RAIN!!!

 A sound in the kitchen this morning informed me that the wall heater had come on. Yep, kinda cool! And now we have rain and occasional thunder. This is toast and hot chocolate weather. So guess who dug into the hall rack to find the old toaster. And then two pieces of toast spread with "garden vegetable" cream cheese. Yes, carbs, but that is not nearly as bad as what came around as lunch! Bowtie pasta with chicken chunks, mushrooms, and cream of cheddar cheese soup! More carbs. Guess who does not really care about carbs today!

The hens have been quite busy--sixteen eggs so far. Went out to check on them earlier and found THREE of them in the same nest! Have to get another plastic box to put in there before they start breaking eggs or something. They apparently do NOT like the nests being put into the middle coop. Guess one or two boxes could be moved back into the long house part. sigh Chickens can be quite contrary, you know.

Reading another mystery--based this time in Wales. Did not realize the creature that represents Wales is a dragon. Used to think that Granddad Pollard had to have some Welsh blood in him because of his dark complexion and small stature. Guess not. The family history would mention it if Peter or Isaac Pollard had been anything other than English. Can't imagine how they left England and came to America and then moved half way across the country to Arkansas. That is quite a trek, but they had to have done so over a period of years. Wish our history was better documented. Of course, my cousin Pearl would probably have been able to tell me where each was born and when. She was the member of the family who was into genealogy. She was a Mormon, and it seems they do that sort of thing--looking up all the members of the family. Well, the Jewish people used to do that as well. 

Just now sounded as if we had some hail. Must remember that it is April--in Texas. Now we can see what damage the freeze did just in time to watch any storms shred whatever is left. Oh well. Was hoping that the growth along the branches of my purple sage meant that it will live. Not too sure about the crepe myrtle. Would not have cared if the storm had taken out that stupid Bradford pear, but loved the purple sage. Jennifer said that Gary was pretty disgusted by all the dead foliage on their place. And my friend Lowry Mayo posted pictures of all his dead shrubs--and then a picture of what it looked like after they were removed. And he said it was difficult to find shrubs in this part of Texas since everyone was having to do the same removal and replacement. Told him it sounded like a good time to plant something edible! Pretty sure he would ignore that idea.

Saw that the baby that was born to Amanda Jones had developed some kind of infection and will have to spend another day in the hospital after her mom gets to go to her mother's house. Amanda had a c-section, so it will be awhile before she can do much. Am pretty sure her mom will gladly take care of both Amanda and the baby. Have not seen any posts from my friend Donna Reeves who said that her granddaughter in on bedrest at 26 weeks. That is going to be hard. Even a nice bed gets to feeling like a prison if one can't get up and DO something. Feel sorry for the girl and for the mothers taking care of her. 

Sharon Dickerson's niece Kimberly was back in the hospital and unable to keep anything down. Any type of surgery involving the gut can backfire in a heart beat. Let's pray that she recovers and is able to return home soon.

Finally, my phone let me know early this morning that a police officer in Burleson--close to my daughter's new home--had been ambushed during a traffic stop. He was hit several times, but is going to be ok. However, the person who tried to kill him carjacked some lady's car after leaving the scene of the attack. That lady was not blessed to be wearing body armor and died after making it to the back door of the police station. Let us pray for her family and for all of our police officers. Whether or not they all use good common sense all the time, these folks are risking their lives every time they set foot in the presence of criminals. They are, indeed, the thin blue line between us and the really bad guys. It's one thing to have your home defense cannon ready behind the front door, but we all have to go about our rat killing--no pun intended--and our shopping where we would not want to carry our protection on our hips. Let's pray for these men and women and their families.

Thompson and Sylvia are cuddled together on the couch. It is so funny to see them looking like they love each other--which they obviously do. Sylvia has an attitude about which end of my bed she chooses at night. Told her she is going to have to start sleeping in the crate if she doesn't quit fussing about my bed arrangement. She thinks she needs to cuddle ME! Nope, not gonna happen. Connie says that she wishes her kitties would cuddle like that, but they are very particular about where and how they sleep. That is the difference between a cat and a dog: the cat says--bug off, dearie! The dog says: ah, Mom, cuddle me up. Glad she enjoys her cats. Don't think this house would be nearly as happy without my dogs.

Glad the grass is already cut fairly short. Am betting this rain may stick around--hope so! We really need a few days of rain to soak into the ground and keep things growing. The irises may get a little bedraggled by the rain and wind, but they are still lovely. All the rust colored ones are piling on the pretty at one end of the fence. Must remember to take a picture and post it. 

Have not posted the birds for a few days. Have other things on my mind, maybe. But they are all so very precious and engaging. Monday was the Crimson-rumped Toucanet; Tuesday the Southern Cordonbleu (sounds like a food from France); and Wednesday is the European Rollers. Have not taken the time to look any of them up yet. Can't say it sounds as if any of them would be found in my backyard. rolling eyes here.

Today has been a decent day, especially considering we got much needed rain. Now if we can all get a good night's sleep, we can be thankful for even more. Let us thank our Father. You are loved.