Rattlesnakes and cactus

We enjoyed 10 days parked in the driveway of Dr. & Mrs. Monte Horne in Hamilton, TX.  They have supported our work for many years and been so generous in offering us their home.  We stayed in the RV during this time but used one of their spare bathrooms (our shower in the RV was not working right).  They invited us in to share quite a few of their delicious meals.  Ron and I each had a little illness while there so Dr. Horne made RV calls (in lieu of "House Calls") and gave us medication that helped us recover quicker. 

We told them it was very hard to leave with a Mexican restaurant next door (Rosy Horne is from Honduras) and a doctor that make house calls.  They are both very good at what they do!!

While in the Hamilton area, we went to churches in Hico, Rising Star, Cross Plains and Stephenville.  We were in Hamilton two Wednesday nights and one Sunday.  It was good to meet and get to know so many wonderful Christians in these congregations.  We shared meals and overhead conversations about rattlesnake roundups, the wildlife in this area and other stories of the country.

I will have to do some research on the rattlesnake roundups but we are not planning to be part of one!

We heard coyotes in the near distance at the Horne home.  They recently saw a bobcat in one of their trees.  We were driving back to Hamilton from Stephenville on Wednesday night and a pretty black and white animal with a fluffy tail casually walked in front of the car.  It was my first time to see a skunk up close.  I was very thankful we did not hit it. 

We left Hamilton about mid-morning to drive to San Angelo where we will be for this weekend.  The countryside was flat most of the way so when we saw some big hills ahead at one point, it looked really strange.  Cactus is growing wild all along the roadside.   Trees are showing new bright green leaves but we have not seen many blooming flowers and no flowering trees.  The towns are small and quaint in this area of Texas.  On the way,  I saw a sign pointing to a little town off to the side named Blanket. Just ahead, Ron saw something and asked if I could tell what it was.  I told him it looked like a horse and carriage.  He pulled to the left lane and as we passed, I saw it was actually a covered wagon with a family inside (men with big black-brimmed hats.  Two horses were pulling the wagon and two were tied at the back.  I'm thinking this was a Mennonite family but I don't know if there's a community of these people in this area or not.  Being in West Texas, I told Ron they were heading further west to homestead somewhere.

We went through Santa Rosa where a big sign said that the 3rd Saturday of every month they reenact "How the West Was Won."  If tomorrow was the 3rd Saturday I would think the covered wagon was part of the show.   I saw a big sign across a building in one little town that said 'SALOON.'

We arrived in San Angelo and endured a hot afternoon with the temperature reaching 95 degrees.  Local weather news shows 95 each day through Sunday (the time we will be in San Angelo) then another dry cold front will cool it down to the 80's next week.  It is very dry in Texas and they are desperately in need of rain.  While we were in Hamilton, we had a very cold week with temperatures in the 40's at night and some days only in the 60's.  We had light rain but no significant amount.  We are experiencing a wide range of temperatures from week to week.

We have two churches on Sunday and one more in the San Angelo area that Ron would like to contact while we are here.  Then we will drive to Odessa, Midland and Abilene.  I will think of Ronald, our son, when we talk about going to Abilene.  He went to university there for two years (in the 80's when it was still a good Christian university).  We don't get very good reports now about Abilene from many folks in this area.

About the middle of April, we will drive back to Greenville (east of Dallas) and park the RV at Boles Childrens' Home.  We will drive the car back to Atlanta, stopping along the way to make appointments at several churches and staying with friends in Florence, Alabama. 

We will be at our home in Sharpsburg the last week of April.  I have some medical check-ups and we will be getting the house ready to rent. 

I try to end with a good thought for the day.

"Man was designed for accomplishment; engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.  Ability is important in the quest for success, but dependability is critical."

I would take an employee with dependability over skill any day of the week!