Wet Leaves.

 Wet Leaves.

 

It’s that time of year when nearly every surface is covered with wet leaves from the Western Soapberry trees or from the hackberry tree out front. No way can one go in and out without bringing in at least a few on the bottom of a shoe. Oh well. Just wait until that silly Bradford pear shakes lose its load of colored leaves! A person could go sliding on those things!

 

After putting two containers of Fiesta soup in the top freezer, the rest of the soup went down the gullet this morning. Gone, but not forgotten! Just good soup. Then cut up the last two red bell peppers and stirred up Ranch style seasoning with sour cream for a good snack. Nothing wasted around here.

 

Sent a big roasting pan over to Max and Laisha for the turkey that they plan to cook along with some cornbread mixes, stuffing mix, and some instant potato mix. Did not have any cranberry sauce in the pantry, but such is life. Max is not a fan of cranberries anyway. He just does not appreciate good, tangy flavors.

 

Washed a big furry blanket that normally stays on my bed. It takes a while—two cycles—to get it dry, but the dryer also removes most, if not all—of the dog hair. Think it would be nice and cuddly just for a rainy-day nap. Might have one of those coming up tomorrow.

 

Will have to get Daniel to check out my computer by remote. It is still giving me those little flashes across the screen. Surely hope that it is not about to go out. Computers are so much cheaper than they were, but who wants to put out money on anything extra right now!! So glad to have Daniel and his Night Shift computer work handy.

 

Saw on FB that a family in Arkansas went to the movies and one of the kids got stung by a wasp that was in a nest in the chair. Good grief! Horrors! Can’t imagine wasps taking up residence in a movie theater! Those things really cause some of us to have bad reactions to their stings. Still have a place on my right elbow that itches from the last sting two months ago!

 

We can gather this next week with family or neighbors in a thankful attitude—or simply at home by ourselves. Thankfulness is not restricted to one day or a particular time. Each day is another gift from God. Good health is about the greatest gift for our physical bodies, but God’s forgiveness is the greatest gift of all.

 

Was thinking about all the money and time put into most Christmas celebrations. When we were young, we got things that we really needed: a coat, sock, a hat, or a warm sweater. Wouldn’t it be something if folks were to change their habits to giving to those who actually need something rather than just hanging gifts to those who can afford to buy their own clothes and accessories. No gift wrap needed. No gift list needs to be consulted. Just put your money where your mouth is. Give with love instead of some family obligation.

 

Whether or not we can afford to give necessities to others, we can always give love in many other ways. Smiles, compliments, giving the right away, or just opening a door for someone can be a source of a loving gesture. Let us be loving.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Two Rooms and the Hall.

 Two Rooms and the Hall.

 

Vacuumed and mopped the kitchen and living room and vacuumed the hall. Guess who needed to sit down and be still for a bit! Used Lysol with peroxide on the dish washer and deep freeze where things seem to get spilled or otherwise look yucky. Have been using the dishwasher for storage for some years now, but if it was ever needed again, the seal would undoubtedly need to be replaced along with the thing that goes on the faucet to attach the hose. Oh well. No biggie. Hardly ever have more than a drain rack full of pots, pans, and dishes.

 

Had made a list for United earlier and thought it had been finished and gone through. Nope. Forgot to hit the button for the purchase. Duh. Anyway, now that the pickup time has come and gone, the old woman has to wait until five to go pick up the stuff on my list. Nothing exceptionally or desperately needed. Just discovered that meat is not needed for a topper on the dogs’ kibble. They absolutely LOVE cheese! So, some shredded cheese has them cleaning their bowls!

 

Earlier the rain was more a mist than anything, but it will be sure enough rain by five. Such is life. We need the rain. So far, my weather station has said .69 inches, but the fence gauge says something over one and half—plus a nice little spider. Maybe it didn’t get dumped after the last rain?

 

A disease that can kill horses and is highly contagious is currently making the rounds among the high caliber show and working horses in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. It is a type of herpesvirus. “Officials say the virus spreads through horse contact, shared buckets and tack, contaminated trailers, and airborne droplets.” It is a super good time to keep at home with your animals if you don’t want to risk losing any horses. And, it is a good time to clean and disinfect trailers, tack, and your own boots! Back when the old woman was still riding, the worse thing we seemed to have was equine encephalitis. It came from mosquitoes. But our critters were vaccinated every year. But that was back when they allowed us to vaccinate our dogs and cats for rabies!

 

The dogs are currently having hysterical fits about the Terminex man who is walking around Max and Laisha’s house. As far as the dogs are concerned, he simply should not be there!! GOOD DOGS!!

 

Still enjoying following Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana while he rips the non-citizens among the Senate. Really do not think we need anyone in Congress unless that person is a citizen of the U.S.—PERIOD! No, half way citizens! Same with any office that serves our nation’s government. We do have military who are not citizens, and to tell the truth, that seems pretty sketchy to me. How do we know where their loyalties lie? The religion or race is not the problem. The nationality IS the problem.

 

Ok, have just about decided that the old woman needs more than just to sit down and drink water. Actually, had a cup of real coffee this morning, but it should not keep me from sleeping tonight since not much sleeping went on LAST night! Dadgumit! Getting older has its perks—sitting here thinking about that. Yes, can enjoy watching all my children deal with life in manners much different than what we once knew. But then, they never have known what it has been like to not have a phone or a TV. In 1948, the minimum wage in some areas was forty cents an hour. Can remember Daddy rejoicing when he finally got seventy-five cents an hour for his work. Our children have no idea what that was like. Yes, it can be compared to whatever today’s money would be worth, but can almost bet that what we bought—the BASICS—were so much more important than the silliness of today’s purchases. And our gift giving back then was something useful—socks, underwear, gloves, a hat! Someday it would be interesting to compare what we enjoyed to what the kids think is important.

 

We have always—ALWAYS—been so blessed. We were loved and had what we needed for the most part. Oh, it would have been nice to have more than one pair of shoes per year, but we did not HAVE to go barefoot. And we were basically warm enough most of the winter. But sometimes our parents went without so that we could have clothes and better food. Blessings on parents and those who HAD that kind of parents! God provides what is needed.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Slowly Gaining Ground.

 Slowly Gaining Ground.

 

Accomplished ONE thing today: went to Barnett Rd. for lab tests. No big deal, but fasting and no Rx taken this a.m. Then forgot to take Rx after returning home. Senile, yet?

 

Reece was supposed to get to go home from the hospital this afternoon if all went well. But they let him have solid food today and he still has to stay tonight just in case it flares back up. Ulcers are not any fun at all. Been there, done that. SO many folks have this problem. Something about the way we live our lives must be part of the problem. Too much to worry about. Anyway, please keep him in your prayers.

 

Mary Rhoads had planned to bring her grandson over to see the hens this afternoon, but that did not happen. Maybe tomorrow. Kids like critters when they are calm, and these girls are calm if anything.

 

Patty called today and had a few things on her mind. She got a bang out of telling me what Senator Kennedy had been saying—always hilarious. He is so much like Shakespeare in his dry sarcastic remarks about some politicians. Wish humor like that were more prevalent instead of the tacky stuff we hear everywhere!

 

Let us try to be respectful even when we feel that idiots prevail. Some of us really despised a certain president some years back, but we NEVER wished ill upon him. That simply is not Christian. Let us ask God to guide even those who are ditzy with whatever is best for folks. That position has become increasingly important in this era. Our job is to pray for leaders and for this country and for those who especially need God’s blessings.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Pink Clouds?

 Pink Clouds?

 

Last night, Jennifer sent me a text to tell me to look to the north for the Northern Lights. My bare eyes saw a pink cloud that seemed to ripple, but apparently a camera is better for capturing the lights. Who knew! Will look again in a bit since it is pretty dark outside, but not sure if they will be visible tonight. Anyway, it is wonderful to think that we get to see such things down here in North Central Texas!

 

Jenn let me know today that Reece has been admitted to Baylor Hospital and will be there for a couple of days. He has a ruptured ulcer that will have to be cauterized. So glad that they have good hospitals and good doctors down that way! The kid has always had problems with his tummy, but think he may have inherited that tendency. My first semester in college was pretty hard on my stomach. Yep, nerves. Please keep Reece in your prayers.

 

Not going to gripe too much, but finally took a muscle relaxer around five this evening. Tomorrow will see a call to Dr. Blackwell to get some testing done. Dr. Vietenheimer said that he did not see any fractures in the spinal x-rays, but something is definitely going on in my lower back. Blitzkrieg!

 

Haven’t talked to Sterling so far this week, but am hoping that all is well in Arkansas. He said he would let me know how Jacqui is doing, so here’s hoping she is feeling ok.

 

Got a chicken cooked yesterday and boned it this morning so that the bones and excess skin could go in the trash to be taken away today. Have decided that boning chicken is for the birds!! Would much rather cook up some ground turkey, ground pork, or even ground chicken rather than having all the stuff to clean up when the chicken is cooked in the slow cooker. Just lazy? Maybe, but that cooker is heavy, too.

 

Was happy to get my neighbor Max to put the dog food in the black bin so that it could just be dipped out as needed. About five pounds are still in the last sack, but that is easy to pick up. The mailman was so kind to bring the big box into my house so it could be unpacked. We have the kindest mailman!! Well, and we have great neighbors, too!

 

Have seen very few comments on the airline debacle and how folks are getting from one place to another. Will be so glad when things calm down and everyone can go back to work. Life is hard enough without stupid politics disrupting lives. If only people were honest and not greedy!

 

Let us remember that God has a purpose for our lives. We may not see it immediately, but we can ask that He guide us in the way that He wants us to go. What better guide to life than the one who created that life?

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Forgot to mention that Patty showed me the video from her outside camera showing a bobcat in her driveway. Roxy found a freshly killed yellow kitty cat down in the pasture. Hopefully, Blake can dispose of the leftover parts tomorrow. Sigh.

Whimpering and Whining.

 Whimpering and Whining.

 

Have a feeling that a person should simply stay off social media when feeling rotten. Maybe muscle spasms are not that big of a deal, but try telling that to the old woman when she tries to get up and move around! The pain pill makes me think that it does not matter, but in the back of my mind, it is like a little warning that says “just try doing anything differently right now!”

 

It is supposed to get cold tonight. Can’t say that it matters all that much right this red-hot moment. The dogs want to cuddle—which is ok with me. But will have to put an extra cover on the bed tonight. Have not, as yet, put any plastic on the side door of the middle coop. The front coop has two metal doors that shut out the weather as needed. Honestly don’t know when the old woman will be able to fasten plastic to the wooden frame. The electric staple gun makes it fairly easy, but the entire process requires moving around quite a bit. Maybe in a few days.

 

Bought some Max Protein Ensure yesterday (French vanilla) and will tell you that this stuff is mighty expensive. Here’s hoping it is actually good for a person. It is easier to just drink a container and not clean up anything thereafter. Lazy? Oh well.

 

My daughter-in-law will be 50 years old this next month. Need to find a good, smart-aleck birthday card for her. Sent her something from Amazon, but she always finds the neatest cards when she sends one. Here’s hoping the old woman can find a snarky card with good humor in it!

 

Truly wish whoever is in charge of changing the stupid clocks would just get a life and stop messing us about!! About the time the sun sets and reminds me that the day is almost over, they turn the clock back an hour so that it really is not as late as it might seem. Dumb cruds! The hens have their very own internal clocks that seems to go with the sunrise and sunset. But if a person has to be somewhere at 9:15 in the morning, it might be wise to have an alarm set for a bit before that so one’s appointment and arrival work out close to the same time. ARGH!!

 

Still praying for my neighbor Shona Leos as she and her sister attempt to store all of their mother’s furniture and stuff in a storage thing. Their mom has to have care 24/7 and can’t live by herself, so her children have to make arrangements for her care—but not in a nursing home. Think what they have come up with is about the best idea ever. The lady who cares for her has her own home set up to care for an invalid---at $700 a month! Compared to $5K a month, that is a super deal! Sitting here hoping that it is never necessary, but still like that idea better than a stinking nursing home where everyone resents being there.

 

Pray tonight for those under the hammer of this latest hurricane. May God bless them.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Things NOT to Do.

 Things NOT to Do.

 

While Jennifer was here back in August, we decided that the old woman should not take a muscle relaxer and a pain pill in the few hours that the two might intermix. Today, when things got a bit hairy and the spasms were coming fast and furious, it seemed like a good idea to just take a pain pill—not anything else. Had not taken one in more than a month, but it worked very well even though the spasms were still obvious. Weird.

 

Gregg came this afternoon and removed the dead chicken from between the two layers of fence behind the workshop. While he was here, he also repaired the hot water lever in the big bath tub. That alone probably saved over $200! He did not want to take any money for what he had done, but the trip was worth it to me. He took home some eggs, some cooked chicken, and some other things to make dinner for him and Vickie. SO glad to have someone to call on.

 

Burned some hay from the front coop along with the small trees that Gregg had removed from the east fence line. Left the water hose dripping out by the pile before heading back inside. If things are better tomorrow, may remove a couple of sunflower stalks and more hay from the middle coop. Getting things ready for cooler weather also means that Gregg said he could use the shipping flats next to my fence as kindling for their stove. Yay!

 

Judie and Weldon came by this afternoon and left some goodies on the front porch bench. She said that they were flying low and trying to get a bunch of things accomplished this afternoon. Not sure my speed would ever exceed Judie’s. She is so full of energy!

 

The shower that happened earlier this evening made me feel so good! My hair used to be so thick that it took over a day to dry, but now it is only a matter of an hour or so. Amazing how things change in our lives.

 

It looks as if we need to be praying for the folks out there about to be flooded or hit by the winds from the latest hurricane. We can get wind here that knocks down trees and hits our electric lines, but it sounds as if they will get enough wind and flooding to remove part of each island! May God bless and protect them!

 

Cooked chicken today for some Chicken Fiesta soup! Tomorrow will try to put on all the ingredients at one time while getting other things done in the kitchen. Roger brought some tomatoes and peppers the other day that have been tempting me drastically. Those special little heirloom tomatoes may look strange, but they are definitely very tasty. SO glad that some folks can grow things!

 

Let us keep an attitude of gratitude. May God help us to be loving toward others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Heavy Drinking!

 Heavy Drinking!

 

Just water. Every time the old woman fusses about having muscle cramps, Jennifer is sure that it is caused by dehydration. Possible, but every effort to consume enough H2O makes me feel that it is something else. At least the surgeon’s office was good to renew the muscle relaxer prescription.

 

Sister-in-law is going to have to have a surgery to repair a hiatal hernia soon. Sterling says that the healing time is calculated at months of juice and Jello. Doesn’t sound like much fun even assuming the first week after the surgery does not make life pretty miserable. Have never spoken to anyone who has had this type of repair, but it does not sound as easy as replacing a knee. And Jello doesn’t really have much to commend it in my books. Would appreciate your prayers for Jacqui as she prepares for this surgery and for the success that is needed.

 

 We got some needed rain last night and still have a considerable amount of cloud cover. Walking out to the mailbox this morning, two lovely bluebonnets were putting on leaves in the seams of the walkway. Love that the seeds just seem to sprout wherever they find dirt. God’s grace is like that, too. It sprouts in all the right places. Let us pray that our hearts are sprouting with His love right now.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.