Friday, December 31, 2010

Bucket list...

Should old acquaintance be forgot or is it should "auld" or is it Auld ANXine???   Actually it is Auld Lang Syne but I really had to "Google" it for some insight and clarity...it is one of those songs that I know but I don't.  The English translation says:
"Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?"

This blog could very well be one of those patchwork pieces...I had started bucket list around my birthday but put it on the shelf.  I have all kinds of thoughts stirring around.  But yesterday I was on Firecracker duty and ended up spending the night.   I must admit I am not sure I'll make midnight but it is already after 11:00 so I just give thanks that We got LOTS of bonding time...so I pull up this blog and all it says is:

"The week seems to have flown by...and I sit here reflecting on the week...I can't believe how fast it has gone.   I have missed some time at my kitchen table and am ready to get back to it.    Thanksgiving was also my birthday.  While dinner was at our house...I really do not have to provide the whole meal.   Everyone brings dishes and so it always works out well."
And that's all the further I got.   I think someone I know...turning 50 and some one I know even better rapidly approaching I think we start to reflect on things we "coulda, woulda, shoulda"!   

So I think of my Bucket List...you know that list you make of things you want to do before you kick the bucket.   And while I may start working on some sort of lists of goals...there are parts of me that think about learning to play guitar and piano, things like learning to golf, but you know these things while I may work on are really not the "ITS".   I think one of my biggest is to LOVE more!  And one of my favorite places is my kids and of course little Isabel and most definitely in my Faith...

I guess that my list may just be waiting on what the Good Lord sees fit to put on it...so things I work on will kind of be dependent on what my Grandma Bessie used to say, "If the Good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise."    This "list" may take me several years to put together and you know I think it could be just an ongoing process at my kitchen table.   And I hope that each of you reflect on your "lists"...

So here is to a Happy New Year my friends and Family and may God be with you and bless you.    And again Auld Lang Syne comes back to mind...and so I think of the Google descript and I think about what the description says, "Auld Lang Syne literally translates to "Old Long Since," and more roughly it means "long, long ago" or "days gone by."   I think of the "Old Long Since" of 2010 and many New Year's before...and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for being my "old acquaintances" and I stop and give thanks for each and everyone of you.

Here is to a blessed 2011 and all that you mean!   God bless!

lyp

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Crazy Update

It was a MIRACLE...or so that's what the shepherd tells me this morning (sometimes he is so funny).  Anyway,  I had told you that Crazy the ewe (she worked hard to deserve that name) had a baby last night.   Well the shepherd had checked her and thought she was done...yet this morning there was another baby saying "hello world"!   TWINS!   Lamb number 2 was trying to stay hid but so it goes...not today baby.

The lamb cam is making some noise so we will have to figure out the static...I kept watching one ewe last night because she wouldn't move...needless to say not a whole lot of sleep...so anyway this morning was a little sleepy at my kitchen table!

Had to have the doc come to the funny farm.  He came to look at one of the rams.  Then since he was here he checked out Sweetie.  Not sure if I mentioned Sweetie Houdini was down and out.   Turns out she was trying to escape out of a place she had no business trying to get out of and hurt her leg in the process...I can tell she is doing better because she has headed back up to her hill and has been back to her vocal self.   But she has become a part of the funny farm...because now she will take off barking and the sheep don't even pay attention.  Bo raised his head from his nap but didn't tear off running.   However, I did see a coyote down the way...so maybe she was telling it to get on out of here!

BUT tomorrow I go to Firecracker's house.   We have to spend the whole day together and then part of the night while her parents are at a work party.  I know it is tough duty, but someone has to do it (wink wink...have I ever told you how cute Izzy is when she winks...)  And here I go off on a bike ride...they are talking cold weather...and if it is going to be cold--well Limon is a pretty sure bet!  I love when my Firecracker Flex Friday comes a day early and I still have days off!

lyp

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas 2010 from the Funny Farm

And so another Christmas has passed from my kitchen table...and I reflect back of some of the "gifts" that I received and besides the true meaning of CHRISTmas the most special gift...my favorite gift was being surrounded by those I love (even though I missed some that could not make it)...Thank you everyone for making it such a special day.  
Whether it was my "Firecracker" trying out squeeze cheese while she waited for Santa at 2:00 a.m. in the morning...my kids on the stairs in their Christmas jammies...Izzy giving P-Pa every piece of wrapping paper as she was running around in her jammie top (pants are overrated)...my inlaws sitting around my kitchen table...my nieces boys--Peyton and Mason--with their "sister"...or the Nertz championships of America!!!   All were special moments that make the day special.  We also had a Christmas lamb born...was a special gift for those who had never seen a new lamb born.

But then all of the other gifts I got were definitely a reflection of my "bike riding" personality (I have spoke of this in another blog but it refers to my short attention span).   HOWEVER, I was so surprised as I received an actual bike--a blue Schwinn Legacy Cruiser for Christmas (my very first bicycle was a blue Schwinn maybe I have told my daughter a few too many times how I loved that bike; Thank you Heather, Jay and Izzy I love this one too)...but that's not all....IT CAME WITH THE BELL.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM1hQHAzG20&feature=related




So while the bike was such a special gift.   I got so many more...And like I said I have a wide array of things that I use on my bike rides...of course there is the bicycle bell.   Then I got Photoshop (thanks Lance).   I am so excited to learn to use this and get to play with it.  Santa also gave me a snuggly baby blue robe that will be wonderful for cold winter nights.   For my kitchen table time--A journal with a bike on it, pens, and a couple of inspirational books.   I got music and another special gift was a tea pot from a special friend.  It sets on my kitchen table right now and says: "This is the day which the Lord hath made we shall rejoice and be glad in it."    So funny because I wanted to get this but I told myself "NO" since it was Christmas...and then I got it anyway!   Yes I am soooo spoiled!   And if you look at this picture you might notice that I received bullets.   Well this was for the family trade gift and this was the one I drew.   So while I am not a big shooter--I now have a barter tool for those boys I know who like to...

So you might think we have a little "redneck"...our niece's husband (one of my flower girls) brought a duck for dinner and so he was putting a champagne glaze on it.   Well here on the funny farm we had to use channel locks to get the bottle opened but you know we "gotter done"...and so with that said I will close with a picture that I LOVE from my son--it pretty well sums us up here.  


We are so blessed!   
So I bid you good night as the shepherd has already headed for bed.   Turns out Crazy the ewe had her baby already and Tim got the lamb cam adjusted...so sweet dreams from the funny farm!! 

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010 from my kitchen table...

So I am not at the kitchen table but instead I am sitting in front of the tree.  The fire is going, all the lights aglow, and Uncle Buck playing on the tv...waiting for Izzy and her family to get here.   They should be here shortly after midnight and then they can open their pajamas.   Since the kids were little, it has been a tradition that each year on Christmas Eve they get a new pair of jammies...washed and ready to wear!   This has become one of their favorite traditions and so it has carried on even though they are no longer little ones.   I now have new jammies to prepare...but I love it (Izzy and her Daddy).   I also love the fact that my house will be full.   You know that feeling when you can just feel those you love are close by and you just feel the warmth of the love throughout the house...
 

Around the house shots...the winter village aglow...

From my kitchen table this morning I read in Luke.   I think it is one of my favorites of the story of the birth of Jesus.   Perhaps it is the shepherds or Mary holding it in her heart...Part of Luke 2 in the Living Bible says:

About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation.  (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration.  And because Josesph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea.  King David's ancient home--journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth.  He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son.  She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord.   They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.
'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!  The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem!   How will you recognize Him?  You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!"
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God:
'Glory to God in the highest heaven', they sang, 'and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.'
When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 'Come on! Let's go to Bethlehem!  Let's see the wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'
They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph.  And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds story expressed astonishment, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them."


Merry Christmas...may you have the gift of LOVE!   Peace on Earth...

Love,
Penny
 
Merry Christmas from the Pfeiff's!

So many things I take and cherish in my heart...but this is one that we all should treasure in our heart.   A special time of year for sure!   A time to reflect on the blessings we have recieved...a time to share our love with others...God bless you and keep you at this Christmas time!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

GAME ON...

"GAME ON!"  So these were the words spouted by the "senior" shepherd the other night.   As the sheep were locked up and it was his way of proclaiming "LET THE LAMBING BEGIN!!"    So with this "game on" announcement also means that the "lamb cam" is ready for all night sheep t.v.

Well the "shepherds" and I went out last night and celebrated the birthday of a special friend (Happy Birthday Kasey Jo).   Home at 2:00 a.m. is a little past our bedtime...but it allowed a good opportunity to check the sheep...So the younger shepherd who had danced all night and "celebrated" a little checked in and NOBODY was doing anything.   With this check it was bedtime.

The senior shepherd turned on the "lamb cam".  (for those who are not familiar with this, we have put a camera in the barn to which we can watch the sheep in the barn ALL NIGHT!   So yes while you might be "counting sheep" we are actually counting sheep.   Or listening to them bang on a panel or just make some sort of noises.   But when it comes time to lamb it is a handy tool so that one doesn't have to go out to the barn quite as often.  Because sheep seem to be very vocal when they are birthing babies.)

I am not a shepherd...that is my story and I am sticking to it!   So you wonder how do I contribute to this whole sheep enterprise!   My gift is that I don't sleep all the time.   So when I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and looked at the t.v.--THERE she was...the first lamb of the season.   And since the junior shepherd was home I headed up stairs and told him you have a baby.   I must say I was impressed for someone who had been celebrating and had not slept too long how fast he hopped out of bed.   So you see that is my part...I wake up the others and say "Hey you got babies...it's cold out there!"

Within minutes the junior shepherd was out to the barn putting the first lamb and mama in a "jug" (that's a pen that they are put in you know their own personal hospital room) who was later joined by a brother and sister with some assistance by the shepherd on call...triplets not the senior shepherd's favorite (because usually this requires some "bottle babies")...but hey they were all alive and so with that said, I say, "game on"!    But think of me more like a SPECTATOR!!

(Perhaps there might be a pic later of the new ones...)

So Merry Christmas from Pfeiff's Funny Farm and Happy Birthday to my Aunt Betty!

lyp

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Music and Mom...

And I see December 18th as I write at my kitchen table...and I feel a sadness because this is the day that we lost Mom from this earth.   This is the day in 2001 that I found her in her bed...yet so at peace that I could not begrudge to be able to leave and go to be with the Lord in such a way.

So I write in my journal at my kitchen table:

December 18, 2010 8:00 a.m. Saturday...This date is a sad date--the day my Mom died.  I do miss her and there are lots of--"wish I had been betters"-but I know my Mom loved me and I loved her.  I wish her and Dad could have seen their grandkids grow.  And I stop and fix my tea and the boys some cinnamon raisin toast and the song "Let me watch my children grow and see what they become and as I ___(this would be where I just hum because I forgot the words)__ till I'm too old to die young." But I realize that when it is my time, it is my time.  I know that when I go I will go to a better place and you know--I feel those that have gone on before--know what their children and grandchildren BECOME--and how do you "BECOME"?   Do we ever even stop "coming" and just BECOME!
My Mom (Peggy) and Grandma (Bessie) Jammin...
And I decide that I will just share this...and so I go in to the computer and as most of you know I LOVE music and I am sure I got this gift from my Mom (and my Dad).   But my Mom so loved music.   And so I think of this picture I will post that I had just came across because it is one where my Mom and my Grandma Bessie are sharing music at Christmas time.   So back to loving music...I decide to turn on some music...while I listen to country I often am more of a rocker BUT you know like how I am with life....I just ride my bike and really do love almost every kind of music if it is something that touches your heart...or  you know like in the American Bandstand days....has a good beat and easy to dance to!  

And back to my story....(do you all get tired as we circle and circle and sometimes get to the point....sometimes not.)   I am sitting in my living room with the Christmas tree glowing and there by my fireplace I have a picture of my Dad and a note he wrote to say goodbye.  And then there is a picture of Mom.  It is a picture from her younger days but she loved the picture and had given it to her folks and now I have it and love it too.  She just is so beautiful in that picture and I love the frame that it is in.   SO it is chosen to be there on the fireplace along with the stockings and the Nativity Scene.



I turn on the tv to head for the music channels.   And I pause at the Christmas songs...but am nudged to continue on and all of a sudden there I am at "Honky Tonk Tavern" (and yes you that know my Mom's music are not surprised by this stop) and there is playing probably one of my favoritest songs "IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE" by Travis Tritt and it just makes me smile as there are Jim and Peg smiling at me and saying it is great to be alive!!!    But it doesn't stop there...I keep it on there and up comes probably one of my Mom's favorite singers Vince Gill and Patty Loveless.   SO I pause it on there using all of my DVR skills and abilities because I want to mark the song and play it when I come to this part.   Well it is I think "The Key" and it is a sadder song but when I hit play to start it playing again...GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE starts playing!   And I smile and say yes it is.   Not a day for sadness!

So I am not mourning today but am thankful that I had my Mom and Dad as long as I did.   And I have had different people tell me how they miss my folks and I think...you know that is something special to have as part of your legacy...that you are missed. 

I have a picture of my Mom and a friend of hers in her later years...high fiving and I smile as that is one of the pictures in my heart...HIGH FIVING LIFE!  

As I am finishing this up Ray Price breaks out singing ain't it "FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY".  And he says "Gotta go now...hope to see you round"...You know you just gotta love MUSIC!  


lyp

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Hello world...

I was a little delayed on this one because I got sidetracked looking at pictures and then had to scan them...lyp


Welcome to the world little Audrey Ellen Lance!
 She joined us December 2, 2010.  And I think the world better be ready...she just has so much personality for a newborn.   I love her already!!  




I was away from my kitchen table for a few days...which brings up little Audrey Ellen.   Turns out little Audrey has two adoreable sisters Emma and Anna who had to stay home instead of going with their daddy Jim and their momma Megan.  Mom and Dad had to hang out at the hospital a few days in order to bring little Audrey home.   Well Jim's mama--MY AUNT MARY--was going to stay with the girls but you know me and little ones...I wanted to come too!   You know hone in and improve my Grandmotherly (is that a word?) skills--learn from a good one...However, I think if Emma had a driver's license...she probably really wouldn't have needed us (I think she will be included in an upcoming blog!)

Also, looking at this picture below, by the expression on the face...I think I owed my ring bearer a little.   Besides he shares the same name as my dad...so he might be just a little special in my book.   But it is an experience when your ring bearer's children are the age their daddy was when you got married...I can't believe how old my ring bearer and flower girls are getting (just kidding Jim, Casey, and Keri).   They are all just as adoreable today as they were here!



I was thinking how I got to observe the seasons of life on this stay.   The girls...Emma (will be 6 on December 9), Anna (4) and then little Audrey all in the "spring" of their life--new born, so young and innocent.   Then there is Jim and Megan in their summer--taking the heat and the hard work of growing those crops.   Me in the autumn of my life (kind of a cool place to be).   And a very special woman in my life my Aunt Mary who is living in her "winter" season.    I realize what a gift this is to see all these times in our life all in one place CELEBRATING one new event.  The birth of a child!   Life at its beginning...


And I think of family bonds...my bond with Jim and his family through our fathers--brothers--Jim and Jerry--the Lance brothers (so I have this GREAT picture that I can't locate at this time but when I do it will probably just get its own blog).

I feel a connection even though we haven't spent a lot of time around each other as we all seem to get busy with our own lives and before you know it time has passed by.   So it is special moments like the one I had that I get to breathe it in and put it away in my heart.   Whether it is holding little Audrey Ellen one day old and breathing in that newborn "life".   Or playing Cootie with her sisters (okay Aunt Mary may have won but I still hold that mine was the cutest bug).   Watching my Aunt and Emma and Anna playing doctor.  Playing restraunt with the girls.   Or seeing the whole family on the couch as they are all looking at the new baby and knowing their lives will never be the same.  These are moments to take in to stop and say Thank you Lord for these blessing I have received!





And going through some old pictures I feel nostalgic and while I think of Jim and this new generation...I think of our childhood and some special memories I cherish from those days...pictures of little "Jimmy" with his family and now here he is the Dad!    



The Jerry Lance Family...



So I say thank you to Jim and Megan and Emma and Anna and Audrey and Aunt Mary for allowing me to share in this awesome experience...and sorry Megan there may be another blog on ORGANIZATION:)   (note to reader...Megan is VERY organized!  I think she is my alter ego in the organizational realm!)

 
 
 
I titled this Hello World because I think of Audrey joining us and also because I love the song...and it also makes me think of  Jim and know he heard it coming home to check on his girls.   So I dedicate it to the Lance's and just remember what is important...Love to you all from CRAZY COUSIN Penny!    Hear Hello World
 


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Do you see what I see...

I bet you think that she is trying to remember the words to one of her favorite Christmas carols...but no it is SWEETIE!   Sweetie Houdini I have been calling her.   Has been funny because Tim will think he has her in where she should be and then she gets out.   I can't beleive the holes that she gets through.

BUT this morning she has been going crazy off to the west just barking.  To which Bo tears off out there and seems to be saying, "WHAT! WHAT! I don't see anything."   But he runs on his side of the fence all the same as if he wants her to show him.   Well I like Bo, try to see as well--but I don't see anything either.  However, there is something that has her not happy!  Which it could be the neighbors a half mile down the way doing something.   Or if there are some cars...SHOULD THEY REALLY BE DRIVING ON OUR ROAD!!    But then she barked again...this time it was a delivery man pulling in our yard!    (Yes Lance got part of his shopping done online last weekend and so he has been getting deliveries!)

I am on day 3 of being home alone...which now has me sharing about me and the dogs watching for something that may or may not even be there!  But I have plenty to do and am getting prodded to finish a story that I have written...so with that said--I say TTFN (that's ta ta for now for those of you not Winnie the Pooh fans)!

lyp

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Out sick...

I will spare you the details...but not a pretty bug for sure!   Some sort of stomach thing going around...I just hope that you all are spared!  Sooo I am a little foggy here at my kitchen table and actually haven't spent much time in the kitchen at all...

I now have the "winter" village up.  I have come to call it that because I seem to leave it up on the ledge all winter!   Tim built me a ledge all around my living room that I put up my little village with greenery and blue lights.   Blue Christmas lights make me think of my Dad.   We also have the tree up and this year adorned with blue and white lights and various ornaments as well.  I still want to put up my Nativity scene on the fireplace and the greenery on the stairs.   I don't know if I will get it done today...but I am feeling better...so guess we will see...but as I share below...it's not about the decorating...it's about the LOVE.

When and if I get it all up I will put a picture on.   I love to sit in the dark of the night with just the glow of the Christmas lights and the fire and just pause and think what a blessed time of year this is!   I think of those I love and how blessed I am and thankful for these blessings and give special thanks for all those I LOVE...just how precious life is...and the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of Jesus.

Speaking of love--1 Corinthians 13 is probably my all time favorite chapter.  I got this from my niece and seemed like one to really think on especially at this time before Christmas when we sometimes get lost in the "what" and not the "what for".   It says the author is anonymous so I do not know who to give credit to...so I will give thanks to God and for my niece Keri for sharing. 
"1 CORINTHIANS 13 - - A CHRISTMAS VERSION - By an unknown author.
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love, I'm just another decorator.  If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing. If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure."

So wishing you and yours LOVE
 at this special time of year--CHRISTmas!

lyp


Thursday, December 9, 2010

Ohhhh Sweetie...

As you know I am easily entertained...and sometimes I just catch myself watching.    The other morning Sweetie was pretty much minding her own business when this lamb comes up to her and wants her to play...WELL she is a sheepdog afterall, a "fierce" protector, she does not PLAY with sheep.  But not to be rude she just tries to stay away from the lamb...to which the lamb wants no part and is very persistent in "playing".   And as I continue to watch this display, all of a sudden I look and there is a lamb chasing this big old dog...such a site to see if you happened to be driving by and not seen the whole thing.

It seems Sweetie has taken over a manure pile to which she seems to be watching over her flockdom (queen of the hill no doubt)...well yeserday morning she starts this urgent bark to which Bo who is outside the pen and free to roam starts running as fast as he can towards the road.   I look out and the only thing I can see is that there are some cows that must be too close to the fence.   So I guess since Sweetie can't go herself...she sends Bo who is more than happy to be the sidekick.

Life is good on the funny farm...like I said it doesn't take a lot to entertain me!   Just let a couple dogs go about their day and it's like going to the show (without the popcorn of course).

lyp

Not the one...

In case you wondered how the ewe was...she did not make it.  I had wanted a different ending to this story--but it was not meant to be.   So this morning at my kitchen table thinking about this I wrote...
 I am still thinking of the ewe we lost...Dying--that brings back the urgency of sharing our faith because in the end we all end up dying!   And that is what makes me want to have those I love know Jesus.  So some may say that if there is no Heaven then wouldn't you have wasted that time believing.  But I say...and if there is a Heaven--and I don't feel my time has been wasted.  To have a peace that there is Something bigger than me watching over me.   Bringing me joy, having me want to focus on love and not hate--I say life is good...But God is better.   I am thankful for my faith even if  I am not all that I should or could be...
And I look at one of my favorite passages...Psalm 23 (KJV).
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.   Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
 I sometimes wonder why I feel a nudge to share certain things...and I wonder if that is really something I need to share...but nonetheless I feel the need to share.    It as though it has been put on my heart for a reason...reasons I do not know or understand and perhaps never will...but I feel the push all the same!

lyp

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Feed my sheep...

So maybe it is the season...perhaps just the day.   But at my kitchen table this morning our shepherd on call...P-Pa...was out mixing up a special concoction for a sick mama ewe.   This is a special Southdown and she is not doing well.   He tells me the doc says that maybe you SAVE 1 in 20 who suffer with pregnancy toxemia...and I think of in the Bible of the 1 in 100--Luke 15:4 (NIV).
  4"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
And I ponder on that and how important if even one is saved.   That believing in Jesus if one is saved and I think of those who I pray for everyday...those that their souls be saved.   I hope and have faith that they would have Eternal Life with the Great Shepherd.

So I head off to work...(did I mention that God sometimes just keeps giving me message and keeps giving me messages not that it takes more for me or anything).   But back to the radio, the whole thing was on the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).   The story told by Jesus of the two brothers and one leaves with his half of the family fortune and squanders it away while the other stays and obeys.   Yet when he is down to his lowest point he goes back to his father and his father welcomes him with open arms.  And the older brother is upset with this and asks his father why to which his father's reply is Luke 15:31 (NIV):

 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
And again I come back to the one...perhaps this is 1 in 2 but it is ONE.   ONE that is what I am!   But this lesson doesn't end there.   My friend Mary sends me words for the day from a devotional she has received I believe from USCCB.org...but these words just seemed to go with the theme...
"Our Shepherd doesn’t wait anxiously for straying sheep to return. Rather, he arms himself and sets out in search of them, overcoming every obstacle to rescue them and bring them home. Sometimes his kindness feels like discipline as he cuts the lamb loose, dresses its wounds and curbs its propensity to wander. But it is still the kindest thing he could ever do for us.

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, knows us (John 10:14; 2 Timothy 2:19). He feeds us (John 6:35; Psalm 23:1-2). He guides us (John 10:3-4; Psalm 23:3). He cherishes us and loves us (Isaiah 40:1; Ephesians 5:25-29). He protects and preserves us (Jeremiah 31:10; John 10:28-29). Take some time today to pray over these passages. Try to memorize them and make them your own. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the depth and breadth of love that Jesus has for you. Nothing could be more exciting—and more comforting—than knowing that Jesus has you in the palm of his hand!
Jesus, thank you for seeking me when I stray from the path. Teach me how to shepherd those you have entrusted to my care."
And so I am learning that my kitchen table just keeps getting bigger and bigger.   I finished up a journal while at my cousin's house (another blog in progress but have to scan some pictures)...but anyway like the words from above...it isn't just at my kitchen table...it is wherever I am...He is WITH me!  And that gives this ONE "lamb" peace and joy...

lyp

Monday, December 6, 2010

Let the lambing begin...

So the sheep are all home....ready to have some babies before too long....Lance was home checking through to see who was close.   We will soon be firing up the LAMB CAM!   Tim and I sleep with all sheep tv all night...we have those close to having babies being watched through a camera in the barn.   I hope to get it hooked up to the internet some day...








Sweetie On Guard...
 lyp

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sweetie the sheep dog...

Sweetie the Sheep Dog!  We have a new addition to the funny farm...SWEETIE!!  (Doesn't that name just make you want to retreat and avoid any contact with sheep...yet somehow with her sweet face the name fits!)

So you may be wondering how we came upon Sweetie since we have not had a sheep dog on the farm before.   But it turns out that my hubby has found a new hobby...CRAIGS LIST!   For a guy who loves the classifieds, the "Swap Shop" (local radio show where people sell their ju...I mean treasures) this is like the ultimate treat!  Anyway while on Craigs List the other day he comes across this sheep dog.   An Akbash/Anatolian cross (a big white short haired sheep dog).   I haven't got a picture of her yet!  

Soooo anyway Tim has me send an e-mail and ask how much they want for the dog...to which they reply a good home and they want the dog to keep working as they have sold their livestock that she was looking over.   So Friday night we load the whole gang up (Firecracker included) and road trip to Peyton, Colorado. 

The next day Sweetie is turned out with the sheep and she just starts paroling the perimeter.  Although, the sheep were not sure why there was a dog in their pen.   So I was laughing telling Lance that the sheep would run from her.   And he says that her nature tells her  that she is one of the sheep.   However, the sheep do not know that she is one of them...so they will take off running--to which Sweetie says what are we running from!!   And she runs with them only to make the sheep think she is chasing them instead of just running with them. .

Then this morning at my kitchen table,  I look out and the sheep are staring at the house...which makes me suspect.   I get up and look out and there is Sweetie up by the house (not where she is supposed to be)...but sniffing around up close to the porch where Bo likes to keep his bone stash.  

Well my first thought was that her and Bo might get into a fight.   But she seems to respect that this is Bo's territory.   I think she was hungry because she won't eat out of her dog food container yet and so I coax her back to the pen with some leftover Thanksgiving rolls.  After returning, she immediately patrols while I head back to the house--only to watch her crawl through the panel gate.   As I watch her,  I see her find a dead bird to which she sneaks off as though she is hiding from Bo.   Upon checking things out a little more she heads back to the pen to watch over the sheep that she is supposed to be taking care of.   

She was afraid the other day when there was some shooting going on...and so I think about how she shares some of the things that we battle every day...hunger and fear.   Oh our hunger might not be for food but we hunger sometimes for things we cannot or should not have.  A hunger that sometimes takes us away from where we should be.  Other times we lose our way because of fear.  Fear of things that we do not understand...or sometimes fear of things that we understand too well.   But living with hunger and fear is not the life our Master wants for us!

Anyway I think Sweetie will add some new adventure to the Pfeiff's Funny Farm...

lyp
   

My Baby...

Today my baby boy turned 25.   I am not sure where the time has gone...but it has gone!    He has teased others about being half way to AARP when they hit 25 and now he is there.  In fact they even sent him an AARP card.   I think back of when I was 25 (yes I can remember that far) and while I think of it as young...he thinks of it as getting old!

I am so blessed to have the kids that I do and so proud of them in their own unique individual ways.   I miss getting to see Lance for his birthday but I tried to contact him at least 25 times today with different modes of communication...so I am sure he is thankful that I am not there in person as well!

We celebrated his birthday over the weekend...but still doesn't seem like it has been 25 years since he was born!    Thanks for the journey son!   I love you!

Happy Birthday Lance!

lym

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

And I tuck it in my heart...

There are days and then there are days.   Yesterday I was on vacation from the ole AVRP and was on Firecracker duty!   One of my favorite jobs I must confess...though I try to make them all think that I am sacrificing--you know going above and beyond.   But that time with that precious little girl makes my heart jump with joy!

And you might be wondering what could they have done that could be so spectacular--so joyful.   But you know we just LIVED!    The morning started later as she slept in being tired from her big weekend to Fort Collins.  It was all I could do to keep from waking her up and saying "Izzy it's Grandma--I love you!"

 But when her daddy brought her downstairs and she came to me...my heart began to sing!  We got dressed, and got around so that we could go along with "Dada" and meet "Mama" for lunch.  And it is as though she just gets bigger and bigger as we ate at Ruby's and she socialized with the next table.   The Firecracker is not a shy one...she loves people.   However, it is funny some of the people she chooses to make up to and then other times when you would like her to give a simple wave to someone she knows--no can do!  

Well there is a new dollar store in Limon that I wanted to check out so off we went to see what they had.   We started out riding along in the cart and would take the items we were buying and throw them in the cart.   But as time went on we decided we should go to Grandma.   Only a stepping stone to where we were ultimately planning on going.   Because sometimes with Grandma--Izzy helps push the cart.   So yesterday was no different and so there we went with her pushing right in front of me acting as though she was as big as anyone.   I think we only got one extra item...it was so fun putting the dollar scotch tape in the cart--we surely needed one more!    And checkout was again time for socializing.  She found the older woman waiting to return the key to the bathroom (now you don't see that all the time).   Anyway there was also a little girl behind us and so we of course needed to visit with her.  

We finally get it all paid for and off we go for the truck.  Needless to say if you are not familiar with Limon, the wind can blow.   So there we are with our cart trying to keep it from blowing into the vehicle next to us while we are parked on a hill.   I get Izzy in the truck and she is sitting on the seat when I tell her that she needs to stand because we got too much stuff for Grandma to unload with her sitting there.  Well the look she gave me was priceless and as we one armed stood up she just watched me.   But by this time she just needed a drink of the Sprite we got and so I hand it to her (NO I DIDN'T OPEN IT) but she holds it while I unload our treasures.  

We then have to return the cart back into the store so I tell her to come to Grandma...well she is ready to be in the truck and have a drink of the Sprite.   Remember this is going on while I am trying to keep the cart from rolling away down the hill.   So finally I convince her to come to Grandma and we run the cart in and get ready to load up in our seat.   Of course, we still haven't had our drink.   So I put her in the truck and put her in her seat and proceed to open up the Sprite without thinking about the adventures that the Sprite has been through on its own.    Soooo--yes you guessed it a little explosion all over the seat all the while she sits there watching me as though all of this is normal and doesn't seem to make comment of how Grandma doesn't quite do all of this as easily as her Mama.   But all is well as Grandma gives her one of P-Pa's chocolate chip cookies and we are homeward bound.

Back at the ranch...well there are goats and chickens and now pigeons there at the Sheridan Ranch!   So Grandma and a tired little girl get our items unloaded and by now it is time to "by by" (that is how she says Rocky By).   And as we have a cookie and a book to read we begin rocking and in a matter of minutes I have a sleeping angel.   She must be an angel as I look at that perfect little nose, that sweet little mouth, and those precious little hands.   And while I think she cannot look anymore angelic she puts her hands together as though she is praying in her sleep.   I do not see how anyone who holds a sleeping baby in their arms and look at the miracle in their arms cannot believe there is a God.   I just sit there rocking and looking in amazement and just breathe in this time and know it is one that I want to take in and tuck away in my heart.

We awaken from our nap and are playing with our new ball when Mom gets home.    So after time of Mom chasing Izzy and her running to the safety of Grandma's arms (how I love that game) Mom begins supper and Grandma says she should probably get going to go see P-Pa.   Well these words seem to make one little girl think that she needs to go with Grandma.    While it was offered for her to come that really wasn't the plan.  Her mom is thinking she won't go along with it and tells Firecracker that she doesn't have her bags packed.   Well off she goes to her room.   Her mom and I peek around the corner and there is one tiny little girl throwing all of her clothes out of her cupboard out on the floor (yes she must be related to her mom as much as she is packing).   So we watch and she is pulling some items out and putting some back in when she is there holding a pair of pants.  Her mom tells her, "those need to be in the bag Grandma can't just take your bedroom floor."   Well off for the bathroom she goes and throws them in the tub.   Obviously she thought her mom said bath--so she was putting them into one of her favorite places. 

It is hard indeed when a little girl cries that she wants to go with you.   But we sat on the stairs and I told her Grandad (Jay's dad) would be there tomorrow.   Then she began standing on her head and somewhat like her Grandma she was distracted and ready to move on to something else...so with a kiss goodbye I headed home and seen a sweet little angel watching me out the window as I pulled off and I took that moment and held in my heart...because I know that these days pass so quickly and you can't get them back!

But tomorrow--she really gets to come home with me.   Her mom will be coming later--but all the same it will be Izzy and Grandma on a roadtrip!!

As I reflect on this special day at my kitchen table I realize how blessed I am.   I am thankful that my daughter and her husband live close enough and also allow me to share in their daughter's life.    And as I think of them,  I also think about all the young mom's (and dad's) and how they have to juggle working and time with their little ones.   How I wish they could all have more time but then no matter how much time you have...you always wonder what you could do with MORE time.

So I pass on this life lesson I have learned perhaps it comes with this gray stuff showing up in my hair.   But I look back growing up and I know my parents didn't do everything perfect--but I feel they did the best they could with what they knew.   And so it is my prayer that my children come to that realization of me...and though I didn't do everything right...they were loved.     Maybe time with grandchildren is a chance to give us some extra TIME.    All I know is Life is Good!

Thank you Lord for this day!

lyp

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Take yourself with you...

This morning at my kitchen table was a good one...There was a sort of foggy haze that filled the air that almost made one think that snow could be near by.    You know those days that you look outside and you just snuggle down in  your chair, take a deep slow sip of your hot tea with honey and lemon, and then dig your feet deeper into your furry slippers...okay it wasn't that cold out but if you looked out the window or watched the windmill spin you could convince yourself it was!

Anyway I am working on a different post that is one that I just keep putting on the shelf.   But for that particular post I was looking for an old poem I had written.   Well I found this old book I had put together of some of my poems...most of them over 30 years old.    And as I looked through those I wondered where that girl was...and it was as though she said I'm here.   While I sat there I realized yes she is still there.   Some days she is more apparent than others but she is there.  I look back in my journal and I had written "those poems written by a young woman and yet she is still in there I can feel her energy her passion and I tell her to stay with me!"

Then as quickly as I had stopped there, I soon moved on and  began going down my prayer list.   On my list are several names, but as I hit upon one someone special to me they just seemed to hold my attention.  This person is going through some changes and I so hope that they are postitive changes--changes for joy--changes for peace!   But I was also thinking that I hope that this person finds what they are looking for...that they come to realize that the peace we strive for comes from within...comes from God...not from persons, places, or things (isn't that a noun?)   

And as I left my kitchen table I clicked on the television and came across the country video countdown.  (yes I am making a point:)     I am an American Idol watcher and I was a fan of Bo Bice.   So when I seen his song made #2,  I decided to pause and watch.   Little did I know that this was the music to my theme of the day.   I love music and how a song can take so many thoughts and put them to a melody that seems to summarize exactly what you were thinking...a coincidence that this song happened to catch my attention--I don't think so.    The song is titled "You take yourself with you".    I love the meaning of this because it seemed to say to me that wherever you go...there you are...

"You can climb the highest mountain, go where no one's ever gone
On a crowded city sidewalk, you might find yourself alone
In the middle of the desert, anywhere the wind blows
Son you take yourself with you, wherever you go"
You take yourself with you by Bo Bice

And I stopped and thought of all the Penny's that are traveling with me...making me who I am.   Then I finished getting around and me and all "myselves" enjoyed lunch out with "Mom and Dad" Pfeiff and then took in a 3 year olds birthday party...and as I observed a wide span of ages at so many different stages...one thing was consistent in all--they all were taking themselves with them wherever they go.

Here's to hoping we love who we take with us...

lyp

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BOARDS

So this morning I am sitting at my kitchen table minding my own business...because that's what I do...that's how I roll :)   OKAY MAYBE NOT!    Anyway as I sit there I am reading and going over the words FAITH AND FAITHFUL...I am sure those are coming to a blog near you soon.   But for some reason this morning I hop on my bike and start reading something I had written in my journal a while back.   And it was as though I needed to share this.   SOOOO because that is what this journey is about I came here and started typing.   I had written...(Reader: Please hold on tight as sometimes I make sharp turns on this bike I ride!)

From my kitchen table I look out my kitchen window and the leaves on the old cottonwood seem to tremble in the glistening of the morning sun as they know that their days are numbered--and the seasons of time and the winds of change will cause this season to end...

And a man who is in fear of what is going on in his life cries out "WHAT ABOUT ME?" and God says, "What about you!   Haven't I been there through so many trials--won't I continue to be there!"   Let us not get caught up in our selves--I am talking of my own board here as well--let us be thankful for what we have!"
And in case you wonder about the BOARD here that is not really one of my favorite scriptures but it seems to be one that comes to me way too often!!  Luke 6: 41-42 in my Living Bible goes like this:
"And why quibble about the speck in someone else's eye--his little fault--when a board is in your own?  How can you think of saying to him, 'Brother let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye, when you can't see past the board in yours?  Hypocrite!  First get rid of the board, and then perhaps you can see well enough  to deal with his speck!"
Here is hoping you have an awesome day!   God be with you and bless you and keep you!

lyp

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Saturday Mornings...

This morning at my kitchen table I was a little nostalgic about Saturday mornings.  Thinking back in my childhood...I remember Saturday mornings as "sleeping in",  "cleaning" house with my Grandma Bessie because Saturday was house cleaning day OR...watching cartoons some mornings with my Dad and discussing important things like PePe LaPue  (not sure how you spell that) being a skunk, "Tawt I saw a Putty Tat",  watching to see if the Coyote might actually get one over on the Roadrunner, looking for that "Waskly Wabbit",  and oh ya we loved Speedy Gonzales...the funniest little mouse.  

Then before I know it, I am a young mother who is the wife of a dairyman and Saturday mornings brought my family down to visit.   And my Dad would come and relieve me of milking duties, my Mom would usually take on some "baby" time and if my brother came we just did "stuff".   After my Dad died, Saturday mornings were hard for me as I would catch myself looking out the window to see if that old "Hoop" might be pulling in.   (The "Hoop" was an old van bread truck kind of deal that he worked out of which got him his name Grandpa Hoopee.  Heather would watch for it and as my Dad called it the Hoop or Hoopee, she decided in her wisdom t hat only little ones can...he was Hoopee...a name he carried with great pride).
Heather and Hoopee


Down the road a little further is my daughter who loved sports!   So Saturday mornings usually revolved around a little ball or perhaps some other activity that was school related.   And now sometimes Saturday means a chance to spend time with Firecracker and her mom and dad.   Or Lance will be home checking on sheep...

And now I come back from my trip down memory lane and there out my kitchen window is my son following behind his dad.  I can tell that they are not just doing chores...there is some sort of problem...and it looks like maybe electric.   So perhaps I should just stay in at my table--sometimes too many questions when these two are on missions--isn't always the best thing (not that I always choose the BEST path).

So anyway as I watch this young man following his father all of a sudden I am back 20 years when a 30 year old man breaks his hand because he fell over his 4 year old son who was "helping" his dad grind hay.   Here we are 20 years later and the dad walks a little different step that 20 years can do to a body that has been on the go.   But the son still has a skip in his step as he follows along with the dog just soaking in his time on the farm.   Only now he really is "helping" his dad.    And I wonder what this will look like in 20 more years?    The dad will be 70 with a son who will soon be 45.   Will there be a younger one following behind "helping"?    



Pfeiff's Fine Flock (that's what I call them:) Board of Directors Meeting
As I talk about this with these two when they come in for breakfast...I say what about the next 20 and my husband says I hope I am not still here when I am 90.   But he knows it really isn't up to him.    I tell them in 20 more years our little Firecracker will be 21.   

So much can change in such a short time...I really am not sure where the time goes so quickly but I know that I am thankful for the time I have had.    Guess I better get busy...clean some house, watch some cartoons, or maybe take on some other project!   It's SATURDAY MORNING...ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!    Oh ya Life is Good!!

lyp








Friday, November 12, 2010

Windows...


At my kitchen table... I am surrounded by windows.   If you look out my south window, you can see the tall old cottonwood trees that I would love to know the history of all  that they have known.  In the background of the trees, a little further to the south, lays the dirt road that goes by our house.  The road that takes us out into the world beyond...or leads those from the outside world to our home.

Right in front of me looking to the east, I have three windows that make a bay window of sorts.   From these windows one can look out at the barn, the grain bins, the sheep, and more importantly the sunrise!   Some might not think this is an awesome view--but it is my view and it gives me comfort and peace and helps remind me to give thanks for a new day!
  
Many mornings I look to the east and the cottonwoods that are almost a half mile down the way line up along "lover's lane" (as the old timers called it) and seem to almost stand at attention.   The trees provide a border that accents the glorious sunrise.   Some days I wonder if that very sunrise was put there just for me.

I think one of my favorite views out this window is in the summertime to see the corn in the field with the cottonwoods standing up in the background all seeming to sillouette the glow of the  morning sun.  However, I love to see the year round scene changes such as in the fall when the "harvest moon" comes up in the evening in all its majesty...sites to behold indeed!

Well I tend to get sidetracked as many of you know.   For some reason my focus button short circuits at times.   There is a joke that I tell because it seems to address my attention span.   The joke goes...How many people who cannot focus (I changed this from A.D.D. because I really do not know if I have that but wonder if I do:) ANYWAY "How many people who cannot focus does it take to change a light bulb...wanna rida a bike?"  {Note to reader: if this makes absolutely no sense to you at all or you don't get it...give thanks}

When I start going several directions at one time (even if it is just in my mind) I sometimes refer to these as "bike rides".   So when I mention a "bike ride", I am not actually taking off on a two wheeler down the country lane.   Not that I wouldn't love to have me a Schwinn Cruiser with a bell OF COURSE...

But back to my windows!   Like I said, I tend to get sidetracked and mornings at my kitchen table are no different.  I might get distracted by just the beauty, or someone driving by, what the sheep are up to, or the cows out in the field, or sometimes probably nothing at all just depending on the day that awaits out my kitchen window.  

Most mornings our dog, Bocephus,  (my son's dog but he claims me when Lance is not home) likes to come and peek in the window and watch me as I am sure he wonders what is it exactly that she is doing?   Just the same as I watch him and wonder why that crazy dog is circling a piece of paper that has blown in...or some equal fascinating thing.  But nonetheless, "Bo" looks in and checks on me and gives me what I think of  as a smile and so I automatically smile back.   Then he usually lays on the front porch and rests while I write and read unless he has his own bike ride to go on!

So last week I decided that if I didn't get any other project done--I would wash my windows.  I tend to sit there and look at them and get distracted by the dirt and spots they seem to accumulate and then I am looking at that and not the things that I would rather be looking at. 

With that said, last weekend I cleaned windows.   I must say (although not perfect by any means) I have enjoyed having my windows clean...a clearer view of my surroundings.  Sometimes we probably need to have our "inner windows clean"!   To take a little time and clean out some things that are clouding our view...the things that seem to distract us from the things we should be looking at.   So perhaps I will continue on this "window" journey and take on more than just those around my kitchen table!

lyp