Baby, it's warm inside.

It has been a long time since I have written of our adventures here on the prairie in the shadow of the Greenhorn Mountain. Please don't be fooled. Our days have not been adventureless. On the contrary, these have been six weeks of being so tired that when I finally sit down, I fall asleep almost immediately. Complete sentences are at times a thing of the past.

The last time that I wrote the leaves were changing. Those said leaves are gone-- gone to Kansas perhaps in the 85+ mph winds. We have not leaf one left to rake. There is a booth in the mall in Pueblo that is a wind tunnel that has 78 mph winds. You can pay money to stand in the hurricane force winds. My kids get the biggest kick out of seeing that booth. They tell me that we should charge people to come to our house and walk from the house to the stable in the wind. Powerful does not begin to describe the feel of those winds--- not to mention the noise. There is no such sweet sound as the absence of the wind after it has been blowing non-stop for ten or twelve hours. I hear tales of pioneer women going mad from the winds-- I believe it. The noise and the force of the wind is a beating of the body and the mind. What a beautiful and very small glimpse of the might of God followed by a momentary "aaahhh" at the peace and stillness He provides.

In the midst of the still and the windy days, our chores remain as before. There are animals to care for and the winter brings with it the addition of the chopping and stacking of firewood, moving around 100 pieces of wood to the stack on the front porch, bringing in 10-15 pieces each evening to have next to the wood-burning stove, keeping water in the cast iron kettle on the top of the stove, and starting a fire and keeping it going. We have been able to use only the stove so far this fall/winter (not our propane furnace) even through a few pretty good snows and many very cold days and nights below freezing. It has become a part of everyday life and is a warm and comforting part of our home. We are all continually learning that sometimes things that take some effort bring much joy.

Speaking of effort, my husband has put in almost eight years of effort toward a PhD. There is much joy in finishing something that has been much work. He will officially no longer be a student in a month and life beyond his studies is beginning to come over the horizon.

The winds of change are always around. There is much joy in the work and the rest and in the noise and the silence.

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Seasons

Things are changing. It is getting chilly here. We have had several nights in the twenties. We finally have our wood burning stove and have it hooked up. To have a fire, we needed wood. You can get a permit here for just a few dollars and head up the mountain and get up to three cords of wood you cut from fallen trees. We were fortunate for our first wood trip to know someone who has many trees down that he would love cleared out. Harland borrowed our pastor's chainsaw and filled up his truck bed with cut wood. The next several nights were filled with after-work wood splitting before dark. He said it is amazingly easier to do than he remembered. Funny how that works- he is no longer a scrawny sixth grader. He is a big tall grown man and the ax seems much lighter and smaller than it used to. He only needs a flannel plaid shirt.

The leaves continue to change into a myriad of bright colors, and the mountain tops are now covered with snow. The scenery changes day to day. There is a new found urgency to get winter gear in order--- serious winter gear. We have been told that it is very typical to have lots of snow on Halloween. I had better come up with some warm costumes.

We had a "Wild Kingdom" moment last week during an early breakfast before school. We looked out the kitchen window just after sunrise around 6:45am and saw something big and black running across the back field. We thought it was someone's loose cow (that happens sometimes), but we grabbed our binoculars that we keep handy and realized that it was not a cow. It was a really big black bear. He was running for the hills-- literally. He was a good mile or mile and a half from the hills which have some brush and tree cover. He ran the whole way across the fields. I am not sure what he had been after, but I bet he burned off whatever calories he had eaten. We do have some of the cacti with the red cactus flowers in the field. They are said to love them. Maybe he just got caught up in the lure of the cactus flowers and lost track of time. As he was running, we noticed that we were not the only ones watching him. There was a coyote following him in the high grass. As the bear headed over a little slope in the field, he came upon a herd of about twelve antelope. They were surprised and took off at cheetah-like speed away from the bear. It was one crazy breakfast. On the drive to school we followed up the morning animal fest with a few hawks, some deer, a fox, and some rabbits.

Things are changing constantly, and we are continually adapting. It is that way everywhere any of us live. It is just so evident in nature here that it causes me to think of the changes and the seasons of life more than when we lived in the hustle and bustle of the city. Reflection on where we have been in the summer and on the promise of a time of winter rest before the spring refreshing is a good thing. A time to reflect is good. Changes are good.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God had done from beginning to end."

A Little Six Month Update

Life in the country six months after moving:

I went to "town" yesterday to do some errands, and I had a car full of people in the Target parking lot ask me where I had been mudding because they were jealous of the mud on my vehicle. I was able to say that I had indeed not been mudding but just driving on the dirt and gravel roads to and from my house.

On Friday, I had a gal at work (who also lives in my area) ask me if my kids were at home. I replied that they were, and she told me I might want to text my husband and have him bring the kids inside for the day. The Department of Wildlife was on a bear hunt that morning to rid the area of some "bad bears". They were out to kill ten to fifteen bears who had become too at ease around people and their homes and trash. The warning had gone out for children to be inside in case a bear was injured but not killed and escaped the hunters. I let Harland know about the happenings, but was thankful that we live a little ways away from the high bear activity zone.

Our mouse issues have settled down in the past month or two. I am guessing that it is just warm weather (and lots of snakes-haha). We had an unexpected encounter this past week, however. We finally bought a wood burning stove for the house, and Harland moved it into the house and proceeded to remove the crate packaging that was around the approximately 300 pound beast. What was inside the crate?--- of course-- mice--- several mice and a nest to boot. These mice were not country mice. They had ridden in the crate from the city and were unable to think on their feet and escape. They moved very slowly, and we decided to use them to help teach our kittens about mice. We were able to catch two of them with a pair of pliers and throw them outside to the cats and one other was unfortunate enough to get under Harland's boot and meet its doom.

As the weather is getting cooler, we are so glad to report that it has been almost a month since we have seen a rattler on our property. We are seeing tons of deer and antelope, and we have had two bull elks on our road. I have seen two roadrunners and still hear multiple coyotes daily. The dogs bark almost all night at all of the critters they see or think they see in the yard and field. They bark so much at night that they have virtually no voice in the daytime as they rest up for another round. It is a good thing we live with absolutely NO neighbors.

Speaking of our wacky dogs, Honey is now just turning one (approximately since she is a shelter dog) and Ranger is about 9 months. They are still our giant babies, and they have daily alpha battles and are still growing like weeds. Honey may be slowing down in her growth, but the giant white dog's stilt legs are still growing. He is about 100 pounds now and should get to be about 150 when he is full grown. Since they are so big (Honey is about 70lbs.), they eat a lot of dog food. I realized the other day as I hoisted the 44 pound of dog food into the car without any difficulty that even four months ago I couldn't even move the bag let alone pick it up and toss it around. I guess my muscles are getting stronger through the hard things much like I think our character is getting stronger with every new trial.

It feels like we have been in this beautiful place so much longer than six months. I still can't get over the mountains. I still can't get over the wildlife. I still can't get over the quiet and the stillness. I hope I never do.

Psalm 65:5-6 "You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength..."

Changes

The leaves are starting to change, and there is snow visible now on Pike's Peak. The bears are getting ready to hibernate. We think that the rattlesnakes are heading back to their holes. Change is in the air.

In the midst of the change around us, I am also entering a change. I am announcing that I have come out of retirement. Much like Brett Favre, I have felt the need to be back in the pocket. We have found life on the prairie to be quite costly, and I have been looking for a part time job for a couple of months now.

I started this past week at a community clinic in town as an OB nurse. In today's work and economic climate, we are so thankful for a job period, but we are especially thankful for a job that is only part time and is polar opposite of what I have worked for most of the past eight years. I am used to working ALL weekends, nights, and holidays, and this job is NO weekends, nights, or holidays. It will prove to feel very strange I am sure.

So... my seven month retirement stint is over. I think it was beautifully timed for my sanity. I was able to adjust a bit to the start up of rural living and handle the stressors thrown our way without outside work.

Work is not a bad word. It is what we do on this earth. I am hopeful that my work will make a difference in the lives of others. I am hopeful that I can remind myself to be thankful that I am healthy and able to work hard. We are a family in the midst of some more change. We are enjoying the changing seasons together and seeking to see the beauty in each one that comes our way.

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Pride

There is a sense of pride that I think every mother and father feel about their children. I have felt it for over twelve years now, but yesterday my understanding of pride moved to a whole new level.

I am proud, at times, of accomplishments and proud of behavior, but yesterday I became proud of actual character. Harland and I felt like we had been plopped down in the midst of a Hallmark movie set and our child was the main character. Tears were flowing.

The setting was the first district cross country meet. Now, the Casons and the Cushings have historically never been known for running. Ben joined cross country at his middle school and has been improving his time on the two mile each practice. I can truly say that I hate to run (unless chased), and two miles is a very long way to me.

The team is made up of about 12 girls and 12 boys. The boys ran first yesterday (along with about 70 other boys from different schools). Ben was immediately in the back of the pack and there he stayed for the entire race. He was in last place. The other boys lapped him. We were on the sideline cheering him on. His coach was cheering him on. If that had been me, I would have quit in the first lap. He kept going.

The last portion of the race was around the track. All other 70ish boys had finished, and Ben was approaching the track. He ran the entire track alone with his team cheering him on like he was the leader. It was too much-- Harland and I were bawling. He finished. I have never been more proud. He wasn't embarrassed about being last. He did it. He finished the race. He has perseverance that I know for a fact I did not possess as a seventh grader, and I do not think I possess to that level even now.

What a great life lesson we got to see right in front of us. We have six more meets in the coming weeks--- I hope our emotions can take it. I will bring some tissues next time in my pocket.

Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Killing fields

Country living can sometimes be brutal. There is death and killing all around. We have experienced a little more than our norm in the past day.

Our four kittens, who we got with their momma cat a while back, have defied some of the odds. Their momma took off after only a couple of days here, and they were left with us as their mommas--- mommas who have never had cats. They have lived and are beautiful. The reason we got them, however, was to kill mice. They are outside cats-- barn cats. The problem is that without a momma cat, we were unsure of their ability to learn to hunt. From what we have learned, a momma cat will almost kill a mouse and then bring it in for her kittens to finish off. I am unable to do that for them, so we weren't sure if they would learn.

I am pleased to report that they have learned on their own. They are becoming skilled hunters. We have seen them with birds before but had not seen them actually catch one- until last night. It rained yesterday afternoon and the birds were enjoying a bath in the puddles. Unfortunately, the birds chose the puddle right next to the kittens. We watched Blaze pounce and get the bird in his mouth in one fell swoop. They were all excited and played with the flopping and flailing bird. It died pretty quickly. As Kevin the kitten tossed the bird around, Smokey ran over with a freshly caught mouse in his mouth- YAY!!! They all four were slinking around the yard pouncing on bugs, birds, and mice. I guess it really is instinctual, and I am glad.

As we sat in the living room after dark, we saw a swallow flying right by the window, and then we saw a giant dog face come up behind it and catch it in his jaws. Ranger has gotten tall enough that he can stand on his hind legs and reach the window ledge easily. That poor bird had no warning. Except that it has its nest right above the porch, and it flies around taunting the dogs most of the day. Ranger was pretty pleased with himself. The only thing is, Ranger really cannot stand the feeling of anything moving around in his mouth. Be it a bug, a mouse, or a bird, he tries to stomach it but ends up throwing up every time. He is a giant baby- poor guy.

Those hunting kittens we have would love to be on the prowl at night too, however, there are other predators out at night who would love to have the kittens for dinner. We keep the kittens in a kennel in the stable to keep them safe after dark. The coyotes start their howling and what sounds like screaming as soon as the sun goes down. I would like to think the kittens are glad to be safe. The coyotes make all kind of weird noises and will often attempt to lure animals (particularly dogs) out into the field. They will hide in the grass and only one will make noise. From what I am told, they figure out whether the dog is a boy or girl and make noises that would lure the appropriate opposite sex. When the dog wanders out into the field, it is jumped by an entire pack of coyotes--- crafty creatures. We have heard them make noises much like sirens, sometimes like pigs, and occasionally a more traditional howl. We see them in the early morning out in the field, and they usually have a mouth full of some unfortunate animal.

Death is all around. Survival is not pretty in the animal kingdom. If we were an actual animal farm, it would be on a whole other level. Thankfully we still get our chicken and beef from the grocery store. It is a nice reprieve from the known cycle of life. I am by no means ready to know the cow from which our burgers come. Watching the dogs, cats, birds, mice, snakes, and coyotes is quite enough for me.

Isaiah 65:17,25 " 'Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,' says the Lord."

Did you feel the mountains tremble?

It has been another week in the valley-- a busy week filled with a few more firsts and a few things that are becoming the norm. Last week you will remember hearing of the earthquake on the east coast. Before that one, there was also one that was a 5.3 in southern Colorado. It was news for a few hours before the one hit on the coast.

I have never felt an earthquake before. This one woke me up just before midnight. There was a rumbling sound (like a shuttle launch kind of rumbling), and the bed was moving. Isabel then appeared at my door. It woke her up too. And the boys--- my husband and two sons slept right through it and didn't believe us in the morning until we had proof on the morning news. Hmmm.... maybe we females have some sort of inner alertness even from childhood.

I also learned that (speaking of girls) when faced with a rattlesnake crisis, I would choose Isabel as my partner any day of the week over both boys. We had another one in our backyard with the dogs this past week (Thursday I think), and thankfully Harland was home and was the snake killer. My job was to get the dogs out of the yard. Isabel was in the car with her friend waiting for me to take them to meet her friend's mom. I had the help of the boys. They were running around trying to catch the dog I already had out of the backyard and complaining and asking for further directions the whole time as I tried to get the other dog out of the yard before the snake could strike. As Harland shot the snake and disposed of it, they could not keep the dogs still and they could not stop talking to me. When I had the early am snake kill when I was home without Harland, I had Isabel who listened for directions and obeyed without question. She seemed to be attuned to the main goal of the moment. I will try to teach the boys to focus so that next time they will either listen and obey or step aside and let their sister take over. I am sure they would love that.

We had Isabel's birthday this weekend which included a family fishing trip to the lake up on the mountain. It was 60 degrees and there were only about ten other people at the lake. After dinner, we threw on our jackets and fished for about an hour and a half (until dark). Nathanael was the only one who caught a fish, but we all enjoyed it and decided it needs to be a regular, peaceful activity.

Yesterday was another birthday party for some friends of ours. Theirs was a water gun fight at the mountain creek-- very simple and very cool. I am loving the simplicity. We even took our dog, Honey, to the creek party yesterday. She loved being out. She sat at Harland's feet and watched the festivities. She also met a couple of loose dogs that roam about the park. She even got to watch one of them tree a bear. I feel sure she had lots to tell Ranger when she got home. Maybe if he can listen and obey, he can go next time- haha!

Fishing, creeks, and dog companions: a reminder of just how far we have come in these five short months. Colorado has been good for us.

Psalm 97:4-6 "His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory."

Cookies and Remembering

My entire house smells of sugar cookies and homemade butter cream icing. Yummy. I hope it airs out before dusk or some friends might come to have a cookie. The bears are extra hungry this year with the dryness and lack of berries and nuts. They are prepping for hibernation and have to pack in an extra 20,000 calories a day. This was a news story last night on the evening news so I have learned much.

Friday is little Isabel Faith's tenth birthday--- hence the cookies for her class tomorrow. They are only in school two days this week because of literacy testing. So... the birthday celebration starts on Tuesday for a Friday birthday. That sounds about right. She has always done things in a drawn out and dramatic fashion.

She was deemed "incompatible with life" at shortly after nineteen weeks into my pregnancy. I was encouraged (pushed really) to terminate. I was encouraged at every high risk visit-- every week. I would get myself together and be feeling positive and peaceful then I had to go to the doctor and would hear the same bleak forecast and cry all the hour drive home. She was wild in my womb-- flipping and kicking and hiccuping. I came to the peace that for some reason I was blessed to have this little girl in my uterus and to watch her grow and feel her life-- even if only for a season.

She was obviously not "incompatible with life". She was born early in a dramatic emergent fashion, but she screamed the loudest most beautiful scream for me to hear before being handed off to the NICU team. She was perfect-- just early. The doctors could not explain it. We were overwhelmed with thankfulness and with gratitude. The Lord had chosen either to fix what was wrong, or the docs were extraordinarily wrong on many accounts. We look back and see so many good things that came from those horrible few months. It was a defining moment for me. I was a different woman in August than I had been in May. That's how those things are--- for better or for worse, you are never the same.

I have an incredible story to tell Isabel every year on her birthday. She loves to see the pictures of her three pound self in the plastic box and the countless sonogram pictures we had from those awful weekly appointments. She knows she is here for a reason. We know that the outcome didn't have to be a good one. It is only by grace that she was fine--- others were not. It is an overwhelming and humbling thing to ponder why we were so blessed. God has greater thoughts than we do and all I know is that she is here and healthy and she is here for a reason. I struggled with many things in my heart those long months, but I came through stronger and with a new peace. I can't believe it has been ten years-- a decade of looking daily at that little face and remembering her story and the One who carried me through.

Daniel 3:17-18 "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." ( This was the verse I held dear every day of the pregnancy from 19 weeks to almost 33 when she was born.)

A Toyota and Target Practice

Rattler number seven on the property-- dead. I saw it on the gravel driveway as I came in tonight around 8:00pm. I ran it over and backed up and ran it over again. It was dead but still moving around quite a bit.

I drove on into the driveway and parked the car and proceeded to Harland's office by the stable to tell him and let him finish it off. He wanted me to get the gun and get in a bit more target practice. This time the snake was already hurt and definitely not standing up or rattling. I went in and suited up with my boots and my gun (and ear protection) and a big spotlight. I shot the snake three times and then Harland chopped off the head (and buried it) and the tail and threw the snake out in the field.

We have a new resident in our field. It is a red-tailed hawk. He sits on top of the electrical pole and scours the land. He swoops down and soars over the fields close to the top of the grass. I am thrilled to see him hanging out. He can feast on our mice and snakes. We see many hawks around town flying with snakes in their mouths (or talons-- I am not sure how they carry them) hanging down. I think our cats are too big for him now, thankfully, but our other critters are free game. He makes a loud shrill hawk noise as he flies, and I can assure you that our dogs are not amused. They watch him like a hawk- ha ha. He is a beautiful mix of graceful beauty and fierceness.

We have added to our arsenal since moving here: one might consider the hawk a natural weapon, along with our gun, bow and arrows, slingshot, knives, shovels, and hoes. Two rattlesnakes in two days annihilated by the Toyota Sequoia. I guess it could be considered a deadly weapon. I knew I loved that car.

Job 39:26-29 "Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is his stronghold. From there he seeks out his food; his eyes detect it from afar. "

Distraction

I feel sure everyone is sick of snake stories, but I must tell you that I have rid the earth of one more today. It was much less climactic than my last snake encounter. This is the way I prefer them to be. I was in my car when I saw a rattlesnake in the road. I ran it over. Then I backed up and ran it over again. Then I went forward again and ran it over again. Then I backed up and ran it over once more. It was dead. At least that is one snake that won't make the trip a half mile down the road to my yard.

No more snake stories today--- moving on.

I remain amazed by many things that I see and hear here in the Valley. I have thought it was because I am new to the area, but I was surprised to see that that may not be completely true. In Bible study last night at our small log cabin church, I noticed that all of the ladies had their heads turned away from the video screen and toward the windows on the west side of the sanctuary. I looked outside and saw a gorgeous scene of the sun setting over the mountain in the midst of approaching storm clouds. The colors were mostly red and purples with some orange and yellow mixed in. It was beautiful. How refreshing to see that the folks who have seen these things their entire lives are still amazed at the beauty and still stopped in their tracks to take it all in. It was hard to take our eyes off of the view as we all listened to the video but looked at the changing sky.

I can add this to my list of the things that are different here. There is a freedom to enjoy here that I have not allowed myself to notice in other places. It may very well be there, but I have been too busy and distracted to see it. There are very few folks here that I would consider "fancy", thus the pressure to be dressed well and made-up is nonexistent. There is among the people here an unspoken comfort in their own skin. There is a transparency and an openness and a level of that enjoyment of life and of friends and of nature here that has been therapeutic for my heart.

I am hopeful that my family and I will continue to be distracted by the colors in the sun and the storms in the mountains and the valleys of life.

Psalm 19:1-2 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge."

Oh, Charles!

My Charles is home. He has returned to the prairie and to me-- his Caroline. The kids and dogs and I are relieved and thrilled to have "Pa" back at home after two very long weeks.

This past fourteen days have been filled with more than one exciting moment. I have always had an incredible respect for single mothers, but I have had a taste of it myself after being alone with my kids in the country. Whatever came up, I had to handle it.

I had a few minor things like the toilet overflowing, the kitchen breaker tripping a few times, driving the stick shift car in town on hills (and stalling on some of those hills), driving the giant truck in which my left leg doesn't even touch the floorboard, parking that truck in town, engaging and disengaging the four wheel drive on the truck including the hubs, multiple critters in the yard/field, and our not-too-bright kittens repeatedly needing rescuing after entering the dogs' yard.

I also had a couple of major things like the rattlesnake in the dogs' yard at 5am, my dog being bitten by that rattlesnake, flooding, and the three fugitives on the run in Colorado being caught down the road from us.

I am not sure how it is possible, but Ranger (our seven month old dog) knew that he was the man of the house while Harland was gone. He was on edge the whole two weeks, and I could almost hear his sigh of relief when Harland got home. Every night was filled with barking. Our dogs do not generally bark just to hear themselves. When they bark there is a reason. I have learned a few of the types of barks they are capable of doing in these two weeks-- much like a mother knows her child's different cries. There is nothing quite like the snake bark. Thankfully it is a distinct one. The other barks get my attention also, but it is different. I was up a few of the nights almost hourly to see what they were seeing. The moon is huge and bright right now, so they can see a LOT. We have had many, many coyotes this week along with a skunk or two and possibly a trash-seeking bear. I am so thankful that the dogs were not directly sprayed by the skunks-- if we had had to use tomato juice for the stench, Ranger would have been more like Clifford the big red dog.

It was a time of realization for me of the strength and abilities that come out when they have to and also the realization of the weaknesses we all possess. There was crisis after crisis but everything was relative. An overflowing toilet was absolutely insignificant compared with the shooting of the snake. The ability to think clearly and handle whatever arises comes from within. I was just thankful not to have wolves at the barn door or a festering infected leg wound to have to open up myself (like Little House on the Prairie).

Things are back as they should be here with my partner back on the ranch. The things that come up seem less intense with someone to share them with. In retrospect, everything seems less of a big deal. This past period in time will soon be forgotten, but I hope the kids were able to see my weakness and my reliance upon the One who is strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Streams in the Desert

I mentioned the other day the extreme dryness we have been experiencing here on the front range. The mountain range we live next to is called the Greenhorn Mountains or the Wet Mountains. These seemed very much misnomers at least in the time we have lived here. They might be better called the Parched Mountains.

Until..... my wonderful yesterday continued beyond the morning rattlesnake kill and dog to the vet for a rattlesnake bite (he is fine thankfully). In the afternoon, we stopped in to visit some friends for a minute on our way home from getting Isabel from a playdate. It started to rain and in a matter of minutes the yards and roads were flooded and my friend's basement window wells were flooded and water was headed in to her basement. There was also the worst lightning I think I have ever seen. It was one bolt after the next after the next-- all with almost immediate thunder that made my insides vibrate.

We were waiting for it to let up just a little to make a run to the truck to head home. The ride home is all dirt roads so I was getting worried about the roads becoming impassable. It did not let up. We decided we just had to go anyway. We ran to the truck and Isabel and I both lost our flip flops in the mud and had to stop and dig them out. We were soaked to the skin by the time we got into our truck.

Our ride home was filled with prayers that we would make it. There were multiple rivers from the fields on the way home that have been dry forever and were now rushing across the dirt highway. If I had waited another few minutes to head home, I don't think I would have been able to cross them safely-- even in my giant truck.

The rain and lightning continued, and we drove into our driveway to find things flooded but not as bad as my mind had imagined. We ran in and began the clean up of ourselves and the house. I had left three windows cracked. The wind had knocked off all the framed pictures from a chest in the living room and the furniture and floor was soaked in the general vicinity of those windows.

I went out to see our puppies who were covered in mud head to toe. They were on the porch and looked freaked out. The entire back yard was flooded and a big mud pit. I glanced out into our first field and was shocked to see some of those long dry rivers I was talking about. We had two giant raging rivers cutting through the land all the way from the back hills, past the house, and on toward the neighbor's field and across the road. I watched as my shooting target milk jugs washed right down our new river. I took pictures to send to Harland, but they don't do it justice.

The dogs were on high alert after the snake ordeal and now flooding. They barked often and much, and I was up checking on what they saw constantly. The rain finally stopped and the kids and I crashed at nine. I was up at one to check on the dogs, and it was raining again. We desperately needed rain but all at one time is a lot to handle.

I just heard on the news that the rains are starting up again today after three pm. We are under another flash flood watch-- great. My plan is to be home before three and to remain thankful for the rain.

Matthew 5:45 "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Isaiah 43:18-21 "Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."

A Bad Start

Don't you hate it when you are awakened from a dead sleep with something alarming-- like a fire alarm, security alarm, tornado siren, rattlesnake rattling? That's right-- a rattlesnake rattling woke me up this morning before dawn at 5. I actually heard the dogs first. The barking was not normal. It was constant and loud. I went to the window in the bedroom to see if I could see a coyote or something in the yard. As I stumbled to the window, I heard the rattle. It was easily heard above the dogs barking. Now what do I do?

Harland and Ben are out of town, by the way. This one was all me. I tried to process what to do and in what order as I was waking up. The two little kids were in bed with me and awake from the noise. I told them what was going on and that they would have to listen to me. Isabel came with me to the laundry room and Nathanael opted to stay in the bedroom. We threw on our boots, and I turned on the back porch light. Honey was at the door waiting for it to open. Her eyes said, "Help." Ranger was just off the porch with the snake cornered by the fence. I leashed up Honey and brought her in and gave her to Isabel. I had her take her to the front porch while I tried to get Ranger. He never responds to his name, but this time he did. He came right to me after making sure I saw where he had the snake. I took him to Isabel, and she held both dogs on the front porch. I told her and Nathanael that I was headed out to shoot it. They were not to come out and they needed to be prepared for five shots.

I then loaded the gun in the kitchen as I repeated over and over, "Lord Jesus, help me." I opened the screen door and I heard it still rattling. It never stopped since I first heard the dogs barking. It was coiled up with head up in the air. It was on the concrete next to the fence, by some old hot tub wires (which are not live), and I was concerned about the possibility of catching the house on fire. I had the fire extinguisher and telephone right inside the door.

I cocked the gun and steadied my hands and aimed and shot. I hit it right in the head. It dropped to the ground and the tail dropped. Dark blood ran on the concrete. It continued to move (as snakes do). I hollered out for the kids to hear me that it was dead and I was fine, but I was going to keep shooting. I shot four more times, hitting it each time.

I took a deep breath and headed out to get a shovel. The dogs checked on me when I came on the front porch. They had been perfectly silent since I got them out of the backyard. It is as if they know that barking would make the situation worse for me. I assured them I was fine, and realized the shovel was out by the barn. I was not walking in the dark to the barn, so I grabbed our mouse killing hoe. I went back to the snake to hopefully just fling it over the fence for now so the dogs could go back in. It was still moving and the head was still slowly striking. I went back in and told the kids to prepare themselves for some more noise because I was going to shoot it again. I reloaded and shot it one more time. This time I stood a little closer and the snake was thrown across the concrete slab by the force of the shot. He wasn't moving anymore. I threw him over the fence.

The dogs were sweet and very loving, and they were glad to see it was gone when I took them back to their yard. Ranger is licking his paw so he may have gotten bitten. I am taking him to the vet as soon as they open this morning to get it checked. Both dogs have been vaccinated but could still get a raging infection from a bite.

When I came back in, Nathanael was tearful and said that he had heard me praying so he decided to pray too. He told me he was sorry he was too scared to help Isabel with the dogs, but he did pray. I told him that was the best thing he could have done for me and Isabel.

After the sun came up, I went out with the shovel and chopped the head off. I flung it out into the field, cut the rattle off, and hung the body over the fence. The rattle is eight buttons. It looks like seven because I blew a portion of the eighth off with one of my hits.

It has been three and a half hours since the early morning ordeal, but my adrenaline is still pumping. I truly hope this is all of the excitement I will encounter while Harland is out of town. I would be fine if I never have to do that again. I now know, however, that I can do it.

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

What is your favorite color?

"What is your favorite color?" I have never heard the answer to this question to be, "brown." Maybe blue, pink, purple, yellow....never brown. After months of virtually no rain, I will tell you that my favorite color is green. The grass is brown, the bushes are brown, the weeds are brown, the flowers are brown, and even the Yuccas are brown and flowerless. The land is parched and the dirt cracks under your feet.

We've had four days in the past week with afternoon showers. There have been many, many days of clouds and lightning and sheets of rain in the distance, but only four days when we actually had any drops of water at our house. Two of the days it was literally a few drops, and two days we actually had enough to wet the ground and even make some puddles in the dirt.

After this little amount of rain, some green has begun to peek through in a few spots. Sunflowers are now growing along the sides of the road, and the weeds are green again. The grass has patches of green. The entire land seems softer and lusher. The folks here I have talked to about the dryness, have told me that the ground here is incredibly responsive to any moisture. Never has green looked so good.

Nearly every day whenever rain has been around the area in any spot, we see giant rainbows outside. It is usually a full one-- where you can see both sides of the giant semicircular bow. The colors are so bright that we can see the colors distinctly-- even the shades of indigo and violet are visible and recognizable as two very different colors. It is a breathtaking sight.

I was thinking of how the weather relates to us as humans. The dry seasons of our lives leave us feeling parched and cracked and susceptible to fire that will consume whatever dry pieces of us we have left. We, like the Southern Colorado land, can be incredibly responsive to moisture as well. Maybe today we can be the water for someone who is in a drought. Maybe with a kind word, a smile, or a listening ear we can sprinkle a little refreshment. We might find that with some simple moisture, the parched ones of us can feel less likely to combust and more likely to look up and be overwhelmed by something bigger than us and breathtakingly beautiful.

Proverbs 11:25 "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Rattler Number Five

It was bound to happen. We have been on high snake alert since the first one in June. This past week marked rattlesnake five so far for the summer of 2011. This one had nine buttons on his rattle. Harland's mother was here visiting when it was spotted and killed, and she was none too pleased.

We actually were not here when Harland shot the thing with the Judge. I had taken the kids and all of our company to the park for the afternoon when I got a text from my husband warning me to not let my guard down. The picture he had sent that would make that message make more sense, did not come through up on the mountain, so I wasn't sure how to interpret the message---especially since I was with my in-laws. The picture was of the snake in the backyard.

He had been out for a little bit and drove into the driveway to hear the dogs barking. He went to see them over the fence and tell them it was just him. They did not stop barking which was highly unusual. Ranger then began to bark and point his head toward the back of the yard and then shudder his body. He did the same dance over and over again. Harland looked and looked and finally spotted the snake right where Ranger was looking-- at the back fence line of the dogs' yard. He quickly got his gun and loaded it and leashed the dogs and got them out of the yard. They would normally highly object to being taken out and tied to a post-- not that day. They cooperated and were completely silent. He shot the snake and buried the head out in the field, then hung the ugly thing over the fence belly-up.

We checked the puppies over and found no evidence of bites. The little dance that Ranger was doing might have been an imitation of sorts of the snake rattling or perhaps just a shiver of the willies like I get when I see a snake. I am just so thankful that he recognized it as a foe and alerted us. That is a far cry from rattler number one just about six or seven short weeks ago. He never even saw that one, and it was about six inches from his nose. Whew.

I am pleased to say that that was the only snake we found during our latest week of company. I continue my mantra every time the door is opened," Watch for snakes." Honey will have her final rattlesnake booster this Friday. I sure wish they made one of those for humans. Since they don't, I will continue with my paranoia and will wait for the next one. I hope I am here when we find it because I would like to shoot it. I have been practicing.

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

Last week I took my first trip out of Colorado since our move in March. I was in the very humid state of Florida for five days. I went to Pensacola for my twentieth high school reunion, and it coincided with some other friends being in town for summer vacation and other events. I caught up with many of them that I have not seen in years, and while on the coast, I got to enjoy a few of my favorite things.

I had seafood almost every day I was there. I felt a little like Forrest Gump. I love shrimp and had it three days straight fixed different ways. I got a heaping helping of hot boiled peanuts on two separate occasions from local convenience stores and enjoyed a Coke Icee at least four times. I had a giant bowl of fresh figs as well. Each day I indulged in a very, very long shower. I did not have to think about the amount of water I was using or have the visual of the water level in the cistern dropping and dropping. I washed my hair twice and conditioned it each time I got a shower--- nice.

My dad thought it would be funny to place fake mice in a couple of spots in their house. It was funny. The funniest part was that I didn't even flinch when I saw them. I was visiting at a friend's house and a very tiny spider crawled out on her carpet, and she was pretty grossed out by it. I put my cup of coffee down and smashed the thing without even thinking, picked my coffee back up and kept talking.

Many of the people I was able to see from long ago have helped shape me into who I am today. There were good friends from high school, close college friends who are almost like sisters, the parents of my friends I grew up with, some extended family I've not seen in a while, and my loving parents all crammed into my five day visit. It was a refreshing reminder of where I came from and where I have been. My parents spoiled me all week, and I hardly had to lift a finger. I loved my visit, but it was time to come home.

I missed some of my new favorite things like the mountain views, the feel of the cool breeze in the house with all windows open, the antelope and deer in the fields, the stars at night, the simplicity and down-to-earth ways of our church in Rye, my crazy animals, and most of all my husband and three sweet kids. It was time to come back to my new reality and get my boots on and my gun ready. The long showers will have to wait until my next overnight visit to a big city.

Philippians 1:2-3 "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you."

Simple Pleasures

Yesterday we entered the world of truckers. We bought a big Ford truck from a gal off of Craig's list. The keys came complete with a bottle opener-- no kidding. It is a giant four wheel drive Ford with two bench seats that will seat six in total. We spent the evening driving around the fields behind our house in our truck with all three kids in the back. We had the gun with us in case we came across some rattlesnakes on the ride-- thankfully we did not. The kids have never ridden in the back of a truck (and only get to in the yard/fields), but they loved it.

Late this afternoon, Harland and I sat on the front porch, enjoying the cool breeze from the south, watching the kids play. The boys were playing baseball together in the "batting cage" which is actually the barn, Isabel had all four kittens in the bed of the truck playing with them, and we had the dogs out and they were sitting on the porch with us. We saw one car pass on the road in all the time we were on the porch. After their batting practice, Nathanael headed up the tree on the steps we made out of the slats from the boys' broken bunk bed. It provides the kids a nice view of the antelope and deer in the fields in front of the mountains.

With a riding lawnmower, a gun, some barn cats, two big dogs, a bug zapper, and now a truck, we are officially borderline redneck. I must admit, it is surprisingly nice. We are finding that there is much joy in the simple things.

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

Guarder and Lover

This is a tale of two tails. As I have said before, I have never been an animal lover and have never had pets. As a result of this fact, I am learning new things everyday that are fascinating to me. Bear with me.

Our first puppy, Ranger, is a very serious herding dog. He is a lanky eighty pounds at six months of age, and he is very opinionated. He "herds" us around with pushes and nips. He has never been incredibly affectionate, but does love a good belly rub in the morning. When he has had enough, however, he will nip at you as if to say, "Thank you for the belly rub. Time for you to head back inside now."

Our second puppy, Honey, is not a herding dog. She is a smaller sixty pounds that is "round and firm and fully packed" (to use one of my mom's expressions) and is about nine months old. She is a lover. She wags her entire back half of her body when she sees us. She is content to sit at my feet and be still. She spends a portion of each day in Harland's office at his feet. She is always watching the windows and doors to catch a glimpse of us and wag her tail.

The two did not mesh well the first couple of days after Honey came home from the shelter. We would allow them to be together for a little bit then separate them for a while. They are both a little pushy and each of them would like to be in charge. The vet recommended that we walk them together in our "herd" with them on leash next to each other beside us with kids in front. The walks have been entertaining to say the least. They would each like to be in front of the other-- even if just by a nose-length.

After about four days, Ranger seemed to realize that she was staying, and he decided to tolerate her. They seem to love being together now. They still wrestle and chase each other and bite, but their tails are wagging the whole time. She is helping the tall and awkward giant to run faster and to be a bit more agile. She leaps him in a single bound and then runs under his belly. The game of choice this morning was tug-of-war with a rope toy.

The vet told us to tell Ranger that Honey was his to protect. I felt a little silly telling a dog that. But, I did it, and he heard me. He waits for her if she falls behind him on a walk. He comforts her if she is scared (of cows, for instance) by putting his head on her neck and standing close to her. It is pretty cool to watch. Silly, I am sure to people who know about animals, but really cool to me.

As we walked last night and were almost back to the house, the sometimes seemingly grouchy herding dog/ guard dog was hard at work. Happy Honey and the rest of us walked along leisurely, and he saw something over the hill in the field across from our house. He stopped and would not move and barked and growled, and he wasn't joking. We believed him, and we all walked the rest of the way home with haste. We did not see what it was, but I have no doubt there was something there. It could have easily been a coyote, a bear, or a mountain lion. We got him home and praised and praised him for being our guard. He was wound up for an hour or so, then he snuggled up to his Honey on the porch and continued his all-night guarding duty.

Who knew that dogs have personalities and jobs much like people do? OK- I had heard it but never seen it before. I am thankful for the chance to learn the lessons I am learning every day about the world around me and about myself. The quietness and beauty and the time to notice things has been priceless.

Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life."

Cilantro-- MIA

I have never had much of a green thumb, so I was very excited to see that the cilantro seeds I planted had sprouted and grown into beautiful four inch tall little plants. I moved the flower pot holding the cilantro into the kitchen a few days ago when I noticed that our kittens enjoyed laying in the pot when it was on the porch.

I went into the kitchen the following morning to find that half of my cilantro was gone--mowed down to the soil. The other half was fine. I thought I might be crazy, so I asked if anyone could confirm that there had been cilantro in the entire pot when we went to bed. They all agreed but thought nothing of it. I set a mouse trap in the pot.

The next morning, the remaining cilantro was gone. Every bit of it was gone without a trace-- eaten. The trap was of course empty. There was a little evidence that it was indeed a mouse who had been there. I started calling him "Speedy Gonzalez" because of his affinity for the Mexican herb. I put two traps out in the pot this time.

Yesterday, I checked the pot and found nothing in the sticky traps but a little soil. I did, however, hear a squeak. I yelled, "ARRIBA, ARRIBA!" as I looked at the trap in the kitchen behind the garbage can and saw a very fat gray mouse. Speedy had had his last bite of cilantro in this world. I took great pleasure in announcing to Harland the executioner that the mouse had been caught and was awaiting destruction. I watered my empty pot and hoped for a sprout or two to come back.

This morning there were indeed four or five little sprouts poking through the soil. If we have no more Mexican food loving mice, perhaps it will grow enough I can actually use it. Until then, I will be watching it daily and buying my cilantro from the produce department of the grocery store.

James 1:21 "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

Good Grief

Just one moment of quiet without my name being said over and over again. That is all I desire this morning. I woke up early and all the kids were up too. They are all wanting to do something this morning... something that needs my attention. Guess what I want to do? I want to sit in the living room and drink a cup of coffee. That's it. Oh yes, I want it to be without interruption.

I have been up early feeding four kittens, three children, two dogs, and one husband. I have been bitten on the rear end by dog number one, mudded by dog number two's paws, scratched by the orange and white kitten, and sprayed with nasty sulfur water as I moved the sprinkler from flower bed to flower bed. I have snapped at all three children for asking me to do things. The boys have asked me four times if they can play playstation this morning. I said not now, maybe later this morning. The last time I asked, "Why would you think the answer would be yes at this particular time?" The answer...."Because you aren't in the living room and you are outside doing nothing so we figured you were done relaxing." I took a deep breath and as calmly as I could explained that I had not even sat down in the living room once yet. My coffee cup, which is still in the kitchen, holds very cold coffee.

I am now in my chair. The kids are in their rooms for the moment. I am always baffled that they have no ability to notice my mood and respond accordingly. I know for a fact that I could read my folks, and I could tell when to hush my mouth and retreat to my room and stay there. Not so in this house. As I have written these short paragraphs I have been interrupted six times.

My coffee I am attempting to drink is in my favorite cup. One of my wonderful Texas friends, Kelli, gave it to me. It has one of my sayings on it: "Good Grief, Charlie Brown." I have been muttering it a lot this morning.

I am over my rant and am now going to get a fresh cup of hot coffee, read some in my Bible to get things back into perspective, and ask those babies to forgive MY attitude. I would love for them to be able to read me, but the bottom line is that they need me to help them and to be their mom 24/7. They all like to talk to me.... a lot. Deep down I know, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Oh give me a home...

Night before last, Harland and I retreated to our bench glider rocker that is under a tree on the west side of the house. From that spot, we can see all of the mountain ranges around us. It is a beautiful spot to sit.

As we sat and enjoyed the quiet, we saw a large group of animals in the far field. We checked them out with our binoculars (which we had with us just in case we needed them) and found it to be six white tail deer and six pronghorn antelopes. What were they doing together?.... you got it... they were playing. I burst out into a poorly sung version of "Home on the Range", and we got a good laugh.

As the sun went down behind the mountain range, it was getting chilly. Harland brought a blanket out which I thought we would definitely not need. The wind was whipping down from the mountain, and it was flat-out cold. I had a Pensacola Beach flashback. When you swim in the Gulf of Mexico, there are pockets of very cold water and pockets of very warm water. I was feeling the cold wind on my face and all of a sudden there was a hot wind that came from across the plains. It was fabulous. The mixture of both the winds was just right (with the blanket).

We stayed out until after dark and watched as the stars began to show up in droves. There were stars in every space of the dark sky. We saw shooting stars. It was like the comparison I have heard of the blanket of stars. I would have to say that it was so hard to stop looking at them. When our necks were aching and our kids finally came looking for us, we headed back in with the help of a powerful flashlight. I was thankful when we flashed the light out over the field, we did not see any eyes looking back at us. Our path through the yard was all clear as well, and we walked into a loud and bright house complete with MLB The Show on the playstation and two boys hopping around playing. It was an auditory assault after the two hours of quiet. Two hours in the yard noticing the animals, the winds, and the sunset and stars sure does beat a movie.

Philippians 2:14-16 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.."

Fries, Firearms, and New Friends

Today was a great day in the country. We had an early morning baseball game for Nathanael in a neighboring town about 20 minutes away. We had planned a cookout at the house with a couple we met a few weeks ago at a ballgame. They followed us home to the prairie, and we drove up to find about twenty antelope in our field.

We had our new favorite country cooking specialty-- homemade french fries. We fried up about eight pounds of potatoes, and we ate almost all of them between the nine of us. We headed out to the back of the house to our make-shift shooting range, and we four adults took turns shooting the Judge. I must admit that it was genuinely fun. We are turning into rednecks more and more each day.

It is rare that you find a friend that you feel comfortable enough with that she knows the contents of your kitchen cabinets and drawers and makes herself at home. After only a few hours, some fries, and some shooting, this new friend was helping me clean the kitchen and was all in my drawers. I love it.

We finished up our Saturday after our friends headed home with Harland hanging four ceiling fans. Three of those fans were advertised as "five minute fans". I can confidently tell you that the three five minute fans took one and a half hours to hang.

To unwind from the fan-hanging extravaganza we drove our giant dog in our very small car down the road to the spot where the gravel turns to dirt. He was thrilled to have a car ride-- he had his head out of the window in the backseat and his wagging tail was nearly hitting the other window. We then took him for his usual length walk on the dirt and then piled him back in the car and headed home. In the nearly forty minutes we were walking, we saw not one vehicle. The only thing we saw was a beautiful pink and purple sunset over the mountains, and the only thing we heard was an owl and a lone coyote.

Speaking of noises, while at the ballgame at the start of the day, we heard two loud trains roar through the town. It was an immediate throw back to our days in Fort Worth. We heard trains (LOUD trains) all hours of the day and night for almost eight years. While I miss my close "kitchen drawer-knowing" friends there, I do not miss so many things. I am so blessed with each day and the new things we are experiencing. I am looking forward to a cool night under my new fan, and a new day tomorrow.

Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

How are my boots these days?

It has been a little over three months now since we made our move to the Greenhorn Valley. I think it is time for another look at myself and my family and the changes I see.

I have lived almost all of my life in very hot places. Growing up in Pensacola, I was accustomed to 90% humidity, and living in Texas for eleven years I was pretty sure I knew what it would feel like walking into an oven. I have ALWAYS had central air conditioning and was a little nervous as summer approached here. We have no ac at all. We do, however, have an enormous amount of wind and an adobe house. We also live far away enough from the main bear spots that we are able to leave our windows open. The breeze is great and we have been amazingly comfortable. Last week was hot here (89 degrees), and I went to the library with the kids and to church for a ladies' Bible study. Both places had air conditioning, and I was freezing!!!

I have always used lotion pretty liberally. I now live in a place with 4% humidity and lots of wind. My skin is alligator-like. We have used two giant bottles of Cetaphil lotion from Sams in these three months. On the upside, our hair is dry so we don't shower or shampoo nearly as often as we did before. Most folks here are not very "dolled-up" on a daily basis. I have found that make-up is only applied for my trips to Pueblo and for church.

When we first arrived, parking at the elementary school in the parent parking and walking up to the office doors caused me to pant like a dog and to not even be able to talk. Now I am able to hike up trails and while I still feel it, I can talk and breathe. We are at about 6700 feet at our house. I have even learned to look for high altitude directions on the things I bake.

We have become a part of a church here and are feeling like it is home. There is a love of Christ that is evident there and a mentality that church activities are not to consume your week. If you spend all week in the church building, how will you have time to be a part of the community and have time to teach your kids about faith at home? I like it.

People here have been genuinely friendly. I have been amazed at the willingness to accept new folks and to take time out of their own lives to spend time with us. I have lots of people I would already call friends and am meeting more all the time. I see the same folks everywhere! They are at school, the community baseball games, church, the gymkhana (horse-riding), the pool, the grocery store, the library, and the diner. A small community is a different animal than the big city! I love seeing someone I know just about everywhere I go.

My hopes of how things would be three months after moving, have been far exceeded. Despite the water trials, the rattlesnakes, mice, and the wind, we are loving it here and are feeling settled. It has been a long three months, but three months full of new things and new friends.

My boots are not as new as they were. They are very dusty and pretty worn. They are a part of my everyday here. They are becoming more and more comfortable.

2 Corinthians 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..."

Threat level-- red

We met the third rattlesnake today. We killed the third rattlesnake today. Our threat level is now back to red. It had been at orange for the past couple of days since we had not seen any snakes in over a week. I tell the kids every time they cross the threshold of the house to go outside, "Watch for snakes. Watch for snakes. Watch for snakes." I am a robot of repeated warnings.

My sweet husband shot the snake with his Father's Day gift. My youngest son got his weapon of choice out -- his buck pocketknife. After the head was chopped off and buried out in the field, Nathanael cut the rattle off of the snake and very proudly showed me his knife covered with rattlesnake blood. It was a nine button rattle. I was thoroughly grossed out on top of being freaked out.

Fall is coming in just a few short months, and with the cold weather comes a retreat of snakes. Ahh. I always knew I loved the fall. Until then, I must continue my robot mother nagging and my walking with my head down swaying it to and fro looking in every nook and cranny. I know that God put enmity between the snake and the woman in the garden, but honestly, what a bizarre animal. The bodies writhe for hours, headless. Watching it makes MY skin crawl. Harland touched it with his bare hands as he helped Nathanael with the rattle removal, and his hands smelled like he had been scaling a fish. I was taken to a new level of disgusted.

All the while I had dinner in the oven. To say I lost my appetite might be an understatement. I guess I should be thankful we were having spinach rolls and meatballs instead of fish. We will look forward to the giant vultures/buzzards coming tomorrow to pick the skeleton clean.

Thankfully, no kittens were close to the snake. They have been hunting grasshoppers and ladybugs and learning to climb trees, but hunting mice and scaring off snakes are not in their short list of abilities yet. As a side note, we are glad to report that the kitten Nathanael named Kevin is indeed a boy. He was labeled female for about three days because he was a late bloomer when it comes to his boy parts. The best we can tell, we have one girl and three boys.

The puppy saw the snake after it was dead. That seems to be his modus operandi. I am thankful he has not been bitten, and I am hoping he will learn to stay away from them and to warn us. I know he is more oblivious than my children so I will keep doing my warnings and searches and will keep the threat level at red.

I am overflowing with thankfulness again as I think of the danger and of the fact that everyone has remained safe. I know snakes are loved by many and probably not a big deal to most. I am, however, realizing that my life and my stories and the things I am learning are influenced greatly by my fears. That includes snakes at this moment. There are new things in life every day to be afraid of. Thankfully there is one less rattlesnake on the Cason Ranch to fear.

Isaiah 41:9-10 "I took you from the ends of the earth, from the farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

The non-animal family is learning the ropes.

We have made one more stride toward being at home here in Colorado. We are now established with pediatricians for the kids. I took Isabel to hers last week and the boys to theirs yesterday. Everyone checked out fine, and the doctors took their time with each kid. I was a little surprised yesterday that the last twenty minutes of the boys' appointment was entirely devoted to wildlife safety. Yes, wildlife safety is as important in a check-up as height and weight. I chuckled inside but also was thankful for the directness with the boys about what to do if they see different animals and what to do (or not to do) if they come across a dead animal. The boys ranked that doctor's visit as their all time favorite.

As a quick update on our very own domesticated "wildlife", Momma Kitty bailed on us last week. After about three days here with us on the ranch, she took off. It seemed as if the four nursing kittens with her in the kennel were on her last nerve. We hoped she would return but have now decided that more than likely she became a meal for the coyotes. The kittens were sad for a few days (or so I think). Now they are venturing out of the barn during the day and are eating like crazy and growing. We have been told they are old enough to be fine without Momma and that they should be able to hunt by instinct. I hope they can stay away from the coyotes because we are getting attached to them. We are still putting them in a kennel at night to give them a better chance of survival.

In the back of the house, we have our giant puppy who would love to be friends with those kittens in the barn but unfortunately does not have the social skills to do it. He says hello in a ferocious barking manner. Then he cries and whines when the response is not friendly. We have been taking him in the car to the lake to walk. He LOVES the ride in the car with the window down (of course). We are attempting to socialize him with the outside world. There are Canadian geese, bikers, walkers, and other dogs to get used to. He has done so well. He is learning to not freak out, and he has become a sweet dog friend to any dog he can get close to. He wags that giant tail so hard he looks like he might knock himself right off his clumsy legs. We have decided he might need a friend. We have been checking the animal shelter daily for a companion for him, because I don't have QUITE enough animal food in the mud room yet.

Our mud room now contains dog food, cat food, and a stockpile of bird seed. The bird feeder has been removed from the tree. The hummingbird feeder is out of commission as well. I learned that the bears love the seeds and the hummingbird nectar. It was described to me by the locals as "crack cocaine" to the bears. Once they find that you have feeders, they will come back repetitively to get their fix. While we have thankfully seen no bears here, I would like to not be dangling crack in front of a very large and furry junkie. Sorry birds, no seeds or nectar for you. You are on your own.

Matthew 6:26 "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?"

Court is now in session.

It has been an eventful few days here in our neck of the woods. We have had Harland's sister and her three kids here and we delivered an exciting visit ---maybe too exciting.

The first evening they arrived, all six kids were outside looking at the dog and the kittens. Ben pushed some of the kids out the way and yelled, "Snake!!!" We herded the kids back inside, and Harland went to check it out. It was a four foot rattlesnake right next to the backyard fence just off the deck. Thankfully it was sleeping, and he chopped it's head off with the shovel. The head of a rattlesnake can strike even after severed, and it bit the shovel about five times. We called the kids out and kept them at a distance of course, but we wanted them to see what the snake looks like and to see the way the head continues to strike. Harland then took the head out and buried it, and we all went inside and tried to get our heart rates to go down. It was disturbing.

The next morning we were enjoying a slow morning of playing when Harland yells from outside to not let anyone out of the house. He was heading back to the house from his office when he came across a second rattlesnake. This one was spread out in my flower bed right next to the front porch. It was too close to the wire under the house (which is there to keep all critters out-- I am very thankful to have it) for him to use the shovel. His only gun was located in his office with all the ammo inside the house. He called for me to get him a bullet or two. I hurried to the hiding spot and got Barney Fife his bullet. He shot that rattlesnake in the head in a single shot with his 22, and it was dead. He chopped the head off with the shovel and this time not only was the head striking, but also the tail was rattling. We called the kids out again so we could all hear the rattle. Two rattlesnakes in less than 15 hours--- it was very disturbing.

Harland went back to his office, and Kristie and I finished packing our picnic and got those kids out of here and up the mountain to the creek and park. Following the park, we headed straight to town to buy a much needed shotgun. I can add this to the list of the things I have never done and never really thought I would do. I have shot the BB gun and Harland's 22 for fun at targets we set up in the field. I have never held a handgun in my life. The one Harland and I had decided on is a handgun to do the job of a shotgun or handgun. That way we can take it on hikes, etc. It is called the Judge. I was less than graceful as a gun buyer. I made it through the process and learned how to load, unload, and hold it and aim. After a 40 minute wait for a background check with my sister-in-law and all six of our kids, I was escorted out of The Big R by a large man who held my new gun all the way to my car.

I honestly expected to come home to find more snakes. We had the kids stay in the car while we checked the entire area between the car and the front door. We were pleasantly surprised to not see any more snakes. The experience, while awful, was very educational as far as being cautious and what to look for and listen for. We were being careful before, but now we are careful on a whole new level.

Kristie was hoping to see a bear while here. I am pleased to report that we saw two black bears from our vehicle in a neighborhood around the lake about 15 minutes from our house. It was really cool to see.... from the car. On the way home from the drive, we were saying that we haven't seen any elk yet since we have been here. As we rounded the corner on the dirt road, there were two elk by the trees. They were huge like moose! It was a nice calm way to see some beautiful wildlife from a distance and decompress a bit from the day of danger and adrenaline.

There was probably no one better to have here with us when finding the snakes. Kristie is level-headed and is really gifted at staying calm. I think she was exactly what I needed as I tried to process all of the things that could have happened. I am so thankful that she was here.

My hope is that the one pair of rattlesnakes was all that we had. I realize that is probably unrealistic, but it is my hope. We are more prepared than we were and more educated. I am still overwhelmed with thankfulness that no one was hurt--- totally overwhelmed. For the record, I am looking forward to the cold weather when the snakes retreat for the winter. In the meantime, you might find us indoors a little more and searching every nook and cranny outside before we let kids out. You will find me learning more and more about gun safety and becoming a proficient shooter. If you see us on a walk or hike, you will find that we have one more member of the family with us--- The Judge--- just in case.

Matthew 10:16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves"