What a day! It was the barn with the Daffodils that caught my eye first, and after that I just kept noticing glimpses of color and new life all around. If you haven’t already, stop and notice. (Click photos for a larger view). Have a great week!
Continue reading Meanwhile Back at The Ranch: I’m Braking For Spring
Down in southwest Oklahoma there are a group of burgs that are filled with great people. Ninnekah to Rush Springs, go west from Rush Springs and you’ll hit Sterling. Keep going you can roll through Elgin. Turn right in Elgin and you can find Fletcher or Cyril. Keep going west and stop at Porter Hill.
Now if you’re really savvy you know where we are headed. Maintaining westerly course you’ll find yourself on the Meers Porter Hill Road that runs smack into Meers itself. They tell me it’s famous, but I grew up not that far away and it’s just Meers. I don’t have a great spiritual thought regarding Meers and Meers Burger. I just want you to know that I know where it is.
I really just want to go back through Elgin and stop between there and Sterling. I used to drive from Apache to pick up my high school sweetheart out there. I met my Sterling girl (that’s where she attended all twelve years of school) in 1972. We’ve been sort of an item ever since.
Right out of high school I married a Sterling Lady Tiger. It wasn’t an Elgin Owl, not a Fletcher Wildcat, not a Cyril Pirate or Cement Bulldog. This Apache Warrior thought that country girl was the catch of his life. And now, nearly forty years later, I still think she’s the one.
Buy Soma 350 Mg Online We Got Married
Ok, this is where we transition to that faith part of my writing assignment. When we got married she took my last name. How about that? Or, as we Apachean’s say, “Ain’t that sumpthin?”
We were way too young when we got married. The odds were stacked against us in many ways. Continue reading Simple Sabbath: Comanche County Burgs
Jeff Capel is a good basketball coach.
“Good” will cut it in just about any profession, just not Capel’s. Good coaches get fired every season and some in this state believe now is the time for a change in leadership of the Oklahoma program.
Capel’s detractors have a case. The Sooners finished the season last night with a 20-point loss to Texas and an overall record of 14-18. For the first time in 46 years, OU has posted back to back losing seasons.
Capel’s squad will also miss the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive year. The Sooners haven’t been left out of the dance two years in a row since 1994.
There was a brutal string of nine straight losses at the end of last season. At one point this year, OU dropped eight in a row and wound up losing nine of its last eleven.
The Sooners have fallen close to the cellar in the Big 12 conference. Only Iowa State finished lower than OU in the standings, and ten of the Sooners conference losses were by a margin of ten points or more. It isn’t just that Capel’s team was losing, it’s that his team wasn’t even consistently competitive. It looks worse for OU when you look at recent history against the top teams in the conference. The Sooners have now dropped four in a row to Texas, four in a row to Texas A&M, and six straight to Kansas.
Critics also love to point out Capel’s recruiting history. Willie Warren, Tommy Mason-Griffin, and Tiny Gallon were all McDonald’s All-Americans and were supposed to be the next wave of Sooner superstars. They were going to pick up the slack after the departure of Blake Griffin, and continue to keep the program in a position of prominence. Warren played two seasons and bolted to the NBA. Mason-Griffin skipped town after only a year and was quoted in the Houston Chronicle saying, “School work was just not in my comfort zone.” Gallon also left Norman after his freshman season amidst allegations that he and his mother received $3,000 from a financial adviser. OU assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro was rumored to be connected to the adviser and the NCAA launched an investigation into Taliaferro’s actions.
Have you ever looked at your watch and realized it is dinner time? You haven’t started dinner much less decided what you are going to fix and someone walks in and asks “what’s for dinner Mom?” It seems like this happens to me more often than not. I have tried to plan ahead and buy my groceries for the week, but life gets in the way, dinner gets cancelled and the next thing I know the meat has to be thrown out. So I go to the grocery store several times a week to at least purchase meat. These trips usually occur after 3:30 and most days closer to 5. My family is shrinking and planning meals seems to be getting harder instead of easier!
If any of this sounds familiar, you will love this week’s recipe. From start to finish you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Buy Ambien Online Without Prescription Microwave Beef & Tater Casserole
by Jana Lowry
1 lb Frozen Ground Beef
1lb Frozen Tater Tots
2 T Minced Onions
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
Paprika
Crumble beef in a 2 qt. casserole. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid off the meat and top with onion and tater tots. Mix two soups together and put on top of tater tots. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Sprinkle paprika on top.
I have to admit that I was hesitant to eat this. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food. I tend to find something on the menu, at restaurants we frequent, that I like and stick with it. Why? Two reasons, one it irritates everyone that I am Xanax Buy Without Prescription always the last one to make up my mind and two I know when I get my food I will like it! Continue reading What’s For Dinner Mom?
I’m afraid…
I’m afraid my daughter might grow up not realizing how much I treasure her. I’m afraid my wife might not know how much I really love her. I’m afraid I will get to the end of my life and realize that I’ve wasted many of my days chasing things that don’t matter. I’m afraid of insignificance. I’m afraid of not being awesome at everything I attempt. I’m afraid of people who would do me and my family harm with no concern whatsoever to the consequence of their actions. I’m afraid of the consequences of some of my actions. I’m afraid of getting passed over and left behind. I’m afraid my life doesn’t matter and my contributions aren’t significant. I’m afraid of getting cancer and dying before I’ve lived the life I always imagined for myself. I’m afraid of knives and guns. I’m afraid of not being liked. I’m afraid of snakes and poisonous spiders and velociraptors… yeah I went there. You would too if you happened to be a child the first time you saw Jurassic Park… those terrible bird-like buggers are some nasty creatures.
I’m afraid of all those things and more, but I don’t let fear paralyze me.
A real man knows that he’ll always have fear. No matter what he does or who he is, there will always be some things that cause him fear. And he’s OK with that because a real man knows how to experience his fear.
He doesn’t shy away from fear. In fact, he doesn’t even try to resist it. He wants to experience the feeling of his fear fully. He acknowledges the presence of fear and seeks to understand its cause. He knows that fear, much like happiness or anger or any other fleeting emotion is just that… a fleeting emotion.
A real man stares fear right in the face, tries to understand it for what it truly is, and then he acts. Continue reading Real Men and Fear
I can’t say that I have always loved garage sales, but in my adult life I have hosted and helped friends with several of them. I love cleaning out closets, getting up early, and putting similar items together. However, this weekend our family hosted an estate sale at the home of my father-in-law who passed away last November. Most of the family showed up to help organize and price the artifacts left behind by their father.
Price.
That’s where I drew the line.
It started a few weekends ago when I went up to help get ready for the sale. I had cleaned out a few of my own closets and found several things I could do without. They were donated to the cause without a thought, but then this question kept resurfacing: “Julie, how much do you want to put on this?” No matter what I said, my suggestion was either too high or too low. No matter how many times I declined to answer the question, they continued to ask. However, a few of my items were taken home by the family for personal use. I guess “free” was a good price for those. 🙂
One week before the sale, I let a friend do some shopping in the trailer. She spent $67 on two chairs, a quilt rack and a cat food bowl. Another friend bought the stereo for $50 and a pair of boots and a napkin holder for $10. Then it happened. “How much do you want for that outdoor furniture?” he asked. “It’s not priced? Are you sure it doesn’t have a price on it somewhere?” I replied. Really, I looked everywhere. My husband and I looked at each other. I had already told him that I was NOT going to price one single item because my prices were always rejected by his family, but he wouldn’t say anything so I decided. “$25 for the two chairs and table.” Needless to say, when I revealed that information on the day of the big sale, it was not well-received. All I could do was shrug my shoulders. I mean, someone walked out with a free $129 Tempur Pedic pillow, and the other pillow I donated was sold for $1. I guess I’m still not clear on the pricing procedure. I’m just glad it’s over.
We still have a trailer full of some over-priced and some under-priced goods. I just hate that I still can’t tell which is which.
[julie]
If you’re a country kid in Oklahoma you remember these words, “The bus is coming!” My brother and I could actually see the bus coming from about a half mile away. Mr. Beavers was a permanent fixture behind the steering wheel. He was an icon of rural route bus driving in his OshKosh overalls, Apache Farmers’ Coop hat and stoic face forward.
On that bus pure evil thrived. To Mr. Beaver’s defense, it wasn’t his fault.
There was this kid who took it upon himself to dismantle and utterly destroy the spirit of a couple of overweight, homely and underprivileged girls who rode that bus. The evil boy couldn’t tell you why he detested the girls, nor could he tell you why their “F’s” on spelling papers evoked his disdain.
https://www.globalpsports.com/psicologia-deportiva/ He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
click nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
Their hand-me-down dresses with patches were particularly good fodder for the boy’s arsenal of contempt. If the girls seemed to be laughing or dared do anything except sit quietly they would be subject to ridicule. It went on for about a semester. It was mean. It was a form of murder, the killing of those poor girls’ souls.
I didn’t directly engage in the aggression. I did something worse. I laughed.
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words, those vile, insidious words,
What suffering when malice brings,
It’s what makes junior high Tramadol Online Purchase HELL. Continue reading Simple Sabbath: Suffering the Indiginity of it all
The coach is always an easy target. If your team looks bad, the knee-jerk reaction is always to blame the coach. If players aren’t living up to their potential, must be the coach’s fault. If there’s a key breakdown at a crucial moment in the game, the coach is clearly an idiot. If your team’s fortunes don’t turn around immediately, this coach must not be the right man for the job. If your kid isn’t getting enough playing time, the coach must have no idea what he’s doing.
Professional and collegiate coaches get paid big bucks, and I’m sure many of you would trade places with them in a heartbeat. Not me. No thank you. I’m not sure the paycheck is worth the constant pressure, scrutiny, hatred, name-calling and second-guessing that coaches put up with from fans, players, and media. Even if you can handle it, what about the toll it takes on your family? Every day, your kids get to hear about why you stink at your job. Entire websites are created just to promote and encourage your firing. Your demise is almost imminent from the moment you take the job, because there is no sympathy, no grace, and zero tolerance in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of sports. These days, owners fire coaches like it’s a bodily function.
Let’s say you’ve got thick skin, and can get past all the material pointing out every reason why you’re an imbecile. Good for you. Now all you’ve got to do is take a group of men, women, or children and turn them into winners. Do that by managing several different personalities, varying backgrounds, an assortment of skill levels, and a dizzying array of attitudes. You have to know who to coddle and who to criticize. Who gets treated tenderly and who gets a dose of tough love? Make sure you earn your players respect, but don’t be too hard on them. Keep things fun and entertaining, but not too fun, because then you’ll lose that respect. Keep players happy with minutes and playing time, and you better know how to massage the ego of your stars and high draft picks. And if you happen to be a high school coach, good luck explaining to parents why Timmy didn’t make varsity. That’s a fun conversation.
Ever have a craving for chips and dip? I’ve decided that’s a staple in my diet…I would suggest adding some fruit and veggies in the mix though.
I recently moved salons, from Western to Casady Square, where my friend also followed and received the position of executive assistant. (We don’t like to use the word “receptionist”) 😉 The traffic flow is amazing in that area so we decided to have a Stella & Dot Trunk show Monday night. (If you haven’t heard of the jewelry line check out stelldot.com/jennifermanning….its amazing!) Anyway, I volunteered to make some appetizers to take. Can I please tell you that I made 4 in less than 30 min! If you don’t like to cook at least give some of these a whirl! Its easier than opening a jar from the grocery store and putting it in a bowl to take it somewhere. You know we all have done that! Most of the items in the dips you could easily have/keep at home for a quick homemade appetizer!
Zolpidem Online Order Crab Dip
By Rose Davis & Keri Hale
1 (6oz) can crab
3oz cream cheese
30z cream cheese with chives (might be hard to find, I used 1 6oz container cream cheese and added chives)
2 T. mayo
2 tsp. lemon juice (easy to keep the little lemon shaped bottle in your fridge to add to any recipe)
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used chipotle tabasco sauce)
Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 min. Should be bubbling and brown.
(Great dip, looks fancy but is easy to make but fishy so not for people wary of seafood!)
A recent Parenting Magazine article explored moms’ self perceptions in a number of categories. On the topic of creativity, a majority of moms said they wouldn’t describe themselves as particularly innovative or creative. Excuse me? In my opinion, creativity is a pre-requisite for motherhood. Heck the act of becoming a mother is fundamentally indicative of our ability to create, and great minds would argue that life is art and art is life.
This brings me to Jeff Foxworthy. What connection could creativity possibly have to comedian Jeff Foxworth? When I began thinking of all the ways moms are creative even when they don’t necessarily see themselves in that light, my 
thoughts inexplicably came together in the form of Foxworthy’s infamous “You might be a redneck” jokes. These one-liners of 90’s fame hit home with a large segment of the population because the reality is that we all know deep down that we’re a little bit country but don’t really want to wave that freak flag in public. Foxworthy did his best to “out” everyone for their redneck tendencies. Similarly, I think most women are extremely creative but just need someone to give them the one-liners they need to recognize it!
I aim to please, folks.
Ahem.
If you’ve ever put together a last-minute Halloween costume using only a few discarded paper towel rolls, some sweat bands you found in your husband’s 80’s memorabilia box labeled “don’t touch this,” the fishnet pantyhose you bought but have been too afraid to wear, and some pipe cleaners…you just might be a creative mom.
If you’ve ever dragged yourself out of bed 20 minutes early to carve your finicky eater’s lunch sandwich into the shape of Mickey Mouse and cut up vegetables into “trees” and “swords” instead of plain old broccoli and carrots in an attempt to get him to actually put food in his mouth… you just might be a creative mom.
If you’ve ever drug out every blanket from the hall closet and used hair clips and trash bag ties to build a massive fort in order to entertain your child on a rainy Saturday afternoon… you just might be a creative mom.
If you’ve ever pulled off a delicious dinner in under 30 minutes with no advance planning and with only ground turkey, frozen vegetables and chicken broth because you haven’t been to the grocery store in over a week….you just might be a creative mom.
If you’ve ever “MacGyvered” a broken shoe with a stapler and some gum or fashioned a bib out of a panty liner, a bobby pin and a hair elastic, you just might be a Buy Soma Online REALLY creative mom! Continue reading Motherhood and Creativity With a Side of Jeff Foxworthy
First of all, the the fact that MacGyver was a fictional television character, which therefore clearly gives great irony to the title of this blog post, is not lost on me.
If you were not a fan, a quick perusal of the show’s Wikipedia page will tell you that MacGyver was a secret government agent who:
A) Preferred non-violent resolution to fighting where possible.
B) Often refused to carry a gun.
C) Was educated as a scientist with a background as a bomb team technician in Vietnam. (really who isn’t these days?)
D) Was laid back, intelligent, resourceful, and optimistic.
Oh yeah… I forgot letter E.
E) He could also solve just about any problem known to man, short of disarming an atomic bomb, with everyday readily available materials and his ever present duct tape and Swiss Army knife. On second thought, I think he might have actually disarmed an atomic bomb at some point during season three.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what made MacGyver a real man. Sure his anti-violence approach was laudable. But hey, I know a lot of dudes who aren’t violent who also aren’t very manly.
Now MacGyver on the other hand… give that guy a pine tree air freshener, a tube sock, a paper clip, a ballpoint pen, a rubber band, tweezers, nasal spray, and perhaps a turkey baster or two and he was virtually unstoppable.
MacGyver was a real man if there ever was one because he knew how to improvise.
Which brings me to the topic my post today. Last night my lovely and talented wife decided she wanted to return something she bought on the internet. We still had the box and all of the shipping material so she called the company to find out how to go about returning it.
After a few minutes on hold and the joy that is Burt Bacharach hold music, the customer service rep answers and tells her that she’s called just in time. They have a 30 day return policy and today is day 30 so the guy schedules her a FedEx pickup for this morning and tells her to put the pre-addressed return label that came with the package on the box and leave it on our porch first thing in the morning.
Simple enough, right? Continue reading MacGyver Was A Real Man
It’s been February.
Black History month.
For thirty plus years that didn’t mean much to me.
But now with two black children from Ethiopia, I have come to care deeply about this month.
It’s an opportunity for me to lean in and listen to those who have suffered from America’s original sin of racism.
For the last three years during Black History month, I’ve been reading through Bearing the Cross by David Garrow, a Pulitzer award winning bio-epic of Dr. King and the history of the Civil Rights movement.
This book has been like a hammer in terms of deconstructing my “white” Christian self…and theology.
Truth, I’m learning, is largely situated.
All of us absorb like moons the cultures we live in.
There is an inevitable cultural transference.
From those over us like parents and pastors.
To those around us like our peers and pop culture icons.
Not to mention the places we inhabit.
Like our churches and schools and neighborhoods.
Growing up in an evangelical, middle class, suburban culture, for example, I certainly absorbed a particular worldview. Those who passed it onto me did so with a genuine desire to see me respond to the call of discipleship.
I am so thankful for this.
But having said that, I never had a Dr. King speak into my life early on. Continue reading Deconstructing My “White” Christian Self, Part 3
Continued from Part One~
So Monday morning arrived and I was as ready as I could be to face my 7th graders. Of course, this morning was going to be tougher than usual considering the news I had to share. I waited for someone to ask about the baby goats, but no one did. I quietly announced that we had some “new kids on the block.” That’s when the questions started rolling out. I mentioned that we’d had two sets of twins, and I was going to show them a video. I heard one little girl whisper under her breath, “I only see two; where are the others?” I let them read the essay I had written about my experience that weekend. I think I cried four separate times as I talked to four different classes. It was a quiet day in my room.
We still had one pregnant goat left in the pasture. I tried not to let the loss of the two babies diminish my enthusiasm for the impending birth of Blackie’s offspring. Blackie had already had one baby while with us: Baby Brown. She had been a good mother, and the weather was getting warmer, so that was going to be good for the new babies and for me when I videoed her birth. Of course, I was “in town” when she gave birth on a Sunday afternoon. Could the goats had known my documentary plan?
A call from Greg revealed that Blackie had given birth to two healthy little girls. One of them was white with all the brown markings of a typical Boer goat, white body and brown head. The other goat was the brown of our Red Dirt Chronicles shirts. Really, that’s the only way I know to describe it, and she had a black stripe down her back and black feet. I tried to envision them as Greg described them. The babies were curled up together in the corner of the shed and already as big as small dogs. I guess their mom had not had time to warn them that I would be wanting to pick them up and hold them, so they were extremely trusting when I made my way to them to touch them and cuddle them one at a time.
We enjoyed watching our four new babies grow as the week turned into the weekend, and finally, Greg mentioned something about one of Blackie’s babies having the same “hangy downy things” as her mother. I had not really noticed the “wattles” on either side of Blackie’s neck or on her baby’s neck. I also did not know they were called “wattles” until I typed in a search for “what are the hangy downy things on either side of my goats neck.” One of the most reliable web sites revealed that wattles are common…. in DAIRY GOATS. Blackie is a dairy goat! Continue reading Meanwhile Back at The Ranch: It’s Not Always Blue Skies and Butterflies: Part Two
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I don’t know who invented the sidekick, but there should be a lifetime achievement award going to someone. There are many famous sidekicks. For Fred Flintstone, Lone Ranger, Johnny Carson and Sherlock Holmes – they are: Barney Ruble, Tonto, Ed McMahon and Dr. Watson, respectively.
A sidekick does not get center stage or major billing; the supporting role is always subordinate to the main character. (Oh, like you didn’t know that… drive a stake: subordinate to the main character.)
I’m sure there is another blog that extols the virtues of distinguished sidekicks. But I mu st note, just for the record, that the greatest sidekick of all time is Tonto. He had dignity, he had a horse named Scout, and he was fit.
Stories
We are geared for stories and we love heroes. We especially love stories with heroes who have cool sidekicks. I wonder if sidekicks know they are sidekicks? I mean really, think about it… I’ll bet Chewbacca thought he was the main character. But come on man, who’s he trying to kid? *
Yes, there are stories. We all like to think that we have our own story. But I submit that there is but one Story, The Story and there is only one Hero, capital ‘H’.
The Star of the Gospel –God, the author of all that is, authors the ultimate story. His story begins in creation; the Bible is His script beginning to end. He reveals Jesus, the true and better Hero. The interesting thing about regular guys like me, is that we somehow think we are the main character. For the most part we pretend to write our own script (Can you say tragedy?); there are self-salvation projects too (all a farce).
The Gospel rewrites our dead-end characters.
By casting Self as the main character, we become comfortable with sprinkling verses from God’s Script to help our story along. According to bumper stickers, Jesus becomes our “best friend” or “co-pilot.” Man fancies himself a “friend of God” because he is willing to let Jesus play a supporting role. But the hero of the God’s story does not accept supporting roles. God has given Him pre-eminence; He must have first place in everything. Continue reading Simple Sabbath: Sidekicks & Shows About Nothing
Acting as Commissioner of a professional sports league cannot be an easy job. It requires business savvy, knowledge of the law, negotiating skills, and the ability to wade through piles of criticism while maintaining a tough, confident appearance. Most of the job responsibilities aren’t glamorous, and the hours are long. Commissioners are rarely praised and often vilified. For the most part, I think the four Commissioners, David Stern (NBA), Roger Goodell (NFL), Bud Selig (MLB), and Gary Bettman (NHL), do a pretty decent job. But every fan wonders what it would be like to be in charge. We’d all love to take the ownership reigns of our favorite team for a week, but how does one attempt to change an entire league? Well, like this for starters.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
The first thing I’d address as NBA Commissioner is what I like to call the “redundancy factor.” The league’s biggest problem is that 75 percent of its teams are almost irrelevant. This is a league that revolves around seven or eight franchises at the most. The conversation, the media, and the telecasts, focus on these so-called elite teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Mavericks, Heat, and Magic. The rest of the league is barely worth talking about and that has to change. The gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” has to close for the NBA to become an all-around better product, because when only a few teams have an actual shot to win a title before the season even starts, then why is the regular season interesting? Where’s the drama? Right now, we’re all just biding our time until the playoffs start. In my mind, the best way to solve this problem is contraction. I know it’s a dirty word, but it’s time. Too many small market teams (Milwaukee, Utah, Sacramento) acquire star players only to see them bolt in a couple years for one of the big cities. The teams that can hold onto stars are eventually forced to trade them away because the players have too much power (i.e. Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams). Getting rid of six teams would help bring the league back into a better competitive balance. Talent wouldn’t be spread so thin, and increased parity is the result. In other words, a more interesting, compelling NBA than what we have right now. It gives me no pleasure to do it, but I’m taking the ax to these teams:
I have made something similar to this in the past, but I called it Rotel Spaghetti and it had fewer ingredients. Basically my recipe consisted of Rotel cheese dip with spaghetti and chicken mixed in. This is a little “fancier” version. I must say I have only cooked one or two things that my family did not like. This recipe they loved. It is great for a busy school night where you don’t have a lot of time between, school, work, and extra curricular activities. I have included a tip to make this an extra quick dish. So, let’s get cookin’!
CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
by Kim Mask
16 oz. box of Velveeta
1 can Rotel
12 oz. Thin Spaghetti
2 large cans of Chicken
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken SoupCook Spaghetti as directed on package. While spaghetti is cooking cut Velveeta into cubes. Drain Spaghetti, combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13 inch dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350.
Cooks Tip; If you are in a hurry you might want to speed this up some by melting the Velveeta mixed with the Rotel in the microwave, mix in the rest of the ingredients and pop in the oven until hot.
Happy Cooking,
[jani]
Last month, I wrote a list of things I will do when I’m an old man. Most, if not all of them were pretty tongue and cheek. However, as I was writing it, I kept thinking of more serious things that I wanted to be doing when I’m an old man. And that’s what this list is all about.
Without any further ado, when I’m an old man:
For weeks I’ve gone to the goat shed to feed, and I’ve had my eye on a couple of goats that were pregnant. My mind was made up that I was going to make a documentary of them having the babies if I was home when they were delivered. I even looked up all the pictures that I could find on the Internet to see if I could handle what I was actually going to witness when a goat gave birth. How was I going to create something that did not have the feel of either Paranormal Activity or The Office? As it turns out, I missed all three deliveries. Yep, three. I was not prepared for the aftermath.
I had used my pregnant goats as a lure to teach my kids how great research could be. One student asked me how I knew a goat was pregnant. My reply was that it looked like a chair was sideways in its stomach. It was “just a feeling.” At the end of the lesson I showed them all a picture of the suspect. They agreed that I was probably right. For two weeks every day my students asked me if my kids had arrived. They hadn’t. The momentum was dying down and I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen. It was about then that I realized there were three pregnant females on the premises. My students were so excited. I even got emails from parents inquiring about the event!
One Saturday I took off for an evening with some friends and left Greg at home to feed. Not thirty-five minutes after I left home, he called me to say that one of the goats had just given birth to twins. I’d missed it! This was compounded by the fact that the other one looked like she would give birth within twenty-four hours. A few hours later I called to make sure Greg had set up the heat lamps at the shed, and he informed me that we already had another set of twins!
The next morning I bundled up to head out into the below freezing weather to check on our new additions. Even though I’d missed the birth, I was armed with my camera. I was also carrying some compost pile material, so I separated from my husband to head in that direction first. I was not expecting the sound of distress that came out of his mouth, but when I looked in his direction, I understood. Maybe three feet from a heat lamp lay one of new baby’s lifeless little bodies. It was small and deflated as if Life had spent little time there. I could barely even see it. He hurried past it to the next pen where he found the same haunting image: one of the twins from the other doe, just a few feet away from warmth, was also dead.
Continue reading Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch: It’s Not Always Blue Skies And Rainbows-Part One
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I grew up in Apache, Oklahoma. The air there is thick with Oklahoma culture; tribal Pow Wows, local rodeo hands, Mo Betta western wear, grazing cattle, sweeping wheat fields, Friday night football and salt-of-the-earth people. These things describe my childhood home.
My dad was the town barber. As the shoe-shine boy and floor sweeper I spent hundreds, probably thousands of hours in Caldwell’s Barber Shop of Apache. I learned to appreciate community and I met a lot of wonderful characters. It seems like yesterday and at the same time it seems like another age.
In my dad’s shop, and around the town, I saw a lot of business deals, from renting pasture and horse deals all the way to car trades and services to be rendered. The transactions were typically hinged on a final understanding: knowing whose word to trust and when bovine excrement was in the mix. And I learned that a man was “as good as his word.”
In the beginning was the Word – the Gospel of John
Even before time and existence the Word is. The Gospel of John, in poetic form, unveils the declaration of eternal reality. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This passage does not refer to “In the beginning” of all time and created existence. It refers to what is without beginning, the Infinite; In the beginning God . . .
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.
If you want to touch truth, if you want to inhale grace, you have to take God at his Word. That phrase, “dwelt among us” is particularly a part of the disclosure of God. It refers pitching his tent, coming into our midst to abide.
Nelson Mandela noted, when we speak to someone in a language he understands, we reach his head. If we talk his language, we reach his heart. God spoke our language when the Word became flesh.
Continue reading Barbershop Theology (Introduction): “I Give You My Word.”
Just win baby.
The famous motto of Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis is somewhat ironic considering the Raiders do everything but win. However, those three little words perfectly describe how almost every American sports fan feels about his or her team.
I am a fan just like you and frankly, I’m sick and tired of the expectations that are placed on me. I don’t need to hear another coach, player, owner, executive, or media member call me out for not being supportive. Here’s how this works: You (the team) create a successful product, and then I show up. I’m not going to show up if there’s nothing in it for me. Selfish? You betcha. Wrong? Nope.
There’s no way athletic directors Joe Castiglione and Mike Holder enjoy seeing thousands of empty seats at Lloyd Noble and Gallagher-Iba, but the fan is the last person I’m going to blame for those arenas looking no better than junior high gyms. Nobody is expecting Oklahoma to turn into a basketball crazed state anytime soon. That being said, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the Sooners and Cowboys to make the NCAA tournament four out of every five seasons. These are schools with a decent amount of basketball tradition. They are big-time universities with big bucks coming from big boosters trying to get into a tournament that’s anything but exclusive. If Jeff Capel and Travis Ford can’t give me something to look forward to, then why should I pay through the nose to watch a team hoping to sneak into the NIT?
Good economy or down economy, fan dollars are stretched thin. If I have to pick and choose carefully, why am I going to pick a loser? Some claim the Thunder is taking dollars away from the college basketball teams in this state. I think that’s right, but it’s not because of over saturation in the market. One team is on the rise and sells out; the other teams flounder around .500 and hear crickets during home games. Fans will go see a winning product, period.
