Trip to Fort Collins

We drove to Fort Collins yesterday to visit with our kids and granddaughter.  On the way, we stopped to see how Betty’s first horse, Gletta, is doing in her new home after being there for almost a year.

We’ll let the pictures tell her tale.  Gletta is the light brown Icelandic Horse.

Notice the foal with his head under the tail.

Gletta looked great and she looked happy and content with her new herd.  That’s all we could ask for.

After getting to Fort Collins, we took a walk after supper.  That’s Juliet in the lead.

Walking her stroller.
 

Stopping to get some dirt.

Getting some help from her Nana.

Exploring in the afternoon sun.

That’s our girl!

Today, Friday, we drive up to Steamboat Springs for the weekend.  It should be a lot of fun.

Heading North

Tomorrow, Thursday, we drive up to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit with our kids and granddaughter.   We’re all heading up to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the weekend.  It should be a lot of fun.

On the way we’re going to stop to see how Betty’s original horse, Gletta, is doing in her Southern Colorado home.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to post again, but we’ll be home next Tuesday night.

Be good while we’re gone.

Lightning Show

On Sunday night, we watched a pretty decent lightning show.  There was a lot of horizontal lightning which was pretty cool. (I edited out the spaces between flashes to make the video more compact.)

Monday Video – First Wireless Phone

Anyone want to guess when the first wireless, mobile phone was used?  1980’s, 1990’s – nope – 1922!
Here’s a video of the first wireless, mobile phone in 1922.  Notice the phone has to be grounded to a fire hydrant and the umbrella is used as an antenna.
Enjoy.

Sunday Reflections – Be Still

Today is the 66th anniversary of the invasion of D-Day.

The picture to the left has always haunted me.  General Eisenhower is talking to members of the 101st Airborne who are scheduled to drop behind German lines in the night before the invasion which starts at daybreak.

What haunts me is the mix of feelings this picture reflects.

Eisenhower made the decision to start the invasion and he’s here encouraging the soldiers.  This encouragement is the last thing he can do to help the invasion.  Once it starts, he can do no more.  All he can do is wait, to be still, and let these men do their jobs.

In his heart, he knows some of the soldiers he’s talking to will be dead within a matter of hours – and it’s his decision that will lead them to their deaths.

The soldiers are listening intently and with respect, but there is a frank reality on their faces, an acceptance of what is to come.  They, too, know that some of them will not last the night.

All they can do now is to wait, to be still, until circumstances begin to move them to an experience that will change their lives.  They’ve trained and prepared, but there is nothing else to do now but wait.

This picture is just a moment in time, but it captures so much in one image.  Waiting, being still while events unfold around you is hard.

I have been reading again the book of Exodus as part of my morning study.  Moses and the Israelites have just left Egypt after the series of plagues that God has visited on the Egyptians.  They are face to face with the Red Sea on one side and, on the other side, the Egyptians charging toward them in their chariots to bring them back to slavery.

Needless to say, the Israelites were not too happy with Moses…

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"  (Exodus 14:10-12)

I love Moses’ answer, especially the last sentence.

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."   (Exodus 14:13-14)

Stand firm. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

That’s hard – to stand firm, to be still and allow God to do his thing.  We’re taught to anticipate, to plan, to take control of the situation, to make the best of whatever situation we find ourselves in.

I wonder how often I have gotten in God’s way because I wasn’t willing to be still, to wait while God fought for me?

De-Spook 2

Yesterday, Betty and I did some more work with Sugar and Morgunn on de-spooking.  We first did some work on the ground with various items. 
One was the nerf rod that we would swing around their bodies and heads and under them.  They did fine.  We used clicker training with treats each time they responded well.

We also used a hula hoop that has little beads in it so it makes a rattling/rustling noise as you move it.  We were able to swing it around them and put it on and off their heads with no problems.

We put a blue tarp on the ground, anchored by 4x4” posts.  We asked them to walk through and over this and, again, no problems.  We did this under saddle and also no problems.  We also asked them to walk over the nerf rods and the hula hoops and they didn’t bat an eye.
 
Under saddle,  we asked them to go up to a coat hung on a post.  We positioned them alongside the post and moved the coat all around and up and down.  Again, they did fine.

Finally, we asked them to cross our bridge with four cones with American flags in them.  It didn’t faze them.

Since it was such a hot day, we hosed them down and they both love that.

After the bath is the inevitable roll in the dirt.



So much for being nice and clean.

Friday Funny – Dog Funny

Anyone who’s every had a dog in his ‘lamp shade’ after a surgery or procedure should appreciate today’s cartoon.