Let's talk about Jesus, A Tribute to my Dad

Dad was an ordinary man who led an ordinary life, but he had an extraordinary love for the Lord and his fellow man. 

 

He was a truck driver most of his life. After he and mom got married he drove a car carrier, hauling cars out of Detroit Michigan. He was away from home most of the week. He met the Lord one night in a motel room, where he found a Gideon Bible. He went home and shared his experience with mom. She started searching the scriptures, she wanted the same thing dad had.

 One day, after several unsuccessful attempts to quit smoking, he threw his pack of cigarettes out the window and told the Lord, "if you want me to quit you are going to need to take away my desire for these things." The Lord took the desire away!

In 1956 he was put in the ministry.

                                                           Our family in 1962
                                                                                                                                

                                                

 I don't remember what events led to him wanting to be a farmer. He quit trucking and worked with his brothers on their dairy farms for awhile, but it didn't last long. One night he saw a bright light in the corner of his room and heard a voice tell him he was going to get three job offers. He was supposed to take the third offer. The third offer was overseeing a farm in the mountains of West Virginia!

I remember when he moved our family from PA to the wilds of West Virginia, to me it was very wild!. I was 5, I was sure there was an Indian behind every tree!  I blamed the separation from my maternal grandmother against West Virginia till the day Dad moved us back to PA, but it was too late, she had passed away too soon! It wasn't my Dad's fault, it was West Virginia's fault, and I carried a grudge against West Virginia into my adulthood.

When we went to look at the farm that Dad was going to oversee. The house was filled with gypsies. I had never seen a gypsy before but I was both fascinated and terrified. They were beautiful and had the darlingest babies. I was sure they were china ladies, I told my mother that "china closet ladies have china closet babies".

It was here that Dad first became my hero! I was standing on the steps of the back porch watching Mom do laundry. She was using a wringer washer and I was fascinated by the rollers going around, completely oblivious to what was going on behind me. My three yr old brother was on the top step, holding a fishing rod over my head. And at the end of the line was a hook!! At just the right moment, I turned my head when he swung the line and the hook sailed right up my nose! I started screaming, and Mom started yelling for Dad. He and the girls were out in a field on the side of the mountain. He heard Mom calling him and came in, but in the meantime I was hysterical, I was sure I was going to die. Mom assured me I wouldn't die but the Doctor might have to cut my nose open to get the hook out. That was the wrong thing to tell me!! Dad soon appeared, calmed everybody down, took hold of the hook, pushed it up a little and brought it right out! I still had my nose!! After that, I knew my Dad could do anything!

We lived in West Virginia about three years, then moved to Virginia, where Dad worked at Va. Beef Corporation. One of his chores was feeding the cows in the huge feedlots. It was my job every evening after school to ride along with him to open the feedlot gates.

                                                                 

 We lived fairly close to Washington DC, We did a lot of sightseeing around the area. Dad also did a lot of mission work in the city.  One night we were visiting the Rescue Mission, another man was preaching. A drunk man got upset. he started up the aisle yelling, flashing a knife, threatening the preacher. Dad was sitting by the aisle, so he just stood up and walked out in front of the man. The man stopped, looked around Dad at the preacher and continued to threaten the preacher,. but didn't come any farther, Some men subdued him and took him outside. It shook the preacher up so bad he closed the service. Mom asked Dad later what he was planning to do if the man came closer, and Dad answered, "I don't know, the Lord told me to stand up and I did!" After we moved back to PA, Dad continued to make the trip to Washington DC to preach at the mission every 3rd Sunday evening.

When we moved back to PA,  Dad went back to driving truck. We lived beside the PA Turnpike. Dad couldn't bring his truck to the house since the turnpike underpass wasn't high enough to get his trailer through. He would let it parked out the road at the neighbors. Dad usually left about 3 or 4 in the morning. Sometimes he would let his truck run, then before he left he would walk around it, checking tires, etc. One morning as he was walking around the trailer, he met a fellow just crawling out from underneath it.  It scared Dad so bad, what if he hadn't walked around the truck that morning?  Dad ended up taking the guy with him that day.  Dad loved picking up hitchhikers, it was his opportunity to tell about Jesus.

When Dad was preaching, he would put his all into it. When he got wound up, there were times his false teeth would fly out. I had seen times that he caught them before they left his mouth, and there were times he caught them on their way through the air, he would stuff them back in and continue preaching where he left off! He and Mom traveled several times to Ballards Valley, Jamaica to help in the mission there. He was preaching at an outdoor service there when his teeth hit the dirt. Mom sat there spellbound wondering what he was going to do. It wasn't the most sanitary of places. Dad bent down picked up his teeth wiped them off a bit and put them back in his mouth. He never suffered any ill effects from that experience.

Another time he was preaching at a mission in Harrisburg PA. After the service two Hispanic boys came up to him talking in Spanish. Somehow through others standing around, they were able to figure out that the boys had heard the sermon in Spanish. I always thought this must have been how it would have felt in Acts where the Holy Ghost fell on the disciples and the Jews from all regions heard the Gospel message in their own tongue. Its a message that is still going out to the uttermost parts of the earth.

In August 2005, Mom was in the hospital, she was diagnosed with infection in her blood. We were very worried she wasn't going to live. Dad had been invited to preach at a new congregation in New York that weekend. We all thought he would cancel his trip since Mom was so ill. He went to New York anyway and we were all upset with him. I remember him saying "The Lords work comes first" Mom recovered and was discharged, and we all forgave Dad for going away. Less then two short weeks later, on August 18th, Dad told Mom he wasn't feeling well and was going to lay down. Mom didn't like the way he was acting so she called the ambulance. He didn't need the ambulance, He went to meet his Redeemer, the One who led him all the days of his life!

One of Dad's favorite songs was

Let's talk about Jesus,
The King of Kings is He,
The Lord of Lord's supreme,
Throughout eternity,
The great I Am, the Way
The Truth,  the Life, the Door,
Lets talk about Jesus more and more..

Isn't he wonderful, wonderful, wonderful,
Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful,
Eyes have seen ears have heard,
It's recorded in God's word,
Isn't Jesus my Lord Wonderful.

Adventures with the Meyers Family Part 2

      Trailing Cows

It was time to move the cows to a different pasture on the BLM property. The children were terribly excited. Rob loaded the 2 4-wheelers onto his trailer. He took Debbie, Jaci, and Karen with him. I loaded the other 6 children, snacks and water,  onto the side by side and drove the 10 mile to Riley Butte. We strapped Reece's car seat on the seat, he thought he was king of the road! It took me about 40 minutes to get there.

There are 4 different ranchers that have cattle there so every time we would spot cattle we would push them toward a designated area.  I had the pleasure of finding a bull and a cow, the children didn't think our ride had enough power to outrun the bull if he decided he didn't want to follow the cow and would try to chase us. He stopped a few times and looked back at us but he wasn't about to chase something that made that much noise!!

Rob and Karen

Debbie and Jaci

                  Debbie would have preferred to ride on the back of a horse but she hasn't

convinced her Dad that he really needs one yet!!

There were three 4-wheelers, two horses and the side by side with a load of kids. I hung back pretty far till  they got all the cows headed in the same direction.

The children loved getting up close behind the cows. Even 10 month old Reece got to do some hollering to keep them moving.  

It only took a couple hours to get the cows moved. While Rob stood and talked to one of the other ranchers,  I took my load back home. I was only home a few minutes till Rob and Debbie got back.

Checking Cows at Crane Creek.

We always had little helpers every time we headed out to the pasture or when we drove to Crane Creek to check the water supply. On this day we were checking the Crane Creek cows, making sure they were all there. Carter Lance, Jude, and Tesla went along.  

We tried to count the cows, it seemed some were missing. Rob saw some cows off in the distance in a canyon. The terrain was too rugged to drive close to the cows so he walked to see if they were ours. The children and I waited. They were hot from riding in the back so they crawled up on the seat.

Jude and Lance decided they were going to look for mice or snakes, whichever they found first. I wasn't too worried about the snake deal, they were making too much noise to see a snake. Even the mice were pretty scarce.

They did find a dead, dried up weasel.

They all had to take part in paying their last respects.

Even though I took this picture, I was unaware that Jude had picked it up

and carried it back to the mule and

then dropped it. As I was getting in, he exclaimed,

"Grandma don't step on the weasel!!"

I did a fancy two step and missed it by an inch!!

 

Rob came back and reported the cows were the ones we were missing plus there were a couple others that didn't belong to us. That is pretty normal. We haven't gone through a summer yet that we didn't have some strays mixed in with our herd.

When we got home there were some calves in the driveway. They are still small enough to scoot under the electric fence Rob had put up around the yard. The children love chasing them back under the fence and the calves seem to know where they belong.

As we were walking into the house Jude asked, "Grandma are you a cowgirl?"

4 year old Tesla piped up, "No Jude, she's not a cowgiwl, she's a jolly rancher!"

Adventures with the Meyers Family Part 1

Cutting Wood

Cutting firewood is always a major chore for Rob and I. Since we had 3 grandchildren over 10 yrs old visiting from PA, we thought it would be a perfect outing for the kids and would give them something new to do.

We would leave the house sometime around 6:30am, drive up the mountain 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It took longer to locate the tree than it took to get there. The children would fall back to sleep in the back seat.

 

Rob would locate a tree then proceed to cut it down. I was always ready to move the truck just in case his tree was taller than he thought or if it fell a different direction than he planned!

 

 

He wasn't supposed to drop them across the road but that was usually how they fell.
We always had to hurry and clean up the mess before any vehicles came through. We were usually high enough we didn't see a lot of other people.

 

The fun part began when he started cutting off the sections and rolled them down to the road. One tree the children had to roll them about 100 ft before they could get to a place they would roll.

 

 

While Jaci was rolling them down the hill,

 

 

Carter and Karen were setting up a barrier so the sections wouldn't continue across the road and on down the mountain.

 

 

At one place we lost three sections down the mountainside so Rob cut off a big log and rolled it down hoping it would stop at the road but it continued rolling across and down the other side. Some of them you can hear rolling for a long time, others get caught partway and if we have a chain along Rob can pull them back up with the truck.

 

 

After he pulled the log onto the road.  Carter and Jaci held the tape measure so he could cut the sections small enough they will fit in our stove.

 

While Grandpa cut down the tree the three cousins would go off exploring.

 

 

 

Carter took this picture of the butterfly on the wildflowers.

 

  
                                              Relaxing till it was time to roll the wood.

 

It took two people to roll these logs onto the trailer. The trailer was loaded before the tree was completely cut up.

 

Carter relaxing after rolling the logs onto the trailer

 

 

                                                    It's been a rough morning.

 

Karen posing on the stump till Grandpa needs his tape measure.

 

This tree was a lot taller and bigger around then he thought!!

 

After we got the trailer, our three helpers rode home on the wood. It took about two hours to get a load home. The children looked like little tar babies till we reached home. We had dirt road all the way.

 

The fun part, splitting the wood!! The little boys were so disappointed they couldn't go along to the mountain so they were really eager to help split the wood. It wasn't long till they

                                    found out it was a lot harder than they thought.

 

The finished product. I am dreaming of warm cozy winter days!! 

 

We are very thankful we got our wood early. Our mountain is on fire now.

Its hard to believe the view in these pictures will be forever changed.

 

 

The Mesa Fire

 Council and Indian Valley ID

 

 

 

This is the view from our deck.

 

 

A helicopter getting water from a local pond.

 

 

Heading back to the fire.

 

Jude's Tall Tales

Jude is a six year old with a big imagination and a love for all things wild. We have big jackrabbits that come into the yard. They allow you to get pretty close before they hop several feet away and wait till you get too close again.

 

We found an old lasso that has seen its better days,  so one day when Jude was too rambunctious in the house, I got the lasso and told him to go catch a rabbit! Seeing Jude carrying a lasso trying to sneak up on a jackrabbit is about as cute as the story he told me later.
                                                       

  He had a little hoppy toad in his hands and wanted to keep it in the house for a pet.  "No you can't take it in the house, Did you lasso the rabbit?" "No he said, "but I did put this little toad on his back." I said, "You did" "Yeah," he said, "then I pulled some grass and the rabbit ate it out of my hand...but I didn't want to tell you cause I was afraid you would freak out." "Jude, is that the truth?" "Nooo," but I did catch a toad"

Sometime later I was grilling burgers and I heard him coming. It was quite a while till he walked up on the deck out of breath. " Grandma I heard a rattlesnake, I know it was a rattlesnake. I looked for it and found it. Then I petted it, then I grabbed hold of the rattles and they came off in my hand, then I fainted!!" I am looking at him with skepticism. He said "Whaaat?" "Ok," I said, "where are the rattles?" "Oh I frowed them in the bushes cause I was afraid you would faint too." ...Smart boy!!

Sometime later I overheard a conversation that he had with his grandpa.
Somebody had locked the keys in Debbie's van while it was in our driveway. We had to call AAA, after several phone calls, and reminding them that they were out here before, they showed up. Debbie had taken all the children swimming so Jude missed the whole process. When he returned his first question was, "How did they get the keys out." Rob said, "Oh they broke the window, and then reached in and got the keys!" With eyes as big as saucers Jude headed for the door. Rob saw where he was headed and said, "Oh, they put in a new window!!" Jude turned around and looked at me, "Grandma, is he telling the true fing??"

Now I know they are two of a kind!!

The Ten Commandments for Ranch Wives

1. Always take food and water every time you leave the house, whether you are "just going" to the landfill or out on the range to check cattle, take it!!. refer to commandment #2.

2. Never believe the phrase, "We'll be right back!" A good ranch husband doesn't lie, but those 4 words, "this won't take long" have been known to strike fear into the hearts of generations of ranch wives. You will need that food and water!!!

3. Always put your head on swivel mode when the rancher is riding on any implement you are pulling. The excuse of looking back at him, when you run over the square bale does not hold any more water than watching the calves so you don't run over them and miss that he fell off the wagon and is running to catch up!

4. Always carry baler twine with you. It should be part of every ranch wife's survival kit. You never know when you will run the 4 wheeler out of gas and he will need to tow you home with his.

5. When going to town for groceries. If your travels takes you close to the farm supply store make sure he is aware of that. There is always something he needs that he doesn't want to make the hour long trip for.

6. Keep miracle whip and ketchup in the front of the refrigerator. He can find a newborn calf in a 60 acre field full of sagebrush but most condiments are invisible in the refrigerator.

7. A trip up the mountain might sound like a date, but you are still expected to search your side of the mountain for any signs of elk and/or dead trees for next winters wood supply, AND remember where you saw them AND how many!!

8. Beware when he says, "Lets go out and get that cow in the chute, all you have to do is put the pipes in behind her so she doesn't back over me" On second thought, make that chiropractor appointment for yourself before you even go out, you are definitely going to need it!!

9. Always get clear directions on where he is going and which gate he is bringing strays back through. That way when he takes off like the wind on a nasty day, and your 4 wheeler just can't keep up, you can wait at the gate instead of searching for him and the strays. If per chance he changes direction and brings them in through a different gate...you are suppose to know that and be there waiting!

10. Above all have fun and enjoy life. When the waterholes dry up and there is no place to take 80 animals, you are out riding the range and find dead calves, the yearly rainfall was less than expected and the hay crop won't carry you through the winter, these types of setbacks can rob you of your joy pretty fast. "God hath not promised skies always blue...sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain, but we are promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way." So have fun together wherever life takes you.

Spring Has Sprung...It's Branding Day

You know it is truly spring when the ground is dry enough to brand calves. We like to brand around the first or second week of April. It gives the calves time to heal and it gives us a week or so to watch them before we send them out to the wide open rangelands. It doesn't always work that way. Last year we had to brand them at their summer grazing ground. There was so much mud to deal with. That is more stressful for the rancher and the calves!!

Some of them will spend the summer here. The creek is still flowing. Hopefully our springs rains aren't over yet.

 

Branding day dawned clear and cold. Our neighbors, Jimmy and Lisa, arrived on their horses ready to round up all the cows and calves. With the help of their dogs they had the whole herd in the barnyard in short order.

 

 

As they separated the cows off and pushed them back out to the pasture, Rob and I took the hay out and fed it. This gave the  mama cows a slight diversion while the calves were getting vaccinated, castrated and branded.

There were four ropers. They would rope the calf's back legs then drag them to the guys holding the Nordfork. The guys would slip it over the calf's head and it holds the calf still, as the ground crew does their jobs, fast and efficiently!  :)

                                                                

 

 

Once in a while the roper will pull the calf in too fast or the guy on the ground is too slow, and the nordfork misses the mark. Branding is all volunteer help, its a time for guys to practice their roping skills, (or retired ranchers to see it they can still rope) and help us at the same time. It's also a time for fellow ranchers to get together and help each other.

Lisa dragging in a calf.

                                                         Jimmy dragging in a calf.

Leonard dragging in a calf. 

We had friends from the Payette area come and help. We were very grateful for all the help we got!!

         Rob did most of the branding, Josh grabbed an iron when the calves were coming in too fast.

 

 

Debbie and Carolyn gave shots, I weaseled out of it this year. I didn't do anything but stand around and take pictures. I did give some timely advice once or twice!!   :)

 What started out to be a very chilly day ended with lots of sunshine. They finished  branding right at lunchtime. There were 99 calves branded, the 100th calf was born the day before so he will get branded in the fall with the rest of the late calves.