The Wind …. it is A-Blowin’

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So happy to spend time on New Year’s Day with good friend Jennifer and her family.

    Spring has arrived!  And with it, the wind.  The wind has been blowing off and on since February, at times fiercely.  I have continued to assimilate my new life in West Texas.  I am continually amazed at the variety of birds.  On a given day I see or hear such a great number as to marvel anew at creation, beginning, of course, with the ever-present doves whose calls never cease from dawn to dusk.  Till now our weather (minus the wind!) has rivaled any beautiful mild day in Southern California, but soon the heat of summer will be upon us.  We’ve been enjoying cool starlit evenings out front, sitting near our chiminea fires in our patio furniture that was recently repainted by Hot Rod.  The winter wheat planted in front of our house has been mowed in neat rows and lays ripening in the sun until such time as it will be baled.  Meanwhile the doves and quail have found generous bounty in the yellowing rows.  The hummingbirds have returned, arriving just before the beginning of April.

    The pecan trees were the last to bud out, so late in fact that I was beginning to be a bit impatient in my anticipation.  By now the orchards are filled with the fallen catkins, the feathery pollen-producing strings that cause little newborn pecans.  On the other hand, hunting for tree squirrels will be far more difficult now that they will be in cover of the dark leaves.  Squirrels: the scourge of the orchard.  When I grew up here in the 60’s through 80’s, there were no squirrels around these parts.  It is my understanding that one squirrel can decimate $1000 of pecan income per year.  They don’t eat that many nuts, but they do eat their fill, after which they continue to harvest far more nuts than they could ever eat, after which they damage trees and limbs by stripping the bark and killing branches.

    I am happy to have a bit of time and some inclination to write.  Things have begun to slow just a bit.  Beginning in January, we literally worked for the government all month.  You know that the average person “works” for the government till May?  Meaning that is about the amount of income Big Brother takes from you in taxes.  But in business, apart from that, we do most of our actual work for the government: accounting, calculating and processing W-2’s for the employees, filing state and federal reports for unemployment taxes and income taxes, and preparing the books for the accountant to file income tax reports.  These are the longest, most arduous days in the office!

    February brought the most delightful visit from Mando and Cathe!  I was in heaven with my sister there to listen to me for hours on end!  In return she watched me milk, helped me make scones and sandwiches for a shower, which she attended, and dubiously allowed me to drive her up to “the hills” in the jeep with Mando and The Millionaire, where Hot Rod joined us on the motorbike and we enjoyed God’s expansive vistas with wine and cheese.  We ended the beautiful affair on the levee, right where the border fence ends, and prayed the Rosary together.  Wait!  They still had a little time for target practice before going home!  Thank you sooooo much, Mando and Cathe, for the beauty of your love.

    This spring had brought with it some frightening medical news regarding The Millionaire.  However, Jesus had personally worked out all the details beforehand, including lining us up with some of the best doctors in the country through no fault of our own.  Measures were taken swiftly and positively, and miraculously.  The Millionaire is, considering the circumstances, in great health, and a cancer survivor!  We have no idea why God is so good to us!  How can we return Him thanks for all the good He has done for us?
    Meanwhile, cousin Chelsea generously and selflessly took over my homeschooling program and WOW!  Is she ever talented!  Organized!  Motivated!  Virtuous!  Beautiful!  Aaaah – I’m in love with you, Chelsea. . . .  Jesus hand-delivered you to us, or us to you. 
    On to other news:

Hot Rod is at this moment in California soaking up time with old friends before summer school.  She’ll be staying in Midland, TX over the summer, taking a class and working.  Here in El Paso, jobs are more scarce and her schedule was such that it was complicated to find employment.  Midland, however, being in the middle of an oil boom, has a “reverse” economic problem.  It sometimes boils down to one qualification to obtain a job: a place to live.  Businesses there are almost desperate for workers, so we hope she’ll prosper over the summer as she completes a math course and enjoys the fine company of her darling cousin, Nevada, and Warren and Sara!  She’s been accepted into two Universities in the fall, so she’s got a big decision ahead, and I can’t help mention how proud we are of her finishing her freshman year with a 4.0 grade average.
A fun and mystical ride through deserts and pastures.


The Elf continues to flourish in archery.  She won the last two competitions she entered, and we are now shopping for a new bow that will more closely reflect her growing ability.  She continues to shoot shotgun as well.  And milk the cow.  And be sweet and accommodating and imaginative!  She is so steady and faithful that we have hired her to milk regularly.  (Lady Moo is quite happy with the arrangement.)  The Elf’s plans for the summer: she will be attending training camp for The Survivors in Silverado, CA, two archery competitions in June, 4-H Congress in July, the 4-H State Shoot right after Congress, and plans for mountain camping and fishing late in July.

The Elf!


Dead Eye, living up to his name, has done very well in competitions, having finished first in team in the last two shoots (first, second, and third lately!), and high point youth recently.  The last competition he was just one point away from high-point youth.  And it was on his birthday!  I can’t believe he’s fourteen already!  He received a deer rifle which he is VERY fond of.  He’s quite a bit taller than me now, and he’s courteous and gentlemanly.  Also a very good scholar.  His plans for the summer also include Survivors camp, possibly Congress, if there are enough seats, and the state shoot and camping.

    A little about Survivors: IMHO the best, most effective, and inspiring organization for young people to get involved in the pro-life movement.  As The Elf repeats: Are you pro-life?  Yes?  Then what are you DOING about it?  Go to this website and learn more.  I think every pro-life teenager in the U.S. should attend the training camps.  Besides the effectiveness of the training, the price for what you get cannot be beat!

A little about 4-H Congress: 4-H is a leadership program.  It comes to us through the university system as an extension program, and it is nation-wide.  It is funded, but the kids also raise money.  They can learn about anything from parliamentary procedure, to hunting, culinary arts, fashion design, livestock, you name it.  They also compete.  And in the process, they learn to lead.  If I’m not mistaken, each state has a 4-H Congress in which members from each county act as state legislators in session.  They write bills, debate them in committee, present them on the floor, and pass or decline them.  Only in Texas, Congress actually is held at the state capital.  The Elf is busy thinking of bills to write.  (I suggested they vote to repeal unnecessary laws, as there are already too many on the books!)  Since I will be near Austin attending a pecan conference at the time, I hope to stop in and sit in the gallery and watch my children legislate!
    Today there will be a team-roping competition in our back yard.  Last time there were 14 teams competing.  We look forward to seeing all the cowboys and horses here!  Dead Eye plans to go to the range and practice with his new rifle.  Cousin Michael spent hours helping him sight it in and adjust it perfectly – a very scientific process from what I understand.  How blessed we are to have such a talent in the family as Michael!

Happiness . . . .
    Last but not least: we’ll be arriving in Southern CA the 26th or 27th.  San Diego first, to visit sister Linda, and then to Sylmar/San Fernando around the 29th.  Mando, Cathe, Joe, Cece, Bill, Kim, are you ready for us?  KRISTI, I’M ON MY WAY TO SEE YOU!!!

Another mysterious jeep ride with Uncle of the Corn.
(He don’t give a dorn.)

Early spring

Goodbye Peaches, Hello Tri-Tip

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December 19, Thursday.  I received a text from The Millionaire to the effect that our new family member, Lady Moo, was in labor with our newer family member.  Arriving to the pen late due to extenuating circumstances, I saw that Lady Moo was already somewhat advanced in labor.  However, it ironically happened that this was the third Thursday of the month – the day of the horse auction.  I had plans to take Peaches to a nearby arena to run around and take off the “excess energy” before she was hauled off to auction.  I decided I would make it back in time to see the calf being born, as this was Lady Moo’s first born and labor was likely to go long.  The Elf was on hand to oversee everything.  (She has trained and cared for Lady Moo from day one, since day one was the day of my accident and I have been disabled since then.  Lady Moo, in return, loves The Elf devotedly.)

I was wrong.  Before I arrived at the destination, I received a call.  It was a boy, and I had missed it.  Had it been a girl, she would have had a sweet name such as Buttercup, or Marigold.  She might have had a future of providing creamy milk.  Boys, on the other hand, receive names such as Tri-Tip, Brisket, or T-Bone.  Provided he grows healthy and stout, he will be headed to what some cheekily refer to as freezer camp in a year or two.  The Elf had a unique experience, catching Tri-Tip in her arms as he entered the world, and presenting him to his proud mama.

About two hours into the world.

Meanwhile Peaches went bye-bye later the same day, and will hopefully fulfill her greatest potential – whatever that may be (on a rodeo bucking string perhaps?).  Daddy recalled to mind that many years ago he had purchased a few 2 year old horses from a ranch as a project to break to ride.  As he worked, he demonstrated to me how to tie them and sack them out, get them used to the saddle and then break them to ride.  The biggest horse was a stout, powerful buckskin.  I think we called him Dun.  He kicked my Daddy’s you-know-what.  That horse just wouldn’t be broke, under any circumstances.  After too many incidents, including broken bones, Daddy offered him to the nearby stockman as a work horse.

He found out a year or two later, after good-natured inquiry, that Dun had gone on to rodeo notoriety, having become one of the most famous bucking horses ever after being sold to a rodeo string.  Don’t give up, Peaches, you’ll find your niche.

Have I prepared for Jesus sufficiently this Advent?  No.  I never have.  As usual I begin with grand intentions, and end with humbling failure.  It’s probably the best place for me.  In fact, it is probably not a failure for me to enter into Christmas having failed at what I believe is holiness.  As far as the heavens are from the earth, are my thoughts from God’s thoughts, and most likely my plans from God’s plans.  Therefore, it is fitting that I should fail according to my plans.  I shall then lay them aside wait on the Lord, and quietly contemplate His birth.  If He wants me to know what to do, He’ll show me.

I wish all of you the best of Christmas, great joy and great peace, and may you find all happiness in the love of God.  I want to thank all my beautiful friends and family for your friendship and continued love for us from a distance.  You are cherished!

 Blooming succulents in the sun room.  A Christmas surprise.

It’s a wonderful life…

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    The landscape has changed rapidly from what it was the last time I wrote.  Two hard freezes occurred, one at 15 degrees and the other at 19 degrees.  With those, the leaves turned dark and fell rapidly from the trees, leaving the pecan clusters dotting the tree branches.  Most of the outer green skins dried up and popped open, revealing the precious nuts inside.  Harvest will most likely wait until next week, however, since there are a few husks that held fast to their greenness, and refused to yield their fruit to the fresh cold air.

    The cotton harvest has been underway for weeks, as evidenced by the stray cotton lining the highways, and the telltale cotton hanging from the mesquite branches which hang a little too close to the road.  Cotton is harvested and then packed tightly into modules – huge rectangular cubicles weighing about 30,000 pounds each – and covered on top by tarps to protect them from any precipitation that may occur.  They are then transported to the cotton gin which is a co-op of the area farmers, losing bits of the fluffy balls on the road and to the grasping mesquite bushes.  Once at the gin they are placed evenly in a large lot to await the ginning process.  The lot is much too large this year, as production is reduced by 2/3 or more due to the prevailing drought.  The gin cleans the cotton, especially removing the nutrient-rich seeds which are embedded deeply in each cotton ball.  After this, it is sold to be used for all the various products in which it is used.  Please look for 100% cotton clothing and bedding – it is far superior to the manmade (plastic) stuff – and it supports farmers! 😀

    We had a beautiful two months of attending weddings, one in California in San Diego, the long-awaited wedding of my niece, and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of my cousins.  Both are beautiful places, both beautiful weddings.  In Santa Fe we visited the mysterious Chapel of Loretto where a lone carpenter with simple tools built an exquisite staircase to the choir loft and then disappeared.  The staircase, to this day, defies the knowledge of engineering, and is beautifully handcrafted from a type of spruce that has never been found, one that does not even seem to be in existence.  The presence of God is palpable and powerful in this gorgeous chapel, even though it is no longer owned by the Church.

    Next we made a pilgrimage to Chimayo, NM, the “Lourdes of America”.  I will not tell the story here (you can look it up), but I did collect the healing soil for which Chimayo is famous, and I blessed The Millionaire with it, who quickly and suspiciously backed away from my handful of dirt, as did the two younger ones who were with us.  No matter, I took and decided to bless myself instead, signing myself with it, rubbing it on the back of my neck, my chest, and shoulders.  I couldn’t let it go to waste!

    After Chimayo we drove north to Ft. Collins, CO where we had arranged to purchase a horse trailer – a four-horse stock trailer – just what I wanted!  On the way home, we stopped in Veguita, NM, and picked up a cow.  Yes.  A cow.  A lucky cow, that will be calving sometime in a month or so and then give us milk and all the sweet cream we could ever want!

    The day after arriving home I decided that rascally Peaches had gone too long and was in need of at least 3 rides a week to sustain her.  I saddled up and 20 minutes later found myself incomprehensibly looking up at my brother as I gasped in pain.  I couldn’t understand what he was saying.  It eventually dawned on me that he told me he was taking me to the hospital.  I wanted to tell him to wait until the pain subsided, maybe I just had the wind knocked out of me, but I couldn’t talk, so I submitted.

    It was terrible.  But it was also wonderful, grace-filled, a gift from God.  I have six broken ribs and a fractured collar bone, which was set with a brace in surgery.  And now here I sit, recovering, not able to do much physically, but with a broadened prayer life and expanded gratitude in being forced to slow down, to sit, and to “know” that He is God.  How I needed this!  Thanks to the prayers of all my friends in the know, I think I probably already feel much better than I should.  I could begin a list of all the blessings that are brought about by this, but it would double the length of this too-long post already!  I do look back with surprise and wonder when I think about how I blessed myself with the miraculous soil of Chimayo only two days before!  Anyway, here are some updates:
    Hot Rod only has one more week of school, after which she will visit our beloved California and relay in person our well-wishes and love on our friends.  She continues to drive faster than her skill level, especially on the dirt bike which she wrecked a few weeks ago and thanks be to God did not wind up like me.  However, she had to be rescued from under the bike and did sustain a sprained knee and some road rash.
    The Elf has been beautifully training our new cow since I am physically unable to participate.  She has gentled her to the point that the cow comes and rubs on us, and loves being regaled with attention.  She also wrote 40,000 words during National Novel Writing month!  Quite a feat, considering the constraints of time she suffered during the last two weeks of my convalescence.

    Dead Eye is becoming ever more the gentleman, and especially is solicitous of me now that I am compromised.  He opens doors, carries everything in sight, and sympathetically asks after me if he hears me groan.  Don’t get me wrong, he was gallant before the accident, too!  He spent some wonderful time being a grip for the upcoming videos filmed by my brother for . . . THE IVEYS!  Yeah!  New album to be released soon!  He also helped in the filming of a commercial.  His talents are broadening.  Do check out www.theiveysmusic.com and visit their Facebook page.  Watch for the future release of their new videos.  Maybe you’ll see a surprise!
    The Millionaire has been my knight and so wonderful to me.  He watches over me with great love and care, seeing that my every need is met, and then some.  He also did the lion’s share of driving on our road trip and hasn’t complained (too much) about the cow.  In fact, I think he’s really grown to like her.
    God is so good, and I haven’t evening finished counting my blessings (will I ever?).  I saw this today which is so true:
Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you.  My beloved, may every fall . . . always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection.  Maximillian Kolbe