Real Rain!

Oh my goodness, I am getting to go to bed to the sound of rain hitting the windows, thunder in the distance and flashes of lightening. I couldn't ask for a better sleep aid!

The heat continues...

Sometimes I wish I could just go back to bed and start the day over.  Everything went normally until I went to open the barns and let the chickens out.  It seems that the temperatures in the barn overnight were hot enough to kill one chicken and bring three others to the brink of death.  Of course, just as usual....I panic.  I had Kyle help get the top off the barn had had him run to get his dad.  I grabbed the 3 half dead chickens, turned the hose on and dunked them in the water tub.  Two were aware enough to try and get out, the third just hung limp.  After a few minutes, we had decided there wasn't much more we could do.  Troy buried the hen that didn't make it.  The first 2 staggered to the shade by themselves.  The third, a rooster, wasn't able to stand or lift his head.  I layed him soaking wet in the shade hoping the light breeze would cool him more.  I expected none of them to make it through another day of temperatures in the 100's.  I realized I had forgotten to take care of my sisters dogs...and panicked even more.  I had to leave the chickens, take care of her dogs and get on to work.  Troy called me as he left for work.  He said he didn't see the chickens laying anymore and that the looked to be doing fine.  To my surprise, when I got home at 6:30, I couldn't even tell which chickens had been down this morning.  It looks like I'll be making some changes to the pen tonight and leaving them out of the barn.  I can only pray that by saving them from the heat, I don't set them up to be a raccoon's meal.

Just one of those days..

I've spent most of the day back in bed. I woke up before 6am and just stayed in bed hoping to fall back asleep...no luck. I did my chores, let Stacy's dogs out and came back home...all before 7:45 this morning. By 10, I was sinking fast...went back to bed. Here it is almost 5:30 pm, I'm awake, but wish I wasn't. It's just one of those days. I have no idea what I wrong...I just can't seem to pull myself out of it.

A Trip to the Movies!

Well, tonight we took a trip to the movie theater.  We usually don't go, and if we do, we go to the drive in because it's cheaper.  Mom decided she was taking all the kids to see Cars2 3D...and she waited so all of us could go...to the 9:20pm show.  Kyle was already with Mom, so it was just me, Troy, Zack and Caitlyn to buy tickets for.  We were running late and were afraid the show would be sold out.  I'm not sure which was funnier...us buying tickets for us and our 16 and 17 year olds to see Cars, or the fact that our family was the only ones in the theater.  I think that by the time the movie started, 3 more people showed up...other than that, it was just the 10 of us!  

Movie Tickets...$52.00, Popcorn and Drinks...$24.00, Troy in his 3D glasses....PRICELESS!

Rain!

It is so nice to wake up to rain...granted, it's not a downpour, but my tomatoes are going to love it anyway!  We've had temperatures ranging from 99-106 the last few days.  The grass in our yard crunches when you walk on it.  We sweat just trying to walk from the house to the truck and our home air conditioner has only been able to cool the house to 79°.  It's been miserable. 

Off to Rolla...

I got a call from Dad at 7:30 this morning.  It seems that we are going to Rolla, Mo to pick up his new semi that was having a box attached to it.  To be honest, after traveling all day yesterday, I really wasn't looking forward to going.  Kyle decided to stay home and Caitlyn went with us.  The temperatures are still blazing and I worry about my animals at home overheating.  I am glad that Kyle decided to stay home, he was able to keep the water fresh outside for them.  We made it back to the office around 5:30 and home around 6.  I had missed peachicks hatching at work today...5 so far, with one still trying.  There are 23 hatched now...and lots more in the incubator.

The kids are off to Camp...

This morning, Caitlyn and Kyle left for NRA Rifle camp in Marshall, MO with Dad.  They'll be there until Sunday afternoon.  After the kids left from mom and dad, I was left with Caitlyn's truck...a standard.  I was shown last night how to drive one, something I really never had the desire to learn, however, I did fine for the most part.  So, this morning, was the first time I was left alone to figure it out.  After multiple attempts to go forward, multiple times of the truck dying and getting stuck in the road...I threw it in reverse backed into mom and dad's driveway and rode with mom to work.  Nothing like giving up!  After work, mom took me back to the truck at her house.  I was determined to make it home.  After deciding the best route that avoided as much traffic, hills and stops as possible I headed home.  I made it home, but really don't care if I ever drive the truck again...it's just too much stress for me.  At least I can drive it if I have to.

When It Rains...It Pours...

I got a phone call from Troy just after 5am this morning.  The van had died on his way to work.  It had been running rough and randomly dying here lately...this time, however, it wouldn't start back.  Troy had called a guy he works with to come get him and take him on to work.  He managed to get the van rolled to the shoulder and further away from the intersection. Zack left for work at 7:20.  I got a call from him as he passed the van. I hadn't told him it was broke down.  He was convinced that it needed spark plugs.  After work, I made the trip for spark plugs and wires.  Zack stopped on his way home and bought a tow rope and picked Troy up from work.  They spent the evening working on the van.  After new spark plugs, the van ran better than it had for a long while.  Troy got in to take it for a drive.  He tried to pull out of the driveway with no luck.  Turns out, the transmission is out on it too....it goes in reverse, but not forward.  So...in about 4 days time, we have both our cars with the transmissions out...one goes forward, the other goes backwards.

I woke up this morning along with Troy.  His alarm was going off sometime before 4:20am...and he wasn't getting up!  I had set my alarm for 4:20am just in case he overslept.  I rolled over and woke him.  We just don't do mornings very well.  His schedule of alternating days and nights each month is so hard to get used to.  It's been 3 months at his new job and 2 of those have been on days....and are terrible months for all of us.  He doesn't sleep, I don't sleep and the dogs schedules are messed up...but it is a blessing that he does have a good job that he loves.  Our schedules have been the same for 12 years...he works nights, I work days...it's just hard to change.  This morning I did manage to get back to sleep a bit after 5am and slept til 8am.  The weather on my phone said the temperature was already 78 degrees.  I dragged myself out of bed, checked my baby chicks in the bathroom to find the 2 that I had been hand feeding for a week had died (after so much death in the last few days, I'm not coping well),  let the dogs out and went to open the barns to let the chickens out and feed everybody.  By the time I was done I was already sweating.  They are calling for another day with temperatures at least 99 degrees.  I like warm weather, but these temperatures are almost too much.  We bought a shade tarp for the animals outside.  I hope I am able to get it up for today.  I so miss our shade trees now more than ever.

I'm missing church today for too many reasons, none of which are really good enough to be missing.  I have to get things together and decide what to take for our family 4th cookout today...nothing like waiting til the last minute.

Back To No Vehicle....again!

Troy took all 3 kids with him to fish with a friend from his work.  I honestly can't believe on his day off, he agreed to get up at 4:30am to go, but he did!  The kids were all excited to go.  I wish I could have found my fishing tackle from years ago, but I have no idea where it is.  I'm assuming it's somewhere in storage.  It's pretty sad that I spent a huge amount of time at the lake and the river for the first 25 years of my life, yet, my kids have only been a handful of times.  It's depressing how time changes things.  They got home sometime after 10am.  Kyle and Caitlyn headed straight for a nap, Zack started searching the internet for more places to fish at and Troy crashed on the couch.  Turns out, Kyle was the only one that caught a fish...but of course...it got away.  I'm impressed that even though they brought nothing out of the water, they all wanted to go back.  

I made the decision to go to Del Rio to eat lunch, but had to drag everyone up from naps to go.  While taking our family of 5 out to lunch is expensive, I know that the trips will soon be few and far between with the kids getting older.  We have a good time and I know one day we will be wishing they were here to go with us.  We made several stops before heading home, Lowe's for tomato cages, Harbor Freight for Zack a tool box and tools for work, Sally's Beauty Supply for Caitlyn new hair dye and Toy's R Us because Kyle was feeling left out.  With the thermometer showing 101 degrees outside, my little truck was having a hard time keeping cool!  We stopped and grabbed a bale of hay for the goats and realized the truck would no longer go in reverse.  It seems the transmission went out...well, at least reverse did.  We managed to make it home, coasting part of the way because the truck wouldn't shift.  It's not what we needed right now. My truck was the most dependable vehicle we had that would haul all of us.  So, now I'm dependent on Caitlyn, the 16 year old with a learners permit, in her 1983 GMC truck that carries 3 very tightly....and has no air conditioning!  I know we will be fine, but I'm not happy about it.  Since it's a holiday weekend, we are stuck waiting until Tuesday to find out what it will take to repair the truck.   

At around 10:30pm, Caitlyn took Kyle and I into town to pick up a few fireworks for tomorrow.  After dark is the best time to drive a vehicle with no air conditioning!  Troy and Zack were already in bed when we got back home and it wasn't long before the other 2 were out.  It's nearing midnight, doors are locked, lights are out and I'm off to bed myself!