Frost Out on the Grasses.

 Frost Out on the Grasses.

 

SO thankful to live in Central North Texas this morning. It is about 39 degrees currently on the south side of the house with just a light frost on the grasses down in the east lots. My niece sent pictures of their light snow up near Chicago, and Sterling said that his thermometer was shaking so hard it was impossible to read!!

 

Love humor, but the truth is almost funnier than any joke we can make when it comes to how we react to weather! Bet everyone near Chicago has already been to the store for bread and milk! If they got snow—even a tiny drift of it—in Houston, the entire town would about shut down! NOT that that would be a bad thing! LOL But folks up north are ready with salt and gravel to put on the roads while we just call out the tow trucks and try to slow down. The deep freezes always bother me when the ice gets on the electric lines and the water lines start breaking around town. Our city really needs to work on infrastructure before we buy any more big buildings and replace the police department structures. The city water lines are always somewhat vulnerable. The trees over the electric lines are everywhere in this city. No company will cut them back and most folks cannot afford to have it done. My place has electric lines on two sides with trees in both sides. ONE tree is my fault, but the others have been there forever. Sigh.

 

Guess ordering dog food is on the agenda for today. These two dogs really like this new food for older dogs with probiotics in it. They clean up their bowls each time, so have reduced the amount of kibble given to them to just a cup. Getting fed twice a day has worked so far. Thompson comes it to tell me about four every afternoon when he thinks it is time for his dinner. Funny critter!

 

Really enjoyed the visit by Rylan, Isabella, Josiah, and Rylan’s stepsister Gabby. (Guessing the Gabby is short for Gabrielle.) Josiah is growing and so far, is willing to be still while he is held. It is going to be harder to hold him (for me, at least) pretty soon. Rylan was explaining about his work at Walmart on some kind of machine that costs something like 50 million. During the day, they have 12 people working on it, but at night, it is just him and some other guy—with one night a week working alone! Anyway, he is trying to get the bosses to hire ONE more person for nights. Hope it works out ok for him.

 

Have just about decided that this is going to be a two-cup morning. One was just not quite enough! What is it about cooler weather that just makes snuggling down with a book and a cup of coffee feel so perfect?

 

Well, read until my iPad was down to 16% and the hens have been shut inside their coop. These two dogs have been fed and the old woman had some cooked potatoes with sour cream and ranch stuff sprinkled on them. It is getting colder and darker earlier now, so it’s time to break out the PJs with long legs and some knee socks. Even looked and found my finger tipless gloves today. My hands and feet get so very cold with the least bit of excuse. It makes me remember hearing Granddad Pollard come in our front door and reaching out to put me in his lap. He always asked Mom where my socks were! Know he must have laughed inside that my feet were always as cold as Grandmother Pollard’s. They had a joke about her coming to bed and sticking her cold feet to him! Good memories.

 

Have stayed away from the computer news today since it seemed as if we have plenty to think about without dipping into the absurd or horrifying. Spoke with both Shona and Patty today. Shona was happy that her mom has such a positive attitude. Patty is determined to BE positive. That is about all we can do when confronted with the stuff going on in the world. The hurricanes and other storms are making life miserable for so many that we should be grateful for the many blessings we have right here in our lives. Family, friends, good neighbors mean more than money in the bank! Let us strive to be loving and to show God’s love to others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Nap Weather.

 Nap Weather.

 

Apparently, this weather is perfect for napping! Just had to lie down for a few minutes this afternoon and found myself in a very deep sleep when the phone rang. Here’s hoping the experience of the nap (not the phone call) can soon be repeated. Sylvia let me know that she definitely did not like the wind and cold front that came in a bit ago. My leg was attached to her, it seemed. Or maybe the other way around. Anyway, the dogs are in the house, the hens are on their roosts, and the coops are fastened up tight for a cold night. It will be a good night for resting.

 

Took the water hose off the water faucet and put the little arctic sack on that faucet to prevent a frozen problem. Here’s hoping that is all it will take. With the wind blowing the back dog door open onto the back deck, we can be sure that more limbs will decorate the backyard by morning if the wind keeps up. And if it were rainy, we would probably have ice. As it is, we definitely need rain again. Such is life.

 

Even though the morning came with the stupid muscle problems again, by this afternoon, the old woman was feeling fairly good. Just wish it were possible to understand what exactly is causing the stupid spasms. Maybe more exercise would help?

 

One bit of unwanted and totally ridiculous exercise today was getting the dogs to go into the bathtub to get their feet cleaned off. The water bowl in the middle coop had DE in it, so dumped it under the crate that held the DE. Both dogs walked in the water and then in the DE. Nasty! Now, along with dog hair, some interesting grey paw prints decorate the kitchen and living room floors. Sigh.

 

Got the laundry done and hung up or folded and put away. SO glad for automatic washers and dryers! Thinking about my mom having to use a wringer washer on her back porch years ago. And she was so very happy not to have to go to Mattie Rutledge’s laundry. That was a job, too! Times have definitely changed.

 

Got some ground turkey that cooked up nicely. Both dogs and the old woman thought it was pretty good. Had mine with some little tomatoes and pepper slices left from some that Roger brought over. Ranch dressing mix in sour cream worked nicely as a dip. Just used a fork to pick up those little purple tomatoes and lifted the dip up with each one. Tasty!

 

Some folks think that the government shutdown is all the fault of President Trump. It makes me wonder why it is so difficult for some to see the bigger picture. Simply handing over billions of dollars to the insurance companies is nothing but pure stupidity. That is effectively what would happen if the current bill pushed by the Democrats were to be allowed. That money would not serve the American people because the price of services would definitely not go down. It reminds me that many years ago, Doctor Hurn from Henrietta said that Medicare would simply create an agency that would prevent real medical care from happening. He was right. It has created possibilities for more fraud than nearly any other act created. And it will never get better as long as care is designed for money alone. Sad. Just sad.

 

Still thinking that this month is for Thanksgiving—and not just for one day. Yes, Veterans’ Day is Tuesday, but some of us are just thankful that our brothers, husbands, and friends came home from whatever war occurred in our lifetimes. Every day, my thoughts go out to my brother and prayers for his life and health. The same is true about all my family, friends, neighbors, and those who are attempting to lead our nation in the way God would have us go. We have so many reasons to be grateful. Perhaps we need more attention in families about why we are blessed. Only good blessings come from God. May we thank Him every day and in every way.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Just Reading Again.

 Just Reading Again.

 

Have accomplished not one tiny thing this week despite the level of dog hair and dust on my living room floor. And what is more, that bunch of hair and dirt may take another bit of time before it is raked out. Definitely not going to use the vacuum! The dust mop might get employed, however. If being still and not doing squat has helped with the muscle spasms this much already, it might just be a good idea to keep being still for a bit longer. Anyway, have decided not to feel guilty about the dust and the dog hair until the old woman feels like doing something.

 

Have enjoyed watching more of the “Death in Paradise” series on the new TV that Jennifer bought to keep me occupied. Then my Kindle has been in use today reading about this Texas couple, a retired sheriff and his retired 911 operator wife, who sold all their stuff and became house and dog sitters internationally. Right now, they are in Scotland and learning about the food, the language, and some of the customs of that country. Can’t imagine trying to understand their language! It’s difficult enough to understand folks from other parts of the U.S., but trying to listen to the English language from a Scottish viewpoint might be pretty tricky!

 

Not that it would do any good to gripe, but the girls are still only providing a couple of eggs per day. Can’t imagine that all fourteen have decided it is too much trouble to lay an egg every once in a while! Oh well. Not like the old woman eats eggs, but still.

 

Have pretty much stayed away from any news on the computer. It simply is not worth getting interested when it just irritates the wee out of me to see what is going on. The hogs that are stirring the creek up in D.C. really need to be rounded up and taken to a Texas sausage factory down in Windthorst or maybe down in Muenster. If they are already financially able to live in that part of the country, maybe they don’t need any salary for working for us?

 

Called Sam’s today to be sure that they were sending Thompson’s Rx and the pharmacist said that it was sent yesterday. That sounded good to me as that means it could come tomorrow or at the latest, by Monday. No mail on Tuesday for Veterans’ Day.

 

On FB, Tara Ross and others post information about men who earned the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor for their service in various wars/battles. We should be so aware of the men and women who have and are serving our country. God has blessed us with exceptional people in so many situations from presidents to the men who serve in the National Guard. These folks deserve our prayers that God may protect and bless them in the ways that are needed. May God set His guardian angels around our president and our nation.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Hesitant Steps.

 Hesitant Steps.

 

Another day that the old woman should probably not be on the computer. Talk about gripey! The spasms have not gone away by a long shot. They just pick strange times to hit the joints and the legs. Dadgumit! Like Patty says, “At least we have enough breath to b*tch!”

 

For the past two days, FB has been inaccessible to me. Jenn could get on my account, but my computer or my stupidity prevented me from getting on. Not that it is all that important, but the posts that would normally go on FB are posted on Mesquite Country. Can’t really put a link here, but it is just a blogger site.

 

It is supposed to get down to 29 degrees this Sunday, so maybe we will see some frost again. That kind of weather makes the dogs want to play and the cattle kick up their heels in the pastures. Not miserable cold, but just enough cold to make things feel totally different.

 

Have finally learned enough about using the new TV that it has been enjoyable to watch “Death in Paradise.” Had seen the first version years ago, but now the new inspector has taken over and things just get more interesting. Can’t imagine how it would be to live on an island where everything you eat or wear has to be brought in by boat. Well, folks in Alaska probably know how that feels, come to think of it.

 

Patty was going over the latest elections and the passing of the amendments to the Texas constitution. Lance was fussing about the amendment that called for the schools to be financed by the state rather than by the districts. He seemed to think that would only work as long as Texas has a surplus of funds. But it seems to me that the poorer districts will need all the help that they can get rather than depending on their tax bases. It simply is never going to be possible to provide true equity as long as things like libraries and hospitals are not available in every area. If it were possible to prevent fraud in funding, each county would be better off. But at least Ft. Worth has discovered that malfeasance happens no matter how much money is involved. So sad.

 

You know, politics are just a matter of trying to get folks to get along and help each other out. Even God put the Levites in charge of taking care of widows and orphans, but what men can do to mess up order just keeps expanding as populations grow. We can praise God that some folks are genuinely ready to help others so that they don’t need to go hungry or freeze to death in winter. Of all the soup kitchens and pantries, each area is blessed with a kind-hearted soul who is willing to be there for others. For this, we should all praise God. It is HIS love that blesses us through others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Messed Up Account.

 Messed Up Account.

Apparently, someone has taken over my FB account, so whatever the old woman wants to post will have to be posted on Mesquite Country. SO, not much to talk about right now anyway. My sister-in-law had an endoscopy this morning and does NOT have an ulcer, but the hiatal hernia is nothing to joke about. She will have to make a decision about that situation this next week.

Having spent some time at the doctor's office the other day, the discussion included the loss of Kell West as an operating center for the doctors from OSTC--orthopaedic surgery. Dr. V said that the operating situation at United is much slower because of the number of patients in the line for surgery, and that might have something to do with the number of nurses available for recovery as well. Not sure about that part. It just seemed to me when Lewis was there that no one knew what they were doing and were not all about taking care of their patients. Sad. It's all about money rather than good medical care.

Once upon a time, we actually had a surgical center out on the Expressway. And yes, Lewis had a procedure done out there. Poor man had more "minor" surgeries than a cat has lives! He was a tough dude and had more patience than most of us can imagine.

Have managed to make my bed and fill up a water can for the hens today. Nothing that takes a lot of effort or anything heavy to move around. My back still is giving me fits, but not as much. At least the old woman can walk now without feeling as if someone is hitting me every few minutes.

The moon last night was so big and full! It was almost like having a flashlight on everything. The hens were happy to go up to their roosts, but the light from the moon was showing in their coop, too. This morning they were ready to hit the doors early. Nothing like having hens hit your legs on their way out the door! At least they did not end up on my shoulders! Still have feathers all over the back yard, but they seem to have stopped dropping feathers all over the place. Now if only they would get busy and lay eggs. sigh

Really don't feel much like saying anything about what is going on in our nation or the world right now. Patty said that no one seems to remember that old saying: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Too much evil is rolling around in every ditch available. Satan's hatred of God reflects too often among those in this world. It is our job to reflect God's love, so let us do our best to be what He would want us to be.

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

A Visit to the Doctor's Office.

 A Visit to the Doctor’s Office.

 

Mary Rhoads was kind enough to take me to see Dr. Vietenheimer today. The usual knee x-rays showed nothing different, or at least it was not mentioned. However, Dr. V had a couple of x-rays of my back taken to see if any obvious problems would show him some reason for the muscle spasms. Other than some stenosis (narrowing) of the spine in the area where surgery had already taken place, he could not see anything that would be the cause of the problems. He thought that since the spasms had already lessened, maybe just rest would improve the situation. Here’s hoping. Will have to try to behave myself.

 

Today the heirloom tomatoes and the sweet peppers brought to my house by Roger were put in a bowl for nibbling. Jenn picked up some sour cream the other day that will mix up good with some ranch dressing powder. Fresh veggies are so much better raw and with some kind of dip. Just my opinion.

 

My grandson Rylan just left with a few eggs and such. He showed me videos of Josiah laughing. That little one is growing so quickly! But then, that is what babies do. Isabella is having some dental work done soon, so it makes me think that she is going to need some soups. Rylan picked up some of the beef Ramen noodles to take home with him for her. Anyway, it is neat to be able to open my pantry to the kids when they need a bit of extra stuff.

 

Patty is sending Roxy to the vet’s office tomorrow with her friend Roy. SO glad that Roy will take her and do this for her right now. The old woman is simply not able to handle anything like that right now. But Rylan said that he could come back and handle anything during the daytime that needed to be done for me. Glad to have his help available. This old woman is SO blessed to have friends and family and good neighbors!

 

Thinking about Josiah and the fact that he is already over three months old reminds me that our children started teething about that age. Rylan said he was very fussy this evening and would have had a melt down if he had put him in his car seat! Can remember our kids doing that a few times! We took Lance and Jenn to a pizza place when she was about three months old and had ordered a beer. Rubbed some beer on her gums and she got pretty happy. Sitting here laughing about that. Could have had a little beer hound on our hands if we had kept beer around!!

 

This is November and a special time to be thankful since the only good public holiday is Thanksgiving. It is not all turkey and dressing and pumpkin pies. It is family and friends and praise to God for all the blessings He has given us. Not that we should not be grateful every day, but this month is a special reminder of how we should be grateful! Veterans Day is on the eleventh this month. SO many lost their lives to preserve our freedom. This month is a time to show them appreciation especially. Finally, we should be grateful to the farmers who feed us. It has to be especially difficult right now with the way things have happened in agriculture! Let us ask God to bless our farmers and ranchers.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

The Ones Who Light Up My Life.

 The Ones Who Light Up My Life.

 

The two brightest stars in my life came today and completed an entire list of “honey-do’s.” The coops, now labeled A, B, and C, were straightened up and feed cans placed in convenient locations. Lance unloaded three 50-pound bags of feed to fill the trash bins that hold the feed. Then Jennifer took my truck and made a quick trip to United on Fairway so that she could also fill up the truck for me. Two neat things also happened: breakfast and din-upper were made by my two kids with ideas for later meals mentioned as we decided that Mom needed to stay off her feet for a while to let her back recover from whatever is wrong. It has been so strange to find that just standing up could hurt from my lower back down both hips to my knees. Go figure!

 

Then we talked about how the old woman would get to the doctor’s office this coming Monday. Susan Thonton was not available since she is taking Roger to the doctor about the same time as my appointment. But she would have been happy to have helped otherwise. Finally, called my friend Mary Rhoads, and she was so happy that she could do something to help me. John had already told her about the dogs knocking me down week before last. Not sure exactly that is what caused this mess, but it probably did not help. Anyway, Mary gets up early just like any country girl, so she will be here bright and early to take me to see Dr. Vietenheimer. We will see what he says.

 

On Thursday, Julian E. came and took down the pagoda that Hanan built some years ago. If we had known that the posts were all set in cement, we would not have been concerned that it might fall over and hit the house. Poor Julian is not any taller than the old woman, but a few years younger and very much stronger. Even so, it was a hard day’s work for him to use a big drill to break up the concrete and then remove those posts. Then he made the front flower bed look so nice and neat. It may not have any flowers this next year, but at least the Bermuda grass has not taken over. He also hauled off the tree branches that the wind took out of the top of the Western Soapberry tree. That thing is SO brittle. It is a blessing that it is not any closer to the house or to the carport.

 

The trash can is pretty full after Lance threw in some branches that he cut off the stupid Bradford pear tree that were going to hit the house. Then he kicked up a couple of stumps from the dead apricot trees and threw those two chunks in the bin. May have to get AJ to haul the thing across the road for me on Monday evening!

 

Julian dug up a small pecan tree that a squirrel planted in the flower bed next to the front porch. It is sitting in a pitcher of water, but it probably won’t get planted since digging holes is not happening for me right now. Oh well.

 

Lance hung the bird house that Sterling made for me, but this time he put it in the pear tree so that the wind would not unscrew the fastener that holds it in place. The only thing that had been thought of and then forgotten was the job of trying to straighten out the new water hose purchased from Amazon. It has more wrinkles in it than my face! Should have bought a more expensive hose that would be easier to handle. Sigh.

 

My reading has not included any deep thinking lately. God knows that sometimes we connect in smaller ways that just have to be reminders that we know He is there and that we trust in Him. Have been thinking about Tami Yonts lately and hoping that she and Mike have more time together. Know how it feels to realize that nothing mankind can do will ever make a true difference and that we have only one true love in our lives. When Lewis came to the last few weeks of our lives together, we could only hold hands and know that the love would never cease. We know that someday we will be together again in God’s kingdom. No matter when we go out of this world, we are assured that we have another place to go that is filled with His love. Praise God!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.