And a Riding We Will Go.

 And a Riding We Will Go.

 

Oldest child took me out to see Brenda Jones to pick up some eggs and a few flower vines. Think he was very impressed by her beautiful flowers and all the things she had growing out there. She has spent an enormous amount of time and effort to have blooms all over her yard and out front of the house on a raised berm. Just beautiful! Really enjoyed visiting with her.

 

Lance mowed, did some weed eating, and just generally spent time visiting with me. Even though it takes over an hour to get to his house, there are times when it would be so nice to just go visit if driving that far did not make me feel so vulnerable in traffic. The old truck would probably do just fine. Not so sure about the old woman. But any time with the children is better than none.

 

Even if it rains a deluge before Tuesday, the yard already looks better than it did before Lance worked it over. The dressed stone sidewalk out back looks much cleaner now. Spraying it with weed killer might help to keep the grass out of the spaces between the slabs of stone. Here’s hoping. Now to get that done on the front walkway. The wind is up right now and the old woman got tired before finishing this morning. Maybe tomorrow evening or Monday will see a little more work done.

 

Nearly always find that talking with the kids—either one of them—helps me to think about things differently. Jennifer’s remark that “It’s not your circus” was pretty much reflected in what Lance said, “Unless you are personally involved, let it go.” How did these kids get so smart? Maybe it’s their age and experience. They have dealt with more things in their lives than the old woman ever even considered. And they are still dealing with a world that is totally different than the one where someone my age grew up. They are probably more realistic. May God bless them.

 

The mosquitoes were horrible this morning, so we used Deep Woods Off and kept moving. This week the mosquito baits will have to go out. Of course, the extra heavy, tall grass has made it impossible to think about spraying the yard with anything. Simply too much green stuff to cover! All the rain and all the chicken fertilizer have made my grass look totally like a hay field. Of course, the nutgrass is so hard to cut that even a sheep would have trouble eating it! Asking Brenda Jones about her goats and what they eat, she reminded me that goats do NOT eat grass unless as a last resort! Silly critters prefer weeds and brush!

 

Time to go soak my head and body in the tub of hot water. Maybe all the walking and stuff done today will not make me sore tomorrow, but hot water can’t hurt these tired muscles any! Need to decide what to wear tomorrow to church, but nothing else to do tonight except pray and read a bit. The blessings of a loving family simply require prayers of praise and thanks.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Spelling Matters.

 Spelling Matters.

 

Our daddy had several sayings that stuck with us for life. One thing he said included the advice to never do a half-@ssed job. “If you are going to do something, do it right!” was his advice. So, when something hits me as “wrong” or sloppy, that makes me remember what he said. He attended school off and on down in Montague County where he would wave the school bus on past his grandparents’ farm if he had some cats to chase or things of that nature, but he was not ignorant despite his lack of enthusiasm for the classroom. He moved back to the Clay County farm with his parents after his folks left their jobs in Ft. Worth, so he attended school in Hurnville and then later in Petrolia. He rode his horse to school in both places. Now he would readily admit that our mom helped him pass the senior year there in Petrolia, but he still thought that his children should be educated beyond what he had learned. He and our mom read voraciously for their entire lives. In the last twenty years of their lives, they studied the Bible and learned everything that they could about what God expected of them. Some of the books that my brother has sent me are those that came from our parents’ bookcase including the last book about Revelation by M.R. DeHaan. Yes, they studied and they learned. Their example set a goal in our lives.

 

My neighbor made the comment that people make decisions quickly based on your personal presentation—your clothes, the way you walk or whether or not you smile, and your vocabulary. It always bothered my mother that my hair was totally unmanageable and stuck out in places no matter what she did or how it was cut. It never really bothered me until the day an electric worker yelled, “Little boy! Stay away from that wire!” My hair was up in a pony tail, so he could not know that he was yelling at a girl. Mom took me to get my hair cut for the first time in ever! Anyway, it never helped tame my hair no matter how it was cut. It finally dawned on me that how my hair looked was going to depend on the weather and not the amount of effort given to keep it in place. So, today it is long enough to put on top of my head or to pull it behind my head to hang in a pony tail out of my way. Once in a while the old woman gets disgusted and has it cut way back to almost “boy” cut so it’s easier to “wash and wear.” Then it takes about three years to grow it out again. Oh well.

 

Just returned from eating a late lunch with my friend Judie Brunson. We went to Cotton Patch and decided that next time we would just eat on the appetizers rather than try to have fried green tomatoes, deep fried mushrooms, PLUS the entrees. Her husband will be having the meatloaf meal tonight for his supper, and the old woman will have her meatloaf dinner tomorrow for lunch. That was just a lot of food! Both of us took home a piece of lemon icebox pie. Oh yes! Wonderful! That was definitely worth the trip! Plus, it was such a great time to visit with Judie!

 

When we came out of the restaurant, it was beginning to sprinkle. Apparently, it had already come down like a gully washer out here on Fenoglio Hill. My carport had standing water out under some of it. Here’s hoping that we really do meet the forecast for sunny weather tomorrow. Lance will be here to help me get a few things done. Poor kid never just has a visit. It is always to see what all can be accomplished from the “honey-do” list! He asked me this time what tools to bring. Smart kid!

 

Sterling was asking me about our great-great grandfather Camp and when he was born or when he died. According to one of the records Sterling found, the older Camp had died in 1919. That is possible, but he was just a young man when he fought in the Civil War. Well, saying fought is stretching his service a bit. He was a farrier for the Confederates. He shod mules while the Pollard great-great grand made shoes for the soldiers for the Confederacy. Family history certainly can be interesting.

 

Not much going on here with the neighbors and the lack of interest in the house across the street. Feel just awful for Max and Laisha having to make house payments on a house they can’t sell. Guess that is actually not that unusual for many folks right now. Properties are simply not selling or even renting. Those who want to purchase are finding it pretty difficult to come up with the loans to make any kind of property worth the struggle of making payments. Life simply gets harder as we try to live within our means. Some of the younger generations are finding that out the hard way.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Useful Reading.

 Useful Reading.

 

Finished reading a book by M.R. DeHaan this afternoon. Its title is 35 Simple Studies on the Major Themes in Revelation. It was definitely worth the time to read as it gave me some definite things which had not occurred to me or that had never been said in any Bible study or sermon in my memory. It would be unfair—and probably less than useful—to just give you a book report, but if you can pick this one up at a used book place or get in on Amazon, it might make you think beyond what we usually hear in any sermon.

 

One of the things about being a believer in Jesus as the son of God, is that we are told so much in the New Testament that is just spread out with little details here and there with no overall explanation of what or how it all fits together until reading in Revelation. A discussion among some of the church members the other day brought out the point that some of us were so very naïve about what we were committing to when we asked for the covering of our sins by the sacrifice made by Jesus. Books like this one by DeHaan help immensely to provide a more comprehensive picture of what we need to expect in our relationship with God. This picture also creates a clarity of how important our example is to others, especially to our family. No doubt my parents were very concerned about their son and daughter over the years.

 

Heard a lawnmower making noise across the street. Albert is getting their grass cut down before the weekend, and it just makes me wish my mower were in shape to get this done even if it might cause extra pain to use the zero turn. By the time Blake is supposed to come on Tuesday, we are supposed to have rain again. Even after trimming up some of the edges of the grass along the back walkway, the grass is well beyond my ankles. Healthy grass after several years of chicken stuff!

 

Having a background as an English teacher has its disadvantages. The other day an x-ray tech asked me to “lay” down on their table. The other tech was getting my body situated and listened with nodding when the old woman said, “Lie, not lay.” She said, “Yes, my mom would say the same thing! She used correct English and insisted on it!” We just smiled at each other.

 

It looks as if we are banging away at Iran again. Not surprising considering that they are being so defiant. They think if they hold out long enough that they will get us to just go away. As long as President Trump is in charge, it does not look as if we will back off. And that’s probably a good thing. No one wants to see “boots on the ground,” but if it means that we will prevent Iran from having a nuclear bomb, then so be it. May God protect our military, our allies, our leaders and the world as we know it.

 

My friend Judie Brunson has invited me to lunch tomorrow. We are celebrating a birthday a bit after the fact, but just getting together is pretty much a celebration whether or not it involves food. Her family was much bigger than mine when we were growing up, but we still have many things in common. We both love horses! Anyway, tomorrow should be fun.

 

The other day at Bible study we had a discussion about some of the things that need to be renewed in the church building. It seems that in the nursery, all the beds would have to be replaced because they have a standard that has changed over the years. Who knew that car seats have an expiration date!!! The same is apparently true for cribs. They can’t even be given away!! Of course, my children grew up in church services and were kept on the floor in front of my feet on a pallet until they were old enough to sit in a chair and be still. In fact, one of the funniest things about the pallet that our children used was the fact that it was given to us by a friend and it was an owl in embroidered shape. My kids were very fond of the “owl” blanket. In my estimation, unless they needed a room for nursing mothers where they could put a speaker so that they could hear the sermon, a nursery would pretty much be useless. The services at Lakeside Baptist are only about an hour long. Our children sat through two-hour services for as long as they went to church! Put a child on a pallet and train it to stay for an hour and that takes care of “child care.”

 

Maybe tonight we should all just consider that in the plans that God has for us, the battles of the future will not be over meaningless philosophies or religions. If we have asked for our sins to be forgiven and our lives to be in the hands of God the Father because of the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ, then our future is assured through faith on His promises. Let us pray that Christ will come soon.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Enough for One Day.

 Enough for One Day.

 

Argh. Not that it shows, but some things were done around here today. The bed stripped, the covers all the way to include the mattress protector washed, the bed remade, the living room dust mopped, a trip to see the doctor, one book finished and another started have kept the old woman busy-ish. Tomorrow will be a quick trip to the clinic on Barnett for an x-ray and then a stop at the pharmacy for a prescription—if it is ready. Nothing can be accomplished before nine a.m. apparently. And it is hot by ten. Whew! Oh well.

 

Thompson just came to tell me that it is feeding time. Sylvia had already cleaned up what he refused to eat earlier, so she did not get any extra good stuff on top of her kibble. That sounds totally unfair, but she is gaining weight on his refusal to eat.

 

Michelle Malay called today. She told me that she managed to fall and used her ice machine to help with the pain. She got up this morning to discover that the machine (the rubbery parts) had been shredded! Puppies. Maybe she can order parts for it. So much fun in life!

 

Apparently, my doctor thinks that the old woman is tough. She could hardly believe that the broken bone in my back had not sent me to see a doctor much sooner. Seems she has some patients who get the sniffles and have to come see her. The Nettie Pot works for me!!

 

It only took a few minutes to spread some seeds out in the flower beds. Would love to think that some of them would come up and turn into flowers. One package was called Bumblebee Buffet. That sounds lovely to me. Put some seeds in the pot on the front porch. But these were spaghetti squash seeds. Here’s hoping.

 

Came back from seeing Dr. Blackwell and stepped up on the front porch. A Spiney Texas lizard greeted me. They are bold little buggers. Sterling said that he had never heard of them. Hmm. But then, he used to catch Mountain Boomers up in the hills above Granddad Pollard’s farm. Those critters kept making holes all over the area where the rocks were. Bet little owls would have enjoyed the holes, but think the rattle snakes took over those hills.

 

Both dogs just exploded out of my office because AJ came and rang the cow bell on the front door. He had some clothes in a bag that his sister no longer wanted or could no longer wear. Some things get hauled up to the resale shop for the women’s shelter and others are given to the kids (mine) if they want them. Have not heard from them lately. Such is life.

 

About time to ask for God’s blessings on our nation, Israel, and our church. Then to bed, to bed, said sleepy head! Night all.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Just Breathing!

 Just Breathing!

 

Patty called this afternoon sounding as if she could hardly breathe. But she really was ok except that she just needed to be calmed down a bit. She said that she had her din-upper delivered, but as she opened the door to the young man, she screamed as a big Spiney Texas lizard ran inside her house! You would have to know Patty to understand that she can’t even stand bugs, much less lizards! She left her door open and pushed out into her carport. The young man with the dinner in his hands said, “That was a BIG one!” Well, yes, but it could have been much smaller and Patty’s reaction would have been the same. The driver who was waiting in the car asked the young man if he needed help and came to see if Patty was ok. The younger man stepped inside the house as did the older man and the lizard took off under the door and went toward Patty. Another scream from a woman who has to wear oxygen just to live! The two gentlemen saw to it that Patty was able to go back inside and sit down before they left her. Good guys! And this woman has guns every six feet to prevent strangers from coming into her house!!

 

The old woman must confess, my mind could see this situation unfolding and my mouth simply would not stop the giggles and laughs! Patty had recently told me about the trash man who jumped about two feet up in the air when one of those lizards hopped off her trash bin at him. And yes, she had to laugh. Well, so did the old woman! That is the hardest laughing that has happened around here in ages!! Just glad to be able to enjoy the story and to tell Patty that, yes, if the lizard had gotten loose inside her house, she could have come to my house to stay! She had started the conversation by telling me that she wanted to say that she knew she would be welcome to come live with me if they had not seen that lizard leave the premises. Great way to start that story!

 

The two-inches of rain kept most of the older women at home today, so we only had less than twenty folks at services today. It was still a good service and a very good Sunday school lesson. Our teacher is over 90 and has a sharp mind and good resources for teaching. Oh! to be so blessed with a good memory and common sense.

 

Oldest child said that if nothing happened, he would be here next Saturday. So looking forward to his visit! He and Tracy spent the weekend in OKC to celebrate their 30^th wedding anniversary. He sent pictures by phone of the places they saw, but said he would explain them later. Suspect that he was a bit tired. They drove to Ardmore to get the train to OKC and back, so it was not quite as hard as driving the entire way. Even so, they both work hard every day.

 

We still need to be praying fervently for our nation and its leaders. So much depends on the decisions being made, so we have to ask God to direct them and lead them for the good of everyone.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Expectations.

 Expectations.

 

The seeds are collected on the little table in the living room, and the flower bed is semi-prepared, so it’s about time to go out there and spread some possibilities. That really does not mean that we can expect flowers to happen, but this old woman certainly would be happy to see some sprout and eventually bloom. Even have some spaghetti squash seed to plant in a pot. The pot is too heavy for me to move, so it will have one pretty blue flower in it and whatever comes up among the squash seeds. Oh well.

 

We have been getting showers since last night. Not griping, you understand. It is wonderful in my estimation. Of course, there is still a bag of pavement seal in the back of my truck. A 50-lb bag is not going anywhere until someone else moves it. Bought the stuff to fill in a pothole at the church, but when the old woman drove up there to do that, the pothole had disappeared. Hmm. Maybe someone else noticed it, too. Anyway, the church secretary said that they might be able to put the bag in the janitor’s closet. Guess it is not a big deal. Would rather it not fall apart in the back of the truck, but it could always be drug out with a hoe. The truck normally stays under the carport, so it should be ok for now.

 

Took out hamburger this morning to prepare for these two dogs. They love that stuff better than just about anything. They are not that picky about the percent of fat and meat either. However, having just stepped into the kitchen to feed the dogs, reminded myself that the big Ninja cooker that Jennifer had sent here needs to be dumped into a plastic bowl with a cover so the dogs will have food tomorrow. And, yes, Thompson thought it was time to have din-upper.

 

The dogs and the old woman are really not that picky, but the pork steak is so cheap that all three of us have taken to eating just enough to keep us satiated. Unlike beef, the pork does not make a bolus of impossible to swallow meat. The way it is cooked probably makes a difference, but the thin cuts must also make it easier to cook. Anyway, noticed that the sack of dog food is getting much lower, so it’s off to Amazon this evening to order what the dogs like best.

 

Tomorrow is Sunday and it looks as if it will be a fairly sunshiny day. Looking forward to going to services and seeing the ladies from Sunnyside who were my friend Danny’s congregation. We went to one of his services with them one day—all of his friends from school. Have been hoping to get the former students to show up one Sunday to Lakeside Baptist. It’s not like any of them would change churches, but it would be neat for the ladies to see Danny’s friends show up again. That’s just a thought. Will talk to them this next Thursday when we all meet at Pioneer.

 

Have spent some time on FB today and have about decided that FB has it figured out: the old woman likes cats, horses, calves, President Trump, and real Christian history or encouragements. Otherwise, why would all these things pop up in my feed. Oh! And the Scottish histories wave in there quite often. Texas history and Arizona history are also important to me, but then reading just about any history is better than most other types of reading. Today there were articles about things that happened and people who tried to get help for the Jewish people who were being slaughtered in Germany and other places. Roosevelt KNEW about what they were doing and did nothing to prevent what was happening. That just makes me feel sick at my stomach. It’s like the boat load of Jews that were made to float around nearly forever while they starved because no country would allow the boat to land! India took in one boat full of children, but America could have taken in that one ship or made sure it was able to land in the area of Israel where they wanted to go. God will judge those (in my opinion) who are not kind to others. We–as a nation—might be making it up to Israel now, but we could have done so much more when it mattered at the beginning. This old woman was born the same year that Israel became the current nation that it is today. Have no desire to leave Texas, but my feelings for Israel are deep.

 

If my body will allow it, have intentions of getting up early and having coffee before leaving for church services. Leaving off any pain meds has definitely shown up as a difference. Trying to do more—going outside and spraying grass in the sidewalk and such—has made me realize that a few things can be done before the energy totally leaves the body. Sneezing still causes all kinds of problems in my lower back, but at least the pain does not make me yell! Will see Dr. Blackwell Monday afternoon to see if she has any recommendations, but have just about decided that the old woman refuses to take anything else with side effects. Oh well.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

No Tug of War.

 No Tug-of-War.

 

This has been a day—probably with a capitol D. Ate some fig cookies yesterday and drank one of those water drinks that contain aspartame—either or both were probably a contributing factor in a very unruly intestinal situation this morning. Anyway, had expected Julian to come early to work on the yard, but he did not come until after lunch. It was definitely too late and too worrying to go to Bible study, so the only real accomplishment today was an afternoon trip to my favorite store: Sutherlands. Got the fixtures that Albert said were needed to repair my water hoses. Maybe Julian can put them on for me.

 

Decided to stop taking this stupid pain medication. It really does not seem to be doing that much good, if any. The arthritis medication doesn’t do much if anything either. Have decided that going around with a frown on my face and grunting when having to get up or down just may be the standard for the rest of my days. Won’t try taking up my grandfather’s answer to arthritis: peach brandy. Can truly understand why he kept brandy in the feed house for those cold mornings when he had to lift a fifty -pound bag of cow cake and walk up the hill to the feed trough. It wasn’t until after he had a heart attack that he loaded feed in his truck and fed from the back. But then, that reminds me of the cold morning that the stupid Hereford bull decided to get in the back of the truck with him. He had a shovel in the bed and hit the bull over the head and knocked off one of his horns! It made Granddad so angry that he hit the bull on the other side and knocked off that horn, too! Family history is always so much fun!

 

When Julian came this afternoon, we talked about how he keeps dreaming of his daddy. He wonders if God wants to let him know something. But it isn’t like we know what causes our dreams. Lewis is often in mine, but then every so often, sitting here thinking about something, the desire to call Mom comes to me. Our lives are so very intwined with those we loved.

 

My friend Carol Thonton went in for an arteriogram this morning. She says it is like a teeny tiny roto rooter of the arteries in her leg. The doctor had just started the procedure when he found that two of the original stints were blocked, one getting bad and the other complete. So, he cleaned one and replaced the other. Now she has to go back on the 15^th to let him try to do the right leg again. Her comment was simple: razzled fats! But then, she tries to be ladylike with her language. Anyway, your prayers would be appreciated.

 

Sterling got the swinging door and table for his Coptic Christian friend loaded up and on its way to Ft. Smith to their church there. Apparently not many Egyptians live in NW Arkansas. He explained to me that Coptic Christians are about a hare’s breadth away from being Catholic except their “pope” is not infallible. Sterling is just a good friend to whomever he meets, so maybe what they want to tell him about their religion or whatever is not really the point.

 

Then, when asked about how Danny is doing with the amputated finger, he said that so far, the bone seems to be healing and they will soon be able to take the stitches out of his flesh. We are just hoping that every bit of the infection will be gone so he can go ahead and have the kidney transplant.

 

Our minister handed out little booklets the other day called “The Baptist Faith & Message.” Under the heading, God’s Purpose of Grace, it says, “All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.” Despite all they might do “yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

John 18:9

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he said, “Of them which thou gave me have I lost none.” It might seem as if Jesus was referring only to His disciples since he was telling the band of men to “let these go their way.” But if we belong to Christ, then we are ones that the Father has given unto Him. Being a small person—well, neither tall nor strong—tug-of-war was not one of my favorite games as a child. As an adult, physical games hardly appeal to me at all. But if one were to imagine that anyone would be silly enough to try to take one of His from Jesus, can you imagine that He would turn loose and let that one go?

 

Feel like it is time to try to get some sleep. Nothing much accomplished does not mean no energy expended. Oh well.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.