Colorado
United States
"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast us." William James
Small wall tent w/ flyAbout Me
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I'm WebMistress (ooooh, doesn't that sound sexy?) of a family website and my greatest interests are Writing, Family Group Building, Volunteering and Genealogy. We've been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity's RV Care-A-Vanners for the last two years and we're eager to do more of these trips when my husband retires.My Photos (69)
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My Journals (43)
MONTH 7 YEAR 2007
The headline reads, “Flaming Crow Ignites Fire Near Aspen”. I did a double take then read the article until I couldn’t stop laughing. When investigators went looking for the source of a fire that blackened two acres of grass and sage they were surprised at what they found. It appears that a crow flew into a set of live wires in an electric substation and when he was zapped he burst into flames and fell to the ground like a well aimed fire bomb. I know, I know it wasn’t THAT funny but I get this picture in my head of some marauding hordes pillaging some village while flaming crows shot from crossbows fill the air. Enough, enough, please pardon my wild imagination.
Here we are, not yet two weeks into this new month and I’m already feeling like I have catching up to do. I’m working on two major projects this week and I’m actually getting something accomplished so I really shouldn’t feel pressured. In fact, these are personal projects with no set deadlines but the ones I’ve imposed upon myself.
It’s been almost year since I started my Mountain Sabbatical and I still catch myself feeling rushed to accomplish things. My real work revolves around family and friends who are almost a hundred miles away and it’s taken me a long time to realize that they can manage fine without me. But just about the time I’m feeling that I don’t have much job security something happens that shows me just how indispensible I really am.
Decklyn’s dog was killed last week. He had been spending evenings in the house while the firework happy neighbors shook the skies before, during and after Independence Day. I’m always appalled at the way people obtain illegal fireworks, drink lots of beer, and then endanger their kids and the neighbors with fire. Anyway, the dog had been in the house until after midnight cowering from the ear splitting noise. He doesn’t like to spend the night in the house so Bradi let him out when the noise died down. There is a six foot wooden fence around the yard but somehow the dog found an escape route when somebody decided they hadn’t shot enough fireworks. The dogcatcher showed up at the door with the bad news that Decklyn’s best friend had been hit by a car.
I was stuck here in the mountains as my 5 year old grandson dealt with the first big loss of his life. Since this little boy is an only child and since this was an extra special dog this was like losing a real brother. The dog catcher was kind enough to deliver the bad news in person and then left the dog collar with Decklyn. This sad little boy is already practicing the “big boy” way of dealing with grief so he tries to keep a stiff upper lip when people talk about his dog. But he dissolves into tears when he sees a stray dog and he dreams that his dog is just hiding under the bushes and not really dead after all. On Sunday I watched Decklyn’s Daddy gazing out the window as his lonely little boy wandered around the yard with the dog collar, jingling the tags and smelling the dog smell that reminds him of his best friend. Josh’s eyes were filled with sadness too.
Decklyn doesn’t remember a time when we didn’t live in the same house and he and his Granddad and I are pretty good friends. So I was glad that we had a little time during the weekend to grieve together. We had a chance to talk about what a special dog this was and had a time to pray for the dog and for the boy that loved him so much.
I have enjoyed my sabbatical but I’m already feeling the call to get back to work. My job of playmate and friend, listener and prayer warrior will be waiting when I get home. I’m still here in the mountains for awhile but God has given me a whole bunch of precious people who need my attention and encouragement and I am eager to get back to work. In the meantime I’m keeping my eyes open to see if I can catch one of those flaming crows, I think it would be quite a sight. Jim tells me if I see one I’d better duck!
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Wishing you and your family a very Safe & Happy 4th of July Holiday Weekend my good friend
Enjoy the Holiday,
Michael
