Our Country Weekend!

Louis Dean and I did good getting everything ready to come down to the ranch on Thursday so all we had to do was wake up good, pack the perishables, lock up and leave on Friday!

We took both vehicles as the AC is out on my car. It's not really OUT because it blows - just not COLD air. We followed each other up to the QT to fill both tanks with fuel. Then Louis Dean and the cats headed on out to the road while I went to the bank first.

Even though he got a head start, I ended up in Hillsboro before he did!

That's where we met for lunch.

I was waiting for him at Whataburger and it was GOOD!

Different towns are doing different things with this pandemic.

In the fast food places - some are not allowing dining IN and some ARE.

They all limit the number of customers inside.

We had the cats with us so I got the food and we ate in the truck - with the AC on!

Hillsboro is where we really parted ways.

He went on to the ranch by way of the country roads while I stayed on I35 to the HEB in Bellmead.

It was kind of nice to have some alone time.

I did some thinking and some praying.

Ronnie - the metal guy who put up our roof and is going to put us in a carport, skirting and gutters - called to let me know that some of the materials had been delivered and the rest would be here Monday. He had planned to do the job this weekend but it will now be NEXT weekend.

It doesn't pay to get bent out of shape over things.

No problem!

I think it was 2:00 when I left the grocery store and I drove straight to Ronnie's Mechanic Shop in Mart to drop off the car.

  I had brought freon and he checked the gages first and then added some.

Still not cool. He said it must be the AC Expansion Valve. He would take it off and we could go get the part plus more freon and bring them back. Sherry magically appeared to load me and my groceries up and take us back to the ranch. She had called and I told her I might not need a ride but she just knew that I would and came to get me anyway! She is awesome!

We unloaded my groceries and then Sherry offered to take me to Waco to get the part.

Louis Dean was so relieved he didn't have to go. He was itching to get the electric line out to his pond and the water line out to the back of the garden area.

So we took off for a Girls Night Out!

Got the part plus did some errands......and decided to eat dinner at Cheddar's

It was so good!!

That margarita hit the spot!

I got the vegetable plate and brought the potato and broccoli home.

Sherry ordered the appetizer platter and brought some of her chicken home.

That spinach dip is SO good!

We both LOVED it even though neither one of us likes spinach!

It was after dark when we got home!

I came in and put up the rest of the groceries plus did 'Damage Control.'

Louis Dean had been home alone!

We sat out on the front deck and watched the stars.

I love the Sky Guide app for my phone.

Rosey recommended it. 

I noticed a warm colored star and wondered what it was.

I turned the app on, held my phone up to the sky and it shows the constellations and planets.....

we were looking at Mars.

Saturday morning I had my alarm set for 8:00.

Sherry, Dean and I were going to drive to Hamilton, Texas - about 2 hours away - to meet Roy and Ruth Ann at Sherry's parents home. They are up North doing church building work as they do every summer. Their house is the halfway point from both the ranch and Roy and Ruth Ann's farm.

It was a great afternoon of visiting and catching up!!

Ruth Ann knew I was at the ranch but she didn't know I was comimg to Hamilton so she was surprised! The last time we had seen each other was October 2019.

THIS is my favorite photo of the entire weekend!

We talked and laughed and ate our way through the entire afternoon!

Sherry makes the BEST deviled eggs! She brought ham and smoked ribs, black eyed peas and potato salad. I brought a huge super sweet cantaloupe and Ruth Ann brought a chocolate pie and a lemon pie. It was like Thanksgiving!

I loved Sherry's parents house!

They have a huge deck in the back and it looks out onto a pasture with a lot of donkeys!

I could have stayed outside looking at all there was to see for hours!

On our way to Hamilton, Ronnie called and gave us the news that the AC was still not cool.

He took off more things so he could get to the AC condenser and found that it was completely clogged and it had a hole in it! So I called just about every auto shop in McGregor, Hamilton, Hewitt and Bellmead looking for a replacement. Finally found one in Hewitt and they held it for me until we got there after we finished visiting. Except that it wasn't the right one! My car is a 4 cylinder and the one they had was for a 6 cylinder. Back to search mode. The Autozone in Bellmead said they could order it and it would be there Sunday morning. I said, "Great!" Then he said to come into the store and order it. They couldn't do it over the phone.

I was making all these calls as we were driving back to the ranch and fortunately, we were right where the road split so we headed to Bellmead instead of to Mart!

Got it ordered and paid for!

I got back to the camper/cabin in time to do more damage control but Louis Dean had a lot to 'Show and Tell!' Electric line is in to the pond. No more extension cord.

Water line in and faucet installed at the back side of the garden.

I sat outside for a little while but I had to go to bed.

Mars had not come up yet but Louis Dean said he stayed out there long enough to see it before coming in.

Last Sunday I was IN church for Pastor Ed's first sermon on Blindspot.

It was powerful.

There are two ways to view the world.

From God's point of view or man's.

God's view is absolute.

Secular view is relative.

This is such a good series.

I was confused about so much going on in the world right now.

This morning we watched the second sermon in the series live online.

I copied Amber's notes into my prayer book.....they were in the service.....

and she shared the visuals I didn't get to see clear enough online.

I am thinking about the way I think....

Have you any idea how many thoughts we have a day?

Something like 50,000!

After church I cooked up a big breakfast and called the Autozone store to see if the part had come in.

It had not.

I did some things around here and called again two hours later.

It was there!!

Louis Dean wanted to stay here and work on his projects so I acted like a big girl and drove the big white truck back to Bellmead.

I'm so grateful to get this part!

Made in China....

AND Cambodia?

 Next, I had to go to Walmart for the freon.

I KNOW they have some at the auto parts but it is WAY cheaper at Walmart!

Ronnie told me and he was right! $4.88 a can!

However, by the time I parked at Walmart by the end where the automotive is, I then discovered I had to walk all the way to the other entrance as they had closed that one. ONE entrance to Walmart.

Then I had to walk down the fenced in area to go in. Then walk WAY over to the automotive. Then walk WAY back. Then the long walk back to the parking lot.

I drove back to Mart and took the part and the freon and walked the chunky gravel path into Ronnie's garage. Then more walking over to where my car was. By this time every step was painful due to my increasingly arthritic feet and ankles. Then I walked all the way back to the truck to get my $$ and then back in on that chunky gravel. I mean BIG chunks that make me grip my feet and toes.

By the time I got back to the ranch, I could barely walk. AND I had used up all my nice.

All I wanted to do was cry. Poor Louis Dean. He wisely suggested I go to bed for awhile and he would stay out in the front room or outside and not wake me up.

While I didn't go to sleep, I did do my quiet time and rested.

All I really wanted to do today was art and finally I did!

It was 7:00 but I had already set the table up last night.

This red barn painting is now finished and I am loving it!

Only one more thing to do......

Add the falling snow which is such a fun thing to paint!

I took a big black trash sack outside to the front deck where we park the truck and set my palette on the tail gate while I put the painting on the plastic covered table.

I had my jar of turpentine and an inch wide sable brush. I used to use a fan brush but I tried this tonight and it worked well. I use the turp to thin the white oil paint and then I rest the loaded brush on my left wrist and gently tap it.

It starts snowing like magic!

I touched up the two Santa couples and worked on a landscape.

Tomorrow I will start on some new paintings!!!