Once a Week Visits.

 Once a Week Visits.

 

Spent a few hours with sister-in-law today. She was sitting up—more or less—in one of those chairs that has the ability to put a person on their feet. And no, she did not want to get up or sit up. She was lying back in the chair and sleeping or relaxing. She opened her eyes some and spoke to me some, but she was not all that responsive until the rehab person came in to ask her to do some exercises. It did not happen, thank you very much. Not sure why exactly, but Anne does not like this lady and will not do anything for her. But another person, a man, will be there tomorrow, so maybe he can get her up and at it. Anyway, she refused to eat breakfast and only took ONE bite of her chicken and dumplings and three or four bites of the apple cobbler for lunch. She did drink all of the little glass of tea, so there’s that. She just could not figure out how to move her chair or find the controls for it. To tell the truth, it was mighty disheartening to see her like this. She told me she hurt, but did not want to tell the nurse about it. So, yours truly decided to keep my mouth shut. Erin will be back to Henrietta by Monday if he can. Lesli plans to be back toward the end of October. Not sure just exactly how much good it does for me to go over there, so we will see what next week brings after Erin has been there. At least the flowers we sent were beautiful, the card Sharon Dickerson sent was appreciated, and the posters looked very nice on the walls. She told me that Sharon could always find the prettiest cards. Think Sharon would like to know that Anne appreciates that.

 

My neighbor on the west needed to talk about something tonight and spent about an hour letting me know how she felt about it. When we were about through talking, she told me that Rudy and Roxie appreciated the fact that they were not the only ones who had to listen to her griping. It made me laugh. Told her that Thompson, Sylvia, and these silly hens have the same problem. They have to listen to the old woman gripe.

 

Cousin John was telling me about a book called Love by Leo Buscaglia. He and his wife Wham have found it useful. Will have to look it up and see if it can be downloaded or something. Right now, a series of good mysteries have been keeping me entertained. Think the name of the author is Steve Hicks. Lots of good humor!

 

Has anyone else been amazed in the past few years at the number of misspelled words in headlines or on posts that one would expect to be better than some ignorant signs advertising QuCummers? For instance, a word like entertain would be spelled intertain. It is simply flabbergasting to see the mistakes. And for that matter, using the words them in reference to the pronoun “one” bothers me, but it is considered acceptable now. [One does not know where to put their feet—as opposed to his or her feet.] Ok, maybe it is a moot point—not a mute point. It just makes me wonder if we have become a dumbed down society.

 

Maybe something will get done around here tomorrow. Plan to go down and visit with Patty and brush the dogs to remove some of the excess hair in the morning. Roxie is a true furrball! And Patty just likes to get outside once in a while.

 

Have seen the pictures of the horrible devastation in Florida. It looks like a battle zone or worse. It looks much like the ground zero after the tornado we had in ’79. But they are flooded out as well. The Coast Guard is still working in Puerto Rico, but they are also working a grid system in Florida trying to find those that still need rescuing. Can’t imagine how tired those people must be—both those being rescued and those doing the wading through the waters! Let’s ask God to protect them all.

 

It is still too scary to think about what is going on in the Ukraine. Putin has lost his marbles and wants to be aggressive without the military weapons he thought he had. Rusty ol’ rifles and moldy ammunition can still kill people on one end or the other of those guns, but the biggie is the frightening possibility of his finger on the nuclear buttons. Only God can stop this senseless stuff. May He give us peace!

 

We know that no matter what else happens, God has a plan for his people. Let us have faith beyond the seemingly impossible circumstances. Nothing is too hard for God.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

 

 

Living Without WiFi.

 Living Without WiFi.

 

Just shut off the wifi to your house and see what happens. Unless you happen to have several books already downloaded and open on your Kindle—or a bookcase full of good books to hold in your hand, it makes your life take a different direction. For sure you won’t be sitting on your backside playing solitaire or any other game. In fact, my TV does not even work without the WiFi signal! How is that for limitations. It just so happens that my Kindle is loaded with good books so sitting in the room with Anne was not boring because if she slept, the book kept me company. But if the book had not already been downloaded and opened, nothing was ready to read. That is a major problem for me since reading is one of my major pastimes. And the Kindle makes it so much easier since the font can be adjusted to be easily read. No teeny tiny words to strain one’s eyes, ya know.

 

The young man from Santa Rosa (Pinnacle) Communications got here after 1:30 this afternoon, set up a new router, and waited until my computer was up and catching everything it needed to work. He was in and out in less than 30 minutes!

 

Texting back and forth with my daughter this morning, she assured me that Aunt Caroline is doing great! She came home from the hospital yesterday and is moving around much better than the old woman did after my surgery. She only had the back surgery part and did not have to have her insides removed and then put back in some kind of order, so that may have been part of the difference. But Caroline is also much older than this old woman. Anyway, Jennifer was so happy for a couple of reasons: her patient is doing well for one thing, but her new car had also come in. Right now, it is in the garage, but Gary sent a picture to her. It is called a Lincoln Aviator. It is just plain white, but that works well for her. She will have more than one reason to look forward to getting back home. Of course, she has Gary’s laptop with screens to do her work remotely, so no way will she have time to get bored. She will be doing all the house work, cooking, cleaning, and whatever is needed that Aunt Caroline will not be doing for a while—plus working on the accounts for H&O. Her youngest son has started back to work there for two days a week while he is in college classes. The oldest has only one class now before he graduates, so he may take a couple of weeks off sometime soon and spend a week with me. Having those boys around is so much fun. Just have to remember that it is called a “vacation” for a reason. It’s always tempting to get them to do stuff that the old woman can’t do.

 

Got out and cleaned up the chicken coop this morning. Noticed a few minutes ago that the plastic liner for the top shelf had slid down the back of the shelf, so in a bit that will have to be put back in place and anchored. Had a heavier plastic tablecloth up there and switched places with the liner on the bottom shelf. THAT didn’t work out very well. Not a biggie. The hens have not been laying, but Jenn suggested that the hens might be traumatized by whatever got Rusty Lady. That had not even occurred to me! With the weather getting cooler, they may start laying again pretty soon. Still think a stupid rat snake is getting in there and enjoying some fresh eggs. That alone might get them stirred up, so moved the nests to the middle coop today. It might take a couple of days to let them get used to that, but that is where they laid their eggs before.

Called the nursing home this morning to check on Anne. The nurse who had just come on duty said that she had not been to her room, but on report they said that everyone was fine. My weekly trip will be tomorrow to see how things are going. Erin did not let me know what Dr. Parkey said one way or the other, but my plan is to see if Anne wants to use a walker to get to the dining room for her three meals a day. If her condition is to ever get any better, she will have to be able to get up and take care of herself. Still not sure her confusion is any better, but we will see what tomorrow brings.

 

Have a saddle blanket in my leather recliner. Came in a while ago and found the back pushed back as if someone had been lying down. Think Thompson must have jumped out and pushed it back like that. These dogs are not the least bit spoiled!!

 

Sterling said he had to wear a heavy jacket, a hat, and gloves to do some brush hogging up in Missouri for a friend. He told the guy he needed to get a tractor and learn how to do it himself because Sterling does not plan to keep it up. The guy pays him $250 a trip, but it is real work—not just play. The man said he would have to get Sterling to teach him how to do it. With the temperatures dropping up there, it is not good for old bones, plus that is not easy work bouncing around on a tractor seat. Even our little tractor could provide a major workout for muscles the old woman was not accustomed to exercising.

 

Unless we get rain, mowing is not going to be an issue the rest of this year. The grass and weeds are just crunchy. Guess griping does not help much, but still prefer green grass to the possibility of fires all over the place. What little rain we got helped the weeds to grow big enough to make bigger fires, so Wichita County has another burn ban in effect. At least we don’t have 150 mph winds hitting our part of the country taking out the electricity. Florida and South Carolina might want to trade places for a couple of days—or not.

 

Every time Sterling calls, we talk about something their classes have discussed about the Bible. His men’s class meets on Thursdays, and they are going through Daniel and Revelation a little bit at a time. Would love to be able to listen in on those lessons, but it’s not like a class could not be found in this part of the world. Well, for that matter, many of the books of the Bible have been written about and are available either in books or in articles online. AnnaBeth Graf got me interested in sermons by a minister named Alistair Begg. He seems to stick with the Bible and what it says without trying to make it say something he thinks it should say. That matters.

 

Really do not have any of the latest mess in my mind from news stories. That was another benefit of being offline for a couple of days! A person can’t let something bother them unless they either read or hear about it, huh? Maybe a day a week without internet would be a good thing!

 

May we all be grateful that God has a plan that WILL be done according to His desires. But meanwhile, we can pray for peace and protection. Let us practice love in the way He has shown us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

 

Stability in Processes.

 Stability in Processes.

 

My head hurts—probably from lack of sleep. Ever wake up for whatever reason and not be able to go back to sleep. Three a.m. and it occurred to me that Jenn and Gary would be at the airport. Her flight did not leave until five, but you know how that works: be there two hours early so you can sit around and wait. She let me know when she got to Charlotte and then back on the ground in W. VA. Then she let me know when Uncle Paul found her. So now she is at the hospital with them. The nurses decided to get Aunt Caroline up to walk, and her blood pressure bottomed out and the oxygen saturation went too far down. So, prayers have been sent up for that as well as for my sister-in-law. Erin says that Anne is doing about like can be expected. She is still fuzzy headed, but he expects to see Dr. Parkey soon. She was fussing that she thought Erin was the reason she could not go home. She does not even walk to the dining area to have her meals, so she just is not thinking of the fact that they are bringing her three meals a day and doing everything for her! It may be necessary to remind her later.

 

No eggs so far today for some reason. But both dogs have managed to wade in the water and have the mop chased across the kitchen floor to clean up after them. Silly ol’ woman who gives them a water trough to cool off their feet and bellies!

 

Went down to Patty’s this morning and reset her ring camera and brushed the dogs. They both need their nails trimmed again, but she decided to have the mobile guy come do it this time. The vet is snowed under for some reason. Think the vet who was working with her moved to Michigan or something. Anyway, only one vet is not enough for a place that busy.

 

Baked a large sleeve of pork sirloin roasts for the dogs this morning. They turned out very tender and nice. The pan usually employed for those large amounts was no where to be found until after another big pan was already substituted. THEN the roaster turned up at the end of the table on a bench. Oh well. The meat is cooked and that is the important part. Read a very funny description of some dog food that a lady made for her dogs. Apparently, it had collected some wild yeast or something because the oatmeal bubbled over on the stove, in the bags, in the fridge, and all over the floor in the kitchen. Took longer to clean up the mess than to put the ingredients together! She threw the mess outside to dispose of it because she was afraid to put it in the sewer system—explosions are hard to explain at times. One lady wrote about burying some she made for her dogs, and the ground kept bubbling up out in the backyard!! Now talk about a witch’s brew! Some of us are cooks; and some of us are dangerous in the kitchen!!

 

The news was scary, so let’s ignore it. Honestly don’t think it does any good to even think about nuclear stuff and other extreme types of warfare. It seems to me that the weather itself is enough to mess up just about most of the world.

 

AnnaBeth Graf told me today that her sister Joan is dying of cancer of the lungs. Please pray for peace for both sisters. The real wealth that a person can have is good health and love. Let us ask that God would heal this crazy world and let us be active participants in loving others the way He loves us!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Expectations from Memory.

 Expectations from Memory.

 

Remember when posters were the big thing for kids and teens? Well, posters are still around, but apparently not as many people find posters all that necessary. Today a trip to Hobby Lobby and Mardel’s revealed a few posters with cartoon heroes or something cutesy like that. Mardel’s had some Christian posters and inspirational posters, but very few had lots of flowers or outstanding color combinations. The room where Anne is staying at Grace Care Center is plain, dull green. Bleah. Her grands made some pretty colorful pictures for her and one of them is stuck under the clock on the bathroom door for her so she can see it. The four posters that were sent back to Henrietta today have lots of color, so maybe they will be a little less depressing than those walls. The tape to put them on the wall should also be helpful since it has flowers all over it. Why any room should be so dull is beyond me, but when my parents were over there, we put some new pictures on the wall to make it more like home. A marker board also kept their room colorful with designs and pictures on it. Daddy could have done a much better job of decorating than the old woman did, but he was not really in the mood for drawing anything. Oh well.

 

Erin came today and picked up some eggs and the posters to put up in his mom’s room. He said she has it in her head that it is up to him whether or not she gets to go home. Her thinking is not just exactly clear at this point. She IS better physically, but between the UTI and her fuzzy thoughts, she has trouble thinking about the simplest things. She could not remember the name of her cats. It did not surprise me that she has trouble remembering which day of the week it is. Sitting here with a calendar on the wall, the same forgetfulness happens to me. Today is Monday—the trash goes out today to be picked up tomorrow. That is the way my week is divided, however. Two trash days a week works to divide things very well.

 

Erin got to admire the hens out in the back yard. He thought the hens were mighty pretty. Mine do not have to lay each day to make me happy, but his hens lay eggs that are sold to nearby restaurants, so their work is never done. Currently he has 150 hens, but he is going to get that many more and possibly start raising his own chicks. Certainly hope it works out well for him. We have so many dadgummed snakes and various critters that baby chicks are a constant worry unless they have very good contained areas to keep them safe. He is also propagating fig trees on the farm where he works. That just makes me happy to think about. Glad someone in the family likes to grow things like that.

 

Talked to Sharon Dickerson today. She has more stuff happening in a day than happens around here in a week or more. But then she has a bigger family and tries to help Jim out as needed. Today he had to replace a sprinkler head. So glad that other people know how to do stuff like that. Using a water hose is about my limit!

 

The grass is so crunchy and dead that it makes me sad to walk outside the area next to the deck. We need rain desperately, and you can bet that any areas in the path of that hurricane are going to be flooded! From one extreme to another! Jennifer is going to have to take a rain jacket to W. VA. Imagine that!

 

My book from Dutch Henry came today with a little card and a personal inscription. Saturday Encounters the Ark is the name of the book. Sterling and his wife went to see it and were pretty much blown away by the size and all the information they came across while there. It seems to me that it would take more than one day to actually see it all from the description. Can you imagine the food stuff needed for all those animals. And cleaning up after them would be another tricky situation, it would seem. Just thinking about all the insects and creepy crawlies that would have to have a place to inhabit would boggle my mind. How do you think Noah would have managed to get those two fleas in a container and keep them there? Guess the bats had to have several mosquitoes to keep them fed, too! Well, someday maybe it will be possible to visit there myself. Not likely, but not impossible.

 

Have a feeling the temperature is about to drop. When the weather changes, the flies gather in the fall. And boy are they ever gathering! The spiders should be having a feast!

 

Want to take a minute to talk about end-of-life things that either are called for or are ignored. Anne did not talk to her children before she set up a DNR (do not resuscitate) and all that kind of stuff. As it was, when Erin took her to the hospital in Henrietta, Dr. Greer saved her life with some drugs. Not sure whether or not he even knew she had a DNR. Now, my daddy had a DNR, and the old woman was not ready to let him go, so she asked the nurses to give him Lasix or whatever to remove the fluids from his heart and lungs. He lived another year. But it was HIS decision to stop taking any medication after he was in the nursing home. A person’s wishes in his situation have to be respected. Right now, if Anne’s bilirubin begins to climb, she will not live much longer. And currently, she is not taking any medications for pain, for fluids, or for anything except nausea and dizziness. That in and of itself is pretty amazing. Whatever happens from this point forward is up to her body and however God chooses to let things go. It would be wonderful if she could just be happy and be able to rest and enjoy whatever life she has left. But going home is not one of the prospects in line with her abilities to navigate. Each of us has to accept our limitations eventually no matter how strong or stubborn we are. Yes, preaching to the choir here—and well aware of it. Anyway, just be aware that not everyone is going to understand when and how you want that DNR to be interpreted.

 

Read in the news that one-way tickets out of Russia are sold out, and that a major traffic jam exists in all exits from that country. Putin is determined to kill every semi-able-bodied male to make his war effective. How very sad. Now if North Korea would just stop trying to launch another war on that side of the ocean! God protect us!

 

Let us pray for peace and for protection for all those threatened by wars, storms, famines, fires, and other forms of disaster. God has a plan, but we can ask Him to help us to be safe from the problems in this world.

 

Rest well, my friends, and know—you are loved.

Shifting Again.

 Shifting Again.

 

Lesli said a few minutes ago that they are about four hours from home. Know they will be glad to get where they can turn the two littles out to jump around and be boys! Car trips can be a bit much on adults, but children –unless they have been drugged or something—hardly deal with enclosed spaces without making LOTS of noise and wiggling worse than any little brown worms in a rain storm. [Speaking of rain, please pray for RAIN for North Central Texas!]

 

When the young woman at the nursing home answered, she said that Anne had had a decent day so far other than being depressed because Lesli was not there. But Erin is just north of Jacksboro, so he will be there shortly. He will let me know which day he plans to leave, and the old woman will go over the next day after that. One way or the other, we will see to it that she does not feel alone. At least she is keeping her food down now, or at least she has today.

 

All of my hens were on their roosts when Thompson encouraged me to go out at 5:30 this morning. All the quiet pucka puckas sounded content and undisturbed, so as soon as it got light enough for them to be out, their door got opened up and they got greeted. So far today, ONE egg has been presented inside a nest. Wish this stupid heat would calm down so that they could feel more like producing eggs. Oh well. They take care of the scraps that are thrown out around here better than any garbage disposal ever could.

 

Had more beef and cabbage for brunch this morning. Think the rest of it will be used as the dogs’ dinner with kibble. It is pretty good beef, but veggies by themselves are so much better than any meat out there. Wish my cooking when Lewis and the kids were here had included more green veggies and fewer carbs. Peppers, cabbage, broccoli (in salad or otherwise), and carrots are just the best things around. Remembered the other night how much carrot sticks were acceptable snacks back in my busy young days. The horses knew to sniff my pockets, and we shared.

 

Ok, Lesli and family arrived back at home and Erin is in Henrietta. The rest of the world is waiting for a storm to hit Florida, it seems. Wow! The entire world has its problems, but some of us focus on the small things like trying to love our families and friends. It’s not like we can manage the weather or world peace, is it? Still, it is also not that we don’t care. So let us remember to pray for peace, for rain in due season as opposed to flooding, and for safety for all of our nation and families. We have to do our best at whatever we set our hands to do. We have to be the good and faithful servants.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

The Struggles Are Real.

 The Struggles Are Real.

 

The dogs kept getting me up in the wee hours. At four something, Thompson insisted that he had to go out to the hen coop and bark and try to pull the siding off the building of the greenhouse part. He was right. Something was in there. Rusty Lady is no longer among the living. Poor girl. It had to be some kind of cat that was bigger than her—maybe a fox. Anyway, closed doors on the green house part, closed the little escape hatch on the front coop, and screwed a board into the part of the door that fits the screen so that they can get air without any gaps big enough for a cat—here’s hoping. This time, if Thompson says we need to go tearing out there during the night, we WILL go tearing out there. Have a machete that will take care of critters. Can’t use a gun inside the city limits, don’t ya see. Hate to see my girls get picked off like this. They depend on those high roosts for protection, but anything a hen can climb, a cat can climb. Well, or a possum.

 

Lesli texted to tell me that she left her mom’s room this morning and just cried her way through the bottom half of Oklahoma. She plans to come back in October by herself. Told her that she really needs Tilak with her for emotional support. But they can’t leave the boys with anyone up there in Chicago. She may change her mind before then anyway. Anne has become more lucid and has had less pain than before, but she definitely cannot stay by herself at home. They are still giving her some pain meds, however. The medication for nausea seems to be working well. It is something that has to do with marijuana, but not sure what it is called. Anyway, Erin should be there tonight if nothing rips, rears, or ravels. If he thinks anything needs to change, it will.

 

Leaving here the other morning, the old woman saw her first two illegal immigrants about to leave the road and take off into the bushes off of South Kemp. Not sure which of the countries that may have been their origin, but they were definitely Hispanic. Their backpacks looked very heavy and well abused. Can’t imagine trying to take enough clothes or supplies to last for a walking trip from South America to this part of Texas. Figure they came off of Hwy 79 about a mile away. It’s not like we could welcome them to WF or anything. WF is not even set up well for the homeless we have here already, much less a bunch of folks who don’t speak English or know the country. It would be the same problem for anyone from here trying to make it to S.A. Not that anyone here would want to go through the trip or the dangers involved with all those drug warlords! It’s bad enough here as it is.

 

Patty told me tonight that she needed to know that her two little dogs would have a home since the one she thought she could depend on has a bunch of vicious dogs in her yard now. Jennifer had said that she thought she could take the little dwerps, so that made Patty feel better. Roxy is totally a sweetheart. Rudie is a momma’s dog. He only feels safe next to Patty. My dogs are a lot like that in some ways. Sylvia is my shivering scaredy cat. Thompson is my obedient sweetheart. Anyway, Patty felt better knowing that her dogs would be loved and pampered.

 

It has been another hot day. Not sure that any part of me has not been soaked in perspiration today. In other words: sweat city! Sterling was bragging about the cooler weather they are having in NW Arkansas. Just wait. We will get a cold front eventually—probably in February!! And it will be another dry winter with our luck. Dadgumit!

 

Cooked up some meat for the dogs (pork) and some for me (beef). Mine included cabbage! The best kind of yummy stuff around sometimes. Spinach is good, but cabbage fills a gut with something substantial. Anyway, have some left over for tomorrow, so not much cooking will be going on would be my guess. Maybe tomorrow will be a floor day. Why they always need cleaning must have something to do with these dogs! And the old woman who allows them to wade in a water trough and then come inside! Oh well.

 

Knowing that Jennifer is leaving Tuesday makes me proud of her, but it concerns me that she is going by herself. Up here by herself is one thing, but several states away—well, would appreciate your prayers for her safety. She has a lot of gumption, but it is my job to worry about her still. Moms are always moms, ya know.

 

Nothing much new around here—well, that is not true. Clint Robertson fixed my phone up so that the ring camera shows the outside front of my house where people drive up. Just have to touch that instead of opening a curtain to find what the dogs are barking about. Clint said that there are cameras like this that swivel, but this is not one of them. It is not like it would matter much anyway. The dogs hear things that are entirely out of my range anyway. After all the work seems to have been finished over there, it looks as if they are living here now, so there’s that.

 

Thompson and Sylvia have been getting into my recliner, so the saddle blanket kept in here under my desk will just about fit perfectly sideways to keep them from scratching the leather. And when the old woman wants to claim her chair, of all the slowwww crawls---that is Thompson. Sylvia would really like to claim that it belongs to her now, thank you very much. Nope. MY chair! They have some very nice beds to lie on here in the middle of the living room floor.

 

Many of the people on my friends list have been celebrating the beginning of fall. To me, this is the best time of the year—the fall holy days are almost all in this month and next. That does not mean anything to most folks unless they recognize that God set these holy days up before Christ was even born. Of course, if you read carefully, you know that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” Anyway, read the first part of John and you will know just who it was that created everything—including all the holy days—from the beginning. To me, that means before the nation of Israel was begun. These are not “Jewish” holy days. They are God’s holy days. God seems to make things according to His plan with His designs. ALL of creation is planned and designed by the One who has everything in His hands. That just makes me SO happy. It is easy to see that when a plan is laid out, it is finished according to His plans. When He begins something, nothing can make it change unless HE allows it.

 

Well, now you have some idea of why the old woman does have a fairly good idea of how things will work out eventually. She may not know any time lines or details, but she has faith that what He says will come to pass in His time.

 

Rest well, my friends and find joy in this life as it has been given unto you. You are loved.

Shifting Places.

 Shifting Places.

 

Leslie and family are waiting to leave in the morning when Erin gets to Henrietta, so got to visit with her for a few more minutes. Jennifer and her bunch got their flu and covid shots! Argh. Gary had a headache with his. Such fun. Jenn said it made her feel light headed. All these precautions better be good for something!

 

Jenn leaves this coming Tuesday for W. Virginia, and Gary will be in Tennessee on business for a few days at the beginning of October, so all her family are shifting around trying to keep all the bases covered. She will be taking care of Aunt Caroline. Knowing her, she will cook for Uncle Paul and all three of them while she is there. She is an excellent cook. Don’t know how that happened!

 

Talked to Lance to see what all his family is doing. The youngest is on the East Coast somewhere with a friend; the older one was taking a test—online; and his wife was working on some papers for her class. Do you think school never ends? Sounds like it to me. He just went and got another covid shot, but told them he would wait for the flu one until later. Smart!

 

Jennifer was teasing me about needing a Tesla to drive for me. Grayson just laughed and said that he knew it would not be trusted driving his old grandmother! His brother Reece calls their mom Nancy when she rides with him because she stomps the floor for the brake on her side of the car! Yep! These kids have no idea why it is so important to stay back away from other cars! We all grew up without power brakes or power anything! It was not exactly Fred Flintstone, but close!

 

Poor Rusty Lady is growing in new feathers on her wings and losing more on her backside. She doesn’t mind me picking her up though. She likes cuddles apparently. Or maybe it is the treats she gets. Chickens are very food oriented. Of course, my dogs are play oriented. Today Thompson brought me a toy dragon and wanted to play tug of war. He kept eyeing Sylvia. He knew she would have to get in on it! They are so funny.

 

Really know nothing at all. Got gasoline for $3.16 before driving over to Henrietta. Thirty dollars for half a tank of gas! Oh well. At least a loan was not required. But it was a decent morning at 60 degrees. Just wish it would get down like that and not go up to triple digits the rest of this year. A couple of cold fronts might help.

 

Let us try to be grateful for all the blessings in this life. We are here to learn how to love and get along with others. It is not always that easy, is it. Try not to listen to anything coming out of the U.N. meetings if you want to have a decent attitude, huh.

 

Praise God and ask for His protection over our families and those who serve us. Let us pray for peace and the ability to have vision for the future.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Enough for One Day!

 Enough for One Day!

 

The old woman has about had it for one day! Sitting here at the keyboard, still sweating freely until the AC cools off the running fat or whatever. Cooked a big ol’ bag of chicken quarters and separated the bones and meat so that the dogs could have the stuff they need. This was after the trip to Market Street where they had pork sirloin roasts on sale for $.99 a pound. Threw two big packages of those into the freezer along with some marked down meats. The dogs don’t care if that stuff is bright and shiny. Well, for that matter, most of what we get that is bright red has been treated with paprika or some such. Not the steaks, maybe, but for sure the ground up stuff. Protein. At least it is not rats, bats, or elephants! Read the other day that during the mad cow thing in Europe, the ostrich farms took off. To each his own. Roadkill surprise used to be what poor folks could depend on to some extent. An old man who worked with Lewis tried to get him to taste some armadillo. Nope, not happening. Guess it would not be any worse than alligator, snails, or raw oysters. Bleah!!

 

My dogs will be on guard duty tomorrow and the AC off for most of the morning. Surely wish we could get a REAL cold front. This heat is about enough to wear a person down. And then there are those little black b@$.... flying around biting and otherwise irritating the snuff out of us. The mailman said he simply could not get away from them! Forget who it was who said that her favorite season of the year was the one where all the mosquitoes and biting bugs died off. Looked up last night out toward the east side lot to see the air full of dragonflies! They are mosquito hawks by another name. Love to watch them and certainly appreciate their work.

 

Patty asked me today if the cottontail rabbits had all disappeared. We must have a coyote, fox, bobcat, or something because they simply are not out there. Each critter has its place in the food cycle, but it would be SO nice if whatever is getting the rabbits could work on the squirrel population. Nasty little bushy-tailed rats! Just hoping that whatever is cleaning out the wild things does not decide the hen coop might have something edible in it. But the smell of skunk makes me think that the lights are attracting bugs so that the skunks have plenty to eat. Well, maybe not chicken fricassee, but bug juice crunch!

 

My dogs have to let me know every time someone drives up the road or stops across the street. Will be very happy when some of that action ceases to arouse their ire. They think they are the guardians of the street and everywhere they can see. That includes motorcycles on the highway!

 

Will apologize for brevity and lack of anything inspirational this evening. Fatigue, ya know. We are well aware of the absolute lack of peace and tranquility in most of our world at the moment. And we know the One who can restore true peace. Let us be grateful for that knowledge and that love.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Whose Control?

 Whose Control?

 

Just when we think we might know the “best” answers to problems, we are sometimes startled to find that those are not even answers or that we don’t have the correct questions. My dear sister-in-law may not know where she is or why, but her body is holding on and doing somewhat better. And who knows, maybe God will return her to good, lucid thoughts and understanding. She has only been wandering the nursing home once so far, but maybe the nurses will look in on her more often now that her daughter is heading back to Chicago soon. Erin, her son, will be coming for a few days at a time, but he is taking care of farm animals and can’t just leave them. It would be about like leaving out a gallon of feed and not closing up the coop at night! Simply would not work! We do our best to control situations for our livestock—and for our lives and for those we love. Anne will need our prayers for whatever comes along for her. She has not miraculously had a regeneration of her liver, but at least her body is functioning to some degree. And it is possible that the lack of pain medications and nausea drugs will allow her mind to refresh. All we can ask at this point is that God bless her in the way that is best for her and for her family.

 

This heat just seems so unfair. The stinking black house flies are sticking to any and all surfaces no matter how clean those surfaces may be. Normally they are an indication of cooler weather, but it will really have to get cool to make believe that this is autumn! Over 100 degrees on either side of the house! And even with the drapes closed and AC churning its best, the inside of the house is not all that cool. Whew! Sterling says that Jacqui has their thermostat set at 74 degrees and then wraps up in a little blanket!! Nonsense, huh. Oh well.

 

This has not been one of the weeks that much has been done around this house except for the bare essentials. Cooked some good meat and veggies up and put a couple of containers in the fridge and one in the freezer. Eventually will either have to buy some Bill Brown ground beef or make something with chicken. Nothing really sounds all that appetizing at the moment. It seems like reading is about all the exercise the old woman considers after walking the fence lines this morning. Found one tall sticker weed and one khaki weed plant. Will get them both in the morning before the heat gets going good. A hoe and a basket should take care of those two problem weeds. Can’t have my dogs limping around on stickers!

 

The neighbors across the street are still trying to get moved into Jerry’s place. The hot water was not hooked up for some reason. No telling why. They have had so many different folks over there working on that place that it is a wonder they got anything done right. Just hope they are happy there after they finally get their stuff arranged. He has put up a camera on the end of my house that gives him a view of the entire street. No biggie to me one way or the other. My dogs usually tell me if something or someone is around. The only thing that has bothered me lately has been the smell of fresh skunk! Just don’t want to have to bathe these dogs with that kind of yucky stuff on them. Seems like the recipe calls for peroxide, baking soda, and something…Dawn? Guess looking it up now would be a good time to do something like that BEFORE the skunk connects with one of them!

 

SO very tired of all the garbage in the news either in the world or even locally. Kids dying from drugs or from shootings here in WF just make me feel sick. Robberies can’t be condoned, but it seems like the violence goes with all that sort of thing these days. Not satisfied to just take something and run, the mean people want to hit someone either before or after the fact. May the Lord give us protection. And may the judicial system get serious about stupid things like giving someone probation if that person has been violent and hurt someone! It makes it more understandable why folks are armed and ready to fight back when the criminals just get turned back out to do it again! Seems like one of the prophets allowed a bear to attack some mean kids who made fun of the prophet. Justice? Certainly juvenile delinquent deterrent!

 

Let us pray for peace, for rain in due season, for justice for those who are being denied life and liberty. Only God can give us rain, peace, or justice. Let us ask in a voice of hope and faith.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Enoch and Elijah.

 Enoch and Elijah.

 

Faith is the central theme of life in the Bible as it has been handed down to us. One example of faith was Enoch who never saw death; he was “translated” by God. The other example was Elijah who was taken up in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire. [Yes, pretty sure that is where we got the title to that song, Chariots of Fire.] When we talk about faith, we have all sorts of questions arise. Lately the visual observations of “ufo’s” have been a source of all kinds of speculation. Did you know that in Hebrews 11:3 that it says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Notice that it says “worlds” and not just world. Who is to say that this little planet of blue is the only one inhabited by those created by the Word?

 

All kinds of questions arise when we consider history and our earth and its composition. How many hours in a day? How many days in a year? Did the earth, once created, sit in the middle of a battle? Was it re-created at some point? When He saw that “it was good,” was that its second creation? Someday we will know the answers to any question we might have about creation and the bazillion planets, stars, and flows of oxygen, water, and other chemical creations in the universes—again, plural universes. Some things were created in the likeness of other things—animals and living things. And then there are those created in His image specifically. Will wonders ever cease? It becomes amazing to consider even the tiniest portion of creation—the sands of the oceans as well as the networks of chemicals used to communicate between trees and other living things. Simply more than my mind can begin to fathom!

 

Once attended a book club meeting in which we were able to discuss the possibility of the brain being able to regenerate itself and make up for any loss to either portion of the brain. At the time it was a groundbreaking theory. And now we know for a fact that the brain can do amazing things toward recapturing memories and functions that have been loss to trauma or to disease. A friend of mine has a daughter whose brain had to be cut open to remove a very large tumor. She had to relearn how to talk, eat, walk, and do even the simplest tasks that a child would normally learn. And today she is a very capable young woman who can do anything she sets her mind to do! Humans have been wondrously made!

 

Right now, we look around at the distresses involved in mankind’s attempts to dominate each other and nature. We are subject to the laws of nature as much as to the fallibilities of man. Here we desperately need rain and cooler temperatures. In another place, we need true peace between nations, between families, between individuals. We were not created to be vicious entities lashing out at one another. But this is what we see all around us. Let us pray for true peace from the love that God created. Let that peace be reflected in our lives.

 

Rest well, my friends. Look for the ultimate joy that comes from loving God. Yes, YOU are loved.

Whose Time Is More Valuable?

 Whose Time Is More Valuable?

 

Today, my friend Patty lugged her oxygen bottle to the doctor’s office. She was so excited because the nurse took her right back to a room and said that only three patients were ahead of her. Now, not for absolute sure, but think she said her appointment was at 12:30. She did not get home until after 4 p.m. The doctor yelled at his staff, raised his voice because Patty did not have the results from some tests that he had asked for—seems he thought she should bring the copies of the test results with her, but they were not offered, and he had not told her to ask for them; then on top of everything else, he yelled that the hours he was having to be in the office were not fair to his family. Seems to me that the time the patients had to wait was worth just as much as the time he wasted yelling about everything. Anyway, she probably won’t go back to him. Not sure he was helping anyway. But do know that labs and some test centers do not bother to send results back to the doctor ordering the tests. It seems pretty useless to just take a test and your doctor not know what the results were.

 

Time is a pretty valuable commodity. Nine months can be all it takes to make a healthy baby if the circumstances are all good for both mother and child. And just one month being sick as a horse can be a pretty sad time if a person does not have a chance of getting well—or at least better. My brother and his wife ended up at the hospital this morning. Jacqui thought she had had another stroke, but they did not find any signs of stroke—just the covid mess. They filled her full of drugs and sent them home. They were thankful that they had taken the shots and booster after this scare. However, Jacqui said the worst thing right now is not being able to taste anything—especially since the pastor’s wife promised to bring chicken pot pie tomorrow! But being on the right side of the dirt is still worth having to take those shots.

 

My sister-in-law Anne won’t get better and now can’t hold herself up, so it is just a matter of time. She can’t eat anything and hardly drinks a sip of water or whatever. Please pray for her that she can just go to sleep soon and not wake up. It is horrible to be that kind of sick. It tires the entire body out to hupchuck every bite twice—or what feels like twice. She has been a good sister to my husband, a good aunt to my children, and a good sister to me. It hurts to see her this sick. Her daughter is tired and hurts, too, with seeing her mom in this shape. She has a good attitude around her mom, but she needs our prayers as well. Anne’s son is keeping up with what is going on, and the oldest grandson understands that his MeMaw is leaving us, but the little ones don’t really understand. Probably just as well. God bless the little ones.

 

The backyard is covered in feathers! The hens went through all that horrible heat and now are losing their feathers by the pillow case full! And no, yours truly is not collecting feathers. But they are kind of pretty—red, white, black, and speckled! And it is supposed to be autumn now, right? Over 90 degrees of cooler weather. Good grief!

 

Let’s pray for those from Alaska to the Mexican peninsula that people and their property will be spared from the floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. This ol’ world is a mess right now. Let us give praise to God’s name and try to be loving to others.

You are loved.

The Constants.

 The Constants.

 

No, that word was not con son ants. That one would be the opposite of vowels—what English teachers exchange when getting married. Ahem. What constants mean to women and some men is that LIST of tasks that are constantly being renewed before they even take a deep breath from finishing the list the first time. Laundry, meals, picking up toys or clothes off the floor—or dog toys if the children have left home. Today these dogs even got a bath after my bed was stripped, the sheets changed, the comforter put in the washing machine, and din-upper put on to cook. And yes, the dogs were good to stand still for me, but immediately rolled in the dead grass after having their fur washed. They were not allowed in until they dried just a bit and had no grass hanging off their ears or backs. Gotta love ‘em.

 

Texted back and forth with Anne’s daughter Lesli. She has had a migraine all day and still has to keep going. Have no idea how she does it. Those things will hurt so bad that nothing stays down if you are dumb enough to try to eat. Les said that her mom has a horrible headache. Suspect that Anne is dehydrated. The bag under her bed looks like syrup. But nothing stays down very long—or is removed one direction or the other. All we can do for her at this point is ask for pain meds, nausea meds, and let her know we are there. Stayed as long as possible last night, but no night driving means going home before the sun goes down. She was lucid last night, but Les said she could not even think this morning. Please pray for her. She needs to be able to just go to sleep and not hurt ever again.

 

As soon as the doors can be closed on the hen house, the old woman will go get her bath and remove the dog smell. These clothes probably smell just like dirty dog. It’s pretty hard to tell when my nose tells me something is going to make me sneeze every hour or so—more than once. Ragweed. It should be made into a weapon of mass allergens! Guess that would be like biological warfare, however.

 

Will be glad when they finally put Queen Elizabeth in the ground and let folks get back to some kind of normal over there. Yes, many are discussing the cost of the monarchy, the health of King Charles, the spits and spats of protocol, and the bigger question of whether or not they need a monarchy. If it has worked for them this long, why not. Not our problem. We can’t even tell Benjamin Franklin that we have managed to keep the Republic that was established by the first forefathers to establish our government. So much of what is happening now makes us shake our heads and wonder how these things ever came about in the first place. Even so, would rather live here than anywhere else. At least it is easier to recognize a snake when it makes an appearance.

 

Sterling and Jacqui have Covid. Talked to him briefly yesterday evening, but he is not answering his phone today. Just have to hope that everything is ok. He said he thinks Jacqui has it worse than he does. Just shaking my head. This dadgummed virus has hurt so many folks and messed up our nation is several ways. Someday, even if we know just exactly where and how it developed, we will have a way to combat it better than masks, handwashing, and staying away from others. These shots have not seemed to make much difference. However, I would rather have a flu shot than the flu any day! The shot may make you feel like warmed over drizzlin’ poo, but the flu can put you in the ground!

 

Have asked and not been told why Grace Care Center has about a third of the population it had when my parents were there. Not many nurses and care givers either—about the same ratio as before. Know everyone misses Debbie Brewer as administrator. She had good, common sense. But Dr. Parkey is taking good care of Anne, so that is all that matters to me currently. Just have a feeling that someday they will have to bulldoze that place and build something that will actually accommodate old folks or those recuperating from whatever happens in life besides old age.

 

The comforter and dog blanket need to be folded and put away, but this old person does not feel like fighting with them right now. Maybe tomorrow they will move from the kitchen table to the bedroom at least. No one will notice, right?

 

Please remember to pray for peace. While you are at it, pray for joy and vision for the times to come. We have His promises. His grace and His love are all we really need. Praise His name!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

The Meaning of Time.

 The Meaning of Time.

 

Anne says that if you don’t think you have time to do something, just go lie down in a bed in the nursing home. Time is there for thoughts and any planning or dreams you might ever have had. Just don’t plan on getting things done. It is a noisy place when it really should be much quieter in some ways. Voices carry. Doors bang. Things fall on the floors. And you just about hear them all. Walking out to pick up the eggs tonight, the voices of the scissortail flycatchers made me smile. Of all the noises from the highway that rumble throughout the day, their quiet voices are still sweet to me when heard either early or late. They need bird songs in that nursing home.

 

Two dogs happily greeted my arrival this evening. Thompson said he needed something from the icebox. Got out some cheese sticks and now both dogs are happy. Well, come to think of it, the old woman is happy to be here with them. My supper is in the microwave cooling down. Think a bottle of that Shiner Bock would be perfect with broccoli beef Tai Pei. Anne had an egg salad sandwich. Who would have thought that would be her favorite sandwich! Cut up in enough small pieces, it worked out well for her. Really wish she did not have to go through this mess. Was thinking of how easily it went for my mom: just went to sleep with a smile on her face.

 

Remember to ask God to give us all His mercy. What more could we ask. You are loved.

Tracks!

 Tracks!

 

Our children used to leave footprints all over the house. It was a toss up as to which made the most mess—the children or the dog. Can tell you right now that it is the dogs around here that make the most mess. The old woman is a mess in general, but these two dogs leave wet paw prints all over the floors. Of course, something is to be said about the person who fills up the water trough so that the dogs can get inside it and sit down in the water to soak their entire bodies. That might have a whole lot to do with why they track the floors up, huh.

 

Yesterday was one of those days from the get go. This time of the year is allergy season for anyone who is prone to sneeze or have headaches from ragweed or milkweed. Realize now why it made me so sick to go to the grandparents’ farm this time of the year—acres of milkweed—especially along the lane leading to the house. Pretty sure the monarchs appreciated those flowers, but it really made me feel quite ill. Back then, we did not even know the word allergy—or at least no one mentioned it.

 

My niece has three boys, and so far, all of them have had some kind of stomach bug. Like she has not cleaned up enough hup chuck at the nursing home! But she said that Dr. Parkey had ordered something using marijuana in it that may stop the vomiting for Anne. Surely hope it helps.

 

Jennifer’s family has also had the stomach bug—including her. Makes me want to stay at home and shut the doors! Woke up with a sick headache yesterday to start the day off just right! Argh! The dogs knew the old woman was ill. Sylvia tried to get right in my face, but Thompson stayed on the floor and just barked at me. They really try hard to take care of me.

 

Got out the hoe this morning and dug up some of those long- handled sticker weeds like we used to throw at each other. Daddy always got us for doing that kind of stuff, but he was not always around. The only time we really got spanked for doing it was after church services one Sunday. We got home and tried to tell him that someone else started it. He let us know that HE was finishing it! Wow!

 

Got out the battery-powered weed eater and hit the grass out front on the walkway and around the mailbox. Have misplaced one of the batteries for that one. And those things are not like buying triple A batteries either, dear hearts. Have no idea what the old woman did with it. Sigh. Don’t remember if one of the boys used it before or not. They usually bring all of their own stuff except for the zero-turn mower. Oh well. It’s not like this is part of my regular routine work. Just keeping the dog tracks cleaned up is about all that gets done. Such is life.

 

Went down and spent some time with Patty and the pups. Those silly dogs know that when the old woman arrives, they are going to get to go run around. Had a couple of mozzarella cheese sticks with me, and Roxy had to think about it for a minute before she decided it would be ok to eat a tiny piece. It does not have much of an odor, so maybe that was why she just sniffed at first. Ruddy was not that particular, thank you very much. “Oh! Something to eat? Let me have some!” Funny dogs! Of course, my dogs had to sniff me from top to bottom after my body was in the front door! Cheating on them!

 

Connie’s sister Rebekah has some jewelry that she makes that she intends to try to sell at the MPEC on the 23^rd and 24^th of this month. Seems as if Connie asked me to help them, but just can’t imagine doing that right now. Sitting still in a chair not meant for comfort is not particularly appealing. Not to mention, have been spending some time in Henrietta each week. The rodeo is this weekend, so not until later would be a better time to go if Anne is up to having anyone in the room. Family comes first.

 

All the activity across the street has the dogs in a constant state of alertness—accompanied with barking and growling. Be glad when things settled down a bit, but the owner said they planned to move in this weekend, so it will be busier than ever for a bit.

 

Well, my morning has caught up with me, so will post this and sit down and read a good book. Resting used to be something that happened once in a while. Now it is a real necessity. Do a little; rest a little—or a lot! But so happy to have the opportunity to do anything for myself! God gives us life to enjoy and for us to learn to appreciate. At 74, so much is there to appreciate!

 

Rest well, my friends. Look for joy and opportunities to be grateful. You are loved.

 

Happy Dogs.

 Happy Dogs.

 

My daughter loves these two dogs. Today a big box arrived full of different kinds of “bones” and biscuits: peanut butter, bac’N’Cheeze biscuits, and marosnacks. Yes, very happy dogs munching on goodies. They would say thank you to Jennifer if they could. And no, the old woman still did not make it to the feed store.

 

Speaking of feed—went out to open up the coops this morning and discovered that something (most likely a heavy hen) had knocked the bottom off the feeder. What a scattered mess. Took the feed tray out of the middle coop and just set it inside the metal coop for them to clean that up. May have to use a different kind of feeder to keep the feed from getting wasted. Have two different kinds, so it will just be a matter of cleaning one up.

 

Anne’s dog Snoop has been going to the nursing home to lie down on the bed with her. Not sure which one is happier—her or the dog. He misses her and has not been eating his normal food. Lesli has tried everything she knows to get him to eat, but in all probability, he is just upset and sad. Dogs are not dumb.

 

Looks as if the new neighbor is getting closer to having a place to stay now. No curtains up yet, but lots and lots of folks going this way and that. One of them must have become ticked off for some reason and backed into the big telephone posts that are laid out in front of my place. No way can the old woman put it back like it was, but at least whoever it was did not hit the water faucet or the stupid Bradford pear. Anyone hitting that tree is going to take out the water faucet as well.

 

We are needing rain desperately again. The weeds are doing fairly well, but the grass is not doing much. Glad not to have to depend on the grass to feed these hens! Can’t water the grass, for sure.

 

Lesli and Jennifer both have migraines today. Stress is such a wonderful thing—NOT! Well, and hormones. The flu shot made me feel like warmed over crud, so have hardly been out of bed today. It is still better than getting the flu. That stuff can kill ya!

 

Lisa Carden’s daughter is friends with a grandmother of a baby named Eden. The baby is only eight days old but has already had more surgeries than most of us would ever have in a lifetime. The baby is on life support and many of the main organs have failed. Please pray for Eden and his family. Some things are just too much for a person to consider. Medical science can be wonderful, but sometimes it seems that life is hardly worth living under some circumstances.

 

Meanwhile, please pray for Anne Perkins, her daughter with her family (Lesli, boys, husband), and Anne’s son Erin and his wife. Not going to say that it is a good thing to prolong life when we are well aware that it is ending, but please pray for peace for this family.

 

Let us pray for peace for this world despite the stirring of the trouble pot that Satan keeps on a boil. We know that God is in charge—and so does Satan. His time is growing shorter by the day. Let us pray for the return of Christ with our whole heart.

 

Pray for those in the Ukraine that they may again have peace and that their country can be reunited with all those who want to be involved with that government.

 

Pray that the rail strikes will not wipe out the economy of this country! Everything we buy may not even be available if this strike—and the troubles that the truckers are facing—is not resolved soon. It does absolutely no good to have a little cushion of money saved back if that money can’t buy anything. In the past, presidents have stopped strikes by air traffic controllers, railroads, and other entities. Not sure that would happen this time.

 

Let us look each day for the joy and beauty that God has provided. You, my friends, are loved.

A Freaking Flu Shot.

 A Freaking Flu Shot.

 

Got two things done today: the truck is inspected, and the little sticker thing is ready to go on its front windshield. Got that last part purchased at Market Street. Very convenient. While at MS, got my flu shot in my left arm because the last one was in the right arm and was hardly able to raise my arm to brush my teeth. Good thing to remember. That was before noon today. My left shoulder is already swollen and sore as a poisoned pup! They give a double dose to old folks to see just how tough they are—or for some reason. Maybe they think they can get rid of more of us this way. Good golly, Miss Molly!

 

They had a display of actual bones for dogs. Not sure what part of a cow this came out of, but the dogs appreciated chewing on them. Right now, both bones (out of a sleeve of six) have place of pride on Thompson’s soft bed here in the living room. They really did not fuss over them—surprise, surprise. Still have not made a trip to the feed store. Some ol’ woman is just a wee bit lazy.

 

Jerry’s place has been very busy all day while the man who bought the house and land has been trying to get it ready to move in. Saw him putting in a window last night. It looks good. It’s small, but it was just one that led to the bathroom—if that is still what is on the other side now. Whatever. It looks as if someone cares.

 

Got up early this morning and called Pinnacle to get my internet up and working. It took about an hour, but it was up and doing just fine. Seems they had a part on the tower that just discombooberated. MS Word does not approve of my word choice there. Big whoop. Anyway, thought my blog did not go through last night, but apparently it posted right before the internet crashed.

 

Just in case any of you are wondering: whoever accepted the invitation to this blog can see what is here or even post here (though few would ever post pretty pictures and poems like Keith does), and no one else can see what the old woman has posted or any of your replies. That is why it is called a private blog. Not particularly interested in fussing with anyone about my opinions or beliefs. And if something you say is either tacky or derogatory toward others, it just disappears if it ticks me off. My brother Sterling is not on FB at all any longer—and neither is my oldest son. FB is a time killer, among other things, but it suits my pace of life at the moment.

 

Sterling said they got a good boot-up-the-rear-end sermon Sunday. We were talking about those pastors who can seem to find just the right words to correct our attitudes without calling out names. Sterling brought at least five commentaries to talk about when he came to help me back on the last week of my recuperation. He talked. He expressed his opinion and approval of these guys and their take on the Bible. Finally, told him (again) today that what Paul said about differences in opinions about what was going on after the death of Christ: He knew Christ and Him crucified and risen. That was all that was necessary. Back then they had false teachers, false teaching, and general all-around judgmental attitudes just like they have today with sects, cults, divisions, and whatever else Satan can dredge up to cause problems. We need to keep an eye out for those who try to make loving Christ and others a hardship. We have one job: love God and your fellowman as yourself. Yeah, easier said than done, but definitely not as confusing as some of the trappings of so-called Christian sects. Nuff said.

 

Just got a message from my niece. Dr. Parkey said it MIGHT be possible for Anne to go home on hospice with the extra assistance provided by hospice and the VA. And he is putting her on some kind of anti-nausea med that is marijuana based that is not as hard on a person as most diuretics. This may end up being a day-by-day decision. At least he is not ready to let her go home right now until she is stronger. Please continue to pray for her and her children.

 

The old woman is tired this evening. The older, the crankier, ya know. Picked up some white mushrooms and some spinach-artichoke humus at Market Street. They gave me a ten percent rebate on my few little things simply because they provided the flu shot. We were both happy with that situation.

 

Maybe tomorrow will be an even better day than this one has been. Good things come to us all eventually. And God provides beautiful views of the moon, the sunrises, sunsets, and even some happy critters who get between your feet and chuckle when fed. May you all let Him know of your appreciation for all His gifts. You are loved.