GOD'S COUNTRY

EVERY SUNDAY MORNING AROUND TEN, I FIND MYSELF RACING SOUTH, DOWN OUR COUNTY ROAD TO A TWO LANE HIGHWAY TOWARD TOWN, CATCHING THE INTERSTATE FOR A SHORT JOG WEST AND THEN ONTO ANOTHER TWO LANE ROAD- HIGHWAY 70. I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO GET THERE. I'M NOT RACING BECAUSE I WOKE UP TOO LATE, EVEN THOUGH I RISE WITH THE SUN, IT SEEMS THAT THOSE QUIESCENT SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE RESPITES GET THE BEST OF MY TIME!

PAST VERNON, THROUGH LOCKETT - JUST A WIDE SPOT IN THE ROAD - AND WESTWARD TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THIS SMALL FARMING COMMUNITY IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE PLACES IN THIS COUNTY...THE WESTERN TRAIL COWBOY CHURCH.

BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD ARE EXPANSES OF FARM LAND OWNED BY MULTIPLE GENERATIONS OF MOSTLY OLD GERMAN FAMILIES.

AS I PASS THE ROW OF DRIED CATFISH HEADS, THAT HAVE BEEN HANGING FROM THE TOP WIRE OF A 5-STRAND "BOBWIRE" FENCE, FOR PROBABLY 10 YEARS BY THE LOOKS OF 'UM, I KNOW I'M ALMOST THERE. I CAN FAINTLY HEAR THE TWANG OF THE STEEL GUITAR, THE WALTZING BEAT OF THE DRUMS, AND THE MOAN OF THE HARMONICA...

TURNING RIGHT ONTO THE LONG DIRT DRIVE THAT LEADS ME "HOME", MY HEART IS AT PEACE AND I AM EXCITED TO SEE WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR ME TODAY.

I'VE ONLY BEEN GOING HERE FOR A HANDFUL OF MONTHS AND SOMETIMES WONDER WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET HERE. THE CHURCH IS AMAZING IN CONSTRUCTION...WESTERN ALL THE WAY!FRONT PORCH-STAINED CONCRETE, CEDAR POSTS, TIN CEILING

THE FOYER

THE WALLS ARE SPRINKLED WITH BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS OF LOCAL COWBOYS WORKING CATTLE AND LIVING THE LIFE OF TRUE TEXAS COWBOYS.

GLEN WILL GREET YOU AT THE DOOR WITH A SMILE AND A BIG HUG!

THE LADIES ROOM

THE MEN'S ROOM

THE KITCHEN-COMPLETE WITH ANTLER CABINET KNOBS!

ALMOST READY FOR SERVICE TO START...

THE WESTERN TRAIL BAND

THE BACK WALL

OUR BELOVED PASTOR!


OUR BELOVED PASTOR'S WIFE AND DAUGHTER-THESE GIRLS SHINE WITH THE LIGHT AND LOVE OF CHRIST AND I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE CROSSED PATHS WITH THEM.

THIS IS A PLACE WHERE WRANGLERS, BOOTS AND HATS ARE NUMEROUS...

A PLACE WHERE YOU COME AS YOU ARE.

A PLACE WHERE THERE ARE NO PADDED PEWS OR STRICT REGIMENTED SCHEDULES...

RUGGED, OLD-FASHIONED, NATURAL AND ORGANIC...

WHERE GALVANIZED HORSE TROUGHS BECOME BAPTISMALS...

WHERE SIMPLICITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LITURGY...

WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST...

WHERE PEOPLE KNOW IN THEIR HEARTS THAT JESUS IS LORD. PERIOD.

THE WORSHIP TIME WITH THE BAND IS DEEPLY MOVING, POWERFUL AND SPEAKS TO YOUR SPIRIT AS YOU TAP YOUR BOOTS, AND SLAP YOUR LEG TO THE BEAT...SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I'M AT A COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC CONCERT! I'VE EVEN HEARD THAT AFTER SOME EVENING SERVICES, THEY PUSH BACK THE CHAIRS AND TWO-STEP INTO THE NIGHT.

THIS IS A PLACE WHERE YOU BECOME FAMILY THE FIRST TIME YOU PASS OVER THE THRESHOLD.

PASTOR FOX HAS AN AMAZING WAY OF PREACHING GOD'S WORD WITH POWER, CONVICTION, INSPIRATION, HUMOR AND A "REALNESS" THAT LEAVES YOUR SPIRIT QUENCHING FOR MORE, ALONG WITH THE DESIRE TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE AND WITNESS TO OTHERS.

HE PREACHES FROM A GORGEOUS WOODEN ROCKER ADORNED WITH HAND-CARVED HORSEHEADS.

EACH SUNDAY, THE PASTOR'S WIFE, CATHY, BRINGS THOUGHT-PROVOKING CHILDREN'S CHURCH MESSAGES TO THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION. EACH TIME I SIT AND WITNESS GOD WORKING THROUGH HER, TOUCHING THE YOUNG HEARTS THAT ARE GATHERED AT THE FOOT OF HER ROCKER, GOD'S WARMTH, PEACE AND DEEP TRUTH WASHES OVER ME.

THE GALVANIZED HORSE TROUGH BAPTISMAL!

THE VIEW FROM BEHIND THE CHURCH! THE PAINTS PULL THE CHURCH WAGON!

MAYBE A COWBOY CHURCH IS FOR YOU...IT'S THE ONLY WAY FOR ME!

ONLY IN WEST TEXAS!

When I woke up just after sunrise, this is what greeted me! Only in West Texas will it be 70 degrees one day and the following morning be in the 20's with 3 inches of snow! What the heck? It's supossed to be Spring Break!!!!!

The boys had already headed off to work at the local feedstore and Dyke was still in bed. I knew the cows were cold and hungry, so out I went into the blizzard to feed. I was right, they were cold and hungry...

THE CATS FOLLOWED ME OUT TO THE BARN AND THEY WANTED NO PART OF THIS SNOW STUFF!

On tap for today: blogging, jewelry making, laundry, venison chili, maybe a little wine and definitely savoring the last 2 days of my Spring Break!

To Holliday on Holiday

Spring Break has been very relaxing and for the most part, non-productive...I guess I needed this to just regroup and shift gears. Today, I went to Holliday, Texas with a friend to pick up a little buckskin colt. We listened to some awesome music on the way there (J Parsons and Dave Walburg (or something like that).

There were A LOT of horses. His studs are from great lineage!Mares and Colts
Got 'im loaded without any rodeoin' at all!

HOME SWEET HOME!!

Last week we also paid a visit to my pastor (Western Trail Cowboy Church). He has a leather business out at his place. His nephew, Ty and a friend, Lucas (Vernon College guys)were also on Spring Break, so they decided to stay the week in a tepee out on Pastor's spread, and break some colts. It was a cold, windy (what's new?) day, when we were there, but it sure was fun to watch them work with those young colts.

That's my Pastor on the left smokin' a pipe! He's a great guy!

TURQUOISE COWGIRL

In an attempt to drum up some more business, Zack (youngest son) and I had a little photo shoot after school one day. This awesome, trashed "turquoise" pick up sits on the adjacent property that we lease for the cattle, so we thought that would be a perfect background...of course, visions of a photo shoot for the eclectic western glossy magazine Cowboys & Indians, was definitely what we were going for that day...HA!!! In my wildest dreams!!!!!! If I didn't have such a "chin sack"...if I didn't like cold beer...If I could grow my hair, like "normal" gals...if, if if!!!!



NICE TURQUOISE BELT-BUCKLE RING...EH? Thanks, Ebay!

NEW CREATIONS!





Jacket - Double D Ranchwear
Jeans - Cowgirl Tuff Bronco
Pearl-Snap Shirt - King Ranch
Rhinestone Belt -Barbed Wire N' Roses
Jewelry - Turquoise Cowgirl

Of course, Rosa, my "first" bottle calf, had to pose with me!

When the "shoot" was finished, Zack resumed his rabbit hunting...barefoot among the cotton stubble, with the dogs. He fashioned a sling, of sorts, out of 3 separate socks, filled with rocks and tied to some army parachute cording. As they're slung with a violent force, the weighted socks are supossed to trip up the rabbit allowing Zack to approach at a fast pace and apprehend "the hunted"...that day proved unsuccessful, but as with all things, Zack will perfect and practice, practice and perfect this "art" and reach his goal of running down a wild jackrabbit...I'll keep you posted.

THIS WEEK'S CRISIS: Jake was home from school, sick with sinus junk, fever, and aches. I met him at the doctor's office during my lunch break and he was administered 3 different shots - antibiotic, steriod and something else...immediately, he passed plumb out and went into convulsions... IT WAS HORRIFIC! We NEVER knew that he was allergic to penicillin-type medicine. After a shot of epinepheran, the whirlwind of rushing nurses and the doctor slowed and Jake came out of it...Have you ever witnessed an allergic reaction with someone? You'll never want to again, I promise - especially if it's someone you know and love, like your own child...MAN!

Jake stayed home for the rest of the week, recovering and is doing better, but it sure took a lot out of him - all he's been doing is sleeping and laying around.

I went out to feed the cows one night as dark set in. As I poured the range cubes over the hotwire, the cows were in a frenzy to get around me. I don't know how it happened, but with one turn of his head, Sloppy Joe (the biggest longhorn steer) turned his head, catching the side of my head with his horn and cold-clocked me right into the grass! As I lay there, I could hear the cows fighting and trying to get at the cubes, because I had dropped the feed sack just out of their reach. No one knew where I was or even came looking for me! After a while, I got to my knees and realized that the cows had forced the hotwire out of the insulator, so I tried to quickly get to the barn to pull the plug on the electricity. I got the fence fixed, finished feeding and by that time, Zack stood on the porch and called me to supper. The side of my head was killing me and I felt like puking! Yee-haw...I sat in the chair with an ice sack on my head and then decided that I was probably going to make it, so I went to bed...Ah, another day done!

On Friday, Zack had his first track meet ever and he did great! He won the discus, placed 2nd in the shotput (by one width of the shot), got 2nd for his mile relay, and won the 400m! It was freezing cold and the meet went from 3:30 pm until 9:45pm!!!!! Even though our blood was nearly congealed, we cheered his team on! We were so proud of him!

OH, SPRING....GET HERE FAST!!! Forget what that stupid groundhog says!

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TURQUOISE!