No Poo Update

For those who want an update on my 2 month old science experiment with abstaining from using shampoo.... The recommendations from my reading off the web did not work for this momma. Here is what is working: I use 1 T. of baking soda in warm water to wash my hair. I wet my hair with warm water, turn off the shower and massage my soda mixture into my hair and scalp for a minute or so. Then I rinse thoroughly with warm water. Then I close out with cold water to close the cuticles. My hair looks beautiful today and is holding a curl nicely. It will likely look clean for at least 3 days and sometimes more. The Apple Cider Vinegar rinse used according to directions left my hair waxy feeling and dull looking and made me feel grimy and grumpy. For what it's worth....

Chapter 4/Day 4: A New Definition for Exhaustion

After the best night’s sleep of the whole ride, we awoke to Gary frying bacon and cooking eggs and biscuits in the kitchen. Sharon invited her dear, little mother Jonnie Weaver to join us for breakfast. Amongst all these goings on here came Pete Gonzalez to retrieve his errant dog, Hercules. I thought “Hercules” was aptly named. Seemed he made a habit of escaping the confines of his world and his owner was growing impatient with his escapades. Mr. Gonzalez loaded Hercules into the back of his old pickup. The dog was trembling and I was fairly certain he knew he was in trouble. Sharon and I said our goodbyes to Hercules. I tried to get a good picture of him but he was like a child in hyper mode. I really appreciated the part Hercules played in our meeting of our new friends the McMullen’s.
4’ 7” 78 year old Jonnie was this beaming and excited schoolgirl of an audience. She loved us and we her the moment we met her. As our story unfolded from the day before and we told her the story of God’s provision through a hyper dog, Jonnie said, “God knows where to send people.” As we bowed our head before our breakfast, Jonnie wept as she prayed for us. It was the most endearing moment of our trip and I will always remember her earnest prayer on our behalf. We talked of other opportunities to help strangers in the past and we talked of all our animal friends from dogs, roadrunners, skunks, raccoons and owls.
As much as we hated to, we needed to be on our way. It was Sunday morning and pushing 11:00 when we said our goodbyes. The McMullens contributed pecan halves and a jar of crystallized honey to our stash of food. And we were off to our adventures. Unfortunately the wind was kicking up from the south as we headed southeast. A mile or so up the road we realized we had left our battery recharger plugged in the electrical outlet in “our” bedroom. Rick gave Gary a call on his cell phone and here came our chivalrous host with our recharger and offers of a money loan for the rest of our journey. We declined on the money.
I am so glad we didn’t bike over the Caprock Canyon in the dark. For one thing it would have been dangerous. For another we would have missed the beauty and drama of the canyon in the dark. And furthermore, we would have missed our friends Gary, Sharon and Jonnie.
Quitaque (pronounced “kitty-quay”) was quiet as we approached that Sunday morning. The only activity in town was The Sportsman Bar, Grill and Lodge there on the main drag. Hot and thirsty we pulled in. My husband as usual was thinking “hot meal.” I was thinking “not a good idea” because the day was heating up fast, we just ate breakfast and we had a long way to go to against the wind to Matador. As we entered the crowded, dark, small room, our eyes adjusted to see a lot of friendly faces watching us as we entered in full dress. We quietly took a booth in the corner trying not to draw any more attention to ourselves. In the booth next to ours, Jim Messer sat with his daughter, Jessi, on his lap, his son Jake next to him and his wife Misti on the other side of the booth. Misti said, “Did I see ya’ll yesterday standing in front of The Texan Motel in Panhandle?” We had a fun visit. Jim sent Jake home to retrieve some cross stickers for our bike helmets with WWJD on them. We helped ourselves to the veggies on the all you could eat buffet. We enjoyed visiting with locals Donna Hamilton, Doug Bingham and his mother, Gail, Walter Arnold, Jim and Donna Taylor and others. Eager to get going, not wanting to get stuck in the dark again, we say our goodbyes. It was now pushing 1:00 and it was 40 miles to Matador. Not good. We biked to Turkey the home place of famed musician Bob Wills of the Texas Dough Boy fame. The streets were deserted as we rested on the main drag there in Turkey. Rick was dragging this day really lagging to the rear as he tried to digest his too large veggie meal. At Turkey we turned south and was unpleasantly shocked at the tenacity of the wind that we now took full force in the face. We settled in for a very difficult leg. Not only was it windy but it was 84 degrees by this time. The traffic was slim so that was one good thing. Once I looked back to check on Rick’s whereabouts after fighting tooth and nail with the wind. I could ascertain that Rick was in the ditch. Our cell phone was no help. We had no reception plus the wind was too great to talk. Begrudgingly, I turned back to check on Rick. What had taken me 10+ minutes to bike against the wind I now covered in 1 minute with the aid of the wind. It was 6 p.m and Rick was fixing a flat. He found 2 cactus spines penetrating his tube. I watched the jackrabbits in their flight across the fields as he kept trying to fix that flat. The wind blew dust in his efforts and our green slime kept obstructing his view. His judgment was a bit off as he wasted precious minutes trying to repair the flat. I finally suggested he change out the tubes and fix the flat in our hotel room. Actually the break from the dispiriting fight with the wind was much needed. As we got back on our bikes, I saw a green sign in the distance that I knew would have the mileage to Matador on it. I prayed that it would say 10 miles. I could handle that. As I approached the sign and squinted to make out the numbers, I read 20 miles. This was one of the lower points of our trip. 20 miles in this wind translated to 4 more hours of toil. The sun was fading just as fast as we were.
At 7:40 we stopped to put on our lights. We were at a little place called Whiteflat complete with historical marker, old school house and the haunting hoot of an owl. Miraculously the wind started to die down. Rick spat out the word “copasetic” as he described the reprieve from the wind. We discussed the origin of the word copasetic. We talked to our son, Lane, at this point. Lane was truly conscientious about checking in with us to keep up with our progress. His calls were a huge encouragement to us.
My diary entries for the day say “Downhill doesn’t count if you can’t coast! I feel buffeted and rebuffed by the wind. I feel scolded. I feel like Job.”
In the middle of the road, I found a large rubber hoop identical to the ones our dog Moose loved to play with so we had to add that to our stash. At 7:54 Brian Smith, deputy sheriff of Motley County stopped to check on us. “Someone called and said they had passed 2 bikers and that they looked beat. They just wanted us to check on you.” Brian offered us a ride as dusk settled in earnest. We declined. Brian verified that there was a room at Billie Dean’s in Matador. We pulled into Billie Dean’s at 9:40 exhausted, relieved and a little numb from another hard day. Billie Dean didn’t answer her front door but I was reassured as I saw the lit up vacancy sign. I went around back, knocked and she answered that door. She checked us in; we cleaned up, made some phone calls and went gratefully to sleep.

What really happened.... Menu day 1 updated

Scrap the Alpine Chicken. Don't even waste your time. It was good but..here is a wonderful substitute that is easier, tastier, less time consuming and more kid friendly.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Get out your old, pitiful looking 9x13 pan from your great grandmother's. Put in a layer of thawed chicken tenders. Cover the chicken with a layer of the best deli ham you can buy with no nitrites/nitrates. (Yes, I said "ham.") Cover the ham with layer of swiss cheese slices. Cover the swiss cheese with lots of homemade bread crumbs. Dab on 6 tablespoons of butter here and there. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Deliciouso!

We settled for baked potatoes instead of twice baked because of a time factor. I served with diced onion tops from the garden, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Yum!

The Salad was wonderful but a bit too costly. My boys stated they would just rather have a plain ol salad rather than with the fruit. But keep the Spinach Salad Recipe. It is a crowd pleaser at church functions/pot lucks. Colorful, healthy and tasty. I could not find Caroline's Orange Poppy Seed dressing at Wal-Willy so improvised with fresh orange juice and balsalmic vinegar.

The Strawberry shortcakes were delicious! Very, very good. Dave made the biscuits very thin so I put one biscuit down, covered it with strawberries and whipped cream and then repeated with another thin biscuit, strawberries and whipped cream. Skip the kiwis;they did not add as much color as I thought and the strawberries were sufficient.

Sunday we had beans and rice, rice and beans at church. They were delicious.

Fool Proof Beans
Soak your beans in water for 12-24 hours. Pour off water and rinse. Cook for 3-10 hours, whatever your time factor is; the longer, the better. Add plenty of salt and garlic powder to taste. For the last 30 minutes of your cooking time, pour in a can or 2 of Rotel and as much Cilantro as you like.

Well I never measure but the recipe looks something like this:
3 cups of beans and cover with water and soak as above.
Rinse the beans after soaking, put in crock pot and cover with water and then some. Add 1 T. salt and 1 T. garlic powder and 1 T. onion powder or whatever to your liking.
Add 1 can of Rotel, cilantro to your liking and a cup of sour cream. You just can't go wrong with this recipe. Throw in some brown rice the last 2 hours of your cooking time for a complete protein. Just remember to add some more water for the rice. A cornbread recipe will be forth coming.

I thanked God for the beauty of the day yesterday and then apologized that I wasn't out in it. So that is where I am heading now: OUTSIDE!

So there you go.

More later

Oh, Wife of Noble Character...

You are worth more than rubies. You work eagerly with your hands. You provide food for your family. You get up while it is still dark. Your arms are strong for your tasks. Your lamp does not go out a night... From Proverbs 31.

Hello exemplary friends,
I have disciplined myself to sit at the dining table this a.m. to prepare menus for the next 28 days. It has been fun to review all those recipes from my childhood and early marriage. No, sit down;no standing ovation. Please withhold your praise. This is a rare effort indeed. I usually just float along. But as ol Ziggy Ziglar says so well, "If you aim at nothing you hit it every time!" So here is the contract I am making with you, women who love the Lord. I will tell you my menu in advance, share recipes and shopping lists. I will track how much each meal costs and, just as importantly, time expenditure! Then I will tell you what REALLY happened in real life. Is that a deal? Company is coming tonight so I am planning a yummy and colorful meal. Remember: Presentation is everything! We will eat outside on a card table clothed in an antique table cloth under the willow tree. I'll probably have a tiny bouquet of wine cups and perhaps a candle on the table. No other company is scheduled for the week, so this is a bit elaborate. But company is so worth it! Whoops! But isn't family more worth it!!

Tonights meal plans:
Alpine Chicken
Spinach salad
Twice baked Potatoes
Strawberry Shortcake

I better get busy!

Menu #1

Alpine Chicken

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
2 cups celery
2 cups herb stuffing
1 cup mayonnaise (may substitute buttermilk or soured milk)
¾ cup milk
¼ chopped onion (add more if you want. You can never go wrong with onion)
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
Sliced Swiss cheese
Sliced almonds

Combine all ingredients except cheese and almonds. You may add 3/4 cup chicken broth to make moister. Pour half of chicken mixture in your prepared 9x12 inch pan. Cover with cheese. Pour in remaining chicken mixture. Bake covered 50 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes more. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top and bake 30 minutes more.

Serves 12 and freezes well.

I can already tell you that I am cutting the cooking time in half. No way I will heat up my oven and house for that long. The chicken is already cooked so no concern there. Also, if you aren’t too fond of celery try it anyway. Learn to love celery! Or you can cut it in half and substitute diced carrots for some color.

Make your own herb stuffing. Squish 6 slices of bread (old bread, uneaten toast, stale crackers, etc.) a slice at a time and make into bread crumbs in your blender. Add Italian seasonings and salt. You don’t have to buy the expensive stuff.

This is the first time I have made this although I have eaten it once. Very good. I will let you know “the rest of the story.”


Twice Baked Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes
1 stick of butter
1 cup sour cream
½ to 1 cup of warm milk
1 t. salt
1 cup grated cheese
Additional grated cheese and paprika

Scrub potatoes and prick with fork. Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 425 degrees or until potato gives way under slight pressure. Half potatoes length wise and scoop out all potato pulp, leaving shells intact. Mash potato pulp with mixer to get out the large lumps.

Add sour cream, butter and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Mixture should not be too thin. Add salt and beat until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup of cheese. Mound into potato shells. Sprinkle with extra cheese and paprika.

Place on freezer tray to harden. Wrap individually and store in freezer bags. To serve unwrap and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees 45 minutes until top begins to brown.

Again, I have eaten these many times at my mother’s table but do not remember making them myself. I’ll let you know what happened!




Spinach Salad (if you don't try anything else on today's menu, try the spinach salad)

1 bag of spinach or mixed greens
1 small can of mandarin oranges
1 small container of fresh blueberries
Sliced almonds
Caroline’s orange poppy seed dressing to taste

Mix and serve. Delicious and beautiful!


Strawberry Short Cake

Make a batch of homemade biscuit dough.
Make a batch of homemade whipped cream.
Slice a batch of home grown strawberries.

Biscuits

1/3 cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 ½ t. baking powder (aluminum free)
¾ t. salt
¾ cup milk

Form your biscuits and bake in 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

You can double your recipe and put half of the batch in your round cake pan and the other half in another round cake pan and then bake.


Whipped cream

Buy one pint of whipping cream. Add 1 t. vanilla and powdered sugar to taste—say ¼ cup at the most. Whip on high speed until the consistency you like. If you whip too long you will make butter.

Assembling your Strawberry Short Cake

Cut your cooked biscuits in half with a sharp, serrated knife. Ladle on the bottom of your biscuit sliced strawberries, then whipped cream. Cover with top portion of biscuit, ladle on strawberries and top with whipped cream. You can sprinkle on some diced kiwi for added color and yum.

Okay, I will let you know what happens with these lofty plans….

Don’t worry. Most of the other recipes I’ve chosen for the rest of the month are cheaper, more kid friendly and quicker.

Porter-Bradford Sabbath Cabin

Sonflower Camp and Beyond....

Dear friends,
Ya'll pray for me to get going with plans for Sonflower Camp for Kids With Disabilities. It will be June 9th, 10th, 11th with a swim or horseback riding event on Friday the 13th.

Pray for me, too, as I send out invitations to our respite cabin now officially named "Porter-Bradford Sabbath Cabin." The cabin was built last year largely by my husband, Rick, and son, Dave, with help from anyone who wanted to participate. Some of the materials that Rick incorporated on the inside of the cabin came from my great grandparents' (Porter) old home place which my grandparents and my Dad and siblings (Bradford)also lived in. Scripture and the Holy Spirit have been impressing on me for some time now the importance of a sabbath rest, a time of renewal, a time of evaluation and review, a time to focus on the Lord and our relationship with Him. Hence the name "Porter-Bradford Sabbath Cabin." The Sabbath cabin was primarily designed to be a place of respite for families with disabled children. Either the parents or caregivers can come for a quiet get away by themselves or bring the whole family. Other purposes for the cabin that we envision are for those in ministry needing some solitude, those Mom's and Dad's with large families who can't afford to get away or have difficulty finding the time to get away, returning missionaries on furlough, people who are just flat out needing a break,those who are grieving, etc. I think you are probably getting the vision by now, eh? Shhhhh; Quiet now: I've been slipping out there myself late at night in the dark in my white night gown with Cowboy, the pup, escorting me. I'm sure I might seem an apparition to the poor neighbors! But, yes, I too am in need of a serious break from routine. And so are you! Listen to me: Take a break every week. Plan it and do it! The payoff will be enormous. Lots of trickle down. Remember: God himself lay in his hammock on day 7, with the squirrels scolding him, a cat on his chest and a dog in his lap and He said "Hey, this is very good." So who are we that we won't heed instruction from the Almighty? From Jesus to You and Me: "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." In Mark 6:31 Jesus said to his overworked and over burdened disciples: "Come with me by yourselves, turn off your cell phones, computers and TVs, bring only your Bible to a quiet place and get some rest." The Lord is wanting to spend some time with you today and everyday. How's about pushing that reset button?

God's Protection yet again

So on day 1 of bike ride revisited we spent the night in the Palo Duro canyon. It was muggy hot. We biked for an hour in the waning dusk sheltered from a tremendous wind along Sunflower trail there on the floor of the canyon. Returning to our rustic rock cabin hidden among the rocks and cacti, I bent down in the near dark to retrieve a trash can lid that had been blown off the trash can.... Lessons learned:
1. Do not get caught out after dark in the Palo Duro canyon when it is warm.
2. Do not feel compelled to pick up a trash can lid that will likely be blown off again before you turn your back.
3. Do not bend over in the dark to retrieve anything.
4. Be in your cabin or tent when it gets dark.
5. Remember to listen to and heed the Holy Spirit's prompting. Before I bent over to pick up the lid, the Holy Spirit said, "Not a good idea, Andi Kaye." But Andi Kaye didn't heed in time.
6. The only good screaming does is to alert one's husband for help. Try to keep it short and sweet because you can use your energy best in another direction...like levitating. We've all seen those cartoons: running in place 3 feet above the ground.
7. Have your camera handy so you can document just how "NOT SMART" (aka "dumb")one can be.
8. Praise the Lord for His Deliverance.

Side trip to The Cross in Groom, Texas

Just 20 miles east of Amarillo on I-40 is a must see. Jonnie and Sharon introduced this Calling Card to Christ. Please google The Cross, Groom, Texas and check it out! Wow! Get a load of this bronze as a tribute to Jesus' sacrifice for the Mommies, Daddies and others who so need healing from their abortion decision. Our gracious God of mercy and love.... Thank you!

Meet Jonnie and Sharon; Bike Trip Revisited

As we made preparation for our revisit, we were sad to discover that we would miss Gary from Silverton. He was out of town on a business trip. But sweet and amazing Jonnie, all 4'7" of her, embraced us with open arms as did her daughter Sharon. What a pleasure to see them both again. What a delight to sit at Jonnie's feet again and watch her in action. She was our hostess this trip in lieu of Gary and Sharon. Sharon is very busy with a new enterprise. But she graciously made room in her schedule to welcome us and love us Panhandle Style. Jonnie's home is a memorial to Jesus Christ. She keeps her portrait of Jesus illuminated 24/7/365. Bibles, crosses, verses adorn every inch of her home. Most prominent was her well worn Bible on a lectern residing on her dining table. Jonnie loves the Lord. Jonnie loves The Word. Period. Her countenance says her love is real. I asked Jonnie what she does when she gets depressed. She looked at me like she must have heard me wrong and cocked her head. "Honey, I've never been depressed." So I reworded the question; "What do you do when you get discouraged?" Well, she could come up with one instance in her life when she got discouraged. If she feels discouragement creeping up, "I just dig deeper into the word." All you readers out there, Jonnie loves you and would love to meet you. Her home is a place of Sabbath rest.... Here's Jonnie!! Thanks, again, God for all your gifts!

Chapter 3 Digging Deep

Day 3—April 8, 2006
76 miles from Panhandle to Silverton

A new day. It was cold, calm and clear. Eager to be on our way, we said goodbye to our hostess, Betty, at the Texan Motel. As we pulled out, Billie Poteet from the museum, honked us down. She had brought us sweaters to keep us warm. The Friendly State, indeed.
We biked south on 207. My diary entry reflected my sleepless night, “I’m tired, cold and a little grumpy.” It was calm enough for me to check in via cell phone with family and friends. We stopped to admire the VW Bug Ranch in Conway as we passed over Highway 40. 5 Volkswagen bugs were buried nose down in the ground similar to the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. We added our graffiti.
We celebrated mile 100 with a perfunctory kiss as we approached Claude and crossed over Highway 287. Thinking we better grab a warm meal, we stopped at The Crazy Little Café in Claude. The owner presented us with a copy of this saying: “Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming…WOW, what a ride!” She said she thought we had earned the right to that saying. An older gentleman with intelligent eyes and a straight face entered the café. The owner asked, “How are you?” His curt reply made us smile. “If I was doing any better they’d be charging me happy tax.”
Biking south out of Claude we rapidly approached the Palo Duro Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the United States. We were awed by the glorious panoramic view. God’s palette included cool sage, fiery orange, vermillion red against a topaz blue sky. What a canvas! We coasted 3 miles down into the canyon stopping for frequent pictures. It was 4 easy miles across the canyon floor and 3 challenging miles up a 10% grade out of the canyon. When we realized the intensity of the climb, Rick announced that he would be walking. My pride never considered walking. I was biking across Texas, not walking! I had made it this far with our adversary the wind. I would handle this climb.
Well, I don’t guess I had ever biked a 10% grade for 3 miles before. I wondered how Lance Armstrong had conquered the French Alps. You wouldn’t catch him walking. I tried all kinds of strategies to keep going. I would bike 100 strokes and then stop and rest. That worked for awhile. Then I tried zigzagging up the slope to cut the grade. Next I tried biking from reflector to reflector before resting. Rick kept pace with me as he walked and didn’t look nearly as stressed. Rick knew his limits and didn’t struggle with the pride issue. Time after time we thought we had reached the top only to turn a corner to find another steep stretch ahead of us. I made it within ½ mile of the top before I finally swallowed my stubborn pride. Yes, I walked.
When we finally crawled out of the canyon, the treeless prairies resumed. We biked resolutely onward with only one noticeable change: the wind was now against us and picking up a pretty bad attitude.
By the time we finally made it to the tiny town of Silverton, we had a new definition for tired. We had dug deeper than ever before and pushed ourselves to new heights. As Rick dismounted his bike on the Courthouse square, he lost his balance because of his fatigue and the weight of his backpack and fell. He didn’t simply fall. It was a huge, slow production of a fall as he struggled to regain his balance. He finally landed on his backpack looking up at me. He reminded me of a turtle stranded on his back. There was no vestige of energy for sympathy and I just shook my head at him. To add insult to injury, our bunkhouse plans had fallen through so we were without lodging. We were too tired to think straight but knew that the Lord would protect and provide.
The next town with lodging was Quitaque 18 long and dangerous miles away. (Quitaque was pronounced “kitty quay” as in “get away to Quitaque.”) The sun was setting and it was growing colder as we headed out against our will and better judgment.
As we pulled away from Silverton, a big pup of a black Labrador retriever appeared out of nowhere going ninety to nothing. He had on a tight 2 inch wide collar. A 10 foot long one fourth inch metal cable was attached to the collar. He had busted loose and was celebrating his freedom. He took flight chasing 2 pheasant. When he returned to earth, he was off, nose to the ground on a jackrabbit trail. Then back he raced to us, his new traveling companions. As he chased an 18 wheeler and bolted out onto the road, I feared for his safety as well as ours.
As we stopped to put on our lights, here he came, tongue and tail wagging, tangling his cable up in our bikes. As much as we tried to discourage him, the dog was not going to leave us.
As we remounted our bikes to continue on to Quitaque, I thought again that this dog might get killed or cause an accident. Then it suddenly occurred to my overtired brain: maybe this dog was going to lead us to some place to spend the night.
With that thought, a well kept, brick home came into view just 50 feet off the farm to market road. The dog ran up to the front porch and finally came to a stop. As I threw down my bike and approached the house, I knew exactly what was going to happen next. This was our home away from home for the night.
Gary McMullen answered the door with a Texas wide smile on his face. He helped me catch the renegade dog that was my excuse for ringing the door bell in the first place. “Hercules” had been on the loose all day. He had escorted us 4 miles from his home in Silverton to the McMullen’s. As we talked, Gary strongly discouraged us from continuing on to Quitaque. “It’s getting dark and cold. Quitaque is 14 miles away. You can’t do that! It wouldn’t be a good idea.” Well, we knew that and were quick to agree. By now, Gary’s wife, Sharon, had joined us out front and was hugging her arms to herself, dancing in her bare feet in the chilly night air. Then came the happy invite and our grateful acceptance.
Within 5 minutes we were in the house and friends for eternity. “I was a stranger and you took me in….” We shared their meal, got the tour of their home, and were introduced to all the children and grandchildren by way of the pictures on the wall. Sharon told me of her darling Mother, Jonnie Weaver, back in Silverton. Sharon got our her best towels, white and fluffy. A shower never felt so good! As I slipped between the soft, cool, clean lavender sheets that night, I thought how very much God loved us. Exhausted after biking 76 miles through two canyons, I went to sleep with another big smile on my face and slept the sleep of peace, perfect peace.

Tribute to our God given Friends on the Bike Trip: Meet Sharron Harris

So you can go back and I assure you all those wonderful people we met on our bike trip across Texas 2 years ago are very real. As we retraced our path, we met with Sharron from Stinnett at the local DQ. You read of our God ordained original meeting in Chapter 2 of our bike ride. She is so beautiful inside and out. What a gift of encouragement she has. You can tell she is in the word and on her knees off and on throughout every day. She makes the most of every opportunity. Isn't she beautiful? She just exudes love. We got to hear of her talented husband David. She brought her photo album of the chateaus David is building and we got hear of her darling Mother who is vibrant, full of life and going strong. Thank you God for letting us know Sharron. I appreciate it very much!

Day 2/Chapter 2 Panhandling in the Panhandle

Day 2 of our biking adventure across the Lone Star State

Friday, April 7th, 2006. What a difference a day makes! The good news about this brand new day was that the wind was mild and to our advantage out of the northwest. A cold front had arrived. It was 44 degrees. We needed to bike 67 miles today to make up for lost time. Our goal was the tiny town of Panhandle 20 miles east of Amarillo.
We were eager to get going and were refreshed by our night’s rest. We noticed that by-passers moods also seemed improved. We got that conservative, imperceptible “lifting of the index finger off the steering wheel” wave that older, farmer men offer. We got the enthusiastic waves from the school kids on the school buses. The occasional honk from a car or blast from an 18 wheeler cheered us on our way. Waves were a huge encouragement to us and I often judged the day’s success and difficulty by the tempo of the road traffic. Rick called it “taking the pulse of Texas” and this was one of the objectives of our trip. Was Texas still “The Friendly State?”
We made great time leaving Gruver and arrived in Morse quickly. We took the time to stop and read a historical marker about Gator Buffalo Camp. The town sat off the Farm to Market road and all we saw and smelled of Morse was a feed lot with its thousands of cattle and piles of cow manure. We encountered a couple of cow dogs who were unhappy with our mode of transportation. The wind was picking up significantly and we evaded these canine patrollers easily. We smelled rain as FM 136 merged with FM 207. Occasionally we had to turn west into the wind which rapidly brought back despairing thoughts of yesterday’s brutal ride.
We arrived in Stinnett in the middle of the morning. It was overcast and cold. The wind was in full force now with gusts in the 40’s and the wind chill was a factor. The smell of oak and pinion wood smoke permeated the air. The town was very quiet. Always on the lookout for an indoor plumbing opportunity we stopped at the Hutchison County Courthouse. I eagerly looked around for that someone special to meet. This was uppermost on my mind as I removed my gear in the very clean and welcoming restroom there in the courthouse. Sure enough, the Lord provided, and in walked in an attractive woman with a beautiful smile. She exuded kindness; you could see it in her Texas friendly smile. She looked at my wind blown appearance and all my gear and the conversation was on its way. Sharron Harris and I quickly established that we shared the Christian faith. She encircled me with her arms and stopped to pray for us asking God’s blessings, favor and protection on our trip. I had to smile and was uplifted because I knew God was having a good time observing all of this.
As I exited the courthouse, my feeble brain finally reminded me that this was a great photo opportunity. I needed a picture of my new best friend in Stinnett. We walked back up the stairs and found Sharron’s office. She was quietly working at her desk with that smile on her face. As we got her attention and asked for a picture, she excitedly introduced us to her coworkers. We had a great time as we showed them our map and discussed our trip. As they heard that our goal for the day was Panhandle, Sharron encouraged us to eat at the Buffalo Grass restaurant. She suddenly exclaimed, “Hold on a minute. I’ve got something for you.” I was expecting a business card or brochure but she discreetly handed me some money. “Here, I would like to treat you to supper tonight at the Buffalo Grass.” Not usually the recipient of a gift of money, I nevertheless accepted the cash. Robin Stroud, another woman we had just been introduced to, pulled out a $20 bill from her pocket and said, “I know this sounds strange but I think I’m supposed to give this to you.” Later when I unfolded the money Sharron handed me, I discovered 2 twenty dollar bills. So here we were, Rick and Andrea Duwe, penniless in the panhandle, suddenly with $60 in our pockets. We were obligated now to tell them just how much this gift of money meant to us. They loved the story of our meticulously planned trip yet the oversight of not bringing any cash. The story of the generosity of these women blessed many others as we retold it all across Texas. We felt rich and were very conscious of God’s provision through these women.
This warm interaction with these sweet and generous women greatly encouraged us on this blustery, cold day. As we left, we laughed and joked how we were going to make money on this trip. Rick commented as we got back on our trusty steeds, “God shows up everywhere.” We offered a prayer of thanksgiving. I was thankful for the money but was much more excited about the real treasure: the joy of meeting Sharron and her coworkers.
We struck out for Borger 11 miles away. We crossed over the Canadian River. We stopped to read more historical markers and to take pictures of the oil refineries that marred the rugged landscape. Thanks to the intense gusts of wind to our back, we barely broke a sweat as we climbed the moderately steep hill leading into Borger. We barged through Borger stopping on the southern edge of town in the windbreak of a building for our lunch of granola bars, fruit and nuts. I saw another indoor plumbing opportunity and met Kathi Stedman and Donna Murrow. They offered us cold, filtered water warning, “Don’t drink the tap water.” I was reminded of the scripture, “…I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in….” We exchanged pleasantries and good will wishes as we continued on our way. A cup of cold water…. Life’s simple pleasures!
Biking out of Borger the winds were sustained at 40 mph with gusts in the 60’s. Yesterday the wind was our ferocious foe. Today the wind was our friend and I wasn’t complaining! I don’t know how many times I thanked God. As our ride continued throughout the state, the wind was a huge factor. In fact, the ride would have been easy if but for the daily challenge of the wind.
We were on the high rolling plains now and had a panoramic view. The traffic was light and the shoulders of the road generous. We felt very alone. We saw storms off to the east and wondered where we would take refuge in this no man’s land in the event of a tornado, wild fire, lightening or hail storm. To the south we saw clouds of dust and soot sweeping across the prairie. We donned our rain jackets as wind blown drops of rain stung us from behind as we pedaled for Panhandle. We were at the mercy of God and fellow travelers because there were no trees or shelter. We would be barreling along at 20 mph and occasionally have to brake because of the undercut of the west wind. I would laugh as I looked over at Rick to watch the tumbleweeds and cornhusks tumbling and husking past him.
A man zoomed past us in his pickup, abruptly pulled into the ditch, exited his vehicle and I wondered, “Okay, what did I do to make this guy mad?” Not to worry. It was Robert Hemps from Dumas just checking on us and offering a ride to Panhandle 23 miles away. Yes, friendliness was alive and well.
We had much solitary time on our bike ride to think of family, friends and acquaintances. Verbal communication proved very difficult and limited because of the wind. By day’s end neither of us had much energy nor desire to talk.
Thoughts blew in and out of my brain like the gusts of wind. I thought of Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark and other classic stories of survival. The ditches were clear of litter having been blown to oblivion.
We arrived in Panhandle at 2:30. We saw Panhandle Elementary School and impulsively pulled in. Entering the administration building in full regalia we asked, “Was there a teacher who might be interested in our story?” Everyone said in unison, “Terri Lackey!” Phone calls were made obtaining permission and off we trekked to Terri’s classroom for the final 20 minutes of her gifted and talented class of kindergartners.
These kids were an instant audience. They took us apart and asked appropriate question after question. A sweet boy innocently asked, “But ma’am, don’t you know this is tornado alley?” We gave them our extra Texas map so they could follow us on the rest of our journey. We took a picture of us with the kids which ended up being one of our favorites on the trip. We said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch. I sent them postcards along the way and called and emailed Terri with further stories of our journey.
We biked on brick streets through this well kept little town and pulled into the Texan Motel, a quaint Bed and Breakfast. Betty Rhynhart, the energetic proprietress greeted us in small town friendly fashion dismissing our inability to pay her (no charge cards accepted) saying, “Just mail me a check when you get home.” Before we cleaned up we braved the wind again to the nationally acclaimed Square House Museum where we met the kind and grandmotherly Billie Poteet, administrative assistant. Satisfied with seeing some of the town, we headed back to the Texan Motel. My objective was a long soak in the huge claw foot tub.
Rejuvenated we walked next door to the Buffalo Grass restaurant and dined like royalty thanks to my new best friend back in Stinnett. We chatted with our hostess Brenda Robinson. Brenda’s mom played “Under the Double Eagle” and some Scott Joplin on the piano for our benefit.
Returning to our wonderful, warm, quiet and still room we retired early to bed. I rested my head on my pillow with another happy smile on my face as I recounted the day’s stories of provision and protection. That’s when the first train of the night came through blasting and rattling our hotel room every few minutes all night long. I finally called a truce at 2 a.m., got up and dragged a blanket to the bathroom in which there was a small table. I wrote letters, postcards and journal entries for the next three hours. No rest for the weary.

They say you can't go back....

2 years ago this month Rick and I embarked upon a great adventure: a bicycle trip across Texas. An adventure where God showed his power time and time again. An adventure that tapped into the innermost part of our being. An adventure chock full of challenges. An adventure teeming with God's faithful folk and his guardian angels surrounding us. Cindy, Jake and Jacob dropped us off 17 miles north of Gruver, Texas at the Oklahoma-Texas border in the panhandle. 21 days and 1,012 miles later we dipped our bikes in the Gulf of Mexico at South Padre Island (SPI). Well,they say you can't go back. But guess what? We did! We just got back from a truck trip with bikes in tow retracing our Top to Tip adventure and intersecting once again with some of God's very own. So read on my dear friends. I hope our story encourages you!

Perfect Peace

My grandmother's favorite Bible verse was in Isaiah 26:3 and reads from the KJV "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee." Perfect peace should not be elusive. It is highly attainable by simply doing the will of God. But first you have to know for yourself what God's will is. You gotta read The Word and meditate on it yourself. Papa's favorite verse: Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Words and thoughts. We've got to take this dynamic duo captive sisters!!! "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me," Psalm 3:5. "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety," Psalm 4:8. "In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-for he grants sleep to those he loves." I am off to sleepy land. Sweet sleep to you all. Love, Andi Kaye

Stuff and Clutter

Yet again I am cleaning out from underneath my bed.... Maybe that is why I have a sleeping disorder; all that stuff under my bed is haunting my dreams and every waking and sleeping thought. I have consolidated some of the stuff. Consolidate means to get rid of very little stuff and stuff more of the stuff in boxes so there are less boxes so that I feel like there is less stuff. Definition of stuff: things that are no longer pertinent to my daily walk with the Lord and could easily be thrown out without a glance. Some of this stuff includes: pictures, letters dating back to my early adult life and college days, memorabilia such as all those medals from running track (which I hated by the by and do not bring back warm, fuzzy memories, shells from the seashore, and odd and wide assortment of you name it. Time for an assemblage and the trash. Some of the higher end stuff includes: my wedding attire and 3 of the Madame Alexander Little Women dolls, (Beth is in pieces; Meg and Jo are in working order.)

God is a God of order and with his help and divine intervention I am going to get my worldly possessions in order. Dear Heavenly Father who created the earth and the sky and all that is in it, please help me to glorify you with my whole life. May I be a clean vessel inside and out. Create in me a clean heart, a new heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me! I love you, God, and continue to be amazed at your patience with your servant who hangs on to insignificant stuff that is of no consequence that weighs me down. That lower end stuff under my bed does not reflect who I am now; it needs to go the way of the world. Ashes to ashes! Give me strength to throw away! I know that if I honor you with my whole life you will help me to order my life aright! Thank you, God, for your help. I love you. In Jesus Holy name, Amen and Hallelujah!

I know my wedding dress under my bed does not dishonor God or contribute to any of my inner turmoil. Even sweet Beth, Meg and Jo rest quietly in their box and do not cause me angst. I think not knowing where things are bugs me. By the way, the definition of things include marriage and birth certificates!! No I do not know where they are!!

Sweet and precious friends, get rid of your stuff! It is freeing to do so!! Please hold me accountable.

Love from Andi Kaye

Blessings in my life

It has been a beautiful day in more ways than one. A busy day at that! Up at 6:45 to make Banana Nut muffies for church. Shower and No Poo. Elisha T. greeted me in the kitchen and Judah soon followed. We left for church at 7:45 with full cooperation of 2 of my favorite kids in the world. (Caleb didn't come this time.) Financial Peace University started this a.m. and I am so blessed and honored to be the facilitator. We enjoyed Dave Ramsey's teaching and then a great time of discussion. I am very excited about bringing FPU to our church body. More about Financial Peace University on a future blog. Then I got to teach a bunch a kids in Jesus Junction. I made those kids mind, we had a good time and they learned a lot.

Anyway, I count the people I got to spend time with today as the blessings in my life. Let's see: First their were the T kids. Secondly, my husband has ministered to me all day, cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry and now working on the taxes. Thirdly, there were all my friends at church. Lilianna Krahn and her beautiful children. Aggie is such a sweetie dear. Daniel just sings to his heart's content and I know he blessed those around us with his innocence and sweet voice. David chimed in behind us belting out an entire song-he is reading so well! Then there was Lili smiling like the blessed madonna she is: pregnant with twins God has pleasured her with still growing safely in the womb. Sweet Debbie Moyer held little Andrea and I think they were mutually blessed. Talk about some God loving people: Jim and Debbie Moyer. Pray for Jim: Multiple Myoloma . Then there was dear, dear Amber Witty, one of God's most precious packages! What a sweet hug from a dear friend! Of course, Chris and Judy Barnes sat next to me and they love every single kid they see--so they admired the kids perched in my lap and on and around me. I love Chris and Judy Barnes! The Praise Team blessed us all; their voices and instrumental talent was a sweet balm. That Tamaria has such a beautiful gift with her obvious kindness, glorious voice and her sign language. 'Course, there was Davy boy, pounding away on the key board. Katie Tuttle, Brooke Fincher, Andy Fincher, Harley, Yovanna, the kind man serving the BBQ from Sean's that turned my rice off before it scorched, all the folks attending FPU. It's been a flat out good day. I got to top off my day visiting with Aaron and Shelly for awhile, holding Lydia, jumping on the trampoline with the boys and multichatting with Shelly girl.
Precious sleep is my prayer for you all this night and "hello" to all the dear friends I didn't get to see today!!

We said, "good-bye" to an old friend on February 25th this year. 27 years ago, Rick picked me up for our first date. I expected him to drive up in his old powder blue pick up but instead here he came in a huge red Malibu station wagon; first date and already a family man! I was more than a little disappointed. I judged a man by his steed. Well, we married in spite of my disappointment.

We started our married life in Santa Fe. I remember trying to talk Rick into selling the Malibu. We really didn't need 2 vehicles and I thought we could use the money; I had yet to grow fond of the big red albatross. My sister, Oma, came to visit us. After a day in the mountains, driving home from the ski basin on one of those nights you could have touched the stars, Oma lay on her back on top of the car as we carefully drove down the mountain. Crazy we were.

I'll never forget driving home from Santa Fe to move to Tioga, Texas. We were both sicker than dogs and would take turns riding in the back of the Malibu. I thought that trip would never end.

We had baby Lane, stuffed our possessions into the back of the Malibu and moved to Greenwood to build that log home we had dreamed about in our dating days.

Back then we made our living from making "folk art." Remember the folk art days? We made stools, benches, pegboards, tables, checkerboards, you name it. Our studio was the great out doors. Dave came along and we would paint all day long with Dave in his playpen or infant seat observing. Lane, with a bell around his neck so we could locate him, would travel afar, exploring with his constant companion, Eartheu. Rick, the master packer, would load up our folk art wares and off we would travel, in the Malibu, all over the state of Texas trying to make a buck. Talk about living from hand to mouth....

I continued to try to unload the Malibu. I finally had Rick talked into finding a newer station wagon. We cleaned and cleaned the Malibu inside and out. We were going down to see Fen at Ewing Buick and trade 'er in. But, alas, it was not to be. Instead we kept the Malibu and brought home a pickup truck that proved to be a financial disaster. For starters, the air conditioner went out on the way home.

We continued to drive the car that wouldn't die and I, sort of, started to get attached to her. Many a kid learned to drive in the Malibu. Rick did a stint with the post office and delivered mail out of her for a few years. On a trip to San Antonio, we carefully watched the odometer as we approached 240,000 miles, the distance to the moon and back. We pulled off onto a service road and took some pictures. When we got home we had a moon party and lay out at night time, watching the moon and eating moon pies.

I've got a few pictures of the boys and their friends and our beloved Moose packed out for a day at the creek driving Jed and Granny Clampitt style.

Finally, she kind of retired under the Bois d'arc tree until Dave showed an interest in reviving her. Dave and friends made a few revisions here and there and would take her for a clandestine spin on the back roads doing who knows what. They painted a confederate flag on the top, Dave's portrait on the side, gutted her, took off this or that, revved her up and did some dreaming. If only they had some money!

Well, now, maybe, finally. My idea was to bury her out in the pasture like the Cadillacs at the Cadillac ranch West of Amarillo. You know, friends could sing around the camp fire strumming a guitar with the Malibu looming in the background. You could paint some graffiti on her. It was 3 to 1 not in my favor. The only fitting end was to drive her off. Dave got her going and put in plenty of transmission fluid. It took him pushing from the driver's seat and Rick pushing from the rear. Don't worry; I have it on tape. You could still hear her grumbling 2 miles away. Dave drove her on the back roads to the old car cemetery in Alvord. We sold her! $125. Dave Ramsey would say, "Well done."

She served us well and without complaint. When nothing else would start up, you could count on the Malibu!