The rain continued for the rest of the night and all the following day. It rattled into their tin plates while they ate, and diluted the hot black coffee they drank.”
–Ralph Compton (The Western Trail)
Come on in, Pard. At least the rain’s gone for a few days. I’ve seen some rain in my time, but this is one of the best of ’em. Just when yuh think it’s gonna stop, it starts right on in rainin’ again. I don’t know how much we’ve had, but it has to be twenty-five inches plus in the past two weeks. Should have a rain barrel set out. I remember that Pappy always had one to catch the rain. But yuh know, we’re complainers at heart, come this summer we’ll be complainin’ of how hot and dry it is and that we wish we’d have some rain. We need to be in tune with the Lord that no matter the weather we can bring up a smile and take on the storm even if’n we do have to hunker down and endure it for a spell.
Well, Pard, the coffee’s hot an’ ready for yur tonsil test. See if’n it slides down or glides down. I guarantee it’ll move down faster than a cup of molasses. Take a swaller whilst I tell yuh a story I read ’bout that ol’ circuit-ridin’ preacher Robert Sheffey. He was quite a character as were many of those dedicated men who went about preachin’ God’s Word to those on the outskirts of civilization.
It seems that on one of his journeys he was called in to pray for a child who had been bitten by a rattlesnake. He began to pray, “O Lord, we do thank Thee for rattlesnakes. If it had not been for a rattlesnake they would never have called upon You. Send a rattlesnake to bite Bill, and one to bite John, and send a great big one to bite the old man.” It seems that they weren’t a God-fearin’ family an’ only called on the Preacher as a last resort. But, yuh know something–the Lord works in mysterious ways. Here the devil might have meant to take the life of the boy an’ it was used to bring the Preacher, prayer, and eventually possible conversion. You’ve seen it, an’ I’ve seen it plenty of times where the Lord takes what is meant for evil and uses it for good.
How ’bout that coffee? I calls it “kitchen blend” ’cause its made up of some remains of some coffee I had. Don’t be likin’ it too much, ’cause there’s no way it can be duplicated. Not the best, but for sure not the worst I’ve had. See, yuh never know what I might be brewin’. One day it might be that special elixir Kona, another day Arbuckles or Community, an’ like today–kitchen blend.
Pard, yuh be sayin’ a prayer for those in the military for today is Armed Forces Day. Those folk sure do need our prayers, not only from the attacks that might come from and enemy, but from those within our country who want to make clowns of our military. So, ‘nough said regardin’ that last week, yuh just be prayin’. Oh, an’ keep yur guns ready and handy, for yuh never know…. Stay ridin’ true to the Lord, an’ checkin’ yur cinch when yuh mount.
Vaya con Dios.