Every morning without fail, I leave my back door and head out back to the goose house. When I built it, it was a duck house. An influx of foxes changed all that. At the height of my goose/duck raising , I had 37 ducks and 17 geese. I also had a very big pond which was lined with heavy plastic. It was about 35 feet long, 30 feet wide and 5 feet deep. They loved it and swam in it all day long. I still have pictures of it some where, but that is history and I do not like to live in the past. Very slowly the foxes began to sneak in and carry off a duck now and then. When I realized what was going on, it was too late and the houses behind my empty field prevented use of a gun. One of the neighbors who lived down there, told my step daughter that he had shot over 10 foxes in one week. But that is history. I now have 8 geese and no ducks. None of this is relevant, however.
This morning as I stood in my back acre, I reveled at the beauty of the blue Colorado sky. Not a cloud in sight. It was not cold, just a little cool, which is to be expected this time of year. It was just that the beauty of the Colorado sky struck me as the hand of God at work. It is so wonderful to live here in the center of the United States of America that I could not help but thank God above for delivering me to this place! I fully intend to live out my remaining days right here on South Road, but can I?
I watch the news. I know that south of here, children are locked in cages because their parents are trying to escape the drug lords in South America. North of here, the Indigenous people who lived on this land since before Columbus or whoever came and they were eventually pushed back to reservations. The government has penetrated into every aspect of our lives so that we are no longer allowed the security of our own planet. In lands across the sea, bombs and war are an every day occurrence. Running water, heated homes, electric lights at our fingertips are not givens over there. I do have a radio in my bedroom that will bring me messages if the depot ever implodes. It will also let me know if a tornado is on the horizon. It was installed in my home over 30 years ago by the government. They have changed the battery twice. It is tested every Wednesday at noon. I also get a calendar every year from the same place that furnishes the radio. I am sure that it has some purpose, but I really do not know what it is. Perhaps it is the government spying on me. If so, somebody is pretty hard up for someone to spy on! There is very little outside activity in my home and the bedroom is pretty well a "dead zone."
But back to the sky that is such a beautiful blue that it makes my heart ache! If our government could spend the money on taking care of our weakest citizens that they spend on securing our borders and monitoring the rest of the world, wouldn't it be a beautiful world? My grandfather came here 120 years ago with nothing but the clothes on his back and a hand held by my great grandfather. I love my family history, and I love to go back to Plevna, Abbyville, Huntsville and all the places my grandparents lived. Some of my fondest memories were made around the oak table at the little house in Plevna where I lived with my grandma and great grandma. The school is gone now. Last time I was there, only the gymnasium was standing. The Hinshaw general store had burned. That left the bank, the phone company and one gas station. The Smith house was gone and 3 trailer houses were on that lot. The Congregational Church still stood next door to our house.
The sky in Kansas and the sky in Colorado are different. Colorado is a deeper blue. Kansas sky goes on forever. The night sky in Kansas is not polluted by city lights and I can hear the coyotes yipping across the prairie. There are more stars then one could ever count. The sky is total black with only diamonds sparkling against the velvet background. but it is the sky that fills my soul.
At least that is how I remember it.
This morning as I stood in my back acre, I reveled at the beauty of the blue Colorado sky. Not a cloud in sight. It was not cold, just a little cool, which is to be expected this time of year. It was just that the beauty of the Colorado sky struck me as the hand of God at work. It is so wonderful to live here in the center of the United States of America that I could not help but thank God above for delivering me to this place! I fully intend to live out my remaining days right here on South Road, but can I?
I watch the news. I know that south of here, children are locked in cages because their parents are trying to escape the drug lords in South America. North of here, the Indigenous people who lived on this land since before Columbus or whoever came and they were eventually pushed back to reservations. The government has penetrated into every aspect of our lives so that we are no longer allowed the security of our own planet. In lands across the sea, bombs and war are an every day occurrence. Running water, heated homes, electric lights at our fingertips are not givens over there. I do have a radio in my bedroom that will bring me messages if the depot ever implodes. It will also let me know if a tornado is on the horizon. It was installed in my home over 30 years ago by the government. They have changed the battery twice. It is tested every Wednesday at noon. I also get a calendar every year from the same place that furnishes the radio. I am sure that it has some purpose, but I really do not know what it is. Perhaps it is the government spying on me. If so, somebody is pretty hard up for someone to spy on! There is very little outside activity in my home and the bedroom is pretty well a "dead zone."
But back to the sky that is such a beautiful blue that it makes my heart ache! If our government could spend the money on taking care of our weakest citizens that they spend on securing our borders and monitoring the rest of the world, wouldn't it be a beautiful world? My grandfather came here 120 years ago with nothing but the clothes on his back and a hand held by my great grandfather. I love my family history, and I love to go back to Plevna, Abbyville, Huntsville and all the places my grandparents lived. Some of my fondest memories were made around the oak table at the little house in Plevna where I lived with my grandma and great grandma. The school is gone now. Last time I was there, only the gymnasium was standing. The Hinshaw general store had burned. That left the bank, the phone company and one gas station. The Smith house was gone and 3 trailer houses were on that lot. The Congregational Church still stood next door to our house.
The sky in Kansas and the sky in Colorado are different. Colorado is a deeper blue. Kansas sky goes on forever. The night sky in Kansas is not polluted by city lights and I can hear the coyotes yipping across the prairie. There are more stars then one could ever count. The sky is total black with only diamonds sparkling against the velvet background. but it is the sky that fills my soul.
At least that is how I remember it.
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