Stranger Dreams.

 Stranger Dreams.

 

Some time this morning, before the dogs managed to get me up, my mother and Granny Connie (maternal grandmother) walked with me through some buildings that seemed like schools or some other type of business interests. It seemed we were looking for work for the three of us, yet we all knew that our abilities were somewhat limited at this point. Granny Connie had no idea what she could possibly do at her age, and Mom said that she could not see or plan well enough to do any sewing, so we were somewhat stumped as to what we could possibly do that would be useful to anyone. It seemed really weird that we wanted to find something to do despite the fact that we did not need to make any money or otherwise find a paying job. We just needed to feel useful and appreciated. When the dogs finally brought me out of that sleepy dream world, the idea of being with Mom and Granny Connie again left me wondering about why that dream happened. Many times, Lewis has been in my dreams and stood off to one side while directing my actions, but this one left a strange series of thoughts to fumble through my mind. No longer teaching—or even tutoring—my “worth” has been in my thoughts several times over the past few years. In all the years of teaching, it is not a certainty that anything in my classes ever really made that much difference to any of my students. No matter how well they learned to type, write, use MS Word, or attempt medical transcription, they may never have even been able to use those skills to make a living. It leaves me wondering if any of them felt the classes were worth the effort involved. Ah well. Dreams just leave little shadows behind.

 

The dogs have some new toys. They are happily sharing them, but that may change. Thompson just acts as if he has had a long night and needs to rest. And he did not even eat all of his food this morning. Well, neither did Sylvia for that matter. Oh well. At least Thompson gave Michelle Malay a few sweet dog kisses before she left our house earlier. She surprised us with a big bag of goodies that both smelled good and made us think of Grandmother Pollard and her grab bags. No one ever could be as funny as she was. She got such a kick out of finding things to put in her bags. Think Michelle must do something similar. Hope she enjoyed putting things in the bags as much as we enjoyed taking them out and feeling surprised and pleased over them! She helped the dogs with their toys and explained how to use some of the neat things she brought to me. One of the neatest was an extendable wand duster that can be bent to clean the blades on the ceiling fans! LOVE the idea of bending something down here on the floor and then using it to clean both sides of the fan blades up there with just a couple of bends! She also brought me a real pair of pjs. Have not bought pajamas in ever. My idea of pjs is a sweat suit. And the design on these is pretty wild—meoworr—wild cat!

 

The postman brought a package from Amazon this morning. It was a package of six one-pound cans of Café d’Vita English Toffee. The stuff is delicious, but getting it in separate cans makes it easy to give as a gift. Was happy to be able to send one home with Michelle. Maybe by the next time she comes, she can take eggs home with her.

 

Went to Sutherlands to pick up chicken feed—enough to last through all the rest of December and January. If yours truly can manage to keep water in the middle house for them, they should be in good shape for the next couple of months. As long as they can get outside in the grass and grit, food for them will be there in abundance. Even might let them share the ripening tomatoes in the long green house coop. Stood out there this morning and ate a ripe tomato right out of the hay! It was SO tasty! Nothing quite like a ripe tomato—well, a good one that wasn’t grown in a hot house. These are perfect by the time they are ripe.

 

Have asked for some help unloading and putting the feed in the bins, so hope to see at least one teenager over here this afternoon. Even if it is only one of them, it beats trying to do this on my own. It’s ridiculous to be this messed up just from my back being beat up. The drugs help, but the off-balance walking has screwed up my knees. Always something to gripe about, huh! Hoping that Cindy Jones is not having too much pain with her knees. Dr. Blackwell said that she had done something to her “bad” knee and made it feel like a new knee. Will have to ask about it again and see if it is something that might help Cindy. Michelle told me that she had had nerves burnt in her knees, but it did not last or help that much. Dadgum the war! The older we get, the more things fall apart!

 

My granddaughter is driving—by herself—to San Antonio this evening. She plans to spend the weekend with one set of grands and a cousin. Guess who will be asking God for protection for my girl. Know my parents let me drive to college by myself, but San Antonio is a bit far and I-35 is scary. Deep sigh.

 

Lance asked me the other day about reading Willa Cathers books. May just have to read them again. It has been so very long and many of the books consumed back then kind of melded together in my mind. The ones that really stuck in my mind were those by Gene Stratton-Porter. Did a paper on her just for the fun of it while working on my thesis. Probably should have just worked harder on the thesis rather than reading all those books again. Oh well.

 

Found out that my daughter-in-law is going to take more courses for another degree. Guess it will be another master’s degree or something. Not sure. She is up to snuff on all the technology in her field, but happen to have known one man who got his doctorate in technology in teaching. She could easily do that one. Maybe it would give her that famous Ph.D. so she could claim to be a “doctor.” Thinking of some jokes that have been told about the audience being asked about “a doctor in the house.” She might not think they were funny. Oh well.

 

As usual, know very little worth talking about. Keith is right about just the usual chatty Kathy stuff from me. Guess if it gets tiresome to others, it is easy enough to ignore the blog altogether. Kitten and puppy pictures are much cuter.

 

Let us remember to be grateful for life and love. God has provided us with both. Rest and enjoy the beauty around us. You are loved.

Requests from Furballs!

 Requests from Furballs!

 

Just a few minutes ago, Thompson came into the living room, looked up at me, and said, “Wrrrowr, rooorrr!” That must have meant: “Where’s the food?” cause as soon as it was put in their bowls, they both looked happier. However, the no-good-for-anything old woman did not heat it up in the microwave. So, a couple of looks came this way that said something along the lines of: “Just wait until we talk to management about this!” But they cleaned their bowls and are now looking out the windows at all the stuff blowing by. The wind, however, has let up considerably. It might be possible to walk outside without tying myself to the deck to keep from blowing away—No, it won’t happen since the weight on this end of the rope is considerable. Hmm.

 

Not sure what the status of the latest fires around Iowa Park might be at the moment, but Shannon Combs (the local weatherman) said that the forestry plane had come up and was dumping water on the fire. The highway patrol was escorting folks along 287 since it was down to one lane and covered in heavy smoke. They were undoubtedly trying to prevent any accidents and other problems. One thing is for sure, if the highway patrol or any of our LEOs see a trailer with a chain dragging below it, they can count on being stopped. My son thought the fires were probably because of smokers—cigarettes. That is highly unlikely. Usually, it is the high line wires hitting together and sparking onto dry grass. Cigarettes are made differently than they were years ago. Each section is made to go out if it does not have a pretty constant draw on it. Just one of those random facts.

 

It’s almost time to put the hens up for the night. They have not done much on the egg laying front today. Maybe the wind has made them nervous and upset, too. Sylvia would agree with them totally. She had to wear her thunder shirt today while she whined and hung onto my leg under the desk. Poor girl was so jumpy.

 

Patty called earlier this evening and told me that the roof of Jerry’s pagoda looked as if it was headed south. Sent a message to Jo Ann to let her know, and she sent Lisa to check on it. She agreed that it needed help. It was Southern engineered on there anyway. Propped up with four little boards and a couple of wires! Jo Ann said it is one heavy sucker. Can just see it hitting the neighbor’s house to his south. Not a good thing at all.

 

Made salad today with the broccoli, cooked chicken, apple, craisins, and salad dressing. Mighty tasty. Bought a couple of apples recently of some strange name. Had absolutely no taste, but this sugar bee kind is some very sweet, crisp apple. It makes anything taste better.

 

Patty discovered that her home phone was not ringing. So for now, we will have to use her cell phone if she needs something. Not sure just why the home phone is not working unless it has something to do with where the main office is and whether or not it has been affected by the wind or the fires. We never had any trouble with ours as long as we had WebFire, but can’t remember what we had before that company. Don’t think it is still in business. One of the women who worked there was the wife of one of the guys Lewis worked with. She started attending school at ACC and thought it was funny to have me as a teacher. She was only one of more than a few who had to do some “re-tooling” for another job. Some of the big companies here left town when WF would no longer give them the big tax breaks, so a bunch of folks had to learn a different line of work.

 

The ceiling fan has been necessary in here this evening. It got a little warm despite the wind. But at least it was not too cold or too hot to get outside to do whatever had to be done—filling up the water bowls, for instance. Really dread taking the hose off the faucet even though Lance got one of those things to fit on the faucet to keep it from freezing. We are supposed to have freezing nights as of Saturday. Not much joy in that situation.

 

Got to thinking about my parents and my mother-in-law yesterday. Mom would call once in a while when Daddy had gone somewhere. She did not want him to know that she had called me because she was—well, tacky is the only term useful here—about him talking to me. He could not hear it thunder, but he would call and try hard to listen. And he usually called when she was out of the house for whatever reason. Then when we put them in the nursing home, they called every day and sometimes several times a day. We never knew if they were needing something or just what, but now it has occurred to me that they were just lonely. Oh yes, other people were around them, but that is not the same as family. Then there was MIL, Joy Dickerson. She started calling two and three times a day while she was still living at home. Not so sure about the nursing home, but can’t remember if Anne got her a phone or not. Of course, any of them could use the nurses’ phone at the desk. But Lewis would look over at me and say, “It’s your turn.” They were just lonely. We went to see my parents once a week, and Anne would go see her mom every other day or more often if she could see that Joy was upset or something. It was a little harder for us. Lewis just did not like to get out at all unless he just had to. He hurt constantly and could not depend on his old knees to hold him up. Such is life. Anyway, my point is this: old folks need to hear from their kids, grands, or friends. By the time Joy went into the nursing home, most of her friends were dead. The same was true of my parents. And Sterling could not make the trip down here from Arkansas unless it was a necessity. Yes, yours truly had to call him a couple of times. And he was good to come when asked. All the friends in the world are wonderful, but your children and grands make life worth living. And yes, that is a bit of a burden on them, but they can do rotations! That’s what we did on the phone calls. The trips were my responsibility for the most part, but that changed as well. When Lewis died and was not there with me, Daddy asked how he was doing since he knew that Lewis had been ill. Daddy cried when told that Lewis was no longer with us. It made me feel bad, but what else could have been said? But then Daddy wanted to know if he could do anything to help. He wanted to know if my car was doing ok and if anything else needed any help he could provide. He was a good old man and a good daddy. Not a perfect man, but then, there was only one of those ever born or lived.

 

About next Tuesday, a bunch of stars are going to be lined up to make up “the star of Bethlehem.” It will undoubtedly be cloudy over us, but just in case you might get a chance to see this alignment, there you have the day.

 

Not a lot going on inside my head tonight. Finished another book and thought about trying a movie, but just don’t have the patience to look through all those channels. May have to get Jennifer to show me any kind of menu that might be available—kinda like those little magazines that used to tell you what would be on. Can’t think: TV Guide, duh. They probably have one on the movie channels.

 

Will ask you to pray for our firefighters tonight and all the LEOs that are having to keep folks safe tonight. It has to be one of the hardest jobs out there. Then remember that the same system that has just thrown all this wind out of the Rockies is making its way across the center of our country with more violent storms expected. Let’s pray NOW that the storms don’t take anyone’s life or homes.

 

Get some rest and look for joy. You are loved.

 

 

Phone Calls.

 Phone Calls.

 

Well, Kay Brough says that nothing can be said about her here because she will read it, so here is NOT saying anything about my good friend Kay! Giggling Loved talking to her today. She is just a bit older than yours truly, but we know the same folks in Clay County and went to school together for a long time. Ah, the days of the past. She was telling me about having double knee surgery—not the replacement kind. She thought she would be staying at her son’s house for three days. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Anyway, after she was finally taken to a pool for rehab exercises, she did very well, but it certainly took more than three days. In the back of my mind, it seemed like it would be about three days for this little “clean out” situation with my back. Here’s hoping.

 

Talked to my friend Beth Graf also. [Yes, have used all those fine minutes that don’t cost anything as if they were golden nuggets!] Anyway, she was telling me about buying two flats of eggs for five dollars and feeling as if she got a good deal. And she was happy with her fresh eggs. Sat here and wondered what a person would do with five dozen eggs. But maybe she cooks with them. She was giving me a hard time about feeding cabbage to my girls. She had her son go get some cabbage for coleslaw and was shaking her head about knowing that the hens were getting cabbage! Oh well.

 

Took Patty’s trash bin back to her house and watched the silly pups run around as if they thought they were on a race track. Must be something in the weather that makes them think that they need to run and chase something. It always concerns me when Roxie thinks she needs to go under the little storage shed. Who knows what might be under there! But she doesn’t go too far under and then comes to me when called. Of course, she has to get all the hair possible all over me when she jumps in my lap. Rudy still stands off a bit. Patty thinks that he is afraid that Roxie will get him if he gets too close to me. Jealousy or something.

 

Baked a couple of chickens today—not MY hens, but a couple of chickens from Market Street. Those suckers are HUGE! Both were over six pounds. Anyway, took all the white meat and put that in bags to use in sandwiches or soups, and the dark meat was mixed with sweet potatoes for my dogs. Standing at the counter, up to my wrists mashing that stuff together and hoping that no one called. The dogs liked the smell and the taste, so now they have something slightly different. They have definitely approved of this Purina One Lamb formula. They will eat that even without any homemade stuff mixed in. It really would be great if they could—and would—eat that without it causing them any trouble. So far, so good.

 

Got a couple of cards from friends today. Robin Christian included a news letter that told of a bit of what is going on in her life. She likes sports, and her son took her to see some baseball (?) games. Sorry, that is not one of the things in my vocabulary. But it seems like it would be the right time of year when he took her. Now she is thinking of moving back to Nevada. At least it would not be cold there like it is in Illinois. And she is also talking about doing an apartment rather than a house since a house takes so much more energy to keep. Can understand that. My friend Connie has a two-bedroom apartment—all bills paid—for $800 a month in a senior community complex. She seems very happy there. It would be difficult to do away with enough “shtuff” to move from a house to an apartment, it would seem. But maybe that would be for the best for some of us. Just hoping that staying here on Dickerson Hill is a viable option for me for a long time yet. It would be very hard to get rid of stuff, not to mention not being able to keep critters. Not many places want dogs running around outside, and it is not fair to dogs to expect them to live totally inside all the time. Know it would not work for these two. Guess they would have to learn not to pull on their leashes.

 

Sitting here wondering how much postage stamps cost now. Ah, Siri says that they are $.49 each. How about that. If you get cards this time of year, please realize that those suckers cost something to get to you! My forever stamps did NOT cost that much, but they have been in my address book for quite a while. Ah, email is SO convenient and cheap! Well, paying for internet is not necessarily cheap, but it has so many uses—entertainment and information! However, playing solitaire online has made me notice that the virus program on my computer has had to stop viruses attached to some of the advertisements associated with Solitaire! Nuts!

 

Have thought that the workshop would be cleaned out by now, but someone would have to light a fire under me to get me out there to get it done. It occurred to me that someone around here will want to raise some baby chicks one of these days. All the necessary accessories are in that workshop right now. The stuff needed for baby chicks is not the same as for grown hens. And this old gal is not going to raise any more baby chicks, so if you know someone who wants the beginners’ starter stuff, let me know. To be given away, not sold.

 

Have a craving for sweet pickles for some reason. No, not pregnant either! For some reason, pickles disappear around here rather quickly. Lewis used to eat dill or sour pickles. He was not fond of sweet pickles. That was my bag. Oh, and pickled okra! We both loved that stuff. It was Hanan’s favorite pickled dish. Have seen pickled green beans, but that just makes my nose wrinkle!

 

Found a tempered glass protector for a phone in my desk. Thought about Lance, but then it dawned on me that Moto 4 would be way out of line for what his phone—or mine—is. Not sure what this thing would fit. So much for tech knowledge around here. Deep sigh.

 

Got an advertisement in the mail saying that Eyemart Express would file the insurance and let you have the second pair of glasses free with any frame up to $39.95. Hmm. Seems like this was the same deal we got two years ago. Not a bad deal. Got shades for driving last time, but this time will just get the same pair twice. Trifocals are SO much fun. Humor. More or less.

 

Absolutely just dumb as dirt this evening. Watching the cars and trucks—and motorcycles!—racing by down on South Kemp. Some of those vehicles are definitely going faster than 50 mph! Guess they are all in a hurry to get home or something. Someone is gripey this evening. Know her well, too!

 

You all know that our world and those in it need prayers. Let us show love to others through prayer. Rest and find joy in life and loving. YOU are loved.

Lost and Found Friends.

 Lost and Found Friends.

 

In the back of my mind, Shirley Taylor had been missing from the comments she usually made on some of my posts, so today it seemed like a good idea to go looking for her. The last time she posted and spoke to me, she and Lee had come down with Covid. Today the posts on her wall were mostly for her family and her husband and children. She had a stroke—probably caused by the stupid virus—and eventually succumbed to the combination. Apparently, Lee tried to keep her around as long as possible, despite what she had stated about not wanting any kind of life support or undue attempts to keep her alive. Hospice finally took over and let her go comfortably with morphine to stop any pain. She was a sweet, loving lady. Hanan said she was the best cook and most loving person in their family. She had only sweet things to say about him to me. Life is hard. Will miss her comments and thoughts.

 

The wind has gotten a little bit more brisk than earlier, but it is not terribly uncomfortable outside, but staying inside is definitely more appealing. The dogs agree. They have been napping on their couch and listening for all the boogers that make noises outside. Folks just have to play noise on their radios loud enough to shake the house or squeal their tires down on the road across from the hospital. Dumb and dumber. Sigh

 

Went down to Patty’s place to get her trash bin, so she let those two little furry missiles out to run to meet me. That is about the only real exercise they get. She is afraid to let them out unless yours truly is around to chase them down—not that it has ever really been necessary. They usually come to me unless they find a rabbit! Roxie would love to cuddle in my arms, but Rudy is more independent and standoffish. Besides, his legs are so much shorter than hers, so he can’t keep up with her. He prefers to sit beside his “momma” on the couch and let me pet him while he sits there. Funny dogs!

 

Just fed the hens and filled up the feeder for them. They have fresh water in the middle house so they can go in there and drink to their hearts content. Not many eggs today, but it doesn’t really matter. Will have enough eggs to send home with one of the kids by the end of the month. Might even have an egg and cheese burrito in the morning. Made a bean and cheese burrito the other day out of the leftover beans. Then fed the rest of the beans to the hens. Did not want Thompson to eat them. He gets very smelly just with the usual feed!

 

Hoping the children have had a good day. Always start my prayers off by thanking God for the day or night and rest. Then my family comes next along with those who need His help—guess that is ALL of us, actually. Have been thinking about Stephen lately because he is so depressed. A man needs to be able to work to feel like a man, and he just had back surgery and is not even healed up. Patience is hard to come by at any age and for both man and woman. But it does seem to me that men have more problems in that area than women because they are expected to be the one in the family who does the work. We all tend to be critical of others, but some of us are too critical of ourselves. If we could find a way to just appreciate what God has given us instead of expecting so much from ourselves or from others, our lives would be much simpler and less stressed. May God bless those who need the extra patience.

 

We need to remember those who have been affected by the fires, the storms, and other forms of violence that are too numerous to be mentioned. God knows the needs of those who mourn, those like the Jarlsbergs who face chemo, surgery, and more of the physical afflictions we all have to face. Keith’s friend Carole must still be having multiple problems with her body. Let us pray for her and for Keith that he can remain with an uplifted spirit to encourage her. Remember that we are all so very blessed. Praise God for His love and for His forgiveness.

 

Rest and find joy in life. You are loved.

Calendar Pictures.

 Calendar Pictures.

 

The calendar given to me by Michelle Malay included a bird unfamiliar to me—the Black-winged Stilt.

 

 

The bird is not considered endangered, but it is quite rare in England and that area. But if we ever had one on Lake Wichita, it failed to be seen by this old woman. The children used to go to the lake when they were rather young when there was no fence between the Fenoglio property and the lake itself. And yes, they probably shot a few birds with their BB guns, but were more likely to shoot a water snake. They brought home ducks that had been injured and expected them to be cared for and otherwise rehabilitated. We have had more than one duck in our yard that needed care for whatever reason. One female had been attacked by multiple drakes, and another had a fish hook in its beak. The children were always bringing home critters. That is pretty standard for children, huh.

 

Sitting here thinking about the turtle that one of my grandsons brought home from school. That was almost as bad as the mice someone got Jennifer to take care of over the holidays. Then there were the baby chicks that hatched out at school. Oh joy! Did you know that chicks need to have at least one other chick with them to keep them happy? Never get only one of animals that are considered “flock” animals. It takes two—at least two. And most feed stores ask that you get at least four. Good thing that schools don’t “hatch out” lambs! Well, eventually that might not be too bad if the grass needs to be mown!

 

The wind today is not very high, only 22 mph. But that gusty stuff makes it feel rather cold even in the sunshine. My girls have been out scratching around and have dug another danged hole next to the steps coming up to the deck. Wondering if the Army has ever considered using hens to dig foxholes. They are just messy as they can be, but at least they don’t stand around in their water bowls. It could be worse.

 

Just went out and put out clean water. Did someone say something about the hens not standing around in their water? Well, the little scratchers can certainly throw plenty of dirt in their water bowls whether or not they decide to wade in it! They were also happy to see some more scratch feed put in their feeder. They had eaten down to just the pellets of mash. They prefer the scratch even though the mash is better for them overall. Oh well. Chickens are a lot like people in that they have their preferences and can ignore what is good for them. Dogs do the same thing.

 

Really don’t know doodly squat today. Have tried to stay away from the news. We can’t really expect anything happy to be on the news for a while. It is just too sad for words. Guess it would be useful to see if Dawn Thompson has asked for anything for those who might have lost things in the fires. She has been very good to help families—especially getting beds for children and clothing. Will look in soon and see what is needed or if she has been alerted to any needs. The women’s refuge store—think it is called Faith Mission Store now—has just about anything anyone would need. Folks who have to clean out the homes of relatives just take about everything to the Faith Mission Store. Good way to clean out a house and help at the same time. NO one should be using Goodwill for that purpose since nothing from it goes back into the community. The Salvation Army is a different story. Not sure about the Red Cross when it is in a disaster area. But they don’t get any money from me because of the percentage that goes to the head honchos. What is a shame is that the big churches should be the ones helping communities, and, again, the money they get seems to go to the head honchos! Shaking my head here.

 

May you all be blessed with good health and happiness. Remember to pray for those who have been through this time of trial and loss. Rest and find joy. You are loved.

Destruction and Dangers.

 Destruction and Dangers.

 

While North Central Texas and Southern Oklahoma had high winds that swept fire through various cities and over large swatches of acreage, other states had horrible storms. A weatherman suggested at one point that the tornadoes from Arkansas though Kentucky and Tennessee were at least in the category of E3 if not E5. An E5 will take all topsoil and anything on top of a concrete slab and clear it as if a gigantic broom had swept through. We saw some of that after our tornado in 1979, but only in places. The ones (tornadoes) that went together—and they said there were five together—stayed on the ground from Vernon up into Oklahoma. That probably doesn’t sound like much for those who don’t know the area or how many miles that includes, but suffice it to say that the entire area was hurting for a very long while. Now the folks in Electra and that area are without electricity because all the electric lines were downed in this fire that swept through their town. Some folks lost their homes in that little town. It is just very sad to think of all the folks that lived through the fires, the storms, and now the horrors of loss that will face them here at the end of this year. All the help in the world will not replace someone we love or the memories that would have been wiped off the face of the maps. Let us pray for them now and while we can stand to remember such horrors that we may have seen ourselves.

 

Rest this day. Pray for peace for our families and our nation. You are loved.

Mighty, Mighty Tasty with Added Grit!

 Mighty, Mighty Tasty with Added Grit!

 

Ok, who left the gate down up Amarillo way? The danged wind has blown long enough that everything tastes just like dust. Not sure if that last mouthful was fertilizer flavored or not. But then Lance sent me a screen shot of the situation in Electra—what? Maybe 35 miles from us? They are having to fight fire and are shutting down roads in preparation for evacuation. About 500 acres of land have burned so far, and the fire is zero percent contained. In this high wind, it is simply NOT going to be contained. And now there is another fire between Jolly and Henrietta. High winds have always frightened me because of electric lines and poles being blown down, and apparently all the poles have either blown down or burned down around Electra. We will just have to pray that the wind will lay and the fires can be put out or burn out before they get any farther south. Just a spark can do it right now with all the dry grass. Shaking my head and remembering a couple of fires that had terrible results.

 

Earlier today the hens acted as if they thought they should have some kind of treat. Peeled and cut up a cantaloupe to share with them. They get the peels and the seeds until yours truly gets tired of eating the thing. This one had a place on the top that was hard and white, so the top part went outside to a good pan for the girls. When trying to eat it later, if it does not taste just right, the girls will get the rest of the melon. Picky, picky, picky. Yep. That’s me.

 

The dogs have been fed this evening and now they are watching the doggy TV—windows on the world, ya know. Every once in a while, they get to see something blowing by that requires some barking. And the occasional squirrel also demands a certain active reaction from both of them. Thinking that maybe dogs don’t get headaches. Their barking echoes inside my head when the weather is like this. Argh! Right now, both dogs are wearing their Thunder Shirts because the wind is making them nervous. Not sure just exactly why the tight shirts make them calmer, but maybe cinching them up with all that Velcro makes them feel as if they are being hugged.

 

Sitting here drinking Lipton iced tea—peach flavored. It will keep me awake tonight, so water would have been a much better choice. But the tea is just so very tasty. No grit in the bottle at least. All day has felt as if something was missing. Not sure if that was a food, a nap, a task, or something else. Just not going outside to see if something else has blown away! Had to put the dogs’ swimming pool in the green house or it would have been over at the State Hospital. Walked off the deck a bit ago just as the rug out there blew over to the little chicken house. And it did not even get me to chase it down! Oh well.

 

Read some good things this morning about climate change and food chains. The ideas expressed said that we had not even begun to use the oceans to feed ourselves. Apparently, the stuff that grows easily in the ocean could be one of our best foods if we can learn to use it properly.

“Seagrass is capable of capturing carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, can transform abandoned salt marshes into flourishing habitats and can even be used as an alternative to rice.”

 

Imagine growing grass instead of rice to feed people. No fertilizer needed, at least. If we could clean up our rivers, lakes, and the oceans, we could feed our world and much more—developing a cleaner environment! Wow! Wind power—and not the kind with those freaking huge wind mills like between here and Paducah—could work for individual homes or businesses. On Stone Lake off of Rathgeber Road, one house has one of those wind chargers above the roof line. It does not kill birds and still works at supplying electricity. Would love to be able to use that kind of technology! Wish an old woman who lives here were able to find things to make life easier the way my dad did when he was younger. He made things that were useful. Why his daughter could not have inherited even a tiny bit of mechanical skills is beyond me. Such is life.

 

Have been reading in my Kindle today and just finished another book. Have been wishing for some of the books we used to read to hold in my hands. Several poets appealed to me when we were all younger. Still enjoy Frost, Dickinson, and some of the British poets, but everything in my bookcase is in smaller print. About time to clean out the bookcase when the eyeballs can’t adjust to that size print. Sigh. Still like the smell of print and paper.

 

Years ago, we memorized poetry. Can still remember some by T.S. Eliot, Blake, Milton, Frost, Dickinson, and yes, even Longfellow! Yes, you know which poems he wrote: the midnight ride . . . And that cute Indian kid: Hiawatha. Sitting here grinning. Do children still memorize anything other than the chemical tables? Still remember that AU is for gold and can’t figure out why no one has used a G in any other context. Good thing chemistry was not a requirement for me!

 

Just had a lovely sneezing fit. The dogs have been doing that as well, so it has to be this wonderful crud in the air. Now, when the hens are up on their roosts, if THEY are sneezing, we can bet the particulate concentration is much higher than it says on the weather channel. After all, that wind HAS to be blowing over 17 mph as claimed by my phone! Would have guessed much over 20 mph and maybe as high as 35! It is just wild out there! The only really good thing about a dust storm is that it cleans pollution out of the air—well, and it changes the nature of the pollution. From fuel residue to dirt residue? [Jennifer said that the DFW scanner said that our winds were 50 mph. Sister-in-law said that one fire of the four listed was headed toward Dean. Petrolia has already lost homes to their fire. Dang!]

 

Jennifer and Lance think that all the stuff in the air has to include the smoke from the fires toward Electra. And Hwy 287 has been closed to anyone trying to get to Henrietta or north toward Electra. But nothing more has been said about evacuations. This is danged scary. It takes so very little to burn a town.

 

Will hang this mess up and write tomorrow after things have calmed down. Do have a couple of prayer requests: please pray for those in the path of these fires. Losing one’s home is never a good thing, but especially right now when it is about to get to freezing again. The other person is the friend of my neighbor. Debbie’s dad is dying under care of Hospice, but her brother has MS and needs to understand that he has to find a place to live. Debbie has to deal with both her father’s dying and her brother not wanting to be realistic. Lots of people are like that. Patty is having trouble breathing tonight. Let’s face it; this stuff in the air is going to get anyone who has breathing problems.

 

Rest well and remember: you are loved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Forever is composed of Nows."

 

- Emily Dickinson