Busy day

7/15/07 Sunday
It’s been a long day. Started out with getting the puppies outside, breakfast, and watering the plants. Then it was off to church. Actually the first church we went to was the church of God that handles the angel food ministry where we signed up to purchase a box of food worth $75 for $25 dollars. The food will be ready next week or sometime. I don’t remember. Then we made it to First Baptist before the pastor started his sermon. It was a good one as they always seem to be. He taught on forgiveness. I really enjoy how he makes sure to apply these principles to our everyday lives in a challenging way instead of giving a history lesson from a two thousand year old book.

Jay is going to bring over the rest of that fencing he has been taking down and asked if I could find someone to help. At Sunday school I asked Eric if he knew anyone and he said he could help after 3:00. I called Jay and found that he would prefer coming that late anyway. So everything was set.

Eric showed up first so I started giving him a tour of the place when Jay, his wife, and his son Mike drove up hauling a trailer he rented packed full of stuff. I directed him to an area in the back that is near the nearly defunct corn patch. Eric and Mike did most of the work as Jay and I watched and talked. I insisted on picking something up and carrying if off the trailer on principle. Just not good at watching others work without helping. So it’s quite a pile of good wood. I just have to figure out where it’s going to go. There was also this wrought iron gate that came from Jay’s neighbors. They asked him to either give it away or haul it to the landfill. It’s too nice to throw away and I know we will find a great place for it.


After that we all visited for a while. It is so good to have friends out, to share tea, stories, and life with. I showed Jay some of my wood carvings and he would like some lessons but I don’t think he needs many as he is already an accomplished whittler and woodworker. He expressed how he would like to help us get things fixed up around the place. It is good to see folks who want to do things not just because it’s a good Christian thing to do but because they care and really want to. Doing it from a pure heart. Jay’s wife, Janine, grew up on a farm and was able to advise me on when a watermelon is ripe among other things. Mike has or is getting a degree in growing grass or something for golf courses. I’m not clear on that but he knows about grass. I asked is advice on what to plant after we get everything tilled up. He said Buffalo grass is the best as it is tough and doesn’t need much water. Sounds good to me.

After everyone left Sharon, our friend from Toledo, called. She let me know that Wayne had written the letters I instructed him to and lo and behold welfare found his Social Security money and will direct deposit it tomorrow or sometime soon. This is his lump sum payment from the three years we have been fighting to get his disability approved. Here he is with Multiple Sclerosis, needing to use a walker to get around, and Social Security denied his claim all this time. When he finally wins welfare gets the check to deduct what they had paid him in foodstamps and housing and then loses the rest. Wayne had called and called and his case manager called as well with absolutely no luck. I explained you have to do all this in writing and made him write the letter right away. It is good to know I can still help despite being fifteen hundred miles away.


I’m sure there are other things but I am tired. Oh yeah, Here is our contribution to the Hibiscus wars that have been going on between Janie, Eric, and others. It was a little scrawny plant we picked up at Ace Hardware or someplace dirt cheap cause it was about dead. Now this flower is no way as near big as the others but I think it’s better looking. So there, Nah Nah. (Sticking my tongue out)

On that note I’ll call it a night.