Decisions, Decisions

I'm not a good decision-maker. You'd be surprised at the simple decisions that will confound me. I just can't pick! If I pick one, maybe I'll think I should've picked the other. Hot cocoa or hot tea? Blue shirt or green shirt? Boots or shoes? Wash dishes or do laundry? Throw away or keep? It never ends.

Today I had to go to the nearby town on some errands. Lately, I've finally (after 5 years!) gotten the confidence to go on interstate. It really is quicker and smoother. So the decision to take that route going over was no problem. ZOOM! I was there. But my last errand was at the edge of town. So ... did I want to worm my way back over to the interstate and get home a few minutes sooner, or take the "scenic country route" at a more leisurly pace? I'll tell you, trying to decide things like that is miserable! They both have their good points.

When in doubt, pray. Even for something as simple as which route to take. God cares about anything and everything in our day. So as I left, it seemed I didn't want to be that hurried, and maybe I NEEDED to go slower, relax, and enjoy the bucolic Oklahoma countryside. And as it worked out, that was just the ticket. Too much hurry and stress takes a toll on a person. (Related to previous post about needing a "low-key day at home.") So the slower, nice drive home was the right choice.

We don't do a lot for entertainment, but we do go on country drives. It never fails --- seeing the countryside is just like medicine to me. It's as if the whole weight of the world leaves, and I just heave a big SIGH and relax. Problems and demands dissolve. Or, it may even give me some uninterrupted time to think. The clock is no longer a menacing thing.

And, I don't think it has to be a country drive. Other things help, too. Standing in the yard, admiring garden and flowers. Or maybe looking out over a pasture full of contented livestock. Or sitting on the porch or in the yard, just being out in the fresh air.

I said before that I don't do resolutions for the new year, but I might like to make an "extra effort" to keep the pace of my life where it needs to be ... SLOWER.

Texas Trip

Nine hours riding in a pickup

Plus

One observant, chatty boy

Equals

One tired mama!

But it was an interesting and good trip, anyway.

Finally, a Low-Key Day

Just having a low-key day at home today. Hubby out on an errand, and both boys nicely busy around the house. Sometimes you need a low-key day. Or two, or three, or maybe a whole month's-worth, in my case. It has seemed like the last few months (maybe years - ha ha) have been non-stop stuff to do. Chop down the to-do list, and more things immediately crop up out of nowhere. You think you'll catch your breath and get your brain functions back, and here come another million things to do. The things I really want to accomplish get shoved to the back of the stove constantly, waiting for later. Sometimes, they fall clear off the stove and crash on the floor. So now that things are slowing down and calming down, maybe I can sweep up some of those "lost projects" and get them going again.

I want to:

Get rid of junk from when we moved a year ago, and make things look "normal" and "decent" around here. Storage space in this house isn't the greatest, so things are still just everywhere. My aim is to sort, then either THROW AWAY or send to the thrift store.

Do some quilt-making. Quite awhile back I got a rotary cutting tool and a mat, and it's still sitting in the dining room, unwrapped and unused!! Material is sitting upstairs in the spare bedroom, just waiting on my "creativeness." It's been too long, and I don't want to let go of this legacy of quilting I've got in my life.

Continue working on my recipe notebooks. At least I got all the ones from Mom's recipe box in a notebook! I wrote out the recipes, so I could keep the original recipes in the box like she had them.

That would be enough for now, so hopefully something will get accomplished as time goes by.

Things I am thankful for today:

Hugs from my sons.
A warm house.
Food to eat.
Music.
Hubby and I both have work.
Family and friends.
Faith in God that sustains me each day.
Humor.
The internet.
Being able to have a quiet morning.
Sleeping good at night for a change.
Getting extra weight off, FINALLY.
Drinking hot tea and hot cocoa and hot coffee on a cold day.

I'm sure there are many more, but that'll do for now. No, my plans do NOT include making any new year's resolutions!

From Auction to Brass Class

This is what's called a cornet. It's sort of like a trumpet, only shaped a little "rounder," with a slightly more mellow sound. And this particular cornet has a story.

Back when I was in college, my parents (because of my interest in music) gave me this cornet as a gift one year. Actually as a sort of gag gift. While I was away on my college endeavors, they went to a local school auction where they were getting rid of unneeded items, and bought this cornet. I doubt they paid very much for it, because it not only was bent and had dents and scratches, it also had dents on its dents and scratches on its scratches! It was (and still is) in SAD SHAPE to look at it.

But when I opened this unique gift, I loved it! All my years in school from 5th grade clear through two colleges, I played the flute in band.

I have to admit I've had a love/hate relationship with playing the flute. It wasn't my first pick, but it was the least expensive, which was really in its favor at the time. So flute it was. But I really, really wanted to play a reed instrument, such as a clarinet or saxophone. The flute-playing went well, though, and it was my secondary instrument at college. BUT I REALLY WANTED TO PLAY A REED INSTRUMENT. Ah, I feel better, now the world knows.

But now, here was a cornet that was mine! You have to realize that the embochure (how your mouth is set) in the way you play a brass instrument is about opposite of the way you play a flute. So I tried to play this rusty, crusty cornet. Mom and Dad and I nearly split our sides laughing at the warbling, breathy sounds I coaxed from it. But sometimes I'd push a valve down, and nothing would go through. So after taking the valves out, I realized one or two of them were rotated out of place. (Major problem!) So once I got that problem fixed, we were back in business. I had fun playing it every so often, just for fun. But it was mostly a novelty for me.

Now go ahead in time a bit, and I found myself taking a "brass methods" class as part of my college instrumental requirements. (We had to study everything - brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion. It was all a blast!) In the brass class, our instructor put two or three of us on each of various instruments - trumpet, trombone, French horn, etc. Before the semester started, I had asked the instructor if I could bring my cornet, filling him in on how "rough" it looked, and he said it would be fine, as long as it played. So I had a lot of fun playing it in class, and was pleased that it actually got some "real" use. I still play it now and then, especially since I no longer have a flute. I like playing simple hymns and songs for enjoyment.

So take heart, just because you might look a little "rough," or be bent out of shape, or life has been difficult and scratchy, you can still be useful and bring enjoyment to this world.

Verses to Think About

These were the main verses from our sermon this morning:

"Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (James 1:16-18)

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15)

My First Pony Ride

Since the title of this adventure is "A Cowgirl's Heart," I'd probably better put something in here about what that reflects --- my love of horses and rural/agricultural things. So, why not go to the very beginning?

This photo above is a little rough. Actually, it's a picture of a photo, because we don't have a scanner anymore, and I didn't know what else to do at the moment! But it's kind of dark, and let me tell you, back then they really put glossy finishes on the pictures. When I took a picture of this photo, that slick finish was reflecting everything, just like a mirror! So please bear with this hazy result, I think you can still see what's in it. What it shows is a little girl, 3 years old, riding a pony at one of those common pony rides. A little girl in a yellow, frilly dress. That little girl is ME! And yes, I remember that pony ride. And I remember that yellow dress. I loved riding that pony. In the background, you can also see my brother riding a pony, he was 6 years older than me. He didn't get bit by the horse bug like I did.

The bug was dormant for awhile as I went through early grade school years, with typical interests of dolls and what-all. But around 9 or 10 years old, the horse-fever raged! I wanted a horse so badly! Every horse I saw, I drooled over. I read and read and read and read everything I could about HORSES. When we went on vacation, I scouted out riding stables. Ah, what bliss to get to finally ride a horse!

I eventually did get a horse, at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. So all those years of reading paid off, with knowing what-all to do to take care of my newfound friend, a palomino Quarter Horse named ... *ahem* ... "Trigger." (The name came with him!) Owning that horse is a whole 'nother subject for a whole 'nother post, or probably 'way more than that. Trigger and I had 4-years'-worth of grand adventures. But the little 3-year old girl in the frilly yellow dress riding a pony with rapt attention was the beginning of it all.

Gifts and Thoughtfulness

Though family life can be aggravating at times, I appreciated our two boys last night and this morning. Yesterday, I had allergies or something hit hard, and wow was I miserable. All day, my nose gave me fits without letup. Couldn't even do chores. (Rats.) I finally took medicine and crashed for the afternoon and into the evening.

It was after 7 p.m. when I finally dragged myself back into the living room. Before long, here came our younger son, wanting me to see something. Something in the kitchen. Something mysterious, on the table, covered with a tea towel. He removed the towel, and there it was ... a precious gift, just what I needed. On a small plate was a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and some sliced orange wedges to eat. Talk about a happy, thankful mom! I gave HIM a "squeeze," and thanked him, then I enjoyed the tangy goodness of this snack. All I could think of was the vitamin C that I probably needed. But I also thought of the "thoughtfulness and care" that went into it.

Then, this morning, after 10 hours of sleep, I dragged myself into the living room once again. Our older son was up, and .... he had (canned) biscuits baking in the oven! So when they were done, we enjoyed them with various toppings. I totally appreciated THAT gift and thoughtfulness as well.

Isn't it wonderful when someone thinks enough to do something special for someone else? We can think and think of things to do, but it takes effort to put those thoughts into actions.

Likewise, God sent a special gift that He knew we needed. He knew we needed salvation from sin. We couldn't save ourselves. So He gave us a precious gift --- His only begotten Son --- to come into this world as one of us, to take our place and pay our sin debt. God put His love into action, in the flesh. By the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, we have salvation from sin and can receive eternal life in Him. That's the best gift of all! God put into action how much he loves us, cares for us and thinks on us, by providing the way of salvation and redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ, our resurrected Lord and Savior.

Starting This Blogging Adventure

Well! I finally got brave and started a blog. First came e-mail, which I still enjoy as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Then, I recently got on facebook, which has been a blessing. Starting a blog has been in the back of my mind for quite awhile. So, with it being a stormy-snowy day, and stuck inside and all, I got brave, and ...... ta da-a-a-a! I now have a blog.

I've throroughly enjoyed reading other blogs, and they've inspired me to try this as well. Though I'm liable to write about anything, and I have a lot of varied interests, the title of my blog reflects a "first love," that of horses. The horse-bug bit me hard when I was younger, and I eventually owned a horse for 4 years. Subsequent paths in life led me away from horses, but now I've come back to that "first love," finding that I STILL appreciate horses, outdoors, and rural/agricultural things. So from this cowgirl's heart ... HERE WE GO!