I’ve always loved thunderstorms, even as a little girl. We’ve got quite a nice storm going on in our area right now. We need the rain. Audrey needs to get the hay field fertilized…talk about sticker shock…and this rain will help get the ground ready for it. She’s keeping the cattle off of the pastures at the moment and feeding them hay and cubes to give the grass a chance to take hold. It’s a delicate balance at times knowing when to let the pastures have a chance for the grass to grow enough so that it doesn’t get trampled when you let the herd back onto the grass.
I’m back blogging after missing several days due to a variety of issues, one of which is that my favorite wireless mouse died. Brad had an extra one that he gave me to use for now and I just ordered another one online since it’s impossible to find a silent computer mouse locally. My hand aches when I use the spare mouse. It’s long and thin and I have to stretch my fingers out to use it so I’m limiting my time at the laptop. The new one will be here Wednesday.
Another reason I’ve not done any blogging is that my arthritis has flared up again and my joints hurt, especially my cranky left ankle. It’s all due to the change in the weather and it won’t last long, but I find it difficult to focus on writing when I’m distracted by aches and pains. It’s so much easier to lose myself in a good Mitch Rapp novel.
I got to meet my new dentist this morning and it’s easy to see why Brad likes him so much. We’ll get along just fine. He is across the street north of the chiropractor and across the side street east of the eye specialist. That’s nice! My teeth are in good shape, just a teeny little cavity between a couple of upper molars, easily taken care of. I go back to get my teeth cleaned later in the week and in a couple of weeks I’ll have the cavity taken care of and Dr. Smith will scan my mouth for a new night guard. I grind my teeth but don’t have jaw pain so he’ll make me a more flexible guard than the one I have now, and don’t wear because it doesn’t fit well.
I still need to get in to have my eyes examined again. I’m past due for that but I’m not having any problems and decided to wait until more of the Covid nonsense rules were relaxed. Same with the dentist. I should have already had my teeth cleaned a year ago but said to hell with it for the time being. It was nice to walk in to see a new doctor and the only people wearing masks are the doctors and the dental assistants.
After we got home from my dental appointment Brad picked up the two older grandsons and took them to lunch at Braum’s and then ran some errands before they came out to the house for a bit. Seems that their older sisters needed a break from their brothers. One of these days it’s going to dawn on those boys that there is nothing good going to come out of aggravating their sisters. Especially Rachel, the twelve year old. Rachel doesn’t get angry. She just smiles, and then gets even. Jacob draped a rat snake around her neck for a prank and she picked him up and dropped him on his butt on top of a fire ant mound. She is thin and wiry and stronger than you would think for her age and build, but she yanked that solidly built eight year old up off the ground and dumped him on that ant mound.
Brad once asked Rachel about her responses to her brother’s pranks, why she is so over the top. She said that she doesn’t believe in a proportionate response, she believes in a ‘if you do it again I will hurt you’ response. I have to admit, the pranks the boys get up to…they don’t pull the same stunt twice with Rachel. They just come up with some other ridiculous nonsense for the next time.
My younger brother used to tease me unmercifully when we were kids. My grandmother kept telling me that if I would simply ignore him he would stop. She was right. It worked. But he never pulled any real pranks on me because he knew Dad would warm his butt up for it.
Audrey does a great job with the kids. If there isn’t blood flowing, arterial blood that is, she makes them work out their differences. She refuses to play referee. Sometimes a paddling is necessary after the fact, but there is rarely any need to interfere with their sibling games and it’s been ages since anyone, that is Jacob, got paddled. There is a wooden paddle hanging by the back door with his name on it. That kid is as stubborn as his grandad. I told Brad that Jacob is his Mini Me, like Rachel is Audrey’s Mini Me. It’s scary how much alike they are. Sarah reminds me of myself when I was her age, except she is much more confident than I was at thirteen.
Baby Gabriel has begun to talk. Brad was sitting in the truck talking to Audrey after he took the boys back home. She had Gabriel on her hip when he suddenly lunged toward the window of the pickup, arms wide for grandad to pick him up, nearly launching himself out of Audrey’s arms. Brad took him and let him sit in his lap and look around at the inside of truck cab. All of a sudden he said, “Gotta pee.” Whereupon he promptly peed his diaper!
He discovered the button that folds the side mirrors in and wanted to play with it. Audrey tapped his hand and told him no and he pulled his hand back. He gave it two more tries, each time the tap was a bit firmer. Third time was the charm and he looked at his grandad as if to say, “Can you believe that?” He folded his hands in his lap and snuggled with Brad for a few minutes until it was time for Brad to head home.
There is a Knit A Long going on in my online knitting group and for the first time in ages I’m not going to participate. I have too many UFO’s (Un Finished Objects) that need attention to start something else. I’ll enjoy seeing what the rest of the group is working on during the KAL. I believe it is a shawl pattern.
The storm seems to have passed us now after well over an hour. OK. I take it back! There is more thunder headed our way! The forecast called for up to three inches of rain for our area and I’m pretty sure we’ve had at least a couple of inches so far. I’ll check the rain gauge in the morning.
It’s time to think about getting ready for bed. I’ll prop up and do a little reading until I’m comfortable, and sleepy enough to turn off the light.
Have a blessed Monday night, ya’ll.
Rural Texas Knitter 