The wind is blowing again, the wind is blowing again. Those are the words to a good song that are very appropriate for today. Anything that can flap is flapping and anything that is loose is flying from one place to another! Russ and I are especially feeling it because we are out in it. We are the proud foster parents of a 10 week old puppy. I’m hoping we will get to sleep in until 6am tomorrow. He is very good, but his little bowels can only go so long. We gained over an hour this morning so I have great hope for tomorrow. We are taking time outside until we can trust him to stay on the front porch and not wander.The whole puppy thing came about quickly. I was trying to adopt a retired MWD or military working dog. I figure if we have a son in the armed services it makes sense to give a retiree a safe place to live out their final days. I was turned down for the puppy program because we were about 20 minutes too far from the base. When I spoke to the program trainer, I explained who I was and why I wanted to give a dog a home. I hung up thinking I was out of the dog business for at least a year or so. I was down in the dumps because Scott was leaving for hazardous duty on Friday morning. I said goodbye to Scott Thursday evening and early Friday I received a call saying come and get your puppy. So on the day Scott left, the puppy arrived. He was born three days before my birthday and best of all things, his name is Glen. I don’t believe in omens, but I do believe God takes care of your needs. I’m helping to train a dog that one day may save the life of our young soldiers and he is keeping me busy until Scott comes home. Yes, that’s the other part of the equation. Glen leaves about the time Scott returns. This little fellow is going to keep me on my toes. He really likes Russ, which works out just fine. For those of you who know Russ, Glen Lewis was his very best cousin, and he and the puppy have bonded very well.The Quilting ladies are working on two new quilts. One is a 10 minute square and the other is a quilt for a doll bed. We will be working on a big star quilt in the fall. I think I have my colors already. I was going to make another quilt like the one we just made, but I believe I’ll keep them for this big star. I hope it is half as nice as the one I have from Russ’s Mom. The quilting retreat was an overwhelming success. I didn’t get to go because I went to Florida, but I intend to go to the next one! Debbie Phelan organized the outing. A total of 6 ladies went off for the weekend plus a day or so. If you don’t have anything to do on Wednesdays and want to have a pleasant social and uplifting evening, mark your calendar and come join us!My bird feeders are absolutely full of birds. I have four different kinds of feeders and appropriate seeds to keep these little winged creatures happy. I can’t say I admire the mess they leave. I have bird droppings everywhere and hulls litter the ground. I can see why people don’t like birds in the house!The Youth Fair and Stock show were in full swing when we came back from San Antonio with the puppy. I took him in to see the animals, but he was not happy with that at all. There was a little too much noise. I wandered up to the exhibition hall and was more than pleased to see all the ribbons attached to the work we had done in class. This year we had Indian tribe dioramas and salt maps to present. I’m a little bit prejudiced, but I think they looked great. Mrs. Gossett will compile a list of who won what over the next few days. There was some awesome art work this year. I was impressed by a unique looking metal bowl. I was surprised that the best in show was a cake, but I have to admit it was a totally scrumptious looking creation! There were quite a few more entries this year. I know Mr. McKee is very proud. Of the 14 possible sheep and goat awards to be won; his students took home 13! That is an impressive record! Way to go Mr. McKee and all you Coyote show men and women! Again, look to the paper for a full description of all the awards and titles.I’m told there are several more stock shows to attend in the state. I want to remind all of you that you need to get your school work in before you go off to show. I have no doubt showing an animal is more fun than English composition or math problems, but those are the grades that get you out of school. Congratulations to all the students who made the sale and received money for their animals. Thank you to all the sponsors who help provide a future fund for these young scholars.We have several people with heart issues. John Reid and Harold Hardman have heart issues as well as Bro. Randy Bartley who is having heart surgery. Matt Martinez, Janet Nimmo, a friend of mine, and Kenneth Powell are fighting cancer. Weldon Faught has undergone surgery and is doing better. Young Ashton Draper has received a good report from the doctors about his health. That is good news for Grandma Draper!I’m hoping we will get another Coyote team together for the March for Life. We had a great time last year. I’ll chat with the teachers at school and see if they want to plan a team. You can register on your own with I believe, Mrs. Moreno. Please check the newspaper for the Fellowship of Christian Women’s luncheon. The location has changed. Monday church for the kids is meeting on Mondays again. Wednesday fellowship is meeting on Wednesdays. Two young women from this area who have moved away are seeking assistance for mission trips. Vivian Duncan McCall wants to go to Nicaragua in February and is seeking prayer and monetary assistance. Leah Hansen Jeffries feels called to go to Africa to work in an orphanage for a few weeks in April. Should you desire to help in any way, the First Baptist Church has contact addresses.Aaron Lewis and my son Scott are both in Afghanistan by now. The duty there is dangerous, and recent events don’t make me feel any less fearful. With that said, I know all I can do is pray. Only God can protect our young men and women from cowards who pose as friends and allies. Please pray for our precious soldiers and their families. Pray for peace here and in the land of Israel. May God please bless America.