Strong-willed Yuck Mouth

I have three pretty mild-mannered children. I have known people with what James Dobson would call "strong-willed" children. I have watched them and seen their frustration mixed with love and have never quite understood the magnitude of their predicament--until now. My children do indeed frustrate me at times, but they are not my strong-willed issue. My giant puppy is the source of my angst. He is most definitely strong-willed and bull-headed and downright pushy.

Ranger is a delightful 67 pound five and a half month old Pyrenees/Akbash puppy as long as we are doing what he would like to do. If there is a deviation from what is his desire, he becomes a bear.

We are making sure we are the alpha dogs but we have to show him multiple times a day. He gets it for a while and then we start over. We have sought advice and counsel and demos from friends, trainers, the vet, and the internet. We are trying to be consistent and to be firm and also to praise him often for his good behavior. We have made progress, I believe, but he is far from "trained." He goes berserk when there is another dog anywhere and also with strangers.

Our vet recommended that we take him now that his shots are done, to the Petsmart dog obedience classes. I kind of blew off that suggestion, but I am reconsidering. I hope we don't get kicked out. Ranger has chew toys bigger than most of the dogs I see in the store.

We are slated to receive our barn cats this week from our State Farm agent. He has two adult cats who are sisters and they both had a litter of kittens around the same time. One momma cat likes to take her sister's babies and add them to hers and hide them. He is giving us a mom and her babies. They were supposed to have brought the kitties last week, but the one cat had stolen and hidden the babies again. We are waiting until they can wrangle up a mom and her babies and bring them over.

My guess is that they will bring the thief mother for us. That sounds about right to add to our wild puppy. Maybe Ranger will find a friend or two. Maybe he will love obedience classes and learn not to eat us.

I love that giant white cotton ball, and I am hopeful that the darling he is 75% of the time will come out and overtake the 25% that is awful.

Because I am new at this dog thing, I am amazed daily at the funny things he does and horrified by the grossness as well. That verse in the Bible about a dog returns to his vomit..... it is true. Ranger tried to eat a mouse he had caught in the yard and was unfortunately grossed out by the taste or feel of it in his mouth and he threw up. Then as we got the mouse away from him, he ate his vomit. Nasty. We have also noticed his affinity for cow poop and his own poop. If left to his own devices, he might just forgo his food and eat only poop. Talk about dog breath-- worse than that is poop breath. We have been reading about that too and have found that it can be from stress or it can just be a gross thing they do sometimes. Because of this particular gross habit, the boys have had to increase the frequency of their poop-scooping job in the yard so that Ranger has less opportunity to be a yuck-mouth.

I remember plenty of gross times with the kids and some outright acts of defiance. They and we have survived it and learned along the way. I hope the same for our relationship with our giant strong-willed member of the family.

Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."

And another one down and another one down...

Our fellow city-folk friend Dale is here visiting us from Ft. Worth for the holiday weekend. He has unfortunately had to encounter multiple creatures and witness their executions.

We had about 1000 moths directly outside our front door last night beginning at dusk. It looked like another plague from Old Testament Egypt. About twelve flew into the house in a split second when we opened the door. I chased them all down and killed each one in a frantic flurry of flyswattering.

We woke up this morning, and I heard the sound of loud squeaking. We had caught a record three mice in one night. Dale had hoped to see how one kills a mouse. He got to see three terminated.

We hiked all day today and returned home totally exhausted. We saw something in the yard as we pulled into the driveway. It was a snake. Thankfully, it was a bull snake and not a rattlesnake. I was given wonderful advice before my move from a friend at work, Lynda, who told me to always keep two shovels handy with which to kill snakes. Harland grabbed his shovels and chopped the snake. The snake tried to get away, and he found that the second shovel was certainly necessary just as Lynda had said. It was shockingly fast. Harland swung both shovels into action and had its head off in a flash. Dale and all of the rest of us watched as the whole thing unfolded. The body kept writhing around headless for about ten minutes. When it finally stopped, we hung the body on the fence belly up. It is at least four feet long. Dale had hoped not to see a snake while here.

Inside the house immediately after the snake-induced adrenaline rush, I killed three spiders, four moths, and a cricket. I was doing it so fast I didn't even stop to realize the skill I am gaining with the flyswatter and a paper towel. Compared with the mice and snake, the insects didn't even phase me.

The other thing that Dale has mentioned wanting to see is bears. Last night, we studied what to do if we came across a bear on the hiking trails--just in case. Thankfully, we did not see any. We have until Dale's flight tomorrow afternoon for that wish to come true. We will see if it happens- at this rate it just might.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal..."

Last days of school

The morning began with finding two mice in our sticky traps. After the executions, the kids woke up for their last day of school. My first words after "Good morning, babies," was "you are all staying at school all day today-- don't even ask to come home early." This last week of school has been parentally exhausting.

I will be headed to the elementary school in a few minutes for the awards assemblies for Isabel and Nathanael. Yesterday was field day, and Tuesday was two field trips (one of which I attended and one just involved getting a 6th grade boy ready for an all day trip to the Great Sand Dunes).

I made homemade granola for teachers yesterday and spent a couple of hours after field day making up the gifts. I forced my two little compadres to come help me write the thank you card portion of the gifts. They slopped some chicken scratch on the cards and took off to play. I snapped. I called them back and made them redo every one of them. I launched into some sort of mom-lecture about how hard I had worked on those gifts and the least they could do was write neatly and spell correctly! Let's not give the principal a card with "really" misspelled-- or the second grade teacher a card with "teacher" misspelled! I was perturbed but amazingly they were unphased. They rewrote the cards, and I took a deep cleansing breath and dismissed them to play.

I went out to feed our puppy after the gifts were finished and found that he has been eating the house. The adobe around the back door has become his chewing spot as he is losing those baby teeth and getting his big boy teeth. We tried to smooth off where he had chewed and hopefully he will stop. If not, I may come around the corner and find his head stuck through the wall into the laundry room. I was even more irritated.

Ben and Harland were the only two not in the doghouse. Then Ben hands me the phone and says, "This is Matt's mom." Who is Matt? Who is his mom? Why am I talking to her? They had cooked up a plan for Matt to come over to our house after school today, so I was meeting his mom on the phone and explaining who we are and where we live and making a plan for a play date for our 6th graders. She was wonderfully nice, and it was no big deal, but I never appreciate being handed a phone out of the blue.

I decided to fix grilled cheese sandwiches, get a hot shower, and put people to bed early-- including myself. My to-do list for my last day of the school year is long and my time will be short following the assemblies.

I drove them to school for the last 7:10 am drive for a while. I was watching some hawks and totally forgot I was driving a stick shift this morning. I pulled up to the stop sign and left it in fourth gear. I was thankful to be in the country because only the cows and those hawks saw me stall Harland's car. I am enjoying a cup of coffee on my couch right now and will be heading to the school soon. I bet those kids ask me to bring them on home. My answer has to be no for my own sanity. I am hopeful that I will relax once these end of the year mom duties are completed---I need to take another deep breath and look out my window at the mountains. AHHH.

Psalm 90:1-2 "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Living in the wild wild west

Saturday morning we ventured out to the annual Wild Wild West Festival in downtown Pueblo. We spent a whopping $4 for the entire family of five for admission to the street festival and all shows. I think parking alone at such an event in Fort Worth would be at least twice that. (Parking was free at the festival by the way.)

I mentioned in an earlier post that my grandfather (Bigdaddy) was part American Indian. I realize that I am only at most 1/16 American Indian, but something about their music, dance, and history moves me. We watched a street performance of an amazing American Indian group. My husband asked me after the show if I was going to go tell them that I am part Indian and that I am one of them. He said he wasn't kidding. I have a strong suspicion he was poking fun at me-- and my people. If I hadn't just had my long hair cut, I would be wearing my black locks in two braids as I look out over the mountains and plains just to freak him out. My grandmother called me "Sassawee" all of my life growing up. I think I am embracing it now as a 38year old 1/16 Cherokee listening to the coyotes howling at night.

Just down the street was a chainsaw artist who we watched carve a bear head from a trunk of a tree. The highlight of Ben's day was the slapstick western comedy show-- he belly laughed through the whole thing. He and the grown woman sitting in front of us were thoroughly amused. We finished up our day watching wool riding-- not bull riding-- wool riding. Kids aged 3-6 and under 60 pounds get geared up in a helmet and chaps and are put onto a sheep and must "ride" it for a minimum of 6 seconds. It was a riot. My lightweight Nathanael was ready to get on and give it a go, but he is too old. Ben suggested that he could just go home and ride on our giant Pyranees/Akbash puppy who weighs in at 66 pounds. Nathanael was not amused.

No wild west day is complete without kettle corn, a late lunch trip to McDonald's, and a shopping stop at the Big R for more mouse traps. It was a great day.

John 10:14-15 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Fish and Fun

Yesterday Ben had his first of two field trips before the school year is out. This one was to the lake. It is only about two minutes from the middle school. The Colorado Game and Wildlife folks met them at the lake and provided each kid with a fishing pole and bait. They taught the sixty sixth graders how to cast the line and then walked around the lake helping them as the day went on. The kids were there from 9am - 2pm. It certainly beats a day in the classroom.

The weather was beautiful but very windy. It was about 58 degrees-- pretty chilly. Ben did not catch any fish, but he was not too heartbroken about it. He was not looking forward to getting the fish off of the hook and had already made a plan in case that happened. There were some boys around him who are seasoned fishermen, so he had strategically placed himself by them in case something got on his hook.

He told me that a little girl in his class caught one, got it off her hook, and gutted it right there by the lake. This was obviously not her first fish. Ben was thoroughly grossed out. I guess she had come with a pocket knife in her from-home fishing gear. At least she didn't start a fire and cook it right up for lunch.

It was a long day in the sun and wind so Ben was exhausted at the end of the day, but what a cool field trip. Next week, the honors kids with a 3.5 GPA or higher are headed to the Great Sand Dunes national park for the day. This is a far cry from the Ft Worth Zoo and science museum every year.

We have only four more days of school. The summer break will be here a week from today. I wonder if they can sleep past 6:30. I wonder when it will be warm enough to not have a jacket. I wonder when there will be no more snow on the mountains and if that is really when the wind stops. I wonder how long it will be before we see our first bear. I wonder what kind of amazing adventures we will be a part of. It should be fun.

Monday, sweet Monday, is my last day at home by myself. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are filled with field trips, field day, and award ceremonies. If you are looking for me on Monday I will be at home doing as close to nothing as I can. I will likely have a cup of coffee in hand and be enjoying the quiet.

Matthew 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Belly Up

I held a tool in my hand on Saturday that I am a little embarrassed to say I don't know if I have ever used before. It was a shovel. My new friend came over and taught me how to make some flowerbeds where there were none. She and I broke up the very hard and dry soil with shovels.

Next we headed out to the horse manure pile that we have in our field behind the stable. I drove the riding mower with the trailer behind it over to the pile. We shoveled (again) the manure into the trailer. It was an old pile of manure, so we weren't sure if it would be too dry. It was nice and moist under the top layer and filled with crickets and at least one snake. That snake is now dead. It was only about a foot and a half long and appeared to be a "harmless" bull snake. I saw it and yelled that there was a snake, and my friend used that shovel at lightning speed and chopped it's head right off. She flung the body out of the way with her shovel, and it landed belly up. We continued to shovel the old poop.

When I was a little girl, I remember walking out by the garden with my Bigdaddy when we saw a dead snake. He turned it over belly up. The weather was dry, and he said that if you turn a snake belly up it will rain. He was part American Indian and had lots of great sayings. Very soon it started to rain. I remembered this when I saw that snake belly up. Our ground is so parched here, and we could desperately use some rain. I told Heidi about it and she chuckled. About five minutes after we drove the manure back around to the future flower bed site, the rain clouds started forming over the mountain.

She helped me with the entire project from start to finish, and it started to rain as we planted the last plant. What a great day of learning some new skills and enjoying a friend at the same time. To say that I am a little sore from the four hours of shoveling and planting would be a drastic understatement. I could hardly move the next morning. I never knew the ground could be so hard and so dry. I never knew horse manure could transform the soil. I never knew my forearms and shoulders could be so sore to the touch.

I have plenty of manure left on the pile in the field. It is nice to put it to some sort of good use. I am thankful for the day and a half of rain that followed my planting. I am also thankful for the remembrance of Bigdaddy as I was working. Was the rain from the snake being belly up? I don't know, but it was fun to pretend something good came from finding a snake.

Hosea 10:12 "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."

Random Oddities

Since I last wrote, we have had more than our fair share of odd happenings--- well, maybe odd is not the right word. Perhaps this falls under the recurring category of "things I never thought we would be doing." The last time I wrote about the snake I missed with the car. The next day we saw a GIANT snake in the road, and I swerved over and ran that sucker over with all four tires. It was right in front of the neighbor's house (about a mile or so down the road), so I hope they are not snake lovers who watched the crazy mother in the silver Sequoia mow down a snake.

There were no snakes out the next two days because it was freezing. We had sleet one day with highs in the low 40s. Today, however, was sunny and beautiful at around 75 degrees. On one of the cold days, I went to town for the day and did something that I have never done before--- I got my hair cut at WalMart in the salon. I got tired of waiting to figure out where to go and then make an appointment. I was already at WalMart for dog food and a few groceries, so I thought, "Why not? ". I emerged with about 6 inches less of hair and a satisfied feeling of starting over-- free of the dried long tired curls that have been pulled up or back for over two months now.

Our pushy puppy has days when we think he is settling in and settling down and then there is the rest of the time. He is "mouthy and pushy" according to the shelter. I agree wholeheartedly. He is also a giant. I am hoping he is a gentle giant. Right now he is a giant with tooth issues. He is having trouble chewing as he is losing baby teeth and getting big teeth- except for chewing on us. We tried out the training collar this afternoon for a walk and he hated it, but the walk was maybe 50% better than usual. We continue to have to wrestle him to the ground with a yelp and a growl. He relaxes and seems to give in for a little bit. We are trying to be consistent like we try to do with our kids, but kids seem easier at this moment. The boys had a new job this week that they did not appreciate, however, regarding the puppy. They became the pooper scoopers. Harland made each of them poop collectors out of old milk jugs that he cut the top off of. I suited them up with yellow playtex gloves and sent them to work. Nathanael requested a clothespin for his nose but unfortunately it broke after only a couple of minutes. He resorted to having to take a breather every now and then in the other part of the backyard before returning to the task. They did a great job, and it was pretty amusing to watch.

Tonight we went to a cookout at our new friends' house in the small town close to us. As the men were outside grilling the burgers and dogs, two of the neighbors stopped by the house in their trucks to alert us that they had just seen a bear around the corner. They were telling the boys to get the grill in before the bear smelled the meat cooking and came on up to get it. Harland and I had our eyes peeled waiting to see the bear, but we never did. Our host was trying to go on with the cooking and act like he wasn't alarmed, but he was looking as hard as we were and was cooking as fast as he could. No bears for us today, but I am sure it is coming soon.

On Saturday morning my friend Heidi is coming over to teach me how to plant a flower bed here in this soil. We will be shoveling horse and cow manure and mixing it in with the dirt. She is bringing some of her flowers and herbs from her flower beds. I really hope I don't kill everything. Maybe this time will be something I have never done before-- keep plants and flowers alive.

Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

A Mouse, a Snake, and a Birthday Cake

Once again I must say a word or two about the wildlife here. I am sure the last thing anyone would like to see is another mouse story, so I will spare you. Just let me say that we caught another one last night, and she was so determined to get free from the sticky trap, that she ripped all of the fur off of her arms. That is some true drive and determination. She was, however, stuck on with her entire body, but she tried. The one we got the other night during our tv watching was still eating the peanutty bait as Harland took the trap outside--- I guess he wanted one last meal like a death row inmate.

The wildlife we encountered yesterday was even less liked than the yucky mice. I saw my first snake. Thankfully it was crossing the road about 1/2 mile from our house, but it was a wake up call for us all that the snakes are here. I thought it was a stick so I drove straddling it. I saw it was a snake and turned the vehicle around to go back and run over it--- (harsh I know, but that would be potentially one less snake that could end up in our yard). When we got back to where it was, it was gone. I hated that I missed it. The kids thought I was a little nuts to turn around and go back, but they got a good laugh out of it chanting something about "my mom is a crazy snake murderer". This morning on the drive to school, we were on the lookout, and I vowed that my vehicular aim will be better next chance I get. We saw no slithering snakes this morning, but this crazy mom will be on the lookout this afternoon.

I must be embracing some of the country mindset. Yesterday I was doing laundry and cooking and decided to listen to Pandora for some music. My husband started a new Pandora station the other day which is to play Alabama-like music. I turned it on and it was still on that station. By the time I realized it, my hands were dirty with chicken juice so I couldn't change the station just then. I began listening to the words and must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was mostly Randy Travis, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and the like. I listened to the words of wisdom and had to smile: "country folk can survive"; "redneck girl-- her hands are calloused but her heart is tender"; "mommas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys". I have a newfound appreciation for the sentiments in some of the country songs. They somehow seem much more appropriate at this moment in our lives than some of the current pop-rock songs. It was good for a chuckle and even a sentimental tear as I prepared my chicken pot pie with my own calloused hands.

Tonight we celebrate Nathanael's eighth birthday, and he has requested for his "country birthday dinner" to be homemade french fries and chicken nuggets (since McDonald's is too far away). Eight years ago we were living in a suburb of Chicago when Nathanael came along on a stormy Saturday night. He has lived up to his name-- he is truly a "gift from God." He is filled with joy and always has a smile. He loves his family, loves affection, and he really loves his birthday. I look forward to having his little hand hold mine when I pick him up from school on his special day--- mine are calloused and are blue from the food coloring, but I know he won't mind.

Isaiah 40:12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?"

Coming Along with Adjustments

Last Sunday was our snowy sledding day, and this Sunday was our sunny playing in the creek day. What a difference a week makes. Actually, what a difference two months makes.

Today marks eight weeks since we moved to the valley, and we are beginning to feel settled. There have been lots of adjustments and new things to learn, but I have noticed that we have adapted to some of them now to the point they are hardly noticed.

I know, for example, that there is someone in church who sits behind us that has a watch alarm set for 11:30 that goes off each week during the sermon. It lasts several minutes because whoever has that alarm set must not be able to hear at that particular pitch. It used to bother me... now I just know that it is 11:30.

I have become accustomed to the noise in the night of a mouse caught in a sticky trap. As we all sat around the living room tonight watching the Amazing Race finale, we heard a noise and paused our show, looked around, saw the unfortunate guest, and took a few minutes to dispose of the critter. We then set out a replacement trap in the hot spot and started our show again. It barely caused a stir.

I have learned when we drive pretty much anywhere and park in the parking lot, my car will without competition be the dirtiest vehicle in the lot. It used to feel strange to me, and I cringed a little. If you know my father you realize that the mud-crusted car is not what I grew up with. His cars are spotless. Ours have never been spotless, but now our Sequoia is literally two-toned--- brown on the lower half and silver on the top. We leap out so we don't get mud/dirt on our pant legs.

I must admit that our time here on the prairie in Southern Colorado feels like it has been much longer than two months. The days in the hectic pace of city life seem so foreign now. We now comment on all the crowds of people and traffic in Pueblo when we go "to town", and the four lanes of traffic on the interstate seem overwhelming at times. A mere eight weeks ago I was driving daily in 10 lane traffic without blinking an eye. We are always ready to get back to our dirt road on which we might pass one or two vehicles at the most and possibly a few deer or antelopes.

Don't get me wrong, things here are not perfect. There are days that I long for a Route 44 Sonic coke or a fillet of fish with no tartar sauce with a large fry from McDonald's. I miss having friends that are effortless. I miss the familiarity of the kids' old school and teachers and staff. Things here are not perfect, but they were not perfect in Texas either. They were just known. As we are learning and growing and adjusting to the newness here, we are adapting and changing and appreciating the things we are blessed with.

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."

A Beautiful Sight

There are many things here in Southern Colorado that I would describe as beautiful. This morning after the kids and I got the sticks picked up out of the yard so I could mow, I saw what was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen here. There was a black Tahoe driving into my driveway. It wasn't a work truck or delivery man or someone just turning around. I quickly took my redneck lawn-mowing bandanna from around my neck before the vehicle made it down the long driveway.

The black Tahoe held Heidi (a sweet gal I met at church) and her two kids. She came over to see if we wanted to join them for a picnic at the creek by the mountain park. We quickly changed clothes and got ourselves together. She even had lunches already made for all of us.

It was a great day of splashing in the ice cold creek, having a picnic on a rock picnic table, and playing in the park looking at the mountains. The best part of the day, however, was talking to what I believe to be a new real friend.

I think that that might sound pretty pathetic, but it is true. Moving and leaving everyone you know is hard. It is lonely knowing that there's no one here (besides my husband and kids) who knows me. They don't know my strengths or my weaknesses. They don't know what I like and what I dislike. I have to try to put my best foot forward at all times as I hope to be building relationships, and it is exhausting. Today was NOT exhausting at all, but refreshing. I was able to be myself and the conversation was easy.

I don't know if my new friend knows what a welcome sight she was, but I know how much it meant to me that she came over unannounced and took the risk. I plan to remember that for when I am no longer new. I would like to be the car in the driveway for someone else one day. For now, however, I end my day very thankful.

Philippians 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Rocks

There are some things in life that are easily noticed. There are other things that are seemingly not worth a second glance. In nature I am continually finding new things and overlooking things.

There are rocks everywhere here. Our gravel road is made of small rocks of every color. There are rocks in our fields that are as small as a dime and some as big as a basketball. We have placed two big ones on top of our dumpster lid to keep the winds from blowing it open. They range in color from grays and whites to shades of pink with sparkles. We have been collecting some of the big ones out of the yard mainly to clear the grass and dirt for my mowing adventures. We have put them on the porch and now have a pile of beautiful rocks. My plan is to use them one of these years if and when I plant the flower bed I have in my mind.

When my parents were here and we drove up the mountain, they noticed the signs to watch out for falling rock. We saw several small rocks on the road and were all extremely thankful that the big ones remained on the side of the cliff. We drove to the Royal Gorge one day and found that in that area only about 1 1/2 hours from our house there were rocks everywhere that were sparkling like diamonds and when the sun hit them they looked like silver. We found ourselves mesmerized with not only the GIGANTIC rocks and gorge but also with the small shimmery ones we were walking by and on.

I took a walk last night with a friend who is a rock hound. We walked and talked and then out the blue she would jump down in the ditch or run up a hill to look at a rock. She showed me these big ugly rocks that looked like mud balls. They are called something long that I can't remember, but an unofficial name is a node. They were nothing exciting to look at-- to me. She, however, knew what was inside. She found one that had opened when it fell from the cliff and inside was clusters of crystal-looking formations.

These treasures just camouflaged in with the dry dirt, and I would have easily walked on by and never noticed them. I think people are much the same-- some are flashy and demand admiration on first sight but others have layers of "dirt" but when they are broken through hardship or trials their true beautiful identity is seen.

My rock hound friend said, "Isn't that just like God that he put something so beautiful inside something so ugly?" She was looking at the rocks, but we were both thinking of our own selves.

Psalm 40:2-3 "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

A Sunday Afternoon in Early May

We finally bought a snow shovel on Saturday evening. The forecast for Sunday was snow--8-17inches. Sunday was May 1, you realize. Snow on May 1 is a bit foreign to me. I feel sure we had it when we lived in Iowa but that is a distant memory.

Isabel wanted to wear a summer dress and her white "heels" to church yesterday. I urged her to go take a gander out the window and see what she thought. She quickly decided to opt for a sweater dress with thick tights and boots. It was 24 degrees with about 4 inches of snow on the ground.

After church, we pulled out onto the paved road and saw the family of snowy foxes we had been warned about. The momma fox and two babies were in the culvert right next to the street. Our car was filled with some excited little people who have been watching that spot closely since our email alert, hoping to get a glimpse of the babies.

Next, we hurried home, changed into our snow gear, ate a quick grilled cheese sandwich, and headed up the mountain in search of deeper snow. We drove up San Isabel mountain to the lake area which is only about 15-20 min from our house. We found almost a foot of powdery snow with more falling. We tromped around and sledded for a couple of hours. We had the whole place to ourselves except for a couple of cold fishermen on the edge of the lake. We nearly had to pinch ourselves to realize we weren't dreaming. It was beautiful and peaceful and just plain fun. This is a good part of why we moved here-- why we fell in love with the mountains and the slower pace of life.

Our afternoon wrapped up with cups of whipped cream covered hot chocolate and coffee at the local diner while we thawed out.

This week is calling for highs in the 60s-70s and lows in the 30s-40s, but we are so thankful for one more burst of winter weather for us to enjoy as newcomers to the area. It was a vacation-like day---only it was just 3 hours on a regular Sunday afternoon. It was an affirmation of the lifestyle change for us all that we hoped for--simple enjoyment of the beauty around us.

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."