Autumn arrives in Far West Texas

    Autumn has definitely arrived here in far west Texas.  The nights are getting a bit nippy – by our standards.  Daddy told me that Jack Frost had visited one of the farms and got himself stuck on the windshield, but the foreman had flicked him off with the windshield wipers.  There is one tree turned yellow on my daily drive and the pecan trees are just beginning to appear rusty, but otherwise everything looks status quo.  It won’t be long now before the first hard freeze and pecan harvest will be in full production.  It’s time to have the propane tank filled for our heating needs.

    Life in this neck of the desert is certainly a far cry from our suburban life in California.  For one thing, bugs.  For another, bugs.  I will have to make a future post just to focus on the critters here, complete with the hornworm migration – not for the queasy!  Another thing is the weather.  When we first arrived in June there was probably not a day under 100 degrees for a few weeks.  The change was gradual but now I sit with numb toes and it’s about 70 outside, dipping into the low 40’s at times at night, and was registered as low as 31 a couple of weeks ago.  I know because my cousin’s house is the official weather station for the national weather bureau and he has to record the data every morning.  He lives about 4 football fields’ distance away from me on the canal bank.  The alfalfa is happy, though, and there will be at least one more cutting before overwintering.  Time before last was a disaster, because it rained on the cut hay before it was baled and also on the bales while they were yet in the fields.  There was a total of 6 inches at that time (which will hopefully contribute to an easing of this terrible drought).  At any rate, we thought there was nothing to be done but remove the bales after they dried and dump them in the hills to disintegrate.  However, lo and behold, buyers came and the bales were sold.  Deo gratias!

Buggy windshield

    Hot Rod and I just finished canning lots of pears from my brother’s and the neighbor’s trees.  Now that I have my first canning under my belt, I'm over the anxiety and have penetrated the mystery of canning and preserving.  Best of all, POMEGRANATES!  The yield from my brother’s one pomegranate tree was enough to make about 19 pints and 38 half pints of pomegranate jelly – Oh Joy!  All of us are of one mind on this matter: pomegranate jelly is the best kind, and now that I know how to make it, I am so happy!  I will post a separate tutorial for anyone interested.

    Peaches the horse is getting shaggy – a definite sign of colder weather setting in, but the more refined Keno, while growing a longer coat, remains slick and shiny.  Peaches learned how to lift the latch on her corral gate, so much for that!  She’s spent a total of three nights free grazing from our store of hay and hanging out with Keno.  She has no interest in wandering and exploring, only in eating and social activities!  We fixed that with an extra chain on the latch.  The puppy, Belle, is growing so fast it’s time for a new collar.  We love her laid-back hound personality and sweetness.  When we go for walks she stays right by our heels, running ahead with Campion occasionally and then returning to her faithful post.

 People updates:

• Hot Rod is attending school at El Paso Community College (EPCC).  She made a surprise visit to our beloved old parish in California, Guardian Angel!  Hello Guardian Angel!  Hello Father, and all of our dear, dear friends!!!  She was visiting for a few quick days – and here’s a shout out to Omar, Steven, and Andy!  Howdy!

• The Elf is being a naturalist, feeds the horses faithfully, is experimenting on mice, trapping squirrels for profit, and honing her skills in archery and cooking.

• Dead Eye is also honing his archery aim and cooking.  (By the way, THANK YOU UNCLE FRANK!!!  You have made him a VERY HAPPY young man!!!)  This young man has a memory like an elephant and can argue well enough to make district attorney by the end of the year.  Seriously, though, he's already so much taller than me and becoming an accomplished driver, including manual transmission.  He also bagged lots of dove during the hunting season.  After all, he's Dead Eye.

• The Millionaire loves being retired and hates being idle.  A good combination.  He’s very busy making our lives better and better.  He recently purchased a sea train and moved all our excess furniture and other storage items into it.  If something needs to get done, he’s the man!

    God has been so good to us.  I love my quiet time with Him in the morning – just Him and me.  He’s teaching me about humility.  And all about my faults.  And it’s all good.  Really.  It’s surprising to me how I must continue to fight to be lowered in my own estimation.  Even more surprising is that it should be surprising.  Whatever I am in my head (important) I am not outside of it.  In fact, I do precious little to fulfill my own vocation, much less do I have an impact on the rest of the world country state town.  Several years ago I read a book called Get Us Out of Here.  It is the story of a woman in Europe who had a special charism of praying for souls in purgatory.  Many souls would appear to her for various reasons, and she said that most of them were wearing their everyday work clothes because generally they were in purgatory for not fulfilling the duties of their vocations – housewives, fathers, students, whatever the role.  I told The Millionaire at the time to make sure I'm buried in my work clothes and a plain wood coffin, cause I won’t be needing the fancy stuff where I'm going!  Haha!  But yes, God is so good.  The more He shows me how little I am, the more room He gives me in my heart to love Him.  And it always makes me happier.  As it should.  I hope you’re happy, too.