Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Black-and-White Sunshine

We haven't had the coldest or snowiest of winters, but it must be the dreariest. I can't remember so many cloudy December and January days! For various reasons, I've spent much of the season struggling with anxious, gloomy thoughts that seem to match the gray skies.

Providentially, a certain little ray of sunshine has helped brighten every dismal day and dark night: Ellie. If you haven't met Ells yet, she's our sweet and irrepressible...



...goat wrangler...

...ruthless stalker of neighborhood cottontails...

...roughhouser...

...stealer of favorite chairs (as well as mittens, socks, boots, eyeglasses, garbage, eye ointment, cash, hats, pillows, blankets, laundry--pretty much anything that isn't nailed down or locked up)...

...bossy workout coach...

and tumbleweed tamer.

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"He's the hope that holds me and the Stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence." ~Psalm 91:2 TPT



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"Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow." ~Philip Gulley

Friday, January 26, 2018

A Post and a Prayer, the Bodie Edition

Dear God,

The day we said good-bye to Bodie, I asked You to take him to heaven.

Granted, Bodie couldn’t get there on his own merits. (Who of us can? Thank You, Jesus, for making a way for us!) Bodie couldn’t have been more loving, loyal, or courageous, but he was easily offended, prone to jealous pouts, and over-protective of his home place and sofa.  A FedEx driver’s worst nightmare, Bodie was truly awful to anyone he considered a trespasser. 

“But he never bit anyone very hard,” Hubby said yesterday. “He just nipped at them.”

I always felt safe when Bodie was around. Our cats and goats felt so too. Their friend Bodie chased off many a fox or coyote that was up to no good. He wasn’t afraid to break up a bull fight or teach an ornery bovine a lesson in respect. I’ll never forget how he worried about the cows and goats in labor, and couldn’t wait to meet the new arrivals. Such a good dog!

Lord, please tell Bodie how much we love and miss him, but we’re happy that he’s pain-free and once again chasing foxes and rabbits (if that sort of thing is allowed). Thanks so much for 14 great Bodie years!

One more thing: I bet that there’s a young man up there, one that’s always wanted a really cool dog to run and hike mountains with, one that reminds Bodie of his beloved Zach. Maybe You could give them to each other?

Please/thanks/amen/love,
Robin

PS  Don’t forget to tell his new master that Bodie won’t eat pancakes unless there’s syrup on them. And even though he pretends not to like kisses, he really does.
















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"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted 
and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
                       ~Psalm 34:18 NIV









Sunday, January 21, 2018

A Break from Winter

Snow on the ground, snow in the sky, snow in the forecast. If you can relate, I hope you'll be cheered by these warmer scenes captured by my talented twin sister's paintbrush. (See more at Horses Out West Studio


















By the way, I hope you folks are keeping your New Year's resolutions better than I am. I actually wrote down ten resolutions for 2018, one of which was to post on this blog twice a week. 

Yes, well. 

I'll spare you the whys and wherefores and alibis, most of which would sound suspiciously like excuses. I hereby re-resolve to show up here twice a week!

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"He's the hope that holds me and the Stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence." ~
Psalm 91:2 TPT

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Psuedonyms

Meet Fuzzy...


...and Wuzzy!


Sugar and Solomon have very thick winter coats. If the thermometer sneaks above freezing, they laze sleepily around the corral instead of trekking through the snow to pasture--which is why I was hacking at multiple frozen piles of horse manure with our heaviest scoop shovel, trying to dislodge them from the icy ground and fork them into the wheelbarrow--the quantity of which was my reward for taking a three-day vacation--which is why my back aches--which has inspired yet another set of nicknames for those two horses: Poopsy and Woopsy.


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"And the sheep recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, for he calls his own by name and leads them out, for they belong to him." ~John 10:3 TPT


Monday, January 1, 2018