Windswept!

 It is quite possible that the wind could have blown harder. But the hens were careful to arrange their backsides so that they only had to lay their eggs once. Meanwhile, they had to struggle in a sideways fashion just to get from the coop to underneath the deck for shelter. Honestly! It really did blow up a fantastic amount of dust and loose leaves. The sky across the lake to the west is beige with dust!

Michelle Malay brought her brother-in-law Tim and Mother Malay by to pick up some eggs. It was good to see Michelle and Tim and to meet Mother Malay. She is in her nineties. But she got a good look at some of my chickens and even admired the "Free Range" t-shirt on my old body. She said my place was just a touch of country. That was sweet sounding to me.

Have started another book, but this one is serious. It takes place somewhere in the countryside of New York when it snows. Some people could live like that with winter, but it is totally foreign to me. Oldest son thinks he likes snow and that sort of thing. He just does not remember 1985 when everything near and far around here was frozen solid. And he has never been in a blizzard, either. Nope, not me! Texas is great, but it needs to keep its freezing weather to a minimum.

Took the doggie clothes off the dogs early this morning when it got warmer. Both dogs have acted like a couple of wild calves romping around chasing each other. Sylvia runs UNDER Thompson and grabs him by the back leg on the other side. It is hard for him to get loose from that position. She doesn't hurt him, but it makes him try harder to get away from her. Then the race is on! They are so funny when they act like wild critters.

Have the ceiling fan going in here in the living room. It is not really hot, but it is more comfortable with some air moving--NOT wind, mind you! Tomorrow is only supposed to be 64 with a low at night of 38. That is not bad at all. It just got up to 85 today. That is pretty warm for November in Texas. But it IS Texas. Never know what it will be like from one day to the next. At least it is not flooding us out or burning us out. Some states are not so blessed.

If you would, please remember those who have caught this stupid virus. The Israelis are talking about inoculating millions as soon as they can, and it seems that the same may hold true here in the U.S. for all those who are the most susceptible to the virus--meaning old folks and those who already are at risk of any kind of problems since they have diabetes or heart disease. After taking that extra strong flu vaccine that is given to those over 65 and feeling like warmed over poo for a week or more, they can keep their vaccine for a while before this old girl will even consider it. Just going to stay at home as much as possible and try--mind you, TRY--to behave myself.

 Before shutting up the hens, will have to remove the big wagon from the hen house door. Nothing else would keep it open. The lawn swing is still in the same place, but nearly everything else in the back yard has been moved by the wind. This is the reason Sylvia wanted in my lap this afternoon! Wind frightens her! Understand exactly how she feels. Still have a few flowers left that may be around until the next freeze, but the wind did not tear them up. Amazing how some things get torn up by the wind and others are safely protected. Guess being able to bend in the wind makes a big difference. God knew what He was doing making most things bendable.

May you each have a relaxing evening and look forward to tomorrow. You are loved.

Sweet 'Tator.

 Still reading mysteries and looking at the main character's recipes! So, had to throw a sweet potato in the microwave in order to fill up the cravings. That really is not as good as a chocolate tart, but it is much simpler to prepare. Had no idea that a sweet potato could also be as stringy as green beans ever hoped to be, however. Oh well. The hens liked the skin, and the dogs ate the rest of it.

Reading today what Solomon said about there not being anything new under the sun; in some ways--no matter how much technology or whatever has developed--he was so very right. Human nature has not changed. What values we perceive are not all that much different from those that have always been part of mankind's mindset. Reading all these mystery books reminds me that the motives don't really seem to change all that much. Some folks want revenge for whatever has happened to them. Some folks want MORE--more of whatever it is that might make them richer, better, more popular, or whatever. Some people simply have no moral values at all. That is hard to believe, but the difficulty in imagining the situation does not negate the reality. The ones who lack morality are likely to be the ones that outspokenly besiege others about their lack of values. Every day we can see that someone is capable of faulting others for the same reasons that would manifest their own shortcomings. Let's face it; that saying that common sense is not all that common is so very true. The same can be said of standards: good standards have fallen below standards. 

Reading a few articles in the Jerusalem Post keeps me thinking about our world and its stupidity--and sometimes its best efforts toward helping humanity. The book Exodus by Leon Uris caused me to understand prejudice and racism back in the eighth grade, but each year of my life has taught me that man's inhumanity to man has not improved at all since then. Once in a while some shining light will flame into being and be noticed among some; and that flame is merely a little shine compared to the blazing stupidity that causes some people to treat others with cruelty beyond belief. The nations will someday be changed when God changes the heart of man. But the stone that is now the heart of man will have to be broken first. The knees will bend; the heads will bow. And then they will come to Him. We wait.

May you each rest in peace and calm this night and awaken with joy. You are loved.

Vets and Wets!

 Sylvia now walks and runs on all four feet since the vet cut off most of the toenail on her front left foot. Sylvia has a tendency to chew on her toenails. The vet tech said her mom used to have a Chihuahua that did that all the time. But she did not say it made her feet too sore to walk on them. That is how it was around here for the past few days. Poor critter. She would not let me touch her foot, much less trim a toenail. And it was SUCH a joy to try to get her inside the vet's office. Took BOTH dogs so she would not have to be dragged to the office. She is not anyone's dummy. She knew what that place was when she jumped out of the truck--and then promptly jumped BACK inside the truck. Oh boy! Will have to take the dogs somewhere soon just to let her know that it will not ALWAYS be to the vet's office. Thought about going to the dog park, but had not even made coffee before we left. At least it was a quick trip and not terribly expensive.

Then this afternoon my cousin Elizabeth (Eba) told me that they have been flooding in Charlotte where she lives. It did not come from the hurricane; it was just one bodacious rainstorm! She said it came down in buckets for long enough to flood the streets. Noticed on the news that they had had to evacuate a school and rescue a whole bunch of campers. Then they had flood warnings all morning. Eba said she was to go to the airport to pick up some family, too--in the flooded streets! She has a creek that runs behind her house that is pretty deep. She had never seen it running bank to bank with white water before today. Pretty big rain!

So finally got some cards sent off to family members, and even got a picture of one of the plants that my daughter-in-law got for her birthday. Going to have to ask Jennifer if she wants one of those. Tracy said it really smelled good. She works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so she was there to see it today. It did look nice and full and fluffy. Lavender is one of my favorite flowers, but for the life of me it won't grow! But this past year some carnations actually bloomed for me. Then died. Not sure what the problem is with some flowers and my black thumb. Oh well.

One of the cards sent today was for the wife of one of Lewis' cousins. She had some really scary surgery and may still be in the rehab place--not sure. Sent her a note anyway. Still praying for her that she will get back on her feet and feel good. It always feels worrisome when someone has any kind of heart surgery. Lewis was so terribly depressed after his surgery. They warned us, but who would have expected it to be so bad? Think Sharron has plenty of love coming her way from her children, but with this covid mess, it is hard to know whether or not to be around anyone. Be so glad when this mess has cleared up. If it ever will.

Talked to Patty Anderson and they have water back on now. The plumbers have to come back tomorrow to fill in the ditches, but it will be next week before they get the asphalt to fill in the mess in the road. Patty is hoping that they will do a good job so that maybe they can have more than just that one area covered up and packed down. Just wish the lumps and bumps could be smoothed out. The trash trucks are huge, so it is not any wonder that they mess up the pavement. But having the trucks come get our bins is better than trying to have one way down on the end of the street where every Tom, Dick, and Harry would dump their trash. It's bad enough that they took our mailbox one block over! Grrrr.

The hens have sounded happy today. Took some feed out and held it in my hand earlier today and just about got my fingers eaten--kidding. They really do a good job of getting every bit of it out of my hand though. Have about decided to just feed them like that more often as they let the doves come down and feed with them too much. That feed is too expensive to feed the doves! But the doves are afraid of me--and of the dogs! And that is just fine. Dove friends we don't need right now.

Have a couple of mysteries to read for now, and then some books that are a tiny bit more serious. These cozy mysteries have no real murder and mayhem in them--thankfully. And this particular author is a clean and humorous writer. The scenery is wonderful, too. Sometimes it might help if her main character were not a chef who is always willing to cook. Think that is what made me nibble all day yesterday! Now if the next bunch of books would center on a really good house keeper!!! Like that would inspire the old woman to get the place dusted. Told Connie about Michelle Malay suggesting that a weed blower would do the job. Nah. But Connie thought it was funny, too. However, did get a can of air out this morning and clean my laptop keys. Dog hair!

Not reading any news, not listening to any news, and only reading my email and Tara Ross posts, so maybe my life will be calmer for a bit. Let's just pray that our world will be calmed down and settled enough for people to be able to take care of their families and live in peace. May God help us to see His Way.

May you be blessed with mercy and kindnesses. You are loved.

Colors!

 Today has been colorful. The trees get prettier every day as the leaves change from green to gold or red. The apricot trees have golden yellow leaves that fall slowly onto the ground to be pounced on by the hens. Why those particular leaves taste better than others? Well, who knows. But the hens know the difference. They chase those yellow apricot leaves. The Bradford pear is pretty to me as it slowly goes red. Not all at once, mind you, but it changes each day by adding another dozen to three dozen red leaves among the deep green ones. And then there are the very jewel-like colors sported by my Black Maran pullets. They have copper, azure, purple, and tourmaline green shimmers in their feathers. It might not be noticeable to anyone just looking across the yard at them, but get close to them in the sunlight and those colors just magically appear. Amazing! The only thing comparable is butterflies or hummingbirds. Then, too, a few flowers have remained and are still blooming out front and along the western fence in front. And if the colors are not enough to make the heart happy, the mockingbird out front in the Bradford pear has the most cheerful attitude around. He sings and jumps up into the air to make his point! Not sure if they stay all winter or not, but he certainly has claimed that tree.

Today my dogs found a cat--or it found them. Not sure if it was a tom or not, but it told them what it thought of them in no uncertain terms. It was balancing on the fence along Anderson's right before their fence connects to mine. When it finally decided the cuss fight was over, it took off and ran under the Anderson's shed. It was a lovely grey cat, but for sure it would never be able to make a home over here. Thompson grabs cats and means it to be the end of the cat. He might hand me a bird with a soft mouth, but no cat is ever going to be pleased to meet up with his jaws. He feels the same way about squirrels and possums! Crunch, crunch!

The Anderson's are without water for a few days. The trash trucks broke the lines, but the Andersons will have to pay to have it replaced, so Donny decided to have new plastic line put in all the way across the place instead of just repairing the breaks. Have a feeling it is the best decision. Those old pipes have been here longer than the rest of us have been alive! 

Have to take Sylvia to the vet in the early morning. She has split a toe nail and can hardly put her foot down. It would help if she would stop chewing on them, but she just gets that foot up there and chomps on it good. Maybe it is nerves or something. Can't really criticize her. Know an old woman who chomps on her nails, too--just not the toe nails! Just dread taking her in because it upsets her so badly. Will have to set her harness out so we can be sure she won't slip her collar. Poor baby just trembles to go anywhere without Thompson. May just take him too so that she can relax a bit.

Got a birthday card sent off today, but had intended to send a couple in the direction of Vernon and Quanah. Haven't got that done yet. Still have good intentions, so maybe the notes will be written and mailed tomorrow on the way back from the vet's office. Always have to make one trip do more than one job, ya know. Sent my daughter-in-law a couple of plants that might or might not live for her. They certainly have not lived for me--and it is not for lack of trying. But they have milder weather in Ft. Worth than we have up here in WF. When it is hot, it gets REALLY hot. And when it is cold, well, hello ice storm! But we actually have nothing to gripe about currently. The mornings are cool and the days are decent, so nothing has been too extreme. 

Thompson has this tone he uses to talk to me about treats. It is neither a whine nor a bark, but an expression of a bit of exasperation. It says to me: where are the treats? Aren't you about ready to give us some treats? DEEP sigh as he gets on the couch and groans about it. Good thing the hens can't come in the house and complain like that! As it is, when the door shuts on the deck, here they come! "Oh, you are out here to give us a bit of grain, aren't you!" Honestly, my children were NEVER this spoiled. They got cookies, but they had to help with mixing and all that before they got them. The burned--well, crisp around the edges--ones got to go to the kids across the back fence. Not sure that Brandon knew what good cookies were supposed to look like cause he got all the ones the kids would not eat. Shaking my head and thinking of that bunch of kids.

Have had the nibbles all day. Woke up feeling as if coffee was absolutely needed, not just wanted. Have to wait an hour after taking meds, so sometimes it is a bit provoking. Good thing no one needs for me to be bright and cheerful early in the morning. The dogs are used to the old grouch, and the hens are just in such a hurry to get the first blade of grass that it is not likely they care what anyone's attitude might be. Tomorrow will see coffee time on the road to the vet's office, so maybe everyone will just look at the expression on the sweet dog's face. ahem

May you enjoy the beauty that God has put in this world around us. Rest well, dear friends. You are loved.

Visitors and Phone Calls.

 Some days my phone receives ONE phone call--and maybe a text or two. Not today! It has played the William Tell Overture (the phone ring) and the bird chirps supreme (text messages) all day. So my doctor has dropped by; Cindy Jones came for tea and a very sweet visit; and Connie Cooke came to pick up eggs, some vacuum stuff, and a visit. Connie also had me show Cindy the light bulbs that are battery back up lights. Kinda neat. Cindy brought me the prettiest poncho type wrap in royal blue, turquoise blue, and gold. She made it herself! Such a talented lady and so very giving of her love. Honestly, God has blessed this old woman so much!

Cindy said something this evening as she was leaving: "Don't deny me the blessing of helping you if you need help with the feed bags." Had never thought about having help as being a blessing for someone else. Now that is a good way of thinking about things. God does give us the ability to help others for HIS reasons. And those big boys are so sweet anyway that it would be a pleasure to have them fill up the feed bins. 

Connie said that the chiropractor has been able to help her so that her hand is no longer feeling as if it has been cut off of all the nerves. Now maybe she can get her hip to work better as well. If it were not for this Covid mess, might just go see this lady and see if she could get the sciatica to stop making my life quite as big a deal for walking. As it is, the medicine Dr. Blackwell prescribed has helped considerably. Just won't gripe right now. Life can just bring on the sunshine for a bit longer and make us all happy. Vitamin D and joy are the best medicines!

My neighbors' water line has been ruptured by the trash trucks running over the road. But guess who will have to pay a plumber to repair it. At least they are more able to afford stuff like that than some of us. But it has made a muddy mess out in the area near the old water tower. The old lines come across that entire area after they leave the water meters. Had no idea their lines went across that section of the land. The hens think it is great because the grass is nice and green.

Went out to close up the hens and found three more eggs. Guess they are not exactly on a schedule and can lay whenever the notion strikes them. Walked out in the side lots today on the east side and picked up four golf balls. Put them in the nests inside the Wyandotte coop. We will see if any of them get any ideas. Only once has one laid an egg in there. Think it was by accident. Once in a while an egg will show up under the deck, but those always go to the dogs. Don't know how long they have been there. The dogs don't mind.

Found out that Cindy is playing one of the same Hidden City games that gets played around here at times--like once a day. Love looking for hidden things in pictures. We used to have books that had those pictures. Put them away for a week or so, and it is brand new! These games require some real patience, but they are timed, so it takes speed as well as good observation skills. Anyway, may ask her to play with me sometime online.

These dogs are absolute beggars tonight. Earlier they were upset because they had to stay outside while company was here, and then a squirrel cussed at them and ran down the power lines. And now they have not had all the snacks they think they need. Poor, mistreated, spoiled rotten critters!

Cindy was saying that she was about to give up on FB. Understand entirely, but it is also the place to keep up with some friends. Have started trying to use MeWe, but it is not exactly an easy platform for me to understand. Oh well. As long as the phone still works . . .

Sitting here hoping that all of you are well and happy. Sometimes it takes all my energy just to work on being happy, but today has not been that bad. Got two floors cleaned. Tomorrow more floors! Who knows: maybe dusting?

May you all rest well and find peace of mind. You are loved.

Scripture Refound.

 Carol Thonton was kind enough to know the same scripture that has eluded my search:  Isaiah 57:1 "The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil." Several times this verse has come to my thoughts when someone has left us behind. Knowing that they sleep does not make it a lot easier for us, but sometimes it makes more sense than to think of the righteous suffering through the times that are now upon us and those that are to come. When babies are thrown away, torn to pieces, abused if allowed to live, and others harm the little children--these are the times of suffering and evil. Yes, it has been like this before in history. It will probably happen long after my exit from this vail of tears, but again, we know that God has allowed some things for His reasons. He tells us in His word that Pharaoh was HIS servant to bring about things that caused the Israelites to want to leave the land of Egypt. Think about that. They missed the melons and cucumbers at one point and wanted to go back. Slavery, but they wanted to go back! Slavery is a type of security, isn't it. Being abused is what becomes familiar. How does one go to another way of life? THIS world is not our home.

Some of us are naturally stubborn. Contrary? Contentious? But it takes skills to hide those traits gracefully. Most Americans have the traits, but not necessarily the skills needed to behave gracefully. We argue our beliefs loudly and sometimes obnoxiously. This may be why we are considered "ugly" Americans. Once we have considered that the Europeans sent their second sons who would never inherit any title, much less land or wealth, to other lands to conquer or be conquered, then it should not be so surprising that we have those characteristics. And then the English were astounded that those second sons were so rebellious. Imagine that! We can laugh, but some of our fellow Americans are right up there in line with all the rest of the second sons. If you know a few rebels, then you know who we are and maybe why.

Tonight my prayers are for the second sons and for the first sons as well. The daughters who will be praying for those sons and hoping for the blessings upon them that only God can bestow. It is quite true that some of us are alive today only because of the prayers of our mothers and grandmothers. God blesses those who ask when they know that they ask what is in His will. And sometimes the blessings belong in that verse--the righteous are taken away. When our dear friends are taken, we might remember that, but it is so hard to do. Or at least it is hard to live without the ones we love. So we ask for peace and calm in the storms of our mind. Let us remember that no matter what happens around us, we have another place that is a fortress of love.

Please be safe and use common sense right now. Pray for calmness and peace. You are loved.

Fiesta Supper Salad

 About the only difference between my supper and the Taco Bell Super Salad Bowl is the lack of lettuce--which is probably a very good idea right now. It still has the black beans, rice, cheese, meat, and picante sauce. Danged tasty, frankly or freddly!

The lack of hours of sunlight have my girls backing off on laying eggs. And this morning they were not out and running about at their usual hour since someone slept in until 7:30. Then that same person took a nap this afternoon for at least an hour. Not sure why that was necessary, but feel somewhat better now. Sometimes it just is a fairly good idea to listen to your body.

Have a bunch of mozzarella cheese that will either have to be used or put into the deep freeze. Cindy brought fresh milk over recently--twice--and some of us just don't drink very much milk. So, freshly squeezed lemons in cooked milk made some very nice cheese. Actually bought some Horizon milk from Walmart because it has a shelf life of at least two weeks. And then forgot to buy any of that tasteless cereal with all the nuts, grains, and unidentifiable stuff in it. Don't like any of the sugar and flour kind. Oh well. May make some pancakes one of these days.

Cindy posted a picture of a supper plate with salmon, broccoli, and a sweet potato on it. Looked absolutely delish. She is a great cook, and her daughter must be as well. But Nikki just posted a picture of their freshly bathed bird--forget what kind of bird it is, but it is one that lives in the house--definitely not a chicken. While saying that, thought about the Frizzles video posted. Those birds are actually chickens, but they look as if they belong in the house. Probably just as squawky as my Wyandotte screamers!

Have talked to others who have decided to pass on Thanksgiving gatherings this year. Lance said they are going to skip the rest of the year--and not with jump ropes either! Noticed that parts of Florida are flooding again and may lose electricity. Between the natural disasters and this stupid virus, folks can't just live and be around their neighbors. It is just hard and pretty sad to be alone and struggling with life. At least we haven't had anything worse than ice storms here. BR did say that she needed someone to work on her generator's carburetor. The rat had eaten a bunch of something inside, but the guy got it back together. It just did not want to stay working. She was without electricity for three days. For her hens, it matters. The danged roosters had just about made them into nudes! Maybe she can find someone to knit sweaters for them!

My left elbow area has just about healed up from a pretty good gouging out in the chick pen. Every time Thompson gets near me, he wants to lick that area. Not sure what it is about a scratch or something like that which makes dogs think they need to help it out. A friend down in Colombia, SA, said that his Mastiff insisted that his leg needed his help. He would put it between his paws and lick until Bill had to make him quit. Guess that is how dogs heal their own wounds.

The wind is lying somewhat now, but earlier it was pretty vigorous. At least it does seem to have cleaned the air a bit of anything smoky or full of gunk and stuff. Haven't sneezed except for a couple of times. Unless it is just getting cooler, guess we can expect more fall color and temperatures. Kinda nice.

Downloaded another mystery series today onto my Kindle. SO glad that Jennifer has let me be part of her Prime group and that Lance and Tracy gave me this tablet. It is so much easier to read than a real book. Don't have to have a lamp and can adjust the size of the print to meet my needs. Joined the Fussy Librarian so each Sunday a new bunch of books are available. This just happened to have an entire series of mysteries by the same author. They are called "cozy" mysteries, which means that they are light weight and usually semi-amusing. Something to make me laugh is especially important right now.

Talking to Connie--who, by the way, got herself moved into her new apartment--and we were talking about the Route 66 Group wanting to meet. Almost every one of the members are in the category most at risk for Covid: diabetes, heart disease, lung problems, high blood pressure, and immuno-suppressant issues. Sounds like a good way to send off a class full of folks. Considering that 30 people per day are going to the hospital right now, it does not make sense to meet in a place with any kind of public exposure. So guess who will not be going anywhere for a while. Just the flu shot was enough to knock me on my butt!

Don't know anything even semi-amusing to share with all of you this evening, so will just ask that you pray for each other, our nation, and for those who are so terribly affected by the disasters in this nation. Only God can take care of things that we can't affect. 

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