Mildly Spicey!

 Mildly Spicey!

 

Just finished cooking up some ground beef, corn, diced tomatoes, and a package of ramen noodles. With some Mrs. Dash as extra flavoring, this will make a good meal or two. The dogs have not been all that inclined to eat much for the past couple of days. It may just be too hot to be hungry. Even the hens are not especially eager to eat—not that the heat has affected the dang doves and black birds! They even take some feed and drop it in the water bowls. Bleah. Then the bowls have to be cleaned out and fresh water returned to the bowls. Sylvia decided the big black tub was deeper than she preferred, so she put her big paws into one of the water bowls, too. Sigh.

 

Walked down to Patty’s this morning before it got hot. The pups needed to be exercised, so they got to run around outside while we sat and visited. Roxie had tufts of hair hanging all over her, and it was something else just to run a hand over her and fill my hand with fur. Patty went inside after a brush, and the hair that came off would have built a new dog! Rudy has short hair like Thompson, but Roxie was like a small cloud just fluffing all over the place. Anyway, we were coming back outside after taking the dogs in when her friend Debbie drove up. She was in Wichita today and had called and did not get an answer on either of Patty’s phones. She was a little bit upset and came right out to check on her. Patty did not take her phone outside with her. Now Debbie has my phone number and shared hers with me. Between the two of us, we will try to keep up with Patty.

 

Got home from Patty’s and Connie called. Had to remind myself to set an alarm so it would not be as difficult to remember to call Connie each day. We check on each other. It is just a safety call.

 

No one has been at work across the street today, but it is the weekend, after all. And it is not like we are expecting storms or lots of rain, snow, hail, or other weather. That trailer house could probably sit there for the next two months without getting even a bit damp! Sigh

 

Watched my friend Carla Beard give the news like a real commentator on Channel 3 news for Connorsville, Indiana. It was very neat. She did a very good job. But then, she stood in front of classrooms, choirs, stage comedies, and assorted efforts as an interim pastor at her church. She has plenty of experience and truly would make a great TV personality. Calm and believable.

 

So far today, two eggs have been produced. Poor girls are so freaking hot. They run around the yard early in the morning looking for whatever it is that hens like, but by noon, it is simply too hot to believe! The gauge on my front porch (in the shade) says 113 right this hot moment. My living room is 89 degrees even with the AC going. Texas. The gauge on the back deck says 115 degrees!

 

So glad that my haircut is short. Wearing soppy wet hair is not any fun. It does not really cool things off that much unless it is cold water out of the water trough that is making it wet. It reminds me of bringing my horse in from grazing and giving her a big ole drink. She would stick her nose entirely down in the trough and blow bubbles like a kid! Her favorite thing was getting hosed down and then rolling in the dirt afterwards. Funny critter. Guess it kept the flies down though. Not sure why, but we did not have much of a problem with flies when we had the horses out back of the house all those years ago. But then, it was just one horse at a time, too.

 

Thought about putting a fan in the hen house for the evenings, but the hens might turn it over and cause a fire. No sense in taking a chance. We have already had so many fires this year that the idiots shooting off firecrackers just make me want to whallop someone! The heat, the drought, and the noise combined is a bit much. Critters get scared and take off. The sparks cause fires. And the noise can really upset someone who has PTSD. Anymore, the sound of gunfire can actually BE gunfire! In case you had not heard, the gunman in the Oslo, Norway, shooting was originally from Iran. That is why it is being considered a terrorist act. So, how did we get from hot hens to terrorism? Put it down to scattered brain. Just thankful that Kate Ellen and Marit had already left the London Pub in Oslo last night. They just heard the gunfire.

 

The ground beef and veggies turned out good! Din-upper has just been consumed here at 3:30 p.m. An early meal, but that should do until morning.

 

Have seriously been thinking about cutting up some t-shirts to make crop tops to wear around here. Probably won’t do it, but really am tempted. Can’t exactly go bare bodied around here, especially if it is necessary to check on the hens two or three times a day. But the temperature gauge just went down to 109! Dear Hearts, when it goes from 115 to 109 it doesn’t really feel like a cold front came in!

 

Need to call my brother and see if he sold his wife yet. He said everything in his workshop was for sale, ya see. Ahem. Hope the church made enough money to fund their mission trip to Honduras.

 

Want you to know that God has to be busy listening right now to all the prayers from the farmers and ranchers—and other folks as well. We need rain and much cooler temps. But it is not even July yet. May God bless this land.

 

Rest well and stay safe and out of the sun. You are loved.