Little Memories.

 Little Memories.

 

Thinking about my friend AnnaBeth today and hoping that she is feeling much better. When Jennifer was not quite a baby but not a little girl yet, she would wiggle and twist to keep from getting still enough to go to sleep. We were at Bible study one night and AnnaBeth was sitting behind us. Walking Jennifer outside had not helped in the least, so going back inside, she looked over my shoulder at Beth and must have stuck out her arms. Guess where she went to sleep! She grew up thinking that Beth was extra special. Then there was a time when she spent an afternoon with Verna Mae and discovered that she liked orange juice. She also ate raw bell peppers and other veggies raw that she had not tried before, but she was happy to eat them for Verna Mae. It just so happened that Verna Mae took her to school several times that fall as this ol’ woman was expecting at any moment. Somewhere in all the pictures we have a picture of Verna Mae, Jennifer, and Lance that shows them ready to go to school. How do we ever make it in life without these friends?

 

A trip to United this afternoon was a bit of a disappointment. One of the main reasons for the trip was going to the pharmacy, but they not only did not have the prescription ready, they did not even think that they got it in the first place. Sent a message to my doctor who said the prescription was sent on the 4^th of this month. The pharmacy was happy to fill the dog’s prescription, but that would not have taken care of the situation for me very well. Anyway, the doctor was going to call them or send it again. So happy that Dr. Blackwell pays attention to such stuff.

 

Have some ribs on cooking. United sometimes has these deals where you buy one and get one free. Already cooked ribs put back in the freezer means that it is easy to have a meal ready in just a few minutes. It is not that the old woman is in any kind of a hurry, but some conveniences just make life simpler. Some of those frozen meals—some kind of name with a Hawk in it—are very good meals with just about enough for an old woman. Meat and potatoes are good with or without a green veggie to go with it. Those quick cooking bags of vegetables can be ready in five minutes and fill up the hole in the bottom of an appetite.

 

Pulled one of the water hoses out to water the plants under the AC unit. We may get some more rain Sunday, but meanwhile the cucumber plants needed a drink. It does not take long for plants to dry out on the east side of the house. The sun is hotter there than on the west side at least until next month. Then the west side will have to take a deep breath just to keep anything green out there. Was hoping to see Julian today to get some little trees chopped out of the fencing and from around the house. Really don’t need a burr oak growing in the flower beds.

 

Does anyone besides me remember the ministers having a parsonage to live in while they pastored a church? We had two different parsonages for the Baptist church in Petrolia. The first one that this old girl remembers was just a small wooden house, but the next one was a nice brick home. My memory of Brother Muse is not very clear, but Brother Manley was one of my favorite people in Petrolia. He would stop and talk and listen to questions with interest. He was the minister who married Sterling and Marion and then later married me to Lewis. We were all married in Mom and Dad’s living room in the same corner. Good memories.

 

Have you ever wondered how many books you have read in your lifetime? Jennifer made some remark about my Kindle having over a thousand books on it. Most of the books that have been on my Kindle get removed after they have been read, so am not sure how she got that number. Guess she can tell me sometime when we have nothing else to talk about. Even wondering how many we read as kids when we used to go to the Henrietta library would not be too easy to calculate. We always got as many as we were allowed to check out and then returned them as soon as we could and borrowed more. Sterling and Mom could read different types of books, but mine were nearly always about horses or other animals. Finally began to read Western stories by the cowboy authors, but by the time we got to eighth grade, Mrs. McDonald had me reading deeper stuff—Exodus by Leon Uris and such as that. These days the cozy mysteries are more my speed, but not always. Now, besides historical novels, the stories of women from other countries have made me think a bit deeper than before. It is simply amazing how much we all have in common despite all the differences.

 

Let us look at the similarities in life for all of mankind. And let us appreciate that God has shown us all the same love and mercy with His grace. May we reflect His love.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Crisp and Clean!

 Crisp and Clean!

 

Maria came today and cleaned my house. Oh! It smells so good and the floors just make me happy! She always does such a good job and never fusses about my dogs. They like her and it may just be that she likes them as well. Since my friend AnnaBeth became ill this afternoon, Maria went down to Patty’s house and cleaned her place. So, at least two houses on this hill got a thoroughly good cleaning today. Can’t imagine that Shona’s house is any less clean, however. She stays on top of all the things she has to do and all the children she has to haul from one place to another.

 

Shona and the old woman were talking about the quality of the schools here in WF. Have no idea why exactly things have become less important in education, but it seems to me that actual knowledge has become less important and test results have taken the place of integrity or a sense of competence in each class or field of study. Really would not want to put a child in any of the schools today. Sad, just sad.

 

For several days my body hurt in almost every place that has been subject to any kind of surgery or other types of stress. Avoiding some of the medications that Dr. Blackwell has prescribed was not one of my better ideas. Finally took the one that warned of possible side effects with one’s heart. This morning the old woman woke up and did not really hurt at all. Not that my balance was any better, but at least moving around was not so drastically painful. Yes, will take another one of those pills tomorrow, too.

 

Went out to see Brenda Jones and was amazed at her beautiful flowers and all the things she had planted around her yard. We discussed the fact that some plants simply do not like all that rain we received recently. Did not ask to pet the donkeys, but it truly was tempting. Love the way she keeps her hens right next to her house. She has the kind of hens that produce the colored eggs that remind one of Easter eggs!

 

Thought that both dogs had come inside for the night and then discovered that Thompson was at the far east end of the lots running back and forth along the fence. Can almost bet there is a cat down there in the lot next to the road. Will just hope that he gives up and comes back inside before long. Simply do not want to have to walk down there this late in the evening to bring him back inside. Silly critters!

 

Watched a bit of the Fox reports on the crazy stuff going on in the Middle East. They hardly mentioned Israel at all, but it seems that some doofless person fired on an American ship. We are not going after them in an offensive action, but a defensive action can remove the dingbats just as well. It is impossible to try to deal with terrorists, but it would seem that even the terrorists might pay attention when they run out of food. The ships from other countries that are basically stranded in that area are asking for help from anyone who will give them food and water. The companies that sent them to that part of the world are not even trying to help them. You can almost bet that America will have to get them out of that part of the ocean all by ourselves. Other nations are not going to risk their ships or any other assets to rescue them. If it were possible to strangle Iran without hurting all those other ships and crews, it would be preferable to seeing the crews starving to death. The companies want those crews to give up any claim to their wages while they are at it. Dipsticks!

 

We can’t “fix” this world, but we have to have faith that God will use each situation in the best way possible. Whether it is political integrity, dealing with disrespectful people, or trying to manage our own lives and resources, we must ask God to help us stand firm in faith. We know that He has a plan for us and for each area of this old earth. When we wake to the sound of bird song early each morning, it has to be encouraging. If we can ignore the loud sounds of building from around us, we can pray for safety and common sense among those who are working. Let each of us take time every day to pray for our leaders, our military, our communities, and for our churches. One of the most important things we can do as individuals is to be faithful in prayer. This is a time when those prayers will make more difference than ever before. Maybe we should each find a prayer partner to help us remain diligent in what we request and how we can be thankful for answered prayers. We know that God hears our prayers. Let us strive to praise Him and to ask those things that are in His will.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Another WD-40 Day.

 Another WD-40 Day.

 

Some of us know what the weather is doing without a weather report from our phone or the newscast. Went to services yesterday and remembered that Dr. Kern’s PA had warned me that it would be six months to a year before my back would stop aching with any extra movements. Just getting into the truck and driving is not comfortable, but doing any house cleaning just makes life really interesting. Did not think that changing sheets on the beds on Saturday would make me sore, but so much for what thinking did! One of the ladies named Helen from church tried to clean all of her house at one go and ended up missing services for two or three weeks from those efforts! We just have to remember that we simply can’t do everything as we did when we were in our 20s.

 

Blake the lawn man is supposed to come tomorrow to get everything cut and trimmed around here and down at Patty’s. Not sure that the grass is deep enough to hide Patty’s dog, but these two dogs at the top of this hill have itchy bellies from the grass hitting them at that height. Tony Zupkus mowed his pasture today, so we will undoubtedly have rats, bats, and maybe even elephants coming out of his place tonight. Patty said that two skunks, a possum, and one large raccoon walked across her driveway last night. Can’t say we don’t have wild animals out here!

 

The minister said that he would like to see the bushes at the front and side of the church removed and some flowers put in to replace them. Yanking the bushes out right now might be possible with all the rain we have had, but getting some flowers to grow right before summer might not work out all that well. Texas flowers that make it through our heat are not all that easy to find already potted and ready to go. And that is not even considering the cost of having the bushes removed or the cost of the flowers and having them planted. Realistically, landscaping costs at least $100 per hour. Not really sure that this little congregation would consider that as a good investment. Right now, it seems like they really would prefer to have a full-time piano player for Sundays. The one they have at the moment splits her time between her husband’s church and Lakeside Baptist. It’s horrible to admit, but the old woman can’t even play the radio.

 

Happy to see my neighbors returned from Dallas late yesterday evening. That is one destination that only makes me shiver and shake! The traffic down there is just beyond crazy. No one goes there unless it is for children who have moved away or for medical help from specialists.

 

Just fed these two hungry dogs. It has to be fresh food, by the way. Shaking my head. At least Thompson can tell me when it is time for their meals. Sylvia just follows along and cleans up the bowls.

 

Let us remember to be kind to everyone we meet and never get angry with them for things we don’t understand. Life is never easy.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be.

 Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be.

 

Long before the old woman read the Bible or any work of Shakespeare, our daddy used to say that if we could not afford to lose or replace something, we should neither borrow one nor lend one. Common sense tells us that certain things are necessary to making life much more livable. Your vehicle is one of those necessary commodities in Texas. For my mom, the one necessity would have been her sewing machine. For Lewis, it would have been his tools. As the old woman aged, necessities included her library and her computer. Today, most of my books are available online. But one has to have a decent computer to even think about keeping up with what is going on in the world or of expressing opinions about what is going on around us. The books that are most necessary would begin with my Bible and include a guide to foraging. Some parts of the Bible just sit there in the back of my mind and come out when something sparks their need. Go figure. And no, it is not likely that eating what grows on this hill would ever keep life going here. Still, it is amazing what God has put close by that can be eaten.

 

Today is a WD-40 day. Every joint is stiff and needs a good greasing to make things work. Patty says that she just needs for the air to not be so thick! It does seem that the air needs to be taken out for a good shaking! The pollen count is not all that bad, but the atmosphere is simply heavy. Walked down to Patty’s to throw her trash in the bin and reset the camera that is supposed to show her the front door. The spiders have been having a meeting on that one, but maybe it is the wind that has moved it from its original position. Anyway, now it is on target and the spiders shooed away.

 

Thompson found his way to the back bedroom and had scratched all the covers up on the bed to make himself a comfortable place to hide out. It’s quiet back there, so maybe that is why he chose that place. Anyway, now the covers are on to wash and the bed will have to be remade from scratch. Not a biggie, but will have to remember to keep that door shut or it will have to be done again.

 

Do you ever put things where you just know you will be able to find them? Two good, heavy desks around here should hold just about everything needed, but the tiny post it notes are now hidden somewhere. The little ones are just perfect for marking places in my Bible, but now the fat ones are there instead. Sigh. It’s not as bad as misplacing my tea kettle or vacuum, but surely neither of those would fit in a desk! May spend another fifteen minutes or so looking for them again.

 

My cousin Elizabeth (Eba) in NC has now moved into her new home. She said she finally just started hauling stuff to the dump after trying to give away so many things. We all have a tendency to accumulate SHTUFF, and the longer we live somewhere, the more stuff there is to haul off! Her husband had a great library of military history books and magazines that go along with that theme, but now most of his stuff is in boxes in storage. Eba is something of an artist in those tiny little things that people put in doll houses and other places. It made me wonder what she did with all her craft supplies, but was careful not to ask. We all have a tendency to keep our hearts connected to our habits and hobbies. Example: horses all over my house.

 

Changed the calendars today. Love the foxes on two of them. Animals always appeal to me, but a fox just looks so sweet. Would never want to be that close to one because of the odor, but they tend to be sweet and cuddly looking. But then, lambs and kids (the goat kind) are sweet until they get big enough to be a problem. We always ended up with wild animals as pets when we were younger. Mom had a female fox she called Foxella. Sterling had a possum named Sam. Then he also had an owl until it used Dad’s work boots. After that he had to be content with a black furry jumping spider in his room. Mom refused to clean his room as long as he kept that spider, but he never had mosquitoes in his room!! Life with us must have tried my parents’ patience.

 

Granddaughter Rachel graduates with her master’s this month. Then she takes her exams for her CPA license. She is such a sharp kid! Love her to pieces! Her sibling starts classes this fall in avionics. What a contrast. He already has his BA, but this is something he just wants to do. Glad that he is able to try out this field if it makes him happy. Their mom is a librarian for Ft. Worth and will likely stay there forever. Lance, however, will probably look for something different in a few years. He has worked in his present position for nearly 30 years. Life is certainly different for our children than what it was for us.

 

Let us remember that it is God who puts men in positions of authority. Let us not forget to pray for the best outcome for their decisions.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Reading Good Books.

 Reading Good Books.

 

The latest book, The Skeptic and the Miracle: A True Story of Survival, Mystery and Faith by D.W. Stanford was an excellent read. Too many things have happened in our lives that tend to remove the skepticism in my mind. Surviving a forward roll under a horse, surviving the ’79 tornado, and sending a message to my parents when the phone lines were already down just can’t be explained. So, yes, I believe in guardian angels and the things that they can do. Too many examples in the Bible tell us that God loves us deeply, as do His angels who are there to care for us.

 

 The old woman cooked today—or at least the Ninja cooker finished off six bone-in chicken breasts. The big cast iron skillet took care of about six pounds of hamburger meat and two cups of rice—in two separate efforts. Some of the hamburger meat will make an old woman a couple of meals later, but the chicken is mostly already placed in Ziplock bags and ready to share with the hounds! Still have some chicken ready to debone and bag up for whatever it will make later. Love chicken and mushrooms, so that may be a meal tomorrow with some pasta.

 

This weather—or something—has parts of my body feeling as if it has been kicked around and bounced off a wall. Love the cool weather, but apparently the joints don’t work as well as in warmer weather. Go figure. Wondering if my friend Michelle Malay is enjoying the cool weather. Her rheumatoid arthritis does better in cooler temps. And you can bet that Roger Thonton has on two shirts and maybe even a jacket while it is this cool!

 

Thompson has had his second dose of anti-inflammatory for the day. Poor baby is hurting. When he starts licking his joints, it is easy to tell where it hurts the worst. And now he has developed some kind of rash on his belly. Guess a trip to the vet’s office will go on the agenda for next week. Sigh.

 

Went to put something in my microwave yesterday, and it would not even light up. Called a family friend, Barry Thomas Ice, and asked him to come out. He got here and replaced the plug thing on the wall. Not sure what happened to make it go out, but after the sparks flew, it obviously needed to be replaced. It took Barry just a little while to get the stuff out of his truck and replace it, but we had to talk and get up to snuff on all the family gossip. He grew up just down the road from the Bonita farm of the Dickerson family. Watching him and his siblings grow up was like watching extended family even though they were not family.

 

We still need to pray diligently for the situation in the Middle East. Well, for that matter, in the Pacific we can see that China is just about one mistake away from causing all out war. We know that God is in charge, but our prayers are heard each day. Let us pray for our leaders, our military, and those here in the U.S. who protect us each day.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Coolish Weather.

 Coolish Weather.

 

Sterling called earlier this evening to let me know that they had arrived safely back on their hill in Arkansas. Their weather is just as cool as our has been today, also. Jacqui said it was about 60 degrees in their living room! In another month—if that long—we will be wishing for some of that coolness!

 

Read the scriptures again for the Sunday school lesson. Again, the same lesson needs to be repeated that we should not be found disrespectful of anyone God has placed in a position of authority. No one is put in authority that God has not planned the situation. We may not appreciate that person or office, but we are not able to see the whole picture. Have wondered a few times what the Israelites thought of Pharoah, but then, they had no idea where they were going anyway. God let an entire generation die off so that the younger people would not be as fearful or resentful of the changes He made in their lives. The younger generation began to learn to trust God without so much grumbling and groaning. Have wondered a few times if the old woman is not just as much of a grumbler. My parents and grandparents went through all kinds of trials that they told us about. They lived through the Depression, the Dust Bowl, WWI and WWII with rationing and just scarcity of the least little pleasure, much less many of the necessities. And they had to accept things as they lived through those times. But they still trusted God to take care of them. We all need to have that kind of faith in God and His blessings.

 

Made up some shampoo out of a recipe given to me by my cousin John’s wife. It is actually for dogs, but it makes hair so soft and silky that it is better than most of the shampoos sold at the store. Now, if the old woman starts barking . . .

 

Sterling brought a rocking horse when he came this time. His youngest son painted on the eyes and its mane. It has leather ears and a cotton rope tail. No saddle, of course, but otherwise it looks about as cute as a rocking horse can get. Not sure Josiah will get a chance to play on it anytime soon, but its here if he comes. It truly pleases me that Sterling and his friend George enjoy making things like this. It gives them time to enjoy each other as friends as well as feel as if they are giving others gifts that make them happy. Have no idea how many little rocking chairs they have made and given away, but every church family has at least one if they have children or grands. The men at the lumber yard have also benefitted from G&S [George and Sterling] wood works. They get benches, large rocking chairs, and flower things that suit them. NONE of them get the special treatment of Sterling’s sister, however. My rolling pantry is a work of art! It has three shelves that roll out for all my canned goods. Talk about neat! Just blessed to have such a brother.

 

Let us remember to pray for the peace that comes with faith. Let us also show appreciation for those who help to guide us in God’s way—pastors, teachers, and others who serve. Pray for our military and those in our community who serve us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Family Visiting.

 Family Visiting.

 

Today has been just wonderful with Sterling and Jacqui visiting and spending time talking about things from the past. They always bring their little dog Toby, too. He would be about a snack for either of my dogs, but they get along fairly well as long as we keep an eye on them. But Sterling usually takes Toby out to their truck, turns on the AC, and Toby just sleeps most of the visit away. Still, Sterling and Jacqui are good to the little guy, so my dogs stay in the other room while Toby gets to stay with us.

 

We had a fairly large thunder storm this afternoon. It was pretty muggy with the rain and having to keep things closed up to avoid getting things soggy. The lightning and the thunder were somewhat intense, so my dogs wore their thunder shirts while Toby sat in Sterling’s lap in their truck. Jacqui and the old woman closed the curtains, turned on the AC, and just talked until the storm went east and north of us. The sounds frighten Jacqui quite a bit, so she understood how the dogs were feeling. Not sure which ones comforted which, but Thompson stood by her while she talked to him about all that noise. Sylvia lay down and torn apart a stuffed toy.

 

All the rain made a small lake in front of the porch, but by the time they were ready to leave, it had drained down through the sand beneath the paving stones. If Lance and Landon don’t make it here sometime in the near future to reset the weather station, a rain gauge really needs to be mounted on one of the fence posts out front. Need to be able to brag, don’t you see!

 

Made liver, onions, potatoes, bacon, and gravy for lunch today. It turned out pretty well and satisfied our hunger and taste buds both. It was made according to a different recipe that Jacqui had considered. May do it again some of these days. The recipe calls for putting it in a large dish like a casserole and placing it in the oven to finish, but since Sterling said that casserole was a Baptist word, we skipped the oven part and just used the Ninja cooker to keep things hot. Lewis used to say that if his wife were to cook a casserole, she should be prepared to cook something else for him! This was the first time that the word casserole was designated as a Baptist term in my memory. Sterling said that the Baptists were always taking a casserole to something or other during any event. Got to thinking about it and remembered some other Baptist terms. Ever heard of “pounding the preacher”? If you want to know what that means, just ask.

 

Read my Sunday school lesson this afternoon, but now the scriptures need to be looked up and written down so that they will maybe stick in my memory. That works for so many things these days. Names, dates, and events simply stick better after being written down. During one college class, we were expected to write down a poem by a favorite poet. Two of those poems are still with me to some extent, but even those would need to be read and written down again to be able to write them down as a memory test. Getting older does something to our brain cells.

 

Put a plastic jar of screw drivers somewhere and can’t find them. Things like that just bug me to pieces. Finding stuff is one of my favorite bugaboos! Found my “Grandpa’s Weed Picker” today, but still have no idea where those screwdrivers have gone. The next trip to Harbor Freight will see some air hose for the compressor purchased. Let’s hope the old woman will be able to install it as it is needed, too.

 

It’s hard to believe that this is the last week in April. This year is just flying already! So many things need to be done before the hot weather gets here, but we are mostly concerned with the high grass and getting it cut back and kept down to a reasonable height. When it dries out, it will be very dangerous. The woman behind me can’t do ANYTHING about her place! The brush is bad and the grass is worse, but the only thing that can be done from this direction is keeping my grass down as low as possible. The dry wooden fence would be just like kindling if something ever started a fire. Whatever can be done from this direction WILL be done, but here’s hoping the pasture southwest of us stays cut back drastically!

 

Let us pray for our president and all those who God has placed in a position of authority. So many people do not believe that God actively places anyone in authority, but let me tell you right now, even when this old woman despised one or more of the people in charge, my prayers STILL asked God to bless those in that position. We should never be in conflict with what God has chosen to do. Then let us pray for Israel, world peace, and that love may prevail wherever God allows it to blossom. We still need to express the love that has been given to us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.