2:26 p.m. Today's project is to get ready for our trip to Fresno to visit our son tomorrow. We also hope to run up to Shaver Lake on Saturday to see our camping friends, but with Steven's car down with repair needs, we may have to stay in town and help him out.
Of course, that makes today a pretty busy one! We had come home late last night from Disneyland, after a nice evening together. With no A/C in our Jeep, driving in the late afternoon and at night makes the most sense. We slept in about 45 minutes later than usual, awakening to the fact that my dad was coming over "before it gets hot," which means before 10:00. When I came downstairs to turn on the coffee pot and Steve to let the dogs out, their leftover food (a huge no-no!) was covered with ants! I got Steve the Shaklee Basic G, he kind of hurriedly dressed, and killed the ants. Thankfully the spray is organic and safe, because the dog who'd left part of her meal was eating it, ants and all. He had to go get some shoes on and take the mess out to the garbage out front. He realized why I say, "If they don't eat their food, remove it. They'll be hungry in 24 hours!!" "Wisdom is shown to be right by its results," Jesus said in Matthew 11:19 (NLT)
Since we were in the backyard anyway, and the morning was cool, I figured I'd make up some Neem biological worm killer and douse the tomatoes, green beans, peppers and corn with it. Three pailfuls later, that job was done, I was completely drenched in sweat, and needed to get my devotions started. Things were cuckoo, our morning schedule upended!
My dad came over and visited with Steve while I was getting cleaned up and dressed for a hastily-arranged hair pre-travel hair appointment. I was able to give him a cantaloupe, ear of corn, tomatoes, bean soup and cornbread which he loves. However, this giveaway didn't make a dent in the huge bag of yellow tomatoes on the counter that Steve had picked yesterday!
An exciting note! One of the hairdressers is going to the funeral of a 33 year-old cousin Friday, so I got the chance to share the gospel with her--may the message be given resoundingly at Harvest!
So when I came home, I canned 2 quarts of yellow and two pints of Roma tomatoes. There really wasn't time for this, but once you have a system and process in place, you can do even an involved task quickly! Thank you, Lord. The thought of wasting food is unbearable to me. I still have some to give away, and that doesn't count what we need to take up north to eat on our trip. Our super healthy bodybuilder son doesn't have any normal people food, I'm sure!
More issues: Steven, who was talking to me while I canned, has one error, my electronic signature, to correct on his FAFSA financial aid application for Fresno Pacific. I had almost gotten to the end of the online form when the website timed out. (I had to attend to my tomatoes and took an ill-considered break!) "Oh well," I thought, and called the university. We'll go in person Thursday p.m. or Friday and I'll take care of it during a walk-in appointment.
On the blessing front, Steve has recharged my jeep's A/C so I can go to Ace Hardware to get flystrips; finally the tormentors can leave the poor dogs alone. Happily, we can afford the $4.49 price. One concern arose when I called our annuity company about a delay in transferring funds to our checking account. Normally I fax over a request and the funds are electronically transferred within 2 days at most. The harried but very pleasant agent said, "The people in that department are swamped now. They can't keep up with all of the requests for withdrawls." Uh-oh! Is our national economy going to see a "run on the banks" a la "It's a Wonderful Life?"
Steve is doing better now that he's walked and laundered the dogs, but was very disoriented this morning. Seems that the plans for traveling and a very small list of chores has him stressed, so I'm keeping things light for him today. No sense worrying him! His Alzheimers doesn't allow him to absorb much information on finances, so I prayerfully make what arrangements I can for all of our needs. We have been blessed by our mortgage lender's modification plan, so God is working all the time, no matter how trying our daily circumstances are!
Let me quote this "hymn of faith" along with Habakkuk in 3:17,
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls--
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
And with that, Steve is taking a bag of tomatoes to our next door neighbors!
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