My GPS

Those of you who know me, are aware that I am "directionally challenged". I get lost when driving. I get lost in the mall. I get disoriented trying to get out of the doctor's office. Unless I can see the sun and/or the mountains, I have no idea which direction I'm going. Country boy (Randy) grew up learning cardinal directions. I (City Girl) only learned left and right. Occasionally, he will send me to town for some necessary gadget and say something like, "When you go in Home Depot, it's on the north wall, just to the east of the hardware section." Well you can imagine how this kind of conversation ends.

Quite a while ago my brother, Keven, gave me his Tom-Tom GPS. With the advent of Smart Phones, he didn't need it anymore. I started to set it up before a trip and well...I'm also technologically challenged. I have my old standby GPS. Handwritten maps and printed MapQuest directions for all my relatives' addresses (especially Michelle, who moves just about the time I memorize how to get to her house) stuffed in the glove compartment. After we got lost in Denver, even with Randy driving(he seems to have a built in compass), I decided it was time.

I charged up the Tom-Tom, updated it online, and after much searching, it finally decided we live on County HIGHWAY 3, near County HIGHWAY Y. I typed in the address to Michelle's singing gig in Denver and off I went. About five miles into the trip, as I was headed West toward Boone Road, my new friend Tom loudly blurted out "after 400 yards, turn LEFT", I nearly jumped out of my skin! Not sure how to turn the volume down while driving, so this was how the trip would be. Even I know, that turning left would take me to Pueblo, not Denver, so I ignored Tom. He doesn't appreciate being ignored. "Make a U-turn AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!", he said. When I got to I-25, Tom and I were finally on the same route, and WOW!, How have I lived this long without a GPS? I love that it tells me which lane I need to be in to get on the interstate. Some places it's a left, others it's a right. I think of all the times I've gotten lost, and the time I've wasted, and I could have just typed in an address, and most often found my way.

Then it occurred to me...This is just like when I try to navigate through life without God's guidance!! How many years I wasted before I became a believer! How much time I waste as a believer, when I choose to ignore: reading his instruction manual (the Bible); listening to His instructions (by listening to sound, biblical advice from a friend, or a message at church, or on the radio); and especially ignoring His warning (the Holy Spirit saying, "Yvonne, make a U-turn AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!") Just as I program my trip into the GPS before I leave, I need to ask God for directions each day, and let Him tell me what to do, what to say, and where to go.

 I searched for some Bible verses related to this idea and here is what I found:
A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.Proverbs 16:9

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

I went to the beginning of Isaiah 30 to find out who this verse is speaking to, my Life Application Study Bible has the following notes:

30:1 The rebellious children are the people of Judah. The negotiations for an alliance were underway, and Isaiah condemned their twisted plans. The people of Judah sought advice from everyone but God. When we are driven by fear, we tend to search everywhere for comfort, advice, and relief, hoping to find an easy way out of our troubles. Instead, we should consult God. Although he gives emergency help in a crisis, he prefers to be our guide throughout our life. by reading his Word and actively seeking to do his will, we can maintain our bond with him who provides stability no matter what the crisis.

30:15 God warned Judah that turning to Egypt and other nations for military might could not save them. Only God could do that. They must wait for him "in quietness and confidence". No amount of fast talking or hasty activity could speed up God's grand design. We have nothing to say to God but thank you. Salvation comes from God alone. Because he has saved us, we can trust him and be peacefully confident that he will give us strength to face our difficulties. We should lay aside our well-laid plans and allow him to act.

 30:20 The Lord gave his people adversity for food and suffering for drink, but he promised to be with them, and guide them during hard times. God expects a lot from us, and many times following him can be painful; but he always acts out of his love for us. Next time you go through a difficult time, try to appreciate the experience and grow from it, learning what God wants to teach you. God may be showing you his love by patiently walking with you through adversity.

 30:21 When the people of Jerusalem left God's path, he would correct them. He will do the same for us. But when we hear his voice of correction, we must be willing to follow it!

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.Proverbs 3:5-6 (This is my favorite verse. It has helped me many times.)

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.Psalm 25:4-5

 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

I guess I will always be directionally challenged. Thank you, Keven and Angie, for my new friend, Tom !

Navigating through life, now that is the big challenge!  God bless you today, friends and family, and may He keep our paths straight!

Kelly

The unexpected death of my brother, Kelly, was such a shock.  I wrote these words to work through my feelings.  Maybe they will help others who are mourning.


 Kelly Don Hollis
1961-2014














Kelly

I wonder if you knew...

I wonder if you knew
how much we all loved you

I wonder if you knew
how your smile lit up the room
(without it you looked kind of mean)

I wonder if you knew
just how talented you were
not to mention: intelligent, generous, hilariously funny and sarcastic, the list goes on and on


I wonder if you knew
people thought you were amazing
I wonder if you could ever believe that of yourself
You set the bar so high

I wonder if you realized
that those nieces and nephews that you loved so much
adored you in return

I wonder if you knew
how proud we were of you
 of all you had accomplished,
of all you'd overcome

I wonder if you knew
you were sick
and that if only you had called...any one of us would have driven all night
 just to be by your side
 We would have held your hand
  We would have held you close
  We would have tried to help
You wouldn't have been alone

I wonder if you had any idea
how many tears we'd cry
 

 

I wonder if you knewyour absence would leave
such an incredible void

I wonder if you knew
our hearts would break without you

I wonder if you knew
God loved you no matter what

I wonder if I had seen you at Christmas
if this would hurt any less

 I wonder if I would have been brave enough to ask you
about your deepest thoughts and fears
  Would you have answered? or given me that look?
Would I have been able
 to talk about God?
 and make sure that you understood  He loves you
even more than we ever could
 and that He has prepared a place for you
 and you'll never hurt again?


Oh Kelly, I wonder if you knew...

Confessions of a Crazy Dog Lady

      I guess I became the "Crazy Dog Lady" six years ago, because that's when I got Daisy, 3/4 Chihuahua, 1/4 Jack Russell Terrier, and everyone knows Chihuahuas are NOT farm dogs, but lately I have taken my craziness to extremes!

    Recently, Tuffy, the 9 year old Blue Heeler (real working cattle dog) got really sick and we found out she has diabetes, so since we are too soft hearted to put her down (the farmer way), I am giving her insulin shots every 12 hours for the rest of her life!   I also have to check her urine for ketone and glucose.

     Randy built me the  "pee catcher"  in the above pictures (yard stick with butter dish attached to the end).   It's just a coincidence that the yard stick says "It's where you go that counts".  The first time I used it, he stood back and laughed at me as I followed her around to catch!

     My cousin, Penny has requested video of the operation, claiming it would be worth money.  When Michelle was home she had her phone out and was trying to video the process, as I was running down the driveway after Tuffy, wearing Michelle's too big, flip flops because they were by the door and easy to slip on in a hurry, and laughing thinking how silly I must look, and yelling "don't you dare tape this" and anticipating the dog squatting, and realizing I needed to go myself.    She took me on a wild goose chase that ended in the corral and she never did pee!   Next time I won't worry about her killing a spot on the lawn.   I will keep her shut in the yard.

     At least she is feeling better.   Before her sugar got under control, she didn't have the energy to run.  She is feeling so much better that she doesn't drink and pee all the time like in the beginning, and I know she is tired of me following her with the pee catcher because she tries to turn around when I get close.

                                 Old pic of me and Tuffy  How could I not help this dog?

     About this same time, Miley, the Chi-weanie had another false pregnancy. If you have never heard of it, google it, it is very real!   Her hormones get out of whack and she digs a hole in the carpet under the couch or the bed and runs out and attacks the other dogs when they get within 6 feet of her "puppies".

      She had her first false pregnancy last year, which made me think she would make a good mom and I borrowed a nice little male Chihuahua.  He ran away, and was never found :( and Miley didn't get pregnant.   So this time I took her and got her spayed.   She kept licking the incision so I made her a tank top.   It's really cute, I must say.   Michelle's friend gave her a black Harley Davidson tank top with lace edges ( not Michelle's style) so I cut it down and made it fit Miley.  (Sorry there is no picture of the shirt, my memory card died.)
Miley, the dog who will ride on tractors, mowers and ATVs, and sit on my lap while I sew and rides in the car with her paws on the steering wheel! Then again, she was trained by Emma Pachak, who is not afraid of anything!

     Things seemed to be going well, and then Miley's tummy swelled up and she started giving A LOT OF MILK and frantically searching for more imaginary puppies to feed.  Back to the vet.  I noticed on the bill that they gave me the "multi dog discount".  They are too nice to call it the "Crazy Dog Lady" discount.  Apparently spaying during a false pregnancy can overstimulate the mammary glands.  They gave her shot and some pills and I was instructed not to let her eat for 24 hours.

     So Tuffy is supposed to have free access to food always, so her glocose doesn't get too low, but Miley can have none.  They also told me to give Miley a stuffed animal to "mother".  Last time I read online that you should take the stuffed animal away so the dog will realize there is no puppy.  (Don't trust everything you read.)  So I found the little white bunny rabbit I had previously confiscated.  I wish I had taken video when I gave it to her.  Miley very carefully picked it up in her mouth and looked around at the other dogs with a menacing look and took it behind the couch.

     A day later either the novelty of motherhood had worn off or the pills were helping her hormones subside because she brought the puppy and dropped it at my feet as if to say, "puppy-sit please" and went outside to run around and chase cats.

     With all of this going on we also kept Bret and Kallie's two dogs for a week.  I am thinking about starting "The Crazy Dog Lady's Boarding Kennel"  Special needs dogs are welcome and if they need special clothing or even a costume,
(you know how some crazy people like to dress their pets) I can sew!

                                         Daisy, aka "the me dog"
    

Gotta Run

 A little over year ago I hated to run.  In fact, I didn't run, ever!  I joked with my friend, Dove, (who runs like a cheetah) that if she ever saw me running she should call 911, because something must be terribly wrong.  One of my favorites sayings was, "I never run with scissors...  the last two words were not necessary".  I told Dove I wouldn't run because I didn't want my feet to get ugly callouses.  In all seriousness, I didn't think my feet could take running.  I have a heel spur and bouts of plantar fasciaitis.

We were having a "Biggest Loser" contest at work and the competition was fierce!  We were doing workout videos after work each day.  It was so hard at first because we were so out of shape.  Gradually it got easier and finally became a good habit, one that we enjoyed, rather than dreaded.  There has been such a ripple effect from that simple contest.  Lifestyles were changed, hopefully forever.  It wasn't just a short-term diet.  They finally had to quit bringing cake to our staff in-services, because it wasn't being eaten!  I'm not saying I never indulge in a piece of dessert, but my voracious appetite for sweets has mostly disappeared.  I now crave much healthier food.

One day after work, nobody was able to stay and do a workout video, but a couple of coworkers were going to run and invited me to join them.  I really didn't want to miss a workout, because you all know if you miss one, you miss two, then three, and just like that you are back to being a couch potato.  I told them I would try and figured my feet would kill me the next day.  We ran down the dirt road by the school.  We would run to one power pole, walk to the next, and kept alternating.  I seriously thought I would die and I don't think we even went that far.

My feet didn't hurt the next day, so I kept on running.  It's a fast way to burn calories and get your heart rate up.  My brother, Dave and my daughter-in-law, Kallie had done the Labor Day 5K around the lake in Windsor.  I decided for my 50th birthday I would try it.  I figured I would have to walk some of it, but like the saying goes, "whatever you do, you are lapping the person on the couch."

To my surprise I was able to run the entire thing!

So, here I am almost a year later and I just ran my sixth 5K.  Michelle says we should do a 10K.  Well, I will have to do some serious training before that can happen.

I have found that if I stop when my legs hurt or I get tired, it hurts worse when I start again. So, I tell myself I'm not allowed to stop unless I throw up or pass out.  Neither have happened, go figure!  Like Bret says, "our minds are weaker than our bodies".

Some of you may find this weird, but for me, running is a spiritual thing.  I talk to God while I run (sometimes I say, "please help me survive this!" or "please don't let me die out here on the dirt road").  But seriously, there is some kind of euphoria that happens.  Maybe it's the endorphins that kick in with any good exercise, or maybe it's just the early morning air, sunshine, dirt roads lined with sunflowers, cows grazing on much-prayed-for green grass, a faithful dog or two running  beside me (the one who needs to get in shape, Daisy is faithful...to wait either on the couch, or in the shade).  Maybe it's knowing that I'm running because I am able, for as long as I am able.  I know so many who can't.  Like my sister-in-law Cindy who was flown from Cheyenne Wells to Aurora in congestive heart failure and had triple bypass surgery and the long recovery that goes with it, or a friend with bad knees, or another with balance/dizziness issues.  When these people come to mind, I ask God to bless them.

 I think most anything we do can be done to honor God and to help others.  Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
"Most 5K runs give proceeds to good causes. The ones I've participated in to date have helped:  schools, arthritis sufferers (both human and animal), needy children at Christmas time, college athletic training program at UNC, children of the first responders and military killed in the line of duty, and crisis pregnancy centers.

If you look at the verse I have posted on my Running Bulletin Board below, yes, I have taken it out of context, but it reminds me to pray and rely on Him before every race, and to give Him credit for the results.  I think the verse is talking about a much bigger, more important race.  The Great Commission to tell others, if they are willing to listen, about God's love, mercy, grace and salvation!  My Life Application Bible explains it like this: "The Christian life involves hard work.  It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit.  To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.  We will stumble if we look away from him to stare at ourselves or the circumstances surrounding us.  We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep him in sight."

We can show His love by helping widows, orphans, the sick, the poor, etc.

I apologize for the length of this writing.  I do hope it inspires someone to find a form of exercise they will grow to enjoy.  To set a goal, even if it's just to walk, or bike, or swim a short distance every day.  More importantly, I hope it inspires someone to focus on the biggest, most important race!

In the meantime...I GOTTA RUN!!

City Girl Gets Knocked Down by a Cow!!

        Well, actually a heifer (young cow, first time momma, for my non-country friends) .  Because I love springtime and calving season, and because I am a morning person, I voluntarily check the heifers in the barn/corral every morning at 5:00 while the coffee is brewing.  So this morning I got up, threw on some sweat pants under my nightgown, my down coat, a hat and gloves, grabbed the fancy flashlight/spotlight and my handy-dandy slip-on, not- practical- for-corrals, shoes.

       As I was walking to the barn I noticed so many stars in the black sky and how incredibly tired I felt.  Oh yeah, the time change (4:00 am old time).  As I crawled under the fence and through the cement bunk I noticed  a heifer with a calf almost completely born.  His head was twisted under him, so I straightened him out and cleared the junk from his nose and mouth, but he didn't breathe.  It seems this small heifer had been trying a long time and usually when that happens they just continue to lay there instead of getting up like an experienced mama cow would. They usually are not very interested in their calf at first.   I decided to try to pick the calf up by it's hind legs in hopes that more junk would drain out, like I've seen Randy  do so many times.  My next plan would be to try to blow some air in the calf's nose, which I've also seen Randy do.  I was about to grab the calf when I heard snorting behind me and WHAM the heifer hit me in the back with her head.    The heifer continued to maul me with her head, still snorting and maybe bawling (it's all a blur).  Now I'm face down in the manure and newborn calf gunk.  She stopped momentarily (I'm so thankful she didn't step on me!) and I jumped up and ran faster, I'm sure, than I can normally run. I'm more of an endurance runner.   I'm no good at sprinting, especially without warming up and stretching first.   I felt like I was flying, my feet barely touching the ground.   I could hear and feel her right behind me, so no time to look back!  I  was yelling  and the other 23 heifers were scattering to get out of my way.  I scrambled under the fence and realized I had lost my left shoe.  Who cares!  Not going back for it. Miraculously, I didn't step in any cow pies during my hasty exit.  Proof that I was flying!

        I ran all the way to the house, somehow thinking if Randy could get there in time he could save the calf. Thanks to adrenaline I didn't even feel the gravel on my shoeless foot.  Ran in the house and Country Boy (Randy) says I was hysterical and out of breath and he couldn't understand a word I said at first, but knew something was wrong, so got dressed and headed to the corral.  The calf did not survive.

      I am stiff and sore, and I have a great deal of respect for Heifer #14.  All heifers, for that matter.  I will never again assume they won't be aggressive, nor will I turn my back to them.

     Feel free to have a good laugh. Randy says I'm not allowed to check the heifers anymore.  I hope to change his mind.  Right now I'm going to put some ice on my shoulder.

      They say Daylight Savings Time is responsible for lots of accidents.  I'm not sure I would have been any more alert an hour later without coffee.

The Skunk

     My friend, Dove had some errands to run and asked me to keep her kids.  I was happy to, since I love kids and I am a 'volunteer Grandma"  to them.  They call me "Grandma" and I spoil them accordingly.  It's a beautiful, Indian summer day.  We can play outside!
     I rushed around to get some laundry in and clean the house a little, so I could focus on spoiling them once they get here. I carried the trash and noticed something had pulled a bunch of trash through a hole near the bottom of the barrel.  Probably one of the barn cats.
     Taylin (12), Emma (6), and Jack (2) arrived at about 10:30 and the first order of business was coffee milkshakes made in the Keurig.  Don't worry. There was more ice cream than coffee.  Jack held up his sippee cup and said, "I want cobbee".  How could I say no?  He only took two sips.
     Next, we headed out to the haystack, stopped to see the newly-weaned, bawling calves, and took a quick peek in the barn.   It was then that Taylin yelled, "A skunk! There's a skunk!"  Sure enough and it was headed for the trash barrels.  Hmmm.  Probably going back for another snack.  I hurried the kids and dogs to the house.  I called Randy and asked him which gun I should use (Remember, I'm a city girl and one time I tried to kill a skunk with a pistol loaded with bird-shot and all it did was make it blink and duck a little.)  Randy told me where I could find more .22 shells and said, "Don't shoot anything you aren't supposed to."  Oh he of little faith!
     By the time I loaded the gun and made sure the dogs and kids stayed inside, I couldn't find the skunk.  For the rest of the afternoon the dogs kept looking in the drain pipe, where the washing machine drains out by the trash barrels, so when Randy got home, we told him we thought the skunk was in there. 
     So, Country Boy gets a flashlight and looks in and says, "It's in here, you want to see it?"  Adventurous Emma was all over that.  She got down on the ground and looked.  My turn, and I ask, "Won't he spray me?"  Randy says, "Not while he's looking at you."  So I look and say, "Unless he's a one-eyed skunk, he has turned around!"  Yikes! 
     Randy shot 3 times into the dark drain.  I was not about to hold the flashlight once the skunk turned around!  "Did you get him?", I asked.  "Surely, I must have." he replied.  Just then the skunk comes out the other end of the drain pipe, pretty close to where Taylin, Emma, and I are standing.  (I had put Jack and the dogs in the house.)  I did what any good Volunteer Grandma would do.  I screamed and ran first, and then yelled for Taylin and Emma to follow. 
     Randy went running, gun-in-hand after the skunk.  He ran out of shells and Taylin and I ran to the house for more and I grabbed Jack.  The skunk went south so we all jumped in the back of the pickup and Randy drove while we all searched the pasture for a wounded skunk.
     At this writing, the skunk, who we've decided has 9 lives, IS STILL AT LARGE.  We think he may be hiding in the pine trees.  Here's hoping he dies and the dogs don't get sprayed.
    

Things that make you wonder...

I was in the Pueblo Mall the other day and among all the kiosks in the middle, there was a "Hurricane Simulator".  Really??  People actually put money in this machine and get inside this glass (or plexi-glass) enclosure and feel what  it's like to go through a hurricane?  I didn't see any water, so it must just simulate the hurricane force winds.

Well, gee, let me get my money out!  While you are at it, I've always wanted to know how it feels to go through a tornado, a wildfire, a flood.  Is there a simulator for getting beat up by a gang?, drug by a horse?  (oh wait I've done that one in real life)  How about a "childbirth simulator"?  Now there's an idea!