Happiness, Not An Amount.

 When you ask God's blessing on your meals, do you ever think about how much you have already been given? Do you ever think about comparing yourself with what "could have been" and what was so totally unexpected? Some of the books published back in the early 1900s talked about the spirit of man--and woman--and how that spirit had to be encouraged despite circumstances. To me, that means unexpected blessings. No matter how much determination a person may have, blessings are not the outcome unless God is in charge. And sometimes the blessings are not even realized by the person with that amount of determination. One of my grandfathers was so poor that he did not even have shoes and would not go to school because he was too ashamed to be seen as poor. He learned math from the man who took the talleys at the weighing scales for the cotton sacks. He learned how to set forms for buildings by working on crews that were building oil field round houses. He took every opportunity to learn anything he did not already know about anything he thought could help him become more independent. He did learn to read, but read very little. When he was older, he listened to the news on TV and believed everything he heard--or most of it. He was not gullible. He was definitely not a religious man. In fact, he felt that most of the preachers and deacons he ever met were just about as conniving a bunch as any among men. So this grandfather was full of the determination that most men need to get through life. But he was also blessed in many respects; whether or not he thanked God was not among my experiences of him. It makes me wonder if he ever knew where the blessings came from, or if he thought that it was in his hands alone that his life was determined.

Today, sitting down to a bowl of soup and thanking God for the blessings, it occurred to me that the blessings are well beyond what might ever have been expected by someone of my background. We are not supposed to compare ourselves among ourselves, but on the other hand, it is easy to see that among the elderly, some of us are well fed, comfortably housed, relatively healthy, and loved by others. Those of you reading this blog have access to the internet. That is not a free service. A computer or laptop device of some sort enables you to communicate and keep up with the world--a bit more than just turning on the TV to your local channels. So my thoughts: what are your blessings that make you thankful? No amount of money can make a person happy or thankful. Good health? Some folks are just happy to survive cancer or accidents and illnesses. A fine house? No other house on a hill could make me as happy as this old home up here on Dickerson Hill. It is not perfect, but it is as good as it needs to be until my sorry carcass needs to leave this life. Family and friends? Life changes things as we get older, but those are two blessings that remain. Sisters-by-another mother is a big blessing! Michelle, BillyeRuth, Cindy, Connie, and Sharon have all joined my little family in the past few years. They are generous with their love. And only God can give us that kind of love.

Guess this is just one of those days that my family has been on my mind. Yes, the hens are still out there cackling away, and the dogs bark at every car or truck or stray dog. But today is a thankful day. Children, grands, friends, and adopted family: those are the blessings that cannot be numbered.

May you all rest well and think on the blessings He has given us. You are loved.

Loading Up.

 It probably wasn't necessary, but the Farm and Garden store had dog treats, dog food, and lay mash that needed to be loaded into my truck and unloaded here at the house. One hundred and fifty pounds of mash in the bins, fifty pounds of dog food in the rolling thing in the hallway, a couple of pounds of dog treats in a jar for the dogs--all set for a few days or a couple of weeks. If the weather gets bad, it won't be necessary to get out in it. Well, other than to go out to feed and water the critters. Lifted one of the sacks of mash out of the wagon and ripped the side of the sack. The hens acted as if they had never seen food before! Silly hens! But they ate it up, so maybe not much was wasted. Their water inside the middle and end coops was frozen, but the bowl that is heated was just fine. Will have to remember to leave the water dripping in the house again tonight. Do NOT want any plumbing problems. 

Got the insurance cancelled on the Mustang, ordered a small rug for under my desk chair, and ordered some gallon sized freezer bags to freeze milk. Cindy suggested freezing the milk. It had not occurred to me to use freezer bags. Duh. Anyway, most of the things that needed to be done today are accomplished, so nothing left to do except whatever appeals to me at the time. Lazy ol' woman sleeps as late as 7:30 some days. It was just too cold to open the door to the chicken coops anyway this morning. And let me tell you about how slick frost is on the deck and steps! Wow! Hold on to your hat, Helga! Well, actually, use both hands on the porch rails! Oh well. Winter won't last forever.

Cindy did mention one advantage to winter the other evening. She said that she was at Walmart and folks actually were wearing clothes! Covered up, no less. It made me laugh. Sometimes it is pretty ridiculous to go in places like that and find you have to avert your eyes! Guess it could be worse, but not sure how.

Had to call the United Store in Burkburnett to see if they could refund the money they charged to my credit card for a load of groceries that had to be cancelled. Thought it might have to go through some kind of rigmarole with the bank, but they did not want me to do that. It doesn't matter to me as long as the refund comes back. It was my fault for not paying better attention, but still, they got the call in time to cancel it. Oh well.

The longer this virus mess lasts, the more folks we personally know have been affected. Some friends of ours from Lawton named Woodall have a grandson and daughter who have covid now. They have asked for prayers. We probably need blanket prayers about now for the entire world. About the time they start giving folks some kind of vaccine, then everyone gets sicker than a dog. And those who are not ill are so depressed that it makes life miserable for them, too. We just have to concentrate on whatever good thoughts can be gathered to us. Our mental outlook is very important in our overall health. So if we can spread a smile without getting too close to anyone, let us do our part with encouragement. Meanwhile, let us ask God to bless our world, our nation, our families. Healing can come in many ways.

My two ornery dogs have been begging today. They could smell those treats when they came through the front door. It's probably a good thing that our sense of smell is not as good as that of a dog. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to resist eating all the good smelling things! Hard enough as it is with just a plain ol' vanilla sniffer. 

Really don't have much on my mind this evening. May just read awhile and then put up the hens and go to bed. The dogs are hardly ever critical of my bad habits, so they will no doubt lie down with me. Just have to keep Thompson in a nighttime shirt so that he doesn't get cold. He whines if he gets cold. Not Sylvia. She will lie down ON me if she gets cold.

Some guy walked up the road today and went over to Jerry's place. He saw my dogs barking at him from the living room windows, so he did not try to go inside and just walked back down the street. Just saw someone else--or maybe the same one--walk down Kemp Street. Both dogs would just like to get a good bite of these people! Afraid they really would do a good job of it, too. But then, that is what they were hired to do, huh.

The kids should all be finished with classes this week. Seems like cold weather should be home time--like extremely hot weather! But this doing classes online has helped with both of those problems. Too bad all children can't work online like that, but some of them have no food at home. The schools here have free food for the rest of this year--probably because the kids at school are the ones that do not have access to work online. Kinda sad. We just have to pray that things will work out for kids and teachers both--and bus drivers!

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

Mud Slingin'

Boy did it ever rain! And then it couldn't make up its mind whether it should rain or snow or both. The results: MUD! Every time a trip to the hen house has occurred, the shoes are nasty on the return trip. Finally rustled around and dug out my mud boots. Should have done that from the get go. Oh well. 

Thinking about Nikki Smith's boys and betting that they will have their boots on the boot dryer--glove dryer that they received as a happy surprise. Nikki said winter time was a constant succession of wet somethings around their house. Currently the boys are feeding for a friend out toward Holliday who had some kind of injury. So glad those boys are good about helping folks. But they have also been cutting wood out of another friend's pasture--a two for one deal. Clearing the pasture and cutting firewood! Hope they do well with their firewood sales.

Have had a heater on here in the living room today. The one in the kitchen knocks the chill off, but it doesn't make it shirt sleeve warm for sure. --Just glanced outside and saw some sunshine!! It's Texas! What else can we expect?

The hens have been happily occupied inside the long greenhouse side of the coop. They are nobody's fools! It is warmer and drier inside the coop with just as much light on the lake end of the coop. Also, they have plenty of feed to keep them happy. Have to take one more bucket of water out there either tonight or in the morning. Happy hens do tend to lay eggs, and they have today. Good little feathered tyrannosaurus clux.

Thinking about dinosaurs: Hanan wrote a book in kindergarten called "Nobody's Pets" about dinosaurs. Only Hanan would have thought of something like that. His viewpoint was always a little different than anyone we knew. Some might think "clever" while others might think "warped," but it was always different and usually amusing. At least to me it was amusing.

Cindy Jones was talking about all the ways her grandsons could manage to work for other people without having to do one of those "mask required" jobs dealing with the public. Honestly, most jobs that pay a wage are going to be with the public, but working for one's self can mean that the "wages" work out just about however a person wants them to go. Some folks barter work against what they want or need. My dad used to say that he would not turn on his welding machine for less than five bucks! And he didn't do "free" work. He said that if folks find out you did something "free" for one other person, then everyone expected you to work for free. So whatever a person does, it has value and should not be considered another person's due. Dad used to make little men sitting on a washer type commode--sometimes with a book and sometimes as a "thinker." He could--and did--sell those things at a flea market. Ideas are worth something, too. Anyway, these young kids can do a lot with their lives before they ever decide on what they want to do to make a living.

Cindy showed me a flannel shirt she had made. She buys the buttons after she makes the shirt, so it did not yet have buttons on it, but the flannel was beautiful. She said it takes about three yards--at about $12 a yard. That is expensive material. It made me wonder how much it cost her to make the serape pull over that she made for me! Must have been a bundle!! And it is so pretty--reversible blue plaid and plain blue with a hood. She is such a talented lady. She makes shirts as Christmas gifts for her family. Sounds so much like the things that Sharon Dickerson does for her family. These two women are so much alike. Some of us are just blessed to have these kinds of "sisters."

Have another mystery going in a series of five books about the same characters and their family. This is the one with the two brothers who are private investigators--one a priest and one a good ol' boy who used to be a detective for the NYPD. Anyway, they are good books with not too much scary stuff and lots of humor. It is neat to get to read that kind of books in a series. Also saw today that someone posted a book review of two books by Gene Stratton-Porter. Had to post my two cents worth. Did a paper on this author back in graduate school because she had such a big influence on women in her day with her stories and her naturalism. She also developed a chemistry for her photos so that they were clear and sharp. The process was bought from her with the understanding that she could continue to use it and that her publishers would use it when she published a book showing moths or butterflies. It just amazes me how much influence she had back in her day. She was pretty disgusted with the Japanese (war back then) by the time she moved to California, but she continued to write about natural things in the desert and in nature--The Beekeeper, for instance. Oh well. We women can appreciate the fact that she also insisted that women needed better kitchens for producing the products from their own homes--meals being only part of a woman's products.

Just went out to shut up the hens. DANG! It is cold out there! And dearly beloved, ya don't want to be out in that "breeze" more than a few minutes! Oh well. Winter will be over in a few months. sigh

May God bless us and this nation. Rest well and be encouraged to know that another day is coming. You are loved.

Weather Report!

 So we may have some snow in a couple of days. Not thrilled, but it is different. Not like we live in New York or Maine where snow is pretty much a constant in winter. Just happy to see sunshine around here! Anyway, the forecast for snow and colder weather goes right along with the usual snap, crackle, and pop of joints (the bone joints, not otherwise). At least maybe it won't get too icy and mess up the electric lines. Here's hoping!

Cindy Jones texted earlier and said that she and Nikki might be over soon. Hope so! Enjoy both of them! Have to ask Nikki if she wants to let anyone know about the eggs she sometimes sells. A new neighbor of Connie's insists that she needs eggs but will--absolutely will--pay for them--according to HER. Ya know, she can insist all she wants, but those eggs are not leaving here to go to her house. It is not REAL easy to offend me, but guess some folks don't understand that each of us has choices. Mine happens to be to give away butt nuggets to only my friends and family. And that is just how it is.

Tried to take a nap earlier today, but these two dogs decided to play right in the middle of my bed. Finally got them still and the phone rang. Oh well. Will sleep tonight. Right now the two dogs are in the kitchen behind the half door so that they can't jump up on Cindy when she gets here. She took a bad fall and hurt her right arm and left leg--covered in all kinds of bruises. She is not as old as this old woman, but she is on blood thinners. If you know anything about that medication, just sneeze and something is bruised. But then, the heart works better on thinner blood. sigh

Cooked some ribs today that turned out pretty good. Also, had celery sticks with pine nut humus. Not a bad meal. Maybe a little different than anything my mom would have made, but it made me happy. Well, and the dogs were happy, too.

Do you ever forget what day of the week it is? Sometimes it might be a good thing that some of us no longer have to be anywhere on a regular basis. Talking about myself here. Keep trying to remember that the insurance agent needs to be told to drop the Mustang on the policy, but can't do that until Monday. Still just pleased as punch that it sold for what it was worth. Meanwhile, wrote myself a note and put it on my desk!

Someone came to the front door last night while yours truly was in the bathtub. The dogs had a fit, but that is all that happened. Not answering the door after dark. The porch light comes on with the motion detector, so it's not like the person does not know that he or she can be seen, but if anyone saw them, it was a dog through the window. My living room light was not on--just the bedroom and bathroom lights. So, whoever it was went away. If it was Jerry, he knows better!

No real plans for this next week. Have enough lay mash to last a week or more if the hens don't become too glutinous. They can flat go through the feed! But they are also messy. Have one feeder inside a tray, but the hens still throw feed outside the tray onto the ground. Never have let them get hungry, so won't know if they will get vicious yet. Little dinosaurs, ya know.

Guess nothing is new around here. Staying healthy is a job all in itself, but staying at home is pretty easy. Can't complain about being bored since there are books to read, movies to watch, and dogs to enjoy--not to mention the twenty-six chickens! Yep, BillyeRuth has fun with her girls too, my bet. Hope they are all fully feathered by now. Her two roosters were just mean to her hens. My girls peck each other, but so far we have only had one fatality when the older hens first started complaining about the Black-laced Wyandottes. Wondering what will happen when the Black Marans and the new Barred Rocks start to lay. Hope the hens all get along then. We will see.

God has given us joy, good health, happiness, and friendships to go with all the family we share. Let us give thanks. Meanwhile, rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Achy Breaky Weather!

 Ok, the weather is doing it again. It got a little cool last night, and we had some rain--less than half an inch. But the weather has given the dogs the zoomies. Not to mention they have their ears trained to all the strange sounds in the neighborhood. Some company is scooping up all the garbage and foundation of an old duplex that has been on this street--Lake Road/Kemp--for years. The last person who lived there died of asphyxiation because his stove was leaking. The place was falling down around him, but he still managed to live in the mess. Guess folks do what they have to do. Seems it would have been better to have gone to one of those apartments for folks who live on a limited income, but this way he had no real neighbors to bother him--just some nearby kinfolk. 

Got to the bank a little early this morning to deposit most of the money from the Mustang sale. Really hope the lady enjoys that car. For its age, it is in good shape as far as the motor is concerned. Just had its first tune up this year. Does that tell you anything about how very little it has been driven over the last eight years? Only got driven back and forth to work most of the time before that, except that Lewis insisted it had to go out on the road to "blow the soot out" once or twice a year. Guess it worked. 

Ordered groceries from Market Street for pickup and then discovered this morning that the place was in Burkburnett instead of over on Kell. Had to cancel the order, but now have to see if they credited the card since it had already been charged. Then redid an order for the Kell store. Forgot a few things, but that is not a biggy. But let me tell you, it took five minutes for them to get my order out to the truck. Now that is fast--especially compared to Walmart. And the price was not bad either. 

Jerry came early yesterday and got his garbage out of my yard and workshop. Much neater out there now! He is at home today, but has stayed at his place. Very glad.

Michelle Malay, Tim, and Mother Malay came earlier and picked up eggs for their family. Had three cartons of 18 minus three eggs. Could not exactly go out there and squeeze a hen or two and get those three eggs out to completely fill in the carton. Oh well. Michelle said the weather just about tore her up yesterday. It's my turn today. But have used the hot pad and some ibuprofen, so feeling better. Jennifer said her back was hurting this morning, so she used the seat heater on her car to help her back as she was on the way to work. Whatever works, huh. Let's face it, the older we get, the more the body tends to let us know when the weather is changing. No achy breaky hearts around here!

Got an alarm clock in the mail today from my daughter and her family. It has these great big numbers on it that can be seen across the room--without wearing glasses! It also has a choice between 24 and 12 hour settings. Walked in the bedroom to see 14:20. Duh. Not in my mindset! Yes, could figure that out if necessary, but not likely to happen at 2 in the morning. So, got out the little piece of paper and changed the settings. SO happy to have a larger number to see at night. Sweet girl is so thoughtful!

My friend Dutch Henry sent one of his books--Saturday Goes to Chincoteague. It is written from the dog's point of view and is about as cute as it gets. He very cleverly used a sunshine spot on the porch for Saturday's dreaming and the inclusion of a bluejay from the Assateague Island where the ponies live. Anyway, it made me relax and enjoy the story of how the ponies came to be on the islands and the reason for the lighthouse on Assateague. Knowing the story of Kessy, his last horse, and how Dutch trained her and gained her confidence made the book especially poignant for me.

Have started drinking my coffee black as often as not. Had forgotten--again--how good coffee is when it is black--if it is good coffee. Drinking Yuban because it does not have that much oil in it, so my stomach does not seem to mind. And plain coffee is good first thing in the morning to keep some of us from being so grouchy! Or so they say. If the weather keeps getting as cold as they are forecasting---well, we will have to wait and see what is grouchy and what is grumpy. And those are not two of the seven dwarfs.

Sat out on the lawn swing earlier and held one of my favorite hens. When she got down, the rest of the girls noticed and thought she had some food. Here they came! Like a small herd of pterodactyls. At least they are not like geese or swans! Those creatures can be vicious. Not my girls. They just demand attention. Need to have Jennifer to make me a sign--in only the way she can--that says: Warning: Pterodactyls Roam Here! Did you know that the "flying reptiles" were found in Bavaria? Wonder if they got there from Asia where chickens originated. Here is something funny:

 Evolution of the Chicken. The evolution of the chicken dates back 65 million years ago, to the Tyrannosorus Rex. The next form of the Chicken is the Tyrannosorus Clux. This dates back to about 30 million years ago. The Tyrannosorus Clux evolved into a dinosour called the Clux Delux.

How about that: Tyrannosorus CLUX! giggling My girls sometimes cluck, but mostly they say bocka bocka.

Reading about some of the stuff that is going on in Israel and that part of the world right now, it makes the mind boggle to think that so much has happened in the past two years. But now that the virus has had such an effect on travel, it makes me wonder how they will ever get their economy moving again. Of course, that could be said for any part of the world right now--including the U.S. Tourism is how some countries stay afloat--Ireland, Scotland, parts of the Mediterranean included. Those are not highly industrial places compared to Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. But then, maybe they pay their bills on time and don't have big national debts. Can't say the same for the U.S. Some of these thoughts just float through my mind at times. Go figure. Connie is always saying that some things are so much bigger than she is that she doesn't need to concern herself with that sort of thing. She may have a point, huh.

Getting this written earlier than usual today. The dogs and the old woman may go to bed early tonight. The dogs have this "big screen" to watch on their world where they can interact with the stray dogs, stray cars, squirrels, and strangers on the road. It takes all of their energy to guard us day by day, ya know. The curtains across their "big screen" have to be pulled at night, so they are willing to retire shortly after that. If the old woman is not watching a "big screen," then she is pretty willing to call it a night as well. Books, well, that is a different situation. A Kindle will always move to the bedroom for the recliner. No pressure around this household.

May your nights be restful and your days full of happiness. You are loved.

Stupid Waiting.

 Doesn't take much to irritate some of us, ya know. Expecting someone to show up since a little after 3:30 and she still has not shown up. Argh! Don't like to answer the door after dark, but if she waits much longer, it WILL be dark. So, my .38 is in the top desk drawer. Would rather not have that on my mind, either. But money exchanged or not, will be glad when she either shows up or not. And it's almost time to shut the chicken house doors. She just called and said she is still coming. sigh

Have been reading another "whodunit" type today. Good book this time. It is one of a series. The main character is a former detective sergeant with the NYPD who got injured in the line of duty. His girlfriend-fiancé is with the white collar division of the FBI. Interesting combination. And his half brother is a Catholic priest who loves to play detective while sitting in their mutually owned Irish pub. Gotta laugh at some of the situations in this book. But the fact that one of their prime investigators is madly infatuated with the priest is one of the grins throughout the book. Yep, folks are definitely funny.

The dogs have been on a tear today. Had my dust mop out fighting off the dust bunnies this morning, and one of the dogs ran around the deep freeze to get out the door to chase a dog on the street alongside the fence--pulled the doggy water bowl of two gallons cross ways spilling water before it flopped back on its base. It made me wish the dust mop would have worked instead of having to get a towel out. Those dogs! If it is not one thing, it is four! 

Have the chickens shut up for the night and took a phone call from Sterling. He asked me if any of his classmates had passed on. Not sure how it would have been made known to me, but could only remember one older guy that we went to school with that did not come back from Vietnam. Can't remember his name now, but Grandmother Pollard was friends with her. Strange name, but can't recall it now. Isn't it weird how much we forget and can only remember little bits of things.

Don't know much of anything tonight except that tomorrow Michelle Malay may come by for eggs. Ready for her to get here despite the fact that the hens have been on a iffy schedule lately. If it is sunny, they might lay eggs--or not. Go figure. It is supposed to have something to do with how much sunlight they get, but who knows. They don't share that information with me. They surely share the fertilizer, however!

For now, will tell you that our prayers are needed more than ever with the way this virus is killing folks. Not that we needed anything else to affect our lives. So may you all be blessed with good health and happiness. Until later, you are loved.

Clean Dogs!

 Oh to be a clean dog! One that "raooohs" at Mom and tells her he needs to be petted until one of us is tired of it. So he got petted more than usual today. So did Sylvia, for that matter. It is just that he is more vociferous about his demands. They both smell so much better and probably don't have as much of an itchy skin. At least neither of them are licking toes and assorted body parts!

Made a good meatloaf today with ground turkey, an envelope of onion soup mix, a small can of mushrooms, and some leftover cheese type crackers with egg and milk. Turned out to be very tasty and did not even give me indigestion. Wonder of wonders! But then, it had no tomatoes in it or ketchup type sauce on top. Just plain jane meat loaf. Bet it would be good with squash in it, too. Will have to try that sometime.

The plumber who replaced the Anderson's water lines finally came and fixed the road where they tore it up. Looked pretty good to me. Hope the trash trucks don't mess it up after this, but think they tamped the dirt down pretty firmly. Eventually may have to put another sack of cold pack down in my driveway area where the truck comes out onto the road itself. It is a little rough, but not too bad. Could just ignore it since the truck can handle that sort of bump.

The dogs woke me up early this morning--one a.m.! Asked Thompson just what he thought he was doing up that early and told him to lie back down. He did, but then my nest was not quite right, and it took a few minutes to get it to suit me again. Don't ya just hate it when your nest gets disturbed! 

Talked to Landon today and found out what he is cooking up. Told him that his grandmother likes banana nut bread, too. Hint, hint. He has time off until sometime in January, so he COULD come visit. Maybe the kids will come up soon. Would love it. Rachel has soccer practice, but not sure if that means all the time or just until winter break. As it is, Lance's family does not plan to go to San Antonio to visit since some of the family is so susceptible to illnesses right now. Seems like anyone with diabetes or other physical problems are much more likely to get this mess. Connie said it was scary to go to her doctor's office--everyone there was sick. Prefer Dr. Blackwell's method of seeing most patients in the parking lot if they are coughing or running a fever! 

The dog baths required a load of laundry, so now there are towels ready to be folded and put away, rugs ready to be put back down on the floor, not to mention the clothes worn while trying to give the DOGS a bath! SO glad that Donny came up and adjusted the spray line on the bathtub so that the dogs could be bathed without having to just dump water over them in a pitcher. The spray nozzle helps considerably to be sure all the soap is gone. Their fur is so soft and smells so good tonight. Now if only it were that easy to clean out the three coops of chicken stuff. Oh well. It is really not that difficult. It just takes some time nearly every day. Could be worse. At least they talk to me about whatever is on their beady little brains. Did ya know that chickens are predators? They kill other birds and anything small enough to be attacked. Glad to have those signs up that say BEWARE of chickens! Thanks to Michelle Malay, Carla Beard, and Grayson for the signs! One of these days someone will make a sign that says, Beware--the creatures that LOOK like chickens are actually small dinosaurs!

Talking to Landon today about how brown my yard is, and he told me that they have clover growing in their yard. Why can THEY get clover to grow and my expensive clover seed did not even show a growth? Hmm. He suggested that birds might have found the seeds. But they were covered in some kind of pink stuff that made it easy to spread them. Oh well. We may see something later in the spring. Meanwhile, have seeds from Lamb's Ear to spread.

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day! The dogs are happy, the hens are happy, and the old woman feels pretty good. Can't beat that with a stick. Hope all of you are well or have the peace of mind that it takes to deal with the health issues in your own or your families lives. May God bless those who suffer.

Sleep well, my friends, and awake with pleasure. You are loved.