As if i don't have enough to worry about.....AND WOWSERS! WONDERFUL WOOD!

Wolves in broad day light.....

Collared Grizzlies by night....

and day.......

See those claws?!?! ugh......

And would you believe we have foxes?! Nobody even knew for sure if they still existed up here until this pic was taken......

Some time over the winter somebodies horse had to be put down and they hauled it off into the woods a little ways from our road. Another neighbor put up a trail camera to see what would feed on it. Well now we know and it doesn't make me any more relaxed when I'm out there doing my long distance runs not far from where the body lays........

*special thanks to our neighbor with the trail camera for his generosity in sharing pics


Amidst a stack of self help books, I arise......looking rather bedraggled. There is still an invisible hole where my guts once resided, but other than that, I am no worse for the wear. My most recent mission? To survive yet another long night at work. Reminisce with me that we may escape our woes together for but a few moments of eternity........

I was feeling rather pouty when my good buddie, The Dolphin Goddess, told me her own tale of woe - she has a knee injury and would be unable to run with me this weekend at Bloomsday..... A hushed awe fell over the phone line, followed by a gasp, then I threw down the receiver and began kicking and banging the floor with my fists bawling loudly....er... just kidding. I wished her well and gave some parting encouragements. We had planned a big ol running extravaganza along with a fancy motel, shopping at a real mall and dining at some extravagant place like maybe "The Olive Garden". I wasn't sure what to do next. Bravely, I put on a stiff upper lip and decided to trust God. After a few phone calls and a good attitude, much to my relief, I found that one of my co-workers would love for me to go along with her. Another one even called me back telling me that she would be my back up back up plan ;-) It all worked out fine and it will be more the economy version where I get up at 3am and drive to meet her versus the motel/shopping. This is more our budget anyway and thats a good thing - right?

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:" - Phil 4:11

Today as the kids were wrapping up with school, my husband told me he was heading out to cut wood. Instantly my cheeks puffed out and my bottom lip began to protrude. "Wanna go for a walk when you get back?" I asked hopefully. After considering it, he asked if I wanted to come and do wood with him. That was very exciting because I can hardly ever get him to let me go along on his "man outings" and I was hurriedly scurrying around to get ready. Super Catman had instructions on finishing his workbook pages and The Sock Fashion Expert agreed to keep an eye out for Miss Moonbeam who was going down for a nap anyway. I donned 3 layers of long sleeves (one can never be too prepared for the cold) and stumbled out the door with a fizzy water and 2 tangelos.

The dirty old black truck seemed to crawl along at an ever slow turtalic crawl. My husband stopped at each prospective log laying alongside the road. He surveyed them keenly and then moved on. It was like driving through a car lot trying to find the perfect car. He eyed each log with careful skepticism. This went on for about an hour and I began to get fidgety. Every once in a while, he stopped to pick up left over fire wood cuts from the side of the road. Sometimes people who have already been out cutting leave a few logs behind that don't fit or are misshapen. My husband loves gleaning that stuff. Before long, we had the truck 1/4 of the way full, but I was still fidgety. I eyed my watch warily "we have to be back for me to get a nap before work" I pessimistically warned. On and on we turtalically crawled......

I reminded him of the time 15 minutes after the last time I reminded him. Some where inside, I was asking myself why I was so uptight. Perhaps it is because I am always rushing from one thing to the next, haphazardly. My husband, on the other hand, always does things slowly, but thoroughly. We make a great team (when we want to). Anyhow, at long last he said "oh I guess" and soon he was picking up more left overs. After that, he stepped maybe 20 feet off the road and started the splitting maul on a giant log. As he lifted up the splitting maul and brought it down with determined force, I suddenly remembered why it is that I like going to get wood with him. Even in a plain long sleeved cotton shirt, His muscles rippled through the material. Big pectoral muscles bulged along with my eyes. His brute arms wielded the tool as if it was some easy rhythm, but I knew better. I sat awed for a few moments of time...... Then I remembered that I was supposed to be helping him. I walked over and picked up one of the giant logs. It was so heavy I could barely lift it. I tried to act nonchalant. I carried it up the muddy embankment and barely got it over the side of the truck. He smiled a knowing smile. "I'll just throw these up to the road since the embankment is hard to maneuver". I gaped at his arms and shoulders again and dumbly nodded. As I began painstakingly hauling piece by piece, I noticed him throwing the wood this great distance to the road, effortlessly. Some of them I could barely pick up, but I couldn't let him know that. I tried my best to look impressive as I stacked it in the back of the truck, secretly hoping to somehow gain his favor.

Reality hit again and I looked at my watch. It was time to leave. "Lets just get those logs out there" he said. "Okay" I dumbly nodded and I found myself in some clearing picking up pieces of wood. I don't know how I got there, only that I followed him and did i mention that he has these huge pectoral muscles that bulge through his shirt? Soon I was sweating (from hauling wood through the clearing) or was it that? He said "lets just get these last few pieces. Besides that, I like the view". The thought took a moment to register "View? What is scenery when all these big chest and arm muscles are bulging through your shirt?! How could I possibly notice a view?" I wondered to myself. Then he gave me his mischievous smile, and flashed those beautiful blue eyes and I giggled. He was talking about me. And I was walking taller and trying to impress him with my amazing wood carrying ability........

On the way home, I wondered why he was in such a hurry to get there. After all, who cares if I get a nap anyway? I want to go back out wood hauling........................