Working Mom Blues and My Strange Clown Reasonings, The Lion Kill Saga Continues

Look who has moved in on the lions kill now! Can you tell what he is?

That's right! He's a lonely coyote.

Sorry, I couldn't resist this cartoon! You have to work in an emergency room to fully appreciate it, but sufficient to say, it's a regular occurrence where ever you go. I so relate!

Not all that long ago I had a nightmare about a freakish clown. Really, I did. Yes, the clown saga continues..... It was more like an answer to prayer. Yes, I'm going to be a little "out there" on this post, so don't read any further if you can't take "way out there" chicks ;-) Add to that, its 3am and I'm on my third shift in row. I had been really frustrated about some of the people that I have worked hard to reach out to. It seemed like no matter what I did, they were determined not to be my friend. I was feeling rather discouraged about it, and so I took the matter to God in prayer. That's when I had the strange dream. This funny clown looking person with a fake smile (painted on - not really real) wearing an Afro wig came up to me. It put its arms out to give me a hug. Just as I was putting my arms around it to respond to the hug, it reached over my shoulders and stabbed me in the back. Yeah, it was a bizarre dream. No I didn't eat too much pizza that night. I prayed about what the dream could mean, and suddenly I just knew. It was about some of the people that I was feeling frustrated over. The relationships hadn't gone anywhere, because they would be harmful to me. God was sparing me from troubles that would have developed. I had peace about not pursuing those people anymore. Yeah, I know its weird, but that's just how I process things.

Why I am tormenting you with my strange pondering? I guess because sometimes a lesson learned for me is one to be shared with all. We can't be everything to everybody, and when we try, we become exhausted, spread ourselves too thin, and ultimately fail. Some relationships are best let go of for our own benefit. For me, I was trying to make something happen that would have been detrimental to myself. I am always willing to reach out to whoever is in need of a friend, but my close friends are loyal, true and faithful. The inner core of friends I trust with my heart are true. They're the same person around me, as when I'm not there. They've always got my back. I hope as you're developing relationships with people around you, you'll keep your eyes peeled for clowns wearing Afro wigs. If you see any, you better not let them give you any hugs ;-)

Matthew 7:6Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Proverbs 12:26 (New King James Version)26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Perfect 10 Update and The Carnivorous Cannibal Clown Canvas

Perfect 10 Update and The Carnivorous Cannibal Clown Canvas
1. Exercise 6 days a week – affirmative (its more of an addiction anyway)
2. Sit ups/planks 5x/week – well probably not 5x, but I haven’t given up that goal. I am hoping that one of these weeks it will actually happen. Really, I’m up to 100 but more like 2-3x/week
3. Healthy Idea in my kids daily – big check yes. I am logging that daily now and pleased with seeing several things every day, HOWEVER, it also makes me notice how many times I do UNHEALTHY things that my family follows suit in. That part leaves me feeling more like a heel more often than I like to discuss!
4. Current
5. Water – mostly, Fruit – yes, veggies – mostly
6. Mostly, and more aware when I am.
7. Hair – Done
8. Done
9. Weekly workout this week was with Mist. Boy did we run hard! I thought I would collapse, but kept a stiff upper lip. Finally she said “I need to stop”, which was the first time ever on record we stopped for her and not me. Remember she is a beautiful, athletic woman that is 15 years younger than I am. I am thinking quite possibly I should be awarded with some sort of medal for this feat of super human endurance ;-)
10. Guilty and hilarious! As I had mentioned, I have bought several pairs of new jeans. On Sunday, I took the tags off a pair and put them on before church. I asked my husband what he thought of them. He said “I already told you I don’t like those”. I informed him disgustedly that they were a different pair than the ones he didn’t like. Frustrated that I’d wasted my money on jeans my husband wasn’t fond of, I drug him over to the Walmart dressing room with me a few days ago as I tried on some $3 clearance pants. The first pair he was noncommittal about, other than to say he didn’t care for the color. The second pair he didn’t like on me. The wheels of progress seemed to be turning rather slowly, but he did give me some idea of something else he liked which gave me a ray of hope. Then he took off faster than I thought he could possibly move to hide in the men's section with some such drivel about finding gloves. Really and Honestly, I was impressed that he stood outside the dressing room at all. This was a stretch for him, and I thought it was sweet. Thankfully I didn't have an episode like Paula Here!
* Something about me. Oh these are always so hard to come up with. OK, well how about this one : Clowns creep me out! Really they do. It all started with this painting of a clown and a shoe that was in the hall outside my bedroom as a child. Every night, as I drifted off to sleep, I could see that clown and shoe art piece. One day, as my Aunt Ducky came to say "good night" to me, she saw my gaze toward the clown. She said "See that shoe? That clown ate a small child and all that is left of the child is that shoe sitting next to the clown. Good night dear. Sweet dreams." and with that, she disappeared down the stairs. Understandably, I was fearful of clowns, and particularly that painting. When my grandmother found out how much the picture upset me, she burned it in the fire place. (My grandmother was known for burning objects of distain in the fire place often). My cousin swore the clown would come back to enact vengeance upon me for his fiery demise. This perpetuated my aversion to clowns. Yes, I never thought clowns were very amusing and no clowning ;-)

Another "Ferocious Beast" Caught on Camera

The neighbors trail camera today has captured a new "ferocious beast" that has moved in on the meal.

My burn pile.

My attempt at teaching the boys some table manners. As you can see, I may have a lot of work ahead of me ;-)

They think it's more of a joke......................

Super Catman is "working on his bike" while Moonbeam observes.

For the past week, the lion didn't drift far from my mind. My sleep was restless, and I didn't feel like myself at all. After schooling the children, I read "Ride the River" by Louie L'Amour yesterday which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was one of those books you can't put down once you've started it and I was lost in the adventure of a 16 year old mountain girl being pursued by bandits across early America. It was a great story. I had taken the children outdoors to play and didn't want to be idle so I raked up some old branches and then burnt them. After that, I had to watch the fire, so I started the book. I hadn't intended on going on a "scouting adventure", but the book egged me on and I still didn't want the boys going off by themselves.
One of the boys put their coon tailed cap on me as a joke and I left it on as we headed out, Moonbeam in her pack. We took to the woods and ignored the regular trails as the boys were in search of sheds. Art Dog's destination was up the top of a steep hill which I refused to pack Moonbeam up. In the end, I did it anyway, not wanting the boys to be out gallivanting around far from my sight. I had neglected my spikes, but had my Nordic poles handy, for which I was very pleased.
As I hiked, I began to think about living up here in God's Country. My son, the Archer, was stalked many a time by a catamount (lion) a few years back. We think it was probably the same small one, as the occasions were close together the same year in the same general vicinity. It was frightening for me, but in the end, my son came home unharmed each time. Neighbors have varying opinions about mountain lions. There is one common theme, of which everyone is agreed. No one wants the law up here. Years back, a problem grizzly was handled quite poorly by the authorities and it left a bad taste in the mouths of the locals. Add to that all the problem bears and wolves they have relocated up here, and you have many a local who will give you an earful. Truth be told, most predators want to be left alone. Generally, they don't attack. My family has run into grizzlies - once a grizzly with cubs, another time with a bloody sack of meat. Neither time did the grizzlies attack. The animals and the people both want the same thing for the most part, that is to be left alone. Of course, my freezer would probably tell you otherwise. The bulk of protein in our diet comes from bear, elk and deer. If you looked in my kitchen at any given meal, you'd find I was making some conglomeration of what we've picked from the ground or shot on the hoof. At any rate, I enjoyed the hike with the boys and I felt safe, though my gun was as always, handy.
The neighbor sent more photos from his trail camera today. It seems that our catamount may have moved on or found some other prey. As you can see, this new ferocious beast has found the left overs. When these came to us, we all cocked our heads, squinted our eyes, scratched our heads (so to speak) and tried to make out what we were seeing. Then the realization hit and we got a good chuckle. The camera captured our cat making good on the lions meal. It seems as though our cat visited the site last night and again this morning. Hopefully the lion has moved on, or he may have to make use of his 9 lives.

More Chilling Lion Shots

I wasn't going to post tonight, but the neighbor got a lot of action with his trail camera - 140 shots of the beast to be exact. Here you see our not so friendly neighborhood lion dining at around eight in the evening (we are guessing from the date and time on the camera). I have to keep a really close watch on the kids, and I choose to wear a gun anytime I'm outside. I've also changed my running routine. Now I'm driving to meet Mist on the black top about 5 miles away. I do hope this big cat will move on soon.

Perfect 10 and I'm Not Li'on Either

Its the dawn of a new week again, and I'm barely aware of what happened to the last one. Getting called in for a couple of shifts was something I wasn't expecting. Neither was closely monitoring the kids outdoor play. The lion's nightly appearance has had me struggling to maintain a residence of peace in the midst of an onslaught of opportunity for fearfulness.
Yesterday, The Dolphin Goddess, Mist and I went on a Nordic Hike together. It was great fun and a temporary distraction for me. We met at the end of my drive and hiked a good 4-5 miles together. We giggled and laughed as we discussed a wide variety of subject matter. The Dolphin Goddess had us really excited about training for a "Fun Run" until we later discovered it was 7 1/2 miles long. That put a bit of a damper on the "fun" of the run. Maybe we will find one not quite that far ;-) The idea of training together for something like that does excite me though. After telling about, OK, boasting a little about my recent date night, the girls began fervently discussing the Olympic Games. I hadn't really been keeping up on that, and rather than display my vast ignorance on that subject, I tried to add in a few wise comments (just to stay in the conversation). Here's a tip for my readers - nod your head and add "yes, they will probably make a movie about her". Smile, act nonchalant, and pretend you are well versed in whatever subject it is that you are painfully ignorant in. This works well among medical professionals as well. Say nurse Sally and Paramedic Freida are discussing the latest trends in cardiology. Frieda is the daughter of a Cardiologist and her mom is manager of the Heart Surgery Wing. Sally listens to all the latest medical journal lectures on line. She's single, has no social life and so well studied, she knows how to interpret cardiac rhythm strips blindfolded. I sit down with them in the cafeteria sipping a soda. They are in a passionate discussion. To save face, I must not say "?duh? and look ignorant. I must smile, nod and add in some trite, barely heard comment, agreeing for the most part about what is being said. Now if they begin discussing the subject in Portuguese, then I have no choice but to throw in the towel of stupidity. At any rate, The Olympics was a relatively safe subject to pretend to know something about. Truthfully, the only thought that came to my mind was "I wonder how Kim over at "Homeschooling a Handful" is enjoying it. "Am sure looking forward to her post." That's when I must acknowledge that I spend too much time blogging and not enough time in the rest of the world.
OK, enough of my corny humor! Here's my so late, I almost didn't do it Perfect 10 Post :
1. Yes, I ran or hiked on most days.
2. Sit ups - better, but still not 5 days this week.
3. Healthy idea in my kids daily - yes, mostly. Too bad my idea today was brownies and ice cream which everyone unanimously followed suit to (ouch)! Really, been logging that and so I am mostly feeling good about it.
4. Current
5. Water - yes, until a few days ago! Fruit - yes, Veggies - mostly
6. Burn rather than Binge - for the most part.
7. Hair - Done
8. As discussed above
9. Biggest Loser Challenge - Done
10. Done and then some!
* Something about myself - hmm..... this is always so hard to think of! Well, ok, when I was in kindergarten, I told my principal that I was going to be the first woman president. His wife never liked me much. I began my relationship with her when she interviewed me for kindergarten. She came and sat on our patio overlooking the lake. I brought up a "chicken a goo goo pot pie" (made of sand) and dumped it into the lap of her fancy dress. She was quite displeased and told my grandmother that I was not ready for kindergarten. My grandmother was distraught about the ordeal. Later on, when she finally let me into school, she popped up in many grades of my schooling. She was the substitute teacher. She continued to not like me much, and the feeling was mutual. She always wore brown, entertained a scowl and I was sure to get into some kind of trouble with her in charge. Despite my checkered past with the principals wife, my principal was a kindly man and he liked me well enough. I went to the same school Kindergarten through 6th grade. After that, they closed that little school house, never to open it again. It would serve as a place of many good memories for me. After that, I never went to the same school for more than 2 years at a time. I went to 6 different schools during my 7-12th grade years.

Recent Lion and Eagle shots courtesy of our neighbor

The Lion Feasts in BROAD DAYLIGHT

08:45 AM (right about the time I was getting home from my night shift at the hospital). He's dining in broad daylight in my neighbors front yard.

03:19 - I'm at work, my husband and children are sleeping peacefully. Under the cover of darkness the lion feasts.

The carcass this morning when I got home.

The carcass yesterday when I left for work.

In a shallow grave, at a distant place in the mountains lie the remains of a buck once full of life, strength and vitality. Just night before last, he was free to roam in the rocky terrain outside my home. His nostrils inhaled the fresh spring air and he playfully chased does across my yard. Last night the deathly predator returned again to feast on his remains…………….
As I drove the hour long stretch that lead to my home deep in the forest, I wondered if the lion had returned to unearth his prey and feast. He’s a brazen cat, undaunted by committing the slaughter in my neighbor’s front yard. He also wasn’t too concerned about covering his tracks. As you can see by the photos, he left the buck only partially buried yesterday. According to a neighbor’s trail camera, he came under the shadows of darkness at 3am to dine. Today, when I arrived home from my night shift, the carcass was almost fully covered, so I knew he’d been there. What I didn’t know was that I just missed him. Another shot on the trail camera shows that he feasted again just before or just after I drove in from my night shift. I switch vehicles about 20 feet or so from where the carcass is buried. If you look hard at the photos, you can see my green truck in the background.

Dressed to Kill and The Lion's Kill

On a dark, damp night lurked a rather large, magnificent lion hunting his prey. He moved swiftly and stealthily through the shadows, not bothered that he had found his way into civilization. His eyes were on a buck, and he followed it right into mans front yard. There he sprang upon it with all his brute force. His cunning maneuvers, his quick pounce, his deathly jaws and the buck was gone before it even knew it was dead. There the lion feasted on the bucks front quarter and there he partially buried it. He would have a carcass to feast on for several days to come, apparently not caring that it was in our neighbors front yard.
Some time that night, unaware that not 10 feet away was (or would be) a kill, my husband and I returned home from our date. As usual we unloaded the Suburban into a 4wd truck with chains on it parked at the bottom of our hill. Little did we know, that the lion was most likely near by......

"Aren't you ready yet?" my husband asked incredulously. I flitted around from room to room doing many small tasks that probably were of little benefit. I had spent the better part of the day preparing for our "date". I'm not sure I have spent that much time getting ready for anything since high school. I abandoned any idea of housework and took to painting my finger nails and toenails. Of course Moonbeam wanted her toenails painted as well! I tried on several combinations of attire which I modeled for my husband. I even dug out my old curling iron! After about 15 minutes of that, I got my hair stuck in it and panic stricken, brought the mess to my husband to help me get untangled from its searing clutches. I had loaded everything but the kitchen sink into the transport truck and set out some of Moonbeams favorite snacks. I'm not quite sure what took so long, but I was unable to accomplish anything but getting ready for my date the entire day.
My husband was incredibly dashing. He was wearing solid black pants and top. Something about it was very enchanting, though Artdog thought the ensemble resembled PJ's. He opened doors for me, and insisted that I chose a nice restaurant. When I picked a steak house, he thought it may not be nice enough. I felt lavished with romance and giggly like I was back in high school. Since he had some errands to run, I had him drop me off at my old standby, Porgies Consignment. I brought in some things the kids had outgrown. Old Porgie grinned and grinned when I asked him which restaurant he recommended. He told me to go to "La Mexicana Bonita Biga Bucka Spenda" He told me to order the garlic prawns. "That will knock a buck or two" he said winking slyly. "Its the only place I eat at in this town". Taking Ol' Porgies suggestion, we arrived at the fancy Mexican establishment. My husband insisted I order whatever I wanted. It's been a long long time since we've done anything like that. I decided to go for it and ordered the Prawns. Oh what a wonderful dinner they were! Some were spicy. Some were in garlic butter. Some were wrapped in bacon with cheese on top. It also came with rice and beans. It was divine dining, and the plate was about 2 - 3x the size of a normal dinner plate. I've never ordered prawns and seen that many. My husband ordered a steak. That was good too. Oh dear, I better stop talking about food, now I'm getting hungry. It was an incredibly romantic date. All I can say is WOW! It was a Cinderella experience.
The next day, as I was out running off all those prawns (doubtful), I had a strange, eerie feeling. I started praying that I wouldn't get attacked by a lion. Of course, by then, he was probably full. This afternoon the neighbor discovered the bucks carcass in his yard. I'd run right by it and not noticed. Its in plain view, not ten feet off our property. Tomorrow when I get off from work, I will be anointing our property with oil again. I do that every so often a symbol of dedicating it to God. The kids won't be playing unsupervised. I will be giving my best pitch about getting a dog again. In the morning, when I get off from work, I'll be getting out of my truck and getting into the other one to drive up our driveway. I'll see first hand how much the lion ate tonight. Its a creepy feeling knowing he's around. In the big city where most of you live, muggings, rapes, murders happen every day. Crime is all around and you can't get away from it. You buy security systems. You don't go certain places after certain times. Here crime is rarely a threat, but wild beasts roam unhindered. They are everywhere. More the threat are the ones you don't know of. What can any one do on this earth but pray and trust God? There is an element of danger every place on the face of this earth. I have come to find my only true reliance is in trusting God. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite chapters.
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Psalm 91 (NKJV)
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him,And show him My salvation.”