Small Victories.

 Small Victories.

 

Two rooms are dusted and mopped, another one is just dusted, and two dogs have had a bath. The dogs are outside in the heat drying off and rolling around in the grass, so not totally convinced the baths will have done much good. Oh well.

 

Ten eggs today! And Athena’s little white egg was among them. Besides being beautiful, she still produces one small dinosaur egg—tyrannosaurus clux, you know. The temperature gauge still says 100 degrees, so how they can stand to sit on a nest is beyond me. Beaks open panting, wings out from their bodies, and heat waves coming from them! Poor babies! But they got some fresh cantaloupe that had a bit of an earthy taste to it. Not bad, but not exactly prime fruit. But for free, who can gripe?

 

Have one curtain open slightly to watch for my friend Maggie who said she would come get eggs this afternoon. Can’t remember if she was one of those who wanted flower seeds. Guess she will tell me when she gets here.

 

Woke this morning around 3:30 and could not get my mind to hush. Sometimes sorrow and concern is hard to ignore or to leave in His hands. We become so accustomed to dealing with whatever comes up in our lives that we don’t know how to hand it over and not try to put our hands to the “plow” ourselves. All those sayings about keeping one’s eyes forward on the rows and not looking back don’t always take care of our tendencies. Regret lives in the dark hours of the night sometimes. Concern for others helps us to pray for them, but sometimes situations are much bigger than we are.

 

Just spoke with Sharon Dickerson, my sister-by-another-mother, and she gave me the blow-by-blow account of her struggle with a parking lot that would not allow her to leave. Tell ya what, Baylor Medical is making a killing on their parking lots! One place was $7 and the other $5, but remembering which level one parked on can be hazardous to one’s health—or it would be to me. Sharon said she managed to lose her wallet, which ended up in the floor board of her car. That alone is enough to frizzle one’s nerves. Then she paid $908.03 for the procedure. When she asked the man if she didn’t owe him some money, he looked at her with some trepidation and replied yes as if he felt concerned about the amount she owed. But she let him know that she was already aware and prepared! The best part was the phone call she got from Baylor while she was talking to me: her heart is good! The shortness of breath is not heart related! Praise God! Told her that my shortness of breath goes with my attitude and persistent struggles to accomplish all that is planned, whether or not the energy is present at the time. It is called stubbornness or determination, depending on one’s point of view. It runs in the family on the Pollard side. Think Jennifer inherited the tendency, but did not know that Sharon was that close kin to us!

 

Want to thank all of you for praying for Sharon and for my grand-nephew Jacob. It is obvious to me that prayers are definitely making a difference. Honestly believe that the only answer to the horrible problems facing this nation—the entire world—is to turn to God and ask for forgiveness. Before the sun comes up in the morning, my prayer begins with my requests for protection for my children, my nation, my home, and especially for those who have extra needs. God knows even when we don’t. The little girl who very fervently recited her alphabet answered the question about why by saying that she knew God could put those letters in the best order to help everyone who needed help. My prayers don’t necessarily encompass the alphabet, but surely He knows who needs answers better than the rest of us.

 

Have changed dog food and am hoping that the difference will help Thompson’s itchy situation. Poor baby. Once before we had some dog food that caused problems. Should have thought of this much sooner. Think Jennifer mentioned it some time back, but yours truly did not think that was the problem at the time. Silly ol’ woman!

 

This morning while standing out on the deck, someone off toward North Church Street kept making moaning sounds. A call to the police department garnered the arrival of two police cars who just shone a light over that direction as they turned north off my street instead of going over on Church to investigate. If someone was injured or otherwise in trouble, they would never know. It wasn’t for lack of concern on my part if something bad has happened. Yes, the sounds of the State Hospital echo over this hill, but these were east and south of my place. Oh well. Nothing like trying. They probably think this old woman is just a pest.

 

Learned how to delete messages in my new phone without having to delete the person who sent the message. Lance said he did not know how, so that made me feel a little bit intelligent—well, maybe just braver than usual. Technical stuff is sometimes quite beyond me. For instance, the little round thing that hangs from the ceiling fan light came off this morning because the sheet spread over the bed hit it and broke two links off the chain attached to the round thing. Had to take part of the chain down just to be able to take those broken links out of the piece, and then trying to reattach the old chain to the round thing seemed overly complicated. FINALLY got the things put back together and rehung. Simple, really, but it made me feel so terribly inept not to be able to just slip that section of chain into the little groove. Yes, an old woman sometimes just needs time and determination.

 

After mopping the living room this morning, went back and found a huge dust bunny. It fought back, but finally ended up in the trash. If it creeps out of that bin, will have to use something other than a wet mop to control it. Found another one on the bottom edge of my desk. It was already dead, so into the trash it went. How do they multiply so quickly? Only two dogs and an old woman should not produce this much “fur” or whatever composes those wild things! Can’t imagine how women lived with dirt floors and wood burning stoves years ago. Maybe clean had a different standard back then.

 

Listened to the owls making their clicking, screeching noises this morning while they circled around my house. Wish they were finding all the rats in the neighborhood. Did not see any in the coops this morning, but know the neighbors north of me have been moving their junk and stuff outside. Undoubtedly, they are stirring up rat nests. If the lottery winnings ever came my way—unlikely since no tickets are ever purchased here—would offer to buy that place and have it bulldozed. A junk yard is much more organized and less hazardous!

 

Just spoke with Patty and discussed her problems with the humongous rats. She put a plastic crate in a folding chair out by her door for the newspaper person. He put in the paper and the rats took it out!!! She thinks an exterminator is the answer to the rats and the wasps.

 

Will ask that all of you remember our soldiers and law enforcement officers tonight. May God protect them and give them wisdom.

 

Rest well and be happy. You are loved.