Being Reasonable.

 Being Reasonable.

 

Yesterday, Patty took a fall and could not get back up again. She was OUTSIDE!! She did not have her phone with her. She was trying to “hurry” because she knew she would run out of oxygen before she got her trash bin put back in place and the trash thrown in the bin. Has the old woman preached to her (as her own children have done to her) about always taking her phone with her? Yes, she has heard the lecture almost as many times as my own children have lectured me!  Is she now convinced? Uh huh. And a flat phone carrier with a neck strap will be taken to her house this week. THEN she will hear at least one more major attempt to get her to buy—with or without insurance—the oxygen concentrator that a person can carry with a purse-like strap. The small oxygen bottles are simply too heavy for her to carry. She has a large one connected to a small moving cart inside the house, but she cannot take that outside. The wheels on the cart are too small. Anyway, she has bruises on her knees and backside where she tried to crawl or scoot. She was still shaking by the time the old woman got down there, but she finally calmed down during a lecture. She may have been doing some serious eye rolls, but that is just too bad! She really scared me!

 

Then there is the story of a bathroom remodel that is shared between Patty and my friend Judie Brunson. Patty wanted a walk-in shower with a seat built in. Her home is made of solid concrete with things like the cast iron bathtub formed into the cement. We are talking heavy duty construction. She has had some concrete work done by a family here in WF before, so she knew these guys would do the job right—but it was expensive--$17K. They got it done in ONE week and left no messes during the construction time. Some days there would be two of the brothers and some days three, but they took out the cast iron tub in multiple pieces along with tubs and tubs of concrete pieces. When they left, Patty had a beautiful, light-colored shower filled with pretty tiles all the way up the walls and covering the seat. Now for the OTHER story. Judie told me that she had hired someone to put in a new walk-in shower for her husband Weldon. They made a mess for a few days and left for a few days—leaving behind the mess. The old woman has not had the nerve to call her to see if she has put down her gun yet or to find out if they ever came back to finish the job. This story has convinced me—again—to NEVER let someone tell me that someone they know is a good carpenter, craftsman, or whatever unless they have references and some kind of bond or insurance. The idea of a contract should be considered even for a “small” job! Still fuming here on this hill about the so-called expert builder who did not even know the size of a window and even brought the wrong kind for a different person to install. That situation is STILL a mess that infuriates me! By now have decided that the window will last as long as the old woman, but it still makes me angry to think that this person was all that and a bucket of pig swill and was recommended by someone who should have known better. Oh well. Life goes on.

 

Brenda Jones is a sweet lady who brought me a dozen of her hens’ eggs, two clematis vines, two large containers of potting soil mixtures, and some worm castings to go with the plants. She charged $10 per vine—a good deal. But her potting soil mixtures made me feel rich indeed! My soil is good, but not that great. She told me how to plant them and how to care for them—not too much water. That advice is also worth a lot for someone like me. Now, if either Roger or Albert have time to dig a hole for me next to the place on my fence where the vine needs to grow, maybe the vine will live long enough to make some pretty flowers. If Albert digs a hole for me, Shona is going to receive one nice vine with the soil included. Brenda said that the roots have to be protected from the sun, so maybe the bricks and pieces of stuff around here can be arranged to protect the plant—roots and all. Surely don’t want Blake to weed eat the one vine that matters to me.

 

Have to tell you about having a surgeon sing to me today! Dr. Compton likes country music, obviously. It was on in the background in the surgical suite, and he was quietly singing along as soon as he got the more difficult area of my right eye cleaned out in the place where he installed a new lens. The old woman told him thank you for the serenade, but not sure he even heard me. Maybe when he takes the shield off tomorrow, the appreciation can be reiterated. Anyway, he did apologize for their lack of some kind of prednisone wafers that they normally put in the eye. Seems that they ran out of the stock. It made me wonder if it was a supply problem, but it doesn’t matter that much. He prescribed some drops with the same effect, but the drops ended up costing me nearly $25 at the pharmacy. As if my part of the surgery was not expensive enough! Still, it is easy to believe that the issue might be one of supply problems since today was a “light” day for him—only eight patients this Tuesday. They can do as many as 20 per day! He does surgeries Tuesday (right eyes only) and Thursdays (left eyes only). And he is only ONE of their surgeons! Their surgical suite stays busy.

 

One of the best parts of this day was getting to visit with Roger and Susan Thonton. They were here at my house before 5:50 a.m. After we left the surgical suite, we went to Pioneer and had breakfast and sat and talked for over an hour. Anyway, the prescription for the eye drops was not ready at United by the time we got there. So, the pharmacy said that they would call when they were ready. Such fun. Anyway, Maria is taking me to the eye office tomorrow, and then we will go have lunch—a messy Monterey burger at WhataBurger. God has blessed me with some sweet friends and neighbors!

 

The weather has been about as disgusting as flying dirt and hard straight-line winds can be lately. Maria said an electric pole was blown down near them so that their electricity was off over a day. Meanwhile, when the electricity came back on, their deep freeze was zapped and ruined. As if the snootful of dirt we all had to breathe had not been enough! The state hospital grounds added to the amount of dirt in the air simply because the new construction includes enough dirt to build a new town! The visibility between my house and the administration building was less than ½ mile!!

 

The temperature has been quite cool for the early part of this week, but Texas is out to show the world how temps are done. It is supposed to be 90 degrees by Friday!! God has a sense of humor, doesn’t He. He had to have a sense of humor when He created Texas! But then, He also has my bluebonnets blooming! Praise God!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

That Freaking Wind!

 That Freaking Wind!

 

Yep! West Texas came to visit. Well, parts of it came to visit. The top layer of their soil came by on its way to the Metroplex. Whew! Looking out the front windows across Kemp onto the State Hospital campus, it is even worse due to the enormous amount of Red River dirt brought in for the foundations of the new parts of the campus. Every few minutes or so, a brownish red cloud will blow by the main offices directly across from Fenoglio Avenue. The very air has a texture somewhat akin to cream of wheat!

 

Have not steeped tea in ages, but this morning it seemed like a good day to make some tea the way Lewis used to like it. Just slipped the pitcher into the fridge to cool. Maybe tea will satisfy the old woman better than buckets of water. Sigh. For sure, know that drinking more coffee would not really be good for me even if it is decaf. The cream had clotted the morning, so it was not good to pour into the coffee cup. Oh well.

 

Sterling said that the weather up their way was anything but nice—mostly miserable. But at least they enjoyed the sermon at church this morning.

 

Both dogs have stayed right under my feet all day. This wind is bothering them just as much as it bothers me. At one point, Thompson grabbed the handle of the toy basket and pulled it over toward him. Then he looked up at me as if he thought the old woman should be doing something to help him. Go figure. Then he got under the desk where the basket normally stays. Maybe he thought it was a good hiding spot.

 

The temps are supposed to be down to 29 tonight and 32 Monday night, and then the temps will be up to 90 by Friday during the day. Honestly! Texas weather has always been a bit strange, but from 29 to 90 feels more than strange. This feels as if we are being tried. Then there are more fires in various places. Not sure just how the fires began, but if the electric lines have been whipping around, it is easy to imagine the sparks setting grass fires. We lost electricity for a short while, but during the day, it is not a big deal. Patty said that her generator came on almost immediately, however. Really wish she had one of those little portable concentrators for her oxygen.

 

Maria is supposed to be here sometime after lunch tomorrow to clean my house. Right now, the entire house feels gritty with dust and sand! We will be trying to be sure things are shipshape before the eye surgery on Tuesday morning. SO glad that Roger and Susan are willing to haul me up there and back that morning. What would we do without sweet friends?

 

Maybe tomorrow will be a better, lighter day than what today has been. We get so many pretty days that it seems we expect for them ALL to be nice. What the old woman should be doing is just feeling grateful for each day no matter how hard the winds blow! Waking up each day for the past 77 years has been a privilege. The flowers, bird song, and sweet neighbors and family just make each day that much better.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

What Kids Say.

 What Kids Say.

 

This afternoon, my niece Lesli wanted to know why her youngest son calls a corn tortilla “enchilada bread.” Personally, it sounds perfect to me! She was making chicken and spinach enchiladas with avocado salsa sauce. Wow! The old woman was not even hungry before she started talking about all that good stuff.

 

Lesli has been diagnosed with Celiac disease which means that she can’t have anything with gluten in it. Years ago, when we were trying to get Lewis’ diet full of foods that did not cause him problems, we were trying to find foods that did not contain soy of any type in it. Of course, he already had to eliminate sugar since he was a diabetic, but it seemed to us that every food out there had soy or sugar in it. Lesli said that even Chapstick has gluten in it. Even her lotions and hair stuff included gluten! Our foods in America have more chemicals in them than in any other country. Go figure.

 

Watching some reports on what is going on both here in the U.S. and overseas and feeling rather surprised that we have not already had more problems with sleeper cells. Watching the reports about the two police officers who tried to keep people away from the bombs that were thrown made me realize just how brave some of our police are. The ATF said that if the two bombs had gone off, the destruction would have been worse than the bombs that went off in Boston at that marathon. It is just about enough to make a person want to avoid any type of crowds whatsoever. Those officers deserve some special recognition for sure!

 

Then there are the bombs and stuff going off in the Middle East. Wow! The Iranians certainly created a large stockpile of things to throw at Israel and other countries. But throwing things at their other neighbors has caused them some backlash. All the countries around them condemned them for hitting their oil supplies and the bases, hotels, resorts, and other parts of their countries. President Trump did say that he did not want all of Iran’s oil supplies and refineries ruined because, when this war is over, they will need to rebuild their economic bases. That makes sense. Just wish that we had a better way of knocking out their drones so that others would be protected from the Iranian idiots that are shooting at everyone. Not since Hitler have we seen such crazy stuff happening.

 

Have been using some stuff that Jennifer bought for me on my knees, back, and left shoulder. It is not as fast as Tiger Balm, but it also does not contain aspirin. Still, whatever it takes to get the old body to quit aching is acceptable!

 

The wind was not blowing this morning when we opened the doors, but even a breeze would have been better than what we had yesterday. Wind gusts of 40 mph or more are not any fun at all. About the time the irises bloom, you can bet we will have another spell of high winds and probably hail to boot! The yellow flags (irises) are so pretty right outside my windows, but they smell good, too. The wind tears them up rather quickly on this hill, but they are pretty for a little while anyway. Wish someone would want some of these in the front flower bed and could dig them up. They spread! The purple and dusty brown ones are pretty, but they don’t show up like the yellow ones.

 

The temps are supposed to be around 35 degrees on Sunday evening and 35 on Monday night. Weird weather, but still better than what they are having in Arkansas! Sterling said they are getting down below freezing up their way. He can keep that part of the country!! But then the following weekend it is supposed to get up to 91 here!! Figures. Bet we don’t get any rain with it either! Texas! Dry and drier!

 

Have started re-reading the study by Lehman Straus on Revelation. The messages to the churches seem to be the most important part for today. Basically, keeping the love and devotion to God’s purpose that we start with may be the best thing that a person can do. We simply can’t get sidetracked into making life choices based on any other kind of interests. If we can love others and not be so freaking critical, that would be a major help to one’s attitude. Guess that is something for just about everyone to work on. Let us try to keep our goals in mind by reading the Bible and by prayer.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Those Muscles!

 Those Muscles!

 

Yep, was already sore last night and woke up thinking that the muscles in my backside had the same “sit-to-stand” aches that the old woman had when she was recovering from knee surgery. Wowser! But a good nap today helped. Maybe tomorrow will be another good day for walking early in the morning.

 

Made some steak stew today that turned out pretty good. A can of tomatoes like Rotel with peppers, some corn, half an onion, and beef broth made a decent meal or two. Still have some for tonight and tomorrow. Only thing missing was a can of mushrooms. Really like those funky things! Could eat portabellas just like steak!

 

Started the book by Lehman Straus on the Revelation again this morning. Why things are easier to absorb the second time around is not clear to me, but such is the case. Reading the scriptures referred to might be part of the difference. It makes it clearer what is on the author’s mind at least.

 

The mailman took a couple of posts to send to Ft. Worth today and left a package from the online pharmacy. One of the posts was a birthday card for the youngest Ostand kid. Love funny cards!

 

Albert is out with his weed eater this afternoon. Those things certainly make enough noise to scare all the bunnies and stray cats, but the noise is still not enough to make those critters stay away from this hill. Tomorrow Blake is supposed to cut our grass, too. Patty’s grass is pretty straight forward, but mine is one of those hit or miss things with patches here and there. Oh well. Without hens out there now, the grass should take over pretty soon. Would like to get some “Spruce” grass killer from either Walmart or Amazon soon to kill the grass on the walkway from the deck to the workshop. It is simply too much to try to hoe it out. And this old woman will not buy any more Roundup at all!

 

Had to get out the directions for changing the time on my electric clock and still could not figure it out. May have to ask one of the kids to change it the next time one of them comes up. If it were not for appointments, the old woman would totally ignore this Daylight-Saving Time. Dumb idea in the first place. But it also means that next week on the 17^th, the old woman has to leave the house by at least six to get to my cataract surgery appointment! It’s a good thing that Siri will wake me up!!

 

Got the trash across the road and over in front of the Leos place. Hoping that Albert does not get disgusted because it is already out there before he gets the grass cut! Almost wish my zero turn were one of the little tractor kind of mowers. Seems to me that the zero turn is a bit rough to ride. But maybe not that much different.

 

We need to be praying for our troops in the Middle East especially. Whether they are on warships or on the ground in one of the bases, they are targets for Iran. Let us pray for them and for their families. Max, the young tech sergeant across the street, believes that he will be sent there after he is transferred to Washington state (Tacoma). He is an instructor in electronics on the big planes. My former neighbor has two grandchildren on the big ships in that area as well—(Darrel and Chelsey Hobbs). Let us pray for their safety and for all the rest of the military men and women we have over there.

 

No matter what we think about the wisdom of our actions in Iran and that area among their proxies, what we are doing beats having them throwing nuclear missiles at us! May God continue to bless our nation.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Some Needed Exercise.

 Some Needed Exercise.

 

Jennifer reminded me that the old woman has not been going outside and getting any exercise, so today an attempt was made to pick up the many branches and little pieces of wood that have made the backyard into something of a disaster area. Some of the wood pieces were left over from when Maria’s husband removed the little chicken coop. He just left the mess, but then, that is the way some folks do things. Anyway, that stuff got removed and stacked into a container in case Greg and Vickie want it for the wood burning stove. Although, it is getting so very nice outside and inside as well that they may not need any more kindling for their stove.

 

Sterling told me not to use any gasoline to start the firepit where a bunch of the limbs were stuffed. Guess what. Three-in-One oil does not catch fire easily—or maybe at all. Finally put some gasoline on the limbs, but it did not burn either. Guess the wood is pretty soaked with water or something. Anyway, can try again later. Want to have the yard picked up enough that Blake can mow on Tuesday. This grass is really growing! Well, and the weeds could take over soon, too.

 

Using a rachet and a socket, the old woman managed to drain the stock tank that sits under the eave of the deck roof. That thing was really nasty. Pulled it over on its side to spray along the bottom and sides, so all the garbage was removed. Let the nozzle on the hose slowly refill the tank so that it would settle any junk and stuff before it gets more rain—if that happens. Have considered putting guppies in there because they eat mosquitoes. Would have to go to Wally World to get the guppies, but Patty told me today about a weed killer that is safe for critters—Spruce. Walmart is supposed to have it. Told Max across the street about it, too. Zupkus drove up one day this past week to check out the grass along their shared fence. So far, the Johnson grass has not sprouted, but some kind of weed is really growing like gangbusters! Max and Laisha will only be here for two more weeks before they have to move to Tacoma. Going to miss them!

 

Max put my big bag of dog food inside the bin where it is normally stored. Have about five pounds left of the last sack but did not want to try to pick up the heavy bag. Another reason that the kids across the street will be missed. He also tore down the box it came in and put it in the trash bin for me. We talked about using the service the armed forces provide for housing assists so that he might be able to rent their house out here to someone in the military rather than trying to sell it. A sale right now just does not look likely. Over one hundred houses similar in price to theirs are currently on the market here in WF. And apparently over 20 come on the market every day. Imagine that! Maybe it has something to do with the interest rates or something, but it really makes it difficult for someone trying to sell on a time limit.

 

Talked to my cousin Eba this evening. She just got a contract on a house that will be closer to where her son lives. She said that she has been semi-packing for two years now, but we talked about the possibility of giving some of her stuff to the veterans’ organizations. The new house will be somewhat smaller than her two-story house with its huge basement. And the yard will be smaller. Anyway, it is difficult for me to imagine having to do all that she will need to do all by herself.

 

My old body is giving me fits tonight, so a pain pill and a muscle relaxer have joined the fun. Probably did more of that stuff outside than was absolutely necessary, but it felt so good to see some differences in the mess. But even using the picker-upper thing did not keep me from bending a bunch. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

 

Reading in I Timothy 2: 1-2 it says that we should pray for kings and those in authority that we may have peace. God allows certain folks to have authority, and He allows things to take place that we sometimes find horrible—thinking of the Holocaust. But whether it is something like the Civil War or the current wars in the Middle East, these things will lead to whatever He intends to allow. No one on this earth—or in heaven above—knows exactly what will take place next, but we are given hints. We know that a great awakening to religion will take place—that the Word may be known throughout the world. We know that folks will be crying out peace, peace when sudden devastation will occur. But the main thing that we should consider is that God is in control. If one cannot believe that God can control everything, then that one should consider just how deep belief and faith need to go.

 

My sneakers are bumping around in the dryer now. Nothing like getting filthy when working outside! Forgot how nasty dirt and mud could be! Still wish the old woman had a little hen house next to the west side of the deck so water and electricity would be easier to accommodate. Sigh. Four chicks? In bad weather they could live in the big bathroom! What a mess!

 

One last thing, the last post about children graduating without being able to read has made me realize that others have plenty of reason to find it concerning also. Today read that a young woman with a 3.7 grade point average graduated with a 1^st grade reading level. She sued the school! Yep, criminal when graduates can’t read!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Ignorance Diluted.

 Ignorance Diluted.

 

Reading the headlines today, it is obvious that the local school board took a deep breath of relief that the state of Texas has not decided to take over the local schools. Just this past year Houston was in the news because they lost control of their schools because the students were failing. This time, only ONE school is failing locally, but the board’s answer to that problem was to close the school and place all those students in other schools nearby in our city. This way the ignorance of that one student body is diluted among schools that are actually making the grade and have passing tests that satisfy the state of Texas.

 

Years ago, when the TASP classes were first started at a local university, it seemed so strange that entering freshmen students needed to be taught to read and write before they could actually take on freshmen classes. One of those classes happened to have this old lady as an instructor. A written assignment for that class involved taking on the persona of a city inspector of buildings, or an irate neighbor, or a prospective builder. In each case, the student would be sending a letter asking the three little pigs if they had obtained the proper permits for building, or it might have contained the protests from the irate neighbor suggesting that the neighborhood would be ruined by their building proposals, or it could be a letter/advertisement from a builder suggesting that his company could improve upon and produce a better product than any of the three little pigs might otherwise have considered. As the class completed that day, a young football player came to me and asked where he could find this story as he had never heard of it before. He was from Houston.

 

Thinking about our schools reminded me that some schools in this city have the best reading teachers, the best science and math teachers, and some of the best of the special education teaches around. If students have not learned to read in years one through five or six, those students are at a disadvantage for junior high, and they certainly would have difficulties in high school. We reward good teachers, but what about the students who missed the mark entirely?

 

When teaching a basic literacy class, a student once came to me and asked if she could learn to read in my class. She had a scholarship to the local university and could only use it if she had learned to read. “How did you graduate from high school?” was my question. “The coaches had someone else do my homework,” she said. To me that sounds criminal! How can we even keep teachers who do not realize the importance of basic reading classes?

 

How can we be fair to teachers, students, and future employers? No, the story of the three little pigs is not a necessary foundation for knowledge, but the ability to read or compose a letter should be the basic premise for any level of education. Many of our students visited local businesses and wrote thank you notes for the tours and treats. ANY level of social interchanges should include making one’s appreciation obvious. Yes, letters seem to be on the way out along with any handwritten notes because of   computer generated correspondence. Still, even sitting down at a computer to write a simple thank you note should be encouraged both at home and in the school. We need to start asking our children to be responsible for telling others what they like about life and their world. This is a basic need today.

 

Now tell me, who is failing? Is it the parent who never knew the story of the three little pigs? Is it the child who never learned how to use the library? Is it the teacher who let a child slip out of class before he or she was able to read at that grade level? Or is it some school board members who believe that they have dodged a bullet because they could dilute the dumb-downed portion of our students by hiding them inside the schools with more advanced reading levels?

 

It is horrible to contemplate that we are allowing future citizens to fail in society by not being sure that they can handle even the basic abilities to read and write.

 

We may not be able to tell all those young people the story of the three little pigs—or about Goldilocks and the Three Bears—but maybe we need to start volunteering to help in schools who need extra hands and hearts to teach reading.

 

Let us be grateful to God who gave us good parents and teachers.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Put On the Clothes, Mother!

 Put On the Clothes, Mother!

 

My friend Michelle Malay called me a bit ago to try to vent some of her frustrations. Have never had to deal with anything or anyone like she is currently, but will tell you that we need to have compassion on caregivers. Her MIL is 98 years old. She does not want to wear clothes. Currently a nine-year-old boy is spending the day and night with Michelle. Mother Mary is not at all deficit in the mental department; she is just a stubborn old git! When asked what she would do if the boy came out there, Mother M said, “He doesn’t come out here.” Rolling eyes here. Well, tomorrow it is supposed to rain. Maybe Mother Mary will wear some clothes tomorrow.

 

Had a visitor or three today. Rylan (Hanan’s son) came with their adult clothes to use my laundry facilities. We got most of those finished before he had to go pick up Isabella and my great-grandson Josiah. Enjoyed a visit with them. Never know what a day will bring. [No kisses because of RSV!]

 

Yesterday, Mark Ogle came and stayed to visit for a couple of hours and then he was able to take care of some business and visit with the Route 66 Group at Pioneer on Maplewood. The group only goes there every four months, but this old woman had to be at the dentist’s office at 2 p.m. Praise God that Dr. Pitts was able to take care of this tooth that anchors my lower bridge. It seems as if it has been just one thing after another lately, but even though it was too expensive, at least the work did not hurt me and the tooth was saved.

 

Having the battery down on the truck means that the old woman is not going anywhere unless someone takes her. Mary Rhodes was kind enough to take me to the dentist office twice, and now Judie Brunson is going to take me to the ophthalmologist’ office to see if this cataract is ready to come out this year. The neurologist said to wait six weeks before driving, so by March maybe the truck will be up and running with a jump start. Now if only there were a jump start for old folks like me!!

 

Rylan said that his stepdad had brought his wife over from wherever it was she lived, and now she is just about ready to have their baby. Guess what. The new immigration thing is causing them to have to fight for her to be able to stay here in this country. Ensa is spending thousands of dollars on lawyers just so that they can live in peace. Shaking my head and praying that this is resolved without tearing their family apart.

 

Received my first copy of The Upper Room today that my sister-by-another-mother (Sharon Dickerson) had sent to me. The stories are encouraging and just what was needed around here. Sometimes things can get to a person when we can’t really be with anyone else or don’t really have much that makes us feel useful. Anyway, this little magazine reminded me of some areas that need my prayers.

 

Talking to Sterling today, it dawned on me that despite the fact that Rylan has been exposed to theories of creation, he has the idea that Alla, Jesus Christ, and God the Father are all one and the same. How does one talk to a person who thinks he or she already knows everything necessary? Will look online (Mardel type places) to see if any quick reading things might be available to give to him so that he can realize that he is missing something important. Please pray that he does not become insulted or disgusted with an old woman’s viewpoint. Meanwhile, prayer is all that can help us—any of us—in this life. In my mind, the reason my grandson is here today is because God had a reason for him to be in our lives.

 

Meanwhile, Sterling said that he and his friend George are being asked to make a bevy of little kid’s rocking chairs for various men who saw one made for a friend. They finish them and put G&S and the month and year on them. No one will ever know what G&S stand for unless they know Sterling or George, but that’s ok. Sterling says it keeps them busy and out of trouble—mostly.

 

This old woman is tired and ready to call it a night. May you all know that from our conception—and before, God has loved us. Let us give that love to others as we are able.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.