March 27, 2009

Experience a Slice of Frontier Life During Fort Richardson Days

JACKSBORO, Texas ---
Come celebrate the 142nd anniversary of the
existence of Texas' northern-most U.S. Army fort
during Fort Richardson Days on April 17 and 18,
and see what frontier life was like in the 1870s.

More than 3,000 visitors typically show up
during the weekend for the annual living history event,
including 1,100 school children who are
invited to the fort on Friday, April 17.
The celebration takes place
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the
Fort Richardson State Park &
Historic Site one-half mile south of
town on U.S. Highway 281.
Entry fees are $3 per person for individuals between
13 and 64 yearsof age, and $2 for persons 65 and older.

On Saturday, Fort Richardson visitors can see
Wild West gunfights; cavalry, infantry and artillery drills;
flintnapping, spinning, blacksmithing and weaving
demonstrations; and equipment displays.
Lipan Apache tribal elders will be sharing their
heritage from their encampment, which includes a period tipi.
In addition, the event will include a 1 p.m. melodrama presented
by Weatherford College students and a 7 p.m. dance featuring
old-time music and dance instruction. There will be food and
souvenirs for sale, with proceeds supporting the
Friends of Fort Richardson.

More than 100 re-enactors in period attire bring the frontier days
to life in what was the most heavily garrisoned military
installation in the U.S. during the Indian War of 1870-74.
Fort Richardson, built in 1867, also served as the regimental
headquarters for the Sixth U.S. Cavalry from 1871 to 1873.

Seven original structures, six built of rock, and two reproduction
barracks will be open for tours during the special event. The most
impressive of the original buildings is the two-story rock hospital
built for $140,000 that dominates the fort's parade grounds that
once spanned the length of four football fields.

Visitors also can step inside a two-story, frame home that remains
as the only commander's quarters of its kind left standing in the
U.S. It was but one of more than 50 buildings that existed
during the fort's heyday when more than 700 troops occupied
the fort established to protect westbound settlers from hostile
Indian tribes that dominated much of West Texas in the
1860s and 1870s.

Though the weekend focus will be on the Fort Richardson Days
event, visitors also can enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational
options, including camping and traversing the nine-mile
Lost Creek Reservoir Trail way.

For more information, call the fort at (940) 567-3506.

Band of Brothers- chuck wagon dinner

Last night was "Ladies Night" at Hubby's church group called Band of Brothers. The men normally meet every month for dinner and fellowship and every few months we ladies are blessed with getting to join them.

The had a 109 yr old chuck wagon brought out to the ranch and cooked cowboy stew over an open fire. The wives brought cornbread and desert. We ate til we burst! It was so good...something about a old cast iron kettle really flavors the food in a way you just don't normally get.

Then we sat around and listened to Christian Cowboy poetry and camp songs. The main event was a man from our church sharing the gospel as he 'broke' a horse in the riding ring. Wow, if you have never seen a horse trained like that it is really a sight. So gentle. So loving. He just 'laid the foundation' and the horse trusted him and after about 40 minutes of working the horse he was able to mount him. This horse had not been rode but once in his life and that was 2 yrs ago but he accepted his rider with little resentment. The horse did bow and bounce a few times but quickly remembered his 'foundation' and was soon walking the ring nicely under command.

The message our friend gave was about our foundation in Christ. You can 'accept Christ' and never grow like the other horse he had there that was never rode...yes the horse was wearing a saddle (accepted Christ) but would you trust the horse to ride just because of that. Would you let your daughter date a man just because he was a "christian" that had never had to trust his faith.

The 'foundation' was also geared towards training up a child. You can let a child go wild after they have been 'taught' the right foundations but unless you work with them, train them daily, they will never fully trust or be what they are meant to be.

He also compared it to marriage. Spouses will never be able to weather the storms of life and marriage if they do not have their foundation strongly build on The Word.

Building a foundation is daily.
You must work every day on trust/training (in the Lord) to get it to sink in.
You must grow in Christ. Sitting still is not an option.

We were so blessed to listen to the message shown in such an obvious way that most would still overlook just because they 'were already a christian'.

March 23, 2009

hmmm

well, hmmm...

so much to say that can't be said
so many questions that only God can answer
so much to obsess over
so much to worry and fret
so much to give to the Lord
so much time for waiting

so many little things to make you go hmmmm

extreme sheepherding!

March 22, 2009

say it ain't so Texas!

Texas Could Be First State to Have Infanticide Law Bill would make postpartum disorder legal defense

Updated 2:15 PM CDT, Sun, Mar 22, 2009

KXAS

Postpartum mental disorder could be used as a legal defense for women who kill their children under a bill introduced in the Legislature.

The bill was filed this month by Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, and it applies to women who commit the crime within a year of giving birth, The Dallas Morning News reported in Sunday editions. If jurors find a mother guilty of murder, they could take testimony about postpartum issues into consideration during the trial's punishment phase.

If jurors find that the woman's judgment was impaired because of childbirth or lactation, they could judge her guilty of infanticide, a state jail felony that would carry a maximum punishment of two years in jail.

If lawmakers approve the measure, Texas would become the first state to have an infanticide law, said George Parnham, the Houston attorney who defended Andrea Yates.

"It's something every civilized country has on its books," said Parnham, who supports the legislation. "The only thing that will change public attitude is education about postpartum issues."

McKinney attorney David Haynes, who defended Dena Schlosser, said Farrar's bill "recognizes the great stress that some mothers are under when they suffer from postpartum depression."

Yates drowned her five children -- ranging in age from 7 years to 6 months -- in June 2001 at her family's home in Houston. She was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2002.

An appeals court in 2005 overturned her conviction because of some erroneous testimony. Yates was found innocent by reason of insanity in July 2006 and sent to a state mental hospital.

Schlosser, who killed her 10-month-old daughter in 2004 by cutting off her arms with a kitchen knife, was recently released from the state mental hospital where she'd been sent after being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Schlosser was released into outpatient treatment because her doctors believe she's mentally stable, a Collin County prosecutor has said. She is required to see a psychiatrist once a week, take medication, be on a physician-approved birth control and not have any unsupervised contact with children.

Shannon Edmonds, legislative liaison for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association, said the legislative proposal would have to be thoroughly reviewed.

"Anytime something novel like this is proposed," he said, "it needs to be fully vetted so that legislators can make informed decisions and be sure there are no unintended consequences."

Postpartum depression is recognized as a legal defense in at least 29 nations, including Britain, which has had an infanticide law since 1922.

"These countries have accepted the reality of postpartum mood disorders," said Susan Dowd Stone, chair of the President's Advisory Council for Postpartum Support International, a California-based advocacy group.

Postpartum psychosis is a rare condition that generally affects women with extreme sensitivity to hormonal fluctuations and a history of mental illness, Stone said.

"We do not want women who abuse children to use this defense," Stone said. "There are very clear guidelines for postpartum psychosis."

Even though Stone believes that women who suffer from postpartum disorder need treatment, not imprisonment, she recognizes that "infanticide with no jail time would not fly. Our country is not ready for that."

Copyright Associated Press

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Words of Faith

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:27

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." Psalm 126:5