The forecast folks say it is only twenty-three mph, but dearly beloved, the wind is still blowing. It feels as if grit is coming in on that wind. Wondering if Amarillo has lost a bit of top soil--or maybe Paducah? Just spring weather, though. Won't gripe too much right now. But thinking it is going to be a good time to dig out the summer shorts. Already have my sandals out and on my feet. Awww.
Jennifer came up Friday evening and spent the night and most of the day today with me. It is wonderful to be able to love your children and enjoy them. And she is such a good girl to be around. She helped me unload and place 200 pounds of scratch in the bins. Dug holes for two more fruit trees, and took me to the place to get those gummy things that help with pain. We talked and laughed some. She gets how much these silly dogs mean to me. And she likes my hens--and not just for the eggs. She got to see how they "help" with digging dirt. She would not put her hand in the nest with one of the Marans because it pecked at her. Shaking my head here. Their pecks are just not that big of a deal. But if it bothers a person, guess that is all it takes to persuade them to leave the hens alone.
Both kids ordered beef from BillBrownBeef.com and both orders were ready last night, so Jenn was able to drop off his order to Lance this afternoon. Hope they all enjoy it.
The neighbor behind me has his lawnmower out and is cutting the grass down there across the fence from his place. Not sure where the woman is who was keeping that place up, but have not seen her in a while--just the grandson and his mother. Kinda wondering if they will be there much longer. Oh well. They are not that much of a nuisance to me anyway.
Passover begins tonight at sunset. Lots of memories for this day in my life. My children will remember the Passover of 1979 when we were basically chased out of WF by a humongous tornado. When we drove back into town that night, we drove over fences and dodged poles on the freeway. No lights were visible in the town at all unless it was a flashing light on an ambulance or police car. What a mess. For days we had absolutely no services from the utility companies: no water, no electricity, no phone, and no natural gas--or gasoline from any of the pumps! It was horrible to see the devastation, but so many had been killed. My friend Karen and her husband Neil lost their two daughters. Karen and Neil had been out at the site where their new house was being built, but the girls had stayed in their home on SW Parkway. It was gone! Ah, such sadness for a Passover to remember.
Jennifer messed with my phone trying to get it to make noises when calls or messages came in. She got it to more or less work, but it was funny to see her as bamboozled by this mess as it makes me feel. Technology is just a bit weird in my estimation. But the kids just keep messing with it until they get something to work the way they want it to go. My patience just does not extend to buttons or bells and whistles that may or may not indicate success at communication!
My friend AnnaBeth Graf just reminded me of our mutual friend Mrs. Abe Baker. She was one of the sweetest women around back then. She came to our home more than once for different reasons. She knew my family and watched us grow up out there in Petrolia. Good memories.
Beth reminded me that they had brought water into town for their son Peter the morning after the tornado. We had zero water! This was before the days of folks buying cases of water or having a Britta jug filled up to filter the tap water. Zero water is dadgummed hard to deal with when everything seems to require water! Finally an orange juice company in Burkburnett started filling their jugs with water and giving them to folks. What a blessing!! Never been so happy to see a gallon of water in my life! It reminded me that Grandmother Pollard said that her mother watched her house burn to the ground THREE times! And not even a wet cloth to clean her little girl's face. Simply can't imagine.
My cousin Elizabeth told me that when we were visiting their home in Louisiana when they were just girls, they thought a cloud was going to be a tornado. My reply, "No, that is not a wall cloud. Just a thunderstorm cloud." They thought their cousin was marvelous for naming the silly clouds! They had no idea how many times my parents stood us on the steps of the cellar to look at the clouds that were so dangerous.
We went through a five-year drought not too many years ago. Now we just hold our breath and hope that it does not happen again. No amount of water in the nearby lakes can make it better when a drought lasts that long. Can easily see why California has to ration water so often.
Getting tired. Have clothes to fold and put away. Will just tell you that talking with friends about how life has been for us over the years makes me realize that what we have experienced is not all that different for so many who lived on the land. Those who have always lived and grown up in the cities have no idea how dependent we are on things like the weather, fires, droughts, and assorted illnesses that affect livestock. God has always been a blessing in our lives. And that never has changed.
May you all rest well and awake with purpose and happiness. You are loved.
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