Discoveries Galore!

 Discoveries Galore!

 

My truck decided to warn me that the gas cap was loose or something. Talk about irritating! Bing, bing, bing, bing! Argh! But took it into Danny Foix’s station and got the oil changed and the tank filled up. Not bad. Besides all that, they washed the windows!! Now grantedly, the entire truck needs to be washed, but that won’t happen today.

 

Judy Brunson told me that Sam’s has those large containers of cottage cheese, so the old woman may just order some groceries from Sam’s this –started to say morning, but it is already nearly noon! What a morning!

 

Went to pick up my grandson and take him out toward Sheppard to get the child seat and stuff from his car. It blew a head gasket. Brought him back and got Josiah and Izzy. Took Josiah to sitter and Izzy to Walmart to work, and then we hit Taco Bell and had breakfast in front of his apartment. He said since he can’t work today, he will clean the apartment. Just the bathroom would be enough to scare me!!! Oh well.

 

Sent off to get some Yuban little pods for the coffee machine. Love Yuban, but have been avoiding caffeine altogether, but the Tim whosit coffee was hurting my stomach again. If it is not one thing, it’s another.

 

While getting the oil changed, discovered that Danny Foix now owns the Speegle place. Have no idea why they stopped tearing it down, but at least it gives me a name if it occurs to me to gripe about that fire hazard. Would love to see every one of these abandoned houses torn down and the lots cleaned off.

 

Have some work that needs to be done in my big bathroom. Asked Lance if he thought that he could handle it. He had no idea what was needed, so will just have to ask him to bring his big wooden hammer that he made and get him to sit down and take up the slabs that need to be replaced and put down the section of boards that were left over from the living room. They do not match in any way, form, or fashion, but at least they will not be split apart from the ones that are still good. That’s not clear, but my head knows what it should look like even if the colors do not match. Thought about some linoleum, but not even sure where it can be purchased now.

 

Talked to Rylan about how or when he plans to marry Izzy. Offered him my mother’s ring, and he said he would take me up on that. Think it would be neat if Izzy wore Mom’s ring. Just wish their lives were a bit more settled and his transportation were a bit more secure. Then too, Izzy needs to learn how to drive. Boy! Would not want to be that teacher!!

 

Jennifer said that Sam’s delivers, so will just get online and make out the list to take care of that. After all the running around this morning, this old woman just needs to be still for quite a bit. Love delivery services!!

 

Started reading the instructor’s book for the next section on Romans for Sunday school. It is supposed to last three months!!! Can’t imagine how well that is going to go. At least from what has been said yesterday, the AC at the church is now working. Bet that cost a bundle and some! The original church was built back in the 70s, so no telling how old the unit is that cools the older part of the church. Just know that they scream about the electric bill right now. Normal, is my guess. If a person does not try to find the cheapest service out there, it is just asking for bad bills. Energy Ogre has made a HUGE difference in my bills. Atmos for natural gas has never been a problem, but electricity through Oncor or Texas Electric has always been high as a kite! Would not want to pay the bills for my neighbors!!

 

Have not heard from MaryAnn—ring a ling! Now know that Nona can’t have her foot surgery until the 14^th of September. For pity’s sake! Surely, they have an operating room that Dr. Wilson could use to take care of this amputation! Then she wants to go to Encounter center for rehab. The way it feels to me is that she will need to find a nursing home that can take care of her. Her husband is only human and looks VERY tired lately. She gets him up every two hours at night. Too bad the pain pills don’t last longer than an hour or two.

 

The old woman’s back is giving me fits now from all the stuff that was done yesterday, but at least my house is clean. After seeing the bathroom at Rylan’s apartment, my house feels squeaky clean!! Gracious! It made me want to start picking up things and throwing them in the trash and then soaking everything in Mr. Clean and scrubbing those places! Nothing like seeing something dirty to make one appreciate one’s own home! Yes, the old woman should not gripe about how they keep house, but Rylan will have a couple of days to get that apartment cleaned up! Until they get his car fixed, his mom will have to pick them up and get them wherever. Today was not something that would normally be my job. Didn’t really mind, but it worries me that they do not have a stable situation. Guess this is the time to give them some prayer time for God’s mercy. Who knows, maybe Rylan will get to hear a bit more about God.

 

Must take time to get online and see about ordering from Sam’s. Thompson was not happy with yogurt on top of his kibble, thank you very much. Oh well. He will not go hungry.

 

Let us give love at every instant and be an example to others and of how God has blessed us. May God bless this nation and forgive us these horrible things that have happened from abortion to murder and releasing horrible criminals upon society! Please protect our children, Father God.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Overdone, Undone, Messed Up.

 Overdone, Undone, Messed Up.

 

Yep, looked at all that dog hair floating around the house and decided it had—absolutely HAD—to be cleaned up. So, the old woman cleaned house today. Well, vacuumed, wiped, used a dust mop, soaked this or that and some spots on the floor cleaned all the way to the base of the floor! And yes, the old woman is going to be regretting all this exercise and bending over. But the floors are mopped and smell great. Now, THAT part was due to Maria as she came and mopped for me. The little Bissell vacuum is not too hard to use, but that wet mop has to be really used diligently or the floors will not really be cleaned. Well, that’s my opinion, and maybe Maria’s too!

 

Cooked up some hamburger for me and these two critters. Had a cheese and spicy pickle sandwich and then cleaned the cast iron skillet. That sucker gets heavier every day! And, one does NOT use soap in a cast iron skillet. It has to be soaked and scrubbed good with a steel scrubber. Anyway, it is clean, the stove top is clean, and the things are out of the way with the food put away. Hooray for a clean house. Even the rugs under the rolling chairs in my office and living room have been washed and dried. The greyish blue carpet is now in the living room and the red and blue one is in the office. Sylvia is stretched out on it at the moment.

 

Started reading next month’s lesson in Romans this afternoon. This is going to be a long one—all the way into November! Downloaded a commentary on Romans and have been reading AT it. It takes some concentration! Paul was not the easiest to read. Even Peter said that it could be difficult. Guess it stands to reason that Paul was trying to deal with people who had JUST learned about Jesus Christ as well as some who were totally unready for these beliefs. Some folks thought that salvation was through works rather than grace. And the two different viewpoints did not always make it easy to counsel with either. Good thing that God is patient.

 

MaryAnn said that one of the ladies had called her on her way back from Ft. Worth. Seems the lady is going to have to let a doctor here take her foot off. It really is difficult to take care of one’s self when diabetes makes it so very painful. Between cancer in its many forms and diabetes and its side effects, folks are doing well to just deal with life. Nevermind the expense of living and the work involved in just taking care of one’s home and vehicle. But at least this old woman has two sweet dogs. May have had to give up my hens, but that was probably for the best. At least now it is possible to have a few flowers out front.

 

MaryAnn also said that they finally got the AC working in the church, but Glenn was so aghast at the price that he would not even say how much it was. Let’s hope that it works for a very long time and does not need more work.

 

Asked Maria to find out how much her brother-in-law would charge to clean up the old Black’s house on the corner. Even after the yard is clean, the house and garage will have to be removed. The permit might not cost an arm and a leg, but the work and the dumpster won’t come cheap. Even so, here’s hoping it gets finished this year. Would love to have a good neighbor down there.

 

The moon is going to be turned blood red this weekend—well, Friday and Saturday maybe. Not sure exactly. Know one thing for sure, the old woman will be in bed and snoring hard when all this comes about.

 

Thought it was good that President Trump had the flags put at half mast for Dolly Parton. She has been so generous in her life. If that woman was not a good Christian, then some of us need to be that terribly BAD!

 

This has been one very hazy day. Not sure if it is the smoke from the big fire south of us or something else, but the temps did not get really bad until this afternoon. May get up very early in the morning and run to United for cottage cheese and a few things like that. It’s always something. Meant to cook up a bunch of veggies today, but just did not get it done. Tomorrow is another day. Will have to decide if this is going to be four cheese Alfredo or if it will be tomato. Almost bet it will be chicken and Alfredo with celery, carrots, green beans, corn, and maybe something else!

 

Had ordered some blank cards to use to send messages to this one and that. Today ONE card and its envelope came today. Some old woman needs to be much more careful about picking her things up on Amazon. The price was not terrible, but had wanted more than one card in a pack. Sigh.

 

My sister-by-another-mother called this morning and talked for quite a while. She does not really have anyone else who she can call and talk to that much. Guess my day may come when it will be difficult to find someone to call. Yes, may be known someday as the long-winded old bat who talks about chickens and dogs.

 

Really don’t know much right now. Have not even attempted to see what is going on in the world. The fires all over the U.S. have been enough to give us plenty about which to pray. The rest of the world has been having upsets and floods, too. And the people in Indiana are still digging out and trying to get the electricity back on in their towns. Prayers are definitely needed. Hoping that the ranchers in Jack County and Palo Pinto are able to find some pasture for their cows. Please God, let those men be able to keep their critters.

 

Finally, let us each be as loving as possible to those we meet and find in our lives. If we can keep a level head and listen with patience even when we seem to have gone to extremes to BE patient, then maybe God will bless us with answers to our needs. He loves us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

After Nine and Still Hot.

 After Nine and Still Hot.

 

This day started out pretty decent and not even at 80 degrees when the gauge on the back deck smiled at me. Well, maybe it was the old woman smiling. We had a bit of cloud cover and the hint of moisture in the air. Thunder happened again last night and maybe some moisture hit the ground. Still, it is not what one would call “rain.” Oh, Lord, please give us rain and enough to cool the heat and water the pastures and fill the tanks and lakes. Yes, that is asking for a lot, but why go small when we need it all!

 

Services for Sunday school went well and the sermon was good. This pastor tries very hard to make it easier for us to understand that we need to give love and to encourage everyone we come into contact with to know the Lord as we do. Not getting out much has a tendency to limit my reach, but at least my prayers are heard whether or not my arms can’t touch the ones for whom my prayers are meant. One of the ladies in Sunday school reminded us today that we are ALWAYS able to reach others with our prayers. God listens; He answers prayers. Judy K. was very wise in her answer today. We need to be reminded more often.

 

Maybe little old ladies such as the old woman may not be able to go out and meet with many people or otherwise be around those outside of the church, but our prayers meet others right where they are in life. Whether it is our children, grandchildren, or other family, their lives are in our prayers each day. Today is just like every other day in that respect. Our love is the reflection of God’s love for us and all of His children. Let us rejoice in that love and pray that those who do not know it yet will be brought into His kingdom.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

To Be a Polar Bear!

 To Be a Polar Bear!

 

Well, come to think of it, being ANY kind of furry creature would not be good if it had to live in this Texas heat. And from what they are writing about the demise of the polar bears, those critters are starving to death in the northern polar ice packs. Poor creatures.

 

Have made my bed and fed the dogs, so my day is about started. This day is going to be another hot one, so it’s shorts and sandals for going to Bible study today. Lewis would not have approved, but this old woman has to give some consideration to the weather when dressing to get out of the house.

 

Eating the next to the last container of Greek yogurt means that someone may have to actually cook her own breakfast in a couple of days. It’s not that difficult, but standing over the stove is just not overly interesting or comfortable. Wow! Listen to this old person gripe when some folks do not have any choices at all!

 

Sitting here thinking about what has been planned for this week and trying to decide if the old woman wants to get out and among others at all in this heat. Staying at home sounds so much more comfortable and even useful. No, the floors may not get dust mopped today or in the next few days, but getting outside does not appeal whatsoever! Have moved the water hose a few times to try to save my grapevine and the fig out front. Michelle Malay assures me that the crepe myrtle will not die despite the looks of it. Still, it looks so pathetic when it wilts and just hangs there. Sigh.

 

Well, the old woman gave up and let the church secretary know that she would be AOL from Bible study today. My back is giving me fits and then some. Am guessing that pulling up the morning glory vines and dragging the water hoses around may not have been some of my better actions. Argh! Oh, to have the strength of my youth and the energy of a four-year-old! The church secretary said that the AC is on the blink again at the church. Whoo boy! Certainly hope that it can be fixed by Sunday.

 

Had Ritz crackers with whipped cream cheese for supper. Ate two of the frozen meals today rather than do any real cooking. Even if it were not painful to stand and cook, it is simply too hot to think, much less cook. Have two stalks of corn that will be cooked tomorrow and some celery to clean and chop up for snacks. Even when youth was my best friend, snacks were a have-to demand. Mom could not keep carrots since they were one of my favorite snacks. Ruined the braces that one dentist put on me, but honestly don’t think they were going to do any good after the horse’s head hit me smack dab in the mouth while we were in Arkansas. No going to a dentist during that trip! Such is life.

 

Just let the dogs out one more time before we are in for the night. Opened the back door and the knob on the inside was ok, but the knob on the outer side of the door was H-O-T! Amazing! Did not step out to look at the thermometer on the deck, but can guarantee that it would be over 100 degrees.

 

A friend in England said that they were getting rain. They needed it desperately just to cool off the air! Read that the machines that make electricity in some of those European countries are failing because of lack of water. May God bless them and take care of their needs. The same is true here. Lakes are going down rapidly and the city may have to do the waste water routine again this year if we don’t get some rain soon. Oh boy! Then we will be known—again—as the nasty town with nasty water. Sigh. Still, we are blessed to have what there is of both water and lack of fires such are happening in the Northwest. See that the weather forecast is for a really rough winter this year. It would be one thing if we had rain with it, but it may just be cold and colder without moisture. Guess we can just pray that God will bless us with what the pastures and fields will need. All creatures domesticated and otherwise need water right now.

 

The dogs have come back inside and are lying down in here where the AC is on. Dogs don’t get cooled off as easily as one might think. Thompson seems more apt to move to spots around the room that might be a bit cooler. Sylvia just pants a lot! Have seen the advertisements for those cooling pads, but doubt seriously that either of them would lie down on one enough to make it worth getting one. Guess they can just keep moving around the rooms to find the coolest spots.

 

Patty called me this morning for a change. She had just had her groceries delivered from Walmart and was amazed at the young woman being able to bring everything inside in ONE trip! Four carriers of Dr Pepper and a sack of potatoes plus the rest of the assorted goods all were toted inside on her arms! She must have a tight schedule to have her moving that fast and getting it done!

 

Saw a thing on FB that said that Rylan had a good job open up for him. It has something to do with coaching a young person who has some mental health problems through a school day. Had no idea that he was qualified to do something like that, but considering that he has had his own problems in life, it is wonderful that he can help others. The only thing that bothered me was that his appreciation comment revealed that he has no idea who God is or how he depends on His blessings to survive and thrive. May God bless him to understand soon.

 

Saw something on FB today that felt pretty sound: Be the peace you want to feel. God can give us peace—His peace—but we have to want it, too. Am determined not to be part of anyone else’s anger or distrust. We choose what we allow into our minds and hearts. Let us ask God to deliver us from anger and distrust.

 

Pray for our president, our nation, and its military. Then let us each do our part to help others who need what we can do for them. Let us pray for those who mourn and those who are dealing with diseases. May God give us His comfort and His healing.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Tree Trimming and Road Blocking.

 Tree Trimming and Road Blocking.

 

Yes, yes. We know that tree trimming definitely needs to be done to keep the electricity on out here, but blocking the roads might not be the wisest thing to do when the neighbors need to go pick up children from school or someone needs to get a delivery. Oh, the old woman could sit and watch that man cut down part of the pecan trees in Mr. Black’s yard; it might prove to be very entertaining. But at the same time, it is just a bit scary to think that his saw could very easily hit one of those big lines! Please protect them, Lord! Meanwhile, the dogs will let me know when the rest of the crew start picking stuff up and stuffing it into the wood chippers. Dread to see what these guys will do to my trees, however. Know that at least three of them may really be de-horned!

 

Suzanne Priddy has offered to give our minister her dad’s old place down there on the corner, but the entire lot will have to be cleared and the structures removed before it could ever have anything put back on it. The old house is flat on the ground after all these years, so nothing underneath could be accessed. At least the electricity and gas are off. The water probably will have to be rerouted for any other structure to go up as well. Not that it matters. It would be nice to have a neighbor down there for a change.

 

Speaking of new neighbors, Jerry’s house (Max and Laisha’s house really) has had several people come look at it. It now has a Hirschi sign out front. Maybe a new person will be able to get others to look at it and get it sold. That would take a burden off the kids since they are still making house payments on it. Again, it would be nice to have a good neighbor over there. Max and Laisha were excellent neighbors, but the military doesn’t really give them a choice about staying in one place.

 

The big truck that has the movable basket for the man in it currently is in the back yard of the Miranda family. Hmm. Hope that is not necessary for my trees. They could park in the old driveway next to the front of the house, but that is about the only place they could place it. Guess we will see when they get to us. They ended up driving through the lower gate on the east end of the lots and coming back up here to cut half of the hackberry tree off on the east side. Way to Go! The ones out front don’t get cut even though they need it. Such is life.

 

The heat is about to make a bunch of folks ill. Patty said that she is afraid to open her front door and certainly can’t let the little dog out. The gauge out front says that it is 116 on my front porch and 89 in the living room. No sense in turning the AC down unless planning on staying in that room. Please God, don’t let the electricity go out! Mr. Black’s pecan trees are about half as bushy as they were. Wow! Should be interesting to see what they look like when finished.

 

Called PETS in PetSmart to see if the Heart Guard Plus would cost too much. It is only $35 through them, but they have to have the copy of the heartworm test before they will fill the prescription. Duh, it’s not like the vet would give me the prescription without testing first! Just sent both Thompson’s Galliprant and the Heart Guard to Sam’s and they will fill it for me. They will also deliver it. Patty said their attitude at PETS resembled that of T-Mobile when she tried to get her phone changed. It’s like a Catch-22. You have to call them from that number, but if the phone is not working, how can you call them from that number? Duh and double duh.

 

It was hot when we were growing up here and in Clay County, but it seems to me that the heat right now it totally stupid. Would not want to be out on the highway and have car trouble or a flat tire or blow out. That is some serious trouble, especially for an older person. Glad my kids don’t have a terribly long drive to work.

 

Our minister lives in Frederick, OK, and drives here for Sunday services and Bible study on Wednesday. Seems to me that this would be a good week to skip the Bible study, but he also wants to have a games day on this Saturday. Guess that is not all that much to expect when we think about what is going to take place on the weekend of the 28^th through the 30^th of this month. The Hotter ‘N’ Hell Hundred is just about the craziest bike ride ever! August in Texas! This old woman gave up riding bikes when Lewis fell off his before we ever got started on the trails over at the Lake Park. He looked at me, then got up and put his bike back in the truck. Suited me. That was the last time either of us got on a bike. We sat in the back of the truck and watched the bike race one year, but that was all we would do. Had our little puppy—a Chow Chow—with us and everyone who saw him thought he was so cute and fluffy. He was truly a sweet dog. Had no idea that full blood dogs had so many problems with genetic traits that caused them pain. Good reason to get mutts like these two cooling off here in the house. They are still healthy even at 10 and 12.

 

Read my Sunday school lesson this morning and decided to do a little research on the people of Moab. Know their origin was from Lot’s older daughter and Lot himself. Crazy. Have no idea what those two girls were thinking, but they had no trust in God at all. Guess that is true of any of us at some point, but surely not to go to that extreme! Even so, Ruth was a good woman who believed in Yahweh. She must have been very influenced by Naomi to have that deep trust.

 

Sitting here looking at these two bulletin boards over my desk. So many good memories. Wondering now how many memories my grands are making in their lives. Rachel is still working on her CPA exams; Landon is taking classes for aircraft maintenance. Whatever they enjoy is great with me. In whatever way God blesses them in their endeavors will be the best for them. Same is true for all our grands. We just have to ask God to bless them.

 

Will finish this later. And now it is later. Tomorrow is trash day and will call Patty and see if she needs me to come throw hers in the bin. It just about takes it out of her—and that’s before the heat. Guess it’s about time to take care of my own trash. Hope to vacuum the kitchen and living room tomorrow, but we will see.

 

Let us ask God for His protection on our president, troops, and all the first responders. May He bless us with safety and love.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Hellfire and Floods.

 Hellfire and Floods.

 

Tonight the font is too small for my iddy-biddy eyesight. So, here’s to size 24 fonts to be reduced before posting.

 

Called my friend Carla Beard in Connersville, Indiana, to check on her as they are beginning to flood on the river that goes through her area. She feels pretty safe on her hill above Grand Avenue, but one lady with a 19-month-old baby just a block over is feeling pretty desperate. The Walmart has told folks to bring their stuff and park in their parking lot. Praise God! Here they are watching trees snapped in half by flood waters and we sit here at 105 to 115 degrees heat. Explained to Carla that turning on the cold water means it will be hot because the ground is hot so deep that the pipes are too hot to let cold water do anything except get hotter. And we need rain desperately. So far have not seen any water restrictions posted, but that won’t be too long coming. Maybe September will bring rain and cooler temps.

 

Went to Bible study today and enjoyed what we heard. We always manage to get off topic just a bit, and yes, the old woman is as guilty as charged for causing some of that. Even so, Pastor Hayes is using a commentary on the book of John that helps a bit for understanding the times and what was considered acceptable back then—or at least that is my take on what he has read to us. Commentaries do seem to help when someone has taken the time to discern the differences in words from the Hebrew to what we read today.

 

Let the water run on my crepe myrtle again today and then filled up the stock tank next to the deck. It is hard to believe that the stock tank (a metal tank about like a bathtub) can lose as much water as it does from evaporation! Yes, the dogs drink out of it as well, but surely not two- or three-inches worth of water would go in two days! The flowers out front desperately needed water and the vines given to me by Brenda Jones looked droopy. Just needed more water. Poor little things!

 

The man came today and knocked down wasp nests and sprayed again. Can just bet that the influx of bugs will start again. Yuck! Need to clean the house, but Julian said that Maria would be going to Mexico for ten days this next week, so if cleaning gets done, the old woman will have to be the one to do it.

 

Have some ideas for a chicken pot pie that requires the oven to be lit. No, not yet. It will wait until November when it will be cool enough to light the oven. Sigh. If it were cooked in the microwave, the crust would not brown, and what’s a chicken pot pie without a brown crust?! Oh well. Tuna salad will do for now! Just may include bell peppers in it instead of celery.

 

Got a 35-pound bag of dog food the other day, and even the delivery guy felt it was heavy! Will take out the bag that is in the big bin in the kitchen and drag the new bag into the room before trying to put it in there still inside the bag. It gets yucky if poured into the bin, so it stays in the bag until it is used up or at least down to about five-pounds before the bag is cut down to hold what’s left. This sounds complicated, but it is the sort of thing that makes me have to think to keep from picking up something that is heavier than what is recommended for my situation. Can remember tossing a bale of hay easily, and now just the simplest of things causes extra consideration. Old age is definitely not for sissies!

 

Reading about the firefighters that have been killed lately fighting these fires is about enough to make a person sick. Their families need our prayers. Here we are with flooding in one area and fires consuming hundreds of acres of land and homes in another area! Crazy weather and situations. Let us ask God to help us understand what we need to do to protect ourselves from these disasters. May He forgive us and direct us in the way we need to go.

 

Then there are more earthquakes and cities destroyed in South America. Yes, we know that earthquakes are not so very uncommon, but it makes me think of the scripture where it talks about the various catastrophes that will occur before the end comes. May we all ask forgiveness of our sins and look to God for guidance.

 

One of the things that startled me recently was some comments from a couple of people about having their picture taken. The way the world is now, cameras are everywhere—not just in the hands of those around us. When stepping inside of my local savings and loan, my picture is taken immediately. No flash, no comment, just a quick picture—just in case. It doesn’t bother me. But what can artificial intelligence do with all these pictures if someone took a notion to use those pictures for whatever? We have no idea what life is going to be like in a very few years—especially with the introduction of AI. Nothing is going to be really private any longer. But our thoughts may not—for the time being—be seen or heard unless we voice them. So be it.

 

Not to end this post with paranoia, but let us trust God to help us keep our thoughts on Him and His word. We KNOW we can trust God.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Stuck on Ninety-Three!

 Stuck on Ninety-Three!

 

It has not been making sense, so today, with two double A batteries and three triple A batteries, the temperature gauge out front is now showing the true(ish) temps out front. The gauge inside immediately went from 93 to 99 as the batteries took effect, but now the gauge says 102 outside and 81 inside the living room! On the back deck, the temps are well over 110 degrees! Yeppers! Texas is on the broiler. This is the reason the little fig tree needed water so badly. The few blooming flowers out front have to have water daily as well. Need to remember to put water on the flowers out in front of the sanctuary on Wednesday.

 

Woke up feeling like leftover crud this morning for some reason. Called Patty to check on her, but she was much better than the old woman. Then later spoke to MaryAnn to hear about one of the ladies who attends church when she can. She may have to have part of her foot removed since there is an infection in one of the bones. She was supposed to be having IV drugs for this, but someone did not get the message, so she has been getting worse instead of better. She really needs someone who knows what needs to be done on her case and who would stick with it. Her poor husband has no idea what to do other than to do his best to take care of her. Have a feeling his health is not going to improve at this rate. May God bless Nona and Larry.

 

Thought about something my daughter said the other day about a house close to her and how neat it would be to have most of the extra family living there. Personally, this old battleaxe would not want anyone telling her where to be and how to behave, so will remain in my home as long as it is financially and physically possible. But on the other hand, it would make sense to have extended family living in one very large house where one cook and one part-time housekeeper could take care of the entire group. It would be about like a group home with some differences. And for sure it would beat a nursing home for the older members! Any younger members who could drive and shop would just be an added benefit to the entire group. Anyway, it was just a thought. Commercial nursing homes or assisted living places are extremely expensive and pretty much uncaring toward individuals.

 

Read my Sunday school lesson this morning and then cleaned up some stuff in the kitchen. It takes some care to get that big glass plate out of the microwave to clean it good. Then got the top of the freezer on the fridge cleaned up. Took out a container that may be fiesta chicken soup. Not labeled naturally! Oh well. It will do to eat for the old woman and maybe a dog or two. Still have a few boiled eggs to try to get the dogs to eat. Thought some egg and English pea salad would be good, but never got it done. Sigh.

 

Rearranged some things in the pantry earlier. Jennifer would be shaking her head knowing what all got stuck inside the drawers. Some things are simply too tall to put them in an upright position, but putting them side down works well enough. Barbecue sauce is ok until it is ready to be opened. Crackers, however, are on the top to remind me that they are there. Know someone who forgets what is in there if the things are not quickly in sight. Old age gives us such interesting surprises!

 

Found some Ritz crackers lately that have herbs in them that taste so good and so different from the normal Ritz crackers. These are perfect with some kind of cream cheese or even some avocado sliced onto them. Oh, and celery sticks with the vegetable cream cheese is perfect for snacks. Funny! Didn’t think anyone around here was even hungry.

 

Still have not made it over to PETS in the PetSmart store. Not sure if the old woman will even get over there anytime soon. This heat is just too much. Going to Bible study on Wednesday is about all that may get done this week. Depending on whether or not Patty needs me at her house to get the trash out, this old body is not getting out except early in the morning. It’s about time for this heat wave to wave goodbye!

 

We still need to pray for the firefighters in the West. They have already lost a pilot and more on the ground firefighters. May God protect them and put out the fires with rain! Drought is affecting all of the West and the areas where water normally comes from to fill up the lakes and rivers. We have to ask God for help! Only He can make the difference in our nation in nature and with the stupidity that has affected the political atmosphere! May He forgive us our sins and help us to respect His laws. We have to love God and others as ourselves!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Walking in the Forest.

 Walking in the Forest.

 

Just read an article on FB that explained that a scientist discovered that walking in the forest would make a person healthier.

David J Harris Jr.

BREAKING: A scientist in Japan demonstrated that the air inside a forest can strengthen your immune system for a full month.

Immunologist Qing Li of Nippon Medical School in Tokyo took 12 men on a three-day forest trip consisting of slow walks with no special breathing exercises or set routes.

Blood tests afterward showed a clear surge in natural killer cells — the immune cells that help the body fight viruses and cancerous cells.

The elevated levels were still measurable 30 days later.

A control group that walked the same distance through a city showed no change at all.

Pine, cedar, and cypress trees release airborne compounds called phytoncides as a natural defense. When people breathe them in, these compounds appear to activate immune cells.

Li’s research suggests that one forest walk a month may be enough to keep those cells elevated throughout the year.

Sometimes the best medicine does not require a prescription — just time among the trees.

 

Now we can wish for a forest in which to walk. Of course, down in Montague County they have bunches of trees—mostly black jack oak—but they also have oodles of snakes in the leaf mold under those trees. Copperheads are pretty happy in the woods, don’t you see. So, if we go walking in some woods, let’s be sure we wear some heavy-duty walking boots. Sigh.

 

Walking outside right now has to be done in the early part of the day due to the heat. This morning, Julian came and brought his truck and trailer with a load of dirt in it. He tried his best to fill up the big hole next to the pavement (concrete) on our street where we pull into the end off Kemp to go onto Fenoglio. Not sure just how that hole came about, but here’s guessing that the hole they dug across the road had a lot to do with it after they covered it over with more concrete. The hole that crossed the road was not sufficiently tamped with filler or it would not have washed out.  When he finished filling that hole, Julian went back for another load of dirt that he scraped up with his tractor and put into his trailer. With that load, he filled in a hole that was sinking out where Grandma Dickerson’s septic tank used to be. Not just sure what caused that, but maybe the extra dirt on top will help level it out. Now, could think about getting him to put another large load into the old cellar. But that will wait. He said we could spray the fence line some evening late so that the weed killer will actually have a chance to do some good. The containers are too heavy for me to carry around, so we will use an extra container for some of it and be able for both of us to spray the stuff that needs to be killed. He may later be able to cut some tree branches and haul those off.

 

Oncor left a thing on my door to say that they are going to come out and cut the trees out of the electric lines. It would be nice to know exactly when they are coming so that the dogs could be kept in, but it may not be necessary for them to even come in the yard since they have those big trucks with extension buckets to work from a distance. This has needed to be done for the longest, so hip, hip, hooray for the tree company!

 

The other day at Bible study, Judy said that someone was saying that we needed to have a business meeting, but that no one stayed after services for the meetings. Maybe the business meeting would work out better if it were early on Wednesday morning before Bible study. Two birds. Just thinking.

 

Bought three peaches today. Don’t know where they were grown, but you can bet it was not in Wichita or Clay County! Our hot weather peaches have a flavor that doesn’t come off mealy at all. These taste ok, but they simply are not the same as what we grow in this area. If the old woman were not so lazy, she would go to the downtown market to pick up some real Charlie peaches. Sigh.

 

Guess it is time to go read the lesson for this coming Sunday. Last week the old woman had the class somewhat frosted by speaking about things that they had not read in their books for that lesson. Sigh. Oh well. Maybe this week will be better.

 

Listening to some of our congressmen talk about the illegal immigrants and the problems they have caused is about enough to get one’s temper up beyond boiling. As the law stands now, if a naturalized citizen becomes an agent for terrorism after five years as a naturalized citizen, that person can not be deported. That is just ridiculous! And anyone who will not take the oath of citizenship should NEVER be allowed to become a citizen! If our judicial system actually worked the way it should, we would not have as many crazy criminals running around out on the streets after being arrested for their second, third or other number of aggravated assaults! This is just insanity!

 

Meanwhile, we need to come up with a better way of handling the terrorists in Iran and those who are supported by them. Those boats over in the ocean with terrorists on them should be taken out one by one. No sense leaving them to cause trouble. They simply are NOT fishing boats.

 

We all need to pray for some good answers to the problems facing our president and those who are helping him. Our entire nation is going to become a mess of frustration if we don’t find some answers. May God help our nation and its leaders to see the answers and have the backbone to get things done.

 

Meanwhile, let us pray for the firefighters and all other service personnel. May God protect and direct them.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

A Longer Day.

 A Longer Day.

 

For some reason the possibility of even a short shower of rain has made me feel optimistic. This morning while sitting outside on the patio with Patty, the clouds suddenly dropped the temperature by about 10 or 20 degrees right around us. Now, mind you, the heat was back very quickly, but just that little bit of coolness made us both perk up and think about fall weather. Then Roxy got to rustling around under one of the storage sheds and made us worry about what she had found. Probably a rabbit, but she is too small to deal with anything with claws. In fact, we have been watching a red-tailed hawk that keeps flying around Patty’s place and keeping an eye on Roxie when she is outside just in case.

 

It was not difficult to get Patty’s trash flipped over into her bin, but she is still sore from riding around town with her DIL on Wednesday. She is also still fussing about having to learn how to use this new phone. Understand completely! She is having to Google how to turn it off and on and that sort of thing. She reminded me that we are supposed to turn the things off every so often so that it can catch up with updates. Since the kids did not tell me to do that, it has not happened around here. The settings button will let me download any new stuff unless Lance calls and tells me to do something different. Yep, not the least bit independent!

 

For some strange reason, my allergies have been just about to drive me around the bend. Sneezing and itching eyes. Have been putting some kind of stuff in my eyes at night to keep from having dry eyes, but it does not seem to keep them from itching. Oh well.

 

The water bill came today and did not surprise me in the least. It had been running close to $90 for a while there, but this time it was only $70 and some change. Have not been washing blankets or dog beds the way it happens sometimes. But the few plants that are outside have had some water lately, and that will come in on next month’s bill. Such is life.

 

Did not want to make hamburger patties for the dogs’ kibble topper tonight and just gave them both a can of drained tuna. Thompson just about licked the bowl clean. Will have to do that again. May just order some from the store and use that instead of hamburger or chicken. They can stand having a variety of foods anyway.

 

Noticed that my friend Jeanene Wilson Lanto had a birthday today. Need to see if her address is still available and send her a card to tell her she is still in my thoughts. We enjoyed growing up together, or at least she was one of my favorite people at that age. We chased a lot of tennis balls and had more than a few laughs.

 

Leta Sawyer Talley also had a birthday today. Met her years ago after Lewis introduced me to all of that side of the family. It was not enough that Grandma Dickerson had 13 children, her oldest daughter had five boys and one daughter—Aunt Ethel was always hollering at one of the boys and using the wrong boy’s name. Lewis said that they used to laugh and say, “Call the roll, Ethel.”

 

The PETS clinic has decided to make it somewhat easier for folks to use their services, so they are moving into the PetSmart store on Lawrence Road. That is on THIS side of town. Hooray! It is SO much cheaper to use their services and to buy dog meds from them. Anyway, they open up this Monday by eleven and stay until 7:30 which will help folks who need the help after work hours. Way to go!

 

Need to find out when Daniel Hernandez is taking his family to a concert in (?) Tennessee. Need to get a computer to him to see if he can remove the password and see if it needs any other stuff to keep it in good shape. He has been very busy lately since someone’s server crashed and three other computers were messed up at one business. He said he got five hours of sleep in four days!! That’s a bit much. He and Heather plan to take their daughter to her first concert. Hope it is a wonderful experience for all of them!

 

No, not looking at the news. My heart can only stand so much and my stomach feels hup-chucky over the congressional scabiosa mess. Some of those people would not know how to be honest even if it made them look better or pay better! Just sad.

 

Let us pray for those who are ill, those in all our services, our leaders, and the nations of Israel and the U.S. May God bless us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Some of the Things Ya Read!

 Some of the Things Ya Read!

 

Pretty sure that my big brother would recognize how this old woman was feeling today. He has often said that as many times as he had read a scripture, he would read it just one more time and find it as shocking as if he had never read it before! Getting ready for this coming Sunday’s lesson, my reading included Deut. 28:53. Hunger is one thing, but a real gutless wonder would be someone who . . . ok, not going to say what will make me have nightmares! God warned Israel; and Israel ignored the warnings despite what they saw that God had done for them. Phew!

 

Patty called me this afternoon on her new cell phone. She could not get her old phone number for the new phone, so now my caller list had to be edited just a bit. Sent a message to Jennifer and Lance to let them know about the new number—just in case. Her daughter-in-law took her to get her new will signed. It has been waiting over a year, so it was about time! She had to go up the steps into the lawyer’s office and it about took all her breath away. She definitely needs one of those carry-around oxygen concentrators. She only had two of the little bottles of oxygen, and it is nearly all used up. Seems the company only has the larger, heavier bottles now. Suggested that she call her lung specialist tomorrow and ask for a prescription for the portable concentrator. Let’s hope she gets that done. My daughter says that her mom worries about some of the strangest things!

 

Spent some time the other day visiting on that phone app where we can see each other—can’t think of what it is called at the moment—but Rachel was folding all of the clothes she had taken to Las Vegas. She really did not want to go, but her cousin insisted that it was her birthday present to Rachel. It was a very bad trip in too many ways to even think about. To top it off, her cousin smoked some stuff in their room so that all of Rachel’s clothes had the smell of that nasty stuff in them! Hence the large amount of laundry! Thinking that she will never be inclined to “visit” with her cousin again.

 

Then one morning early, my youngest Ostand grandchild texted me about sleep paralysis. Who has not had an arm or other body part “fall asleep”? It is not fun, but last Sunday my left leg fell asleep while in the classroom, and then my right knee decided it needed to ache very thoroughly. Go figure! Some of us don’t even have to go to bed to have body parts fall asleep!

 

It has been so very hot today. Even after the sun went down, it was still over 100 degrees on the back deck. Yes, that is the west side of the house, but still! The grass—the pale blonde stuff that crunches under foot—may take a flood to come back again. Even the grounds over across the road look so barren. Years ago, the state kept the irrigation pipes out on the front part of the campus to keep the grass green. Guess they got rid of the pipes and no longer use the lake water from their pump house. They have an entire crew just to keep their campus looking decent. Wondering what the campus will look like if they ever get the new buildings finished.

 

Had to stop reading in my Kindle this evening. Had finished two books and started on another, but the battery was getting too low. May have to figure out how to plug it in and still be able to read. The wonderful thing about reading these books electronically is that they don’t gather dust and can just be deleted. And for the most part, these books are free!

 

Ran the little Bissel vacuum in the back bedroom this morning. Crud had accumulated and Maria does not clean back there if the doors are closed. It’s just how we worked things out since that part of the house does not need to be cooled or otherwise used. Apparently, my mouse has been back there. Bleah. Not going to mop it yet, but when Maria comes back next time, the entire house will get a good mopping. It always feels so good to walk barefooted across the floors after she mops. Then the dogs shake out the fur and track in a few bits of extra grass and dirt. Sigh.

 

Have not even looked at any news today. This is a good time to let God handle things, don’t you think? While we can pray for others, like those in Japan affected by the earthquake, it does absolutely no good to get tensed up about decisions that others make. Let us pray for the U.S. and Israel. Let us pray that we listen to God and stop being affected by some trashy celebrity gossips or those on the “news” with a loose screw.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Cleaner Dog Beds!

 Cleaner Dog Beds!

 

The old woman decided that the rugs that were under the office chairs in the living room and in the office needed to be tossed, and the dog beds REALLY needed to be washed and dried. So today that happened. Maria was here to clean the house and thoroughly approved of tossing the old rugs. Decided to put them over the grass around the front edges of the chicken pens to keep the grass from growing up to my knees! May even take the long runner out of the kitchen and put it over the dressed stone sidewalk leading out to the workshop. Bought some 30% vinegar and weed killer the other day, but who knows if it will do any good to kill the Bermuda grass in the sidewalk. Sigh.

 

Maria is such a very sweet lady. She said that she would have Julian come tomorrow to put some dirt in a hole that worries me near the entrance to our road. The hole is more than a tire deep, so it could easily ruin a tire or even break a wheel off. Anyway, we sat at my kitchen table and had a cup of tea and shared memories of things that have mattered to either of us. We laughed about how our boys went through food when they were growing up—well, her boys STILL do! It’s not like she can plan meals when the boys come in and hit the fridge for the “goodies” that they really like. Corn on the cob simply does not make it to the supper table when they find it. Told her about the time that Lance and a friend came in hungry and wiped out an entire bag of chicken tenders! So much for that planned meal!

 

Jennifer was such a blessing when she was old enough and responsible enough to start supper before my classes were over. That made a very real difference around here. The “help” from the boys was just mainly staying out of the ingredients until they were ready to put on the table!

 

Tomorrow Blake will be here to mow this jungle. If Julian comes as well, that will be at least one big event finished before the day is through. This morning the flowers got a bit of water and then the hose was wrapped around the holder on the tree. Still have not moved the flowering vines that Brenda Jones gave me or planted the climbing vines next to the Bradford pear. Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday those two things will be accomplished. Have even considered a long, narrow flower pot with a tray to prevent the water from getting in the window sill in the kitchen. Would love to have flowers blooming in that window. Hoping that the cactus and aloe vera that went home with Judie Brunson lived and are doing well.

 

Well, shower has been taken, dogs fed, and a bit of reading done, so even though it is early, this old woman is going to turn in for the day. The pain pills are not doing much good for some reason even though enough water has been consumed to float a bullfrog in a small pond! Maybe a muscle relaxer might do the trick. Getting old is a privilege, but dadgum if it doesn’t take more patience to deal with moving around!

 

Pray to be an encourager in life. May God bless this nation.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Late Night Laundry.

 Late Night Laundry.

 

No, the clothes are not necessary for this week, but it seemed necessary to use the time simply because sleep is not happening. It used to be that caffeine was responsible for sleeplessness, but for some reason, this situation may be age related. How about those apples!

 

It was a good day despite the lack of sleep from the night before. Last night, the task of restlessness was looking up the times when Melchizedek first was acknowledged and then later mentioned in the New Testament. Some folks call these appearances “Theophanies,” and others call them “Christophanies.” It stands to reason that those who didn’t/don’t believe in Christ as the son of God would call any appearance a “Theophany.” Anyway, that was the reason this old woman hauled out the Strong’s concordance last night and then dug out the Zondervan’s concordance. Dear Hearts, it takes some strength to carry that first one out. Zondervan’s is much lighter, but it also does not contain any written Hebrew. And in case you might be curious, the king of Salem (Melchizedek) received the tithes from Abraham after he went after his nephew Lot. The king of Sodom (yes, this was before the fire and brimstone) wanted Abraham to allow him to have the people he recovered and just let Abraham keep all the good stuff he brought back. Abraham said that he would not take as much as a shoelace, except the men that went with him should have their portion plus what they ate. Abraham did not want the king of Sodom to be able to say that he had made Abraham rich. Just have a feeling that Abraham knew just what kind of kinky folks lived in Sodom and wanted nothing to do with him. Good thing that Lot finally got out of that place.

 

Tomorrow the old woman needs to get a picture of a lavatory or otherwise find out if the faucets are the kind that are set into the lavatory or into the cabinet behind it. Jim A. said that the thing was a 17-inch lavatory, but it did not occur to me to look or ask about how the handles or faucet were attached and where. Sigh. Patty suggested that she and Donny had had words about the one she chose for her lavatory and that it might be important to know how they were arranged. Well, duh. Maybe the secretary can send me a photo, or my old truck can just make a trip over there.

 

Sat next to the minister’s wife again this Sunday. She keeps me in line, don’t you see. She is one tough lady: both knees, both hips, and one shoulder replaced, and she’s on oxygen. We were talking about those oxygen concentrators that some folks have. She said that Medicare did not pay for them, but my friend Carol said her husband got one that Medicare paid for. Patty is pretty sure that her doctor will prescribe one for her and that it will be paid for. Ron Thonton was in Vietnam, so he may have had some help from the VA as well. Guess we will find out soon.

 

This is going to be a busy week. Blake is supposed to come to mow the grass again. The lower lots don’t really need to be cut back, but in the back yard, the grass could hide a rabbit or any number of snakes. Really would like to have it cut pretty short.

 

Patty keeps a running list of things she wants to do. That sounds like a really good idea. This old woman will water the flowers tomorrow and then roll the hose up so that Blake won’t have to dodge it. Also have some plants that need to have their pots moved closer to the Bradford pear tree. Hoping that the vines will climb the tree, but not going to hold my breath. Then there is a hole down in the entry way to our street that is right next to the pavement. Just one extra wide swing into that drive would be enough to lose a tire—or at least ruin it. Have decided that getting a couple of these sacks of dirt out here by the hen house would make a good filler for that hole. At least it would fill up most of the hole. Still hoping that Suzanne Priddy will actually give the place to the minister so that it can be torn down and cleaned up. Have been wishing for years that something could be done down there so we could have a decent neighbor.

 

Have not seen or heard anyone looking at Max and Laisha’s house—it will always be “Jerry’s house” to me. Know the kids are more than ready for it to sell, but the housing market really is not doing very well right now. And, all things considered, it is not likely to get better any time soon. At least they did not end up buying a house in Washington state.

 

My granddaughter is waiting to see if she passed the first section of her CPA exam. Not sure how many sections it has, but that kind of waiting—over two weeks—would drive me wild! Anyway, she is a sharp kid, so maybe she did well on it.

 

Just erased an entire paragraph that contained my frustrations with some of the political bottom sediments that contain the same slime as one of the oldest oilfield tanks. Sorry, well, it’s rather hot in Texas right now. How’s that for a subject?

 

All over the world we are seeing wild fires and not just in the U.S. Saw tonight that they are having wildfires in France that have made the news. Folks were having to turn their horses out so that they could run from the fires. Scary for the critters! Horses don’t recover well from that kind of terror. Well, any creature will have trouble settling down ever again after a wildfire. People may grieve and be traumatized for years, but animals have no way to think of a future the way people do. God has certainly blessed us with the ability to recover and feel safe.

 

For now, let us pray that our nation will be found in a revival of faith and hope in God. Let us pray that God will not only hear our prayers, but that we can be encouragers for others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Returns When Nothing Changed.

 Returns When Nothing Changed.

 

Jennifer told me that she really thought she needed to go to the big store and get a leaf blower to remove—or move—the dog hair in her house on the day they returned from their trip. Even though the housekeepers had been there the day before, Jenn could see the rolls of dog and cat hair flowing down the hall into the living area of the house. Yes, two Huskies and a lab, three cats, and summer just mean that hair is coming off just to keep cool. Around here, it is only two short-hair dogs, but sometimes it still amazes me when the furniture sits around on rolls of hair. Once in a while the longer strands of grey hair are pretty good indications that the old woman is also shedding! And vacuuming or mopping need to come off my list of things to try while still healing. Sigh.

 

Early this morning Patty watched while the old woman put her trash inside the big box that the new wheelchair arrived in. The box fit right on top of the trash bin, so the guy who picks up the trash just had to carry box and all. No problem.

 

Patty figured out how all the parts went together on her new chair. SO glad that she has the patience to figure things like that out for herself. And the chair is light weight enough that it should not be too difficult to put in the back seat of my truck. Hooray!

 

Roxie ran all over the back yard and then decided that something special needed to be discovered in the rocks and little things near the back door. Patty told her to leave things alone—especially if what it was turned out to be another big Texas spiney lizard! But it was just a young cottontail. SO glad that the critter hunkered down and did not get caught. But you can bet that Roxie will go right back to that place the next time she is outside. Smart critters don’t forget what they find to dig out!

 

Went to TSC this morning and bought 30% vinegar and some weed killer. Used my credit card even though the card was not with me. Knew the card was somewhere in my files here in this desk in the office. Then came home, put the weed killer and vinegar out on the deck and came back inside to search through these files. Used my paper shredder and dumped it twice as things came out of those files that should have been thrown out ages ago. It took me nearly two hours to go through that mess, but now the files are better organized and the drawer is MUCH lighter! Even found some of the family ancestry papers that my cousin had sent to me. Seems some of the Pollard family started out in Tennessee before going to Arkansas. Someone wrote up a family story about one of the older women. Those women had some gumption and courage!

 

Was going to take a nap this afternoon and had three phone calls, so that was just about a lost cause. Oh well. At least someone cared enough to call. But one of the things that came out of a call was the condition of an older man who was being treated here at the hospital. Honestly! He was sick when he came in, and now he is in worse shape than when he first arrived. Hospitals are almost becoming a worse place to regain one’s health than a good home with a nurse practitioner. Think that would be my preference if a choice could be made. Having either Jennifer or Lance here after either of these two back surgeries certainly made a difference in how well the healing went. They can’t help it if Mom is a bit determined to ignore the BLTs. [Bends, Lifts, Twists that are forbidden.] Most of the time Jennifer will harp on me to DRINK more water. It is true that it is easy to ignore that water is necessary. Putting a bottle of water on my desk helps, however, when trying to remember.

 

Need to find a place to buy the heart worm meds for the dogs tomorrow. HAD a coupon from Chewy for 20% off a new prescription, but think it got thrown in the trash. Sigh. It never fails that the things that should be kept get tossed and the things that don’t matter get put somewhere to be kept! Oh well.

 

Have been seeing that some of the states are now admitting that they have thousands of people on their voting rolls that should never have been there in the first place. One state gave everyone with a driver’s license a voter registration card! For them not distinguishing between an American citizen and an alien is pretty stupid, but at least now they may get those people off the voters’ rolls and keep them from voting.

 

The folks in Israel believe that they are about to come under heavier attacks from Iran as the U.S. military are hitting Iran with just about every kind of weapon we have. The Iranians have been throwing things at Iraq because they allow the U.S. to have a base in their country. It really would be so great to be able to clean Iran up and dispose of the hateful members of their ruling class. Terrorists never stop being just exactly what they are. The only defense is complete removal of those dipsticks. Let’s hope that President Trump will get it done and over with as soon as possible.

 

Besides praying for our military and our leaders, let’s remember that Congress needs to be just as determined to keep America safe as our president has shown himself to be. We need to work together for the benefit of our nation and its people. We need to be sure that our food is “made in America” and that the plants that cut up the beef, chickens, pigs and any other foods are clean and well protected from any acts of terrorism. It bothers me that we do not have beef and sheep butchers in Texas and in any other state where we raise our critters for food. To have China determine how our foods are processed is just asking for trouble in my opinion.

 

Well, it is getting late and now that the Ninja cooker has been put in the refrigerator, it is time for this old woman to take her body and her opinions and put them to bed. We just need to have faith that God will see that what we have done will be the right moves. God will provide the direction if we take His guidance. Let us pray for His will to be done.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

A History of Reading.

 A History of Reading.

 

Back in 1963, my parents asked the Baptist pastor of the Petrolia Baptist church to counsel with me. Considering the kind of person he was, he gathered up some literature that the church had on hand and gave it to my dad so that it could replace any “counseling” that he might have to do. The literature talked about the Inquisition and how the Catholics killed the Jewish population and took all of their property and exiled them from Spain unless they could prove that they had become “good” Catholics. The horrors in those little booklets would have been enough to cause nightmares, but praise God, that did not happen. Oh, but then our eighth-grade homeroom teacher began to read aloud Exodus by Leon Uris until she had me back in class. She let me take the book home to read since my classes in French kept me out of P.E. classes and lasted a bit longer than the schedule for the other students. THAT book was an eye-opener! Horrors! And no one wanted to talk about that book with me. Anyway, by the time the parents sent me to the Academy of Mary Immaculate, the old woman should have been suspicious of anything resembling religious indoctrination. Didn’t happen. Those girls were just like me except that they went to mass every morning before class.

 

Now to what has been read this week: 4 Blood Moons by John Hagee was a repeat of the history from before the Inquisition to the Six-Day War and maybe beyond. Some of the material was a review of what we have seen since Israel became a modern nation in May of 1948—the same year of my birth in the same month. Hagee believes that the next time we have four blood moons with a complete eclipse of the sun will be the sign of the coming of Christ. My personal opinion is that his timing should be centered around the last three holy days. Christ has fulfilled the first four. The Feast of Trumpets is more likely to be the day of the rapture since it fulfills the scripture about the trumpet that will sound when the dead in Christ will be taken up, and then those that are still alive. Who knows exactly what the timing will be in that day, but if we have faith, we know that God will handle whatever needs to be done for us. Timing is His provenance.

 

Finally took a couple of pain pills this evening. Yep, as Judie Brunson would say: mind your BLTs! Have simply done too much and pushed myself too hard. You’d think that this healing would pretty much be accomplished, but somehow just doing a “little more” happens a bit too often. Not 19 any longer. Sigh.

 

Started another silly book that is not even a good cozy mystery and have about decided to delete it from my Kindle app. When not reading mysteries, historical or even critter-oriented books appeal to me. And yes, Black Beauty was one of my favorites as a child. Now and then, a good dog book just makes my day.

 

My shower this morning about made me think of getting this head of hair remodeled to a more sensible length. But this current length allows me to pull it all up off my neck. It’s a lot to wash, but it can still just drip dry after rubbing a towel over it. Seems like it has more curl in it than it did when it was short. Go figure.

 

Will go down to Patty’s in the morning and see if the big box that contained her new wheelchair can be whittled down to a manageable mess which will fit in the trash bin. Shona was telling me that she really wished we had a big dumpster instead of these trash bins, but this old woman totally disagrees. Told her she could toss her extra trash into my bin on trash days. A dumpster would have to be in ONE area only and they always stink to high heaven. Guess who washes her bin out every so often.

 

Patty’s daughter-in-law is coming on the 29^th to take her to see her lawyer and then to the phone store to purchase a new phone. She also wants to go to the bank, so we will see if they manage to get everything done that is on Patty’s list. She is finally getting her will signed. The original was going to cause all kinds of problems, but this one has only one heir mentioned. It made me look at my legal stuff and discovered that we had all those bases covered in case of my death or in case the old woman becomes too unstable to make her own decisions. Let’s hope that it is simply a death and not some lingering mess. No one wants to burden their children.

 

Our prayers need to be centered on God’s will and our own determination to follow God’s way. We must remember those serving our country both here and abroad as well as those who are responsible for where they are going. Let us pray also for Israel and those God holds in His hands. Remember that God blesses those who bless them (Israel) and curses those who curse them.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.