Monday, April 28, 2025

the white horse

I was susceptible, like many girls, to the idea of a Prince Charming riding in to save the day.  Since I retired this myth has come back to bite me in the ass.  I rob Peter to pay Paul around here and the truth is that at almost 70 years old, I cannot afford to live here on the farm.  It has been a slow process realizing that from the house on the hill to the homeplace.  The houses are old...some of them around 100 or so.  I love all of them but I realize that it was all just loaned to me by the legacy of my parents tenure here.  It began in 1956 when I was a year old and my grandfather hooked my daddy up with an offer to manage a property.  At the time, it was much smaller than it is now.  

There were cattle then and they went away when the fences fell and it was not possible to keep them cows in.  One of my most vivid memories is of Daddy chasing the cattle in a field right across from Charlie's house hollering like a mofo and driving his truck like crazy.  He worked those cattle for years and the herd got wiped out by brucellosis and other diseases.  Yet he kept on trying.  In the end they were sold, all 60 something of them, to someone else who also sold them.  Being a cattle farmer is tough business.  And so is being any kind of farmer.  That is why organic farming is tough as well.  I remember when crop rotation became a thing.  It was beautiful, as some say.  Save the soil and whatnot.  

My daughter and I are in the valley these days, trusting in God together for a clear path forward.  She has a part- time job and I have none.  We have been blessed with a lot of help from a lot of people but things, at this point, do not look sustainable financially.  I have not seen Reaves in six months.  

The lady from the state blind service sent me a very cool toy that I used at church yesterday to read the bulletin.  It's a battery powered magnifying glass.  Last time she came, we tried out all kinds of different strengths and found the one that worked.  She was supposed to deliver it and train me the week that the flood was going on so I warned her not to try it and she mailed it.  It took two weeks to get from Paris to here.  

Keeping enough ostomy supplies is a real challenge but I have learned to economize and make them last.  However, my last shipment did not include the seals that I ordered.  At least not enough of them.  Normally my supplier is not really good with customer service but I lucked out this time and got enough to tide me over until the end of May.  Two boxes fo' free with 2 day delivery by FedEx.  I recognized the driver, also named Janie, when she brought them up to the porch.  We used to work together in the hospital lab.  She has definitely upped her game!

From what I hear, all shipments from China will cease as of tomorrow.  It will take a long time to fix that broken supply chain so get ready for empty shelves.  LP said that the 'gentral still has stock, but none of that overstock up high.  Meanwhile, Trump is mad because he is polling so badly.  "They should be investigated" he said.  And one of them is Fox.  Alrighty then.  All attention is on immigration and arrests plus deportations.  With this big beautiful bill coming up for a vote, I hope that expense is penciled in somewhere.  

Arkansas got nada from the feds for disaster relief.  I expect that to happen everywhere.  The proposed budget will raise the federal deficit by several trillion if it even passes.  And Europe is having a major power outage.  One of my most faithful reads is Sean Dietrich.  He and his wife are posting their travels as pilgrims on the Camino.  I hope when they get done there is electricity and a plane home.  

Church was really bittersweet yesterday.  We are counting down the days until Mary Beth and Jay leave for Franklin but her work continued with six new members joining our congregation and a meeting about our potential future partnership with the YMCA.  Four confirmands who have been studying with her planned the service. Kellan's parents Marsh and Prakash joined him in baptism.  It was very moving and a tribute to God's work there.  The schedule for our new pastor's arrival and her departure was announced by the SPRC.  

Y'all keep on resisting.  And pray without ceasing ^j^



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