Anniversary, our terribly unromantic day

Today was our anniversary. We were married 34 years ago on a Sunday afternoon. Throughout those 34 years we have stayed pretty much as in love as we were the day we married. If you do not believe me, just ask our kids. Years ago one of our friends in Victoria, TX asked our daughter Victoria (probably eight years old at the time) how in the world Mama and I ever found time alone; since we had seven children. Her answer, in typical Victoria fashion; “They just go into their bedroom and kiss for hours sometimes.” I suppose that is still true.

What I do know for a certainty is that I appreciate Mama more now than ever before. We have been through so much together in 34 years of raising children, to now watching grandchildren be born to those children and seeing those marriages now stretch into multiple years each that it would be impossible to do it justice to try to document even a small portion of it. God has been - and continues to be - very good.

We spent most of the day in the most unromantic of ways - working on the farm. While Mama worked in the chicken coop I worked on the pig enclosure to move the shelter to a side that is less prone to flood during heavy rains. I also worked on  cleaning out the barn. It was well past time to get that done. We are going to use the refuse collected there on the garden. I am only about half way through and we have a huge mound of manure - with some hay and dirt mixed in. Our plants will love it.

I took the time to order a thermostat for the fridge. It is not keeping cool enough unless I bump the thermostat with my hand every time the temperature gets too warm. When I do keep it agitated, the fridge works perfectly. The part cost about $25 and I was told that it is a very easy to replace. We will see. For now I have both fridges plugged in and setting in the kitchen - just in case. My only concern is that Mama will really like having two fridges available.

I struggled with a couple web applications for the better part of the afternoon and do not feel that I made any real headway - but I did try. One is an integrated calendar which allows bookings to be scheduled by anyone who has the link. The other is a lead page developer program. I am truly lost on that one. I did have a moderate amount of success practicing setting up the links I will need for each marketing campaign. I will have that down pat pretty soon.

Later we went to get some speciality metal trim I had ordered for the goat barn and while we had the trailer hooked to the Sequoia we picked up a replacement liner for the 10’ long cattle feeder we have at the barn. The calves tore up the old liner by stepping into it in a futile attempt to beat out the bigger cows. even though I had the trailer hooked up we went to Arby’s to get a jamoca shake - our anniversary treat - but the shake machine was down. Mama was a little bummed out by that.

When we got home I fired up the grill Victoria bought Friday night and cooked turkey burgers, pineapple, asparagus and some meat wraps Victoria wanted to try. As usual there will be plenty of leftovers for us to eat on for the remainder of the week. 

Mama and I will read a little bit as we settle in for the evening then we will probable go to our bedroom and “kiss for hours”. 

Musical refrigerators, these goats, RU

With the fridge we really, really like now working properly I took the time to move out the fridge we were using temporarily and get our fridge back in place. It was a little work but it was worth it. I still have the thermometer in the operating fridge so I can trouble shoot it day by day in case there is an ongoing problem, but it is very nice to have it back in service. I have yet to get the other fridge out of the house because I have to take off the front door to get it out. I did not feel like doing that today - just in case we need it back sooner rather than later.

If we feel the need to put that fridge in service I will hook it up in the garage so we can have the ice maker there while I move the old fridge to the well house - where I can also hook up the ice maker for that fridge. Mama was strongly in favor of the musical fridges idea; two ice makers in service is more to her liking. If you are wondering why I just don’t put the fridge we are taking out of the house into the well house, the answer is simple. It will not fit through the door. When I took off the front door to get it into the house we scratched the door handles slightly because of the very tight fit; with the front door removed. The doorway to the well house is 4” smaller. i measured it just to make sure.

These goats we are raising are more fun that we anticipated. Since they are fainting goats they are very prone to stiffen to the point of falling completely over when they are startled. Today it was the mower that spooked them. They thought they were in the clear when Mama headed to the front part of the area we keep them in but as she headed for the gate - where they were congregating because I was there waiting to open it for Mama - they all got very stiff legged and had a hard time clearing out of her path. Both of us had to laugh at the frozen herd bleating in panic because they could not move faster. Eventually they all got their full muscle control and ran to the barn for safety. 

We have been told that there is a scale of how strong the myotonic nature is in each animal. Ours are at the very affected end of the scale which makes them very desirable to herd owners wanting the keep the breed close to their original genetic nature. I only know it can get quite hilarious at times.

Tonight was RU. It has been a very full week. For a craft tonight Mama brought her sea shells and a couple glue guns. The children we had worked through the entire two hours arranging and gluing shells together. One would have thought that all the little clusters of shells made either by gluing them into figurines or attaching them to paper would have depleted the supply but I could not tell a difference in the weight of the box that returned to the house with us.

The kids were delighted and though Mama’s precious shells found different homes, I think she was delighted too.

Bad news, good news, losses

We got an update on our truck. It was not good news. As far as the running issues we were having, our mechanic thinks a thorough injector cleaning will solve the problem. However, with the a/c problems we were having his best guess is that we have a leaking evaporator - which is located in the dash. To replace it will require the removal of the entire dash at an estimated cost of $1000. It is still cheaper than monthly payments but it stings the ol’ pocketbook.

I pulled the back tires off of Mama’ s mower this morning so they could be taken to the tire shop and filled with some industrial strength leak protector. For what we are required to mow right now we needed a little more leak protection than Walmart has to offer. They are reinstalled now and ready for abuse - I mean use. Since there has not been rain for over a week a good trimming of the yard is all that Mama intends to do for now.

We had an appointment scheduled today for our refrigerator to be repaired. I am anxious to get it back in service because we do not like the one we borrowed from Grandma and Grandpa. It is set up in such an odd way that large portions of each shelf are not usable. Besides, it is not cooling sufficiently either so we are dealing with a lot of food spoilage. Were it not for the old refrigerator in the garage - the one left by the sellers - we would be out of luck having anything refrigerated.

As it normally happens, when the technician arrived the refrigerator was working perfectly. I actually think it was showing off for him because it seemed to get colder than I can remember it ever having gotten since we first bought it. Seriously, he did say that it could be the thermostat acting up - and he gave me a crash course on how to test, order and install one if that is the underlying issue. Plus, he diagnosed a problem with the other fridge that may actually fix it also. Not bad for the $99 house call.

Today is Savana’s birthday. It is pretty hard for me to imagine that a year has passed since she was born. Being out of touch with her through that entire year only exacerbates the loss of a whole year; at least, concerning how much we have missed out with her - and all our other grandchildren for that matter. It is difficult to know how to calculate that loss, or to determine how best to make it up when the opportunity does present itself. I am hoping to change that during the latter half of this year but am seeing very little support for that initiative at the moment.  

Our last night of VBS is tonight. It will be kind of sad to see it end.

VBS Night 2, new stats, busy home

VBS was great last night. It seemed to flow more smoothly that the first night. But each night someone has sat beside me that I felt was a real blessing. On the first night, a young boy named Garret - he used to come to our church - sat by me. He recently had surgery on his left hand to repair an injury so he could not clap. When he needed to clap I put out my left hand to him, palm flat, and he would slap it with his right hand. W eboth enjoyed that.

Last night an older bot named Keith sat by me. Pastor and Mama and I had visited this family several times but had difficulty getting them to come. For the last several weeks they have been coming off and on, so for them to be at VBS every night has been fun. He kept a running commentary in my nearly deaf ear all evening long. His dad left the family about a year ago.  He needs the interaction and attention and I enjoy being there for that.

Mama told me that on Monday night Yilin asked her to pray for her family to have a baby boy. Mama thought that was a sweet though but we will have some explaining to do to convey the function of prayer - asking God. Last night on the way home we found out why Cheyenne and Yilin are praying for a boy to be added to their family…so that Papa Tim can have a boy to be his friend. (All the others in the car are girls.) How sweet is that!

I checked my stats this morning and am excited to see a lot of activity. All the activity will soon translate into dollars - which have not been posted yet - but I am confident I will see those numbers rise just as quickly. And all this is on the standard advertising system. I have yet to implement the “new and improved” system; but all the groundwork has been laid and that should start soon.

Mama and Victoria are baking up a no-sugar-added storm this morning; form cookies with nothing in them that sounds good to dog treats that actually sound pretty good. Actually, all of it smells pretty good. The effort Mama and Victoria have put into this special diet is paying dividends to both of them - both in weight loss and Victoria’s overall health.

The Echeveria kids are with us today. It adds a lot of excitement to the otherwise peaceful home - and a decent amount of volume also. So far Victoria has held them off the movies, which are the normal staple entertainment, and has kept them busy both inside and outside. All too soon the outside activities will have to stop. It is already near 100 degrees.

She is taking them to visit Grandma for a while then lunch, nap, a little playtime, dinner and VBS.

What a schedule. VBS was great last night. It seemed to flow more smoothly that the first night. But each night someone has sat beside me that I felt was a real blessing. On the first night, a young boy named Garret - he used to come to our church - sat by me. He recently had surgery on his left hand to repair an injury so he could not clap. When he needed to clap I put out my left hand to him, palm flat, and he would slap it with his right hand. W eboth enjoyed that.

Last night an older bot named Keith sat by me. Pastor and Mama and I had visited this family several times but had difficulty getting them to come. For the last several weeks they have been coming off and on, so for them to be at VBS every night has been fun. He kept a running commentary in my nearly deaf ear all evening long. His dad left the family about a year ago.  He needs the interaction and attention and I enjoy being there for that.

Mama told me that on Monday night Yilin asked her to pray for her family to have a baby boy. Mama thought that was a sweet though but we will have some explaining to do to convey the function of prayer - asking God. Last night on the way home we found out why Cheyenne and Yilin are praying for a boy to be added to their family…so that Papa Tim can have a boy to be his friend. (All the others in the car are girls.) How sweet is that!

I checked my stats this morning and am excited to see a lot of activity. All the activity will soon translate into dollars - which have not been posted yet - but I am confident I will see those numbers rise just as quickly. And all this is on the standard advertising system. I have yet to implement the “new and improved” system; but all the groundwork has been laid and that should start soon.

Mama and Victoria are baking up a no-sugar-added storm this morning; form cookies with nothing in them that sounds good to dog treats that actually sound pretty good. Actually, all of it smells pretty good. The effort Mama and Victoria have put into this special diet is paying dividends to both of them - both in weight loss and Victoria’s overall health.

The Echeveria kids are with us today. It adds a lot of excitement to the otherwise peaceful home - and a decent amount of volume also. So far Victoria has held them off the movies, which are the normal staple entertainment, and has kept them busy both inside and outside. All too soon the outside activities will have to stop. It is already near 100 degrees.

She is taking them to visit Grandma for a while then lunch, nap, a little playtime, dinner and VBS.

What a schedule.

More computer time, feed run, rearranging inside and out, more VBS

I have been assured that this will take less and less time as I get proficient but for the moment I am spending several hours per day working on this business. Honestly, I am seeing more and more produced in that time; a day by day improvement in both the quality and quantity of tangibles - copy written, ads submitted, clicks recorded. I am sure the fun will come soon. 

Mama enlisted Grandpa’s help today to make a feed run. We are going to Muenster for our feed - better quality, better price. The problem is that the last time we went we had to take the Sequoia, put the feed in back and drive home - about 45 minutes away. Mama could barely stand the smell for the ride home.

Windows were rolled down, the a/c was cranked up (it was 100 degrees outside) and it was still almost more than she could tolerate. In her present this time of month condition, it would have been far too much. Enter Grandpa. He drove his truck to make the run since ours is still in the shop. Mama was happy, even though the truck has no a/c. I was happy - I got to stay home and keep working. Even Grandpa was happy - he got to get out and actually do something. [Grandma keeps a pretty tight rein on him right now - since he’s still recovering.]

In the times I have spent off the computer today, I have been rearranging both inside and outside. We brought some chairs, rugs, and other items back from Chappell Hill and we are fitting them into the house as best we can. To accomplish that, some things have to be moved out - to the garage, to the well house and to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

I think we found a place for everything and it is beginning to look like we are getting rid of some things because the space being used in the garage for boxes and totes is actually shrinking. By no means are we there yet, but we are off to a good start in simplifying our home and thereby, our lives.

If you have not been here in a while you would have to look closely to see the changes, but for those of us who regularly dwell here, it is a noticeable, and much appreciated, difference. Tomorrow will be the test of our new setups. We will have the Echeveria kids for the day.

More VBS tonight. Cheyenne did not like the volume of the crowd last night. She spent most of her time on Mama’s lap as Mama guarded her from the cheek pinchers and gave her a running commentary on what was happening. When we arrived at the house to pick up the girls they had a friend who also got permission to go with us. That really excited the girls and Mama.

There were 109 children and 67 adults last night and it was noisy; just like VBS is supposed to be. Tonight should be even better.

Finally moving forward - ever so slowly

I am finally at the point in my training that I can launch ads for my business. I had a very long meeting with my traffic coach and she was extremely helpful in getting me set up and organized to get the business running - and hopefully start seeing an income. 

The learning curve I have been on has been very challenging. I have had to learn how to use Youtube to upload movies and then to manage those uploaded videos once they have been uploaded. I have had to learn the back office of the company I am promoting. How to select links that correspond to my ID and to insert tracking links for each offering I make so I can determine the effectiveness of the ad outsource provider. 

I am having to learn Facebook operational permissions - which goes ever so strongly against my grain. I am also learning how to evaluate service providers so I can avoid some of the early pitfalls of beginners. And the curve seems to be getting steeper and steeper. More on that later.

Mama ran to Denton - actually she made the trip in the car - to rescue her lost sandal, as well as a couple other stops. I do not think she got the actual mate to the sandal she originally brought home but she did come home with a pair of whatever she settled on. She was pleased enough. I will wait to see if this footwear, like so many other pairs in the past, gets returned after they are worn and determined less comfortable than they looked.

I have spent entire days on the computer since last Tuesday - taking off the weekend to travel to Chappell Hill - and my body is crying out for activity. I have gotten precious little done on the farm other than feeding Boomer his daily round of bottles. That does not mean the work has stopped. It just means it is piling up because I have quit doing it. First things first, I guess.

We have VBS tonight so Mama and I are getting ready for that. We promised Yilin and Cheyenne that we would take them each night and their parents are excited about them getting out of the house for the evening. It is a socialization experience for the two little ones - and they both enjoy it immensely. Mama and I are not overly excited but I am sure that will change once we get there and get involved.

That is usually the way it works out.

Little successes, Little treasures

Mama and I covered different ground today. She took off for Denton as soon as the animals had been cared for and I stayed home to work though another take of the video I needed to revise. I worked non-stop for four hours to produce a 3 minute 22 second video. 

Some of the first lines in the script I repeated at least forty times. I know this because I discarded 39 videos where I messed up at one point or another in the script. Some of the discarded takes were as long as 3 minutes 12 seconds. Some were as short as 5 seconds.

While I pretended to be a movie star Mama had a great day shopping and returning items. Why women love to return items is beyond me. I would rather throw something away than spend time in the return line - most of the time. But Victoria had several items to return so Mama took the assignment and came out with very high marks.

Mama also went to Sam’s, Kroger’s, Chick-fil-A, JC Penney’s, and a couple other stores in her outing. I did not go mostly because I had work to complete but also because I did not want to hurry her - directly or indirectly. She came home just after I had finished uploading the video for review in quite a happy mood. She had had a very successful day.

The only drawback to the entire shopping foray was that when she went to try on the foot ware she had bought - at a great savings - she opened the box to find only one shoe, or rather sandal,  had made it home with her. Whether or not we will recover the lost mate remains to be seen. She called to announce the loss and the kind clerk who took her call sad they would do their best to find the lone left sandal, but she was not too hopeful.

I expected to get more criticism on the video I shot today but the response was very positive. My mentor pronounced it good enough to move forward. His exact words were “Awesome job. Looks like a pro.” That was encouraging. I am on to my next assignments with him.

Tomorrow Mama and I travel to Brenham to meet with my siblings to assign Mom and Dad’s household items for distribution. It is a sad meeting of sorts but I am praying for a civil if not happy atmosphere as we discuss who gets what of the furniture items, pictures, clocks, rugs, lamps and dishes, etc.

I do not want to build a memorial to Mom and Dad. The heritage they have given me is far more precious than that. But, there are memories that I would like to cary forward with me and each item they collected, now passed on to us as heirs, are little reminders of who they were and what they treasured.

I have no idea what my children will want of what Mama and I have, but I will gather some of the memorabilia of their grandparents to pass along to them one day.  

I read a plaque once that said, “You are either a fountain or a drain.” Mama certainly was a fountain for me today. I have not touched enough lives today to know which I have been, but this weekend I hope to be a fountain.