Smaller than you think, the good and bad of no rain, stock news

I finally got the chance to make some preliminary measurements on the apartment slab. It always amazes me that what looks fairly large can become small as it is divided up into rooms. Our apartment is only 625 square feet but it still looks like a lot of slab to cover. I am planning on taking Friday off so I can spend two full days building. Grandpa’s big truck is down for the moment so we will have to use the little truck to pull the trailer loaded with the lumber we will get to begin the project.


Grandpa and Mama are excited about getting the project under way and I have to admit that I am also, but I know what lies ahead and the struggle it will be to get the remainder of the materials we need to complete the construction. The metal for the roof and sides, the cabinets, the plumbing parts – hot water heater, kitchen sink, surround for the shower and all the line and connecting pieces – will all have to be purchased. It is a pretty expensive list. Fortunately, they will all be fairly easy to obtain as the Lord supplies the money.

We are in desperate need of rain again. The grass that came up as a result of rain a month ago is already eaten or killed off by frost. We do have some hay to make it through the winter but the rains would help the latter grasses come on before we get a hard freeze. The ponds are doing fairly well but the big pond is slowly drying up and I really worry over the fish population in it. We are also concerned about the well. God will provide, but it looks a little bleak at this moment.

On the flip side, it is nice to be able to plan all the activities we need without the consideration of rain. I can get a lot of building done while it remains dry. The temperatures are steady in the mid seventies with nights hovering around the freezing mark; perfect weather by any calculation. It is just too dry for the livestock.

All the little ones are on the mend for the moment. Grandpa and Mama spent a good deal of time getting the calves separated to the point that they would not have any contact with each other until they are all well. The vet told them that even a slobber passed from one to the other as they just nosed each other would spread whatever ailment was bothering them. That was taken care of yesterday.

We are down to one egg per day. Mama thinks the chickens are being stressed out by the guineas which have decided the chicken coop is a pretty good place to hang out. I went out after dark last night to close up the coop and got good look at the sleeping arrangements. The guineas were pretty much by themselves and the chickens were huddled together on the roost. I suppose if they all decide to get along, we will start to see more eggs produced, but I am no expert by any measure.

Mama and Grandma went to the church last night for a ladies meeting. I am not sure how it went but I am sure Mama had a good time. I am still praying that Grandpa would decide to go back to church. It is a dangerous position to take to be convinced that anyone, including yourself, is too righteous or too spiritual to go to church and hang out with God’s people – regardless of their spiritual maturity.

I am not sure where I would be without a good church family and having found one, I am not looking for faults. Hopefully, they are not looking for mine.

Safe travels, buying things, improper singing, Blake’s injury

Mama and I got to Cori’s and back without any real problems. On the way home we came up to an accident that tied us up for an extra hour or so but other than that we had no difficulties at all. It is always a moment to remember when in stop and go traffic with Mama. I can never find the right lane to be in because whatever lane I am in the other lane is going to be doing better than mine – according to Mama.


We had a great visit with Cori, Nate and the kids. It was busier than some in the past because of Thanksgiving and rearranged church services; so busy in fact that we did not even get to the beach for Mama to get some shells. We had picture appointments, shopping appointments and all the other appointments that go along with live in general. We shopped from 7 p.m. on Thursday night until 4 a.m. Friday morning. (Maggie stayed home with the kids.) Then we entertained one of the young ladies from our church who is attending PCC on Friday evening, taking her back to the campus late that evening.

We almost ruined our stay by buying two Keurig coffee makers. Cori found a good deal on Craigslist and woke me twice to tell me about it. She finally met the seller who agreed to come to Pace that evening and she and Nate brought them home.

One was a display model and was missing the cover for the water reservoir. The other was supposed to be new in the box. We talked back and forth for two days which one Mama and I would take and which one Cori and Nate would keep. The seller had told Cori he would make it right on the missing parts for the upscale model so we looked at the other one to compare the two. When we opened the new one, it turned out to not be new. In fact, it has orange spray paint on the water reservoir and the chord and is missing the cup stand. Cori was extremely unhappy.

I had already loaded up the unpainted one but the morning of our departure Cori was still very unhappy so I unloaded the better one. She made me take it back but I am not convinced it was the right thing to do. We will know later today or tomorrow as she contacts the seller to see if he will replace the painted one. It nearly ruined out time there.

We got back to the farm and I could tell Grandpa and Grandma were not happy with the way things were going but I was not sure why. I believe mostly it is a money issue. He and Grandma have spent themselves out buying cattle and truck parts. We do not have much to spare and Mama and I have been spending it on things they consider unimportant. I expected that. What caught me off guard was the scolding I got from Grandma for singing; specifically singing something other than what she had playing at the moment. I was told that was disrespectful to her.

Those of you who know me know that when I sing at home it is almost a whisper. I sing to the Lord and to myself. It is never my desire that anyone would hear me, but it bothers Grandma that is can sing “I shall come froth as gold”, or “I’m Amazed” while she had Squire Parsons or the Good Shepherd Quartet playing. I am not sure where the offence is but she is offended by it so I told her I would not sing any more; to which she took offence.

My theory is that it was Sunday and for the umpteenth Sunday in a row she would not be going to church because Grandpa was not going to church and she would rather take offence to something I or anyone else was doing rather than take offence at Grandpa. Mama encouraged me to keep doing what I always have been doing but that may not work – until we have a place of our own.

While we were at Cori and Nate’s, Blake fell out of bed and broke his collar bone. We were not sure at first what the injury was but it was not obvious that there was any displacement or break. We left it alone and watched since it was a holiday and most places they would ordinarily take him were closed. On Thursday Nate bound the arm and Blake seemed happy with the fix so we waited until Friday to get it looked at. It is a hairline fracture that the doctors feel will heal in a few days. They were impressed with the sling Nate had made and encouraged him to keep it that way as long as needed.

All in all, it was a good visit and it is good to be home.

Pot luck dinner, swapping vehicles

One of the ladies in my group asked about a week ago is we had ever had a potluck dinner at this office. I told her to put the announcement together and see how it played out. As it turned out, there was far greater participation that I had thought there might be. We had a table full of great food, smoked turkey, ham and brisket, dressing corn casserole, etc. and another table full of desserts, pecan pies, cakes and cookies. It was enough to rival any church potluck I have ever been to.


As the moment arrived for us to begin eating someone asked if we were going to ask the blessing over the food, so I volunteered. I prayed a very simple prayer for the food and those gathered together to eat it. After I said Amen, one of the guys near me said, “Man, that was beautiful.” To which one of my peers responded, “You can tell he’s done that before.” It was a confirmation of the witness I have prayed to have among my coworkers; another answer to prayer.

Victoria called yesterday when I was in a meeting so I had to wait about an hour to call her back. When I did, she told me that the person in charge of the pharmacy had offered her a part time position there. She was ecstatic. Grandma, Grandpa and Mama were so excited that they all went to DQ to meet her for a celebratory lunch. That too is an answer to prayer. Victoria will still be working for Wal-Mart but her primary posting will be the pharmacy. That means no more 5 to 11 shifts. She will get off no later than 7 p.m. when the pharmacy closes.

Mama and I did drive to Quanah last night to meet Chase and Makaila so we could get the truck. We chose Quanah because it is nearest to the halfway point between Bowie and Amarillo. It worked out well. We were just arriving when Chase called and said he could not find the DQ; our preplanned meeting place. That was because there is not one there. I think it is the only town we drive through that does not have one. We met at the local grocery store and moved over to the Subway.

Makaila had Mama cracking up as she told how horrified she was by the people they had shared the road with on the drive over. She had driven the Nissan while Chase drove the truck. I think it is the most she has driven by herself. At one point she had slowed down to 50 mph to allow a trucker to pass whereupon Chase called her to find out what she was doing. After they fussed at each other she caught back up to him. After eating a sandwich together and filling up all the vehicles, we went our separate ways and headed home.

Mama does not like driving at night. Right now that poses a problem because dark comes so early. She asked if she needed to follow me and I smiled and told her that had never worked in the past, why would we try that now? So I followed her back to Bowie and when I was rounding the curve into town Chase called to tell me they were already in Amarillo. It was about 9:45, way past my bedtime. But it all worked out well.

Grandpa is excited to have the little truck back so he can start to repair the diesel without worrying about doing without a truck for the many things we have need of one on the farm; not the least of which is hauling newborn calves and baby pigs. Since the truck has a topper on it we will not have to worry about the wind on the young bulls as we haul them this winter. That was one of Grandpa’s biggest concerns about the set up we have been using to move the calves; another answer to prayer.

I heard an interesting police acronym yesterday. It accurately describes a lot of drivers I share the road with these days. Nate will have to tell me if it is accurate or not but it was told to us by a Borger police officer. The acronym is D-W-H-U-A. It stands for driving with head up -----.

You can guess the rest.

Change of plans, answered prayers, more prayers

Plans changed through the morning yesterday. I was thinking I would be going with Mama to Muenster and Gainesville for errands we had there but the man we have been buying calves from called yesterday morning. He had two calves for us, his brother had one and a friend had four ready to sell. The calf the brother had to sell was a beautiful heifer that has an Angus bull as the father. She is very much her father’s daughter and the brother was getting ready to call a friend to offer him for sale when Tom called and told him to hold her for us. This was an answer to prayer.


We went to Tom’s farm first and loaded up two calves. One was a preemie but the other was a pretty big bull calf. We then went to the brother’s farm and loaded up the heifer. For the price we paid Grandma was irritated that she was not bigger (She is only one week old now.) but she is a great start to our breeding stock. Tom pulled me aside and asked if I was disappointed but I assured him I was not.

Tom rode with us to the farm of the friend he recommended to us. He did not want us to buy calves from just anyone and he obviously thought very highly of Robert. When we got to his dairy we found out why. Grandpa was impressed with the setup, the neatness and the cleanliness of the farm. He had four calves ready to go. He had another three that he felt like he needed to doctor up a bit and five others that were newborns. He was planning to hold them for several days to see how they turned out.

All in all we got seven calves last night. Two from Robert were almost a month old so we are already money ahead on them. One we are a little worried over since he is so young and so small, but we did the same thing with Tiny. This one Victoria has named Teeny Tiny. He is a beautiful little bull, just very small. I do not remember the names of the others but I am sure Victoria and Mama will. I hope to hear good news this morning after the first morning feeding. My original prayer list request was for 13-15 head of calves so we better get ready for six to eight more pretty quickly.

On the way back to his farm to drop him off, Tom expressed an interest in getting a couple hogs. He had heard that someone at Trade Days had some pigs for sale and we were able to tell him that they were not worth the money since Grandpa had looked them over. Tom asked to let him know if we found some good ones. He would like two or three on the farm to eat the spilled feed. That excited Grandpa. Now we are going to look for pigs. Another prayer answered.

I suggested getting the pigs and trading for the calves. That got the conversation going. Now we are going to progress on the hog building at a much faster pace. Grandpa is looking for any way to turn a profit and keep the cattle stock growing. Having the building will give us the resources to kick the process into high gear. When these farmers find out what Grandpa can do both in raising great stock animals and as a mechanic, we will have the resources to grow our little operation without sitting in a booth at Trade Days. Also an answer to prayer.

Becky called last night to tell me that an Army recruiter told her the Army wants her back as a paramedic. I told her that if she was asking my advice I would advise against it. Based on her past experience in both her personal life and her married life, I think it would be a mistake. I have to believe God has a better way for her and Charles than that. Whether or not they will pursue it is another matter altogether.

Be praying for Charles’ salvation. It is the key to their success.

Gathering pecans, more shopping

In front of my office in Decatur are two very large pecan trees. I have been told that for the past several years they have not produced a crop of pecans. This year, however, they are both loaded down and the pecans they have produced are very good, so I and several of my coworkers have been gathering them as they fall. The shells are so thin that some of them crack open when they hit the concrete of the driveway. (We eat those right them.)


I shared the pecans with Mama and Grandma a couple weeks back so Mama decided we would go to church early Sunday evening to see how many she, Victoria and I could collect. We were getting some off of the ground but the surplus that still remained in the tree was frustrating all of us so Victoria and I found sticks to toss up into the tree to knock some of the hold outs loose.

This worked pretty well until the stick I was using, which was curved like a bow, landed near Mama as she bent to pick up one of the fallen pecans and bounced into her forehead. I heard the crack as it hit her right in the middle of the forehead. It was not a big stick, but it clobbered her pretty good. I would like to say we quit using the sticks to batter the tree but we did not. Mama recovered and we kept going, eventually getting half a bucket full of nuts. We topped it off at the church where there are three other pecan trees loaded with fruit; albeit, much smaller. I can hardly wait until we have our own.

Grandpa, Grandma and Mama went yesterday to look at a tractor that they found through Craig’s list. It was supposed to be about an hour away but was really closer to two hours southwest of Bowie. It was something Grandpa was interested in for the price but he did not feel it was worth rushing about gathering the money so we did not lose the deal. I will have to talk to some people today to see just what we can do to have the money in place as we stumble across these types of deals.

Grandpa is planning on going to a local mill that he and Mama found as they went to look at a trailer last week. Grandpa was pretty excited about the lumber the mill produces and what we could eventually build with it. If I understand him right, much of what they sell is coated in creosote which would be fantastic for sheds and the barns we want to build. I am expecting that work to start soon as we expand the hog building and build a barn where we have been housing the calves. With winter bearing down on us we are feeling pressed to build some shelter for the horses and the donkeys.

Mama and I are getting the license plates for the Flex today from the dealer in Muenster. While over that direction we are going to the hog sale in Gainesville. She has wanted to go for several weeks. The sale is held every Tuesday night and it is supposed to be one of the better seals for hogs in the area. I suppose we will find out tonight. Since we are taking the Flex I am not expecting to bring back any pigs or piglets but you never know with Mama.

Maybe I had better have some cash and the dog carrier just in case.

Slips, shopping, funeral planning

Friday morning I found out about a friend of mine who was in the hospital in Amarillo with a broken hip. He is a little older than me but not by much. I tracked down the contact information and gave him a call. He gave me the detail on what happened that put him where he was. On Friday morning last week at about 3 a.m. he was wakened by one of his grandchildren rushing into their master bathroom. The daughter and grandchildren had come over early for Thanksgiving and had all gotten some sort of stomach bug.


He went on to say about the same time he got the same urge and since his bathroom was occupied he rushed to the nearest hallway bath. His daughter was in there holding on to the toilet. The only bathroom left was at the end of the hall by the kitchen so he made a mad dash for it only to find one of the younger children had not quite made it to the pot in their attempt to relieve the nausea.

Too late he realized the tile floor was slick with the remains of that failed attempt and his feet shot out from under him and he landed hard on his left hip. He said he heard something crack – it was no the tile. After making a bigger mess of the area he dragged himself back to his bedroom and got cleaned up - with much help. Then, he told me, he made one of the worst decisions possible relative to his injury, he dragged himself back into the bed.

About an hour later, because he was completely unable to more, he was transported to the hospital where the x-rays proved inconclusive. He explained what had happened, what he had heard and what he had felt, concluding that something broke and it was not the tile in the bathroom. A cat scan proved him right. A metal plate and three screws later, he is on the mend.

Mama, Victoria and I went to Trade Days on Saturday. I was expecting to buy the door for the apartment so I had set aside the cash for that. I also took along a little extra since you never know what can be found in the many booths. Turns out that Victoria found a desk for her computer and I found an old wooden bucked about the size a person would have used as a lunch box. It even had the original lid with it. Victoria’s desk was $20 and my little wooden bucket was $5. The door was $220. We feel like we did pretty well.

We also found some pigs that we took Grandpa back to see. Mama and I thought they were a bit small for twelve weeks old but they seemed pretty healthy other than being a little small. Grandpa thought differently. He saw that they were malnourished and dehydrated. He even diagnosed them with some sort of lice. Needless to say, we passed on them. He and Mama will go to the sale in Gainesville on Tuesday and see what can be found there. All that happened before 10 a.m.

Later that day Mama and I went to Sam’s and Costco. We took an alternate route to Costco and on the way we passed a rustic furniture store. There Mama found the bed she would like to have and I have to admit it was priced fairly at $450 for the King size model. We also found some cedar furniture that we would like to get but probably will not. One of those “that would be nice if..” items.

At church Sunday morning we got there fairly early and got into a discussion with some of the older women there about music to be played at a funeral. One of the ladies, Lola, now seventy five years old, had been to a funeral on Saturday and had heard two lovely songs she was adding to her list of songs to be played at her funeral. By what one of her long time friends was telling that put the total up to about fifteen. “”You’re gonna have to trim that down, Lola.” She scolded, “We’re not taking up a whole day just to bury you. You’ve got thirty minutes. Tops!”

“How about a drive through funeral?’ another dear friend added, “If you have it on a Saturday we could honk and wave and just go on about our business.” “No”, Lola instructed, “I think I am going to have a funeral rehearsal so I can sit on the front row and see how everything is going to turn out. After all I am the guest of honor and I won’t get to enjoy a minute of it. I especially want to know what the preacher is going to say.” “Maybe” her friend corrected, ”you’re forgetting that you are going to be the only dead person there.”

It was all done in jest and we were all laughing, but it was one of those moments when you knew you were around family.

Purchases, plans, livestock

Mama and I went to Denton yesterday evening. She met me at work and we took the truck from there to get the appliances. We drove right to the house and I loaded up everything while Mama and the lady of the house talked. Mama helped some with the loading up but mostly she visited. The appliances look to be in good shape so I feel pretty confident that we have most of our kitchen ready to go. Mama seemed happy with the purchase and I took her out to eat at Chick-fil-A after we got loaded up. It was a good trip for her.


When we got back to Decatur I had planned to fill the truck with diesel and then head home. So after we got the truck filled up we did just that. I had not gotten very far before I remembered that the car was sitting at the office so we turned around and went back so Mama could drive it home. We were home and unloaded by 9 p.m. It was a worthwhile trip.

The cast iron sink that came in the deal will probably be used in the farm house when we remodel it next year – Lord willing. My plans are to erect the log kit in a 24x24 barn and use the lumber from the demolition of the house (mainly the roof, the upper story and the back rooms) to complete the barn. Then we can start new on the house and make it into a salt box style home. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I did make contact with a person who had a set of cabinets advertized that I really wanted to get but they responded last night that they had sold them that very night. We missed out on a very good deal on that one but there will be others. Now we even have a little shed with a concrete floor to house these purchases until we are ready to place them in the apartment.

I got to see the finished slab in the headlights last night and it looks like another amazing job by the same crew who did our apartment slab. It looked perfectly polished. I know we do not need a pretty slab for a shop building but it is a nice start to the project. It will be interesting to see who is the first to scratch it or spill something on it.

Trade Days is tomorrow. Mama and I are planning on buying the door for the apartment from one of the regular vendors. I lost his card so I could not make the special request for the door we need so I am hoping he has it with him. He is usually pretty well stocked. With that purchase I have everything at hand to fully weather in the apartment. All I lack is the metal siding to complete the outside walls - and the roof.

Mama is taking a chicken to the vet this morning to see if they can diagnose what is ailing our little flock. I am thinking that it might be better to start over in the spring but we will wait for the vets pronouncement on that. We have gotten very used to the fresh eggs every day and would like to keep the ones we have but these things happen and we will deal with it as required.

This may be the last week of morning feedings for the calves. I am praying fro seven more to come to the farm to fill the stalls once they are outgrown by our maturing herd. As I look at the little calves grazing in the calf lot it is hard to tell how much they have grown. Mama, Victoria and Grandpa can tell but I will need to compare them to a new batch to really tell.

Grandpa and Mama have done very well by this first batch.