Hog Dog

A couple of weeks ago, we had guests on the ranch who came from New York to get a taste of some down and dirty Texas hog hunting. What you see here is a professional "hog dog." He is what they call a "catch dog." He comes in after the "bay dogs" find pigs and bay them (surround them and bark). The catch dog is then released to hold the pig until the hunters come to dispatch it with a knife. It's a brutal deal, but they do process the pigs for food and the dogs appear to love the whole affair in a most primal way. This was hunting in extreme, but they got their fill. 

One Year Ampuversary

Happy One Year Ampuversary!

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 

- 1 Peter 5:10

Today is our one year "ampuversary" - the day we celebrate the choice we made for Robert to amputate his left leg below the knee to gain back his life and mobility. The verse you see above was what was our day calendar when the accident occurred. At that time, it was a promise; today, it is our reality - all praise to God! We have our struggles, of course, but we are very blessed. 

So, what is Robert doing now? Well, as of last night, he was installing a faucet in our kitchen... Then, about thirty minutes after that, he got a call that the fence line across the road had a drunk driver run through it, so he went out, in the dark on the side of a busy road, and with the help of others here, fixed about 80 feet of fence using a post digger (seen in that second picture below). 

Following that excitement, he counted heads of cattle and all were there. Then, the guy who ran through it and had run from him earlier returned to argue about his car being towed. It was like Robert was on duty all over again. :) The miracle of this is that all this time Robert was plodding around on muddy, unlevel ground - thanks to a high-tech prosthesis, determination, and a God who heals. We had just bought him new snake boots too - and they even came with a zipper already installed! 

Today, among many, many other random things, he is engineering a quail hunting course (as seen in the third picture below) for our next round of guests scheduled to arrive Friday morning. The question is - what is he (or are we) NOT doing?! Not much...

Two things are for sure for us and for everyone - every day has it challenges, but every day God provides exactly what you need - and THAT is a promise for all who will receive it! When suffering is coupled with faith, we are not victims, but over-comers.

Thanks be to God. 

Students Teach Too

Recently, due to life's circumstances, I resigned from teaching to be a full-time caretaker and to be more available to my family. The most heart-wrenching part of that was saying goodbye to the children. However, as God would have it, their Valentine's Day party allowed me an opportunity to see them again briefly, exchanging a hundred hugs and smiles. This is where the students taught the teacher... 

The pictures above display just some of my precious students' expressions of love, and hold something I want to remember forever- a lesson in love. These children are a living example of a precious truth: "So faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 

I love them too- very much. They are absolutely the mouthpiece of God.

Redneck Stir Fry

Want good food in a hurry that'll last you a while and keep you healthy? This is what works for us on days like today when we have guests on the ranch and Robert is out guiding hunts all day- Redneck Stir Fry. This takes only about 15 minutes to make- no joke.

1) Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. ~2 minutes

2) Add sliced mushrooms (1/2 to 1 bag or pint) and stir. ~1 minute

3) Add 1 sliced or chopped onion (your choice) and stir. -2 minutes

4) Add 1-2 tbsps. chopped or minced garlic and stir. -1 minute

5) Add 4-6 slices of lunch meat - cut into bite-sized pieces (ham is good) and stir. -1 minute

6) Add 1 tomato cut into bite-sized chunks AND fresh spinach leaves and stir. -2 minutes

7) Add jalapeño salt or salsa to taste andsprinkle  your favorite shredded cheese on top. Remove from heat. When the cheese is melted, you're good to go. 

This recipe is versatile. We make it with or without these exact ingredients, but we use the basic idea of it to quickly stir up a batch of whatever we have in our fridge that needs to be eaten - kale instead of spinach, or squash instead of tomato, etc. Plus, it only dirties up one pan! 

Francis

Francis used to be pretty wild just one and a half years ago. Not so now! He rested his head here for about five minutes while I scratched behind his ears and on his neck. They say donkeys are smarter than horses and that they have a great memories. Apparently, Francis remembers me well enough to welcome me petting him. Now, if we could just ride him...

Loads of Love

Today's mountain to climb: laundry. With lots of guests coming to the ranch each week comes a mountain of soiled towels, sheets, and fine linen napkins. After completing 12 loads at the lodge yesterday, plus 5 of our own here, I am becoming quite the laundry ninja.

Although laundering SOUNDS monotonous, it is very much an art, with each piece coming with tiny scripted instructions - EXCEPT for the linen napkins, which is where my current challenge begins. One of the maids left a recently used set if them pink-stained and soiled, as she washed them with reds and failed to treat them for stains. I know you cannot use chlorine bleach on linen napkins or they will yellow. I also know you must treat a stain on them immediately with one of about four approved treatments for the special flax-based material. I also know you cannot wash reds with whites. When treated properly, these napkins can outlast their cotton cousins and rest more beautifully alongside the dinnerware when crisply starched. At this moment, they are soaking in an oxodized stain remover... To be continued.

Our Furry Friends