Building Fence Again!

 Building Fence Again!

 

It’s just temporary fencing to keep the chicks close to their coop, but got out there a bit ago—yes, in this heat of 93 degrees—to put up a bit of fence around some green stuff so the chicks could sample life outside the coop. Wow! They poured out of that door as if they knew just exactly where to go! That did not last long. The older chicks came to snack on the green stuff under the plum tree, but the younger ones went back inside the middle coop. They enjoyed the freedom, but think they will like it better tomorrow when the sun is not quite so hot—earlier, in other words. Just used some metal bars that were over purchased for fencing when it was discovered that they were good for other things. Expensive, but easy to drive into the ground. Had a bunch of chicken wire left from the building phase of the coops. Anyway, this worked out so far.

 

The guys from Habitat for Humanity came awhile ago and picked up all the stray things that needed to go. They will come back tomorrow for the air compressor because they want to use a pallet jack to move it. That sucker is not so terribly heavy, but totally awkward. If they think of a way to get it out of there without having someone get hurt, that makes me happy.

 

Took a quick trip to United to pick up milk, half and half, free water bottles, and some veggies. Doesn’t take long at all to add up to some dollars! But took an apple turnover and a raspberry thing down to Patty and let the littles run a few minutes. Patty had just showered and was still barefoot. But we sat there a bit until her hair began to dry somewhat. Sitting outside on her patio is very pleasant early in the mornings. Just a good time to visit.

 

Just finished boning a couple of chickens for the dogs—and for the old woman should the notion strike. Made some potatoes and cooked a couple of pieces of steak. It was tender enough and just slightly pink in the thicker portions. Can deal with pink. Like my meat medium well, but absolutely no crime scenes! The leftovers will make lunch and supper for tomorrow.

 

Looked out the kitchen window to check on the chicks. Two had decided to fly up to sit on the tractor stands at the end of the fence under the plum tree. Was nice to see them fly back toward the coop instead of into the yard. Don’t feel like chasing chickens!

 

Know less than nothing and feel about as interested in what is going on in this world as these two dogs. But they at least bark at strangers. Think some reading will do for exercise until it is time to shut up the hens and chicks. Then maybe a quick shower and bedtime. Both dogs are fed, the hens will get a bit of scratch, the egg places will be checked one more time, and then doors latched. The old woman is feeling her age today. Guess that happens to everyone once in a while.

 

Let us rejoice in our freedoms and in the beauty of each day. We know that the blessings come from our heavenly Father. Praise His name!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Bacon Before Bedtime.

 Bacon Before Bedtime.

 

Nothing much done around here today. It started off very early with a thunder storm and rain. Not a lot of rain, but rain. Some is better than none unless you live in the Texas Panhandle right now. Those folks have flat land and the water does not have anywhere to run off. So, they are flooded. SO sorry for them! We just got lots of thunder, some rain, and some wind. Not going to gripe about any of it.

 

Had a couple of banana nut muffins for breakfast—without coffee. My half and half expired, as did the milk. And some sorry old woman has not run up to get some from the most convenient store in town! Had a good salad for lunch, and now it’s bacon before it is time to think about going to bed for the night. Not sure just exactly why bacon is so satisfying, but it is. Not ham, just bacon. The dogs are giving me that look, however. Only cooked about six pieces, so not really wanting to share. Ah, got by with handing each of them one of those Alpo T-Bonz. Glad they like those things. They smell as if they might be tasty, but the idea of chewing dog food---well, nope, just not happening.

 

Worked briefly in the workshop this morning, but only so much can get accomplished without either coffee or some sort of caffeine. Don’t remember being this lazy a few years ago, but then, Sterling told me today that it sometimes takes him three days to do what he used to do in just a few hours. Age does make a big difference in what we take on and actually get done. At least one of the buckets got dumped out and the plastic water fixtures separated so the Habitat man can decide if that is something they might want for the store. Remember for a fact that those things seemed to cost a fortune when we were buying them. Even included the little tool that cuts the pipe. Know that a plumber would be the one to call now. The old woman might get down to the level to repair something, but there is no telling when she would be able to get up again. The old cow maneuver only works when she has something to help her get the rear end up in the air before getting the front to follow! Such fun!

 

Bought a little sack of apricots the other day and sliced a couple up to put in my salad. Dang! Would love to be able to do that more often. Sliced apple is pretty good, but takes more chewing than the soft apricots. Saving the seeds to see if they will sprout, too. Have what is supposed to be a peach tree in a big pot that wintered in the green house. Think it is either a peach or a nectarine. If it is a peach, it should grow decent fruit. But we don’t usually have nectarines in this area. Oh well. We don’t have avocados either! Grew a lemon tree one time until Lewis insisted it had to leave the house. Sharp thorns on that sucker. He was not convinced it was a lemon. Roger Thonton tells me the pear trees out at his parents’ place have thorns as well!

 

Eager to hear from oldest grandson tonight to see how his first day of training at the new job went. Just hoping that it went well for him and that he can enjoy this job. Read an article about kids of his generation and how they burn out so quickly because so much is demanded of them. The stupid pandemic messed up an entire group of folks who had to learn to work from home and just kept on working until whatever was accomplished. That causes burnout in a hurry according to the article. Being around others seems to help and also gives them an outlet when they are able to tell their bosses what they are able to produce within a set amount of time. Think Grayson used to work until late at night just to get everything finished. Not sure what he really does, so it is hard for me to understand.

 

It's understandable that my grands and great-grand parents kept at their work until it was finished. Farming and logging are things that take a certain skill set and lots of determination. Critters have to be fed, the fields have to be plowed, and repairs are a constant element of life on a farm. Well, the oilfield was not all that different in some ways. But bringing in the crops and canning the produce were the main things that were talked about in the grandparents’ homes. Winter saw the women quilting or sewing together. Don’t think any of the women of our family ever spun wool or did the kind of things that women were expected to do centuries ago. Raising sheep by the time my parents were grew up was just a matter of taking the lambs to market. They might have to shear the sheep—which Daddy learned to do—but Mom did not have to deal with cleaning wool. Simply can’t imagine how difficult that would have been.

 

Life goes on. Each of us has a place and something to do to keep us out of trouble—most of the time. We have choices that those before us did not have. And now the generation that has followed us is making its choices quite a bit differently from ours. Only the farm kids know what it means to live close to the earth and what it gives us. Raising animals, feeding and caring for them, and just relying on what they have learned makes a big difference in how those young people see life. God bless them and all the young people who have choices to make.

 

Let us rejoice in each day that God gives us. Our lives belong to Him. May He guide us and may we follow willingly.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Uninvited Guest.

 Uninvited Guest.

 

Normally won’t kill a snake unless it is venomous. But when one gets into the hens’ coop and eats all the eggs, well, there is not anyplace to move that sucker out of my yard. They will eat baby chicks, too. Think my chicks are fast enough and big enough, this one probably would not have caught one. But it should have stuck with eating rats if it wanted to stay alive around me!

 

Have not accomplished diddly squat today. Still recovering from moving stuff around yesterday. Did pull up some poppy plants and stuck them in a trash can. May put them out somewhere later or just toss the plants in the big bin. Would appreciate poppies more if they would stay in the flower bed instead of just rambling all over the place. Oh well. They really ARE pretty!

 

Sharon Dickerson sent me a picture of a great big cucumber. They grew it in their little backyard garden. Growing things to eat makes me happy. One year when Lance was expected, got home from the hospital in time to harvest my first little squashes. It made me so happy to find them ready to eat. They were small, but no one else was going to eat them unless they were fried!! Lewis would eat just about anything fried. Fried green tomatoes, fried okra, fried potatoes, fried . . .apples.

 

Spent about an hour down with Patty this morning. She had seen something on TV news that upset her. Some kid was getting ready to graduate and someone asked him how he felt about all the transgender mess. He said, “Boys are boys and girls are girls.” They decided he was extremely prejudiced, so he was not allowed to walk for graduation. He was also thrown off the fire department volunteer roster. How sad. Are people no longer allowed to have an opinion at all? Wondering when someone will decide that the old woman is dangerous because she believes that she is a Christian. Sooner or later maybe the backlash will go the other way. Those who believe the Ten Commandments are the foundation of law and moral standing will either be hunted down like criminals during the witch trials or will have to be very quiet in order to be able to work or remain unpersecuted. Hope my foreboding is totally mistaken.

 

Need to figure out how to make a headband to keep the hair out of my face and the sweat out of my glasses. And no, a hat doesn’t work very well. Do have a hat that was given to me at one of the Habitat for Humanity women’s build events. It is pretty cool most of the time, but this heat is still enough to soak my head and face with perspiration. Oh well. Maybe it will help me lose weight. Riiiight!

 

Guess we should be thankful for the rain we got earlier this past week. We have “chances” of rain for a few days, but when they say 40% chance of having rain, someone pointed out that means 60% of NOT having rain. Yep, that’s Texas. Just be thankful we are not having really bad storms.

 

Let’s try to have an attitude of gratitude as much as possible in our lives. Each of us faces something every day that may challenge us. My oldest grandson starts a new job tomorrow. He needs confidence and peace of mind. That will be my prayer for him along with finding favor in the eyes of his new employer. Each of us can easily pray for our family members or friends when they become upset over what we hear or see around us. Those like Patty who feel belittled for her beliefs can not easily just blow things off. Let us help one another to realize that all of this garbage of what gender and identity folks have will not matter soon. God knows what and who we are. Let us trust in Him.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Project Guidance!

 Project Guidance!

 

Jennifer and Reece came today. Reece wanted to hold a hen, but they are not exactly unwitting creatures. And Reece doesn’t exactly understand patience with silly critters. So, the hens outran him. He picked up a chick, and it bounced from one hand and out of the other. But he got them to eat out of his hand when he held it close enough to the ground. Got some meal worms (dead) for him so he could tempt them. They are flying all over that end of the green house side. Still think it is going to be next best thing to impossible to clip one wing on each chick. Not sure it will even be necessary, but will spend some more time thinking about it. They are still small enough that the dogs might snatch one up to taste. The dogs don’t bother the hens, but that is different.

 

With Jennifer’s suggestions, think the workshop will soon look much better. She put up some nails for hanging things and managed to put some things in different places before we went back inside and then out for breakfast. We went to Jimmy’s Egg where we had to wait just a wee bit before being seated. Service was pretty good and the food was tasty. Not sure what the spicy stuff was in my meal, but if it was jalapeno, did not see any great big slices. Reece was pretty tired and wanted to sleep, but Jenn would not let him, so he bought an energy drink and we walked around the new United. Jenn was shocked at the prices. Some things that she buys at Kroger were about two dollars cheaper at our store. She was saying that we have got a real bargain with this store! My feelings exactly.

 

Called the Habitat for Humanity store and made an appointment to have some things picked up that will never be needed around here. Hoping that they will take this great big air compressor out of the shop for me. Think the window that was in one corner was one Jerry put in the shop. Who knows where it came from! But it is leaving with the Habitat man. Meant to ask Jennifer if she thought any of the family would want those huge sledge hammers. Dear Hearts, an old woman could not pick one up off the ground. Drag it maybe, but not pick it up. And to think, Lewis used to swing that thing like a regular hammer! That man was SO strong! His sledge has his initials welded on it so one of the other guys would not claim it. They tended to “borrow” tools from him and not bring them back. He made some of his own tools in order to work on the big Cats. He was pretty good at it, too.

 

We got a tiny bit less than a third of an inch of rain last night. And we did not even have to use the thunder shirts. Not being greedy or anything, but a couple of days more of rain certainly would not hurt my feelings. My brother and sister-in-law are back in Arkansas, my kids are all at home, and my grain and feed bins are refilled, so it can just rain to beat the band as far as my feelings are concerned. Still thinking of a rain dance of jubilation!

 

Sharon Dickerson is going to try to go back to church tomorrow, so she is doing somewhat better. Saw that Tami Yonts was still cheerfully hanging in there. Noticed that Olga Weurk’s family are still looking happy and playing with all the little goats and calves. Haven’t talked to Maggie and her husband this week. Honestly, just about everything is right in the world for some folks.

 

We are reminded that we are to accept folks for what they feel about themselves even when they are determined to be a bit different from the rest of us. Not sure just what is so good about being me, but it is too much trouble to try to be anything else. Jenn reminded me today that some folks don’t want to be called Mexican or Indian or whatever. She has a friend who was adopted as a baby and raised in Iowa or Ohio or one of those strange places that are American but not Texan. Anyway, the young woman is dark as in from India. Folks insist that she tell them “what” she is or where she’s from. She just tells them she is American. Hello, if you can’t say Texan, then there’s no sense in beating around the bush. My family roots are Irish, Scot, German, Cherokee, and English—and who knows what. So, that makes me a Heinz 57 unless the Texan thing comes first. As Popeye said, “I yam what I yam, and that’s all that I yam.”

 

Oldest sent me a picture that included the U.S. Naval Observatory in the background and a guy with his shirt pulled up looking at his navel. Ahem.

 

Let’s be grateful for each day and the blessings in life! God has us in His hands.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Make a Mess to Clean a Mess!

 Make a Mess to Clean a Mess!

 

Mom used to clean the great big hall closet by taking EVERY little thing out of it. She claimed that a person had to make a mess sometimes to clean up a mess. Well, that must be my theory as well because cleaning out the workshop has certainly turned into making a mess all around the outside of it. Just cleaning the leaves and dirt out has been nearly impossible. Thought about getting another water hose to just wash it out and push broom the mess right on out the door. And may happen yet! But at least the corners are visible now. Putting stuff back inside may get interesting. Still have to get all the nails, screws, and assorted “Shtuff” sorted and put into some kind of bins. Labeling them should be fun, too.

 

The wind has blown rather heartily today and the pollen count is a medium 6 point something. Tomorrow the pollen count is supposed to be less than one. Yeah, right. Believe that when we see it! But it is supposed to get wet—somewhere. Know for sure that saline solution will be needed after the shower tonight in order to remove some of that dust that covered me and went up my nose while trying to sweep and remove the big stuff. Bleah. But at least the trash bin is empty for right now.

 

Talked to Jennifer and she and her youngest may come up tomorrow. Reece picked up something too heavy and ended up hurting himself. So, we can’t let him mess with stuff. But he can at least enjoy playing with the chicks. Will go get feed early tomorrow and pick up some worms—well, they look like worms. Anyway, he can sit down in the coop and hand feed the little twerps. If we go and check on him and find chicks all over him . . .

 

It got a bit warm today, but the wind kept it from being too terrible. And it was not overly humid. The grass getting cut on Thursday stirred up dust and mold, but the wind pretty well takes care of that after a day. If we could get a two- or three-inch rain, the old woman might just go out and dance in the stuff! The ground is cracking open. Feel sorry for folks who have those cement slabs for a foundation. The ground cracks under them the same as if they were not there. Then the folks have some problems—especially if any plumbing is in that slab. Have heard of folks running water around their houses to keep the ground from breaking open like that.

 

Well, glory be! Might have to go find my dancing shoes. We have a severe weather alert until midnight. Praying for rain!

 

Sharon Dickerson sent me a picture from the barbecue event they attended. She is looking SO much better. She really was in a mess there for a bit. Think she has to go back into the hospital on the 13^th to have some stints removed. She is not happy about that, but at least she is not sick.

 

Will be praying for travel mercies for my brother and my SIL on their trip back to Arkansas tomorrow. Guess they will get home in time to rest before they go to church Sunday. They are always doing something. Sterling got to talking to some fellow at the camp grounds where they are staying. He wanted to know what Sterling does. Funny question. He could have answered that he was a practicing beer drinking, wood burning, brush-hogging non-farmer, but he just showed the guy his little wooden airplane and gave it to him. The one he gave me the other day is out on the post just flying high! This guy was thrilled to get a plane. Not surprised.

 

Not sure anything else it going to be accomplished today. Made banana nut muffins a bit ago, so breakfast is done except for the coffee. Guess looking up the location of the thunder shirts would save me some time later. Understand how they feel, but getting them trussed up is a pain! Oh well.

 

Let’s pray for God’s mercy that the weather going through right now will be a blessing and not a curse of damaging wind and hail. We really need the rain. May we find favor in His eyes.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Just Because!

 Just Because!

 

Lance suggested that we could clean out the workshop this fall after it became cooler. He thought it might take two or three hours to get it all cleaned out. We will see what one little ol’ determined battle-axe can do with good intentions and a trash bin. Hmm.

 

Plan to start the new door early Monday morning for the workshop. By then it might be clearer to me what needs to go BACK inside and what needs to be somewhere else. Have a walker up there in the rafters. Anyone need one? Also have an electric weed eater that would not go where the weeds are that need to be removed unless Wall-e lets us plug in to Him. Not going to keep the grease guns either! The only big part of the mess that bothers me about tossing is the big buckets of assorted screws and nails. It feels as if they should be sorted and stored for future use. Those stupid star bits and the screws that go with them have a tendency to make me hot under the collar. Nothing was ever wrong with Phillips and the straight edge screws. Maybe it has something to do with patents? But at least with Lance’s help, the old woman now knows the difference between metal screws and wood screws. So, there’s that.

 

The young man who mows mine and Patty’s places did a good and really fast job today. Not sure how much horse power he is pushing on his zero-turn mower, but that thing is lightning fast! Went down to Patty’s after the mower left and picked up a rug for her. She has some steps down to the ground level beside her house that have a concrete facing that is crumbling. Told her not to go down that side at all! Can just see the facing falling off with someone’s feet on it. Not funny! Anyway, she kept the littles inside so my dogs could follow me down there. They seemed to enjoy the exploration, but Thompson seems to be slower than usual. It could be this heat. Even as cloudy as it is right now, the gauge shows 87 degrees out there! Both dogs seem happy to stay inside under the AC. Well, for that matter, so does the old woman.

 

Guess the poppies in the sidewalk leading to the front porch will have to be harvested for seeds. The blooms are gone now. The bluebonnets have plenty of seed, but all the pods are still green as a gourd. Will just leave them there a bit longer. If anyone in this area needs some seeds, just let me know.

 

It is difficult to believe how fast these chicks are growing. The first nine that were about a week old when they were sold to me have stood a half leg taller than the younger ones all along, but now the young ones are beginning to pick up height, too. The “turkins” are still the ugliest thing in the chicken coop, but they are also heavy looking. Being allergic to feathers and such keeps me from picking them up and playing with them, but these critters are all a little flighty anyway. Expect the gold sex link to be the friendliest of the bunch. They are just sweet chickens when they grow up. Things may be different since they are growing up with all the other breeds, but time will tell.

 

Noticed that Lance looked in the fridge for cool water while he was here. For some reason water tastes better to me when it is not cold. Go figure. Guess it would not hurt me to put some in the fridge for others. Hardly ever have anyone here long enough to need a bottle of water, but still, that is just good manners to offer.

 

Talking to a friend about drugs that the FDA says are perfectly safe—except for the side effects like memory loss, paranoia, depression, and death—makes me wonder what good the FDA does at all. She said that listening to the side effects that they list on the TV commercials is enough to make a person afraid to take just about anything. One commercial about drugs for glaucoma: side effects can include blindness. Oh, whoopee! Her theory is that the pharmaceutical companies have pressured folks at the FDA or bought their approval. Either way, the American public is stuck with dangerous drugs. Crazy!

 

Someday our world will be straightened out and folks won’t need the kind of drugs most of us take today. No one thinks about the fact that our food is the same as some of these drugs. The ingredients are a bit iffy—to say the least. But the day will come when the earth will be healed and all those who walk it will also be healed. And it is not mankind that will be doing the healing. But all of you know that. Nature itself needs our help, but it, too, will need God’s hands to be healed. Looking forward to that day.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.