Friday, November 12, 2010

Donkeys, PCWNC Book Club, Red Hatters Day Trip



Friday, November 12, 2010
Thought it about time to make another nature report and the birth of this miniature baby donkey is perfect for this. The mother is Kay and the baby is Katie and they belong to Loretta and Larry Hale in Weatherford, Texas. Katie is one week old and they are both light enough in color that one can really see the sign of the cross on their backs. I believe all donkeys have this, but it's just more difficult to see on the dark colored donkeys. Legend tells us that the shadow of the cross fell across the donkey at the Crucifixion of Christ. They are very calm and like to be petted.


Loretta hosted our PCWNC Book Club meeting for November and I spotted the Donkeys the moment I drove up. We had an excellent meeting and delicious refreshments. We discussed the book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Outstanding writing and the author gives the reader much to think about while digesting this wonderful word portrait. I highly recommend this book to any and all. You won't want to put it down for anything.


The Wild West Women of Weatherford Red Hatters drove to Hico, Texas to visit the small settlement of Heritage Homestead. The people living here are of a religious sect and are mostly self-contained. They have a lovely restaurant with delicious food (we had lunch here), a forge, a woodworking shop, a grist mill, pottery house, sorghum house and a school where they teach others how to make all the things that they sell. They have a huge garden as well as an herb garden. They are currently building a cheese store since they already make their own cheese. They have won national awards in this endeavor leading to their decision to build this store to make their cheese more readily available to the visiting public. They have also won national prizes for their exquisite furniture making.

They make lovely smelling soaps, of which I bought several bars because they make great Christmas gifts. We all did a fair amount of Christmas shopping and I also bought a stunning lazy susan made from a slice of a mesquite tree trunk, beautifully finished and embellished with turquoise, for my dining table.


On the way home, we stopped at the Christmas Store in Hillsboro, Texas and bought some Christmas decorations and other items. There were ten of us piled into a large SUV and we filled it up so well, we nearly didn't have room for our purchases. However, being Red Hatters, we managed to fit everything in without feeling too much like sardines packed in a tin.

Today, I went to my regular PCWNC meeting and luncheon. It was my privilege and pleasure to introduce our guest speaker, Selma Johnson, who is an S.A.P.I.P. (Sexual Assault Prevention Intervention Program) Coordinator with Freedom House. Freedom House is a safe place for spouses and children to go during crisis times, especially physical violence. I am a Freedom House volunteer involved with one particular area of counseling sessions and am enjoying the challenge and learning experience tremendously.

They have just moved into their new building and I will be back later with photos and more on the grand opening.

This is all I have to say for now.

No comments:

Post a Comment