Where, Oh Where? Part 2

After a week of two VBS’s, plus the men worked at putting on the church roof and many other duties, Monday,7/16, finds us trying to rest in a little and then off to Grants,90 miles away, for a dental appointment, UGGGH!, and other business. On the way home, we received a call and would we come down to Flagstaff the next day? We arrived at home around 9:30, and as Seth went to unlock the door ahead of us and yelled for us to stay back, it could only mean one thing. Yes, another rattler which had the audacity to try and claim territory at our door step. But, with one bang from the gun, he lost the battle.
The next morning, as I was getting breakfast, I told Seth, “There’s something out in the chicken yard.” The chickens were really squawking and the rabbits were thumping. Seth ran out with the gun. (I forgot it could be a rattler, I thought maybe a dog.) He came back in a little bit, and said he didn’t see anything. But after he went to feed the rabbits, it didn’t take him long to come back to the window for his gun. This one was a lot bigger and took more than one shot! Seth thought the chickens cornered the snake behind the feed barrel. Okay, I had more than my fill of rattlers for this year, please no more!!! After this excitement, Pauline and I left for Flagstaff to visit Grandma and the baby and to bring back the other children. Since we sat for quite a while on the way home, waiting for an accident to be cleared away, it was after 9:00 p.m. and I was so glad to get home. My husband spoils me when it comes to driving and it’s been quite a while since I drove that much in one day.
The next two days were normal surviving duties with the mid-week service. Friday, after we did some errands and sorted food to distribute from the food bank, Seth took the guys back home and fed them, while Pauline, Amanda and I had a girl’s night. It was WONDERFUL! I haven’t had a night like that for quite a while.
The week of the 23rd, we packed and loaded everyone up, and went to Durango camping for three days. The scenery is breathtaking. We saw deer and even a bear, who we heard came to visit the campground during the night. Special thanks to a Christmas gift in July that we received, I got a night off. We went out to eat at the Bar D Chuckwagon. We listened to cowboy Gospel poetry, took pictures, rode the train, took pictures, and more pictures, and then we ate a cowboy supper and listened to cowboy music. Everybody had lots of fun, especially the boys with the possum song! Don’t even ask for the details!
OK, so vacation is over and it is back to more wash, cleaning and all the preparations for the weekend and the list goes on…… But somewhere in the midst of this, Thank-you Pauline for volunteering to baby sit and thank-you Seth for a nice few hours together to finally “celebrate” our 12th anniversary.
The last few days of July, we worked at preparing things to send with Pauline. Seth made her thank-you cards, bookmarks and other items to be used in her classroom. I managed to do about 40 –some pages of a scrapbook.
August 1, finds us on the road by 4 a.m. to take Pauline to the airport. Pauline, we miss you! The boys need your help to sing,” A-men!” The children did very well, considering all their interrupted naps. It seemed they went to sleep right before we were ready to stop someplace. The exciting part of the day, was that they finally got to see and be with Grandma for a little bit since she went into the hospital.
And the first two weeks of August, have also seemed to fly. We have had quite a bit of rain, which Seth is going to post some pics of the unusual night of the 6th, when two storms collided. Somehow the lightning was making the light bulbs flash when the electricity was off. That was a bit scary!
On the 9th, we had our back to school service since some schools will be starting next Monday. The verse for the night,”Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” God met with us and I felt very encouraged after the service.
Sat. the 11th, we had lots of fun sneaking into my sister-in-law’s office at the hospital and putting up several birthday balloons after midnight. I must admit that was more fun and less painful than trying to clean up her yard. I hope you have had a wonderful birthday! You are a special person, and have blessed many lives, ours included!!!!
Baby Wade came home on the 12th. He is on oxygen, but seems to be doing well. I have only had his siblings twice this week, when he had appointments. Grandma seems to be doing a little better. They took her feeding tube out on Wed, so the only thing she is hooked up to is the oxygen. But she needs to work at getting her strength back. At this point, she is not even sitting up on her own.
Well, I hope you have had an enjoyable summer! Mine, has been quite interesting and is quickly coming to an end. Although, I have just shared physical happenings, we’ve experienced lots of emotional and spiritual battles that can be just as draining if not more. We definitely would appreciate your prayers. By the time this gets posted, I will have two days left before school starts. Actually, I am more ready than at the beginning of this post. A trip to the “Teacher’s Candy Store” does help to get you into the mode.
I thought I was finished writing this post……It’s Friday night, and I am typing this now to post tomorrow at my sister – in – law’s……Seth went to lock up the chickens….started yelling for his gun…….Yes, another rattler!.......GRRRR! …I was hoping the rain that we have been getting would keep them away……most years, they come close to the house looking for water…I can live without the rattler excitement!!!!!!!!
Mel