Weekly Update: 6.17.23
Happy Saturday, everyone! It has been a productive week of finishings for us in some areas, and new beginnings in others. It was the last week of spring, and it felt as if nature itself was making the most of it with several cool, rainy days. The wet weather left the world watered and green, poised for summer and its wild bounty.
It rained most of Saturday, which meant we took a break from our regular projects. I took the opportunity to try a new recipe for slow-cooker granola. I love granola and prefer making it myself since I can control the sugar content. I adapted this recipe to use part honey and part erythritol. I was impressed with the result. I can't say it is quite as crisp as oven-baked granola, but for the situation we are in, I'm thrilled with the results!
I also whipped up some sugar-free strawberry frozen custard. Ice cream has become a Sunday tradition, and I always love the opportunity to try a new recipe. It turned out tasty -- though it was a rather cool treat for a chilly, rainy Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, we went to church and attended our first, old-fashioned potluck since before the pandemic. Prepping for the potluck on Saturday night -- in a wall tent -- felt a bit adventurous, but all of us ladies came together and made quick work of it. And on Sunday, we so enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship and get to know brothers and sisters in Christ.
Once we started the work week, we finished up several projects. We finished digging the post holes for our garden fence -- finally! Special thanks to our brother, Jeremiah, who decided to plow through the final eight after work on Monday. We are truly blessed having brothers who can lend the use of their muscle to our projects. We finished cutting the posts on Thursday and Friday, so we are ready to put up our fence this next week!
We also finished digging our footing holes. That is a project we began last fall, so it feels very exciting to be moving on to the next phase -- actually pouring our footings. Our foundation supplies were supposed to arrive this week, but Menard's called to let us know they will actually be arriving next week. As crazy as the last few days have been, perhaps it's for the best.
And it has been a very crazy couple of days. On Thursday, Jeremiah picked up his new puppy -- an 8-week-old German Shepherd he named Dagger. Dagger is a dark black and tan, with fluffy hair that makes him look more like a little bear than anything else. He has captured the whole family's hearts already, with his soulful looks and sweet demeanor.
On the ride home with him, Jeremiah noticed a few odd symptoms. He assumed they were stress related due to the new environment, but when Dagger hadn't improved on Friday, Jeremiah decided to take him to our local veterinary clinic and get him looked at. Dad and I road along, as we needed gas in town anyway. The vet wasn't in, but a technician was concerned enough to send us to a veterinary hospital in Springfield where Dagger could be seen by more specialized staff. We took Dagger right away. It took a couple hours for the hospital to run some tests and do an examination. They couldn't find anything conclusive, but they were concerned about possible exposure to a toxin. They gave Dagger some fluids while he was there, and they sent home a few days worth of meds. They said to watch him and see if his symptoms improve over the weekend.
And so, we are watching little Dagger for improvement. He did seem much better last night than we have seen him so far. We are hopeful that perhaps he had gotten into something and that he will be fine as soon as it is out of his system. As I said above, we have already gotten attached to him, so we are praying for the little guy and reminding our selves that God cares even about the sparrows -- so He cares about this little pup, too.
It was a difficult ending to the week, but we are thankful for the goodness we are steeped in daily. I wouldn't trade this life -- even on the hard days.
