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!

Can You Can It? Yes I Can Can!

I fell in love with canning back in 1990 when we lived in Rifle, Colorado. I had a really nice garden and decided I would try my hand at canning. I loved it! I was able to make pickles that my family still loves to this day. I could put up my tomatoes, green beans and anything else that came out of my garden. At that time I just enjoyed it.

Fast forward to present time, 23 years later. I still enjoy it. I love that little pop the lid makes when the jar seals letting me know I have another successful batch of food for my family to enjoy. 

I enjoy canning for several reasons. I love to garden and this is a way to enjoy the garden for many months. I also like the fact that I know how my food was grown and how it was processed. 

Also, I guess you could call us preppers. The way our country is going I sometimes wonder if we will have stores where we can just go in and buy what we want. I also can't help but wonder, if our economy were to collapse, would people be able to grown their own food? If they did, would they have the knowledge to preserve it?

Here are some seeds. From the top are green beans, cucumber and yellow squash. 

Seeds will keep for a long time if they are kept in a dry, cool place.

 Here is some squash and some green beans as they are beginning to grow a few weeks ago.

This was back when everything was just starting to produce. Now things are going crazy and I am having to check things almost every day. So my canning season has started.
Today I worked at putting up cucumbers. I had picked a five gallon bucket and they needed to be put up. Some were too big for pickles, so those I chopped up and made a relish for turkey salad and other things later this year.

 I also picked a bunch of squash. That one big zucchini is as big as my arm! That guy had been hid for some time. But I found him anyway!

So after washing, slicing a packing the cucumbers into the jars, they were ready for the juice and to be put in the canner. Now I like to use a dill pickle mix called Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle mix. I guess it is kind of cheating, but it sure makes good pickles. I add a couple of slices of fresh jalapenos to some of my jars because some of my family likes their pickles hot. The jars that don't get the jalapenos get a couple of carrots. It's just a quick way to know which are the hot ones and which are the mild ones.

 The top picture is the quart size. The bottom picture is some half pint jars I made for the grandkids so they could have their own jar just their size. I have six grandkids, so there will be more I need to make.

 
I know of at least one grandkid in North Carolina that loves my pickles!!

Here is a picture of some of the stuff I have canned so far this year. This isn't all of it because we have used some of it already. In this picture there are pickles, green beans and a few jars of yellow and zucchini squash. 

The pickles are water bathed,but the rest is pressure canned. 

Water bath is simply placing the jars in a large pot that is full of boiling water. The you let it cook for a certain length of time. For a quart jar of pickles at our altitude that is 13 minutes. 

Pressure canning is a little more involved. You have to use a pressure cooker which is fitted with a tight seal and has a pressure valve. The amount of pressure and time the product is cooked depends on the product, altitude and size of jar. 

It really isn't as hard as it sounds. If you can read and follow directions, you can can your own food and enjoy it for many months to come. 

 When we go to our place in Colorado, this is our view out the back door. I know this doesn't look like much. This was early spring of this year and things had not greened up yet.

When we are up there we love to go hiking. One of our favorite destinations is on top of that hill you see. It doesn't look like much. And it doesn't look hard. But looks can be deceiving.

The first time my husband insisted I needed to climb this thing was almost two years ago and I was much heavier than I am now and I was very out of shape. And we were starting at an elevation of 8,000 feet. We live at 3200 so this was a big change in elevation for us.

We started out in this meadow and walked on the left of the picture, then started up. It was so hard and I had to make several stops to catch my breath and rest. My husband is great at getting around and knowing exactly where he is so I was following him. Now myself, I have NO sense of direction. If I were up there alone with no compass or GPS I would be lost. There are mountains and trees all around and you can't see the big picture. All you see is what is right there in front of you. KInd of like this next picture. Trees and rocks.

This is the point where you have to stop, look around and follow your guide a different way. Sometimes you have to do some climbing. Sometimes the walking is fairly easy. Other times you have to stop and rest a few minutes.

But you keep going. You know that even the journey is tough, and it is tiring when you get on top the view will be great. And the sense of accomplishment is even greater.

Along the way you will some beautiful things. Up this high the trees get some fierce wind and lightning damage. There are some beautiful formations.

Then along with some of the beauty in front of you, there are some mountains, snow capped of course, that you can begin to see.

But there is still more climbing and hiking to get to the good stuff.

The first time Billy took me up there I wanted to quit so many times. I even prayed that if God would let me get back down safely I promised I wouldn't beat my husband with my walking stick. God did, so I kept my promise. We kept going.

Now let me say this. Before we leave for any hike we are prepared. We take water, snacks, compass, GPS, flagging tape, first aid supplies, pistol, etc. We are prepared. We know what this country can be like. We know it is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous.

The world is like that also. It can beautiful, but also dangerous. We are on a journey in this life time and God is our guide. We follow Him. He knows the terrain. He knows where we are going. He orders our steps.

I have been using a devotional book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. The July 14 devotion really spoke to me and reminded me of our hikes in the mountains and made me also think of our journey in life. In the devotion for that day she speaks of walking along the path with God. This is the passage I really liked: "I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not my way for you. Together we will forge a pathway up the high mountain. The journey is ardous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance light-footed on the high peaks; but for now your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction."

This is what our hikes are like. Arduous at times, but together we forge a path. We keep going. After a while we make it to the top. And the reward is great!

 The view is fabulous!

Don't give up on your life's journey. Hold onto God's hand and let him guide you. He has GREAT things in store for you. Just keep going!!!

Blooms and Hot Wind

We have been having temperatures in the 100+ range and wind blowing. Combine the two and it starts to feel like a blast furnace. Many of my flowers look like someone has held a blow torch to them. These are a couple of pictures of my flowers and how burned they are.

 Both of these were doing good until the wind and 107 degree temps
started up last week.

My garden isn't doing too bad, but I have really been working in it trying to cut down on the weeds, watering, putting down landscape fabric and mulching. It has been a lot of work, but my husband said today he thought I had the best garden this year that I have ever had.

Here is a photo gallery of how it is looking.

 Roma Green Beans are blooming like crazy! I can't wait to pick these. After eating these I don't like plain green beans anymore. Romas are so much better.

 The yellow squash is doing great. I did find some squash bugs today, so all of them were dusted with sevin dust. I HATE squash bugs. Well let me clarify that, I HATE ALL bugs. But I really hate when I am reaching in to pick some beautiful squash and find bugs!!

 One little bell pepper so far. But lots of blooms.

 I made the mistake of leaving my camera where my husband could get it.

 I have one little eggplant.

Cucumbers are growing and have blooms on them. Can't wait to start making pickles.

 Here is the squash I picked today.

 I just got this sprinkler. I think I am really going to like it. It really covers a lot of the garden.

 Okra is trying to grow. Seems like it starts off slow, then once it starts producing I can barely keep up with it.

So far this year that is my garden. This year is presenting some challenges. Keeping it watered is a big one. Keeping the weeds out is another. But I think I am way ahead of the game compared to last year. Hope those of you who are growing gardens are having good luck this year!

It is another spring and another garden has been planted. Now I don't claim to be a master gardener. Mediocre is more like it. But this year I have really put in a lot of work trying to make my garden more weed free and use less water.

I started with the flower bed in the front. I have struggled with this area. The way it is positioned, it catches all the south wind and also gets a lot of caliche and sand blown into it. For those who don't know, caliche is a type of sedimentary rock that is comprised of calcium carbonate is used around here for roads and parking lots. It is NOT good for growing things.

So on this flower bed this year I cleaned it out, layed down a layer of newspaper, and then put cottonseed hulls on top of that.

This first picture is of when I first started. 

 Now I have newspaper across the whole flower bed and starting to put down the cottonseed hulls.










And here is the finished product.

I am watering a lot less. My flowers are doing better other than suffering from the hot wind we have had. This did so well I got motivated and did the same in my garden.

This is part of my green beans. I dug out a trench and put down the newspaper and put dirt on top to keep it from blowing.

Then I put the cottonseed hulls on top of the dirt. I have done several rows of my garden this way and still have a couple more to go.

This year I also planted three rows of a vegetable, then left an area for a walkway. On top of the walkway I put down landscape fabric to block weeds.

This year I am really working at keeping the weeds down and trying to be more efficient with my watering.

We are having days that are 100 degrees or more and hot winds with that. Our farmers are struggling. I am trying to do what I can to be more efficient with my watering, but this weather is making it extremely difficult.

Well, that is part of my garden this year. Hope you enjoyed!