Happy Birthday Betty

In 1961 my family moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee. That Fall I started my junior year at John Overton High School.

The first girl I dated there was Virginia Gibson and, after a short while, she dumped me.

A short time after that character building episode in my life, I was trying to stay awake in Mr. Gregory's chemistry class. I turned back and looked to my right and saw this pretty girl looking at me.

That was the first time I noticed Betty, but she says that she had noticed me before that.

In any case, we had our first real date on November 11, 1961. We went to see "Devil At Four O'Clock" starring Spencer Tracy. After the movie we went to Shoney's, a drive-in restaurant, and had a hamburger.

That was the start of our relationship. We went together for six years before we married in 1967. So, we have been together now for 51 years.

She has been the light of my life for all this time and I love her even more today, on her birthday, than any time before.

Odds N' Ends

Just a few thoughts.

Our second vet and good friend, Dr. Diana Deblanc, came for her semi-annual visit. Besides being a vet, Diana is also a trained equine chiropractor. Matt Paxton is our go-to vet for vaccinations, etc.

We get her to come out every six months to give Sugar and Morgunn a check and any needed adjustments.

Both horses needed adjustments in their necks which is not unusual this time of the year since they are ridden that much during the winter months. Morgunn also needed an adjustment at the point where his back meets his rump. Other than that she said that both horses were in good shape.

This morning, Wednesday, we had planned to trailer the horses down to Topform Arena, the public arena here in Corrales. We wanted a larger, flat arena with good footing to do some more work on their gaits.

However, we got a call this morning from Max Wade, founder of Galloping Grace Youth Ranch. He said that two horse handlers had canceled this morning and we agreed to go out to fill in. It was a nice morning with a decent breeze and we had a good time with the horses and kids. We also had several Junior Volunteers who are great help to us older folks.

They do all the physical stuff - catching and haltering the horses, grooming and saddling. We're teaching them to do some simple ground work with the horses each day which should help keep them in tune throughout the season.

Tonight we go to our church, Destiny Center, for a service and some baptisms.

 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Betty and I had a good day on Monday. In the morning, we helped Max Wade train a new group of junior volunteers for Galloping Grace Youth Ranch. We started with the basics of how to catch and halter a horse, tying them to a hitch with a slip knot, grooming and, finally, saddling. They were a great bunch of kids and it was a lot of fun.

In the evening we went to the Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game. They were playing the Oklahoma City Red Hawks.

The Isotope stadium is a great place to watch a baseball game. There's not a bad seat in the house. For families with little kids, they have tickets where you can bring a blanket and set on a hill behind right field. The kids can run around as much as they want and they even have things for them to do out there - a merry-go-round, basketball court, inflatable fun jumps and slides, etc.

It was a beautiful night with the temperature in the upper 70s and a clear sky. We watched a good game and the Isotopes won 5 - 0.

Best of all it was 50 cent hotdog night. Nothing better than a couple of hot dogs with mustard at a baseball game.

 

All in all, a good day.

Sunday Reflection - Encouragement

Hebrews 10:25 -- Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Over the years I have taken several spiritual gifts tests. One of the my gifts that always shows up in those tests is the gift of encouragement.

The Hebrew word for encourage in the Old Testament is 'amats' which means 'to be alert, physically or mentally.' The Greek word in the New Testament is 'parakaleo' which means 'to call near, to invite.'

The Webster definition for encourage is 'to inspire with courage, spirit or hope,' 'to spur on.'

When Betty and I meet with someone for pastoral counseling, encouragement is one of the things we try to do. No matter what the person is dealilng with, they usually need courage, spirit, hope and the ability to face their difficulties.

For a Christian, encouragement takes the form of 'being alert' to God's presence in the midst of their struggle. As fellow Christians, Betty and I encourage them to 'invite' the Holy Spirit to move in their lives and to give them the courage and the hope to struggle on.

Even with the gift of encouragement, I need encouragement in my own life from those who are close to me, especially Betty.

We strongly believe that we're all called to encourage one another.

 

A Busy and Good Friday

Yesterday was a busy and good day.

It started with the guys from Rader Awning, Jose and Reyes, coming out to install our new sun sail for the horses. They had set the poles in concrete the day before. It provides far more shade than our old, tarp cover and it has a 10-year warranty. It is supposed to handle our winds very effectively.

If you don't know what a sun sail is, check out this video:

 

After they left, we gave Morgunn a full body clip. This is necessary because as an Icelandic Horse he genetically has a much thicker coat than most other breeds. Since it is getting up to 80 and above most days now, this will make him feel a lot cooler.

Here's Betty clipping away:

 

Here's Morgunn with his new 'do':

 

Finally, after lunch we loaded Sugar and Morgunn into the trailer and took them to our vet where they got their Spring shots and got their teeth 'floated.' Horses teeth can develop little spurs on the side, especially on the back molars. The vet files these spurs off to make sure they don't cause any problems.

We didn't get any pictures or video of that process.

We finished up the day sitting in our lounge chairs with a glass of Reisling wine and watched the quail eat the seeds in our courtyard. A good day.

 

Friday Funny - One Wheeled Car

Back in the 1930s there was an invention of a one-wheeled car. Maybe not such a bad idea?

Enjoy.

 

 

Tummy Cooling Time

Now that some of our trees and our neighbor's trees are big enough, we have a gray squirrel occasionally visiting our courtyard. With our warmer days, he seems to enjoy the coolness of the shade and how it can cool off his tummy.