Oakley is Hip

So my good, long-time friend Oakley had hip replacement surgery recently.  She's not old enough to need a joint replacement but no one remembered to tell her hip that!

I asked her if I could come help out...after all, my mom had her hip replaced this past fall and I was there...just sayin' I am qualified to help.  She accepted my offer and I headed up the road to their home...more accurately the hospital, because she was still there.  The surgery had gone well and her hubby, Big Dog (the real, true, original Big Dog before motorcycles, large & tall clothing, or beer brewers stole his identity), was sitting in her hospital room as she slept off the effects of the anesthesia.

Oakley is the Thelma to my Louise or vice versa (except for that whole driving over the edge of the cliff thing)...she is more likely to keep me from going over...she is more likely to talk me down from the edge.  She is calm and rational and generally able to see the big picture.  She is loving and loyal.  She flew to South Carolina when Pop and I were in the process of moving back to Kansas to make the long drive home with me.  (Here's a link to that story.)

And she has a giggle that when I just think about it, I have bubbles that start in the pit of my stomach and work their way up and out as the kind of hysterical laughter that only great friends can share.

While she was in the hospital, the "Blizzard of Oz" hit.  Kansas gets snow but it had been a while.  It was beautiful.  Serene.  Calm.  Peaceful.  I had heard it was coming and made sure to travel before it arrived.  It blessed me to help out...a little cleaning...a little laundry...a tiny bit of cooking (because Oakley and Big Dog had purchased smart, easy foods to keep it simple).  Then Oakley's parents arrived...they met her Aunt and Uncle there so the "girls" could attend a two-day conference and the brothers could visit.  It was a pleasant event for me.

On a side note, God orchestrated a chance meeting of another long-time friend who happens to work at that hospital...I came out of Oakley's room and came face to face...we've stayed somewhat in touch but it was a sweet meeting.  I love it when God does that!

The first night they were there, Oakley and I had dinner with the two gentlemen while their wives were at the evening session of the conference...these men are polite and soft-spoken...they are quick to smile and are apt conversationalists.  Of course, they weren't there to visit with me but Oakley had to rest and recuperate; so I was the happy participant in some of her Dad's and Uncle's conversations.  Her folks and Pop and I have some common acquaintances (some of them happen to be related to Oakley) and we share a common faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  At one point, my question to him about a news story on the television eventually routed to his beliefs and his faith.  There is nothing I love to talk about or hear about more.

I found this picture of some of her extended family to share...

Big Dog, Oakley, and their two precious daughters are on the left.  Oakley's Mom and Dad are to the right of her.
Her aunt and uncle who came to visit are also in this picture.
You might also recognize The Cowboy (Oakley's brother) and Mrs. Cowboy from a previous blog post.
The tall brunette is their daughter and she just happened to play volleyball with my niece.
My worlds are colliding like Seinfeld's George Costanza's - except that I like it!)

Oakley is recovering just fine...better than fine...she is stellar, actually...a veritable poster child for joint replacement surgery.  She had been in so much pain before the surgery that she hardly needed pain medication (which is really good, because they make her dizzy and sick to her stomach).  I had to keep reminding her NOT TO DO things.

I would have loved to stay longer but there was another snow storm coming and Oakley was in good hands with her Mom and Dad there to help her and Big Dog.  And the Four Sisters Farm cats were probably hungry.

So I am holed up at the farm...the cats fed...the ground mostly blanketed by snow...a fire in the fireplace...catching up on paperwork and some sewing.  I am also basking in the glow of time shared with a great friend.  I did tell her I thought surgery was way above and beyond what most friends do to get together for friend time...she just giggled.

I love Oakley.  I love her family too.  That is all.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12a says,

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves."

It's Like Here...Only It's There

Pop recently invited me to accompany him on a weekend trip.  Sounds exciting, right?  Romantic, right?

While Pop truly is increasingly more romantic as time goes on, this was not a warm and fuzzy invitation.  It was purposeful.  He was making plans to hunt at one of his favorite places in the world and he takes his hunting very seriously.  Did I say VERY seriously?

This trip involved preparatory work.  Did I say WORK?

We had to begin planning for this trip several weeks in advance.  We had to shop.  We bought fabric.  We bought PVC pipe.  We bought weatherproof foam.  Then we started to work preparing to prepare.  That's right...preparing to prepare.  We drew out plans, we  measured, we cut, we created.  We made a sand blind and we made pads for tree stand seats (out of camouflage fabric of course).  We patched and painted an old deer target to be re-purposed as a decoy...then we repainted it...twice...to get it the right color.

Pop Scouting for Deer

Then, when it was time, we loaded up and headed out.  Pop drove while I worked on some tee shirt rugs (that may be another blog later on) and we visited on the way.  I had been there one other time but it had been a while and it was a really short visit, so I was excited to go and visit with our friends who live there...we have known this couple for a long time...we actually got to know them because they are related to other (even older) friends of ours.  They are really special people and their place is special too...It's like here...only it's there.

When Pop has gone there, I've noticed he comes back calmer.  I have known that this place touches him somehow in the deep recesses of his being.  It's rejuvenating for him even though he works hard as he hunts.  By the way, it is compound bow hunting for deer.  It is for the iron-willed, tough-minded folks who appreciate the hunt as much as they do the venison.  So anyway...

The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy

When we arrived, we stopped and talked to The Cowboy (not one of our grandson cowboys but an authentic, boot and hat wearing cowboy who rides horses and works with cattle) and let him know we were there.  His wife, Mrs. Cowboy, was still working so I rode off in the truck with Pop to begin preparing for his hunt.  We toted a camo blind and other essentials off to a tree row where The Cowboy had seen signs of deer activity.
I helped Pop set up the blind which involved a lot of thought on his part.  He had to determine the right place for it most importantly.  Setting it up was easy...it's sort of a pop up nylon tent thingy...then the hard work started.  We had to camouflage the camouflaged blind with branches and brush and make it nearly disappear into the tree row.  In the process, I walked into a tree limb and got a nice scratch on my forehead and tripped while walking and did a nice belly flop on the ground.  But my best trick was when I felt something crawling up my leg.  Turned out it was just a long piece of tumbleweed that had sneaked up in between my jeans leg and boot...the harder I tried to shake it out, the higher it "climbed" up my leg!!  I nearly disrobed to get rid of it...it all happened SO fast!  Pop just shook his head.  I think he felt sorry for me in a "bless her heart, she's pitiful" sort of way.  Oh well...I would do it again...all of it...because besides spending time with Pop, it allowed me two incredible things.

1.  I got to see why he loves hunting there, and 2. I got to spend some time with The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy.
(We got bonus time with one of their three awesome offspring as well.)

This place where The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy live and work is incredible.  It is beautiful and it is peaceful...It's like here...only it's there!  There is a river.  There are trees everywhere - the cottonwood tree branches were loaded with golden leaves that reflect the rays of the sun.  There are miles of land to be explored.  Hills to climb.  Rocks to study.  History to learn.  It is an incredible place.

Like Four Sisters Farm, it is peaceful...it is much larger and offers a wider variety of beauty...but it is the peace that makes it feel like here.  It is lovely... incredibly lovely.  It's like here...only it's there.


Mrs. Cowboy and I tagged along for part of the time we were there keeping Pop and The Cowboy company while they did some of the prep work.  We visited about all kinds of important heartfelt matters and mulled over some of the world's problems.  We also perused catalogs and pins on Pinterest while we talked about their plans for renovating their kitchen (and then some).

We looked at rocks, found some old bones (probably cow bones) near the river bed, marveled over God's creation, and compared notes about grandchildren, among other things.

We visited with Pop and The Cowboy over meals and when it came time for us to leave, I can genuinely say that Pop and I had a hard time just going.  The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy are people we love.

I am grateful we got to know them...grateful for the way God puts people in our lives who share our love for Him and others...grateful for the way they share what God has given then...grateful that they love us too...grateful that His peace abounds in ways that we can feel in different places...places that make me say, "It's like here...only it's there."