Three of My Favorites

I know, you are thinking: Sunflowers? Yes, sunflowers. I am purposely encouraging clusters of sunflowers everywhere on the property. I love the purple cosmos, too. The wild red rose bush is at the front of the house.

We're Not In Suburbia Any More, Toto!

Tonight we got together with the neighbors to the north. They have adopted two children from the foster care system, so you know they have big hearts. The man is part Navajo. He is going to help us build a riding arena. While walking the property, they admired our goats. They also told us they have a foosball game they want to get rid of. Before you know it, the female neighbor is hogtying our only male goat onto their ATV, and riding off into the sunset (photos below). The trade was a good one, because our little male goat was starting to get eyes for the three female goats to whom he is related (not good). Meanwhile, the foosball game is drawing plenty of interest from our children tonight. And, honestly, I would not be surprised if the neighbors have goat and eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning! Just don't tell me about it, please.

Update (Next Morning):
Baby goat is on the roof of his pen at the neighbor's, calling every second for his mama. Mama is responding every second.

Contrast that with Linebacker Dude's actual life experience with his mother. No one was there in his first eighteen months to answer his call. Now his rage is unquenchable. I hope his mama is having a fine old time. Who said goats are lower on the food chain than humans?

Never Stop Expecting Him To Be There!

Since we had a cloudless sky tonight, I almost forgot to look up. Big mistake! I ran in and grabbed the camera, and
the following pictures were captured. Next time I will learn my lesson, and always look forward expectantly to God's paintings! 

 

 

 

A Pot of Gold?

These are the two houses directly to the south of ours. I am sure it is just a coincidence, but since we moved in, they are both for sale! Is it our rooster? Our dirt bike? Our seven kids partying all day long every day? 

The Newest Members of Our Extended Family

Mr. Rooster is just learning how to cock-a-doodle-do, being only four months old. He is finding it hard to be the noisiest member of this family!
 

Tonight's Sunset

 

And a Few Moments Later

 

A Few Minutes Later

The sky becomes so bright as to be almost frightening to some people. Not to me. I am in complete awe.
 

You Have To Look In all Directions, To See The Unity Of God's Sky

The back yard, under the awesome light of God's evening show. The fort behind the swing is now finished, with sandbox underneath. Yes, Robin, the Mickey Mouse Club meets regularly, and you are cordially invited to drop in any time.
 

HowGreatThou Art, Part Two!

Another amazing display of color, power, and grandeur from the Creator.
 

Creative, Inventive, Manipulative, and Retarded?

An illegal immigrant from Mexico is being arraigned today on charges of murder. His name is Jose Luis Rubi-Nava. Mr. Rubi-Nava lived here in Colorado with a friend named Maria Franco-Fierros. Before murdering Ms. Franco-Fierros, Mr. Rubi-Nava beat her, as he had on numerous other occasions. This time, however, he was not satisfied just to beat her. He tied a strap to the bumper of his truck, and then fastened the other end around the neck of his friend, then sped away, leaving a mile long track of Franco-Fierros' mutilated body behind him on the road.

Mr. Rubi-Nava's public defender (that's right, this illegal immigrant murderer's defense is being paid for by the American taxpayers) is claiming that her client is mentally retarded and has "other cognitive-comprehension disabilities". Colorado law, and Supreme Court opinion forbid the execution of mentally retarded inviduals.

Let's see now. Mr. Rubi-Nava snuck into America, found a woman friend who lived in a nice suburban subdivision in Colorado, found a job, sent money back to his wife and kids in Mexico, hid himself from apprehension by police, and dreamed up a marvelously inventive, albeit considerably depraved, way to murder his woman friend.
David Harsanyi covers the story today here in the Denver Post.

I wonder if they will find a forensic psychologist who will help the killer get off. I am confident that they will find at least one, if not several who will sell their soul to help this attorney protect her client from getting the justice he deserves.

In the course of doing "best interest of the child" reports for the District Courts in Colorado, I have met such individuals in the psychology profession. They can put up a reasonable argument for any side of any issue, depending upon who is paying them for their testimony. Facts are not what matters. It is the all-knowing psychologist's interpretation of facts that is important! This is a case, however, in my opinion, where there surely could not be a reasonable argument put forward on behalf of this killer.

How Great Thou Art!

Tonight God put up a glorious sky, filled with rainbows and light. Here is a picture looking south from our front yard.
 

Fourth and Final Tier

The fourth tier of the garden is done.
 

You Can See It Coming

Last night a big electrical storm approached the house from the southeast, but then veered to the north and missed us. Lightnig was all over the sky, so I tried to capture it, even though my camera battery was failing. This is a view of the lightning storm looking south from our front porch.
 

Another Story Of Child Abuse By An Illegal Immigrant From Mexico

Here is a new foster care story. Our neighbors across the street in Golden had two teen daughters. I have previously referred to the family affectionately as the redneck family in our block. Each of the teens repeatedly got pregnant and had babies. Between the two of them, there were six babies by the time the family left due to foreclosure. Both s got involved with illegal immigrants from Mexico. The last one broke bones in the teen's infant daughter's legs and ribs, and fractured her skull. These incidents happened over several months of time. The grandma called me today to proudly announce that she has been awarded temporary custody, while the daughter undergoes a series of classes and tests. The sonofabitch who did this to the little has been deported back to Mexico. I wonder how long it will be before he is back in the United States.

Temptation

Here is the cake that rapidly disappeared as we celebrated Greg's sixth birthday two nights ago.
 

A Magnificent Creation!

Birthday boy six-year-old Greg created this castle/carriage with Legos he got for his birthday two days ago. He told me that it took one hour to put together, and he could not wait to show it to me when I got home tonight. Greg has real stick-to-itness, and loves art. It will be a joy to teach him again this year as he enters first grade.  

Roar, Zoom! Shock and Awe!

One of the really cool things about our new country living is that we are near Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and also not too far from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Fighter jets roar across the sky throughout the day. We are also near Denver International Airport's south runways, so we get those jets taking off and arriving. But it is the military jets that I particularly enjoy. Go get em, guys and gals!

A Relaxing Ride

Mother-in-law is here, so Colleen and I actually got to enjoy a half-moonlight horseback ride tonight. Coming back we could see the whole front range of the Rockies. Very relaxing, and the first time we did something alone together in months.

Yours, Mine, Ours, and Theirs

I showed Colleen all the encouraging comments you all have written about my idea to write a book on foster care from the perspective of foster parents. Her idea for a title: "Yours, Mine, Ours, and Theirs"! She especially liked MizzE's prediction that we would sell a ton of books, and asked, "Then we could quit doing foster care?"

Fighting The Good Fight

Thanks for the comments on the last post. I hope you all will not mind if I write more here in blogger about foster care experiences. That way all the posts get saved, and I can go back through some day to pull it all together in a book.

Occasionally we go to meetings of foster parents. It is so cool to see the love these people give to the children in their care. I think of one crusty old truckdriver dude who just melts when his foster daughter cuddles up in his lap in the meetings. The private agency that licensed us has done a good job of recruiting black and Hispanic foster parents, too. Many of them are extra savvy about the real world. They know what it is going to take for the children to learn the skills they need to make it in life. They know the lies, the phonies, the stigma. But, as Jungle Mom says, we all have to keep fighting the good fight. People are counting on us.

"It's Summertime"

Go here to watch and listen to Ella Fitzgerald's flawless rendition of "It's Summertime." Or, if you want more soul, but less perfection, stay there long enough to hear the same tune played by Big Brother and The Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin.

My Friendly Greeter

This tree with purple blooms is located at our front gate. I love it! Anyone know its name?

A Cactus Garden?

This morning's inspiration was to clean out all the weeds from a cactus garden in the front of the house. I got the last weed just as the sun started bearing down. The garden is on the west side of the house, and the sun hits there about 11:30 and bakes away all the rest of the day. I'm thinking I will just plant some petunias and other shallow bedding plants, then throw in some wildflower seeds in the fall.

Charm

This is Charm, the puppy who got the free ride from pasture to house a couple of nights ago.
 

More Joy From Denver!

 

Feeling Depressed?

If you are feeling a little depressed, just take a virtual drive over to this house in Denver!
 

Puppies Have To Obey Rules, Too!

Puppy gets a free ride back to the house. She followed me out to the pasture, where I enjoyed a sunset horseback ride with my sons.
 

A Beautiful Human Being

The Cook Shack--Gab & Grub is a blog I love to visit. Tonight he brings us a beautiful woman from Utah. See if you don't agree.

Toil and Sweat, But Enjoying Every Minute

I know that the rocks look like they have been laid by a drunk in places, but that was just the best I could do, and I swear the only medication I am on is Claritin. The weeds and grasses were waist high. Three levels are complete, with one more to go.

In Our Front Yard!

This is when I first realized we are living in a very different place. I looked out the front window, and there were two of my children on horseback.

Riding the Boar Goats

I apologize for the quality of these photos. My computer is still not working right. This is a photo of Linebacker Dude and Jon riding the goats on one of our first evenings at the new place. The Mickey Mouse on the barn suitably describes this blogger dude from the city who is trying to pretend to be a rancher!

Guess What? We Just Flushed Batman Down the Toilet!

Here we all were, sitting at our first real meal in about two weeks. Barbequed Chicken, garlic potatoes, rolls, barbequed beans, applesauce, a three tiered coconut cake, and brownies! The sky is dark, and lightning begins. Thunder is heard. The conversation turns to tornadoes. The rain starts to come down hard: sideways!

Just then seven-year-old Jon comes in from the bathroom followed by five-year-old Greg, all excited. Guess what? We just flushed Batman down the toilet!

You flushed a toy down the toilet in our new house? Mom and Dad look at each other in horror. Quick-thinking fifteen-year-old son takes Jon by the hand, and they go into the bathroom. Having done similar things many times before, the fifteen-year-old knows just what to do. He requires Jon to reach down into the toilet and retrieve Batman. Jon proudly returns to the kitchen with Batman looking no worse for the experience. After a thorough hand-washing, everyone returns to the less exciting activity of watching the sideways rain come down.

Exhausted, But Exhilarated!

Hello friends! We are alive and well out here in the little house on the prairie! I don't know whether we will ever get all the boxes unpacked. We moved everything in U-Haul trucks and trailers. I still have not found the cord that plugs in to post photos, but as soon as I do, I will begin posting them.

I could not have imagined how much I would enjoy this country living. The sunrises and sunsets are amazing. Between changing poopy diapers and unpacking a box or two, I have been busy building a terraced garden just outside the kitchen window. The weeds and grasses were waist high and higher. I have been pulling them all by hand to make the garden. We paid the neighbor, who absolutely loves roaring around in his ATV, to mow the grasses and weeds around the first two acres. The outer acre and one-half we have left in the native grases for the horses and goats, and our enjoyment.

The last count was one fox with babies, one cat, six dogs, four boar goats, two horses, seven children, and two very exhausted, but very happy parents. Our fifteen-year-old son has a new Honda dirt bike, and has been busy giving rides to all of the other children, and building a jump course around the outer perimeter of our property. (My job is to enforce the agreed-upon rule that the dirt bike track stays on the perimeter of the property). The house faces west and sits at the top of a hill. The barn is down the hill to the east, then the property goes uphill for the final acre and one-half, so we have a good view from the house of the goings on.

Someone, who lived here previously, planted over two hundred trees. As you can imagine, trees are a very precious commodity. I will be diligently watering them and photographing them. There is a wonderful variety, including two that are an amazing purple!

My wife wants to make sure that I am held accountable for my stinky attitude toward the whole concept of moving away from the beautiful city of Golden, Colorado, nestled as it is at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and close to all the urban amenities of the Denver metro area. This move was Colleen's life-long dream, and she is deliriously happy. That alone makes the whole move more than worth it to me.

Hillary Attacks Fred

Did you see that Hillary has come out on the attack against Fred Thompson? Apparently Fred said in answering a question that some immigrants from Cuba could be terrorists. So Hillary gives a speech at Disneyland in Orlando ridiculing Fred and trying to make him seem anti-Hispanic and anti-Cuban refugee in all-important Florida. It is a brilliant move on Hillary's part, beecause her base doesn't even think there are terrorists in the world, while Fred's base is very invested in securing America against the very real terror threat. It also shows that Hillary is worried about Fred. I don't recall her heretofore singling out any other Republican candidate. Go get her, Fred!