A Dog Chasing its Tail

That would describe my endeavors perfectly. I started this blog two months ago, and this is my first post. What happened in between?

We got 25 Barred Rock chicks. We're already down to 20. One of them died when the chicks were still in the brooder. Another passed away last week from internal injuries she sustained after paying a social call on our three Labrador Retrievers. I don't know what happened to the other three. No bodies were ever recovered. The chickens roam the yard freely; maybe a hawk got them. Of the 20 survivors, one lost part of her bottom beak. A few days later, the whole thing was gone. A freak beak accident? Weak Beak Syndrome? Inquiring minds want to know. She looks really odd if you hold her up and look at her mouth. I've been calling her Mona Lisa since she has such a mysterious smile. To add insult to injury, I had to clip off part of her top beak because it made it harder for her to get food to her mouth.



What else has happened? Emma competed in the District 4-H Fashion Show as a senior in the speciality construction division. She had to be interviewed by a panel of judges and model her costume in a fashion show. Filling out all of the paperwork was the least fun of the whole experience. Now we're dreading having to fill out new paperwork so that she can go on to state competition at Texas A&M in June. That trip will be fun, as we've never visited the campus before. Emma is already looking ahead to next year and considering what she will make. She has visions of ball gowns. Whatever she decides, I hope it doesn't require hoops. We have learned that modern auditorium seating does not accommodate them well. For that matter, they don't even accommodate hips well. I do wish I could opt to leave mine at home.

A few weeks ago we bought a used Bernina 1530 sewing machine and bid on a 45" LeClerc loom for Emma on the same day. She is thrilled with the way the Bernina sews, but boy! is it HEAVY! We pick up the loom on Sunday afternoon. It's 15-years-old, all apart, encrusted with dust, and affordable.




Nathaniel got a Toyota truck. Now he is working hard to earn enough money to keep gas in it. This is no easy feat with gas hovering at $3.20 a gallon and his desire to get to the golf course several times a week--a 40-mile roundtrip. He has started a lawn mowing business and is learning about advertising, customer service, and maintaining equipment.


Last Thursday Nathaniel drove Emma down to Galveston for their organ lessons. What a lovely, restful afternoon I had! It's the first time that I didn't have to go. After their lessons, they went on a guided tour of the Italianate-style mansion, Ashton Villa. The house was built in 1859. The guide told a story about one of the daughters, Rebecca, I think, who used to live in the house. She was fond of drama and adored dresses with trains. Sometimes the trains had kittens riding on them. Anyway, Rebecca kept her mirror adjusted at such an angle that she could see herself from the hall as she prepared to descend the stairs.

The last three days or so I have spent a lot of time pondering what America will be like after the collapse. I don't know exactly what is going to happen. I just can't see how we can continue with a sick culture and a government bent on self-destruction. I have read a little bit about what it was like in the USSR when it collapsed. I think it will be much harder for us. We're used to soft living. I read a piece of fiction by William S Lind about what it will be like after the worst is over. His view is that the country will break into several sections. Maybe this will be when the South Rises Again. It will be a good time to have a loom and a flock of laying hens.

Tomorrow we're going to the Salad and Spud Luncheon at the May Community Center so that we can hear The Starlight Sound Chorus. It's a Sweet Adeline singing group. Grandma is going with us.

Tomorrow night, Emma goes to her last Introduction to Smocking class at Sew Contempo in Clear Lake. She is smocking a nightgown for herself. Emma may join the Smocking Arts Guild of America if we can find a chapter close enough. One of their projects is to make little outfits for preemie babies who pass away. We saw one of the outfits in a display at the library. It's a tiny gown with a drawstring bottom and smocking across the top.