Do Not Run!

Byran, Mr. B's right hand man tells us that if we see the mountain lion on our property we are to look he or she in the eye and DO NOT RUN. Look it in the eye and stare it down. DO NOT RUN.

The other evening, it had been somewhat of an emotional tiring day...You know how it is some days. Some days are just like that. I'm walking along in my nice billowy black and white checked romantically long and I reiterate billowy seersucker skirt. Now to go with my romantic billowy skirt I adorn my feet with pink trekkers. Yes they are wonderful, they are my walking shoes when I want tennies without the bulk as when I'm wearing a skirt.

So I'm enjoying the feel of the breeze and the evening light as Charlie dog and I cruise pass the woods in my pink trekkers. It was wonderful, pools of light filtering into the forest there to my right, it almost had a jungle effect. Just over the barbed wire fence is our Forest Cathedral Ranch, our homestead, two totally different worlds divided by a barbed wire fence.

But what do I hear? A rustle in the woods! Charlie dog's ears perk up! He runs into the woods and what do I do? Do I stand strong? Do I look at this rustling creature (the thing) in the eye?

NO. I RUN!

As I was running I was thinking that I was in better shape than I thought! (Kind of a nice thought!) God sure works in mysterious ways! But I then thought of Byran's wise words.

DO NOT RUN.

I'm seeing flashes of black and white seersucker and pink trekker straps in a jumble as I look down at the ground running. I realized the "thing" is probably running after me and that I should NOT be RUNNING. I turn around jogging backwards and no lion or "thing". I had not even a tiny can of pepper spray with me, let alone Byran's shotgun. There was no Charlie dog in sight. I alternated walking quickly, a bit on the panicked side, forwards and backwards back to our home calling for my beloved Charlie dog madly clapping my hands.

Finally as I huffed and puffed turning to face the woods as I was walking backwards there ....Charlie finally came running after me...*relief*

My buddy Charlie and I walked on kind of like the clip of Andy Griffith and Opie, yep, me in my billowy skirt and...Charlie dog. (I know, Andy Griffith definitely does not wear skirts! Horrors!)

Do I dare mention that even Charlie dog kept turning around and looking in back of us? It was almost as if he too suspected something coming after us!

I could hear the voices of my four daughters gardening in the front of the house as my trekker clad feet and Charlie's paws quickly carried us.

There were the girls, hubs working on the garden that evening.

We were to later see two bunnies scampering about, having the best time ever, yes sirrie, two little cotton tails. I couldn't help but wonder if those two sweet little bunnies were what made the ruckus in the woods.

Since? We've seen a mother deer and it's fawn nursing, is that not the sweetest? We've seen our new little neighbor, a turtle in the pond along with two snakes one morning...

Pictures in the theatre of my mind of Marianna driving the riding lawn mower we call, "Alvin" after Alvin York. Rebecca in the back her legs hanging over the wagon and it's the sweetest thing ever. Those girls are so loving it all...How could a person not?

Even today, it was only Charlie and I who ventured down the barbed fence trail next to the forest, the two tiny schitzus and poodle purposely stay back. Interesting. I wonder if they sense something in the forest? For a week or so the two schitzus and toy poodle will not go down by the forest unless it's a huge group of folks.

So far we've had a nice time with the girls' friends coming over, delightful, and yes, we did manage a twilight walk with hubs, our girls and their visitors and four doglets. (To me the twilight hour was on the edge knowing the "thing" could be watching us as it grew dark). Charlie the wonder dog did bolt out to the ranch in back of us towards a herd of wild baby piglets. You must know Charlie has been known to run circles around the neighbor bull! We also had a scare with Guisseppe the older Schitzu with cataracts... he mosies along and the poor little fella can't see well. I about had a tissy when we got back home in the dark and no Guisseppe. Hubs and I were about to hop into his little car to roam the beaten trail with headlights on and here comes Guisseppe roaming up out of the darkness after we about had a cow of our own calling for the older little gent.

The two suburban guys were fascinated...One of them? His parents were both doctors in a city, now passed away. The only country he knows is a camp he had attended as a boy...So it was great seeing him enjoy things, things other than synthetic fancy cars and such. Real beauty. God's creation.

The two young men shared how tranquil it is and how they were ministered to by it all. Mission accomplished. God's mission that is.

God bless you all, may we all be blessings to others this week.