What good is winter anyway?

What a glorious day for staying in the house. As I look out the window at the snow, it is enough to give most people the winter time blues. That is what the previous generation called winter time depression. What good is Winter anyway?

Now I would love to write a blog about driving a bus but I can just see I would get myself in over my head. Take for instance. One afternoon I was substituting on a bus route and after picking up high school and middle school I was walking through the bus giving instructions to the students when someone asked; "Were you in the military?" To which I promply replied, "No, but I have been in a few gunfights." Jaws dropped open all over the bus and I had to recant my remark before someone had a heart attack. Now were in the world did that come from? So you see someone with a twisted sense of humor like mine could wade into deep water very quickly by blogging about driving a school bus.

Let me make it perfectly clear driving a school bus is great. The students are where it gets dicy.

Back to the winter time blues.

First thing this morning we had to unload feed, shavings, a gate and lumber for the arena my nephew and neices are preaparing to build.  We rode Monday, but it was way too windy, Satin was having a real problem with herself, and that made Amigo antsy. The weather is not co-operating and riding is out of the question. If you follow my sister's blog you already know we had a sick horse last afternoon. His owner came tonight and delievered his first dose of medicine to him. Hope all goes well for him.

With the feeding, watering, haying, and unloading all completed we came back to the house. It is a good day to read my Bible, check email,  and browse on the internet.

What good is winter anyway? People my age have lived through many winters. When we come in after a long day's work we like to eat and go to bed for a good nights sleep. Well, winter time is somewhat like that for our habitat. The environment gets to rest. The soil gets to rest and drink up water so the aquifer can refill.
People don't seem to have the luxury to rest in the winter time since most work at full time jobs somewhere. Nevertheless, our environment needs the break. It is a time of refreshing for the soil, grass, and trees. The winter time and spring time is when replenishing and restoring happens. Knowing people the way I do if it was summer time all the time we would wear the soil out. This way the land gets to take a break and get charged back up for the next year.

Honestly, I am ready for some warm spring weater. I can just think of days where the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing and it is wet with springtime dew. Just think with me about the sunlight on your bare skin and how good it feels.

I can remember when I was still a young man and getting my horse out before school and taking a ride. I would ride up on our hill bareback with only a baler twine tied to her halter on each side for a bridle reins. There I would have the warm sun on me and it felt fantastic.

Never did fall off when I did that. She was a great horse. I don't think I would be much for riding bareback anymore. I do good to get on with mounting steps. The horses seem to like the way we get on.

Hang in there folks summer is coming! Keep those warm thoughts in your mind.

Till next time.

Sometime things are bigger than we are

Today started off like lots of other days. My sister had to make a trip to the dentist and I hung in the house for a little while reading my Bible and checking email. Next off to the barn I go to feed the horses. For sure the water hoses are frozen so they will need thawing. I had brought them in the evening before.

Out in the barn I go breezing through hitching all the pregnant mares and other horses. Some of the horses share stalls so they all get hitched before feeding time. That way there is no competetion for feed. The horses are nickering and getting impatient for feed. I don't blame them, the night was cold and this morning it is windy and cold.

The water hoses still need thawing!

My nephew appears and we get the hoses hung and a heater started. We investigate the 4 wheeler to see why it doesn't start. Ignition coil is not cooperating, that is the reason the plug will not fire. About this time my sister calls and we give her the information to get the coil coming our way. Next my son calls.

He and his two sons are coming down to start cutting riding trails through the woods. That is good news. He was asking how the roads were. I told him Mary had gone to the dentist this morning, which meant the road had been traveled at least once already. I get the horses fed the feed and hay; I decide it is time for me to go to the house for a bit since it is really cold and windy while the hoses thaw out. A cup of coffee sounded really good about now.

I was in the basement tending to some chores there when my cell phone rings. It is my grandson. They had been involved in a crash on the way to the farm. He asked me to come to it. When I got there my son had been run off the road by a driver who had lost control of their vehicle. My son had started over a steep bank with about a 25 foot drop off. Thankfully a large tree caught his truck in the back and another caught the front of his truck. The truck is pretty much totalled. My son and my two grandsons are all OK! The truck, not so much! Sometimes circumstances are bigger than we are.

Everyone is OK! God just answered prayers by taking care of everyone. My sister and I pray for all of our clan every night. Sure the truck is a mess but, everyone is OK! I was sharing with my grandson tonight before they left to go home. Yes, they went to the woods and worked on the riding trail even after the accident. I was explaing the time when Jesus told His disciples to take the boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They did exactly as Jesus had told them but they had so much trouble they would not have made it to the other side. Matthew 14:22-24

In the middle of the night Jesus came to them walking on the water. Jesus calmed the storm for them. The diciples were doing exactly as Jesus told them but they were having great difficulty. Their circumstances were bigger than they were. We sometimes experience the same trouble. We are doing exactly as we should be, but, difficulty overtakes us. Sometimes our circumstances are bigger than we are. These are the times we need to get close to Jesus and ask Him to calm the storms of life.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.


(Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT)

Good day to you all and I pray Jesus calms your storm.

Bob

Wisdom from the farm

Yesterday in church the pastor was talking about the "check engine" light that comes on in your car. When the check engine light comes on it is trying to give us friendly information that tells us we should investigate the engine fluids, belts and electrical system. To ignore this warning could be expensive and inconvenient. There are other ways we can be warned about things we need to give attention to.

Last week we rode three days straight in the snow. When we ride there is one field and an old house we ride by where the horses are always watching more closely. We have come to understand that coyotes frequent this area. The horses are watching for "check surroundings" lights. Because horses are animals of prey they naturally watch for danger. We can learn from this.

Saturday when we rode there were three of us. After making our way to the rear of the farm we heard a tumult of dogs barking. Dogs? Did I say dogs? No it wasn't dogs. It was coyotes. The wind was blowing straight from them to us so they never smelled us or heard us. This sounded like a frenzy of barking with ocasional howl. This frenzy lasted for around a half hour and suddenly all was quiet. They had done what it is they do when they are hungry. Something went down so they could eat.

Now cattlemen that have cows calving this time of year know of the danger and make provisions as best they can to keep their cattle safe. Last Sunday the dogs come dragging in a calf hide that had been shredded along with a hoof. Next morning the cows here were all counted and accounted for. There was a lone cow bawling on a neighbor's farm.

All of nature has warnings. Our cars warn us, the horses warn us, the cattle warn us, circumstances warn us and our friends will warn us when we are about to make a big mistake. Every time I have made a really big and stupid mistake I have had "warning lights" about what I was doing. Because I ignored the warning I made a really big and stupid mistake. Can you relate to my really big and stupid mistakes? Did you have warnings like me?

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is filled with these warnings as many other places in the Bible. Did you know the Bible warns us not to be a co-signer for another person's debt? Reading the Bible is good for us. We are even promised a blessing if we read Revelation. For sure the psalmist left us with some really good words of wisdom.

The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to Your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. (Psalms 19:7-11 NLT)


Have a wonderful day

Bob