Puff the magic dragon

 Puff, The Magic Dragon!

 

My niece just sent a text to our group saying it seems all our childhood is passing away. Peter, Paul, and Mary were the neatest group when my kids were growing up. Well, some of the stuff they listened to was not to my taste, but I dreamed about a magic dragon! Loved the idea of dragons! Still do. Some of the new planes remind me of dragons—along with the crazy drones that fly around.

 

Got an order from Amazon the other day that included a hot plate type thing for my coffee cup. Now my coffee stays hot until it is gone! Really like for my coffee to be hot. And then yesterday the flavored decaf pods came in another box. This cup is chocolate marshmallow!

 

The little lights that came from Tar-J yesterday did not encourage my hens in the front house to get down off the roosts this morning, so Jennifer suggested using the Christmas rooster that she bought for me. It is lit up all over and should make it much lighter inside the coop. We will see if that helps.

 

We were supposed to have an 87% chance for snow this Thursday, but now the percentage is way lower. Know that snow is good for the fields and flowerbeds, but ice and snow are definitely not my favorite weather. Better than a tornado, but still.

 

Talked to Sterling about his new eye! He said that colors are SO much brighter now. He can’t use his glasses, but thinks that maybe he can get a pair of readers that might work for him for the time being. He can see way off with the eye, but reading is not exactly way off. Like his sister, patience is not one of his strongest assets. Told him to try to behave himself if at all possible.

 

Sitting here nibbling on Pawnee pecans from down around Santos, Texas. Good nibbling. They are not quite as flavorful as Burketts, but mighty good anyway. Don’t think a person could ever get completely tired of nibbling on these things. Daughter-in-law tells me a person is not supposed to have more than two Brazil nuts per day for some reason. And the old woman has an entire bag of them in the fridge! Sigh. Maybe two at a time? Ha!

 

While talking to Sterling he asked if the old woman remembered when there was no bathroom on the old farm house. Of course! We had a nice pail with a lid under the bed and a number something tub in the kitchen for Saturday night baths.

 

My daughter just informed me that one does not have to have a pizza with tomato sauce on it! Hmm. Pizza gives me indigestion, so when the old woman is feeling brave . . .

 

Just plugged in the Christmas rooster out in the front coop. Let’s hope the hens will go in there now and not stay outside!!

 

Did not sleep well last night, but today could hardly keep my eyes open, so a nap happened. Let’s hope it did not ruin the outlook for sleeping tonight. God gives us sleep for a good reason. We need our mind to rest as well as the body. One of the good reasons to stay away from the news is what it does to our mindset and emotions. We can read the Bible, pray, and walk out with the critters, but stir in some “news” and it just ruins the effects of study and prayer if we are not careful. Thankfully, Patty reminds me every so often that we need to search for ways to help others that will make our lives easier to keep hope at the ready. She wants to help dogs with what she has, and that makes me feel good. Wish someone from Petrolia would let me know about the lady with the kennel for abandoned dogs. She will need help in this weather.

 

May you all be blessed with a good attitude, healing, peace, and whatever you need to make life bearable.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Staying Warm.

 Staying Warm.

 

Going outside this morning did not happen as early as it normally would have. In fact, it was what one would call—LATE! The middle coop girls were already fussing about it, but the front coop girls were still up on their roosts. That should change tomorrow even if the old woman does not get out there all that early. Target had ONE package of those little lights that just barely qualify as lights. The package was all of fifty cents on sale!! Miranda, a sweet employ, helped me find them. So nice of her to look things up and take me over to them. Made sure her manager knew that I appreciated her help!

 

Now the long extension cord is situated in the front coop and has the cord to the warm drinking water bowl and the lights attached to it. So, the hens will be able to see and to have water that is not frozen. Their head of cabbage inside the middle coop was sitting on the ground and was frozen solid! At least they have all the feed they will need in there. Their feathers and the shelves should keep them fairly warm in the front coop. The girls in the middle coop tend to cluster together in a row.

 

One of our classmates has already suggested that we delay our next Route 66 meeting due to the ice, snow, and cold weather expected. Suits me. I hate even driving in cold weather. The only good thing snow and ice ever did for me was give me the opportunity to meet my future husband at the time. Best blizzard in my life!

 

Have an oodle of books downloaded on my Kindle to read, so if nothing rips, rears, or ravels, that is what the old woman will be doing for the next month or so. Since singing has not been in my slender case of talents in a very long time, humming happily will simply have to do. God gives each of us a song to sing in life, and having the pleasure of sharing someone’s vision of life, history, or other sights of lands and people is one of the greatest gifts. Libraries. Until the day the old woman wrecked her little truck back years ago, it would not have been the least bit surprising if she had gone on to become a librarian. Such fun!

 

May we all be an example of ones who would be there for others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Cold Enough to Break!

 Cold Enough to Break!

 

Between the high winds and the lowering temperature, going outside to put water in the coop and feed out in both containers and in the pile of oyster shell is just about enough to make a person’s hands feel as if they might shatter in this cold! DANG!!

 

Tomorrow the girls may not get out until the old woman can handle both the temperature and the wind. It truly is horrible, and we don’t even have snow! May feed them some leftover vegetable soup from my meals today. It is good soup, but they are not willing to get away from the house, the deck, and the coops. Can’t blame them even one tiny bit!

 

Read something on FB today and shared it. They still have so very many folks in NC and TN who need places to stay. And they found another car full of bodies after a bear led them to a tire standing up in the air. Horrors. Just so depressing to think about.

 

Having a warm electric stove to heat my bathroom, kitchen, and office makes it feel pretty good to be cared for so well. God has blessed us not to lose the electric grid or not to have problems with natural gas. Can you even begin to imagine what it is like in Europe right now with the gas lines stopped out of Ukraine? Generally speaking, it is much colder there than it would be here in North Central Texas. Even if they don’t have the howling wind we have, the low temps could kill anyone who can’t get into some kind of shelter. Just wish it were possible to be sure that folks here in our country have what they need to survive this winter weather. And then the critters. Have seen that the ranchers and farmers had already been feeding hay because of the drought. That means the wild animals need help as well. Then thinking about the kennels in Petrolia full of dogs that have very little shelter in this cold and wind. Can’t remember who it is that is taking care of all the critters there, but whoever she is, she means well and is trying. Know that a full-on building would be better, but that also costs a fortune. Her parents were the Brooks that lived on the hill above the Morgans on the north side of the town. Sigh. Maybe Jim can see someone and find out her name. Know she is bound to need dog food and some kind of covers or blankets for them.

 

Sterling called and said he is leaving his water dribbling good in the workshop so it won’t freeze up. They are already in the teens and have snow. Yikes! Let me tell ya, winter is NOT my favorite time of the year.

 

Let us pray for those who need shelter and food tonight. Let us ask God for peace among ourselves and between the nations.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Awaiting the Cold Front.

 Awaiting the Cold Front.

 

Have the dog sweaters and jackets gathered up, hay ready to put in the front coop, and even looked up which direction the kitchen ceiling fan needed to turn to keep it warm in there (clockwise). It is supposed to get really cold the next few days. Not my favorite kind of weather, but know we need a deep freeze to kill out some of the nasty bugs and such in the ground. Things like this have a purpose. Even fruit trees need to have a freeze at least once a year. God’s plan works.

 

Just finished talking online with an agent from Spectrum to see if the cost could be lowered. Seems they gave me the lowest one available for the amount of time spent with them. The agent said the price of $72 per month was strictly an introductory rate for the first year. Sigh. But at least they still gave me a lowered rate for the current price of $8 off. That means the rate without that discount would be $96 per month. Argh. Keep telling myself that it is better than not having any connections at all. Don’t do TV, so that is not an extra however much. Just my phone and internet keep me plugged in to the rest of the world.

 

Made some ginger/mango tea and put it in my travel cup. That stuff stays HOT! A normal cup cools so much more quickly, but it is nice not to burn my tongue with each sip!! Really enjoy ginger in tea, and the mango has a wonderful flavor. But then, gingersnap cookies are great, too!

 

Went after two more bags of feed this morning and picked up some pecans for Jennifer. She and Gary are back at home from their trip, so she is knee-deep in laundry. Figures. If it is not laundry in a home, it is cleaning the floors—in ALL homes!

 

Thinking about making soup, but may wait until tomorrow. Have some of that freeze-dried vegetable mix that works so well in soup. It comes out a little spicier that way, but you know you have had something good when you put the bowl in the sink to wash it! Nothing like a good bowl of soup on a cold day—or almost any day!

 

Need to find out what the name of the lady in Petrolia is who has the dog refuge there. Have some sweaters that are too small for my dogs, and then a special “hut” for a dog. That would make it comfortable for some critter. Talked to an old friend out there, but he had no idea who or what. And he and his family had all been down with some kind of crud in their lungs. Getting old is not for sissies, Dear Hearts.

 

Have been thinking about turnips again. Love those silly roots. Well, the greens are great too if one has the pepper sauce to sprinkle on them! Patty says she saw a commercial on TV where the lady of the house said that she just sprinkles that “sh1t” on everything! It made me laugh, but then we got to talking about the fact that folks are getting less and less offended by potty mouth on TV and in movies! Such is the way our society has moved.

 

A little prayer would not go amiss for Sterling and Jacqui this coming Tuesday when they go for his cataract surgery. Let’s hope the driving conditions are not terrible or even bad. They can do without that stuff.

 

Meanwhile, the world is about as full of insanity as usual. Once in a while we read or hear about someone who is doing especially kind things for others. The Amish have built bunches of little houses for folks who suffered through Hurricane Helene. God sees their work. Others have furnished food, clothing, necessities, and what we normally think of as things that matter—especially roads and bridges and electricity! Let us pray for those folks helping and for those needing help. Then let us pray fervently for peace—from God. No amount of political or regional negotiations are going to create peace in this world. Satan has dug in and throws folks into idiocy as often as we become hopeful. God forgive us for not praying harder and helping those who can get away from the fighting.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Kibble Topper

 Kibble Topper.

 

By time to go to bed last night, the chicken quarters were cooked, the broth put in a container, the meat and bones set in a covered bowl to cool in the fridge, and thoughts about how to work with the turkey meat and hamburger rolling around in my head. Now the chicken meat is in bags inside the fridge, the hamburger and ground turkey is in bags ready for the freezer, and the hens have had the excess fat, skin, and broth. It sounds pretty simple, but the entire process takes time and lots of cleaning up after. Oh well. The dogs are happy and relatively healthy. Patty looked up why dogs are not supposed to get turkey or chicken skin, and it seems the fat content causes pancreatic problems. Learn something new every day. Just had read not to let them have the skin and never researched it beyond that.

 

The mailman told me he trusted me to come up with the postage due on my package while he drove down to Patty’s house. The Amazon package cost me $10.32 postage which was not supposed to cost anything. So, they got a message from me this morning. Yes, nicely stated. Trying to not be too pushy.

 

Had a banana and a pain pill just a bit ago and hoping it will kick in pretty soon. Patty said that her sore foot had caused her back to hurt because of the way she had to favor that foot. It makes sense to me that the knee is what is causing both the hips and lower back to hurt. Just can’t walk the way one should go. Youth is wasted on not appreciating how wonderfully our bodies are made! Even being able to concentrate one’s thoughts long enough to accomplish something is not really appreciated by those who are not “blessed” with ADHD. Concentrating often means totally ignoring other things in order to focus where it matters—or on what seems to matter. Wonder how teachers manage to teach today when about three-fourths of the students have either learning disabilities—which just means they learn differently—or they are reduced to taking some kind of medication in order to remain in their chairs. Chelsey Bahe, the nature artist you will often see on FB, promises that our education system does not favor real learning for children. They need to be outside and able to explore independently so that they can learn problem solving skills and relationships with their friends. Wish all children could have that kind of education!

 

Reading this afternoon in Philippians, was reminded of three or four of my favorite verses from this letter. In 1:6 we are reminded to be confident that “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. God does not leave His work half done. What He begins, He finishes. And then in 2:13, “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. In my words, this means that whatever He wants done, He will have us do it. Then the verse Mom had me memorize as a child is in 4:8 “Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things”. And in 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” We are so blessed for such guidance.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

The OTHER Forecast.

 The OTHER Forecast.

 

Some of you may be unaware that bones and joints have a say about what is happening in the atmosphere. Right knee and both hips are saying “cold and miserable.” Have seen the “official” forecast, so pretty sure the body parts have got it right. Sterling says that theirs is even worse. On Tuesday he is supposed to go have the first eye surgery while he dreads having to make Jacqui drive. Hope it does not hurt her the way it does us! Her joints are bound to have been affected by the chemo she took. Sigh.

 

Woke up is a cross mood this morning and have messed up my notion of watching my mouth and what comes out of it. Should just stay away from folks when things are like this. But at least Shona’s mom knows who owns the piece of land she wants. Hope things work out.

 

Had some groceries delivered because it hurt to move around. Patty assured me that the delivery service was created for such times. Have some ointment on the knee, but can’t reach that part of my back. Sterling laughs and says that if he could get a bottle of Watkins horse liniment, he would come rub a bunch on my back and leave me smelling to high heaven of ammonia! That stuff really did stink, but Daddy swore nothing worked as well as it did.

 

Have a roaster full of chicken quarters waiting to cool off enough to slide them inside the fridge. The dogs were about to run out of stuff to put on top of their kibble. They had some turkey today, so chicken will do for tomorrow. Will have ground beef in the oven tomorrow so it can be bagged up and put aside to feed them another week. The little bags thaw quickly, so it is better to use the quart size and fill the freezer with those. Such fun.

 

Started another book of the Bible today, but got interrupted after one chapter. Sometimes it simply does not do to try to plan things out. Guess it does not matter as long as things get done eventually. Wanted to look up a recipe in a Keto cookbook that Jennifer gave me, but that did not happen either. Oh well. If tomorrow gets here, maybe something else will get done!

 

At least my shower this morning made me feel cleaner even if it hurt to get into and out of it. One stupid step and the hips creak! Maybe the old woman should quit griping. Granddad said that everyone who was allowed to get older got to enjoy all the side effects! He was not wrong. Just have to adjust my attitude. Praise God for another day!

 

Please remember to pray for those families and folks who have been subject to such horrors going on in Las Vegas and New Orleans. No police officer, ambulance driver, EMT, or doctor wants to face the aftermath of such things. May we have peace in this nation. Even if we have to face another Depression like the one my parents lived through, maybe being forced to take care of ourselves and feed ourselves might be better than having evil people trying to kill or maim the folks in our cities. We need God’s peace first of all, and then we need to look at what we really need as opposed to all those “wants.” May God watch over us!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Another Day and Another Year.

 Another Day and Another Year.

 

Wisdom does not necessarily come with age, Dear Hearts. But you knew that if you even gave a cursory thought to the idea of wisdom. We laugh about the saying that knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not including it in a fruit salad. Still, so many things we think we “know” are not about to help us when we use knowledge in a dumb manner. Do we really know that someone has not saved a child’s social security payments for the child’s future and possible college or vocational school? And even if we know for sure that not one dollar of a parent’s benefits have been saved, what good does it do us or the child to have that knowledge? We are always quick to judge others, but perhaps we need to back up and look at ourselves first.

 

The old woman loves her two dogs and these nineteen hens. The dogs bark each time something moves in the neighborhood and just about come unstitched when the mailman comes to the porch, but they serve their purpose—a bit like a security camera. Clint and Sandy Robertson left the security camera on the side of my house, but the old woman did not pay for the service of having all its benefits. Dogs that bark and a camera that dings—double trouble? Still, it might be nice to know who drove up without having to go look. Not sure it would be worth the money, however. Anyone who knows me, knows the dogs well enough to never try to open a door or gate. The hens, however, tend to wander the front yard since their wing feathers allow them to fly. And they never squawk while out there. They know that will get them returned to the back yard. They really have their own kind of wisdom.

 

Had a New Year greeting in my emails this morning from Dutch Henry and his wife Robyn. His story from Grandpop included what the old man quoted about his own feelings about the future. It hit pretty close to my own feelings about the beginning of this year:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

 

Let us have hope for a better future despite all the stupid things that take place in this world. Patty sent me a cartoon about Biden and son today. It reminded me that we need to look at the good things that happen despite what we have in places of government. Even my brother was bragging on his wife’s cooking today, so the world must look a little brighter despite the tacky weather conditions! Let us use a happier attitude in everything we think and do. You know we are blessed!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.