And The Rains Came

Just over 4 inches of Rain.  It appears that it is now over.  It won't be raining the rest of the week as they predicted.  The sun is supposed to be full bore today but I haven't seen it yet.  Still very cloudy.  

A couple days of full sun after this much rain and I should see some significant growth in my tomato garden.  It usually takes a good rain to jump start them and this is what I am hoping for as they have had almost no growth since I planted in about 3-4 weeks.  These rains should also bring the wildflowers into their peak.  Just in time for a couple road trips to view and photograph them.

K seems to have finally turned the corner on her illness.  She is feeling much better with less coughing although her beautiful singing voice is still very weak and I have considerable trouble hearing what she says.  Once we are sure she is over all this we will plan some day trips but that will probably next week.  Plenty of time for the wildflowers to get going.

The Live Oak pollen is as heavy as I have ever seen it.  There is yellow dust everywhere.  When it is breezy things seem a bit hazy also.  I don't ever remembers seeing that before.  We have about 50 oak trees on our place so we get more than our share of the stuff.

Ah, Springtime in the Hill Country of Texas, glorious.

Happy Trails

Ho Hum

The only thing that is somewhat exciting lately is it started raining a little Tuesday evening about 6 PM.  We so need that as I mentioned in my previous post.  This should lead into a solid week of rain.

The wife still is sick enough that I took her to the doc again.  She had fever and has been coughing so much she is worn out.  They gave her a breathing treatment and an inhaler along with some other meds.  She is not in the best of spirits either having been sick so long.  We are couple days into the begining of 3 weeks.  Nothing like I have ever seen with her before.  Not sure that her surgery and the resulting weakness from last December has diminished her constitution.  I will keep a close eye on her.  Doctors seem to have become a way of life for us lately.

I am trying a new pest control method in my garden.  I have planted a couple dozen small Marigold plants throughout it and close to the tomato plants.  I know certain bugs and animals avoid the marigold due to the smell.  I need something to deter the stink bugs that have inundated us the last couple years.  They sting the tomato and it leaves a discolored spot and it will eventually turn bad.  There were hundreds last year and my tomato production was well down from previous years.  All directly related to those stink bugs.  I will do some more research to see what other measures I can take without using toxic chemicals.  Oh, and I am hoping the Marigolds will deter those fuzzy tailed tree rats.  I had read they work on rabbits so I am hoping for success there also.

Everything else is wait and see until K gets better.

Happy Trails

Weather Coming

This week is supposed to be wet.  Rain is coming Tuesday and should be here all week.  While that messes up some of my plans for a day trip or two to see the wildflowers, we have been in drought conditions since early December.  I am looking forward to this rain.  The tomato plants alway seem to get a kick start with the first rain.  I am hoping for the same this time as they have had little growth since I planted about two weeks ago.

I got up Monday morning with no real plans but as I started with the morning routine I remembered the impending rain.  There was a pile of dead vegetation I had removed from one of the flower beds.  There are a ton of oak leaves all around the place that needed to go away just for aesthetics.  by the time the wife got up an hour later I had accomplished a good amount of chores.  The dead vegetation was bagged up and hauled out for the morning trash pick up and the leaves that gather in a valley on the roof were removed.  The grass was cut in the back and the weed eater (started on the first pull, woo hoo) was used to trim it up.  More leaves were blown away from walk areas and just general clean up.  I was toast by this time.  My back was starting to tell me it didn't like yard work and my right arm started getting numb and weak from the issues in my stupid neck.  But I got most of the worst looking things done and the rain won't delay me now.  I can sit and relax and it isn't even noon.

Where did this energy come from?  I don't know.

Sunday was another emotional day.  Our preacher announced he is giving up full time preaching to seek a doctorate degree and head into an entirely new field of work.  I knew he was probably going to be leaving us so wasn't all that surprised.  But I am very disappointed that he chose to leave preaching.  He is a very talented preacher and had given me new things to think about that I hadn't considered before.  He was also very easy to listen to, that is such a great thing and rare in my experience with over 50 years of listening to numerous preachers.  I hate to think his talent for spreading the gospel will sit quiet.  I told him so and that I hope he would soon return to preaching full time.  

There are many other bad and emotional things going on within my community of friends and loved ones that just seem to keep on coming, illnesses, deaths, bad news about cancer in others.  It could be overwhelming.  Yet my faith sustains me.  I have the peace that passes all understanding.  I stand ready to help in anyway I can to those I care about in need.  What else are we here for than to serve?

Happy Trails

What to Think

I really don't know.  I have stopped trying to figure out what goes on in the head of the President.  His latest action to sign that bill that had things he was against iand said he would veto, is disappointing but not at all surprising.  IMO he has become part of the swamp he promised to drain.  Also the turmoil and turnover in his administration is troubling, however that also doesn't surprise me.  His mercurial personality is hard to gauge and I am sure many of those that have left or been fired are victims of that trait.  What's next?  I am afraid to ask.

Happy Trails

Wednesday

I know most everyone in this area of Texas is aware of what has been going on in and around Austin with that crazy bomber killing and injuring several people.  Then it happened very close to me in Schertz at a Fedex facility.  They seem to have located the jack wagon and he did us all a favor and went to meet his reward by blowing himself up in his car.  The investigation is ongoing to determine whether anyone else may be involved.  I pray this is the end of it.

I had 6 month doctor check up for my diabetes today.  Everything was very good.  Finally seem to have hit the right combo of drugs to keep it in check.  The only issue was the twenty minute trip took close to an hour to get there due to the traffic.  This was on the alternate route that avoids the bad traffic.  I was 5 minutes late (that never happens and it drives my blood pressure up when I am).  The wife may have to go back and see the doc again if she doesn't improve over the next day or so.  She has really been slow to recover with this viral infection.  The continual coughing is wearing her out.  I know folks that have broken ribs from coughing.  We sure don't need that on top of everything else.

I think I am going to enter a contest on leather carving.  They will have well known leather craftsmen judge and offer critiques.  I really want the critiques more than anything.  Being self taught and nothing more than a hobbyist, I take those type opportunities every chance I get.  I don't care a flip about winning.

Happy Trails

Ugh

Snot.  It is what is going on here.  It is very persistent with both of us.  K is now on an antibiotic and apparently now has 'pink eye' too, I assume the germs from her hands spread to her eye.  I have no infection but the residual is doing a job on me.  Coughing, hacking etc.  On top of that my back has been acting up.  It hurts to cough.  Sheesh. 

A friend has approached me about a couple leather holsters he wants made.  I generally use kits for these as I don't keep the heavy leather on hand since I don't use enough to warrant a purchase.  So I started browsing the suppliers website to see what was available.  Few kits were showing up, but now what I use for almost all the ones I use.  They had plenty of conceal carry but nothing else.  It got my conspiracy mind to working.  No, I don't think that is what is happening, if so why wouldn't all others be removed.  Maybe they just don't sell enough of those to warrant carrying them.  I have some patterns that will work, so now I have to consider buying the right leather I would need for these pistols.  I hate to do this, it will drive my costs up and my price will be much higher.  Not the way I want to operate doing this for fun and friends.  I will keep looking and may go by the outlet and see if they have some on hand that aren't on the website.  

This is not the way I wanted this week to start.

On a good note Spring is in full bloom here.  The Mountain Laurels are at their peak, the Bluebonnets and other wildflowers are slowly making their appearance.  The peak is probably going to be the end of this month or early next month.  We should be well enough to hit the byways for some photos of all the goodness they provide.  We both need a day trip as a break.

Happy Trails

Friday Evening

We are both still a bit under the weather.  K even sought help from our doc and got some meds.  She was afraid she was getting the flu and didn't want to mess around with it.  It turns out it is a viral infection so not really much they can do but treat symptoms.  She seems to be feeling better after almost 24 hours of meds.  

I have also been trying to learn the ropes of my new insurance with medicare.  So I have spent more than normal amount of time on the phone, getting accounts set up and various meds via mail order.  It appears they will save me some money but I think they have made some errors in my coverage.  I'm sure I will find out at the most inopportune time.  Speaking of insurance.  The wife has a cancer policy with AFLAC.  She was filing some of her claims and called them to verify coverage.  She found out that she put me on that policy years ago and had forgotten.  So we can file everything related to my cancer surgery with no time limit.  That is such a great blessing for us.  It will help with some of the medical expenses we have now.

With both us under the weather, we had to postpone a dinner engagement/celebration Son #1 wanted to have at a fancy steak place.  He says it was because we all had a really tough year and just wanted to celebrate with us.  Son #2 and wife were included.  I won't go into all the details of the rough year, most of it has been put up here but not all.  This was a gift to the family to all of us.  So we get to try again next Friday evening.  I looked at the menu of the place he wants to take us.  I can't even pronounce some of the things they have.  Might be fun to try some new things.

I got a call from my brother that Mom had been taken to the ER by our cousin.  She is 85 and in very good health but at 85 you never know.  She went for a pneumonia vaccine a couple days ago and the injection gave her an infection/cellulitis.  She is home and is in good spirits.  

We have been kicking around the idea of changing Buster's dog food.  He is a senior dog at almost 14 and we have had him on a weight control food.  Since he has been on that food his fur has gotten very frizzy and has no shine like it did in the past.  So we figure he may not be getting everything he needs to help with that and his old age.  Since he is a VERY picky eater it is always a challenge to find a food he likes.  Found one first try.  Went to a doggy 'bakery' and told them about him and they recommended one.  I just hope it works out well for him.

I am still waiting to get out to the garden and get my tomatoes in the ground.  Hopefully I will feel well enough to do it Saturday.

Happy Trails