TORTURE

We have a  couple of great mousers that we acquired soon after moving here.  They  were both dumped and were still fairly young and we had seen a couple of mice and a vole in the pantry  plus several more in the pastures and garage so cats sounded good.  Unfortunately since I'm allergic to them they are strictly outside cats which I feel bad about sometimes, especially when they are sitting in the window staring into the house and it's freezing outside.  Anyway back to the mousers, they caught their first mouse the first day here and sealed the deal, they stay.  Since then we have seen drastically less mice, they even catch and eat small snakes.  A couple of times I've watched Tig play with his food before he kills it.  Today was the worst though.  We have a sunken area on our porch and he brought his mouse into that square and then sat up on the step and watched the poor thing run around and try to hide under the leaves then he would tap it.   At one point he even was sitting facing it and touched his nose to the mouses nose, the mouse bit at his nose, I'm not sure if he connected or not but I'd never seen anything like that before.  Poor fat mouse.  He finally killed it and then played with it some more, throwing it up into the air and catching it.    I'm no fan of mice but I did feel bad about it being tortured.

HAPPY TRAILS BIG JOHN

 Big John was what the boys named our largest rooster. He was big and mean!  He chased them around the yard and pecked them more than once and yesterday he stranded Caleb in a tree while he pecked around on the ground below because Caleb remembered how bad it hurt last time he got pecked.  We'd been meaning to eat him for a few weeks but never seemed to have the time to actually get the dirty work over with.  Today R got up and decided today was the day.  The boys  were so excited and went with him to catch the bugger and do the deed.  Thankfully R sent them away while he actually did the deed.  Anyhow R found a blog with step by step instructions and even pics (very graphic ones) of how to do the entire thing from start to finish.  Here he is right after he was done.  R's first comment? "We need a cleaver, that was way too hard to do with a knife"  Before you start thinking he sawed the head off while John was alive he didn't, he killed him first.  His second comment, "you're not so bad now are ya buddy?"

Next you put him in hot water for a few seconds to loosen up the feathers.  I clarified w/ R before the adventure began that I would cook the fellow but he had to gut it.  I expected the boys to pluck it but R did it all.  Notice the groupies following his every move.  Even the dogs were fascinated.  I have to admit, I was a bit concerned that they were too fascinated by the whole thing, hopefully they don't become serial killers or anything.
   I decided to spare you the pic of him gutting him although it's not that bad, no blood really.  I was a bit worried after hearing about it from Mel on the trek.  The whole process went alot faster than I had feared and we weren't even late for church.  Right now he is sitting in the fridge in an oven bag ready to be roasted for dinner tomorrow night.  So one rooster down, 3 left so watch out and don't peck my kids or else!

WHAT A STUD

 R started taking riding lessons last week but yesterday was his first lesson on the horse.  Last week  he learned how to do the groundwork before riding and safety measures.  We thought it would be best for him to ride a different horse yesterday since his horse, Reno, has alot of fire and while he is a good horse, not so good to learn on.  So here is my stud on Snickerdoodle.  He was so awesome!  Sheena, the trainer (horse and human) says R is a natural, he automatically used his legs to communicate with the horse and she didn't need to remind him once.  He loped, he trotted and he walked.  He sidepassed and turned and even did some barrel work! 

The boys of course think he is super lucky and kept asking when they could ride.  This after they rode on Monday, just 2 days ago.  Isn't he such a stud sitting that horse.  Of course he is a stud without the horse but the horse makes it even better.

I think this is just a great pic.  Would have been better if I could have gotten them all in but Caleb is just to the right darn it.  What a life we live!  We are outside so much more now, the boys are so much healthier now and get into so much less trouble.  It's great having space to just be and work to do.

AUTUMN IS HERE!

Having lived in AZ for so long I ALMOST forgot that there are real seasons in other places.  Not really but it's been so long since we've had the actual  colors of fall that I'm really enjoying it so far this year.  I could do without the howling wind but since it doesn't blow everyday, and when it does it blows all the leaves out of our yard, it's not so bad, yet.  Our boys raked themselves a leaf pile on Saturday and had a great time doing it and then of course jumping into it.  It must be a naturally occuring event because they came up with the idea on their own.  It's so stinking cold in the mornings that there is ice in the horse's water and the grass is literally frozen with little icecicles hanging off of our fences but by afternoon it warms to the 50's or 60's today and yesterday R came out wearing shorts, I don't know why I was surprised but I was.  Look at my sweet Levi, so cute in his layers this morning!  He was actually mad because AJ and he were fighting over the tree swing but he loves having his pic taken so he was having a hard time staying mad. 

BUILDING FAITH

Our stake Relief Society Presidency decided, after much prayer, to focus on faith so in early September they began a program of daily scripture study, of specific scriptures, given to each sister on a bookmark to be done in conjunction with prayer and fasting of our own.  We were each strongly encouraged to participate and I'm so grateful I did.  First of all I'm so grateful for these sisters and their willingness and ability to first feel the inspiration/promptings and second to put forth so much effort to put the project into action!  I have been so  blessed by studying these scriptures/hymns daily in addition to my personal scripture study.  Tonight my epiphany came after reading the scripture in 1 Corinthians.  Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall save it.   Admittedly I've always had a hard time with this scripture, it comes up alot in the New Testament.  I thought to myself that's all well and good but I have children to take care of, I can't go dying on them now.  I'm not afraid of what will happen to me, I'm worried about my family.  Then tonight it hit me after I read it and the following one through a few times.  I don't have to die for him, although many have, I have to live for him.  I thought back to a couple nights ago... Faith without works is dead...  Show me your faith without works and I'll show you my faith by my works...So mostly I have to LIVE like his disciple and let my works do the talking.  Not let my worldly concerns take precedence over my eternal concerns.  It goes along with where your treasure is there will your heart be also...  What do you think?

IT'S HOMECOMING!

It's homecoming time here, and apparently in Twin also. I saw it on the calendar today and since we finished our chores, we went to the parade.  I love small towns!  The 2 police officers in Town were both there, one at the beginning to block off the street and one behind.  I love it, it's like we live in Mayberry!  There are 3 schools in our town, the elementary school, the middle school,  and the high school.  All of them were on the curbs wathcing the parade.  It was so awesome all the little kids, we sat in front of the elementary school, dressed in red and cheering "GO BULLDOGS".

AJ and Levi had a blast catching candy and just enjoying the hubbub.  It may have been a small town parade but that doesn't make it lame, it was fun!

CALEB'S BOBCAT

My superstar Caleb got his Bobcat in time for our first pack meeting in Idaho.  So proud of him!  He is already working on his Wolf.  GO  CALEB!!!