Ho, Ho, Huh?

 Our normal Santa backed out of his planned appearance this year (He must be a union man after all), leaving us with a need to find a new Santa Clause in a hurry.  We eventually decided to let the church choose between our two "full-figured" staff - Michael and Sterling.  We put it to a vote and Sterling won hands-down.  I think the novelty of a black Santa was just too good to pass up.  Sterling was a good sport through it all, and I noticed him quietly practicing his "ho, ho ho's" when he thought nobody was looking.  It's really too bad he couldn't wear his red "gangsta" Christmas hat;  somehow, with Sterling that would have been the perfect touch.  After the service the kids started lining up to talk to Santa, and I can't help but wonder if any of them thought it strange to see that black face peeking out between the fake hair and beard.  I think Sterling can relax, as he now has job security as the official character actor for The Journey Church. 

 We were hit with our first humdinger of a winter storm last week - we got somewhere between 18-24 inches in about 18 hours.  I went out around 1a.m. the first night to start plowing, because the deeper the snow gets, the harder it is to push. There was already 14 inches on the ground when I started plowing the driveway at the Journey Ranch, and I narrowly escaped getting seriously stuck when I inadvertently backed into the creek that runs along the front of the ranch property.  I had chains on the rear tires, so I put it into low 4WD and hit the gas . . .  and the truck jumped back up onto the road.  Whew!  I bought a set of chains a couple of weeks ago after I slid into and demolished a friend's front stairs, and the guy at O'Reilly Auto Parts assured me that these were the best chains for the money.  However, after plowing only two properties I heard a thumping noise coming from my rear tires, and upon investigation discovered that some of the chain links had broken and the loose ends of chain were hitting the inside of the wheel well.  Best chains for the money, eh?  I made a stop at the hardware store and bought a handfull of "Quick links" to re-attach the chain lengths.  My ingenius solution worked for maybe 30 minutes, and then the chains broke somewhere else.  By mid-day I gave up and went back to O'Reilly's for a refund, and I  bought the heavy-duty kind that take twice as long to put on, but will hopefully stay in one piece.

Our Driveway after the big snow

With what I'm spending on extra gas, chains and minor repairs on the truck, I may just be breaking even.  The Jury's still out as to whether this is a money-making endeavor, or a money pit.

I heard a great story two weeks ago at church.  My friend Leslie (who's stairs I demolished) told me that one of her neighbors came over to see her because she'd noticed me repairing the stairs, and she needs someone to help her with some projects.  As they talked, Leslie found out that this woman has not found a church up here where she feels comfortable, and she invited her to the Christmas Eve service (and she came).  "Coincidences" like this one bring home the truth from the Bible that says: "All things work together for good, to those who love God and who are called according to His purposes."

Freezer Burn

Journey Church White Militia

Two nights ago I took seven guys from our Saturday morning group to spend the night in a secluded (and very rustic) cabin located in the middle of 4000 acres of land about 30 minutes from Conifer.  One of the drawing cards I used to convince grown men to spend the night in a freezing cold cabin was that we could do some coyote hunting while we were there.  As you can see from the image, they came loaded for bear.  After I took the picture I told them that we looked like a bunch of guys from some white militia outfit in North Dakota.  We didn't kill any coyotes (PETA fans can now relax), so instead we spent two hours shooting every conceivable weapon known to man.  It was loud, it was raucous, it was MANLY!  Add to that the fact that we enjoyed a BIG pot of chili the night before, and I could use the same adjectives to describe the atmosphere in the cabin sometime around 3 a.m.  In the end, the wood stove kept the cabin temperature tolerable and some of us actually got some sleep (present company excluded).  The next morning we made what can only be described as an awesome, artery-clogging breakfast: eggs, sausages by the pound, fried potatoes and grits.  We all stood around the campfire the night before, smoking pipes and cigars and telling stories about the most painful or frightening experiences we'd ever had ("You call THAT a scar?  Take a look at this baby...")  By around 10 pm the conversation moved to a deeper, more personal level as we talked about how we hear from God and shared some of our most significant "God Moments".

This is why I love to get a group of men away on their own where there's no cell phone coverage and no distractions, and we can finally start to be authentic with one another.  It was a truly great outing.

     We're all gearing up for our big Christmas Eve service at the high school, and we're hoping to have up to 1000 in attendance.  I am truly amazed by the growth-rate of this church, and even more so by the fact that most of the newcomers are brand new to church and not transplants from another congregation.  We'll always have a percentage of people who slide horizontally between our church and other local churches, based on theological or personal differences they may have with us or their previous church.  We don't encourage church-hopping, but it's a fact of life.  What seems incredible to all of us on staff here is how many people have started to attend from advertisements they've seen on Facebook, or from a poster, or a personal invitation.  This is what "The Church" is all about: reaching people far from God, and encouraging them to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Blood Trail

Monday is our day off each week, and Daphne and I will often take advantage of the free time to go on long walks in the open space park below our house.  This is when we do most of our talking and praying together.  Last Monday we loaded Dixie in the blazer and headed down to the park for a hike.  It's always more of a challenge when the trail is covered with snow - kind of like walking on the beach when every step slips just a little bit in the sand.  The accumulation of a little more effort with each step is actually pretty exhausting over the 2-3 miles, and we find the need to stop more often to rest even if the snow is packed down.  At one point we stopped to catch our breath and Daphne noticed spots of blood that crossed the path heading down the hill.  Ever one for an adventure, I returned later in the afternoon to follow the blood trail to see if I might find a deer carcass at the end - and possibly a free set of antlers.  It's redneck, I know - but I can't help myself.


     I couldn't tell exactly what kind of animal had made the tracks as they were a little indistinct, but it was clear that it had lost a lot of blood in the headlong dash down the hill -- most likely fleeing from a predator.  It wasn't as easy as it might sound to follow the trail because the tracks would criss-cross each other at times, and the blood spots would be obvious for a few yards and then suddenly disappear.  I found myself back-tracking numerous times to find the last spot where I was sure I could see the trail, then try to discern which way the tracks went from there.  When I couldn't tell which way to go I would set out in what I thought was the most logical direction in hopes that I would pick up the blood trail again (which usually happened).  Over logs, through deep snow, around trees and bushes,  and back-tracking constantly I finally came to a barbed-wire fence.  Some tracks ran along the fence, others went under and some seemed to go over the top to continue on the other side.  I walked the fence for quite a ways looking for an easy place to climb over or through, and finally managed to squeeze between two wires - catching the back of my coat on the barbs in the process.  Ever notice how hard it is to detach yourself from a barbed-wire fence when you can't see exactly where you're caught?  You reach behind you and get one spot unhooked, only to catch on another barb in the process.  I finally got through and found the trail once again.  I followed it for maybe 20 yards and suddenly came upon a bright patch of blood and fur and the remains of . . . a rabbit.  A rabbit?  That's what I've been struggling through the snow all this way to find?  Bummer.  What a waste of time.


     Later that day I was thinking and praying about a particular counseling situation we're involved in where the husband is struggling to hear God's voice for himself, and it suddenly dawned on me that following God's leading is not unlike my experience following the blood trail.  At times God's voice is unmistakably clear and we know exactly which way to go, like when the bright red blood is impossible to miss in the white snow.  If every trail were this clear hunting would be a cinch, but every hunter knows how easy it is to lose the trail, and you can spend hours wandering in circles trying to figure out which direction the deer or elk went.  So what I do when I can't hear God's voice anymore, or I'm not sure where He's leading? When I'm unsure how God is leading I find myself going back in my mind to the last time I clearly heard His voice.  There, at least, I am certain of what I know to be true.  This is particularly helpful when I run up against obstacles (barbed wire fences), or when the trail is not very clear.  Then I can seek the Lord again and ask Him to show me which way the trail leads. . . and He always shows me the way.


Amazing Statistic


I just heard from Michael this morning that The Journey Community Church is now considered by Lifeway Research Group to be the second fastest-growing church under 1000 in the U.S. !  The most amazing thing about this statistic is that this growth is happening in a little mountain community like Conifer.  How would've thunk it?  To God be all the glory.

One Big-A_ _ Horse Stick

We had more snow last night, and the temperature this morning is only 1º - close to a record low for this date.  With last night's storm we've now had more snow than all of last winter combined, and we're not even to mid-December.

 Yesterday was the annual Conifer Christmas Parade, and once again our church built a float and participated in the event.  You had to be a real mountain person to join in the fun, because it was only 15º and snowing the whole time.  Near the end of the parade one of our brave church members said to me, "I think my hands would be freezing. . . if I could feel them!"  But it was all worthwhile, and we ended up winning first prize for the best float for the second straight year - go Journey Church!  As we passed by the judges table the announcer said, "Wow, looks like the whole Journey Church came out for the parade today!"  Actually, we had about 70-100 brave souls who walked the route with us, but that's out of some 500 who attend every Sunday.  But I get his point.  We handed out hundreds of flyers for our Christmas Eve service, and I could swear that we had 20 or 30 visitors at church yesterday.  The theme for the parade was "Western", so we decided to build a giant stick horse, with the head being the
Denver Broncos logo.  The pole was around 30 feet long and was propped up on two tree trunks.  Someone from church sewed a giant Santa hat for the big horse head that added the final touch.  Then we cut and painted 100 smaller sticks and attached miniature Broncos heads for each church member to carry.  We ended up looking like a herd of Broncos fans - which of course we are .  The sign on the side of the float said, "Journey Church: 101 Horse Power".  Of course, there was nothing even remotely religious about our float, which was intentional.  We weren't out to look religious - we just wanted to have fun and win the prize!  It was kind of like a giant Broncos Trojan Horse: we don't want people to see us coming.  We want to win them over with love and a sense of community before they even realize that they're part of a local church.


Even though it was bitterly cold we all had a great time, made some new friends and showed Conifer that we can still build a Kick-Ass float!

Plowing is hazardous duty

 We had about a foot of snow yesterday, and there's more on the way tomorrow.  This is good news for firemen and for those who make their living plowing the snow.  However, I learned yesterday just how dangerous snow plowing can be.  There's probably a good meteorological reason why most snowstorms begin at night, but what it means for those who plow commercially is getting up long before dawn to stay ahead of the storm - ie, the deeper the snow, the more difficult it is to plow.  Most clients want their driveways/parking lots plowed at a certain minimum depth - say two inches.  If the storm drops a foot, then it would not be unusual to plow each property two or even three times.  If you wait until the storm is over, then plowing becomes almost impossible due to the weight of the snow and the problem of where to put it all.  All this to say that you end up plowing the first time in the dark, which is hazardous duty by itself.  Add to this the problem of ice forming on the ground where you plowed a few hours earlier, and you've got a real circus act.  There are several commercial properties that I plow as a subcontractor for a friend of mine, plus all the properties I plow for free as a service to our church or to personal friends.  One of the latter has a driveway that is at least 200 yards long, and pitched at an angle of at least 10-12 degrees.  Add to this that the driveway is made of concrete, and you've got big problems.  During the last storm I slid into and over his log retaining wall, and spent the next hour and a half trying to dislodge a huge boulder that stuck under my truck.  So this time I was much wiser and more careful (note the sarcasm), but on my last trip down the driveway my truck started a free, uncontrolled slide; the only place I could steer was either over the edge and down a steep incline, or back into his retaining wall. I chose the wall.  With a huge BANG my blade hit the retaining wall, and the impact was enough to stop the truck.  With my heart racing I (very slowly) made my way down to the bottom of the driveway, but then I had to slip and slide my way back up by foot to do a quick repair on the wooden wall. 

Well, I learned my lesson about slippery driveways (NOT).  Later in the day after most of the storm had dissipated I went to plow for some friends who live not far from us.  Their house and garage are at the bottom of an even steeper, short driveway (meaning: no room for error).  You can tell by now where this is going.  Plowing their driveway presents several significant problems - namely where to put all the snow, and how to maneuver a large truck in a small space.  Turning around requires driving up the driveway and on to the road above - but after one pass with the blade the driveway becomes a vertical ice-rink.  On my second trip up I lost traction at the top, and with a sick, helpless feeling started sliding backwards down the hill towards the house.  It's amazing how many thoughts go through your mind in 2 seconds.  No amount of power or four-wheel drive could prevent the inevitable, and with a sickening crash my truck careened into the stairway leading up to the deck - and smashed it to smithereens.  I haven't cried in a long time, but at that moment that's exactly what I felt like doing.  I got out of the truck, and promptly slipped and fell - adding insult to injury.  I made two phone calls: one to Michael to ask for some help to put the stairway back together again, and the second to my friend Steve to give him the bad news ("Hi Steve - ummm, I ran into a little problem while I was plowing your driveway").  The truck sustained significant damage to the rear bumper and tailgate, but that was the least of my problems as I surveyed the destruction I'd just caused.  Two hours and quite a bit of money later, three friends from church and I had rebuilt enough of the stairway to allow access to the house.  I am very grateful for their willingness to brave the 15 degree weather and frozen fingers and toes to come to my rescue.  Had I been on my own I would have worked until late into the night to get it done.Today the weather will improve and I'll have my work cut out for me to finish repairing the damage.  I suppose there are several lessons to be learned from this experience - humility comes to mind pretty quickly, followed by the importance of carefully evaluating the risks before starting a difficult plowing job. I guess I'll be making a call to my insurance agent today.

Cannibalistic Christmas Bear

I got home from church today to find my bear skull decked out with a Santa hat, red ball nose and a teddy bear in its mouth.  They called it the Cannibalistic Christmas Bear, because it's eating one of its own.  Works for me.  While Daphne and the girls were away in Alabama I put all the Christmas lights up on the house (Daphne asked me how I got them up on the edge of the roof . . . very carefully I said), cut down a Christmas tree (a blue spruce - don't tell anyone), hauled it up the hill on top of Daphne's Blazer, drug it up the stairs into the living room, and set it up in the tree stand.  This is more impressive when you know the tree is 11 feet tall and very prickly.  I was covered with pine wounds that evening and yes, I'm looking for sympathy.  It was all worth the girls' look of surprise and delight when they got home last night.  Our friends the Larsons came over for lunch and all six girls got busy and decorated the tree.  It looks great.


Mike preached a sermon from Psalm 23 this morning.  The high school was packed again - I would guess well over 400 adults.  Anyway, the sermon was great and very compelling - great job Mike.  Before the sermon he briefly commented on the upcoming installation of our elders next Sunday, and his main point had to do with our vision as a church to encourage women to use their God-given gifts and abilities, including serving in the role of elder.  Yes, I know this is a controversial topic, and we've lost church members who disagree with us theologically on this point.  That's fine, as our church isn't for everyone and it takes all flavors to make up the rich diversity that is the body of Christ.  I do find it interesting, however, that the strongest disagreements almost always come from religious people rather than new believers (or unbelievers) who are simply trying to find God.   I'm not saying that we shouldn't exercise spiritual discernment or ever question what appears to be unbiblical teaching.  We should - in the right spirit and out of a heart of love and concern.  Unfortunately, this almost never happens, and the pastor and church staff are often the last ones to discover the true reasons why someone has left the church.  We learn to shrug our shoulders, wish them the best and move on.  What else can we do?


     One of the things we love about The Journey is the vision to reach those who are far from God and see them become fully devoted followers of Christ, and we'll try almost any crazy idea to accomplish this purpose.  In the process we see many new people join the church who are excited about rediscovering God, and a few who leave because of an offense taken, or because they disagree with some leadership decision.  Maybe our experience is unique, but Daphne and I were part of one congregation in Senegal for 10 years, then another church in France for another 10 years.  Both churches had their share of "issues", and we certainly disagreed with the church leadership at different times.  But we also knew that God had placed us in those churches for a reason, and we deeply valued the fellowship and relationships we enjoyed there.  As the Scriptures say, "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."  All too often our decision to leave a church - however justified the decision may be - results in an almost complete break of fellowship, and leads to awkward conversations when we inevitably meet up again in the supermarket; "Uhhm, Hi!  How are you?" (awkward moment of silence) "Fine, how are you?"  "Good, good."  " Soooo, I guess I better get on with my shopping..." 


  In the end, how many issues are really worth breaking fellowship over?  The centrality of the cross perhaps, or salvation by grace, but I have never personally known of a church split that happened over a truly foundational Biblical principle being violated.  Instead, we leave because we feel offended over not being asked to lead a particular ministry, or because we can't get along with another church member.  Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. . . and we wonder why the watching world wants nothing to do with organized religion.  

Boone & Crockett

Bodacious Bear

I picked up the cleaned bear skull a couple of days ago, and the fellow who does the cleaning told me that my bear may qualify to be in the record book! We measured it together and the total length plus width is close to 20.5 inches.  For black bears, anything over 20 is considered a record, and above 21 is considered in the "all-time" record category.  The closest official scorer for Boone & Crockett (the "Guiness Book" of records for all animals killed with a gun world-wide) lives down in Denver, so I need to find time to get "down the hill" (as we say up here) to get it scored.  If he agrees with our unofficial score, then I can get my name in the book!  I knew the bear was big when I saw him. . . I just had no idea how big he really was.  Who'd of thought the missionary-turned-mountain man would bag a record sized bear on his first attempt?  Not this boy.  Now I just need to get a monster-sized elk :)

I am a bachelor this week while Daphne and the girls are in Alabama for Thanksgiving.  I would have gone with them but I was gone all last week and we have ongoing counseling appointments here.  I'll be with my sister Cathi and her family for Thanksgiving day.  Daphne, Nicole and Jacqueline took a girls' road trip and spent two days driving to Birmingham to save the considerable cost to fly all three of them down there.  They had a great time on the way, and the second day they drove along parts of historic Route 66 and stopped to see some famous landmarks.  
     Karine knew nothing about them coming, even though I almost gave it away by mistake when I was on the phone with her the week before I left for Turkey (more on that below).  The rest of the family were in on the surprise, so when Daph and the girls pulled up outside the house Bill started filming.  Karine was literally speechless as they walked in the house - it is hilarious.  They'll spend Thanksgiving with the Birmingham Myers crew and then start driving back home on Friday.


My folks are in Birmingham as well right now.  Dad had surgery on his vocal cords yesterday to remove what was left of a cancerous polyp, and they'll follow up with a laser treatment when the surgery has healed.  Bill told me the growth was deeper than they'd anticipated, but that the surgeon was fairly sure to have gotten what was left. 

The hotel where I spent the night in Istanbul
on my trip home.

As I mentioned above, I was in Antalya, Turkey all of last week attending the last combined NAMESTAN conference before the region is divided into
two new regions.  Henri had invited all those who had 
served on the leadership team over the past 10-12 years to attend the last three days of the conference to honor us for our years of service.  I had mixed emotions when I read the email invitation: our leave taking was difficult for us and for the team we were a part of, and I wasn't looking forward to opening new relational wounds.  However, my time there went much better than I had hoped and I had many good conversations with former teammates.  In the end I felt like I gained some more closure emotionally, and I am better able to close that chapter on our lives in a good way.  At the closing banquet I, along with the other current and former members of the leadership team, was honored with a very nice plaque to thank each of us for our contribution to the ministry in NAMESTAN.  It was a good memory to end on.

I 

Pray for each other? That would be weird.

As Daphne and I continue to meet with couples and individuals for counseling, we can begin to see patterns developing - the same attitudes and behavior being repeated over and over in different situations.  In other words, there's nothing new under the sun, even though in almost every situation the couple/individual honestly believe that no one else could possibly have struggled in the same way.  I'm not discounting the reality of their pain, or the fact that for THEM this is a new struggle.  I'm just saying that we're all human, and as the Bible states, "No temptation has come upon you except that which is common to man..."  So there seems to be a balance between treating each situation as unique, while at the same time recognizing that God has given us principles that are applicable to any similar problem.

We recently met with a couple who've been married for 20+ years.  When they first came I would say the wife was at the absolute end of her rope, and that she saw counseling as the last option before she called it quits.  No pressure for the counselors!  Actually, we've gotten to the place where we don't feel pressure anymore because we weren't the ones who got them to where they are, and they have to embrace the hard work that's required to see healing and restoration in their relationship.  Anyway, as we listened to this couple talk I found myself praying and asking the Lord for His supernatural wisdom and discernment to understand what the REAL issues are.  After awhile I asked them, "Do you ever pray together?"  This may seem like a stupid question for a Christian counselor to ask, but we've realized how seldom most couples even consider the spiritual aspect of their relationship.  We can offer suggestions for different ways of communicating, or how to de-escalate a highly charged argument - but this doesn't necessarily require any spiritual input.  Pagans can learn to get along better than they currently do, and a happy marriage is not reserved only for "spiritual" people.  But if we truly want to experience healing at the deepest levels of our heart and soul, sooner or later we have to reach the point of seeking God's intervention.  The human heart is the realm of the Holy Spirit, and when He gets hold of us at that level it can be a wonder to behold.  We may not begin by talking about God, but at some point in the marriage counseling we need to direct their hearts towards the only one who can truly transform us from the inside out

     Anyway, when I asked the prayer question, they replied that they pray over their dinner, and that they pray together with their daughter at bedtime.  "That's great" I said, "But do you ever pray together, out loud, for each other?"  They looked at each other, then at us with blank expressions on their faces.  After 26 years of marriage this was a totally novel idea.  "Wow, that would be weird", the wife said.  Funny thing about prayer:  we're fine to pray in our heads all day long, but as soon as a situation requires us to pray out loud we get all nervous and self-conscious.  I lead a men's bible study on Saturday mornings, and after eight weeks of talking and sharing with each other - very vulnerably at times - some of the guys are still unwilling to pray out loud in front of the group.  I think it must have to do with the fact that even though prayer is essentially just talking with God like we talk with one another, it feels so much more intimate and private than other conversations.  In the end the couple we were counseling agreed to try praying with and for each other as homework for our next session.  I would bet money that when they sit down together the first time to pray for each other and for their marriage, they won't be able to do it without shedding some tears.  That's the power of prayer.

A "Fair" Event

I finally entered an arts & crafts show on Saturday - my first foray into selling my own artwork.  Boy, it's a lot of work setting up a booth for a one day fair!  Not sure if this was the best venue to display fine art prints: the gal to my right was selling glass angels, and the one to my left was the tie-dye queen.  And a sweet old lady across the way made a killing with her bees-wax lotion... she even wore a little bee antenna hat.  Hmmm - maybe next time I should look for a wild-west art show.  Seriously though, we did meet a lot of people and I got some good exposure as a local artist.  We didn't do too badly on the day either - I think in the end we made up our booth cost and then some.

   It felt kind of weird just sitting there all day - kind of like we were on display too.  It's one thing when you're selling a product for someone else, but something completely different when it's your own artwork.  In hindsight I should have hired some guy named Guido from Queens to stand in the aisle: "Hey you - you wanna buy a nice piece of artwork?  No?  How's about I pays you a visit wit my cousin Vinny some evening?  Oh, you DO wanna buy it - now that's more like it!"  We met some interesting people too.  One guy was chatting quite freely until I mentioned that I'm a pastor at The Journey.  He kind of muttered under his breath that he attends a different church (where the pastor makes no bones about not being a fan of our church) and then beat a hasty retreat.  It's sad, really.  Whatever happened to Jesus's words, "By this shall all men know you are my disciples, by the love you have for one another?"  To be fair, I did meet a great family who moved here from Georgia two years ago.  I was wearing my "Booger Holler" shirt from a restaurant in Blairsville, GA, and he stopped me as I was walking out of the gym thinking I was from there (I had to confess that someone gave me the shirt).  Turns out they're Christians and they attend a church in Bailey, and we compared notes as fellow Colorado greenhorns about our experiences in moving to the mountains.

Speaking of living in the mountains: yesterday evening Danny came over with his electronic fox call to see if we could call in a fox.  I've been trying to trap one for weeks, but they always seem to steal the bait without setting the pressure switch.  Probably a good thing too, since I found out that fox season only just started November 1st.  The fox call worked like a charm, and we shot a black/silver fox after playing the call for about 30 minutes.  This is the perfect time of year for foxes too, because their pelts are thick and healthy.  This particular fox was old, with broken teeth and diseased gums.  It took a little while to skin it, and in the process Danny says, "You smell that?  That's just the way they taste, too."  I'll take his word for it.  Once skinned it looked kind of like an evil zombie cat - really weird.
     Of course, my girls are mad at me this morning for killing it.  They felt sorry for the bear I killed too.  Hey, we live in the mountains now. Apparently our neighbors have been feeding this fox to the point that it was almost tame.  Not anymore they're not.  These are wild animals folks, not neighborhood pets!  They carry diseases and can be a danger to children and small pets.  Deer are one thing, but foxes and coyotes are predators by nature.  Maybe we should put meat out at night so we can get to know the cougars too.

Now I know why plowing snow is hazardous duty

We had our second... no, our third winter storm of the season yesterday.  I would guess that we had about 12 inches at our house by the time it was over.  It's a little hard to see in the picture to the right, but there's a snow plow attached to the front of my truck.   I am hoping to earn a few extra dollars plowing snow this season, thanks to my good friend Scott who basically gifted me with the plow blade.  Anyway, yesterday was my second time to plow "professionally" and it didn't take long for me to realize how potentially hazardous plowing can be. Hidden curbs and telephone poles aside, it would be frighteningly easy to do serious damage to my truck or to someone else's property.  Case in point:  I plow a few driveways just to help out a few friends who haven't been blessed to own their own snow plow.  My friend Tom lives at the top of a very long (200 yards?), very steep (vertical), concrete (very slippery) driveway.  During the last storm I made a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to plow going uphill.... until Big Brian (my neighbor) suggested using gravity by plowing downhill, not up.  Why didn't they teach me that at Auburn?  So, armed with this new, high-tech knowledge I drove to the top of Tom's driveway and plowed going back down.  Wow, so this really works!  Only one problem: as I reached the crest of Mount Everest on my third trip up I realized that by clearing the snow I'd very effectively created a bobsled track - but I wasn't driving a bobsled.  As the truck started sliding backwards I quickly realized that I had two choices: slide off the downward slope and over the edge, or slide into the wooden retaining wall on the other side.  I chose the wall - but my momentum carried me over the wall and smack into a couple of pine trees.  In the process I dislodged a huge (I'm not exaggerating this time) boulder that was now wedged firmly under the truck.  I spent the next 90 minutes on my butt or on my knees in the snow, digging under the boulder in hopes that it would settle low enough for me to drive over.  Didn't work.  Long story, but we finally managed to get the truck out by attaching three tow ropes to the rock and pulling it out from underneath the truck with Tom's Four Runner.  I guess I'm now in the snow plowing, wall rebuilding business.

First Art Show


This Saturday I will have my own booth at the 34th annual Conifer Holiday Boutique along with some 80 other artisans.  I'm a bit nervous, this being the first time I will be selling my own work on a large scale (they expect around 5000 visitors to attend the one-day event).  I plan to display prints of my paintings and my wildlife photography, as well as a few of the wooden signs that I've created over the past few months.  I have to build my own shelves/ walls to display my work in a 10x10 foot area, so most of my evenings and days off for the past two weeks have been spent in the garage hammering and sawing.  I'll only find out tomorrow evening (when I set up my booth) if what I've built is appropriate for the venue or not.  We'll see.  More to come!