I hate summer colds.

I hate summer colds, but apparently, I contracted one while we were in Fort Worth getting Makai bionic-ized.  About the time I thought I was over it, it returned with a vengeance,  I have been taking antibiotics, and drinking Dayquil or nyquil, taking meds for fever.  But  I am going to wake about 3 in the morning with thick drainage and a whistle on the end of each breath.  I think the drainage could be dealt with but the little whistle wakes me up immediately, then I realize it is me.


I drove around Memama's cotton crop yesterday, It is hard to make out what it is going to do.  Quite a few bolls, but do they have time to mature.  I am not even considering putting any sort of prep or defoliant on any of it.  We are however, still spraying a little roundup on hot spots.  I figure if the weeds have another month to grow they will be a couple of feet tall by frost.


A very tumultuous weekend with Merrit, it just seems like she cycles through every once and a while and her meds get off or she runs out of them.  Lately she had had shingles and has not been able to work.  Luckily, she has Aflac but had forgotten about it.  However, the added stress of not working and that effect of money didn't help her shingles or her mental state.


Hopefully we are past that right now.


I'm not sure how much more I could have taken.


At the barn we are getting fire wood ready to ship, and we are getting the cotton stripper ready.  We have already re-worked the header, and right now are going over the saws in the extractor.


You know sometimes there are freak happenstances that occur.  Five years ago, Rian bought his house in Shallowater from a guy named Kirby Lewis.


Two years ago  We bought Memama's cotton stripper, used from Hurst Farm Supply in Snyder.  Hurst has five or six locations, including Abernathy, Lubbock and the home store in Lorenzo.  Last year we were going through the stripper manual and a letter fell out that was addressed to Lewis Kirby.  Reading the letter revealed that the letter was addressed last name first.  The stripper had belonged to the same man Rian purchased his house from.


Recently Rian and this gentleman were having a conversation about Kirby's crop around Shallowater.  It seems this years crop is exceptional with dryland that will yield two bales and irrigated that will yield four bales.  Kirby expressed concerns about being able to get the crop out timely and Rian told him, "If you don't mind your old machine coming back, I could get you some help pretty quick.


Wouldn't that be a hoot, to take his old machine back home and strip cotton.  We could probably run two or three weeks before ours is ready.


Sometimes, it is indeed a small world.


I don't know that it will happen but it is fun to think about.


Took Memama to the  doctor yesterday.  I am afraid she is catching my cold.  Got her a flu shot and also had blood drawn for lab work.  She has gained about 8 pounds since she went to the doctor last.  When we were at the cardiologists, Thursday past, when they weighed her I stepped on the scales from behind and she weighed 182.


Betsy, Memama's youngest sister was supposed to have a basil cell tumor removed from her head Monday, but when the doctor came in he feared it had attached to the skull.  The ordered more scans and yesterday the reports came back that it is not attached, and there is no other cancer on her body.  Surgery is being rescheduled and a plastic surgeon will be on hand to assist after her regular surgeon removes the tumor.


I am not an electrician by any means.  I like it when I flip a switch and a light comes on, but I hate working on it.  I know enough about it to be scared of it.  We have been chasing a short in the old ostrich pens (we have rented them out as horse paddocks), but there is a short in the buried cable somewhere.  Pepa is gone so I can't ask him how it was done.  I believe Richard did the wiring and he is gone, so I can't ask him.  It is not really very correct in its design because there is no way to isolate individual circuits or buildings.  It is all on one breaker.


After considerable time, I have decided the best solution is to abandon the old wiring and just put in new wiring and boxes.  Slats and I visited with an electrical supply guy and he had several really good ideas that will save us money.  It will cut the wire cost in half or even more.


So if you re-visit this site and my typing is kind of ssshhhhaaakkkkyyyy you will know I got a bite from the new wiring.


Have a day!


FATHER, thank YOU so much for getting me through the last few days, I could really stand for things to calm down.  FATHER we lift Betsy for YOUR gifts of healing and care, and we lift Caleb, JR's brother, and place him in your care and comfort. YOU are in control.  Greater are YOU!