Meeting Yallah

We're fortunate to have new friends who we met through our mutual interests in blogging. Lisa, who does Laughing Orca Ranch and Val who does Fantastyk Voyage.

Val is an experienced horsewoman who bred her mare, Annie and was recently blessed with the birth of this little Arabian bundle of energy who Val named Yallah which means "Let's go!" in Arabic. It's an appropriate name. She plans to raise Yallah for her own horse.

Betty and I visited with Val and Lisa this past Saturday afternoon. It's always good to connect with them, but our main motivation was to meet Yallah in person.

Here's a pictorial report of our visit starting with a picture of our friend, Val standing next to the good mother, Annie.

Yallah with her mum, Annie.

Yallah has learned that people are fun to be around. Her teeth are coming in and she explores with her mouth. She also likes to be scratched in many different places.

She loves to follow Annie around the pasture.

Yallah also likes to run around all by herself. It's amazing how much energy is in that little body.

And, she loves to make sliding stops. Maybe she's going to be a cutting horse when she grows up.

Our friend, Lisa (and Val's neighbor) came after we had been there for a little while.

She and Yallah are already good friends and it's obvious they like each other.

Yallah evidently also likes the idea of eating Lisa's hat.

Then it was time to spend a little more time with Mom, but this time with an ulterior motive.

Hey, Mom, do you think I could have a little snack?

Yep, I guess so.

After all that exercise and a good snack, then it's time for a nap - and she just crashed.

I took advantage to give Yallah a rub down while she was sleeping. It's a good thing for her to learn to trust us humans and our hands.

Betty did the same, but found that Annie was supervising. Actually, Annie was fine and probably just connected with another mother.

All in all, it was a great visit and it was a pleasure to meet such a beautiful little filly. Well done, Annie.

Monday Video - The Army Kite

(Before we get to the Monday Video, we want to wish a belated Happy Birthday to Morgunn. He turned 10 yesterday, Sunday, June 28. Happy Birthday big boy!)

There are not many things that man creates that I think are really beautiful. I have seen several paintings (mostly Western artists) that I think are beautiful. I have seen a very few pieces of jewelry that are truly beautiful. I have seen some American Indian flutes that are works of art.

However, today's Monday Video is a work of art created by Army paratroopers. I don't know whether it is sunrise or sunset when this was done, but I think it is beautiful and an incredible example of teamwork.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflections - Islam

The angel of the Lord also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Genesis 16:11-12)

There has been a lot of news recently about the protests in Iran and the violent put down led by the Islamic leadership, the mullahs. It got me to thinking about Islam in today's world.

Often we hear people say that Christians, Jews and Muslims all are children of Abraham and worship the same God.

The source document for Christians is the Bible. We share the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) with the Jews. They call these books the Torah. We also share in a similar way the other books of what we call the Old Testament.

There is no question Christianity has it's source from the Jews. Jesus was a Jew and believed all that the scriptures said which, in his time on earth, was the Old Testament.

The main difference I see between Christians and orthodox Jews is we believe Jesus is the Messiah and the orthodox Jews do not. They don't accept Jesus as the Christ both as individuals and as a culture. However, I have never seen any evidence of any Jew saying that he/she had received a revelation from God that proves Jesus is just a man and was lying or crazy when he said what he said about himself and God.

I have no problems saying Christians and Jews worship the same God in heaven but we disagree on whether Jesus is the Messiah. Many Jews have come to that conclusion and they are still Jews. They worship in the traditional ways as their ancestors, but they believe in Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah.

However, it's different when it comes to Islam and Christianity.

Several years ago I did a presentation at our church in Ohio comparing what the Bible said about Christianity to what the Qur'an said about Islam. To prepare for that presentation I read through the Qur'an from cover to cover. It was a challenging read. I don't pretend to be an expert on Islam, but here are some of my perceptions from what I read.

Most of the Qur'an's writings are revelations supposedly from the Angel Gabriel to Mohammed. There are several stories in the Qur'an that come from the Bible (e.g., Adam, Noah, Daniel, Moses, etc.

Mohammed received his revelations over a period in the 7th century. Early in his life he tried to win converts to his new religion with little success. So for the rest of his life he spread Islam through military conquest. After his death Islam continued to spread through conquest until the 1600's. Besides the Middle East, Islam had conquered significant portions of Europe and large portions of Northern Africa.

One of the major differences between the Bible and the Qur'an is Jesus. As a Christian I acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and that God is 'one in three' - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Islam sees Jesus as just one more prophet in a line of prophets (e.g., Adam, Abraham, Moses, etc.) that culminated in the prophet Mohammed. According to Islamic belief, the same revelation that was given to Mohammed was given to the earlier prophets, including Jesus, but it was corrupted by man. However, the revelation is final and complete in the revelation given to Mohammed.

They also deny Jesus's death on the cross and his resurrection. This is a critical, basic tenet of the Christian faith.

This is different from the Jews who have not accepted Christ as the Messiah. That's an individual and cultural belief. It is not written into their doctrines. Islam has made this a doctrine. Their belief that Jesus is not God is supposedly a revelation from Allah and it would be heresy (punishable by death in some countries) to believe otherwise.

After Mohammed died a collection of his sayings was compiled over the years into the Haddith and a lot of Islamic behaviors come from the Haddith - ceremonial washing, daily prayers, etc., - and a lot of these rules are combined into Islamic law called Shari'a. It is this law that requires women to hide their appearances by wearing burqas.

The word Islam literally means surrender or submission. For a non-Muslim, the Qur'an lays out three options: (1) convert to Islam, (2) live in dhimmitude, or (3) die. Dhimmitude is a subservient, second-class life under Shari'a law and requires a tax be paid.

Many people call Islam a religion of peace. From my reading, this is true - if you're a Muslim. However, non-Muslims, infidels, are to be conquered for conversion, dhimmitude, or death. Not much peace there.

The reason I'm speaking out about this today is I believe Islam is again on a campaign of conquest. It may be extremists of their faith who are pushing this, but I also see a lot of support in what is often called the 'main street.' After 9/11 there was much rejoicing in the street in most if not all Islamic cities.

This conquest is being attempted in different ways, including taking over a culture through assimilation. Shari'a law is now accepted in several European cultures. Islam's culture is never meant to be assimilated into the host culture, but the other way around - the host culture is to assimilate into Islamic culture.

To this day, the West, especially the US, is still called 'The Great Satan.' This is ironic to me as so many American lives have been lost helping Muslims - in Somalia, in Kosovo, and in Kuwait.

Supposedly Allah told Mohammed through Gabriel that Jesus is just a man. He is just another prophet whose words have been corrupted by infidels. If Allah also supposedly revealted the 'truth' that Jesus did not die on the cross, nor rose from the grave, then I cannot reconcile that god, Allah, with the God of the Bible whom I try my best to serve.

As I said before, I don't pretend to know everything about Judaism or Islam. The fact is, I know very little, but I'm still learning and I'm open to correction.

At the end of the day, I believe Islam is a false faith based on a false god. Allah is not the same God that Christians and Jews worship. Jesus is not just a prophet, he is the Son of God, who died on the cross for my sins.

Saturday Voice - Whatever Happened to Honor?

As most of you know, I was born at the end of World War II. My formative years were the last half of the 1940's and most of the 1950's. My parents and grandparents had endured both the Great Depression and World War II and both events affected them in ways that we can't comprehend today with our relatively easier lives.

I made plenty of mistakes as a young man, but one lesson I learned from my father and grandfather is a man honors his word. If a man says he going to do something and shakes on it, you can consider it done. Only a snake in the grass type of man would consider going back on his word and he was always considered to be beneath contempt.

When I was a kid, I was a Scout (and a Scoutmaster for 8 years as an adult) and our oath always started with, "On my honor I will..."

One of the most important promises any man makes is when he faces his wife-to-be and promises to be faithful to her "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, until death do we part."

I made that promise to Betty on Saturday, July 1, 1967 and, after my decision to accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I consider it the most sacred and important promise I have ever made or will make. I love Betty very much, but it is also a matter of honor for me as a man to keep that promise.

The meaning of honor is personal integrity: strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethical principles. It also has a meaning of reputation: someone's good name or good reputation.

It seems that honor is greatly lacking in our culture today, especially among people in the public arena. I'm not surprised when a singer or movie star dishonors their word and their spouse and renege on the sacred promises they made. It's more disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising, when a leader in our country does the same thing.

The most recent example is the Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford who has admitted to an adulterous affair with a woman in Argentina - breaking his word to his wife, the mother of his four children.

Unfortunately, he's the most recent in a long line. From what little research I did, it seems the first prominent politician to dishonor his word was President Franklin Roosevelt. His successor, Harry Truman, was such an honorable man he was ready to fight a reporter who insulted his daughter (way to go, Harry). President Eisenhower was rumored to have had at least an emotional relationship with his assistant during World War II, but it was never conclusively proven.

The first known for sure dishonorable president was John F. Kennedy. He was known for his romantic relationships, even while president. Nothing was ever said about either Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon.

George Bush, Sr., has always seemed to be an honorable man in his marriage. However, he paid a price politically when he promised in his first run for president, "Read my lips. No new taxes." He gave in to political pressure and paid a price in the next election for going against his word.

Bill Clinton is the poster boy for dishonoring his wedding vows. There are so many stories - many proven and many only rumored - that he is almost a caricature. His supporters tried to cover him by saying, "It's only sex," as if everyone does it. No - we don't!

George Bush Jr., also seems to have honored his word to his wife and been faithful to her. We know he has a strong Christian faith and that has probably carried him throughout the years to be faithful to her.

Recent poor examples have been New York Attorney General Spitzer, Senator John Edwards who cheated on his wife who has cancer, Senator John Ensign, and now Governor Sanford. I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm missing. All of these men who have dishonored their wedding vows also made promises to uphold the Constitution of our country or of their State. How can a man be believed in those promises when the takes his marriage promises so lightly?

I just learned this morning that Mark Sanford actually asked his wife, after she learned of his affair, if it was OK for him to go to Argentina to be with his mistress. Of course she said NO! Good for her.

This is not a political issue for me. I don't care if they are Republican, Democrat or Independent.

A man's word matters. Keeping our promises to our wives is a matter of honor.

I pray we can somehow revive this sense of honor in our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters. Our country and our souls depend on how successful we are in this revival.

My Saturday voice.

Friday Ride and Rodeo

We had a good ride this morning. I fed the horses at 5:30 AM so we could go out at 7:30 AM to tack them up and get in a ride before the heat set in.

We rode down into the arroyo South of us. It was pretty soft from the rains last night so we came back up a hill to the sage area which was a little firmer.

Both horses did well.

Tonight we're going to the Rodeo de Santa Fe. It's a fairly good, PRCA-sanctioned rodeo and I go every year. Betty goes with me every other year.

It's a lot of fun and we get to eat junk food.

Have a great weekend.

PS: If you haven't seen it, check out www.krqe.com on Saturday or later to see their news report on Galloping Grace Youth Ranch. It was well done and Deanna Saucido was a very nice, down-to-earth person. If you have trouble finding it there, check out the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch blog to see if Michelle is able to post it.

Our New Family

Over the years that we have lived here we have had families of quail come and feed on the seeds that fall from our feeder to the ground. But they have been transients. They eat and run.

We have other critters who come and go as well - roadrunners, doves, hawks, various other birds, lizards, and bunnies. Whenever we go outside, all of these animals run or fly away - usually out of the courtyard.

We also have Antelope Squirrels and we noticed that when they ran away they always headed toward the enclosure where our hot tub equipment is kept. It made sense. They could hide behind the biggest piece of equipment, the heater. It was safe, dark and warm during the winter when it kept the tub water from freezing.

Now we know that they were doing some other things in that warm, dark place besides just hiding. They were making little Antelope Squirrels.

We have at least four young Antelope Squirrels now resident in our courtyard. Being young they are a little more curious and adventurous than their more conservative adults.

Here are some pictures of one (or possibly more) of the youngster who run around our courtyard.

This is one of the adults who's showing his/her age.

Now the wild-eyed, carefree, go-for-it youngster(s).

Eating the dried flowers from our sage.

Playing on top of our seed container. Maybe he/she can smell the sunflower seeds beneath the top.

Is anybody else down there?

Eating some of our weeds - you go little guy!

Trying to look into our house through the glass in our courtyard doors.

Playing hide 'n' seek in a flower pot.

Or, may be King on the Hill.

Welcome little ones. Just don't mess anything up.

A Little Puny Today

I didn't sleep well last night - too much excitement at Galloping Grace yesterday, I guess.

So, I'm a little under the weather today. We were going to ride this morning, but called that off. The only other thing on our calendar today is to take Chloe, our hairless Sheltie, to the vet for her annual check up.

See you tomorrow.

PS to those who asked about the fly masks. We don't have any flies yet, but the gnats have been bothersome - except when the wind blows in the later afternoon.

Tuesday Odds and Ends

Tuesday Odds and Ends starts with our Monday ride yesterday. We trailered the horses down again so we could ride in the Bosque along the Rio Grande River. We had another fun ride and both horses did pretty well.

Here are some pictures from our rest stop. I like to give our horses a chance to graze when we're out because they live in a sand lot and don't get a chance to eat like regular horses.


This morning Betty and I went over to Galloping Grace Youth Ranch for an interesting morning. Channel 13 was there doing some filming for a feature on the ranch. They shot video of the kids scooping poop, getting ready for their rides and doing their rides. They also talked with some of the kids, volunteers and, of course, Max himself. I don't know why they didn't talk with Michelle - a mystery, I guess.

I also got to meet in person a blogging friend, Keri, from the blog "Just a Family." I have to admit I didn't notice any blue streaks in her hair (I stole this picture and the picture that follows from her blog - forgive me, Keri.).

She's a neat lady with two beautiful and neat girls - Kali and Aubrey. I was fortunate to be able to work with the two of them as they rode Red around one of the arenas. They are sharp young ladies who have the potential to be good riders - and they have great smiles.

Kali and Aubrey, it was a real pleasure for me to get to be with you today. Keri, you've done a good job.

Monday Video - Let's Dance

When Betty and I were married in 1967 our wedding was typical of that time. We were married in a church and the reception was held in the church's basement parish hall. We had a wedding cake, peanuts and mints - and that was it.

No catered dinner, no covered tables with fine china and flowers, and no music and dancing. In those days that was more typical and only the really rich had the big weddings.

So, it was fun to find this video of this couple doing their first dance at their reception. I'm fairly confident this couple has a great chance of having a life-long, good marriage because it's obvious they like to have fun and neither one of them takes themselves seriously.

It's a little long and starts slow, but hang in there and be sure your sound is on. Enjoy!

Sunday Reflections - Circumstances

Henry Blackaby, Baptist pastor and author of the book and study, "Experiencing God," says that we hear from God in several ways. First, he speaks through his word, the Bible. He speaks through his Holy Spirit who lives within us in impressions, thoughts, and, sometimes, dreams. He speaks through other people. And he speaks to us through our circumstances.

Betty's older brother, Bill, gave us a call a week or so ago to share something that he said we would understand.

Bill likes unusual and unique antiques and he was going through an antique place that consisted of a lot of different vendors. He saw a place that had old publications for sale.

Bill recalled that Jim, their younger brother, had given old publications to several of us this past Christmas. Betty got a newspaper dated the day she was born, May 4, 1945, and the paper was celebrating the end of the war in Europe. He gave me a baseball magazine dated the month and year I was born, August, 1945, because he knew I loved baseball.

Bill thought it would be great if he could find a magazine dated the same day as the birth of his younger son, John, who was born June 13, 1969.

John was born exactly two months before our oldest son. Unfortunately, John was eventually diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Over the years this was a real stress on Bill, his wife Noel, their older son, Galen, and, of course, John himself. There were recurring lung illnesses, daily therapies, and other requirements that we didn't know about. At age 16, in 1985, John succumbed to the ravages of cystic fibrosis on his lungs.

However, John was a unique young man. He had a great sense of humor and he was very creative, especially in his writings. He wrote poems that expressed a deep understanding of the ups and downs and beauty of life that most adults rarely attain. And, he knew who God was and had a close relationship with him.

So, Bill walked up to this particular vendor who had the old publications, probably not expecting very much - but this was a place to start. There was a small stack of Life magazines that drew his attention and he picked up the one on top.

The date on the Life magazine was June 13, 1969.

Bill said he was stunned, as he put it he had a brain freeze. He first wondered if he was remembering Johns birth date correctly. He couldn't believe that the first magazine he picked up would have the exact date of John's birthday.

If you stop and think about all the circumstances that had to lead to this...

1. Life magazine was published weekly, so that particular issue was published on the very day and date that John was born - June 13, 1969.

2. The original owner of the magazine didn't throw it away after he/she was through with it as most people probably did. For some reason they kept it.

3. We don't know what happened to this particular Life magazine for the next 40 years. It may have stayed with the original owner, or it may have passed through the hands of others - always surviving the ravages of time.

4. It wound up in this dealer's hands at some point and he/she had it for sale on this particular day that Bill was looking for a magazine dated on John's birth date.

5. It wound up on top of the stack of other Life magazines so it would be easily accessible to Bill's eyes and hands.

I don't know about you, but that collection of circumstances seems to go way beyond coincidence.

We told Bill that we believed it was God speaking to him - "I'm real. I'm still part of your life and I love you enough to make this happen."

If that's true, and we believe it is, then God began preparing to speak to Bill 40 years ago on the same day that his son, John, was born. God knew what he and Noel would go through over all these years, both before and after John died. He wanted to be sure that Bill and Noel knew that he had not forgotten them or taken his hand off of their lives. And, I also believe that he wanted them to know that John is with him and is OK.

I think that's pretty cool. It was an early Father's Day gift for Bill.

Happy Fathers Day to all!

Saturday Voice - Why Are We Silent? (Updated)

Normally, I do not want this blog to be political. My desire is primarily to share a little of our lives with whomever might find it worth their time to read what we say about our lives.

However, there are times that I wonder what I will say when I stand before God and he says, "What did you do about this?" Or, someday, Juliet, our granddaughter may ask me "What did you do when this was happening?"

In both cases I don't want to stammer and say, "Nothing." At the very least I want to be able to say I spoke up - I took a side - I took a stand. I believe that God calls me to be a man of honor and sometimes honor requires getting off the fence on one side or the other.

There is poem written by Martin Niemoller, a German pastor, that captures what I'm feeling:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

On Saturdays, I may share my viewpoint on what's happening in the world - not to make a political statement - but to make a personal statement. I want to give voice to what I'm feeling in my heart. I want to take sides. I want to take a stand. I want to speak up and this blog is one avenue for my voice.

I picked Saturday because I know that is usually a low day for blog readership because, rightfully so, people have better things to do.

So, if you see the Saturday post title is 'Saturday Voice' and you're not interested in what I have to say, you know you can skip it and you won't hurt my feelings. I'm doing this as much for me as for any other reason. So, here's what's on my heart today.

Why are we silent? In Tehran, Iran, thousands upon thousands of young people are protesting, and, in some cases, bleeding and dying for their freedoms.

To date, President Obama has either been silent or has made statements that sound as if he supports the totalitarian regime and not the freedom protesters.

In the 1980's when the Polish were protesting against their Soviet-backed regime for their freedoms, President Reagan made it clear that he, and through his words the US, stood solidly in support of those protesters who risked their lives for their freedoms. Today, Poland is a different country because of his support.

I will not begin to guess the President's motives, but I am disappointed in his silence for he represents me and, I suspect, millions of others who want to take a stand for people who are fighting for their freedom.

Why are we silent!

(Update: President Obama's staff released a statement this afternoon that's better than what has been said before. However, I wish he had given a personal statement instead of a press release.)

Riding, Banking and Baseball

We took our normal Friday ride this morning around our area. Both Sugar and Morgunn did well.

This afternoon we have an appointment at our local Wells Fargo Bank to do a little business with them.

And tonight we're going to the Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game. The Isotopes are the AAA minor league team for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Most people think the name Isotopes refers to the nuclear research and production that is traditional in New Mexico and that sounds good, but it's wrong.

The owners named them the Isotopes after a "Simpsons" episode where Springfield was about to lose their minor league team, the Isotopes, because the owner wanted to move them to Albuquerque.

Here are some pictures from this morning's ride.

Betty and Sugar moseying on down the road.

We stopped up on the top of a hill. Our house is down the way if you look between the closer house and the one being built on the right.

Betty sighting out our track. Actually, I think she's adjusting her glasses.

After our rides we like to hang out with Sugar and Morgunn. Eventually they'll come up and it appears they just like to be with us.

Sugar and Betty are exchanging breath. Horses do this when they come up to each other. They'll breath out and take the other horse's breath in. It's a way of connecting.

Of course Morgunn has to come up and do the same.

Then Morgunn has this thing about hats. He loves to take our hats off. He doesn't do anything with them after they're off - it's just fun to take them off.

Then he'll make up with you after getting the hat off.

With me he likes my boots. I think he must taste salt in the leather from me sweating in them.

All in all, it's a nice way to wind down after our ride.