come ye thankful people come

That is one of my favorite traditional hymns and it always reminds me of my parents. The entire service today was uplifting and hopeful.  As every good Methodist knows it is stewardship month and though I'm not in a position to pledge for the budget, I give what I can when I can.  The good Lord knows where I'm at.  

I hear a plane overhead enjoying the sunny afternoon.  That's a soothing sound to me and one that I recognize with pleasure.  Not like the army helicopters and air evac.  I've also heard gun shots which I assume is a deer hunter which is hard to get permission for.  Ducks come in season next week.  I'm reaching out to others for training tips for Ellie.  My friend lives on a lake where she could easily test the waters.  Gotta work on that stick retrieving first.  Then we'll see if she floats.  She will never be a hunting dog but I want her to enjoy the water like labs do.  Ain't nothing happier than a lab swimming, just saying.  

Years ago we would take Faith and Beau down to the riverbed and let them play in the mud.  Those were the years that I learned the lay of this land on a four wheeler.  Prior to that, I knew nothing about how the river runs and the sloughs.  The banks of the river are sandy and hilly but there's a beautiful view from up there.  I saw turkey tracks in the nearby fields and a beaver dam. 

That is when I claimed my redneck southern liberal snowflake self and enjoyed life for once.  Exploring is cool, especially when you have a vehicle.  I'm not much on walking all the way there, ya know?  

Give thanks for one new thing every day ~ Patti Lou Parker