestly, it was pretty pitiful. The pastor who has been there for fifteen years had trouble with common Bible words as he preached out of Romans; words like dissimulation, abhor and recompense. He did make a good point on eliminating our enemies by making friends of them through the good works of the Gospel - leading them to salvation. I do not know if Victoria will go back, but at least we went and checked it out. Mama was slightly bothered because the entire time he preached, he did not make eye contact; he looked over the heads of the congregation at the walls around us. It was a little different.
The church is only a few minutes further than going to Bible Baptist in Bowie but the facilities are vastly different. The Nocona church is a very humble, older building. The pastor and his wife and children more than doubled the congregation last night. There were four quite elderly women and a middle aged couple in the pews – not counting us. The pastor’s twelve year old daughter played the piano while he led singing. In Bowie things are much nicer building wise and the shrinking congregation still boasts twenty or so in a mid-week service. They are a rich congregation but poor in spirit; like they are waiting for someone to die so they can get on with their lives. Victoria can sense that when she is there.
The Nocona church is going to a sing on Saturday – the Rochesters will be the main attraction, but we probably will not be able to go. I would encourage Mama and Victoria to go just to get to know some of the people of the congregation, but we will be pretty busy. There is also a Mission Conference going on at a sister church, but that too is difficult because of our workload. They seem interested in the community, doing door knocking and visitation, so we may have to give them a chance.
On the way home Victoria remarked that everyplace we have moved, Mama and I have found a good church to attend – all except here. In that I feel I am making the same mistake my parents made when they moved to Chappell Hill. Now they are living where they have always dreamed of living but have no good place to go to church. That has been a real burden to them in their later years and they have lost some of their children and grandchildren to the world as a result.
That itself is frightening enough to me that I will need to set aside some time soon to fast and pray for direction in the matter so that we do not lose sight of the need for service and growth in the Lord.
P.S. Mama called me when she got to the farm to tell me we have a little filly. She is a palomino with a white star on her forehead. It took some effort to get the mare to let her nurse but Mama got it done. Mare and filly are doing fine.
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Green and growing, opinions, unclosed gates
Mama was right; everything at the farm is beautiful. She and I went around and checked all the trees, vines and bushes and there are signs that we will have to pluck back some of the fruit the young trees are setting in order to protect them from damage. The garden is doing very well and Grandpa bought a tiller yesterday which he used on the garden within minutes of unloading. That’s the way to get things done.
Grandpa was weed eating around the garden later in the evening and I did not want the heavy cuttings to be left to kill out the grass so Mama and I got pitchforks and started picking it up. I am sure it would have made a full bale of hay – and he only did about a quarter of the area that we will have to trim back. Since we do not have a mower at the farm he has brush hogged everything else. Down here they call that “shredding”.
The driveway is cut and ready for gravel and the area where we are looking to place the mobile home is prepared for its arrival late this week. We are still debating how to set the home because Grandma and Grandpa have never seen it – and Grandma seems to have some very definite ideas about how to set it. When it arrives I think they will understand why I want to do things the way I do, but it is a small matter, really. The real issue with Grandma is where the front door will be, but in many homes the front door is seldom used.
I think that the home we had on 6 Gifford Road was about the only place we have lived that the front door was the normal access point to the house. So, whether we come in the front or back door is really a moot point. We will have a place on the farm to live in. That’s what is really important. Now, when we get moved here, we can really save some money.
Victoria’s hand does not look as bad as I was led to believe. There are no broken bones; however, it would be difficult to diagnose a fracture by any other means than x-ray. There does not seem to be the need to spend the money on that at the moment. Like any jammed finger, this one will take a good deal of time to heal. Until then, she will have to deal with the pain.
We had dinner at the farm last night. Victoria had to put up the dogs. It is impossible to eat when they are around. When we are sitting they are tall enough to have their faces right at lap level so you either have to eat standing up with your food kept at chest level or you have to constantly be pushing them away. Both ways make for unpleasant eating arrangements and Grandma really put on a show until were are penned up, but we got through it even though Victoria was grumpy about her babies being disparaged.
We stayed out until almost dark last night in the hope our gravel would arrive, it did not, but we were not home very long before our neighbor called to tell us a horse was out. It was Tio. We were told she is an escape artist disguised as a horse. It happened because Mama had left a gate open; which is funny because she is always fussing at me because I close the gates behind me. I do that because they are meant to be closed - for that very reason.
“Timothy Owen,” she will huff, “Why do you insist on closing the gate every time you go through it? It just makes for more work!”
“Because” I will answer, “the gate is here to keep the horses in this area and out of that area. Keeping it closed is what makes that plan work.”
“But the horses are all the way over there.”
“That is not the point. This gate keeps them in this area and I don’t have to waste my time trying to get them back where they belong as long as I keep the gates closed.”
“I don’t see what difference it makes since they are all the way over there.” That’s usually muttered under her breath as she walks away while I am latching the gate behind us.
Besides, if I do not close the gate behind me, I will probably forget to go back and close it later. I would rather open and close a gate many multiples of times as I am required to pass through it than forget it and have to track down a wandering horse the entire next day; or after dark that evening.
Being this close to vacation is very distracting. There are so many projects that I need to get done and I can almost get started – almost.
Grandpa was weed eating around the garden later in the evening and I did not want the heavy cuttings to be left to kill out the grass so Mama and I got pitchforks and started picking it up. I am sure it would have made a full bale of hay – and he only did about a quarter of the area that we will have to trim back. Since we do not have a mower at the farm he has brush hogged everything else. Down here they call that “shredding”.
The driveway is cut and ready for gravel and the area where we are looking to place the mobile home is prepared for its arrival late this week. We are still debating how to set the home because Grandma and Grandpa have never seen it – and Grandma seems to have some very definite ideas about how to set it. When it arrives I think they will understand why I want to do things the way I do, but it is a small matter, really. The real issue with Grandma is where the front door will be, but in many homes the front door is seldom used.
I think that the home we had on 6 Gifford Road was about the only place we have lived that the front door was the normal access point to the house. So, whether we come in the front or back door is really a moot point. We will have a place on the farm to live in. That’s what is really important. Now, when we get moved here, we can really save some money.
Victoria’s hand does not look as bad as I was led to believe. There are no broken bones; however, it would be difficult to diagnose a fracture by any other means than x-ray. There does not seem to be the need to spend the money on that at the moment. Like any jammed finger, this one will take a good deal of time to heal. Until then, she will have to deal with the pain.
We had dinner at the farm last night. Victoria had to put up the dogs. It is impossible to eat when they are around. When we are sitting they are tall enough to have their faces right at lap level so you either have to eat standing up with your food kept at chest level or you have to constantly be pushing them away. Both ways make for unpleasant eating arrangements and Grandma really put on a show until were are penned up, but we got through it even though Victoria was grumpy about her babies being disparaged.
We stayed out until almost dark last night in the hope our gravel would arrive, it did not, but we were not home very long before our neighbor called to tell us a horse was out. It was Tio. We were told she is an escape artist disguised as a horse. It happened because Mama had left a gate open; which is funny because she is always fussing at me because I close the gates behind me. I do that because they are meant to be closed - for that very reason.
“Timothy Owen,” she will huff, “Why do you insist on closing the gate every time you go through it? It just makes for more work!”
“Because” I will answer, “the gate is here to keep the horses in this area and out of that area. Keeping it closed is what makes that plan work.”
“But the horses are all the way over there.”
“That is not the point. This gate keeps them in this area and I don’t have to waste my time trying to get them back where they belong as long as I keep the gates closed.”
“I don’t see what difference it makes since they are all the way over there.” That’s usually muttered under her breath as she walks away while I am latching the gate behind us.
Besides, if I do not close the gate behind me, I will probably forget to go back and close it later. I would rather open and close a gate many multiples of times as I am required to pass through it than forget it and have to track down a wandering horse the entire next day; or after dark that evening.
Being this close to vacation is very distracting. There are so many projects that I need to get done and I can almost get started – almost.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Mama’s other world, transportation issues, small worries
When I called Mama yesterday evening I had to wait over three minutes while she talked about things she was seeing or doing or planning on doing before I got a turn to ask her a question. So be warned, when she is at the farm she is VERY distracted. For the next two weeks it will be difficult to communicate with her. If you have very important topics to discuss with her, you might want to hold off a few days.
She told me about the strawberries – only two of the bargain plants we picked up at Wal-mart on the 50% off table and planted on the farm actually lived. She told me about the garden and the potato patch and the grape vines, etc: all of which I am going to see later today. She was on her way down to the big tank, what Victoria calls the “Great Pond”, when I called last night. It was hard to hold on to my thought as I waited my turn to talk but in her hurry she had forgotten several things and I needed to know if they needed to be brought today as I go over; they do and I will.
I got a call from Victoria yesterday concerning a pump Grandpa wants me to pick up on my way out of town today. She was mock complaining that she and Grandma had been left behind by Grandpa in his hurry to get to work at the farm. “He abandoned us cripples” was how she described the situation. Grandma has not been moving very fast for some time now and Victoria fell pretty hear last week and sprained her hand to the point of concern that she may have broken her thumb. It is swollen, black and blue and not quite functional. So I know Grandpa is no Marine because he left the wounded behind. Maybe it is a good thing I am taking my own car. With my back in the shape it has been in lately, I may have to find my own ride to and from the farm…at least until we are all living there.
I went to bed a little after 9 p.m. and as I was almost asleep I realized I had not called Mama before I lay down. I debated getting up, which meant waking up and losing the time I had already been in bed, to make the call so I did not. I will get fussed at this morning when we talk, but I know she had plenty of conversation going well past the time I was asleep.
I got a ride to work this morning rather than leaving Chase’s truck parked in Borger for two weeks. I was supposed to pick up a company truck at a shop in Amarillo last night but it will not be ready until late today. I drove our truck to Borger on Wednesday of last week thinking I would drive the company truck to the shop for a two hour repair. At the shop someone drove it into a pole in the parking lot and the bumper had to be replaced and the passenger side had to be repaired and repainted.
Now someone else will have to pick it up but all our vehicles will be where they should be and I will not have the added worry of one being parked at work for two weeks. We have someone coming to the house to keep an eye on things in our absence but we are taking most of the plants with us this time. They will have to be kept inside so the pups do not chew them up – they are murder on a garden or anything freshly planted. If you plant it they feel compelled to dig it up or chew it up. My patience is wearing very thin with them but Mama wants to give them one more chance – they are still pups.
I just want to give them their shots - .22 caliber.
She told me about the strawberries – only two of the bargain plants we picked up at Wal-mart on the 50% off table and planted on the farm actually lived. She told me about the garden and the potato patch and the grape vines, etc: all of which I am going to see later today. She was on her way down to the big tank, what Victoria calls the “Great Pond”, when I called last night. It was hard to hold on to my thought as I waited my turn to talk but in her hurry she had forgotten several things and I needed to know if they needed to be brought today as I go over; they do and I will.
I got a call from Victoria yesterday concerning a pump Grandpa wants me to pick up on my way out of town today. She was mock complaining that she and Grandma had been left behind by Grandpa in his hurry to get to work at the farm. “He abandoned us cripples” was how she described the situation. Grandma has not been moving very fast for some time now and Victoria fell pretty hear last week and sprained her hand to the point of concern that she may have broken her thumb. It is swollen, black and blue and not quite functional. So I know Grandpa is no Marine because he left the wounded behind. Maybe it is a good thing I am taking my own car. With my back in the shape it has been in lately, I may have to find my own ride to and from the farm…at least until we are all living there.
I went to bed a little after 9 p.m. and as I was almost asleep I realized I had not called Mama before I lay down. I debated getting up, which meant waking up and losing the time I had already been in bed, to make the call so I did not. I will get fussed at this morning when we talk, but I know she had plenty of conversation going well past the time I was asleep.
I got a ride to work this morning rather than leaving Chase’s truck parked in Borger for two weeks. I was supposed to pick up a company truck at a shop in Amarillo last night but it will not be ready until late today. I drove our truck to Borger on Wednesday of last week thinking I would drive the company truck to the shop for a two hour repair. At the shop someone drove it into a pole in the parking lot and the bumper had to be replaced and the passenger side had to be repaired and repainted.
Now someone else will have to pick it up but all our vehicles will be where they should be and I will not have the added worry of one being parked at work for two weeks. We have someone coming to the house to keep an eye on things in our absence but we are taking most of the plants with us this time. They will have to be kept inside so the pups do not chew them up – they are murder on a garden or anything freshly planted. If you plant it they feel compelled to dig it up or chew it up. My patience is wearing very thin with them but Mama wants to give them one more chance – they are still pups.
I just want to give them their shots - .22 caliber.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Loading our home, waiting on horses, hatchlings, checking churches
Mama held off rushing down to Bowie. We had a great weekend taking furniture items as well as a washer and dryer to the mobile home to be delivered this weekend. Since we signed the papers on Thursday we were allowed to put some of the more bulky items we were going to send to the new home, into the home so we did not have to make an extra trip to get them there. Mama and I made two trips by ourselves and we made one trip with help to deliver the washer and dryer.
We had a line on a washer to buy for the mobile home but that did not work out. It was a used washer in the style Mama really wanted to try out, but it sold while we were at soul winning on Saturday morning. I guess it was not the one the Lord wanted us to have, so to make sure there was a set in the mobile home, we put ours in there. It may cost me a small fortune to replace them when we get back, but it made some practical sense to give ours up to meet the need.
Mama called my sister Sarah to ask her some questions about the washer we were going to look at since she has a similar one. While they were talking Sarah told Mama they were trying to hatch eighteen guinea eggs. Fabian’s mother has a flock of about seventy guineas and they had collected some of the eggs to hatch for us so we could start our own flock on our farm. Why she has been able to accumulate so many is beyond me, we are 0 for 4 so far on our attempts. Maybe that’s why Sarah and Fabian are starting with eighteen.
Mama will be heading out to Bowie some time this morning. The horse is waiting on her to get there before she delivers – or so it seems. If the foal did not come last night, which we will find out this morning, then Mama may well have her wish to be there to witness the birth. At any rate she will be in Bowie this afternoon. I will follow tomorrow afternoon. After working Wednesday and Thursday in the Decatur office, I will have Friday and the following week off. I am looking forward to that.
Plans are for us to go to a church in Nocona on Wednesday night to check it out. Victoria is not happy with the little church in Bowie so we will check out one she found online. She was excited about the website since it reminded her of Somerset Bible Baptist. Going on Wednesday night will give a better representation of what the church is all about. Mama and I are not church hoppers, but since Victoria is there for the long term it makes sense to help her find a church she can stay with for the long term – without having to drive an hour or more each way to services. We may end up with that commute, but we will work our way out to that option.
I am meeting with our accountant today to look over and sign our tax return for last year. It is not as bad as it could have been and I am rearranging deductions and withholdings to cover the bulk of the debt in a two year period. It seems almost certain that I will have to be paying taxes from this point on in my life so I had better get used to it. If the farm generates as much income as I am anticipating, there will be no way around giving my “fair share” back every year.
We had a line on a washer to buy for the mobile home but that did not work out. It was a used washer in the style Mama really wanted to try out, but it sold while we were at soul winning on Saturday morning. I guess it was not the one the Lord wanted us to have, so to make sure there was a set in the mobile home, we put ours in there. It may cost me a small fortune to replace them when we get back, but it made some practical sense to give ours up to meet the need.
Mama called my sister Sarah to ask her some questions about the washer we were going to look at since she has a similar one. While they were talking Sarah told Mama they were trying to hatch eighteen guinea eggs. Fabian’s mother has a flock of about seventy guineas and they had collected some of the eggs to hatch for us so we could start our own flock on our farm. Why she has been able to accumulate so many is beyond me, we are 0 for 4 so far on our attempts. Maybe that’s why Sarah and Fabian are starting with eighteen.
Mama will be heading out to Bowie some time this morning. The horse is waiting on her to get there before she delivers – or so it seems. If the foal did not come last night, which we will find out this morning, then Mama may well have her wish to be there to witness the birth. At any rate she will be in Bowie this afternoon. I will follow tomorrow afternoon. After working Wednesday and Thursday in the Decatur office, I will have Friday and the following week off. I am looking forward to that.
Plans are for us to go to a church in Nocona on Wednesday night to check it out. Victoria is not happy with the little church in Bowie so we will check out one she found online. She was excited about the website since it reminded her of Somerset Bible Baptist. Going on Wednesday night will give a better representation of what the church is all about. Mama and I are not church hoppers, but since Victoria is there for the long term it makes sense to help her find a church she can stay with for the long term – without having to drive an hour or more each way to services. We may end up with that commute, but we will work our way out to that option.
I am meeting with our accountant today to look over and sign our tax return for last year. It is not as bad as it could have been and I am rearranging deductions and withholdings to cover the bulk of the debt in a two year period. It seems almost certain that I will have to be paying taxes from this point on in my life so I had better get used to it. If the farm generates as much income as I am anticipating, there will be no way around giving my “fair share” back every year.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Papers, pressures
Mama and I spent about 45 minutes signing papers related to the purchase of the mobile home. I think it was much easier to buy a house although it was definitely more expensive. Anyway, the delivery is still scheduled for March 30th. We have some site preparation to do in advance of the delivery but not too much. Grandpa already has it mapped out. I will get the full picture after I get there.
Mama talked with Victoria last night for some time. It appears Rain could be within only hours of delivery. Mama is stressing out over it. She wants to be there so badly to witness the birth, but life has her wrapped up in prior commitments. She may still talk herself into leaving today – she was almost ready to go last night – which would put me in a very awkward position of having to arrange coverage for Children’s Church on very short notice. It would be awkward because I could not do Children’s Church by myself and I would not be permitted to work with two female helpers when one of them is not Mama. I would still be in church, unable to do what I normally do.
Somehow it will all work out.
I had a productive day yesterday but the outcome was overwhelmingly negative. I spent the morning talking with two of my peers on organizational restructuring. The outcome was what our boss wants but it will cause a lot of transitional frustration and the loss of several very qualified people. I will have the unpleasant privilege of telling those unfortunate persons that their job with us is done. It will not necessarily swell the ranks of the unemployed, but it will dramatically affect their households. The stress is compounded by the fact that I am keeping a weak performer in my group while I release strong performers who work on a contract basis for our company.
I was informed by one of my peers that years ago he had experienced some debilitatingly severe back pain. After missing several days of work he went to the doctor who diagnosed the problem as stress related. A month later he switched jobs and has not had any pain since. I will have to look into that very carefully although I do not see a job change in my future – at least not soon. On the bright I do get a job change for one week the first week of April.
Mama talked with Victoria last night for some time. It appears Rain could be within only hours of delivery. Mama is stressing out over it. She wants to be there so badly to witness the birth, but life has her wrapped up in prior commitments. She may still talk herself into leaving today – she was almost ready to go last night – which would put me in a very awkward position of having to arrange coverage for Children’s Church on very short notice. It would be awkward because I could not do Children’s Church by myself and I would not be permitted to work with two female helpers when one of them is not Mama. I would still be in church, unable to do what I normally do.
Somehow it will all work out.
I had a productive day yesterday but the outcome was overwhelmingly negative. I spent the morning talking with two of my peers on organizational restructuring. The outcome was what our boss wants but it will cause a lot of transitional frustration and the loss of several very qualified people. I will have the unpleasant privilege of telling those unfortunate persons that their job with us is done. It will not necessarily swell the ranks of the unemployed, but it will dramatically affect their households. The stress is compounded by the fact that I am keeping a weak performer in my group while I release strong performers who work on a contract basis for our company.
I was informed by one of my peers that years ago he had experienced some debilitatingly severe back pain. After missing several days of work he went to the doctor who diagnosed the problem as stress related. A month later he switched jobs and has not had any pain since. I will have to look into that very carefully although I do not see a job change in my future – at least not soon. On the bright I do get a job change for one week the first week of April.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Rain makes mud, the car, the anticipation
Rain continued through the night here and things are quite wet; however, the ground is not what I would consider soaked. It seems to have only penetrated the first ½ inch or so. Beneath that the ground is still packed very hard. I know the farmers and ranchers are pleased about the moisture; can’t say I am complaining either.
We have a family at church that has a house in the semi-country area Amarillo and they have a dirt driveway. They have lived in the house for years but have never put down any gravel. The ruts they call a driveway are more than twelve inches deep but their Suburban navigates the obstacle with little effort. I find it a little hard to understand since the ¾ of a mile access we had to our property in West Virginia took me several years of continuous work to build a base to hold the gravel we eventually were able to put on it.
The ruts were so deep on that road that I had to roll boulders that had been shed over the years from the rock cliffs above the road, onto the road to be busted up with a sledge hammer in order to begin to fill the ruts. It took almost a year to fill the ruts to the point that we could drive to the house. Mama and the kids did a lot of walking, rain or shine, muddy or dry or frozen. It was a great character building experience; too bad the kids were so little at that time.
Anyway, our friends with the dirt drive do not like the rain too much. Fortunately they home school so travel can be restricted during our rare wet times, but if I asked Mama to live there I would be buying some gravel even if I had to (as I did years ago) spread it out by hand using a wheelbarrow, a shovel and a rake. But that’s just me.
I have driven the Nissan the past couple days and it is hard to tell if it is getting good mileage or not. I filled up yesterday and when the gas gauge was at ¼ tank, it took only eight and a half gallons to fill it up. It is only a twelve gallon tank so I may see it move a lot more than I am used to as I drive one hundred miles per day. I will check it in the next couple days to see how it is doing.
Mama could leave for the farm at any minute. I am hoping she stays until Sunday. The foal’s birth seems eminent but we are only guessing. When the horse was examined by someone who knows such things, it was guessed that she was closer to nine years old vs. four as we were told. It does not matter too much since we are going to send her down the road as soon as the foal is weaned and doing well on its own. Rain, since she has not been fooled with too much in her lifetime, is a little too temperamental for my liking. I hope we do not have difficulty in the birth because she really does not like being fooled with.
I am at the point that I think my back is getting better, then I get up the next morning and it takes hours to get past the pain. If I get called to the closing tonight, I will try to see the chiropractor afterwards – if possible. I need some help before I take time off the week after next.
We have a family at church that has a house in the semi-country area Amarillo and they have a dirt driveway. They have lived in the house for years but have never put down any gravel. The ruts they call a driveway are more than twelve inches deep but their Suburban navigates the obstacle with little effort. I find it a little hard to understand since the ¾ of a mile access we had to our property in West Virginia took me several years of continuous work to build a base to hold the gravel we eventually were able to put on it.
The ruts were so deep on that road that I had to roll boulders that had been shed over the years from the rock cliffs above the road, onto the road to be busted up with a sledge hammer in order to begin to fill the ruts. It took almost a year to fill the ruts to the point that we could drive to the house. Mama and the kids did a lot of walking, rain or shine, muddy or dry or frozen. It was a great character building experience; too bad the kids were so little at that time.
Anyway, our friends with the dirt drive do not like the rain too much. Fortunately they home school so travel can be restricted during our rare wet times, but if I asked Mama to live there I would be buying some gravel even if I had to (as I did years ago) spread it out by hand using a wheelbarrow, a shovel and a rake. But that’s just me.
I have driven the Nissan the past couple days and it is hard to tell if it is getting good mileage or not. I filled up yesterday and when the gas gauge was at ¼ tank, it took only eight and a half gallons to fill it up. It is only a twelve gallon tank so I may see it move a lot more than I am used to as I drive one hundred miles per day. I will check it in the next couple days to see how it is doing.
Mama could leave for the farm at any minute. I am hoping she stays until Sunday. The foal’s birth seems eminent but we are only guessing. When the horse was examined by someone who knows such things, it was guessed that she was closer to nine years old vs. four as we were told. It does not matter too much since we are going to send her down the road as soon as the foal is weaned and doing well on its own. Rain, since she has not been fooled with too much in her lifetime, is a little too temperamental for my liking. I hope we do not have difficulty in the birth because she really does not like being fooled with.
I am at the point that I think my back is getting better, then I get up the next morning and it takes hours to get past the pain. If I get called to the closing tonight, I will try to see the chiropractor afterwards – if possible. I need some help before I take time off the week after next.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Baby horse news, loan officers, my pains
Rain, the mare due to foal, was examined by our horse expert friend and he said that we would have a little one in less than a week. Mama is seriously contemplating going over to the farm after church on Sunday. I will not go until next Thursday evening as we have planned, but she wants to be there for the birth – if possible. It was also mentioned that we may come to the farm and see a new baby at any time between now and this time next week.
Really, the only thing keeping Mama here is the fact that we have to sign papers on the mobile home – probably tomorrow. Though not absolutely necessary, it would be better to have both of our names on the title. We got the call late yesterday that we should be closing on Thursday evening, but if insurance inspections hold us up it could move out to Friday.
Mama got a call from the sales lady who has been helping us with the financial negotiations warning us that Mama was overheard saying that Grandma and Grandpa will be living in the mobile home and paying for it – as well as other details, you know Mama. Turns out, it offended the financial officer there and she was prepared to deny our loan if this was not to be our primary residence. Petty people have petty ways. We were warned to answer correctly if we are asked about that issue.
I told Mama to be sure and let me handle it. We do not need any explanation, any incidental details, and expansive answers. The truth is that the mobile home will be the only habitable residence on the farm. By default it then must be our primary residence at 548 Van Bebber Road. They do not need to know any more than that and if pressed, I will tell them so. All the finance people need to know is that I can pay for the home. Anything beyond that is none of their business.
I can still count on one hand the number if times I have seen it rain in Amarillo. This morning is one of those mornings. We have seen more snow here than rain so it is good to see the gentle soaking rain that seems to have been falling through the night. Mama watered the weeds we call a front yard late last week and the growth response was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see how much things will grow when the sun comes back out. Even if Mama mows the grass/weeds tomorrow I am sure I will need to mow twice more before I leave next week. We could be coming back to a mess since we will be gone two weeks.
Although I am looking forward to going to the farm next week – I have even scheduled vacation for that time – I am a little worried since I have been suffering some severe back pain lately. Working an hour out of Amarillo presents some scheduling challenges when attempting to see doctors, dentists and chiropractors; ergo, I have not seen anyone yet, but I really need to. There are projects waiting on me when I get there; projects I cannot do while I am hurting this badly.
The pervasive attitude at work is not a happy one. I am not adding to the glee in the things I have been asked to do; shuffling people around, letting contractors go, taking trucks away from people who have had them for years, etc. Those of us who have been through the same readjustments several times are becoming convinced that we are being positioned to be sold. No one can be sure, but the signs do indicate that is the path we are on.
God is still in control and He has allowed me to position myself to be ready for such an event. If I do lose my job it will be interesting to see if I have thought it through clearly enough.
Really, the only thing keeping Mama here is the fact that we have to sign papers on the mobile home – probably tomorrow. Though not absolutely necessary, it would be better to have both of our names on the title. We got the call late yesterday that we should be closing on Thursday evening, but if insurance inspections hold us up it could move out to Friday.
Mama got a call from the sales lady who has been helping us with the financial negotiations warning us that Mama was overheard saying that Grandma and Grandpa will be living in the mobile home and paying for it – as well as other details, you know Mama. Turns out, it offended the financial officer there and she was prepared to deny our loan if this was not to be our primary residence. Petty people have petty ways. We were warned to answer correctly if we are asked about that issue.
I told Mama to be sure and let me handle it. We do not need any explanation, any incidental details, and expansive answers. The truth is that the mobile home will be the only habitable residence on the farm. By default it then must be our primary residence at 548 Van Bebber Road. They do not need to know any more than that and if pressed, I will tell them so. All the finance people need to know is that I can pay for the home. Anything beyond that is none of their business.
I can still count on one hand the number if times I have seen it rain in Amarillo. This morning is one of those mornings. We have seen more snow here than rain so it is good to see the gentle soaking rain that seems to have been falling through the night. Mama watered the weeds we call a front yard late last week and the growth response was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see how much things will grow when the sun comes back out. Even if Mama mows the grass/weeds tomorrow I am sure I will need to mow twice more before I leave next week. We could be coming back to a mess since we will be gone two weeks.
Although I am looking forward to going to the farm next week – I have even scheduled vacation for that time – I am a little worried since I have been suffering some severe back pain lately. Working an hour out of Amarillo presents some scheduling challenges when attempting to see doctors, dentists and chiropractors; ergo, I have not seen anyone yet, but I really need to. There are projects waiting on me when I get there; projects I cannot do while I am hurting this badly.
The pervasive attitude at work is not a happy one. I am not adding to the glee in the things I have been asked to do; shuffling people around, letting contractors go, taking trucks away from people who have had them for years, etc. Those of us who have been through the same readjustments several times are becoming convinced that we are being positioned to be sold. No one can be sure, but the signs do indicate that is the path we are on.
God is still in control and He has allowed me to position myself to be ready for such an event. If I do lose my job it will be interesting to see if I have thought it through clearly enough.
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