Ninety Days

 So a text message got the ol' girl up and drivin' to Walgreens to pick up four prescriptions. Had not realized they were 90 day supplies until looking at them at home. Thought $76 was pretty high for four prescriptions! But it makes sense because of the amount of pills. It may still frost my flakes simply because it is so expensive to stay semi-healthy, but such is life. Used to think that the coffee habit is what caused the high blood pressure, but have about decided that coffee is the least of the things that make things go bump in the night. One's attitude about things in general is bound to have some effect on blood pressure. And 2020 has been a gem-dandy year for having an attitude!

Talked to Lisa Carden earlier. Miss seeing her and her mom, but Sue is not in any shape to go out in public until she heals up more from her heart attack and stuff. Not sure any of us really need to be out and about around others right now. Jennifer said that they had something like 1168 new cases of covid in one day in Tarrant County with days of 1000 for three days before that. But then she told me what some of the dingbats were doing--going to stores, going out around others, and just generally not being careful. She had to tell her sister-in-law twice that they would not be having anyone over for Thanksgiving. Her sister-in-law's daughter came home from campus with Covid. So now the entire family except for one son has been exposed--including the mother-in-law with cancer. So Jennifer has been cleaning their place at work as if it were rabies! Then she said she was lying there in bed the other night and remembered the coffee pot and water cooler!

So you might as well laugh or not about some of the things being said right now. Lisa sent me a picture of a lady who was covered in those "I Voted" stickers. The caption said: "Democrats Going to the Polls: 2020" That made me laugh, but the best one was from one of the women in the nature group; her comment was that she was stress eating so badly that SHE would get to 270 before one of the candidates got there!

Used the pieces of meat from the rib bones to make some heavy duty food for today: meat, rice, black beans, and spicy Mexican cheese sauce--covered in picante sauce after it was good and hot. Two meals today and probably two for tomorrow. The problem with making food for one person--no one person can eat that much--or at least SHOULD not eat that much. Guaranteed indigestion or weight gain--take your pick.

A police officer rolled by earlier. But then, Jerry was over at his house after driving himself up in a little white truck. You can almost bet that the guy over in the old church house on Church Street turned him in for driving--no license to drive. He was loading or unloading something in the back of his yard, so undoubtedly that old man could see him. All things considered, it is just best that we mind our own business, but some folks just don't. 

Patty Anderson called to tell me that Donny was gone for the weekend. Deer season starts today or something. Not that it seems to matter. Men just like to shoot things or catch things or whatever to get out of the house and run around with someone who likes to drink and carry on. Anyway, Patty likes for me to know when she is by herself--even though she has a gun every five feet from her. We keep an eye out for each other. She feels better, and so does the ol' woman. But then the story of the farmer who thought he should rope a deer and fatten it up in the barn was on FB the other day. Not sure if it is a true story, but it sounded so typical of some folks and their lack of understanding about wild critters. The guy could not get loose from that deer! Just sat there and hee hawed.

Then there are the dogs at the Ostand household. Luna and Marty McFly got in trouble. After Jennifer caught them, she put them in her closet in their crates. She was TICKED. They got out twice in the same day and would not come to Grayson and then refused to go in the gate when he got them home. Jenn said she made three extra trips back and forth from work that day! AND, now she knows all the neighbors like, "Hi, I'm Jennifer. These are my insane dogs! Here's my phone number!" It seemed like an electric fence might work, but she says they get in the pool each day and would probably electrocute themselves. Then she told me the story of the guy who was weed eating his place near his electric fence--forgetting to turn it off--and knocked himself out--then got up and did it again! Needed those laughs even if Jenn was angry with the dogs.

Tried to call BillyeRuth today and see how things are going on the Back Forty. Love her little acreage. Not sure how many acres she has--90 apparently, but enough that she had a tractor lost out in the back field! It ran out of diesel, and if you have ever dealt with a diesel engine--NEVER let it run out of fuel. We did once. Hanan cussed that thing and himself. He finally used engine starter and got it to going, but it was after the fumes were coming out of his ears. But that kid could do just about anything with an engine. He was so darned talented in so many ways. sigh Miss him so badly at times. It was hard to live with him, but it is hard to be without him.

The mailman brought my Amazon packages today. Not sure if it is good business for the postal service or not, but it certainly is nice to have things just brought to the front porch. Amazon is a life saver for me. Well, if not a life saver, then just danged convenient!

Connie Cooke told me this morning that some gangs are going around our town hitting the ATM machines. One would think that they could put up cameras somewhere or some kind of alarm system. But then, even if they caught the idiots, some prosecutor would turn 'em loose again. Jerry told me about his friend who got shot the other night. Don't know if he made it or not, but Jerry knew something about where the guy who shot him got the gun--a burglary of another friend's house. Seems these types of people just run together in the same kind of messes. Jenn said that it is happening like that in her neighborhood, too. Guys trying to break into houses with people IN the house. Scary! And stealing cars one street over from their place. But at least they have three big dogs. They might lick 'em to death or accidentally trip 'em into the pool .  .  . BillyeRuth said to just let her know if we need to get into any kind of trouble, and she will call her friend Patsy Lynn to carry a shotgun around and guard the community. We would be a force to be reckoned with.

Still coughing and feeling like crapola tonight. Lay out in the lawn swing today and probably just collected more dust in my sinuses, but the sunshine felt so good at the time. Sylvia lay on my legs and Thompson put his nose on my head. Sweet critters. Oh, and they got a rat out of the chicken coop. Thompson found it and Sylvia killed it. She meant business, too! Had to move a couple of wire panels from the ground near the coop, but Thompson knew just exactly where that rat had been hiding. Sylvia went "chomp, chomp" and it was one dead rat!

Have two Black-laced Wyandottes that have the most irritating squawks! And they are so loud! Wish BR had them both. She would not care if they yelled their heads off out there in the country. Although she did say that the stupid roosters used to yell all night long. These two hens just yell for the sake of yelling. They have feed, fresh water, and even get attention, but they still yell! Oh well. Jenn suggested spray painting them as they are yelling in order to know which ones to give away! giggling

Finished a good book series and started another book that won't be on my Kindle very much longer. Served Cold or something like that. Not my kind of book when the people in it are so basically mean and immoral. Bleah. Unless it has some decent humor, it simply is not worth the time. Why do authors have characters who are so totally stupid, self-serving and uncaring about others? Humor, mystery, or history are the best kinds of books. Just my opinion.

As we finish this week and begin another tomorrow, let us remember that we are not the ones in charge of life. We just learn to handle circumstances the best way we can. God will take care of whatever is necessary. May you see your blessings and know that You are Loved.

Hen Relief.

 Two hens came and gave me some feathered love a bit ago. They are so sweet at times. Kinda like the dogs, only they can't come in the house! But their water bowls have been refilled and some grain thrown out for them to pick up and fuss over. The Black Marans are SO pretty with glints of copper and blue in their feathers. The Barred Rocks are nice little birds and are growing steadily, but they will never have the pretty feathers like the Marans. However, Isa and one of the Wyandottes are the two that come to the yard swing and accept a good hugging and some swinging. Not sure why those particular two have decided that it is fun to sit in my lap, but they come whenever they are out there next to me and cluck until they are picked up. Critters can be so relaxing.

Have had a wonderful headache and am wondering if that stupid flu shot did not just give me a light case of the flu. Of course, the sneezes just go with the rag weed, so that is nothing new. Such fun.

Heard from Lance today that more of the work force at H&O have the covid crapola. Just have to pray that my kids don't come down with it. For the time being, it is just too dangerous for an old fossil like me to get around others, especially since my body is already hurting so badly. Stocked up on Walmart food and sent off to Amazon for the things that were not on my list at the time. As long as Tractor Supply will let us load up in the parking lot, this ol' gal is going to stay at home. 

Lance was telling me about some books he was reading and listening to on audio books. Longmire. Think the series was on TV or Netflix or something like that. May have to look it up later when the ones on my kindle have all been read. They don't cost anything to read or download, so that is the best way to stay entertained in my estimation. 

Just sneezed so hard it scared the dogs! Maybe that will clear my head out! Or jiggle my brain! Nope, still sniffing.

Honestly do not have any earth shattering or even vaguely interesting things to tell you tonight except that this year has really been rotten and does not promise to get any better any time soon. And you already knew that! We just have to believe that we can survive what comes our way and remain calm no matter what. God is in control.

May you all rest well and awake in peace. You are loved.

Sore As A Poisoned Pup!

 Maybe it was the flu shot, or maybe it was the 50 pound bag of dog food, or maybe . . . well, not sure what it was or is, but this ol' woman is so sore and tired that it just is not funny. Used heat, arthritis cream, a mustard bath, and sitting outside in the sun on the lawn swing. Did manage to clean out the two main chicken coops and take down the shelf that was causing so much contention among the Wyandottes. It should be interesting to see what they do tonight. Decided to move the little red wheely thing so that they could not fly into it as they launch from their perch. Two of them hit the thing this morning. Not good for them! Birds bruise rather easily and don't heal well or fast.

Ordering groceries from Walmart this morning and thinking that a meal before hand might have been a good idea. Oh well. Mostly wanted canned stuff that is easy to make into a meal, and that worked out ok--mostly. But also ordered some beans of various kinds to make bean soup. With tomato soup mixed in after the beans are done, it makes pretty good eating even without ham hock or some kind of meat. But still, a pot of beans is going to last an entire week around here unless the dogs and hens help me out. Miss the man who used to eat beans and ask for another slice of buttered cornbread. sigh

Have to get all the trash gathered up to put in the bin and take across the road. It always amazes me that so much trash comes out of this place with just one person living here. Yes, some of it is those huge paper bags that hold chicken feed or dog food, but still! Moved the "pantry" to the office this morning and went through most of the stuff that did not need to be in that area at all. Have a bunch of crud that just needs to be tossed. Took the flower pot holders out to the shed. May eventually have something growing in them again. The pot on the deck that had lavender seeds in it now has "something" coming up in it again. Not going to hold my breath that it might be lavender. Put some coffee grounds in it to protect the little sprouts, but will have to put it the entire pot in the green house if it gets cold again.

Speaking of getting cold again! Sitting here with the ceiling fan going and still hot! Yep, it is definitely Texas weather. Iced tea weather again. Well, and sneezy weather. The ragweed is definitely working overtime! 

Finished another couple of books. One is definitely not for the faint of heart. The other one is just a blow off of a mystery without any great depth at all. The only educational part was about getting a patent on an invention and what happens if a person does not go ahead and make a working model and have a marketing strategy. If it can't be put into production, it can leave the patent up for grabs. Kinda does not seem fair to me, but maybe there is a sensible reason. Who knows. Will have to ask Michelle Pollard Abend. She is an inventor.

The guy or gal who came up with the automatic hen house door opener needs a pat on the back. Supposedly it will work on any coop, but it looks like it would only work on something that is really well balanced and neat. The price on one of those things is pretty high, too. But it works on a light and has a battery that is replenished with sunlight. Not a bad idea at all. Of course, some of us are up with the chickens anyway, so hen house doors are the least of the worries. As long as the coffee pot works right, everything else can go to thunder.

Have been watching the progress of the new "temporary" building on the front of the State Hospital. They have installed two "sea train" buildings across from each other on the circle in front of the administration building. Painted red to match the bricks of the buildings, they are not so very obvious, but now they are putting up hoops across the two sea trains that reach as high as the second story on the admin building. Should be interesting to see how they are going to cover that part. If they do it with some high pressure plastic cloth, it might last through several wind storms. Hail? Maybe. Stephen Smith said that someone offered him some plastic that was intended for a green house. He said it was very strong. That is really what is needed on a couple of places on my hen house, but right now it will have to do with the old table cloth and maybe something else on the back side of the middle coop. Have some of the pieces that were left over from the sides that may be the answer to the one strip that needs to be replaced on the back side of the coop. When Jerry decided to take down the wire, he messed up the safety of the coop by leaving a gap that critters could enter. So far, the hens have not had a problem, but this is something that needs to be repaired. Just give me time, energy, and more ideas, and we will see what happens.

It really seems strange that the ice storm bent all the trees over--leaves and all--without the leaves falling off. Wonder why the leaves did not get frost bit and fall off? My fruit trees still have leaves! Oh well. Nature has been dealing with weather for all these years without any help from yours truly.

Cleaned out my purse the other day to try to lighten the load. It helped, but carrying a gun and a couple of extra clips is still pretty heavy. Have laughed at myself a few times: it is not likely that the extra clips would ever be used. But on the other hand, just like carrying a gun, if you don't have it, you can't use it. The day we took our test for this license, it about made me cry to shoot at a target of a person. But the instructor assured me that knowing how to do it right was more important than being afraid for my life. Guess he knew what he was talking about. Too old to run; too fragile to fight back. Not to mention to mean to give up.

Have you ever had a good box or container that was just TOO good to give up? Little boxes accumulate quickly, but so do containers that hold dog biscuits. Have got to have a good talk with myself! Only so many containers can be used for separating nails, screws, etc., in the workshop. Sitting here thinking about my friend Dorothy Hughes who used to need my help with her grading and teaching of 5th and 6th grade English students. She had an entire clothesline full of pins to put on papers that needed to be graded--handwriting, spelling, and essays. Every Tuesday she would have me sit in the classroom and help her go over essays with her and the students. Then the grocery sacks of papers to grade would go home with me to be graded. Trish Howry did all the grade recording after that. Between the two of us, she was the most up to date teacher among all those at Ben Milam Elementary. She even won Best Teacher of the Year from the West Foundation because ALL of her students passed the state tests. And a clothes pin always reminds me of that sweet lady. Ah, life's little joys.

Most of you know me fairly well, but this is something my mom would have used to remind me when my mood was not the best for whatever reason. To her, it meant a mental bolster: Philippians 4: 6-8. It starts off by saying "Be anxious for nothing" and "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." And then comes the action for each of us: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."

Tonight my prayer for all of us is that we can look for those things that God has given us as His blessings. You are loved.

Might As Well Laugh.

Sarcastic Al says: The consensus after the election is that 100% of Americans think that 50% of Americans have lost their minds!

Honestly have not been in a decent mood all day, but the joke from Sarcastic Al just about sums up most of the situation. Well, not the only reason for being "down" maybe, but not exactly a good reason to be happy either. Went to Sutherlands to pick up DE--the kind of dirt chickens need for dusting. But did not go anywhere else even though it had been in my mind to do so. Seems a little bit frustrating to think that no matter what we do, we can pick up a stupid virus without even trying. It is not like paranoia has set in, but on the other hand, not too happy with what is going on in Wichita Falls. Our numbers never seem to go away completely. 

My friend Carol Rutledge Pearson sent me a note and a picture of my mom when she was a girl--a teenager. Then Sterling let me know he had found two more to send to me from when Mom was staying with my great-grandmother in Tulsa. She had written on the pictures "from Kitten." That is what my dad called her. She really was a very pretty girl. At least she was in my estimation. Apparently Dad liked her pretty well, too. 

When we were kids, Dad told us about a wind charger they had built to keep the battery charged for their radio. The radio back then was the only source of information they had. And they did not have rural electric at that time either. Their water had to come up with the power of a wind mill. And they had kerosene lamps for lighting. It is hard for us to understand how things were back then. The farmers, especially, lived from can to can't--sunrise to sunset mostly. It was not until Dad was a teenager that they had a car at all. He rode to school on a horse until he was in high school. Life was an entirely different thing back then. Our grandchildren can never even imagine it.

Sat out on the deck a bit ago peeling the last of the apples and eating the good stuff. The hens got the peels and a few tiny bits to make them come to me clucking for more. Those hens would be in my lap if the dogs would let them. But my stomach has already told me that the lettuce needs to stop around here. The last batch just about did me in! Not sure how it will react to this apple. Maybe it won't be a problem. Had a bowl of noodles earlier and know they are not on the diet the doctor ordered. But they were already here in the pantry, ya know. No sense in wasting them. ahem

Have not seen any pullets without a clipped wing, but honestly don't think all nine got clipped last night. Ah well. Maybe they won't go roosting in the trees anyway. Afraid one was clipped into the wing tip, but can't see any injuries either. Maybe they will all be ok. 

Tired this evening and need to say hello to one of the kids before bedtime. Maybe that will help me find something to laugh about or at least smile about. They all stay so very busy. Can remember those days around here. Why is it our youth is spent being so danged busy and our old age is spent regretting not spending more time with our grandparents, parents, and even our babies. Life is never reasonable in so many ways. Kinda envy Cindy Jones getting to spend so much time with three of her grandsons. Mine are almost grown, but still. Ah well. Life goes on.

May you all rest well this night and awake with joy. You are loved.

Sadness and Realities.

 It's pretty sad when you "know" someone from FB and from other friends and feel such a sense of loss. Know his little dogs will miss him forever until they are gone as well. Charlie Anderson was a very sweet man. He knew Robin had cancer and married her anyway and supported her through thick and thin--mostly through her pain and his. Charlie had had a stroke, and that may have left him vulnerable to this danged virus, but he tried to do everything to keep from getting it, and still died of it. Not sure that we can even avoid it if things are meant to be. But the main thing is that we learn quickly that it is not THINGS that ever matter; it is people and love. Being able to DO things for our families matters, too. Letting them know that we care about them no matter what they do or how they feel about things--that is love. Our love is going to always be there for them. We should all let our families know that this is our way of holding them up to God--with our love and our prayers.

Read something by Mariellen Showhalter Rose today that made me think of Sharon Dickerson and her shirt pillows. She had a shirt from her son Hal who died. She made a pillow from it and had suggested that Lewis' shirts might make good pillows for me and the kids. Not sure if they would want one, but guess it would not hurt to ask as there are at least three shirts left that just would not come out of the closet. This house echoed the longest from the lack of sounds. It still makes me cry to remember him and his big feet on the desk, his steps down the hall, his sighs as we rested at night. Just miss him terribly at times. Just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and tell myself he would want some things done a certain way. He knew it would be hard. Have to make myself find happiness in whatever way is there for me. Now BOTH dogs are on me! Sylvia takes care of breathing; Thompson takes care of tears. God blessed me with these two critters.

Read an article today about why we vote in vote in November and why a Tuesday. Very interesting, and it is totally appropriate to our early agrarian society. In November the harvests were finished. Tuesday was soon enough after Sunday to give farmers time to get to the voting places--usually by horse or mule. Wednesdays were market days--not a good day to vote. Anyway, a few folks on FB feel we are in for some major social turmoil in the next few weeks--especially if the outcome is not totally clear right away. God bless this nation!

The dogs joined me in sharing a very tender ribeye steak for breakfast. They got the strips of fat and a couple of tiny slivers of gristle. It was just a very good, tasty steak. Have one more for breakfast in the morning. Just about enough food to make an entire day!

Need to call Cindy Jones and see if she is available to receive some milk jars to be dropped off at the Smith house. Saw on FB that the boys had taken a wagon to their neighborhood for goodies. Those boys! They will be on a sugar high for the next month! And Cindy has to home school those hyper ones! But here is betting she can handle it!

This morning the hot pack Cindy made for me worked well on my neck and upper back. Had never realized how much good hot packs could do until this one was applied to my sore neck. It works! Of course, the cream that Michelle Malay gave me as an arthritis rub helped. It is amazing how many places on our bodies can hurt for no good reason! But some things really do help to alleviate the problems.

Still did not get the wings clipped last night. Was just tired and ready to go to sleep. It also occurred to me that it could be done before the sun came up--still dark, ya know. Can get up earlier than going to bed late. As it is, the sun goes down around 6:30. It is pretty dark early on, so maybe the old woman just needs to grit her teeth and go get it done tonight. sigh  Not my favorite job. They squawk and really act as if they are being tortured. Maybe in their little pea brains it IS a type of torture. My little dinosaurs!

My arm is not very sore this morning, but it definitely has a tenderness where the flu shot took effect. Just a tad warm, too. Hope this stupid shot is doing some good. But at least it does not seem to have caused any harm so far.

Laundry, the third load, going now. Somewhere in all the clothes and blankets taken out of the dryer, a wool ball has disappeared. Eventually, probably when a blanket is spread out on the bed, that wool ball will reappear. If nothing else, a dog will find it! Sylvia brought me her favorite tennis ball this morning. It was totally folded in half. Makes me wonder how she does that! 

Kaylee's mom sent out an email saying that the girl is doing fairly well. She also thanked us for the prayers. Please remember to continue to pray for Kaylee and her family. They took the entire right frontal lobe of her brain, so it will take some time for her to recover.

Sterling just called and made me laugh about some of the things we remembered from when we were growing up. Beverly Furhman riding the bull over at the rodeo and pushing a little boy down the slide into a mudpuddle on the playground were just two of the things we talked about. Funny what we remember about our lives when we reminisce with a sibling. We also laughed about Ray Stevens and The Streak and Ahab the Arab. That guy is talented still. 

Eggs need to be gathered before one of the big hens mush the little ones. May you each find happiness in your day. You are loved. 

Sunshine On My Face

 Got this day off to a good start and accomplished just a few different things. Went to see Dr. White and was reassured that my eyes are doing about like she expected. Won't gripe. Can still read. Then, even with slightly dilated eyes, went to the meat market on Kemp and got a couple of rib eyes and some dog goodies from the frozen meat counter. Two happy dogs since those pieces of meat and bone came out of the oven. But the best part of the day was lying down on the yard swing and feeling the sunshine warming my entire body as the hens clucked underneath the swing and Sylvia decided my legs needed to be covered by a dog. Just plum enjoyable to be outside in the sun.

Had not intended to get a flu shot this year, but Dr. White thought that it would be a better thing than the possibility of coming down with the flu and not having anyone to look after me except two dogs and a bunch of wild hens. Had the flu a couple of times. Not the least bit funny. 

Always enjoy visiting with Dr. White. We talked about the nursing program at MSU and also the university where she graduated. Big difference in intentions and plans. MSU has a long way to go to be as good as even some of the smaller universities in my opinion. But we also discussed her pride and joy, her grandson! She is a very enthusiastic grandmother! Naturally! Know just how she feels!

Jennifer Garcia came by just a bit ago and picked up eggs for her family. She was able to bring Kaylee home from the hospital. Isn't that just amazing! Brain surgery one week and home the next week! Anyway, Kaylee is doing well so far and only has some weakness in the left side of her face. Please continue to pray for Kaylee and her family. 

Haven't checked with BillyeRuth to see if she is getting eggs from the city hens, but she has talked to each one of them about going into the coop where they belong. Honestly, she is the best hen wrangler my hens could have asked for! She loves her critters. Mine are loved as well, but they give me these sidewise looks every so often as if they know perfectly well that it is only eggs that matter. Not totally true, ya know, but listening to them makes me happy, even though Thompson howls when they cackle about laying an egg.

Have been avoiding any alcohol on my hands as much as possible. Now my hands are almost healed up from the rash caused by the alcohol. How many people do you know that are actually allergic to alcohol? Crazy.

Well, tomorrow is the last day for voting. Listening to the women at Dr. White's office and hearing their comments about voting a couple of weeks ago made me realize that no one is really on the sidelines about whether or not to vote. Ok, maybe a few folks think it does not matter whether or not they vote. This election has made so many people angry or flustered with other folks. It may not be quite as bad as the last presidential election, but close to it. Whatever the outcome, let us pray that America will not go down the drain like so many countries have. Venezuela is the only one that comes to mind at the moment where people are starving to death on promises. When it all boils down to the pots and the kettles, we just have to pray that God will bless us. We really have so much for which to be thankful.

Sitting here while a song goes through my feeble mind: Master Jack. And somehow it fits the way things are in my world today: Trying to post the lyrics here messed up the entire post, so will just drop it. We KNOW the One Who is in control and will trust in Him. You are loved.

Beautiful Weather!

Sunshine has lit up the day and warmed the air. The hens are chuckling and clucking happily around the yard. Took out fresh water to fill their water bowls, and the dogs were the ones who approved of that exercise! The dogs have fresh water in their bowl next to the deep freeze, but they would rather have chicken bowl water outside. Whatever it takes to make 'em happy.

Went over to see Connie's new apartment. It is nice, clean looking, and roomy. Rebekah said it is not as clean as it should be, but in my mind, at least, it is not cluttered and messy. But the girls are doing a good job of arranging things. Connie has her new washer and dryer in the laundry room, and they are very neat looking--big, but neat. She said that they can handle a queen size comforter with ease. Sounds good to me. The rent is a bit more than she was paying in the other place, but she has no one rolling bowling balls over her since this is all ground level apartments. And for the time being Rebekah will be staying at the new apartment. Thursday is the moving day for all the large pieces of furniture, so by that afternoon she will have all of her stuff in the new apartment. Bet it will feel good to have her place ready to enjoy.

Some people have moved around more than a couple of times in their lives. My home has been with my parents in Petrolia and then here in Lewis' home. After his parents moved him and Anne here, he never lived anywhere else either. Lance reminded me the other day that none of the trees that were here as they were growing up are even here any longer. The elm out front was here from a seedling as Lewis grew up. It had to be cut down and then the stump removed some years back. The cedar tree out to the side of the porch is gone, despite the cedar trunks that Hanan used as posts to make an arbor. Nope, not one old tree left. And now the apricot trees, the plum, and the two dwarf cherries are the only trees we have planted since then. The danged Western Soapberries just came up. They are fairly good shade, but hardly pretty or otherwise useful. In fact, had to go out and pick up pieces of broken branches to put in the burn wheels to burn later. 

Have an early appointment in the morning. Have all the clocks reset, and the alarm is set for seven in the morning. Should be able to take care of the critters and get over to 11th Street easily while waking up. Woke up late this morning for some reason. Had all kinds of weird dreams. Not sure what causes that, but noticed that the palomino was a glossy gold. Not sure other colors are in my dreams, but that color was noticeable. Go figure. Wonder if other people dream in colors or all grays.

Barry Levy made some comments about the Bible that have made me consider what we were taught some years ago. While it is true that some of the Bible has been mistranslated, removed, or otherwise misconstrued, we can pretty well believe what Paul suggested as the foundation of beliefs: Christ crucified, resurrected, standing at the right hand of God the Father. Whatever man imagines does not make it so. Whatever God proclaims, count on it to be so. One author wrote about the fact that energy could not be created or destroyed. All energy returns to its source, for all that. Who else but God could say, "I AM."

Thinking about the next little task that should make life interesting around here. The Barred Rock and Black Maran chicks are getting too big to let them roam around without another wing clipping. The Marans, especially, are using the trees as launching pads. Looked out the kitchen window and saw a black blob in the tree. Looked again and it had a head and feathers. Yep, time to clip wings. But that will be a night time job with a lantern and patience. sigh Maybe tonight or tomorrow night. 

Need to contact Dr. Blackwell and see if she can get eggs to Jennifer Garcia's family. Bet they know how to cook eggs without Jennifer even being there! Not sure when Kaylee will be able to leave the hospital, but guessing it will be a while. Brain surgery can't be an easy thing from which to recover. 

Reece just thanked me for a spiral bound book he received that teaches about pottery. That is supposed to be a very relaxing way to enjoy using one's hands. Can bet it would beat embroidery and sticking one's fingers infinite numbers of time. So the same book is on my Kindle, but doubt seriously if it will ever be used by the old woman. Stained glass class is kinda on the back burner for now. Seems to me that this is a very good time to stay at home and away from others. sigh Maybe pottery mud would be a good way to at least have something to throw. grin

May your rest be refreshing and your happiness unlimited. You are loved.