Foot steps of the past

On the farm here there are some hand carts, like the ones that the pioneer used to go to Utah in the 1830. We had a visitor from Tulsa that said a group of adults will be here Saturday to use some of the carts for a short 4 mile track and at noon they would be having lunch. We were invited if we wonted. This would be a training run for the adults when the rest of the group of the group of 160 young adults will be going on a three day track at the first of the month.

So early Saturday morning people started showing up by the car loads. All dress up in pioneer clothes and hats. They had all the carts out cleaning preparing them for the big event. They divided us up in to group of eight. We were assigned each one of us who we would be. We were assigned to be children. and they assigned another couple to be the parents. We load up the hand carts with all our gear. everyone had a five gallon bucket with a lid on them to put there clothes and other things that they wanted to keep dry. also it made a good seat for later on. We grabbed a bonnet for Connie and a hat for me put them in a bucket for our coats and some water and we were off. The group started off at a very fast pace. We all took turn pushing or pulling the cart. They had red handkerchief that they would put over the eyes of some to show blindness or on a leg for lameness, just a way of letting us see some of the problems that the pioneers dwelt with. after the first mile we came to our first hill, we would stop every half hour to rest and drink water. They waited a bit between the carts going up the hill to get them room to maneuver their carts. It was exhausting and exciting at the same time. When we all got to the top of the hill we rested. Some went back to help the others. Then we took a moment to walk a little higher to the top of the hill to look over the ranch. The trail boss showed us where would eat lunch also that when they had the young adults there this would be a good time to sit and talk to them and lesson to them. Because for a lot of them this would be the first time for them to be away from all convenience of modern life like cell phones, TV, Video games, and etc.They ask us to do was to count off each time we started. They started with the parents so no one would be left behind. Half way down the trail we stop to rest and my wife was missing. We were the last cart and she was trailing behind us last I look. Father and I headed back down the trail to find her. After about 10 or 15 minutes of yelling her name and look for her . She appeared. I ask her later what had happen. She told me she was told to disappear to see if we would miss her because thing like this happen on the trail all the time because someone would get tired or hurt on the trail all the time and no one had notices. They would have to go back to find them. The rest of the trail was uneventful. The ground was fairly level except for a lot of rock and small streams. At the end of the four miles there was the reward of the food it was great but of course for the pioneers then would not have been some one there to cook and a car to hop into to take them back to their cars. It was enough of the taste of the trail to let us know how nice our lives are today.

We were so sore that night and our feet and legs ache. We thought we were in pretty good shape, because we had walked that far before and not had a problem. It was just the fast pace and pushing the cart that made the difference, any way when we hit the hay that night we slept hard and was happy to have a warm bed to sleep in, a hot shower, and flush toilet to use. Life is good and we got down on our knees and thanked the Lord for his goodness to us.

Life lessons we thought we knew

Don't do this It was late at night and I was thirsty. We was driving home and I reached back to get a drink of water. I open the lid and put the jug to my lips. Connie look at me and said don"t drink that it ammonia Of course at the same time I also realize that it wasn't water. My tongue stop it from going into my mouth. Talk about sting WOW don"t do this after losing three layer of skin on my lips and three days later I felt better.
Don't drive at night with out your lights on. We was comming home from a long drive from Tulsa and had stop in a small town to get a drink. We pulled out of the store and drove around a corner four officers talking outside gas station looking at our car like something was wrong. Connie noticed that her lights were not on when she went just little way down the street. She quick turn them on only to see flashing light behind her: busted. Boy they were fast they had us with in fifty feet. We pull over into a driveway because the road to narrow to pull over on the side. I hopped out to look for my purse for my license. The Office told me to get in my vehicle. I got my purse and did so. He stop me because my light were not on. He took my license, registion, and insurance card. He brought them back and said I could go after the other offerice talk to my husband. We figure this out later. I was driving and he was riding. We done this for year and we don't think about it. I love to drive and do not get much change to drive like my husband does. He does service call all over the place. I am home most day. He love me enough to let me drive when were together because he drive all the time. I love driving. I just reallize how unusually that is when the police officer ask to see my husband license. Brent ask him back why and he said because I ask to see it. He said OK. The officer then said he was checking him out to make sure he was not a crimial. I love my husband even more because he still let me drive when were together, even after the police officers. It make me a better drive because I get to pactuse at the wheel.