Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I git by with a little help from my friends

Strength is returning, bit by bit. Thanks dear friends for your thoughts and prayers. I tended to my critters this morning. ...'felt good to get back out in it. I am more than a little weary after a normal day's activities. Truthfully, probably less than a normal day's activities. Jer needs me to help with homework.
Wise Words

Below you will find a copy of an email I received from a friend today. I believe it contains wisdom for young and old alike. Though, us just a bit older ones may find it somewhat more humorous.

Just remember:

Matthew 6:25-34 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

George Carlin's Views on Aging
(Absolutely Brilliant )
IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. .
George Carlin's Views on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?
If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half.. You're four and a half, going on five!
That's the keyYou get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life .
.. . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30.
Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's No fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?You BECOME 21,
..you TURN 30,
then you're PUSHING 40...
Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 And your dreams are gone.But wait!!!
You MAKE it to 60.
You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!
After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime And it doesn't end there.
Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again.
"I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's. (MY FAVORITE)
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our enti re life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,improve it. If it is beyond what you can improv e, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Sick

I have been down & out for almost three days. Please pray for speedy and complete healing. I am behinder every day.
Thanks
sek

Friday, January 26, 2007

Mom of the Year



http://aliviarachelhaughery32005.blogspot.com/

I was checking out some pics on another blog, link above. Title is "Whose the Cutest Girl Around" I downloaded this picture of mom and cutie pie, and was playing around with it on my computer. I do not have any fancy software or anything, but I did some cropping and red-eye removal and was kind of pleased with the results. My meager computer/Internet skills did not provide me with the ability to upload this doctored photo into a comment. I wanted to send/give it to Emily. I cropped it out of a larger one. Smaller and closer up you can see the beauty of Jesus in them both. I am so blown away by Emily's faith and strength as she and her family walk through a very difficult time. You can still see a bit of the hospital stuff in the background so you might imagine some of their trials.
I think maybe I will leave a post on her blog about the picture being here. Here for her. Kind of a round about way to give a gift, a gift of sorts. I guess. I am way to tentative tonight.

And Tori, thanks for the kind thoughts. I am so blessed to have good friends. When you are a cat... and you live twenty years... you get to meet a lot of people. Tiger was loved by more than a few non-cat folk.
My Cat

I should have written this two days ago. I wanted to write about it when it was all fresh in my mind and pressed hard on my heart.

Our family was privileged to have a pet cat, Tiger, for almost twenty years. On this past Wednesday I took her to the vet for the lethal injection. As I sit here in the family room/TV room, I am reminded why we had to take that fateful trip. Even with no teeth, minimal eyesight, poor balance, and a feeble gait, she was healthy. Except for an occasional coughed up hairball, there was minimal evidence of her advanced age. Her favorite spot was my lap, laptop computer keyboard, or the quilt I was currently quilting, wherever would be the most inconvenient. She would curl up in a tiny ball, weighing not quite five pounds, she was never very big; curling up, purring loudly and making herself very comfortable up on whatever part of me she could find flat and stationary.

The reason she had to go to the vet, she seemed to have forgotten where her litter box was kept, and honestly I think she was not even conscious of her number one activity. The furnace blower just kicked off and the fumes have dissipated. The odor is still around. Much carpet and a bit of furniture will need a good scrubbing to rid the house of the smelly leftover memory. I am anxious to get that done. Still, I am sad. That tiny feline has left a large void. No pun intended. Heh, she might like that.

When my boys were young she was like a second dog. Wherever you saw the two boys you would see a reddish-yellow lab mix, and a small gray tiger cat. I have a memory of the boys, well trained in some areas, walking up the road single file, behind them a dog, and then the cat. Its not atypical to see boys and a dog walking up a country road, but to see a cat tagging along behind was quite the sight. I a sure my mom's memory may have colored the picture a bit, but to me it is one of the sweetest I own.

I have to quit for now. I want to share what a trooper this little friend was despite being an outside pet and having a diet of cheap dog food for over ten years. Playing with a fishing lure dangling from a boys pole on the back porch, she was caught, hooked, in the gum. My husband and I posing as oral surgeons removed most of the hook, snipping it off at the barb above an eye tooth. The remaining brass had sunk deep into her jawbone and left to rot out. OK, I guess I did continue on. Now, off to supper.
I miss my cat.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Windy Rider

The wind sure is a howling outside my window. I am fixing to head out into the bluster in a few moments. Jer will be getting off the bus; horses will need fed; trips to basketball games will need to be made. Busy afternoon/evening. You know it is a fierce wind when you can hear it inside my home, recent...ten+ years ago, renovation left us with a highly insulated very wind tight house. Hearing the wind while inside means its really loud outside. burrr. Yes, I am the one who enjoys the cold temps, with the minor exception of hurling winds and sideways rain. Cold brisk...cold clear...cold and sunny, my personal best.

I think I figured out what my problem is, one of them anyway. I think I need to ride a horse. The doc asked if I was riding, emphasising what already know, that horses are good for folks. Maybe my body needs a good horse shaking, when they do that thing where they shake all over. If you stay on you get the best massage. Just thinking about sitting on my horse, riding around in endless ovals, gets my hairs a prickle

I have just been soooo tired, achy, all over weak. Knowing I was never pushing for Ms. Muscles is true, but my overall output has been seriously downsized. I need to be asking God for some of His power, and to be more diligent to pray for my own healing. Considering my somewhat moderate to liberal stance on so many social issues, yes I have been listening to Tony Campola again, it should come as no surprise that I am an equal opportunity prayer taker... :)
The Cat in the Tree

Why is it the coolest stuff happens when you have no camera? On our way out the driveway this morning, I was taking my stable boy home, we saw a cat in a tree. Not tremendously unique you might say. True, in a sense, but this was not a huge tree, nor a huge cat; it was a gray, bleary morning and the dark shape of the cat and darker still thin bony branches, stood stark against the whiteness of everything else. Slowing just a bit and I comment to my helper that I wish I had a camera. Of course I did have a camera! My phone! Creeping to a stop while digging furiously into the front pocket of my more than snug jeans, no easy task while sitting, backing up, all while keeping an eye on the brown fur ball in the tree. Even before I slid to a stop disappointment wells, I can see her picking her way down through the branches, landing gingerly on the frosty white carpet. The phone out of my pocket pointed at the blur that is the empty tree is too little to late, trite huh. Cleo, methodically high steps off to the warm dry barn. S. and I sit in the car knowing the sight will not be appreciated by any save ourselves. Savoring the picture only a second we head back up the driveway.

If I could sketch I would do that, but I can't. Life is full of those moments that can truly only be experienced by the experiencer. Perhaps if I was a better writer I could peck out more distinctly the cat in the tree, or maybe I am just not taking the time here and now. Still, I think God sometimes gives us little gifts all are own; just to remind us of His beauty, or His Glory, or maybe His sense of humor. The cat in the tree was a bit of all three. I remember some time ago a friend gave me on of those little wallet cards, "A coincidence is when God makes a miracle and remains anonymous." Little every day miracles happen all around us; although it is my thought that they are not so anonymous. The whole Bible is a signed autobiographical testament to His Majesty and power in big miracles and in the not so big.

It is so important to not let a day pass without keeping our eyes, both of them, open and expectant for all the miracles of God; dancing snowflakes, the way the sun breaks though the clouds, a teeny tiny ant hauling a super sized meal home to his family. Every breath of every creature is an act of our magnificent God. Whew! Gotta love life.

Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Not LAZY, but...l-a-a-z-z-zy

Referring to a previous post; I don't think I was meaning character lazy. I think what I was thinking about when I posted Lazy Lady, was more like lazy dazy, lazy river, laid back.

I know in the past and most likely again sometime in the future, I have/will struggle with a bit a self-depreciating self-speak. So, I do appreciate the input 'cause I walk on the edge of bad habits, sin, and otherwise spirit destructive actions. I am quite thankful that I have such dear friends; they have so diligently stood beside me encouraging, exhorting, lifting me up, fetching me back home when I have drifted beyond my own back yard.

Anyway, I am beyond tired and am off to bed. It has taken me over 45 minutes to peck out these few words. I am just bursting with on of those thoughts that is just stuck at;
"thanks God for such a blessed life."

Isa 41:6
...each helps the other and says to his brother, "Be strong!"
Repent

Ac 8:22 -
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart


OK, any Bible studiers will be able to tell I took this verse out of context. In fact I do not even know what the context is. I simply did a search on the word "repent" 'cause I knew that is what I have to do. I just screamed at my son and my husband, for not saying it was OK that I had
screamed at my son. How sick is that? Ick! Yuck! Man, I can sure be a monster. I feel like such a witch. I know I am not a witch. I know I am forgiven as soon as I repent. BUT anyone who has ever unleashed the wrath of mom on anyone, any-child, knows the sorrow I feel. OH GOD, cleanse my heart of vile. careless words.

One of my favorite mom mantras was, is, "...the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. AND it never gets you what you want anyway." All anger ever does is bore into our peace, our joy, our relationships; and wreak havoc.

I not only have to ask my young son to forgive me, I must pray that God repairs his tender heart.

I still have to finish the night chores, alone. Yep, in my anger I banished my helper to the house. Some justice is swift.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Lazy Lady

I have been enjoying the increased freedom I have in the barn because of the hard word of my new stable boy. He is catching on quick and taking a big physical load off of my weary back. However, it might seem as though I am not using this freedom to continue down fledgling paths recently hewed from some severely overgrown forests. I had been enjoying a renewed interest and discipline in the areas of writing and of reading God's word. These new habits had been practiced primarily before, after, and during my barn time.

The last few evenings because of other commitments have not given time to creativity or study. The mornings when my new helper is here I have to felt released to go off to sit and write, or read. I know that is part of the goal behind his hiring. Not that I have wasted the extra time/energy combo; I have been able to care for some horsey needs that had been neglected. I took Zulu out today and let her run in the round pen. She enjoyed rolling and kicking up her heels. I also put a coat on Poco. His winter coat is thin and I wanted he and Buddy to spend the day outside. The temperature is mild but the snow would dampen his skin and he did not do well with cold and wet the last time he got cold and wet. Yesterday Sonny got some exercise and a little grooming. I also jacketed him up, more to keep him clean than any other reason.

I think I may need to meditate on the bow bending Scripture since my fatigue level seems to be much higher than usual. So for now I am going to take a nap.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Chiller Morning

The sun is OUT and I am loving it. Yes, it is a bit cool, 21* at 9:38 AM. I am certain it has warmed up since 7:30. But heck the sun is out. I have to run down to the house; I sprayed water on the front of my jeans and it is beginning to sink in past the under armour. But I wanted to share the joy of the morning with everyone.

I think I am going to change now or hopefully take a hair dryer to my pants so I do not have to peel off the skin tight under alls.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

More on the boots

No clipping of boots tonight. I do not know if it is the cold or the over saturation of moisture, but the ol' boots are not making much noise tonight.
I closed the barn up tight tonight. A bitter wind was whipping into my horsey house this evening, blowing hay and bedding all over the place; not to mention tales and manes. I need to get the clasps fixed that hold the stall doors closed. I can lock the bottom half of the dutch style doors, but I cannot fasten the top to the bottom. Hence, even if the bottom is locked the top could swing open and allow the wind to continue to swirl inside. I had to use some baler twine to tie the top the bottom.

I am thinking we are like this, well me anyway. I sort of try and guard my heart and mind. I figure if I make the effort I should get the credit. Right? Wrong! If I had not taken the extra time to make sure the doors were fastened tight, the wind would continue to come in and continue to make the barn uncomfortable. Now it is warm and secure.

Lesson: Take the extra effort required to protect ourselves from ourselves, to guard our hearts, to keep out thoughts pure, and to run from temptation. I want to be challenged not to simply yank the door shut behind me but to turn, make sure it is latched, and to solidly bolt the door.
Proverbs: 4:23 -
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life

Monday, January 15, 2007

Rain Rain GO AWAY

rain, rain, rain, rain,
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN,
RAIN,RAIN,RAIN...OK
Enough rain, please God.

'Cause I have
mud, mud, mud,
MUD, MUD, MUD,

MUD, MUD, MUD,
MUD, MUD, MUD...

I suppose you get the picture.
I am not sure if that is OK to ask God? But I sure have a swamp full of MUD. Anything that can ever be green is soggy, soggy, soggy. I will let it rest at that. So please a little less rain God.
I need a big helping of :

Php 4:11 -
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

I need to suck it up a bit. I told the horses, yes I did, that they were not standing in the middle of some low-lying field, that their roof does not leak, they have lots of good green hay, they have fairly large stalls. So, they are dry, fed, warm, albeit a bit damp from the 1oo%+ humidity.

So we, me and the equines, decided not to complain but to rejoice in all circumstances.
Just yesterday I was going to write:
joy, joy, joy, joy,
JOY, JOY, JOY,
JOY, JOY, JOY,
JOY, JOY, JOY!!!
Something happened that pushed my joy button, not a big thing just a little family thing that caused me to see how Good God is all the time.

I need to get back to work; I started a project or two in the barn. I want to finish up so I can head inside and do a
few of the "rainy day" projects I am always putting off.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

These Boots were Made for Walking

I love the sound of my boots on the barn aisle floor. Confident, strong, firm. Turning off the lights tonight, I again smiled while my weary feet sing across the floor. A little sappy I know. But I am a woman of simple pleasures. I read a story by a writer friend; she describes the sound of her heels clicking down a hallway on her way to an interview, as a no-traditional IUP graduate, seeking her first professional job. Got all that? Big sentence, deep meaning for us almost and over 50 folks.

My family waits in the house with dinner. Two cats are purring furiously, and gazing in rapt attention at my fumbling fingers, in attempts to nonchalantly land on the keyboard. It as been a good day. Like I said I am a woman of simple pleasures. I fed each of the horses a couple of mini carrots as I turned out the lights. The firm crunching sound is another of my favorite things. I should break into Julie Andrews song, or not.
OK, I MUST get to the house and...oops the phone. They are going to eat without me. I'm out of here.
How Can it Be?

The Great Horse escape will have to wait

I found this headline this morning.
RALEIGH, N.C. - A mother found her 4-year-old daughter decapitated in her home, and police issued an arrest warrant for the girl's father.

How can it be? What? I am unable to comprehend what we do to one another. I say "we" to identify that we are all humans, created by the same eternal God. Apart from our Lord Jesus are any of us capable of such deplorable atrocities? Yes I cannot type/speak the answer with any vehemence. Yet, I know the answer is yes. Because apart from the saving grace of the Lord, we are all capable of anything.

Titus 3:3
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.


D-E-C-A-P-I-T-A-T-E-D! His four-year old daughter's head. Beyond my comprehension

Ephesians 4
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

So yes, they, those not under His Lordship, partakers of His saving grace, regenerated by the Power of His Holy Spirit; are darkened, hard hearted, lost all sensitivity, and given themselves over...

But the good news is:
Galatians 3 :22
But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

And what has been given?
Colossians 3;33
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry... 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

And what do we now have the power to put on:
3:12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.


Praise God we can live redeemed lives. Yes! But we must always be conscious of what we were and how easily we can slip backwards if we take our eyes off Christ. If we even for a moment deny His power and Lordship in our lives.

I do not want to end on sour note but on the beauty, love, and glory of our Lord. Deplorable, despicable, tragedies take place in this fallen world we live in. We must stand tall as beacons of light and love; so that those broken by a sinful world will see our light, the Son, and and run into His arms of restoration, healing love.


We must pray for this shattered family: John Patrick Violette, 37: father; Amber Violette, wife/mother; Katlin, daughter





Friday, January 12, 2007

Freaky Friday

Still trying to connect a spiritual lesson to today's events, the possibilities are limitless actually, but lets see to the story first.

Ever heard the old adage about horses and barn doors? Well, I had a couple of horses escape out of an open barn door today. The door was closed just not latched. Poco and Buddy nosed their way into the barn through the unlatched side door connecting their turnout to the barn. The main aisle doors in the barn were all wide open. So really, they broke in to break out.

If the break in-out were the beginning of the horse trials today that would be story enough. But Buddy and I began our conflict a bit earlier in the day. In my usual overly casual relationship I have with my equines, I had let Buddy and Poco in from their turnout to stomp around the aisle while I passed around the morning hay rations. both horses enjoy nosing through the trashcan and kicking around the waste hay looking for edible prizes. When it came time for the dynamic duo to go back outside for breakfast the rebellion began.

As long as Buddy is in the lead Poco will follow him anywhere. Out they went, peacefully, but for some reason Buddy decided in was better; for the first time this morning. Usually I can bully Buddy into doing what I want. He turned and headed back into the barn, I pushed against him, "back, back up Buddy." Buddy did not back. Buddy came forward, slamming hard into my side spinning me around and knocking me off balance and down to the barn floor. On the way down my arm bounced off the wheelbarrow sending throbbing pain into my back, hip, and upper arm. More than a little stunned, fortunately I had the presence of mind to roll out of the doorway, as Buddy's shadow was coming up fast. Trotting after his short brown friend he paid little notice to the whimpering woman lying in the damp hay.

Most horse folks know about the three second rule; if you do not respond to an offense within three seconds any discipline inflicted will not initiate behavior change, but only aid in stress relief for the one dispatching the discipline. Needless to say it took me longer than three seconds to drag battered body and ego up from the floor and across the barn to where the crops hang. Still it only seemed right, grabbing the short riding crop I applied it with frenzied force to Buddies butt. Whether he connected it to his pushy behavior I have not a clue; truly though I did feel a bit better after the little spanking. Buddy and Buddy's shadow spun around, slipping some on the loose hay, they headed for the still open turnout door. Limping over to the door, I stuck my head around to see the two rebels standing in the mud planning their next attack...
OK, now I am overreacting.

More on the great horse escape tomorrow.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Off to see the birthday boy

Chores to be done early, we have a birthday party to go to. Jeremiah has a friend who is turning seven. We are to be there in a half an hour. I am to do the chores whilst he does his homework. a quick prayer will have to cover both events. I have yet to fill in all the details for my husband, that may need a prayer also.

My energy level is still below the half-full mark. Need to call upon some of that bow-bending strength.
sek
Weary Start

Psalm 18: 29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? 32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Dragging a bit this morning. The chill is still a refreshing boost, but my body seems to beg for its bed. Heh heh. Even my CD in the computer is sluggish.

I have most of the chores finished but have dallied here in the office for too long. I love this psalm. I think I could use Psalm 18 for my only Bible reading. It seems to contain so much. I choose these verses to remind myself that God is my strength and He will pick me up and carry me through all my chores, not just the farming ones. My day stretches ahead of me like a winding road that twists out of sight just ahead. I know I only need the strength for the very next step; what lies ahead is in His hands not my own. Good thing 'cause I would most likely crawl into the bed over there and layer myself under a huge pile of blankets. And stay there.

But, since the Lord God says stand up and go, I go. I do not even need to bend a bow of bronze, just grain the whinnies and get to the house to put on street clothes. My son Ned is off to a men's retreat this afternoon. I folded and ironed some of his laundry last evening. It was left in various stages all over the kitchen and bathroom; in all fairness the bathroom contains the washer and dryer. Yet in order for me to tidy the kitchen I had to re pile his heaps, so it seemed just as easy to fold and iron. Of course by the time I was done I was too tired to finish the kitchen. Sorry Ali, she was here this morning. I do love that girl. I digress. My point being I should not have much "have to dos" when I get to the house. Much less than bending any bows or any such thing. I am sure my God will sustains me.
Off to finish feeding and then back to the house.
sek

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Wednesday Evening, Lesson learned

Only a second, again I need to run. Just finished the night feeding. I have to admit I rushed through the manure mucking. Not that mucking is the best description, more like shoveling round brown ice balls; but just as heavy and still won't fit in the overflowing wheelbarrels or gator. A dumping run or two to the top of the hill is sorely needed.

It is much colder tonight than it was this morning. I am so glad I learned about frozen hoses from a friend. Frozed water and water buckets, and water hoses are not an uncommon struggle in the barn. Something all us farmers must battle. I have some real nifty frost-free spigots installed at both ends of the stable area; and they work real good. But, big BUT here, they will not keep the hose from freezing if you do not drain all of the water from it after every use. AND if you do not disconnect the hose from the frost-free spigot water will freeze in the hose and in the mouth of the spigot, no matter how frost-free the rest of the contraption is.

Discussing this dilema with one of my horsey friends, she mentioned how she kept a short lenght of hose in her house, and brought it out with her every time she watered. How simple, yet how unthought of by me, and more than a few others I am assuming, as I had never heard of the like. A casual discussion with a dear friend over a simple problem has brought monumental change in the way I water my animals. I have a short lentgh of hose that I keep hung in the heated alcove, the one right off my heated office in my barn. I do not even have to lug a messy old hose from my house. I have it pretty darn good thanks to my sweet considerate generous husband. When I hook up the clean unfrozen hose to my frost-free spigot the water just come out. Every time I reach for my nice warm supple hose hanging over the sink, located above the electric baseboard heater, I am thankful for my friends words and my husbands thoughtfulness.


Lesson Learned: It is amazing what we can learn from our dear friends when we just listen and share are woes, no matter how mudane. We have so much to offer each other. Embrace the people God has put in your life and give thanks.
Wednesday

Ten in the morning, no a bit afer ten; I have to run to the house and grab a quick shower. Jer has an appointment at the Dr.'s office in Elderton in about a half hour. Everything was cold in the barn this morning. I don't mind though. Working in the weather, whatever the weather, is invigorating and spiritually satisfying:

Proverbs 12:14-14 14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.

Hard work brings forth pains and muscles of all sorts; but there is something about physical work that breeds more than just physical muscles. I believe God created man/woman to work hard; and in doing that work we are satisfied in body and spirit. The work of a man/lady comes back to him/her. Ok, so we are rewarded in the fleshly sense with the blessing of being able to see with our eyes the result of the work of our hands. A good thing.
So much or our lives are quite complicated; not everything has to be. If we are faithful in little God promises to give us more. A little hard work can result in the reaping of a greater good.

All this is a bit ambigous, yet the principle is sound. I cannot always do a bunch of hard work, but even a little streaching of the muscles streaches my heart and mind toward heavenly places.
Nuff for now, I am late for the shower.