I paused one day in walking, and slowed my hurried pace
To see a group of runners, begin the Master's race

Each youth was well conditioned, unmatched in strength and brawn
While round them friends and loved ones, stood proudly looking on

Frou many years the Master, had trained them for this day
The uphill slopes were many, and treacherous the way

Now finally all was read, the training hours were done
And one by one they gathered, beneath the starting gun

But what is all this glitter? This imitation gold?
And now I see them hobbled, where once their steps were bold

Though no one seemed to notice, the cause was soon quite plain
For every man had decked himself, with ornamental chain

The crowd all thought it normal, the runners' garb complete
And no one yet had noticed, it manacled the feet

Could not they see their Master; the crown He held as prize?
But then I knew they couldn't, for lust deterred their eyes

But wait! I saw another, apart from all the rest
A name was on his forehead, a cross upon his chest

His limbs were slightly shrunken, his stature not so fleet
But not an ounce of linkage, scarred his handsome feet

I saw him join the others, for it was nearly time
I saw him poise his body, the last young man in line

At once the gun reported, a solemn burst of sound
And with it he was running, running for the crown.

Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily overtakes us, and run with patience the race that is set before us - Heb 12:1

One toothless old nag.

But the bright side is that at least I'm not a teethless old nag. After a trip to the dentist today, I'm now a little less "wise" without tooth number 17, which leaves me wondering if vanillia and chocolate shakes are enough of a balenced diet.

"Hamburger... no, maybe glue!" ... are my not-so-empty threats of the near-future form of existence of any cow that I hate.

You see, what I like about living on a ranch is that each time I nearly die - and don't - I get a whole new perspective of gratefulness for life! After idiotically running for my life today, I have that euphoric feeling of happiness to be alive.

It all started when Dad and I were looking for a certain spunky heifer. We sorted and treated her and then Dad had to switch some gates to let her back to the herd. Instead of waiting, this cow goes NUTS and starts running around the pen and banging her head on the fence. Just as soon as Dad gets the gates open (i.e. her efforts for freedom were in vain since a cow with half a cow-brain could just walk out the gate) she spins around and spots me in the pen.

Her head shoots up and her neck arches and there is a prance in her step. She looks me in the eye like a fighter looking across the boxing ring. Complete with a trickle of blood running down her nose, she decides it would be polite to wipe it of on me and charges all the way across the pen straight for me. I decided that speed was the better part of valor, especially when 800 pounds of ticked-off meat is headed my direction. I spun around and started booking it across the pen. The problem was that right next to the 6 ft. tall fence, railroad ties were laid down with a nice rounded mound of ice a'top, removing all possibility of good enough footing to make it over the fence. So, running as fast as I can, I cut a tight little circle around a 20-year-old camper (ancient RV)  in the middle of the corral.  I heard a horrible ruckus behind me and as much as I wanted to throw a glance back, I skipped it.

In the fleeting moments I decided that there were two kinds of idiots. The first just run like all h--- broke loose and don't stop to see what is actually happening. The second kind takes the moment to look behind themselves so they don't look like idiots, which slows them from running as fast, and when the cow catches up with them, then they ...  well ... feel like idiots. (The opening scene of City Slickers comes to mind- but I will not claimed to have watched the movie.)

I decided I'd rather look like an idiot than feel like one. I came charging around the other side of the camper right towards the vet - whom I didn't even notice. Funny how "life-n-death situations" (or just situations of impending death) have a way of narrowing one's focus. With eyes as big as saucers, I looked across the pen. I didn't see the cow anywhere... with my adrenal heightened sense of reasoning this meant that she was still behind me and I was the only thing between her and the gate. I geared up for a second lap around the camper, being fully prepared to take as many lapse as necessary to save myself from "feeling idiotic."

My problem at this point was that I didn't want to run too slow and get caught; neither did I want to run too fast and catch back up with her on the other side of the camper. I've seen cows swap ends, and with four legs they can do it a sight faster than humans can. Since the camper is only about 20 ft. long, my original mad dash turned into a deadly blind game of tag.

Thankfully, cows aren't a quiet as Indians were, she was making a heap of noise tripping over the railroad ties. I  peaked out from the other side of the camper just in time to see her duck around the vet's pickup. I guess that once around convinced her that she had seen all the scenery that pen had to offer and she split out the gate.

With relief that she was gone, the vet looked at me and we both doubled over laughing ; me out of sheer relief to be alive, and him for watching me look idiotic and the fact that his 2500 HP pickup was not damaged. Anyway, that was all that happened, today anyway.

Now that I think about it, that cow doesn't even deserve to be glue - that's for the bad horses - I wish her fate to become dog bones... now that would be justice!

I spent a day at the Mobridge Tribune. I got to watch them with writing, lay-out and even help with proof reading. It was cool to feel like an official intern - but to not actually be one. (i.e. not have to work hard) It was fun because everyone there was super sweet to me.

I think I'll be happy with my major, because I could see having a cozy job as a part-time writer for a local newspaper - at least while I'm off saving the world the rest of the time. I like the really flexible location and hours.

There was an ice storm going on today. So to entertain the other half of me, (the unsophisticated side) I spent this afternoon pitching hay and chasing cows on foot. (Several had pushed through the fence and I had to get them back.) It was a great work out! I was just sweating (I mean "glowing") underneath a pile of winter clothes. Once I caught my breath, it was so peaceful to hear the falling ice 'tink' on the already frozen crust of snow. It deadened all the other sounds and made it seem perfectly quite, except for the noisily munching cows, that is.

Tonight I start house sitting for my pastor's family... Lets talk about... hum... a whirpool tub, wireless Internet, satellite T. V. and 5 animals!  I shouldn't get too board. They even said I could have a party! Hummm... who would I invite? I have to think about that.