We've planted 5 rows of early crops & topped 4 of them with the sheep compost.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lazy & Busy Spring Days
We've planted 5 rows of early crops & topped 4 of them with the sheep compost.
Mother's Day 2009
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Neat Way to Remove a Tick
After picking off so many ticks on a couple of our Spring hikes, I asked around
about the best way to remove one that had gotten imbedded. So far I
have been fortunate to find every tick on me before it broke the skin.
However, I may have to remove one while being the Camp Utmost nurse.
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove
a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some
times difficult to get to with tweezers.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the
soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick
will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift
it away. "This technique has worked every time I've used it, (and that
was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier
for me," said the MD. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove
a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some
times difficult to get to with tweezers.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the
soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick
will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift
it away. "This technique has worked every time I've used it, (and that
was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier
for me," said the MD. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see
that this would be damaging in any way.
How neat is that?!
How neat is that?!
Who am I ?
I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in
another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children
with numerous women.
I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in
me. My mother died at an early age from cancer.
Later in life, questions arose over my real name.
My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a
legitimate, reliable birth certificate.
I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it
was widely accepted in my country, but I practiced nontraditional beliefs &
didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under scrutiny.
I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult,
disguising myself as someone who really cared about them.
That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life
and I embarked on a new career.
I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those
That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life
and I embarked on a new career.
I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those
who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father
abandoned me as a child.
I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind
the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national
office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone
into anything. That reinforced my conceit.
I had a virtually nonexistent resume, little work history, and no
experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker
and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they were small
roofing tacks.
I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This
bolstered my ego.
At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign
policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every
opportunity to bash my country.
But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on
the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we
could do better and every poor person would be fed & housed for free.
I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess.
It was the free market, banks & corporations. I decided to start making
citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan
was clinched tight.
I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all
people.
I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the
traditional path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular support.
I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope,' together we
could change our country and the world.
So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of
the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like the
Jews. My true views were not widely known & I needed to keep them unknown,
until after I became my nation's leader.
I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found
abandoned me as a child.
I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind
the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national
office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone
into anything. That reinforced my conceit.
I had a virtually nonexistent resume, little work history, and no
experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker
and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they were small
roofing tacks.
I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This
bolstered my ego.
At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign
policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every
opportunity to bash my country.
But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on
the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we
could do better and every poor person would be fed & housed for free.
I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess.
It was the free market, banks & corporations. I decided to start making
citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan
was clinched tight.
I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all
people.
I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the
traditional path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular support.
I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope,' together we
could change our country and the world.
So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of
the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like the
Jews. My true views were not widely known & I needed to keep them unknown,
until after I became my nation's leader.
I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found
out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and examined
those people I associated with.
I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the
world. And the world learned the truth.
Who am I?
ADOLF HITLER
WHO WERE YOU THINKING OF?
Scary isn't it?
those people I associated with.
I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the
world. And the world learned the truth.
Who am I?
ADOLF HITLER
WHO WERE YOU THINKING OF?
Scary isn't it?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Shearing & Late Pruning just before Spring sprung
Three Spring Hikes during woodtick season
The 4-5 mile hiking loop Janie & I take in the Bass & Larry Creek area is one of many horse trails, so we sometimes meet folks out horse-back riding. We also sited white-tailed deer & wild turkeys. I wasn't fast enough with my camera to catch them in a photo for you.
The "Tick Hike" up OBrien Canyon was around 8 miles of mostly old logging roads. Dry grass rubbed against our ankles most of the hike & must have contained the ticks.
The Blue MT & OBrien areas were engulfed in a forest fire four years ago. We saw evidence of this everywhere on our hike. Two days after our hike, the Forest Service had a "controlled burn" in this location, but it got away from them. They had to drop fire retardants from planes to get it back under control.

We saw interesting tree shapes, like this split trunk. Actually, with poor signage, we had taken a dead-end trail just before I shot this photo. We did that a couple of times on this hike, making it around 8 miles instead of 5.

We saw wildflowers in this area only near the Trailhead. They were the same flowers I had seen in the Bass & Larry Creek areas, with the addition of a few Glacier Lilies like the ones below. The thick underground stems of Glacier Lilies are also edible & were staples of the American Indians in this area.
We saw interesting tree shapes, like this split trunk. Actually, with poor signage, we had taken a dead-end trail just before I shot this photo. We did that a couple of times on this hike, making it around 8 miles instead of 5.
We saw wildflowers in this area only near the Trailhead. They were the same flowers I had seen in the Bass & Larry Creek areas, with the addition of a few Glacier Lilies like the ones below. The thick underground stems of Glacier Lilies are also edible & were staples of the American Indians in this area.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Louis's skills at work ...
Prior to every Passover seder, Louis meticulously trims the meat off of legs of lamb before starting the koshering process. The lean lamb is soaked in cold water, which is changed several times a day to get out all the blood. This also takes out the strong lamb taste before we roast it. Thankfully, we didn't know this lamb that we will be eating this week. There have been past Passover seders where we have prepared & eaten a lamb that we have raised. It is difficult to swallow such meat & the personal relationship also reinforces the cost of our sin in our own minds.
Ironically, at the same time as Louis is trimming lamb for the seder, we had been intensively caring for one of our ewes & her newborn lamb. We almost lost our ewe who birthed that healthy ram lamb several days ago. She actually had twins, but was unable to birth the second lamb, even with our trying to help to turn it. On the second day, I was walking her a lot & gave her a dose of Penicillin IM & Benamine IM ( a pain med.). By the beginning of the third day, she couldn't stand & wouldn't eat or drink, so the vet came & helped me deliver the dead twin. Whew, what a stench!! We gave the ewe a whopping dose of steroids & a strong antibiotic IM. She drank some water that day & began to eat a little hay the next day. We are giving her antibiotics for four days to counteract the sepsis caused by the dead lamb.
Louis creatively devised this homemade hoist to help the ewe stand today. He used such parts as an old ladder, a sling we use to carry firewood to our fireplace, a bunch of rope & a pulley system. By just turning in a circle, the ewe can lick her salt block, drink water or eat fresh hay. All the while, the lamb can suckle. His little tail has been wiggling all afternoon as he gets frequent drinks from Mom.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
No Fooling!
Louis woke me this 1st of April with Jim Elliott's quote. "He is no fool, who gives up what he can not keep, to gain what he can not lose." A great quote to remember for the days ahead.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Evidence of Spring 2009
In past years, we watched for our first lamb all through February & March - one of our evidences of Spring's arrival at our mini-farm. When we fed the sheep, we would check to see if any bags were forming on the ewes. We also noted if one of the ewes separated herself from the flock & failed to come for the meal of hay or oats. Our ram was limping with old age arthritis before we sent him to the cull market in the Fall. He wasn't frisky with the ewes earlier in the Fall, so we assumed we would have no lambs this year. Well, guess again.
During today's morning feeding, the four ewes all came & ate as normal. A skiff of snow still blanketed the ground from the flurries late yesterday, so the chickens stepped gingerly as I let them out of their coop. March came in mildly this year, so we expected these off & on snow storms at the end of the month. You know, "in like a lamb & out like a lion". I left for some shopping in Stevensville & Hamilton. Mom House invited me to share a toasted cheese sandwich lunch, when I stopped for a short visit before leaving Hamilton. Around 1:30 p.m. I turned the Yukon into our driveway gate, noticing that one of the ewes was by herself up along the side of our garage/barn. Upon a second look, I spied our first lamb of the season, who had been born during the three hours I had been gone. Our mare, Beauty, was sniffing up to the ewe out of curiosity. The ewe, in turn, was attempting to shield the lamb from Beauty & so had not totally licked off the lamb yet. I ran to get the ewe some water & checked both her & the lamb. Then I snapped the first photo above.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Interesting & thought-provoking info. about the recent plane crash in Butte
This site was sent to us regarding information that the press is not releasing on the background behind the recent plane crash in the Butte cemetery. God is still sovereign!http:http:http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2009/03/abortion_chain.html
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Completion of several activities makes room for others.
I will facilitate the last session on "Exodus & the Tabernacle" with the Women's Neighborhood Bible Study group on Thursday. However, after a two week Passover/Easter/Spring Break, we will reconvene to discuss "America at the Crossroads", using passages from Ezekiel. Precept Ministries offerred the discussion questions & DVDs for this 10 week discussion group back a month or two ago & we took them up on it. I will be camp nurse for the 8th graders at Camp Utmost the week after we finish this topic.
AWANAS will continue until mid-April & then be over until next school year... just as we finally returned to the remodeled nursery shown above. One of the mother's of a "puggle" painted the mural on the nursery wall.
Spring cleaning, a Passover seder at our home with Beth Tephila, raking & preparing our garden spot, a Women of Faith conference in Spokane, planning towards camp nursing & helping with Vacation Bible School are some of the activities that will fill the time left by the completed activities. Never a dull moment & always the joy of sharing Yeshua & our lives with others. It's an abundant life!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A new blog to check out...
A friend from Colorado, Laura, sent me a sample blog entry from the Thoene's Blog this week. I not only loved the great writing, but the relevance of their entries to this generation. Yes, I went to their site & read many back postings - partly because I have so loved their books. The blog site is found on their web site at http://www.thoenebooks.com I highly recommend their blog to you. It's more than worth the read!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work mightily...
I wrote this to a dear friend & am pasting it from my e-mail to her to share with you:
Today is the funeral for one of Esther's classmates from Valley Christian School. Esther called me Thursday all shook up about Jordan's death. Jordan was fairly popular amongst his peers, but was not a model Christian in his high school days. He recently rededicated his life to Christ & returned home to speak to some of his friends. He had been working in Florida on a pipeline job & was soon to leave for the next job in Georgia. He & a couple friends spent Tuesday evening at Lolo Hot Springs & ran into blizzard conditions & below zero temps. on their drive back. Their car skidded off the road & landed in the river. All three managed to get out of the car, but were soaked. Jordan decided to walk for help while the other two snuggled into a nearby haystack. Jordan died of hypothermia on the way to find help. I am praying that his memorial service will be used by the Ruach to reach some of his classmates. That would have been Jordan's heart's desire. Would you pray with me? The service starts at 11:00 on Monday. Love, Cary
Today is the funeral for one of Esther's classmates from Valley Christian School. Esther called me Thursday all shook up about Jordan's death. Jordan was fairly popular amongst his peers, but was not a model Christian in his high school days. He recently rededicated his life to Christ & returned home to speak to some of his friends. He had been working in Florida on a pipeline job & was soon to leave for the next job in Georgia. He & a couple friends spent Tuesday evening at Lolo Hot Springs & ran into blizzard conditions & below zero temps. on their drive back. Their car skidded off the road & landed in the river. All three managed to get out of the car, but were soaked. Jordan decided to walk for help while the other two snuggled into a nearby haystack. Jordan died of hypothermia on the way to find help. I am praying that his memorial service will be used by the Ruach to reach some of his classmates. That would have been Jordan's heart's desire. Would you pray with me? The service starts at 11:00 on Monday. Love, Cary
Friday, March 13, 2009
Purim reveals 3 keys to survival
We have just celebrated the festival of Purim based on the events of the book of Esther. This Jewish holiday is celebrated with great mirth, games, feasting, costumes & theatrical performances. However the subject of Purim, (the casting of lots to determine the best date to exterminate a people), is serious. Although this story is ancient, it is true & offers insight for God's people today. It provides at least three keys for survival in the midst of crisis.
. Contend for the well being of our family in Christ - our extended family. At least pray for the persecuted church!
. Stand firm in your personal righteousness. Draw ever closer to God, allowing trials & the Word to prune & purify your character. Take on personal responsibility & godly character.
. Renew your faith in the sovereignty of our unseen God. Proverbs 16:33 tells us, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." Our God is ever behind-the-scenes causing His purposes to be fulfilled. He will make sure everything will bring Him glory & also work out for His children's best good in the end.
A question for you: Which Bible-times Queen (other than Esther) proclaimed a fast & for what purpose?
. Contend for the well being of our family in Christ - our extended family. At least pray for the persecuted church!
. Stand firm in your personal righteousness. Draw ever closer to God, allowing trials & the Word to prune & purify your character. Take on personal responsibility & godly character.
. Renew your faith in the sovereignty of our unseen God. Proverbs 16:33 tells us, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." Our God is ever behind-the-scenes causing His purposes to be fulfilled. He will make sure everything will bring Him glory & also work out for His children's best good in the end.
A question for you: Which Bible-times Queen (other than Esther) proclaimed a fast & for what purpose?
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Happy Purim!

Happy Purim!
Purim, the Feast of Esther, is this coming Tuesday. Several of the women from Beth Tephila will be coming to our home to bake hamentaschen cookies that day. (The recipie for hamentaschen is in one of my previous year's blog entries on Purim.) We'll serve the hamentaschen we bake at Beth Tephila this coming Shabbat. We usually dramatize the book of Esther during Purim.
Since the first night of Passover falls on a Wednesday evening this year, we have had trouble finding a facility to use for the large public seder that we usually sponsor. Our congregation voted yesterday to have a small congregational seder at our home the evening of April 8th. We'll return to the public seder in 2010 since it will be a Monday evening that year.
I've had so much fun reviewing my beginning Hebrew the last three weeks. I started teaching Tano & Elli Chidwick the aleph-bet letters & their meanings, etc. for 90 minutes each Wednesday morning. We've been compiling a beginning Hebrew notebook for each of them at the same time. They are very attentive & participate well...even doing homework in between our sessions. We will finish in March. Last week I picked up a "pink-eye" virus from the Lolo Community Church nursery children. I had my eyes checked at the Florence Family Practice Clinic so I could get eye drops for my bloodshot & irritated conjunctiva. An LPN stood me down the hall from an eye chart & asked me to read line 8 on the chart. The line numbers were to the right of the line of block letters I was to read. I rattled the letters off. The LPN looked puzzled & asked me to read off line 9. I could see the letters distinctly & again called them out quickly. The LPN really looked confused now & asked me to point to the line I just read. As I pointed to line 9, all at once I realized that I had read that line & the previous line from right to left, like you do in reading Hebrew. Evidently my brain clicked into its Hebrew gear when it saw the numbers on the right hand side rather than the left as is more usual in English. I burst out laughing & explained to the LPN what I had done. We then continued with reading several of the lines from left to right. My sight was normal. My brain? Now that is another matter.
Our Neighborhood Women's Bible Study has only 3 more sessions before we conclude for this school year on March 26th. How I will miss this group during the rest of Spring & Summer! I may continue to meet with a couple of the women for awhile & study Ezekiel with them. So many Christian leaders are beginning to warn the USA of impending judgment, that I want to stay in the Word in depth all through the year.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Winter walks
Strengthening my core...
A year ago I was experiencing enough sciatica on my right side to give me motivation to try something new to help my lower back. I began taking a semi-private pilates class once a week with Kate J. in the blue top below. Pilates slowly increases your flexibility & strengthens your core muscles, which in turn take the stress from your lower back. A year later, I am now without the sciatica, am much more flexible & have started a second pilates class. It is a mat pilates class that the club gives free to the members, but it is much harder than working out on the "reformer" above or the "cadillac" below. The exercises include a lot of stretching, but also include push-ups, pilates sit-ups done very slowly & other exercises that make me break out in a sweat as I do them.
As I have continued the semi-private classes, I have been praying for Kate & Elaine, the other student - a fifty year-old, second grade teacher. God has also been impressing on me I Timothy 4:8...bodily exercise profits a little, but is temporal. Exercise in godliness profits for eternity. So I have asked Him to give me exercises in that area as well. It's kind of like asking God for patience, however. Exercises that build the fruit of the Spirit & help me die to my "camel, old nature" also make me break out in a sweat. I leave my comfort zone, yet strengthen my real core...my character that I will live with for eternity.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Those darn cats!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
My Shomer/Guardian
God is my Guardian! Twice this week I have seen how God is constantly watching over me to protect both me & my property. "Shomer" is the Hebrew for guardian & shows up in verses like Psalm 121:3-8. "ADONAI will guard you against all harm; He will guard your life. ADONAI will guard your coming & going from now on & forever."
Our neighbors to the south have a very tall, but very dead, bull pine tree close to our fenceline. We have been afraid for almost two years that it would blow over in one of our strong windstorms. Its location gives it a 50% chance of taking out our electric fencing & about a 20% chance of hitting our garage/barn. This time of year, our horse & sheep hang out around the back of that barn because that is where they are protected from the wind & also where we feed them twice a day. If the tree fell toward the barn, it would most likely fall on one or more of our animals as well. We had mentioned to the neighbors that it would be wise to cut the tree down before it fell of its own accord. That way one could control the direction of its fall. Our neighbors had finally decided to cut it down this Spring. Friday night one of those horrendous windstorms hit our area. It spread pieces of branches & dead pine needles all over our lane & front lawn. It also snapped that tree. God had it fall parallel to our fenceline, where it didn't hit a thing. Jon, our neighbor, was out with his chainsaw yesterday. As he chopped limbs off the tree for firewood & began to also saw up part of the trunk, I told him how thankful we were that God had protected our property. Jon said he had been up on his roof Saturday morning straightening & repositioning his TV antenna. He happened to glance our direction & noticed the tree stump. He couldn't see much else for the rest of the trees in between. He got weak-knees & almost fell from the roof in his dismay that the tree might have damaged our fence, barn or animals. Jon sent up a quick prayer & scrambled down to walk over & get a better look. He was so relieved, that he shared God's wondrous sovereign protection as a praise on Sunday morning.
Yesterday the thought, " I really need to change my oil," kept running through my mind. Have you had an obsessive thought like that? "I really must change my oil today." I can easily push something like that to the back of my mind & agenda. It was one of those sunny, blue sky days that just begged you to come out & soak in some Vit. D. I finally obeyed the urge. Chris, the owner of the Lube station that I frequent about every three months, came to the waiting area about ten minutes after I had surrendered my keys & Yukon. He said the seals on my front axle were leaking & hardly any fluid was left. He advised that I get this repaired quickly, as I could end up losing my ability to steer my car at an inopportune time. Finding out that he could do the repair & that my budget would allow it, I told him to go ahead. His daughter drove me to the athletic club so I could swim my half-mile while he worked on the Yukon. Megan returned to pick me up a couple hours later. Chris guided me over to where the Yukon was still up on the rack. "You are one fortunate woman," he said. "See how the inner parts of both your front tires are worn down to the core, whereas the rest of the tread looks almost new? That clued me in that your seals were the least of your problems. See how the Pitman arm & Idler arm are worn & extremely loose? Have you had any steering problems?" I had not noticed any problems, but could see what he was showing me. Evidently, God has protected me from a sudden cessation of any control of the Yukon via the steering wheel. The obsessive thoughts were His way of drawing my attention to an accident waiting to happen.
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