Loading Heifers

After spending the night with another ranch family, this morning we picked up several heifers in a South Texas town about 80 miles north of the Mexican border and miles away from the conveniences of the city. It's a town where illegal immigrants are dropped off so often that the local police department has had to receive help from neighboring cities and counties to keep up with the security workload. In fact, authorities recently discovered a mass grave where many who died on their trek through the desert and vast lands of these ranches here were buried.

On the way there we read a local news report that a bull rider, a friend of the other ranchers, had been gored by a bull the previous night during the town's Fourth of July rodeo celebration. As a first impression, this place was seeming violent, so we did not know what to expect, but figured this region has given the saying "Texas tough" its meaning. We were right.

Immediately upon entering the South Texas brush country, one gets the feeling that things are different in this part of the country. The people are gentle in behavior with Texas-sized manners, but as rugged as the lands they maintain. These Texans are ones who seem to more fully understand the cycles of life, including death, and have learned to create their own comforts and how to be self-sustaining. The number of poverty-stricken folks here is high as well, with the median family income at $15,00 a year, keeping main things the main things without much room for the luxuries of distractions.

After a full day and night at a local ranch family's home, we found it to be very peaceful and silent, with only the sound of the whippoorwill to greet us just before sunup. There is both the peace and threat of solitude here, but only from human inhabitants. The wildlife is vast and different, surrounding the sparse homesteads and covering the rolling hills in between - from funny looking toads to green jays to giant rattlesnakes, and there's a pack of cow dogs in everyone's front yard. The hospitality is just as rich, with its beautiful smiling, black-haired waitresses to the jalapeño apricot jelly with home fried corn chips.

Although we came here for the cattle, we've learned a bit about the dangers and beauty of South Texas. We also learned a different way to handle cattle, as every family has their ways. It was the easiest loading job we've ever done. Due to the help of yet another rancher's gentle tactics and with the help of his blue heeler, in a brief 30 minutes we had two trailers loaded - not what we expected and a nice surprise. No cow drama or rodeoing was required. We just watched the dog work the cows
into the shoot and ushered them into the trailers.

Thank you, Lord, for a smooth time loading - now for the trek northward through the middle of Texas and to introduce these cattle to their new home.

Somebunny Help Me

 

Robert saved this drowning bunny yesterday as it was trying to escape a half-full (half-empty if your feeling negative or ultra realistic) water trough. He used a broom and scooped it out of the trough. There was no telling how long it had been in there because it appeared to have extreme exhaustion for hours to follow.

We carried him home and Mama Christie set him up in a kennel to recover overnight in the laundry room. S/he had hypothermia, which allowed me to snuggle it for a while; but it was back to its wild and reclusive nature this morning, happily eating mini-carrots and overly-ripened tomatoes in the corner. Our daughter-in-law, Erin, says to add lifeguard to our titles.

#lifeguardranching

Second Leg

LimbLogic VS (on right)

Yay! Robert just got his second leg, a LimbLogic Vacuum Seal leg with a waterproof pump that creates a vacuum inside the gel sleeve. It comes with a charger and remote control fob to adjust the suction level - pretty cool stuff. 

Because his limb has shrunk, it's a much tighter fit, but easier to move. Otherwise, he has had some pain, as discussed in the Neuroma or Normal blog, so our next step is to see the doctor and hope that Robert can receive instruction under a renown Houston physical therapist, Ann Sanders. 

One step at a time, we are getting there!

Old leg on the left - see how much larger it is?

You press the white button to turn on/off the pump, which is that little cylinder at the end.

Our prosthetist, Robby Schiff, teaching Robert how to use the pump.

Ranchin Recipe Wild Plum Jelly

Christie's Wild Plum Jelly 

2-3 cups wild plum juice 

2 cups water

3 cups sugar

Pectin

Jars for canning

Boil 4 or so cups of the above liquids. Add 4 1/2 tbsps. of pectin, stirring nonstop. Add 3 cups of sugar, stirring nonstop until it has boiled hard for one minute. Cool for a few minutes and pour into prepared (sterilized) jars of your size preference, leaving head room for canning. Close lid to being slightly loose and submerge jars into hot water bath covering them with 1/2 to 1 inch of water. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove the jars to cool until you hear the tops pop! They should be air-tight and good for up to one year! These make great gifts, too.  

 Enjoy!

Ranchin Recipe Raydell's Welcome Home Soup

Raydell's Welcome Home Soup 
(HIGHLY recommended as a health booster)

4  boneless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)

4 tbsps. olive oil

1 lemon 

1 box chicken stock

4 cups water

1 large can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 bunch celery, chopped

1 bunch carrots, chopped

1-2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 bag cauliflower, chopped

1/2-1 cup spinach leaves (or any dark green leafy vegetable)

2 large (or 3-4 small) onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. tarragon (this makes it)

3-4 bay leaves

Brown the chicken in olive oil on medium heat and bring tomatoes, chicken stock, and water to a boil while chopping the vegetables and stirring/turning the chicken chunks every couple of minutes. Dump the vegetables (except for the spinach) into the broth mixture, add the spices and boil uncovered for about 20 minutes. Add the chicken with the oil and all; cover and cook on low heat for about 2 hours, adding the spinach leaves about the last 1/2 hour. Mmm! This soup is ready to eat immediately after cooling it a bit. Enjoy!

*Note: This is the soup Raydell, the other rancher's wife, made for us as we came home from a long hospital stay. It was a tremendous comfort that we will always remember. Thanks, Raydell!

Know Your Limits

Know Your Limits

Ranching is fun and rewarding, but because - like many other jobs in life, inherited or chosen -  it can be consuming and nonstop, it MUST be managed.

For example, after two days of bathing and grooming 11 very wiggly hunting dogs, they might look like this -

but leaving me looking like this-

and Robert's boot looking like this-

by the end of the day.

Between daily hunting dog maintenance, quail house upkeep, pool cleaning, mowing, mowing, mowing, landscaping, hunting, cleaning houses/grounds/kennels, cattle care/moving and more - it will consume your being if you don't know how to take breaks.

This is all a joy and is fun for us, UNLESS it is all we do.

Therefore, something we are learning is a key factor in maintaining joy out here (or anywhere), where the work is always waiting, is the old adage - KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

Because by default I can be "a glutton for punishment," meaning not knowing when to slow down or say no, a few years ago I devised a plan against that character flaw. Thus, today is my weekly Saturday Sabbath rest time, where I rest, piddle, play and pray until sundown; a time I treasure. Every Saturday I ask that my family do without me on the chore end and have learned the hard way that it is an ESSENTIAL part of who God has made me - a BEing.

When I ignore that, I always pay a price; yet, when I honor it, I am stronger in my relationship with God and for serving Him the other six days. Sometimes, of course, life events occur and I forego the actual day, but then I always try to honor it on the next day as much as possible - for the delight of what it brings and the fear of what ignoring it will bring. I also practice entering this "rest mode" each morning and evening and throughout the days now.

It all started with a wise priest-friend of ours, Fr. Bill, who would constantly remind us, "We are human BEings, not human DOings." That is God's wisdom. Just to BE, I believe, is sometimes the best thing we can DO for ourselves and those nearest to us - kind of like a relative or friend who may be disabled or homebound but you are just so glad they are there, existing on earth with you. Not much is truly necessary.

Our sons, Landon and David are each, in their own ways, exemplars of this perfect coexistence of work and rest. They are balanced, and everything in life seems to come against that, yet they firmly stand on these principals that guard their being.

The only way that I have found to ensure that for myself is to be intentional about establishing that Day of Rest between me and God. Otherwise, I would become a soul-less, carnal workaholic "whose glory is in [her] gut," as the Good Book says, and whose appetite is never satisfied. Such an appetite for busyness reminds me of something . . .

Another ranch where Robert and our sons used to hunt have a seemingly appropriate motto: You can sleep when yer dead.

That's funny when you're a guest and hunting there, BUT-

On this ranch, and to that, my reply and motto is twofold: Rest is best, and the first wealth is health (Thank you, Grandma and Ralph Waldo Emerson)!

It just never ends. In fact, Robert postponed his appointment for getting his new prosthesis until next week because the owners are coming and he (we) now need to work more to prepare for that. It's all good, yes- but to recall Jack Nicholson in that classic horror scene from The Shining, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." That's a dramatic example, but it illustrates a truth.

It should be a red flag for any human BEing to go nonstop and is one for us. That is why Robert is planning to rest Sunday and I am at a state park now, about to go stare at the clouds after this web log is written.

Oh, and the Bible verse reading today that goes with this was in the daily verse I get by email (God is so cool)-
Matthew 16:1-11 warning us of the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees - which, on one level, could be compared to trying to outDO ourselves in good deeds and striving for outward perfection.

You know, if Jesus were right here next to me and to you, which I believe in a sense He is, I believe He would be saying, "Chillax, my sisters and brothers, chillax in the Lord and be content."

Happy Sabbath, and I pray you other human BEings regularly partake in plenty of rest from your daily grind. Peace out +

#restisbest

Neuroma or Normal?

"What's a neuroma?" I asked Robert as he stated that he believes this is what he might have. Knowing enough English and Greek/Latin root words, I knew it would be related to the nervous system somehow, which is a whole other side to amputation that we were never aware of until him going through it now.

A neuroma is a growth or benign tumor on the nerves of the foot. But his foot was removed- you say. Yes, but not the nerves. The foot nerves are intact and were wrapped up along with his calf muscle to guard the underside of his residual limb, with a giant seam sewn across the top of his shin about 6-7 inches below his knee. So he still "feels" his foot and his toes "doing things" even though the flesh and bone are absent.

For example, the other day his right foot was wet as he was working in water, so his left "foot" perceived that it was wet as well - this is what they call a phantom sensation. He has all kinds of phantom sensations ranging from a toe cramp and his foot itching to it being hot or cold. They are very real in the sense that he feels them, but they are also controlled by the mind to some extent.

In addition to these phantom sensations, he has had phantom pains to return - something he now sleeps through, but something that causes him/us grief on a regular basis. Phantom pains and their elusiveness still baffle the medical experts. They are not totally understood, much like the nervous system and the brain are not and are currently being studied with the hopes of helping more amputees overcome these illusive pains, which many thought they would be rid of when their limb was severed.

Now, Robert has been having a different pain - what he calls "real pain" at the end of his limb, as he has learned to distinguish physical pain from the more neural/mental phantom pains. Because of it, some days/hours he is unable to use his prosthesis and becomes what he calls a "monoped" again. It's all part of the process as his nerves heal, but we find ourselves asking with each new pain - is this NORMAL? Honestly, being an amputee (and their caregiver) is like exploring undiscovered terrain - simultaneously dangerous and promising.

He saw his prosthestist, Robby Schiff, yesterday to be fitted for his second leg - the vacuum kind. It hurt him to walk with it because of that little ball of pain and his gait. In a nutshell, this is what we are looking at today:

Problems:
-possible neuroma
-poor gait
-weak left leg due to atrophy
Solutions:
-massage and hold out for an upcoming doctor visit with the orthopedic surgeon (in Houston) so he can refer Robert to a specialist if it's a neuroma
-travel to Houston for gait training with some lady who is the alleged gait go-to person who will give
him weekly homework on how to walk correctly
-exercise
Problems:
-we live near Austin
-the ranch owners are coming and the ranch continues to need running
Solutions:
-God has blessed us with good vehicles and family/friends with which he can stay
-God is also blessing us with help from our sons, daughter-in-law, and another ranch family who come here to work

The Real Problem:
-We all need strength to persevere, faith to be still, hope to know that this life is not in vain, and wisdom to guide us.
The Real Solution:
-Speaking for myself, but also for Robert to some degree- I came across this verse this morning after asking God for guidance- and this gave/gives us peace with our "New Normal," neuroma or not-

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Such a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:2-8

My favorite parts- How God gives wisdom WITHOUT FINDING FAULT! That is amazing, especially if you are like me and can find fault with anything. God is definitely not like we people are. The other favorite part is that our job is to "LET perseverance finish its work" - meaning to allow the struggle and weather the storms. 

So, we are asking and we are trusting, knowing that God always provides wisdom. Meanwhile, Robert returns to the prosthetist tomorrow to see if/how well he can walk with the new leg. To be continued . . . 

#phantompain

#neuroma

#newnormal

#trustinggod