Back in the Saddle

Well, after my short-lived solo pity party, I settled down with my extra large Sonic rootbeer float, a solid John Wayne flick (Cahill, US Marshall) and accepted (once again)  that things happen for a reason. I may not understand why but I'll accept reality and forge ahead.

As I settle into midlife at the age of 42, I've come to accept one of my most commonly uttered phrases as an adopted motto: It is what it is. Some things you can change and some things you can't. I am right where I should be and I agree with John Wayne when he said:

"Have you ever heard of some fellows who first came over to this country? You know what they found? They found a howling wilderness, with summers too hot and winters freezing, and they also found some unpleasant little characters who painted their faces. Do you think these pioneers filled out form number X6277 and sent in a report saying the Indians were a little unreasonable? Did they have insurance for their old age, for their crops, for their homes? They did not! They looked at the land, and the forest, and the rivers. They looked at their wives, their kids and their houses, and then they looked up at the sky and they said, "Thanks, God, we'll take it from here."

So I'll take it from here. In seven glorious days I'll be heading back to Arizona to collect my beautiful family. We'll load up our belongings and head to a little town in northern Oklahoma. We'll rent a little home in town while we attempt to homestead our family farm from a few miles away. We won't be able to do some of the things we planned, like raise chickens, guinea or goats. It would be too hard to keep an eye on them without living directly on the farm.

Whether a piece of the old family farm finds it's way into my hands someday or we buy our own down the road, there are still some things at the farm we can do in preparation for owning our own piece of heaven. Things like growing a glorious garden full of vegetables and herbs. Plant some fruit trees around the farm house for future nourishment.  Add a barn roof gutter system to catch the plentiful rainfall and divert it into barrels to slow drip into our gardens while we are away. I can still thin the vegetation of the forests to minimize fire hazards and provide firewood.

Old Red Belly...and Old Big Belly

Old Red Belly ('49 Ford tractor) will still be waiting for me in the barn. We'll give children joy rides they'll never forget, pull treasures out of the ground, and turn up the soil.  The '79 Chevy pickup still awaits new life in the back of the barn...as do the two go-carts and mini motorcycle. Maybe I can even get the two riding lawnmowers running and we could race 'em around the yard?

The fences will still need mending and the dirt road to be grated a time or two. And the acres of grass...let's not forget the tending they'll need. The rapidly growing briar patch is no match for Old Red Belly and me. I can teach my girls what it means to be stewards of the land, regardless of where we live.

So Lord, if you're listening...I'm back in the saddle...and I'm thankful for everything you have given me.

~OJD

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New Farm Critter

Angular-wing katydid

This fella contently posed on the soft top of my Jeep while I took several pictures of him. He looks so sleek and aerodynamic! You can click on the image to see a more detailed full size image. He looks eerily like the aliens from Will Smith's Independence Day to me.

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New Farm Rule

21) After moving to your new homestead town, be prepared to see things you've never seen before. (The buffet at the KFC in town had gizzards(!) and livers(!) offered like they were as normal as the Colonel's extra crunchy chicken breasts. Just laying there...in a pan...looking at you...! My hospital cafeteria served deep fried macaroni today. What the...?)

Click the pic for a bigger, more detailed version.

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Back Home Report

Wifey and the girls had a fun-filled day at the local water park, Sun Splash, with their cousin and "Aunt Grandma." They enjoyed the whole day together and from the sounds of it, fell asleep almost instantly when they got home.