Lost dog

As we were driving down a road to check on two families whose homes burned this little dog was trotting down the road. She looked just like my old dog Crackers. We stopped and picked her up as there are many pets that got separated from their owners dung the wildfires. We had eaten breakfast at the Bluebonnet that morning and I had saved a pice of toast and a piece of bacon which she wolfed down in no time---and drank a bowl of water. We took her to the local vet and then posted notices at all the local stores and the disaster centers. I wanted to keep her if no one claimed her even if she did look like she was over 12 years old.
So last night I got a call from the owner. What a weird story she had to tell. She was not a fire victim but this dog belonged to her mother in law who had recently entered a nursing home so she had only had the dog for 3 weeks. The day we found her she had left for a lunch date and guessed the dog tried to follow her car. The next day she is in the dentist office and begins to chat with another lady in the waiting room who works at the vet office. That lady mentioned how they had ben getting in many pets due to the fire. So the owner said that she was missing her dog and described her and discovered it was Pupkin. So dog and owner are happily back together again and the nice owner made a donation to Red Cross in our name. What a great ending!

paranoia

We have been working in the midst of the wildfires that destroyed over 46 homes in Spicewood. You just cannot imagine the devastation. Nothing but ashes....and an occasional chimney---and maybe some tin from the roof. Many of these were nice, big, stone homes. You know what is strange---you never see a toilet or a bathtub--not ever---where did they go? And often you do not even see burnt appliances like freezers and fridges and washers--they are just gone. People needed sifters so Home Depot made a bunch of them to give away and it is amazing the things people have found sifting through the ashes. Our friend found a gold piece that had been in her family for generations---was kept hidden back when the government confiscated all the gold and passed down through the generations. How thrilled she was when she found that.
The land is nothing but ashes and sticks. Like a moonscape or something. I cannot even imagine how hot that fire must have been. It was a crazy fire being whipped about by tropical storms winds. It did not behave as most wildfires. One of the guys we talked to literally had to outrun it.....he was sound asleep with TV going when sheriff came around sounding the alarm to evacuate, woke up with a wall of fire coming towards him and he had no transportation so started running. Thankfully the last fire engine out---fire engines were running from the fire---that tells you how bad it was---they picked him up and had to drive through a wall of fire to get out. Lots of harrowing stories but miraculously no one lost their life.
We have met the greatest people--and are amazed at their resilience and good attitude. And so many volunteers out in force helping folks clean up their places and bringing food and water. Red Cross is not really needed because the community is doing an awesome job of caring for their own. It is heart warming. We hear so much negative stuff on the news but I have to tell you there are lots of really good people out there. And you cannot judge "a book by its cover". We have met the greatest people whose appearance might make you be wary but who have hearts of gold and a soul of integrity. I have been blessed doing casework on all these people. We have worked hard and combed the area not wanting to miss anyone who might need help. But I must say these people have their priorites in order----it is just stuff. Yes, they are sad to lose precious photos and jewels and money and documents but they realize that it is lives that are most important. And then there is the survivor guilt----some houses right in the midst of the fire were untouched---it was like a fickle tornado---destroy one, leave the one next door untouched and who knows why.
So back to my paranoia----top on my list after live things to grab if we had to evacuate suddenly is the photo album Jenny made me of our family. It is so precious to me. I keep it in a drawer as we have noticed in the many house fires we go to for Red Cross that stuff in a cabinet or drawer often is salvageable after a fire. But let me say----we have seen many,many house fires and they were no where near as devasting as these wildfires. A drawer will not save anything in a wildfire. So today I set the photo album on the hood of the car outside in daylight--a cloudy day---and took photographs of each page. At least I would have that as I plan to upload it to Shutterfly and back it up on my hard disk plus they are on my ipad which is always with me. I feel better now.
We had a Red Cross friend who lost her home in the Bastrop fire. Don is helping her to clean up with his Bobcat. Today he cut his arm on jagged piece of sheet metal and is at hospital in Smithville getting stitches as I write this. We have worked with Red Cross for the last 10 days but left the job yesterday because I just need a break. I am exhausted. We came straight off of the floods in NY for hurricane Irene to this wildfire. I have been in a car all day for over a month and I just need rest and family and order and time with my dogs. It is so good to have just been home all day today and clean house and get my life back into some semblance of order. I need that. But there is still so much work to do at Red Cross so I am sure we will go back and help out. But I struggle, I want to help out, but i yearn to just be home, back in my simple routine, to do chores, to cook meals, to go to Bible study and home group, to walk my dogs. Am I selfish to want these things? it is so hard to achieve balance sometimes.

Sent from my iPad

Keepsakes

The other day I decided to go around and take photos of my house for insurance purposes. These wildfires have affected me. I feel vulnerable. But as I was taking photographs, I decided to also go around and take photos of all the little keepsakes that mean so much to me. Then, if they were to all burn up or blow away in a tornado, at least I would have a photo. Somehow this just gave me peace. So the following pics are just some of my favorite keepsakes. But if you know me well.........you know they are just the tip of the iceberg. I can barely toss out anything from a family member or a treasure that reminds me of a special trip or time. Yeah, I like stuff. I get very attached to stuff. It brings me pleasure to look at something I have saved and relive that memory.....or think of the person who gave it to me.

And I'm just saying.......everyone should do a photo inventory of their home......just in case of disaster......and just to remember things by.

Keepsakes

Keepsakes

Keepsakes

Keepsakes

The Biscuit Queen

This is the painting my husband gave me for my birthday. A replica of the scene that greeted me each and every day at 5am when I arrived for work at Atwwod's Cafe. I just love it and was so surprised. It was painted by a loyal customer of many years. What a perfect gift and keepsake. Thank you, Don, you did good!

The Old Front Porch

This post was found on another blog I read called: Chickens in the Road. It expressed my thoughts so well I thought I would use it in my blog. Hope you enjoy.

Vote Front Porch

Take a drive down any one-lane country road dotted with century-old homes then swing through a modern suburban neighborhood and you’ll see one glaring difference—the front porch, or lack thereof. The front porch as we know it is a purely American creation, meaning it was the combination of cultural influences from the architectural heritages of a number of countries. The result was our classic understanding of a front porch as a transitional space between the family’s private interior and the free-for-all exterior. The front porch, by its very nature, is public, open and welcoming. It’s been replaced today by the back patio or deck, which is, in contrast, private, exclusive, by invitation only. Front porches started disappearing as a common architectural element around the end of World War II as air conditioning started appearing. People didn’t need to sit outside to be cool. But the front porch isn’t only about the shade. The front porch is a way of life. The front porch creates a bridge between the home and the community. Whether it’s a wave to a passing neighbor’s car, or whether that passing neighbor pulls over and comes up to sit a spell, the front porch welcomes interaction and connection. It’s sociable and inclusive. The front porch never knew a stranger. It encourages down time with its rocking chairs and porch swings, fosters conversation, and offers a view not a television. Few modern homes are built with spacious porches anymore. If a newer home has a porch, it’s more likely a small, “decorative” porch, just big enough for a rocking chair from Pier 1 and a few perfect-looking planters, certainly not enough room for half a dozen neighbors to stop by and everyone have a seat while they shoot the breeze. In fact, we really don’t want our neighbors to stop by, especially if unannounced, and if they do, we don’t want them to stay long enough to sit down. Did we become this way because we stopped building front porches, or did we stop building front porches to foster more private lives? It’s a chicken and egg question, but either way, the disappearance of the front porch has had a huge impact on the way we live and connect with our neighbors, an impact that trickles through society in layer upon layer. I found out firsthand how much it costs to put on an old-fashioned front porch when we built our new “old” farmhouse a few years ago. It’s no wonder people today are unlikely to put their resources into a front porch, but it’s a value I haven’t regretted. Even secluded and surrounded by trees as we are, I can see the road and the river, making me feel connected with the small country community around us. Neighbors stop by and the transitional space of the big front porch offers an easy place to invite them into with its informality and lack of pressure. It’s a setting that demands freedom and relaxation, providing an atmosphere and a tone that no indoor space—or back deck—can recreate. If it’s true that all good things come back around, maybe the classic American front porch will make a comeback. As with anything, supply is all about demand. The next time you buy or build a house, “Vote Front Porch.” Your country is depending on you.

Peace

We are at the ranch, Don and I. It is hot, very hot, over 100 hot and we have been chasing sheep and goats all day. We are sweaty, bloody, bandaids all over our hands, exhausted, dirty and dusty, but thankful we got the job done. We caught and hauled 39 sheep and goats to the auction. We hate being forced to sell animals we have raised for years but the severe drought has taken it's toll on our land and there is nothing to eat. And feed and hay prices are exorbitant. So we did what we had to do and are glad it is done.
     It is after dark now but the bright moon is casting moon-shadows and the stars are plentiful. There is a nice cool breeze and the tinkling of the many wind chimes adds to the buzzing and chirping of the night insects. I just showered and scrubbed myself clean in our wonderful outdoor shower and now I am soaking up the peace around me in our big metal stock tank filled with very cold fresh well water. So cold it takes courage to climb in but oh, so worth it. I sit and cool my body down and drink in the peaceful night. Peace, pure peace. I just want to savor this moment. Thank you, Lord, for moments like these. I am blessed indeed.

Note: I am just learning how to post from my iPad and how to add photos to my blog from my iPad. There should be another photo to go with this blog but I don't know if it will be added here or in a separate post. Please bear with me til I get the hang of this.

Youngest reunioner

Abby

You gotta read this

I am reading the greatest book. It is called Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo. He is the father of a four year old who during a serious illness spent some time in heaven with Jesus. It is an amazing story. Go to your Christian bookstore and get it soon. You will be so uplifted and encouraged. It is a #1 New York Times bestseller. A must read.

About that STUFF....

OK...here is my story and I am sticking to it. AFter everyone left on Sunday, I just felt I had so much to say, so many feelings to share and I have missed blogging so much. So for the first time I tried to blog from my ipad. But I could not figure it out--I could not figure out how to get to the posting part--it would not work. Until nearly 11pm when I talked to Jenny for help and found out how to do it. By then my brain was already in bed so I decided to follow it, not knowing that somehow the blog had published with title only. So that's my story and I'm stick in' to it.

My name should be Mary Martha

I struggle with the Mary/Martha syndrome. When family or company is coming I stress out over trying to have the house look perfect, having plenty of food prepared, and trying to figure out ways to entertain them and make them comfortable and enjoy their stay. BUT, when they are actually here, I suddenly go brain dead and dive into a fog of denseness. I just get so caught up in my joy and desire to visit and chat and listen to them talk with each other and watch the kids play that I just forget about everything else. I mean, all week I have gathered treats for the kids, thought of games to play or places to go, meals to fix.....my menu plan looks really good....but what do I do but sit on the couch and ignore everyone needs. I simply fill myself up with their presence which delights me so. So when the visit is over and everyone has gone home and I am cleaning up I slowly discover the popsicles unopened in the freezer, the boxes of kid treats still in the pantry, the new butterfly net I forgot to bring out, the bacon and pancakes for breakfast that never happened, the photos I wanted to share, and dozens of other like things. Then I feel so guilty like how bored everyone must have been, and what a terrible hostess I was, and how Alisa must have felt yesterday at lunch when she was here and there sat a cake in front of her while I told her of all the strawberries we picked...but did I offer her cake??? No, I was too busy just enjoying the visit. I feel like such a Mary. But before anyone arrives I am such a Martha. Why can't I just combine the two in perfect harmony? Whenever the guests or family have left to go home, I always feel such an emptiness and sadness.....even though it is good, and as it should be, and all is well, and even though I am exhausted and welcome the quiet time alone, there is that longing for them in the pit of my stomach....and a guilty feeling that I just didn't do enough, that they feel neglected somehow, even tho I know that is not the truth and that all is well. I am just a bundle of mixed up feelings.

So, I will just say to anyone reading this that comes to my home to visit.....PLEASE, PLEASE for your sake and mine, ask me for something to eat and drink; ask me if I have anything new for the kids; ask for a piece of that cake sitting in front of you; help yourself to any food you can find and understand that the menu plan might be divine but reality is not; know that at some point before folks arrived the house was clean and tidy; and know that my heart desires so to serve you and minister to your physical needs but the brain neglects to carry out those tasks because I just so enjoy spending time with you and listening to you and laughing with you and showing you my garden and animals and talking and talking......and playing Scrabble on our ipads while sitting right next to you.

And family, especially Tammie, I must confess and ask forgiveness for this same feature of mine carries over when I come to your house and get so carried away with the visiting and fun that I do not help out like I should in the clean-up process. I am so bad about that and I will make a concerted effort to change. AS I so appreciate the clean up help I receive when we are all at this house. So a big thank you to everyone for your splendid job in clean up this weekend. I am most grateful.....but it made the wonderful weekend fade away much too quickly.
And I will have to add that their are some good friends who know me well enough who feel right at home coming in the house when we are not here to return some things and have no problem helping themselves to a piece of cake and leaving us a thank you note for it. Now that's my kind of people! I love it. So the purpose of this blog is to let you know, friends and family, when you come here...help yourself and make yourself at home and do not hesitate to jar me awake and ask me to remember what preparations I made for your visit. And be prepared to go out to eat when I realize I forgot to cook your meal. I love ya'll so very much.

stuff

Before and After

New front door

new hall bathroom (forgot to take the before shots, but it was BRIGHT YELLOW)

much subdued hall bath

my refurbished beloved old screen door

part of new kitchen--we plan to replace those amber panels with bead board

new kitchen. Those cabinets below were awful--missing trim and very beat up from over 30 years of use.

Someday soon we hope to replace the countertops but they will do for now.

We both just love our new kitchen. It just makes us smile to look at it.

When the sun shines in those windows it just delights my soul.

Dark and old kitchen

Tomorrow I will post the pictures of the new big bathroom. We are just gettin' all gussied up here at the Barlow household. I can hardly recognize us!

Sprucing Up

We are having a home makeover of sorts. This ole girl is nearing 33 years old and needed some overhauling cuz a whole lot of livin' has gone on in this house.
First, she got some outside wounds repaired--rotted boards and such replaced. Then she got a new door upstairs--the outside one into the schoolroom. That side of house gets all the wind and weather so there were some rotting places that had to be repaired and a new threshold to be built to keep it from happening again. Then we got a new front door--for free! We were blessed to be given some brand new doors and building materials from a friend who was selling their business. It looks sooooo nice. No more looking through the cracks like we could in the old one.
But the most exciting part is we got the outside painted. It looks so fresh and beautiful. The main part is a cream color and the trim is a rustic red. It is such a gorgeous, rich color of red and blends in nicely with the garage trim and the barn. And Don spent hours on my beloved OLD front screen door and gave it a complete overhaul--new screen, paint, wood, but the same old scroll work design that I love because it makes it look old. It is beautiful now. The front porch looks so very nice.
And on Friday the new window for Josh's old room (the one facing the driveway) will be in. The current window is barely hanging together as it has been broken by so many basketballs, etc. over the years.
And yesterday, the painters came and scraped all of that yukky, awful popcorn ceiling off of the living room, dining room, hall, kitchen and hall bathroom and put a new ceiling finish on that looks so fresh and clean. And right now, they are working in my kitchen repairing and painting my ugly, used up kitchen cabinets. And then they will repaint the hall bathroom.
So, the whole downstairs is a mess from all the stuff being moved around everywhere and stacked here and there. But all this has given me the incentive to really go through, clean out, and get rid of lots of stuff.
Remember Jenny's recent post where she posted pictures of the inside of my kitchen cabinets where I had old recipes and chore charts and other assorted tidbits from raising kids........I nearly cried when I had to remove all of them for the painters. But I took some pictures and was glad jenny had, also.
While I love the new looks and the sprucing up......change is still hard for me.

I will post some before and after pics soon.

I love October!

My sweet husband bought me these for our anniversary. Seven years.

Sunrise from our front yard.

My little Pork Chop asleep on the couch.

Alisa and I spent a few days at the ranch and went on many countryside adventures. These are some buffalo we saw.

And some deer who posed for us.

Pretty fall flowers were everywhere in Fredericksburg.

I just love this hay field on the way into town.

Wild turkeys.

This sunrise looked like a field of lava. So beautiful it took your breath away.

Another sunrise view taken on Pecan creek

"The heavens declare the glory of God"

Harper is a tiny town that is fun to visit. It is an old town.

I just love windmills.

The Pilot Knob old one room school house.

More fall flowers along a country back road.

Porky, again

"The chops"

Hasn't this October been just gorgeous. I love the deep blue skies, the cool mornings, the perfect days. A glorious month. It has been so good to just be home.

To school with Hayden

On the playground the boys were more interested watching the big machinery at work next door. They were so cute standing on their tiptoes to peek over the fence.

Is he saluting? Maybe he is trying to be like Uncle Adam.

He was suppose to be serving me grapes but most of them ended up in HIS mouth instead. I was very impressed with his ability to pour water from a pitcher into our cups. And after our snack he washed our dishes.

He had a shy moment in his classroom here. Was not ready to perform for his Gema yet. He was supposed to show me how he could cut with scissors.

Here is is telling me the names of the different kinds of balls on the cards. It was really fun having a snack with him and seeing his school during "Grandparent week".

Time is so weird. It just seems like yesterday my own kids were in preschool---and here I am with my GREAT GRAND-CHILD. Where did all that time go???

Storm Stories

Don and I have been working with Red Cross victims from the recent floods we had in Central Texas caused by Hurricane Hermine. Not much publicity about all this but we have heard some harrowing stories from the people we are helping. I would like to share some of them because I believe it shows how God protects and helps us and it might help you think more seriously about Disaster Preparedness. I believe EVERYONE should invest in a weather radio and HEED their warnings. Flash flooding can happen anywhere and sometimes happens where you least expect it....and it happens SUDDENLY.
The first family I interviewed was a single mom with two daughters, 16 and 20, and a 1 year old grandson. The 16 year old was awakened in the middle of the night because she heard water running and wondered why her Mom was taking a shower in the middle of the night. She stepped off her bed into 3 inches of water on the floor. She immediately woke everyone up and they called 911 who told them to evacuate the house after turning off the power breaker and then 911 hung up on them. When they opened the door to go to the car they were slammed against the wall by a wall of water coming in the door. They made it to the carport, the grandma holding the baby, the 20 year old holding onto the car, but the 16 year old was trapped in the middle of driveway with water rising all around her. She was afraid to move as she could feel it would suck her feet out from under her if she picked them up---which it did and she was swept away but thankfully able to grab a tree and hold onto it. Now here is what I call the "God part". There just happened to be (this is 1am in the morning) a city work crew in a huge front end loader at the end of their street who was watching them and hollered to the girl to hang on and they were able to drive in and rescue her--then they were able to form a chain to pass the baby from one to another til it was safe in the loader. Then they drove the loader to the other two who climbed in the bucket of the front end loader which carried them to the end of the street where it was dry. There was a policeman at the end of the street who told them to walk to the high school. The mother was frantic to get the workmen to go back down the street and help their elderly neighbors who were in their underwear outside clinging to the columns of their front porch so they were also rescued. The family said that while they had a creek in their backyard, the water was not coming from that but from somewhere else and this had never happened before.
The city (Round Rock) was overwelmed with 911 calls and simply could not handle it. Fire crews were sent to the most severe cases and most areas were left to save themselves and their neighbors. And in this case, I do not think the weather radio really would have helped much as they had been giving flash flood warnings and small stream advisaries but they were not very specific other than telling you which counties. They could not predict which areas were most dangerous. 911 did make calls to some people telling them to get out but by that time their vehicles were flooded and they could only walk out. A very scary situation. I honestly do not know how you could prepare for this if your area had never flooded before and you thought you would be safe. So I would say, you must know where to cut your power off. If you are swept away keep your head above water and grab a tree or post or anything stable and hang on tight. And most of all help your neighbors--do not expect that someone else will come to help them.
An added blessing to the story above: the 16 year old had a pet guinea pig whom they thought for sure died in the flood as the water was over 5 feet inside their home. So a family friend went back to the house alone once the waters had receded to take care of the dead pet. But when he walked in the door he heard the squeak, squeak sound the guinea pigs make. He was alive! What had saved him was he had been making such a mess on the floor with his litter that they had placed his cage in a rubbermaid tub so he kinda floated around all night in the tub but safe from the water. So it was a thrilling sight for the 16 year old to see her pet come out of the house alive.

I have more stories to tell but need to get to Bible study so will send them later.