Green Tomato Salsa

 The tomatoes have done wonderful this year. I have put up about 25-30 quarts of salsa and even dehydrated a bunch of them. With this weather coming in I knew I needed to get my green tomatoes off the vines and in the house. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are doing great and still putting on lots of fruit so I can just leave them alone.

There are several things you can do with green tomatoes. You can fry them up. You can wrap them in newspaper and let them ripen. But our favorite is green tomato salsa. The last couple of years I haven't had tomatoes, so no salsa. I knew that was what we would do with the green tomatoes this year. I ended up with 35 pounds of green tomatoes. As you can see some of them were starting to ripen, but I put them in the salsa anyway.

Several people have asked how I make green tomato salsa, so here are the basics. I don't really have a recipe. I just know what I want in it and of course I have to do some tasting along the way.

 

So here are all of my tomatoes in the sink where I wash them off and get them ready for the chopper.

After the tomatoes are washed off real good I cut them into cubes and cut out any bad spots. You don't really have to worry about the core. It all cooks down.

Now I fill up my Ninja and give them a good whirl. As I get them done I put them in a large bowl and then go back to cutting up more tomatoes.

After all of the tomatoes are cut up I start on the other ingredients.

 I had all kinds of peppers in the garden so I just picked them all and used a variety. There are jalapenos, banana, Italian, bell and habaneros. I didn't use the bell peppers because I wanted something that would stand out and look good. I also added a couple of ghost peppers to part of it. I also added about five onions, but forgot to take pictures of that. I give the onions a big chop and then run them through the Ninja just like the tomatoes.

Now it all goes into a huge pot and I add about 3/4 cup of salt, one cup of while distilled vinegar. I also added some garlic powder. I usually use fresh, but I was out. 

Now turn the burner on low and let it cook down. This part takes several hours. After it has cooked down taste it and see if you want to add anything to it. More peppers, onion, garlic or salt. Nice thing about this is you can adjust it to your taste.

 Here are some of my jars ready to go into the canner. I got 20 pints out of this batch. The jars on the top are some of the beautiful vintage Ball jars which are green. I thought the salsa would look great in these and I found them marked way down at Dillon's grocery store. Also, the salsa in the green jars is more of a medium heat. After I filled them I added a couple of ghost peppers in the rest of the salsa. This will be the HOT variety. The HOT is in the clear jars. Easy way to tell them apart.

Right now I am cycling jars in and out of the water bath canner. Seven pints are out. Seven more just went in. After it reaches a boil they will process for 20 minutes. 

So there you have it. Green tomato salsa.

A Life Changing Day

When I was six years old I had my tonsils taken out. It was the week before Thanksgiving and it was just supposed to be a simple procedure. Little did I know that "simple procedure" would leave me with an injury that would affect me for the rest of my life.

When I went in and they were getting me ready for the surgery I had a pre-op shot. I can still remember getting it. I went in, had my tonsils taken out and back to my room seemingly with no problems.

Later as I started waking up I needed to go to the bathroom. My Dad got me up, set me down on the floor to walk to the bathroom and at my first step I promptly fell. I couldn't walk. My left leg was fine, but my right leg would not work.

I don't remember much about what happened after that for the next couple of days. I just know my Dad had to carry me everywhere. After a couple of days I was able to walk some, but with a noticeable limp.

We learned that when the nurse gave me the shot, rather than giving it to me in the fleshy part of my butt, she gave it to me on the side hitting the main nerve that goes all the way down the leg. When she did that it killed the nerve all the way down. It was like my leg was asleep, but this time it would never wake up.

My parents talked to the hospital administrator about it. They talked about sueing the hospital because it was very evident I would have to have some type of special care for many years. They were also worried because my mom was pregnant with my sister and due in just a couple of months. The administrator told them if they did file a lawsuit against the hospital my mom would not be allowed into any hospital in the state of Texas and would have to go out of state to have the baby delivered. They also found out a few days later that all of my records had been destroyed at the order of the same administrator.

So, they were now on their own. I can remember visit after visit to different doctors to try and get my leg fixed. My Dad would walk with me to school every day because I could not even open the door to the school at Sunset Elementary in Dumas. I remember my grandmother sitting and holding me and crying.

After that it was a series of things which were supposed to make it better. First, cowboy boots. I had to wear cowboy boots ALL the time. They were supposed to help support my foot. See, when I walked my foot dropped. I could not flex my foot upward as I walked. I still can't. This caused me to trip and fall, stumble, etc. So I wore cowboy boots all the time. With pants, dresses, everything. Today that would be ok. Back in the mid 60s it wasn't. It was embarrassing.

Next was a brace. If I thought the cowboy boots were bad, the brace was worse. That was when I started wearing pants all the time. That way the brace was covered up and not as noticeable. But kids still saw it and I still got teased. I got teased and picked on a lot because I walked "funny".

About this time someone told my Mom about a chiropractor in Lubbock that could help me. We started weekly trips to Lubbock for adjustments. They were painful and caused horrible headaches. After a few weeks we stopped going. It was just too painful.

I don't remember any other treatments. One doctor said that surgery could be done to take  part of the ligaments and reattach them in a different spot and that would take care of my limp. I don't know why that wasn't done, but it was probably just as well.

When in my mid-teens my parents stopped looking for a cure and we just left it alone. I still had a limp. It was pretty obvious to anyone watching me walk and I got asked about it a lot. Or made fun of for it.

In the last few years as I have aged this injury has come back to haunt me and cause other problems. My back is crooked because my right leg is a touch shorter than my left and my right foot is smaller. Also because of the way I walk I have just about worn out my left knee. I still have an unusual gait to my walk and I have to be careful about tripping or stubbing my toes. I also have to be careful about the kind of shoes I wear.

Then today I went to a podiatrist because of severe pain in my right foot. And guess what? Yep, all because of that "simple procedure" and a shot that I got almost 50 years ago. So now I am dealing with that. It has caused problems with my foot because it doesn't flex like it should when I walk. So now in addition to cortisone shots, I have to do stretching exercises.

I have tried to not let it limit what I do. My husband and I did search and rescue for several years with our dogs and that entailed a LOT of walking while we trained. I also love to hike at our place in the mountains. I always have a lot of pain after doing any of these, but I can't see just sitting around.

I have learned a few things from this. First, there is no such thing as a simple procedure. Also, my Dad reminded me of my heavenly Father. My Dad picked me up and carried me when I could not walk. He opened doors I couldn't open. He took care of me. Would I rather have a leg that was whole and worked? Sure I would. But this is what I have. I just have to trust God that he knows best and that He still loves me.

September 11, 2001. A day I am sure I will never forget.

Our youngest son, Brannon, was home on leave from the United States Marine Corps after finishing boot camp. That morning we got up early to drive him to the airport in Amarillo so he could fly back to San Diego and from there a bus trip to Camp Pendleton. He was going back for combat training.

We were visiting with him about his job he had chosen in the Marines which was to be a crew chief on the C130 transports. Even though we felt he had chosen a fairly safe job, we also knew his first job in the Marines was a rifleman. It is for every Marine. We also talked about if we went to war we knew there was a possibility him and our oldest son, Michael who was also a Marine, could be deployed somewhere for combat duty.

We took him to the airport and watched his plane take off, got back in our van and drove the 50 miles back home to Dumas. My husband had been working shift work so he leaned back in the passenger seat and went to sleep. I stuck a CD into the player and listened to some music as I drove home.

When we walked in the door of our house our phone was ringing. On the other end was a friend of Brannon's asking if we had heard the news. She then told us about the first tower being hit by planes. My husband hung up the phone and we turned on the TV. We couldn't even sit down. We just stood in the middle of the livingroom and watched the news and listened as they announced it was a terrorist attack. We also stood there in stunned silence as the second plane hit and then the towers fell.

I felt like my world had just stopped. Both of our sons were in the Marines. We had just talked about what would happen if we went to war. And now we were sure that was going to happen. At that time I knew one or both of our sons would be going to war.

And at that time we also didn't know where Brannon was. Last we knew he was a United flight that was supposed to make a stop in Denver. I started out trying to call the airport in Amarillo to try and find out any information about his flight. I couldn't get through.

We did hear from Michael. He was in Pensacola, Florida at school for his job training for the Marines. So we knew he was OK. Our daughter was in high school and we knew she was OK. We just didn't know where Brannon was.

I called my office and told them I would not be in until we knew where Brannon was. They said they understood and to not worry about it and they would be praying.

I finally got in touch with the airport in Amarillo and found out that his flight had made it to Denver with no problems. A little while later he called us from the airport. All of the military personnel were in one room and they were being allowed to make phone calls to let family know they were OK.

At that point we were still in shock and still watching the news coverage, but we knew our three kids were safe.

Brannon was supposed to be reporting to Camp Pendleton that day, but he and many other Marines were stuck at various airports. Every week at least a couple hundred Marines report for training, but that week only a couple of Marines made it. The next week when the flights started again, so many Marines flew in to San Diego for Pendleton that it took 24 hours for all of them to be transported.

Brannon did eventually go to Afghanistan for seven months. Michael was never deployed. He was needed stateside and was not allowed to deploy. We also had a nephew in Afghanistan at the same time as Brannon and one of my husband's brothers also was deployed.

It was a horrible day. But afterward our country came together. Everyone was flying the American flag. I had one attached to the antenna of my van for a long time. When one wore out, I attached a new one. To this day I still find it hard to believe it happened, but it did.

Don't let us ever forget.

My Statement to the Hospital Board, That I Didn't Get to Read

 Our local hospital has been going through some struggles for the last few months. Well, a lot longer than that, but the last few months have been really bad. At the center of the struggle is our CEO. People have tried to talk to our hospital board, but so far nothing has happened. The management style of this CEO is to yell and belittle people. On July 17 there was a hospital board meeting which turned bad. I was there and recorded the uproar. Then I also wrote a story about it. It came out in the July 23 issue of The Syracuse Journal. Since then many other things have happened. 

On August 21 there was another board meeting. For the last month I had been working on a letter I wanted to read to the board, but the day of the meeting they enacted new rules. One of those was that you could not say anything about current employees. The following letter is one I had ready to read, but because of the new rules I couldn't say a lot of it. When I got shut down on using Bryan Coffey's name, I just went to the part about Duke Millard, Elaine Keeler and a supervisor I had one time who was not exactly nice to work for. 

My hope in doing that was that Bryan Coffey would see the difference in the two styles and that one was much better than the other. I hurt for the people who have been hurt by the words spoken towards them. Here is what one lady told me who recently became a former employee of the hospital. Her words are about all of the former employees of the hospital.

"He is telling everyone we are cancer. My mother died of cancer and it is a horrible thing. To be compared to that is just,...." At that point she just shook her head and had to choke back tears. 

I had sent a copy of this letter to others and they have encouraged me to post it publicly. After thinking about it and praying about it I have decided to do just that.

The following is the letter I had prepared.




First of all I want to make this very clear that I am voicing my concerns and opinions as a citizen of Hamilton County and NOT as an employee of The Syracuse Journal. Marcus nor the paper have anything to do with this so if you have a problem with what I say, come to me.

To the board: I appreciate the fact that you don’t want to face looking for another CEO because of the past track record. Kent, you made the statement that you didn’t want to go down that road again. Might I suggest you take a different road then? Sometimes you need to stop, ask directions and take a different route. Sometimes it may take you out of your way, but in the long run will be worth it.

Bryan, at the board meeting of July 17 you stood up here and yelled at everyone that you were not going to allow 50 people to sit around and take pot shots. You proved that at your so called Town Hall meeting on August 13. Which by the way, you need to read a definition of a town hall meeting.

“A town hall meeting is an informal public meeting that gives the members of a community an opportunity to get together to discuss emerging issues and to voice concerns and preferences for their community. A typical meeting is attended by both citizens and officials, giving everyone a chance to talk personally in a relaxed environment about the things which matter to them. Typically, the organization and leadership are minimal, encouraging people to settle their differences amicably and with help from friends.”

You would not allow anyone to speak except for you and your staff even putting out the threat that if anyone did speak out they would be escorted out. You did the same thing with Michele Boy when she tried to voice concerns about events at the hospital. Basically, you talk, we listen. We are to shut up and let you say whatever you want and WE have no voice.

Well, that needs to change. You don’t want anyone taking potshots at you, but every time I have listened to you that is exactly what you have done. I have heard you do it at Rotary meetings. I heard you do it at the July 17 meeting and at the August 13 meeting you did it numerous times. You took potshots at The Syracuse Journal, The HMCO Sheriff’s Department and me personally. And that brings me to a question for you.

Just what did you mean when you commented that if anyone had questions about the Kansas Open Meetings Act to talk to Carol Roberts because she seems to know everything about it? I am not an expert, but after the July 17 meeting I made phone calls and became much more informed. I also have this card from Kansas Press Association of which I am a member, which outlines the KOMA laws.

Your potshots at various people were uncalled for and very unprofessional. You owe this whole community an apology for your actions.

Bryan, I have heard so many stories about how you treat people from those you have victimized. I have even had people call me who worked for you several years ago and with emotions still in their voice tell me word for word things you said to them that should not be said to anyone. I have the notes from those phone calls right here.

You want to focus on how much money the hospital is making now and it is good that the hospital is turning a profit, but money is not everything. YOU need to learn how to treat people.

Bryan, I would rather see some changes in you as opposed to you being released from your contract. But if you can’t change, maybe a release needs to be considered.

And since you like to read your Bible, I would like to recommend you read and study James, Chapter 3.

I also want to tell you about two supervisors I have had that did things right.

One of those was the general manager of a beef processing plant in Moore County Texas. That plant employed 2500 people and was managed by Duke Millard. As part of my job I reported directly to Duke the head count of the cattle going across the kill floor which totaled 5,000 head a day. I also figured the amounts to pay the feedlots for the cattle and typed those checks which totaled several million dollars every day. If I made a mistake Duke would walk out of his office, which all the way across a building the size of the VIP center over to my desk whistling all the way. When he did that everyone knew I had made a mistake. One day when he walked up whistling I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a box a crackers and offered him one. He just looked at me and asked “Why would I want crackers?” My co-worker started laughing and told him that way he couldn’t whistle. He then asked if it bothered me when he did that. I told him it did and the other ladies agreed it bothered them when he did it to them. He just nodded and said OK, but he never did it again.

Duke never yelled or cussed at anyone that I heard of. Someone asked him one day why. He said because people listen better when you speak to them in a normal tone of voice and with respect. I did listen to him and I always respected him. And when I left that job I told him so.

After that I worked for the trucking company that hauled the cattle for the processing plant. My supervisor was Elaine Keeler. Elaine was a lady from head to toe, inside and out. If you got in trouble for something she would call you into her office and talk to you in a very calm tone. Never one foul word came out of her mouth, but when you left her office you knew you had been chewed out. You knew you had been in trouble, but you were never degraded, humiliated or treated with disrespect. I loved her and I loved working for her.

I also worked for someone in Texas who was just the opposite. He talked to me in ways I have never been talked to. After three months I walked out and swore I would never work for someone like that again. You never get over being treated that way. It is always with you in some way.

As our hospital board, you need to listen to what the people of Hamilton County are trying to tell you. There is a problem and you need to address it. You also need to keep in mind that all of these people sitting out here are the ones who voted for you. You have a responsibility to these people and not just to one person. I feel like the Re-Think Consortium is a good start and I have high hopes that they will help, but it will take some work.

Thank you for allowing me this time.

What We Feed Our Dogs

When people find out we don't feed our dogs commercial dog food, they naturally ask what we do feed them. I have also had a lot of people ask me to give them the directions on what we feed our dogs.

Now I am going to put a disclaimer right here. I am not a canine nutritionist. I don't claim this is the best diet for all dogs. This is one I have made up for our dogs and it works well. They love it and they are healthy. 

I started this several years ago when I found out through trial and error that my German shepherd, Jax was having an allergic reaction to the commercial dog food I was feeding him. He had huge lick sores on both front legs, yeast infections in his ears all the time, he was miserable and he smelled really bad! One vet told me he was a German shepherd and this was what they did. I did some research of my own and found out about the allergies. From there I found a commercial food that was rice and venison. He did great on that, but it was pricey and I had to get it in Amarillo. Then we moved to Kansas and there was no one close who carried that dog food. So, more research. We went to raw chicken and since then I have come up with the rice concoction I am going to tell you about. 

I start with a large bowl of cooked rice. This is probably about 5-6 cups of dry rice that has been cooked. I don't add any salt to it. If I have chicken broth I will use that for the liquid to cook it in. After it is cooked I dump it into my big bowl.

Now I start adding everything else. Since I was out of chicken broth I added some chicken bullion, about two tablespoons or so. Then two cups of whole wheat flour, a dozen or so eggs, about a half cup of honey. 

I usually try to add some veggies of some kind. I didn't have any leftovers, so I added a quart jar of yellow and zucchini squash that I had canned last year. 

Blueberries, green beans, pumpkin, squash, carrots are all good things to add. Don't use onions or garlic. They are not good for dogs.

All of this gets stirred up real good.

Now I divide it up into two cake pans that I have sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. I forgot to add some coconut oil to the mixture so I just dolloped some on top. It will cook in. The coconut oil is really good for their skin. German shepherds are prone to dry skin and this helps. I've noticed since I started adding the coconut oil they are not scratching nearly as bad as they were.

Now bake it at 370 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until it is set and no liquid is evident.

After this is done, I let it cool and then it is ready for them to eat.

Each of the big dogs get one chicken leg quarter and a good helping of the rice mixture. The Corgi, Bates gets a chicken leg or thigh and some of the rice.

One question I get asked a lot is how much this cost and is it comparable to buying dog food. The price is about the same and maybe even cheaper. I buy the ten pound bags of leg quarters. Those go on sale a few times a year for $3.99 to $4.99 for a ten pound bag. I buy the rice in the big bags at Sam's. My eggs come from my chickens and the veggies are usually leftovers.

People are also concerned about feeding raw chicken for a variety of reasons. The first concern is the bones. A dog is designed to eat raw meat and bones. Their teeth are made for eating raw meat and bones and their digestive tract is also designed to digest the raw meat and bones. Think about wolves, foxes and coyotes. This is what they eat. Two times in the last six years I have had a dog get a piece of bone stuck in their teeth, but that is the only problem we have had. We have had pups as young as seven weeks old eat the raw chicken and bones.

Here are some advantages to the raw chicken. Eating the bones keeps their teeth clean. Also, being on the raw chicken and not eating commercial dog food your dog won't stink. Their feces also does not stink AND it will dry to a powder within a couple of days. No scooping poop!

I hope this helps. I know our dogs do really well on this diet. They have shiny, clean coats. Their teeth are clean. They are full of energy. I haven't had one of our dogs to a vet in about three years. If you have any questions, just ask!

Ricka enjoying the deck in Colorado last month.

It's Canning Season Again

I haven't blogged in a long time because we opened a greenhouse and it has just taken all of my time. I had someone ask me recently if I had stopped blogging. I guess I need to get back at it.

So, my first blog back is about canning. I love to can. I have blogged about that subject before so I won't do it again. Canning season is in full swing for me. Since we now have the greenhouse I have LOTS of stuff growing and we also put in an outside garden. I have produce for sale, but sales have been slow. What doesn't sell within a reasonable length of time will be put up for this winter. I have already made salsa, pickled three different kinds of peppers, put up some green beans and I am canning more. And they will probably need to be picked again tomorrow.

Since I have talked about canning on Facebook and others know I can, people kept asking if I would do a class. I have done two of them now and we all had a good time. But here is a blogging version of that.

Tonight I am putting up green beans. I picked a bucket full on Friday and still had a LOT left. So I have the beans washed and cut.

I love Roma, or Italian green beans. A lady from our home town in Dumas, TX raised a huge garden every year and sold the products out of it. Her husband was a farmer and her garden was so big he plowed it with his tractor every year. She is the one who told me about the Romas and told me to try them. We have been hooked ever since. I don't like regular green beans anymore, just these.



So here they are washed and cut. Now if I were doing these to enter in the fair for next year each piece would be the same size, perfect shape, everything just right. But since these are for us it isn't as important. Canning instructions do recommend one inch pieces, so that is what I try to get. These are ready to go into the jars.

Your jars should be washed, checked for nicks on the top edge, and use ONLY jars designed for home canning. It is never recommended to use old spaghetti, mayonaise, mustard, etc. jars that you have emptied and washed. They are not designed for home canning. Every time I use my jars I check them for nicks and cracks. If I find one I usually toss it out.

I like to run my jars through the dishwasher. It gets them good and clean and the heat sterilizes them. 

I pack the products into the jars good and tight. You can add salt if you like. I add one teaspoon per quart jar. I use sea salt. Pickling or Canning salt is recommended, but the only reason is the pickling or canning salt does not leave a residue in the bottom of the jar. The residue doesn't affect the product, but just looks kind of bad. I have never noticed it in my jars.

Now fill them with hot water. Just fill to the bottom of the first ring on the jar.

Always use new lids, the flat part on top of the jar. Never use old ones or ones that have previously been used. Check the rings and make sure they are clean, not rusted or corroded. Place the rings on and just fingertip tighten them.

Next, I place them in the canner. I only have five quarts this time, but I can fit seven in here. There is about three to four quarts of water in the canner and the jars are placed on a rack. Never place the jars right on the bottom of the canner. Always use a rack.

I usually add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water. We have really hard water and the vinegar prevents the mineral deposits from forming on the jars. It doesn't affect your product, but the jars look a lot cleaner and nicer.

Now the lid is on and my canner is pressuring up. ALWAYS read the instructions for your canner before you start.

You can see the pressure it is at zero.

Start with the heat turned up on high. Once the gauge reaches the correct pressure you will turn it down to about medium. Each stove is different, so be sure to watch it.

After just a few minutes it is up to five pounds. For our altitude, my product will have to process at 12 pounds of pressure for 25 minutes. The time does not start until it reaches the correct pressure. If the pressure ever falls below the recommended amount you will need to get the canner back up to pressure and start the time over.


Once it has been at the correct pressure for the time recommended, turn off the burner. You can remove the canner from the burner but DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE LID! You will have to wait until it pressures down. This may take a couple of hours. Even then when you take the jars out use a jar lifter. The liquid in the jar will still be boiling.

Place the jars on a towel or some type of pad rather than the bare counter. I like to use one of those micro fiber covered dish mats. Now, just be patient and listen for the lids to seal. They will give off a little ting. I love that sound! When I hear that I know I did it right!

 

 Here are my five quarts of green beans out of the canner. They have sat for a while and all the lids are sealed. Even if you don't hear the ting or pop, if it is sealed properly the lid will be concave. After they cool down they will go in my hall closet for storage. One of these days when I have it organized and looking like something out of Homes & Gardens I will take a picture, LOL.

There are a couple of books I really recommend if you are just starting. One is the Ball Blue Book. Very simple and is about $7 at Walmart. You will find it in the section with the canning supplies.

The other book is the Complete Guide to Home Canning published by the USDA. You can get it from your local extension office. It is kind of pricey. Mine was $24, but it is well worth it.

Next blog, Basic Supplies. I know I kind of got the cart before the horse, but I figured since I was doing some green beans I would go ahead and blog about that tonight. I hope you enjoyed it!

You Never Know Where A Simple Question Can Lead You

So many times over the last 13 years I have been asked how we got into search and rescue with our dogs. It all began with my wonderful husband asking me a very simple question.

In the summer of 2000 we had one son who had already graduated from high school. We had another who was about to be a senior, and our daughter was going to be a junior. All three of our kids were involved in all kinds of activities. There was band, choir, football, powerlifting. And those were just the school activities. Then we had 4H. So we also had dog projects, clothing, food, swine, sheep, rabbits, photography and I am sure other things I am leaving out. And of course, church. So we stayed busy.

But this summer my husband came to me and said, "You know, for years now you have been following the kids around and have been involved in all the things they are doing. They are going to be out of the house soon. What do YOU want to do?"

I didn't even know. I had never thought about it. I told him I would have to think about it and get back to him. I thought about all the things I enjoy. Gardening is definetly one of them, but that is fairly seasonal. I enjoy crocheting, but that is a rather sedentary activity. I enjoy reading, but there is just so much of that you can do, and again, it is a very sedentary activity.

Then I thought about how I enjoy being outside and I enjoy dogs. I love dogs. Always have. When I was a kid I would study dogs, learn everything I could about them, dream about them. I love watching a well trained dog do what it is trained to do. I don't care what it is. Herding sheep, taking down a bad guy, leading their blind partner around obstacles. Whatever it is, I enjoy watching them. So that was it. I wanted a dog. And not just any dog. I wanted a dog that I could train and work with and then go to some AKC Obedience Trials. So that was my answer. I wanted a dog.

But then he asked me what kind of dog. Again, I told him I would have to think about it and get back to him. I thought of different breeds that would be good for what I wanted. I like Shelties, but that is a lot of hair to contend with. Border Collies would be a good choice, but they are just too hyper for me. Then I thought back to the German shepherd (GSD) we had when I was a kid. And I also thought about the German shepherd that lived next door, but always came over to visit. I knew then that was what I wanted. So the search was on.

Now, at that time I didn't know much about the bloodlines of GSDs. I knew the history of the dog and they were a great multiuse dog and that I wanted a tan and black. I found a guy in Amarillo with a litter so we went "just to look." Well we brought home this little bundle of fur that our daughter named Jax.

Jax turned out to be a fabulous dog and learned the obedience commands quickly, but also became quickly bored as most GSDs will do. We went to a few obedience trials, but enjoyed smelling things in the ring more than he enjoyed listening to me. I also found out by taking him places and talking to other dog lovers that he had some German bloodlines which is a great thing.

At one of those trials a lady came up and asked if we had ever considered doing search and rescue (SAR). I told her we had, but didn't know who to contact. She invited us to come out and see if we would like it. So we did. And we got hooked.

From there we got very involved in SAR. We trained Jax and eventually got Sasha. Both dogs did a super job and we went on over 20 missions. We also started our own team with some friends who had also got started in SAR. We all knew this was where God wanted us and we honored him in all we did.

Even though we aren't involved in SAR now, we still do some training with our dogs just to give them a challenge. GSDs love to use their brain as much as anything else. They love a challenge. And now I am involved in Rally Obedience with my current GSD, Ricka. We both enjoy it. 

Jax turned out to be one the greatest things for me when the kids were all gone. He was my constant companion. If I did go somewhere without him I would have people asking me where he was. Many times I would have vets, dog trainers and others who know about GSDs tell me that HE was what the German shepherd was supposed to be. Two of our kids have one of his offspring. He and Sasha had some beautiful pups in looks as well as temperament.

So that is how we got involved in SAR. All because my husband asked me a simple question. When I tell this story to couples the wife usually looks at her husband and asks, "Why didn't you ever ask me that?" I kind of think sometimes my husband wonders why he asked me. But he was just trying to be a good husband. He succeeded. He just didn't know where that simple question would lead us!