Grandchildren…and I’m havin a pretty dern good week

Hello guys. We hope everyone is doing just fine and you’re off to a great start for the week. Boy I sure am and it’s thanks to two of our grandchildren. God sure knew what he was doin when he blessed us with those guys, didn’t he?

The young men I’m speakin of are Devin who’s 15 and is our oldest son, Josh’s oldest son. The other half of this tandem is Willie, 13, whose real name is Clay, and is our oldest daughter Michelle’s youngest son.

They came down last Wed. and stayed until Sunday afternoon when Willie went home. We miss him…

Until we go get a Mounds ice cream bar outta the freezer…then we’re kinda glad he’s gone! LOL! Not really Willie…hee-hee-hee.

Seriously though, these two have been so much help to me. They really got me back in the game as far as getting my feet set firmly back under me again. Nothing really major, just things.

Giving our house a GOOD cleaning was one of my priorities, and boy did we! While I knew we’d be cleaning, I felt I really needed to move some things around, kinda just give me a “different look” if you know what I mean.

So much reminds me of Deb, and I don’t want to get rid of anything, but the boys and I redid our bedroom and changed some dresser drawer configuration for me.

I put my drawers in a nightstand next to my bed…bet she had a “hissy-fit!” I figured shoot, ya roll outta bed, grab a pair of clean drawers right there at ya, waltz into the bathroom, and you’re off to a flyin start.

With some of the added “chores” I’m still tryin to organize some sort of half a you-know-what schedule. It didn’t seem to be workin out though. Seems the more I did, the more I had to do??

By Devin and Willie coming, pitchin in, and grabbing the bull by the horns with me, we whipped it right out.

We moved our beds around, went through the library (yea, I can read…some), and pretty much moved our books around quite a bit. One of the last times Deb and I went out, I bought several books, got home and…no room. At least not where they needed to be anyway.

So…that’s now solved.

We then turned into the downstairs and put the ache on it as well. We mopped floors, dusted furniture and blinds, got up in the bathtubs and showers and cleaned those too…with the tile around them to boot.

For the finishing touch…we washed windows inside and out and cleaned the sills, then went outside and bleached, scrubbed, and washed down the porch. Everything is lookin good!

You know we’d started some seedlings, and Devin and I have all but just a few tomatoes potted in 4 inch pots. Quick as they get a little size I’ll utilize some in the greenhouse and the grow area then sell what’s left.

We saved quite a few pepper seeds and some of those I’ll use to restart another batch. As things smooth out even more I’ll start savin some other seeds as well.

Today we’ll get rid of almost everything that was in the greenhouse and by tomorrow we’ll be settin out some beets, and radishes. I use them in my daily juice, but for now I’m out. Again, beets are awful hard to find down here in a store.

Our eggplants are doin well, and we’ll pot them in the next day or two. Same as the tomatoes, what we don’t use we’ll just sell. I’m looking forward to getting this off the ground also.

It’ll help to occupy my time number one, I love growing them number two, and in reality it’ll give me some sort of income here off the place. It will also allow people who want the plants or veggies to come through the gate…when it’s open.

That’ll allow me to “socialize” some during the course of the day without ever leavin the place. You come in and buy something, shoot, we’ll socialize up a storm…ya don’t want to “purchase,” well I’m probably pretty busy. LOL!

I’ve got a couple more greenhouses, so as or if, this produce thing expands, I’ll put them up too. I just want to start small and as the traffic picks up then we’ll grow as needed. Gotta leave time to wash clothes, vacuum the house, dust the furniture, cook supper, you know…let my feminine side come out. LOL!

I was thinkin just the other day, shoot, if I’d of handled all the housework and let ole Deb make the livin for us, our “relations” outlook might have been better. Why? Well, unlike Deb, even as many times as I asked her, I WOULD HAVE opened the door with just my apron on!! LOL!

After contemplating THAT picture in my mind, it wasn’t long before I figured out that wouldn’t have been a very pretty sight! LOL!

But, getting back to the greenhouse, things are starting to look up once more. Next week we’ll go ahead and till the grow areas and start setting it out again.

Then when our daughter Michelle and the rest of her bunch, along with Josh and his family picked Willie up they had me a little surprise…a puppy.

First off, Cheyenne is “our little girl,” and she’s helped me out SO much since Deb’s been gone. This means IF Cheyenne doesn’t like a new boarder in the home, then…the new boarder has gotta go. No question on that, but, so far so good. We’ll continue to evaluate that situation.

They had asked me, in a moment of weakness if I wanted one. They told me the breed and I said, “Yeah, I’ve always wanted one.” They then told me the female pups were 400 bucks. I said that actually I didn’t like the breed THAT much for sure, and my sayin I wanted one was only a slip of the tongue.

But, they pitched in together and bought her for me. Today’s Tuesday and as of yet…no name. Don’t want to name her and Cheyenne says she’s outta here! So, I call her…you don’t want to know! LOL!

I believe though that it’s lookin as if she just might make the cut. Cheyenne seems pretty comfortable with her and really has kinda “mama’d up to her.” She’s letting her lay up beside me on the couch some, but most times with her beside us as well.

The pup’s breed…a Catahoula Leopard Cur. Great dogs.

Very intelligent, very owner oriented, good cow or hog dogs, just really good dogs to have around the place. IF she makes the cut with “Shiny Girl,” she should be a good addition to “the family.”

She seems to be house breaking pretty easily so that’s a BIG plus in her favor, although yesterday while I was workin on the bow flex some, she uses the bathroom on my mat the bow flex sits on. BOTH kinds of usin the bathroom, side by side!

That didn’t go over well and she got a pretty good swat across the backside for that little episode. Michelle told me over the phone, “DAD, you shouldn’t have done that! The kennels they were raised in were concrete, BUT, they had rubber mats where they used the bathroom.”

My response?

“So, you’re point? I just imagine the kennels “they were raise in” DIDN’T have a dern bow flex on the mats, right?”

But, as you guys can see, I have had a pretty dern good week, and I’m beginning to round the corner of life some.

Boy, I still sure miss my Deb, but the pain is going away, or should I say easing, cause I don’t think that it’ll ever go away. Honestly I’m not sure if I want it to ever go away completely anyway. At least I’m hittin on all cylinders again now though. Life is good!

Once more I’d like to say thanks to Devin and Willie both. I don’t think those two may ever realize the help they were to me. By getting me caught up, they’ve allowed me to stop and take a deep breath. By doing so I see the direction I need to be moving in.

I knew all along where I was headed, but just couldn’t seem to organize myself to get the job done. I was working, and workin my tail off, but again, it was like I was spinnin my wheels. That’s now behind me.

So to all out there, I’ll say again, God sure knew what he was doing when he blessed us with grandchildren. I know they’ve sure made Deb smile down on us this past couple weeks too. She has every right to be proud of them…they sure stepped up!

Well, gotta go for now. You guys have a great day, and God Bless. Always keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb