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."