Weekly Update: 2.10.24
It was another week of false spring, as the southerly breeze blew warm air across the winter landscape. It looks like February, but it feels more like March -- not that any of us are complaining. It has been so temperate, we haven't even used the woodstove some days. Even when the nights are chilly, sunshine warms the tent and bunkhouse by midday. I found myself thankful again and again that I live in the Ozarks, where mild weeks routinely give us a rest from the more difficult winter weather.
We made good progress on the bunkhouse roof this week, as our brothers Levi and Jeremiah spent last Saturday installing insulation. They finished most of the insulation, fastening the panels down with one-by-four boards. I stayed busy passing supplies up to them -- a task that felt easy at the time but left my arms sore all week. Grace and Levi finished the insulation on Friday. We were especially thankful for Levi, as the last portion of the project was particularly tedious. We had to screw down into blocking that was hard to locate. Levi's patience and long suffering in the face of numerous mishaps was impressive -- we couldn't have done it without him.
When the men were at work, we ladies worked in the bunkhouse. Grace and I prepped the last of the roofing insulation one day. We spent the rest of the time working on the rake walls. Some days we made a lot of progress, while other days we ran into issues that slowed us down. Warped boards made keeping the rake walls straight rather tricky, and we found ourselves fixing mistakes when we wanted to be moving forward. Still, by the end of the week, we felt good about our progress and our efforts.
Bonnie-Jean and the kids spent a couple afternoons working on the driveway. The terrible mud we had a couple weeks ago was eye-opening, and we want to be more prepared next time.
Unfortunately, a large part of Bonnie-Jean's time was taken up with the German Shepherds this week. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned how Dagger had to go t0 the emergency vet in Fair Grove, as a thorn in his paw had turned into a swollen mess over the weekend. Since then, Dagger has been to our local vet once and had a much-needed return visit canceled do to a clinic scheduling error. Finally, Jeremiah decided to take Dagger to Bradford Park Veterinary hospital in Springfield -- where he had taken him as a new puppy after he had some toxicity symptoms.
The trip took most of the afternoon, but the results were worth it. The vet there knew right away that something was seriously wrong with Dagger's foot. They put him under and opened up the old would. They found a foreign body -- the thorn was unrecognizable after being in there for weeks. They reviewed some of the medications the other vet clinics had put Dagger on with some confusion. They gave him a new round of antibiotics as well as probiotics. They said he should be doing better within the week.
We were all relieved, especially Bonnie-Jean and Jeremiah. It's been quite the process, but we are all really hopeful this time. It is disappointing that it took us three different veterinary offices to get Dagger taken care of, but we feel like we learned a lot through the process. The next time we have a dog with any real trouble, we will be taking them to Bradford Park.
In our downtime this week, we have continued to enjoy our winter hobbies. We made popcorn and watched movies. Grace and I have kept our hands busy with crochet or beading. We've also enjoyed a little reading -- both fiction and homestead books. When summer comes, I'm going to miss these long, comfortable evenings in the tent.
The end of the week finds us all a little tired. We got a lot done, but some days felt more busy than productive, as little things kept going wrong for no obvious reason. Grace and I often reminded ourselves that so many of these things are like little tests. God enables us to achieve what He wants us to achieve each day. Sometimes He seems to want us to get a lot done. Sometimes it feels like He wants us to spend a day practicing positive attitudes in the face of frustration. There are days we succeed; other times, we don't quite measure up. But He is always good and faithful to call us to do better. And with His help, I know we can.
