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By Ruth Gadberry
We’ve had quite a few clouds to go with the hot weather of last week. Yes, showers have popped up here and there, now and then this past week. No one seems to have gotten a good, soaking rain but the showers are encouraging. The weather people think we might get some rain that can actually be measured this week, especially on Tuesday. Bring it on! It will be welcome.
Yes, it’s goodbye July, hello August this week. Kids are getting ready to go back to school and there is a lot of controversy about that. Is it safe for kids to go back to school? Will they be required to wear masks all day? Will those who, with their parents permission, choose to stay home and take classes on line be permitted to do so? Will that be effective? Will they miss a lot by not being in the classroom? Will they be safer? If they start the school year by staying home and taking classes online, will they be allowed to return to school later in the year if they want to? There are a lot of decisions to be made and most folks really don’t know what would be best for their kids, for the teachers, and everybody involved.
How about busses? Will there be any special changes for that? What about the lunchroom? Kids can’t eat lunches wearing masks can they? How about the lunchroom ladies? They’ll wear masks too won’t they? Won’t it be awfully hot, cooking and wearing masks? If the restaurant people can do it….
Sunday was a good day at Stringtown First Baptist Church. At the close of the service Preacher Joey asked his wife, Shelly, to stand with him. He also asked the deacons and their wives, Preacher Loyd, Rickie and maybe others. Then he asked if anyone wanted to pray and needed someone to pray with them, come and pray with someone standing there. Lots of people did. They prayed for many different people and things. For themselves, their families, friends, and numerous other people. God listened. Some people made commitments to Almighty God for the first time ever. Others renewed their relationships with God. Others cried out to God for their families and those they loved. It was a pretty special time. There are some baptisms scheduled for next Sunday morning! When God’s people get serious with God, things happen!
The 24 hour intercessory prayer that was supposed to have taken place this past weekend has been postponed until August 7-8. People are signing up to pray at different times from 6:00 o’clock Friday night until 6:00 o’clock Saturday night with someone praying continuously. Preacher Joey, must people go to the church to pray? Can they sign up and pray at home? JC and Ruth have taken part in this type of prayer and it’s really rewarding. However, that’s been long ago at a different church and they were much younger and didn’t mind going to the church at any hour. Now, well, it’s a bit different. Going to the church is great, the best way to do it. When you are old and don’t live close to the church, well, just wondering.
Johnny and Virginia weren’t in their place at church Sunday morning and were missed. Something must be wrong. They are ALWAYS there. Beth stopped by to check on her neighbors and discovered that Virginia wasn’t feeling all that great Sunday morning. She hadn’t felt well Saturday night and didn’t sleep well so they didn’t make it. Hopefully she is feeling much better this week. It seems that the volleyball games after church were such a success that they will be doing it again this week. Did we hear that the adults won? Come on, Kids! You can do better than that. Don’t let those ‘old’ people beat you! They had a pizza lunch last week but it seems that chili dogs are the menu for this week. You’re invited to come and join the fun.
The question is: When do we go back to having Sunday School, running the busses. Youth and Kids activities, Children’s Church and that sort of thing? It’s been decided to wait until the kids return to school and see how that works out. Then decide what to do about Sunday School. Some are in favor of returning to Sunday School but spread out as much as possible and everyone wear masks. Others think it would be best to wait for awhile. Decisions, decisions! Everybody wants to make the right decision. The one that would be right for ALL the people.
By the way, Virginia had an interesting theory about how the bed springs got up in the tree alongside Beth and Ray’s driveway. She said that way back long, long ago, when someone finished using something they just tossed it out in the pasture or wherever they happened to be. She thinks maybe someone tossed out the springs and a tree sprouted and grew up through the springs. As the tree got bigger, it took the springs up with it and, there you have it; bed springs in a tree!
Beth and Ray haven’t checked yet to see if the tree has actually grown up through the springs or if the springs are just perched in the tree.
Another theory is that possibly a tornado, maybe even the one in Tushka a few years ago, picked up the springs from who knows where and deposited them in the tree. If you have any other theories, let Beth and Ray know. If you are missing some old rusty coil bed springs, well, Beth can tell you what tree to find them in.
The Covid-l9 virus hasn’t gone away yet and is still causing problems everywhere it goes. It didn’t even slow down when it got to the border into Mexico but just jumped across the river and caused many problems for those folks as well. Esther is quite concerned about her family in Mexico. The virus is on a rampage and her family is right in the middle of it. She can’t go to Mexico to be with them and take care of them. Of course they can’t come here either. Do join Jamie and Esther in praying for her family, friends, and church in Mexico!
Beth and Ray had surprise visitors this past weekend. Beth’s daughter, Dionna and her husband Thomas and daughter Kaelin came from South Texas for a weekend visit. Well, see, Thomas had a job interview in Ardmore. Yes, he was hired. So now they have to find a place to live in this part of Oklahoma, or maybe in Greenville, Texas. They’d like to be in Oklahoma, sorta close to their family and cousins and everybody. Who would ever have thought Dionna would be ready to move to Oklahoma? Well, for that matter, who ever thought her mother, Beth, would ever move to Oklahoma?
Thomas and Dionna went back home Monday afternoon but Kaelin chose to stay with her GranBee this week. She is getting pretty good at driving the chuck wagon but wanted to get in a little more practice. Ray even lets her drive it by herself. Well, just in the pasture, around the house; that sort of thing. Beth has let her venture out a little farther. With Beth along, of course. Thomas and Dionna plan to come back next weekend to search out areas where they might find a place to live. They would consider Ardmore, Ada, Durant, Greenville and maybe other places. They want a good school for Jordan and Kaelin. Any suggestions? Jordan didn’t come with them; she was working. She will be a Junior in High School this year and Kaelin, aren’t you in the fifth grade? Something like that?
They got to see Roy, Kathy, Brooklyn and Carter Sunday evening but didn’t see any of the Barfield cousins or Zack and Amber. Wherever they move it will be a lot closer than where they live now.
Brooklyn was delighted to have Kaelin, a real cousin around and decided instantly that they could be friends. Roy sent them out to count the bales of hay stored for the cows to eat this winter. When they came back in to report they brought a shoe; a flip-flop. Where did it come from? Did someone lose it in the hay? Roy said they probably baled up the shoe and if they kept looking they might find a little girl balled up in the hay. Mmmm.
A big part of the Barfield Bunch went to Branson last week for a few days vacation. Let’s see; Kenneth and Jan, Jaci and her son Rhylar, Jay, Sasha, Jace, Jarret, and Jadyn (Pickle). And Sasha’s parents decided to join them there. Jaelin and her boys. Gunner and Westyn, stayed home and babysat Jan’s two baby deer and Rona, the resident raccoon. The other raccoon was no longer with them. It had sort of met with foul play. It must have encountered a creature that was bigger than it was. Most likely a dog and the dog won. Well, it was free to go wherever it wanted to go and just went where it shouldn’t have gone. They found its body at the foot of a tree; it just didn’t quite make it up the tree in time.
Rona was delighted to see her family. Is Rona a him, or a her? When they came home. She had to be confined to a pen while they were away instead of being free to roam wherever she wanted to roam. She was so excited to see them she danced around, running first to one and then another of her ‘family’. Then she climbed up on Kenneth’s shoulder and that’s where she stayed. While he drove the tractor, fed the cows, or did whatever it was that needed to be done. Rona rode right along on Kenneth’s shoulder.
Beth, Ray, and Ruth all decided they wanted to raise guineas this year. Ruth has had guineas before and really misses not having them around. She even enjoys their noisy chatter. She especially likes how they keep down the grasshopper and tick population, along with lots of other bugs and insects. Well, Brayden got the guineas for them but was going to keep them until they got a bit bigger and until Ray got his guinea hut and pen built. It’s in the process but not finished yet.
Then Brayden was going to be away from home for a few days and needed a baby sitter for the guineas. Ruth could have put them in the Henhouse Hilton but Beth chose to keep them. They are still living in a box, or tote, or whatever. Ray is hurrying with the guinea pen. Well, sort of. Anyway, she and Kaelin seem to be enjoying the little fellows. Some of them are babies and some of them are a bit bigger; maybe ready to live in Ruth’s Guinea Inn. So one of these days soon they will be hearing guinea chatter again.
Do you greet each new day with ‘Good Morning, Lord!’ Or do you say ‘Good Lord! Morning!’