Country Days....and an Update on Mother

We are loving our country days down here at the ranch.

I have had a lot on my mind lately what with Mother being in the hospital and Deanie bearing the brunt of the burden in seeing after her. I went for a walk yesterday afternoon to quiet my mind, think, pray and meditate. I first walked up to the big tank and sat in the end of a row boat that was up on the bank. 

This was my view.

You can barely see them if you enlarge this, but two of the goats are staked out there on the other side where they are eating the poison ivy. It doesn't bother them at all!

Then I walked up to the third tank and crossed over to the road leading to the gate.

April is the most beautiful month here -  with May being nearly just as nice.

There will be more flowers in May.

This is the first I have noticed any cactus on the ranch.

This looks similar - it's thorny and prickly but the red part is pretty.

I've been painting boards for the walls and Louis Dean has been putting them up.

He never gets as much done as he intends to but I was happy with these two new sections of wall - done by bedtime last night.

We went to bed early eating only a light supper of tuna salad and saltines.

I should have know he would get hungry in the night.

Normally I lay out a snack for him so he doesn't tear up the pantry rummaging around in there for something. He likes cereal so when he saw a banana in what he thought was a bowl (it was a colander!) - he filled it with Cheerios and poured in the milk.

He was shocked when the milk ran all over the place!

I was shocked this morning when I woke up to such a mess in the kitchen!

He had tried to clean it up.......but it was still a mess!

****Note to self****

Leave that man a snack sitting in plain sight that he can just pick up and eat!

We accomplished a lot today.

The entire wall that's on the camper side is now up and it looks good.

I'll have some pictures to share tomorrow. We are still 'glamping' but it's looking more and more like a real room!

I will close tonight with an update about our mother.

Deanie was at the hospital yesterday and again all day today.

Mother still smiles for any and all cameras!

They got her sodium levels up to 130 (135 is normal) before they started dropping again.

She was moved from the cardiac floor to another one yesterday and tonight she was released from the hospital and returned to the nursing home.

Hospice care is now in place and we are all preparing ourselves for what is coming.

It's not an easy task.

So many emotions.

On Sunday,  Louis Dean and I will drive to Fort Worth and visit Mother.

I'm hoping by that time I will know in my heart if we need to just go on home.

My siblings and I have known this time would come and yet it still feels strange.

Arrangements have all been made years ago so we don't have to think about that.

Hospice will provide Mother with a higher quality of care.

I guess I got used to what Dr. Goldman said every year .....that Mother would live to be 100.

She would always say, "Sh*t!"

She's been ready to go for a long time now.

I've been trying to wrap my head around all of this as are my siblings.

We really appreciate your kindness in praying for us.