coyotes

Notah said yesterday that often when they go out at night to lock the gate they can notice a coyote sitting on the other side of the driveway fence, just sitting there looking. How neat is that.

When I spent those few days at the new house last year I wasn’t there long enough to learn any of those things. I knew Notah and the kids had found coyote sign on the other side of the fence in the pasture; I knew there were indications of bear and mountain lions in the area. But I didn’t know the coyotes sat on the other side of the fence and watched the house. That would be very eerie. In fact, it makes the attitude of the Navajo toward coyotes understandable. I would probably be more than a little freaked if I lived in a hogan with a blanket door and looked out to see a coyote sitting at the edge of the firelight. No wonder stories of yee naaldlooshii are so commonly accepted!

People often view coyotes as predators and attempt to kill them at any opportunity. I consider the fact that they were here first. My brother seems to hate them with a passion. But then, he lives in Ohio. Coyotes were not originally native to Ohio so I guess I can forgive him the passion.

I’m pleased with Notah’s attitude toward the coyote. They make sure their Chloe is safe inside. Two of the larger dogs, Sweetie and Jack, stay outside, but they are both rescues from the desert and learned long ago to either defend themselves against coyotes or stay out of their way. Bella and Thain are either as large as or larger than a coyote so the two of them together could probably hold their own. And although they try to make sure the cats are safe inside when they need to be, if they do get out no one attempts to kill every coyote within shooting distance.

The other thing I enjoy about coyotes is hearing them sing at night. I’ve not seen any sitting along the drive, but I have heard them sing.
(This isn't my youtube recording.  I just went looking for the sound I remember best.)

the desert sky

Notah sent me a text; “Warm NM night. Sky’s desert color. Dark blue n east changing to last pale red orange n the west.” Such a few words can evoke such a feeling of the desert. We are desert people, not the ‘live in the city and talk about blue skies and hot baking sun while you sit by your pool” desert people but desert desert people. We live amid the sage and rabbit bush and pull goat’s heads from the dogs’ feet and carry water in the car all the time.

All I had to do was close my eyes and take a deep breath and I was back. I could smell the odor of sage and sand. I could feel the hot sun (that we do have occasion to complain about, love it or not) and turn my face into the wind (even if it has sand blowing through it).

It makes me angry when I ride through towns and see green green lawns and pools in back yards. It makes me angry when I know that millions of gallons of water are wasted flooding into golf courses and gardens for the tourist/ retirement areas so easterners can brag to their friends how wonderful the desert is. If you want to live in the desert then live in the DESERT. Don’t try to turn the desert into little pieces of Ohio. If you don’t like the sand and rocks and sage brush and shaggy desert grasses, then don’t come to my desert!

Meantime let those of us who DO love it keep it for future generations to enjoy.

I found this picture that describes the word picture Notah sent me… I just clicked to put it in my screen saver pictures, so I don’t have the photographer.    So, Someone-in-Albuquerque, thank you.

random thoughts

It’s almost dawn on our hill in Belen. The sky is gray outside my window. I can see the lights in the valley. I love watching morning happen. In Ohio we are surrounded by houses and trees. It is pretty but there is something very special about seeing the sun rising over the mountains with miles and miles in between me and the light. Sun actually rises today at 6:08. That’s what the weather people said. Sun-up is neat but so is the slow lightening that comes just before it.

My days here now are limited. I’ll be going home the second week of June. My blood sugar readings have been elevated off and on for several weeks now. When I talked to my doctor she said she needed to see me before the fall, when my appointment is scheduled. I have to call today and get the actual date changed. Rachael can come for me in June, but after that she will be in Management Training. So I'll be home on June 18.

I just discovered this morning that I absolutely can’t deal with stress any more. The other day, Kerra was talking about a TV documentary series they follow called “Ice Road Truckers” I used to watch it with them last year. She asked if I followed it in Ohio too. I told her I’d watched a couple episodes but had stopped because it was just to nerve-racking for me. We both laughed and went on to talk of other things.

This morning early I saw a program that had some sort of suspense involved as I flipped past on my way to the four AM news. I paused and watched a minute and discovered that the threat of danger and anxiety made me nervous. I flipped on past it quickly. That made me begin thinking-- I DO avoid stress today. Now that was a surprise. In any situation, I can not face any kind of nervous tension.

Thinking back, I came to the conclusion that I had lived with constant pressure from the day Louie died. I didn’t notice it particularly because the Lord was there to help me deal with it and it was necessary all during the years of raising my kids alone and working to support them. For almost all of those years I was a day care director and the multitude of decisions and disciplinary difficulties (for both kids and staff) were always present. I dealt with them as they came and although I nearly bought stock in the Tums company a few times, I managed it with general serenity. I raised my kids with all the decisions and complications involved in the lives of active children. I faced the dangers accompanying my son's skateboarding and an accident prone daughter. I trusted the Lord to take care of them even when I knew the hazards involved. It was part of life.

NOW, however, I become very nervous and ‘quivery’ inside when any kind of conflict is apparent, or there is any need for confrontations or any situation where there is serious possibility of physical hazard or where involved decisions are required. I take almost any avenue available to avoid it. I will let people be rude to me. I will let people take advantage of me. And I will even cry in private at other people’s pettiness or wounding actions, but never call them on it. And I most particularly refuse to watch a stressful movie or documentary or cartoon! I don’t even read deeply controversial books or even get too involved in today’s politics! I could never manage to deal with the stress of running the day care. How strange

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Every week I get an email from the Pharo Cattle Company. The author of the devotionals is Kit Pharo. He and his family have developed a line of range raised, grass fed beef cattle which thrive without the necessity of additional grain and silage feedings. These smaller range fed beef cows cost less to raise, have heavier meat ratios and result in higher profits per pound. Facinating. Anyway, he is a sincere child of God and sends a weekly devotional and also an update on his ranch production. This Wednesday he posted a little personal experience that I thought I’d include here. His thoughts reflect mine. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Enjoy!

Listen To The Birds –

Every morning, I wake up to some of the most beautiful music in the world. This spring, like most springs, there are at least six different varieties of song birds just outside our open bedroom windows. They all have a different song to sing – but for some magical reason they sound really GREAT when they all sing their individual melodies at the same time.

The singing gets off to a very soft and soothing start around 4:30 am when there is just a hint of light in the eastern sky. By 5:00, as the volume is increasing, the mourning doves and ring-necked doves will join in with their cooing. Soon after that the grackles will get started. I very much enjoy listening to the large great-tailed grackles – but you cannot classify the noises they make as music. They have at least five unique and different sounds. If you didn’t know better, you would assume that each sound was being made by a different type of bird.

Early morning is a special time for me to talk to God while I listen to His beautiful creation. It is hard not to wake up happy. The singing usually lets up considerably by 7:00 in the morning. I assume this is because many of the birds have dispersed to look for food and/or to tend to their nests.

If you are interested in knowing more about his cattle raising practices or you want to receive his devotionals and emails Here is the contact information. Kit Pharo Pharo Cattle Co. Cheyenne Wells, CO
Website: www.PharoCattle.com

I just enjoyed his thoughts on listening to the birds.

fallen leaves

What is it about Fall?

I went to let the dogs in this morning. I use the word loosely; it was technically still night. When I let everyone out I didn’t turn on the light or even look out-only opened the door. When I went to let them back in I flipped on the outside light so I could find them in the darkness.

Our deck was caught in the sudden bright beams of light and there scattered over it was a carpet of sweet gum leaves. It was so pretty I had to just stand and look at it for a few minutes. Gold and red and a few mixed with a little of each. God is so casual about beauty! He just lets those leaves drop and no matter how they fall they’re beautiful. I wanted to take a photo of it to post but it never looks as wonderful in the reproduction as it does in that first startling moment of vision.

An artist can spend hours arranging a scene just right. He puts the colors strategically in place to display them to the best advantage. He turns each piece in exactly the right direction. He sets lights to angle specifically across the pieces to show not only color but also shadows. He mixes his palette with just the right colors and chooses his brushes with care. And finally he spends hours carefully applying paint to the canvas.

But after all that, it cannot rival God’s production with just a little frost and a casual wind!

eventful couple of days

Oh grief. My little Gabriel came in Sunday night all crippled up. He must have taken a tumble with Maxim and gotten really stove up. He hurt his back a couple years ago jumping up on the cat table to steal their food. Now he has hurt it again, plus a little more.

He insists on believing that he is just as big as Maxim; but 15 pounds up against 85 doesn’t balance out at all! Poor baby, he is really having trouble walking and can’t jump up at all. He is very careful about how he lays and stands. Rachael and Michael have to carry him up the steps and we have to lift him up on the bed. He is so pitiful and very anxious when Maxim comes near or someone walks by too fast and he knows he can’t get out of the way quickly.

I have everybody I know praying for him. The Lord has healed our animals time after time. I have no reason to doubt Him now!

Oh a happier note. The turkey vultures returned to Hoover Reservoir today! I saw a flock of about 8 circling over Smoke Burr this afternoon. The song birds have been back for about a week. Going outside in the early morning is like walking into an orchestra pit during preliminary tune up. Now if only I could woo some of them to my window my life would be complete.

Also, last fall Rachael and I and Kris and I planted bulbs. ( lol I’m being generous with myself. Rachael and Kris planted. I sat on my stool and shared my gardening lore. Heh. Heh. Being crippled up does have its perks!) Anyway, a whole slew of daffodils, tulips, crocuses and iris got shoved in the ground. Today we suddenly have crocuses blooming across the from lawn— little dabs of color in the still winter browned grass. Rach and I got a big charge out of anticipating Michael’s expression when he sees those crocus sprinkled through the grass. He knew we planted the daffodils and tulips, but he didn’t know about naturalizing crocuses. He didn’t see them today. He left before sun-up for work and he won’t be home until ten this evening. So the soonest he’ll see them will be tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait.

We put those old dried-looking, brown, papery, onion-y looking things in the ground last fall with no guarantee that we would have anything in the spring. They were “ sown in dishonour” and now they are being “raised in glory” I wish you could see those golden and white blossoms in the wintery grass. We see the Lord’s examples of His resurrection all around us.