A Decade .........



 



Decades ......

 

 

Decade ...... a word which describes a period of ten years . An average person is given by God six or seven of these periods of time on this earth to enjoy what to enjoy what he has made . Some are taken early , while some are given the gift of nine or ten decades of life.                                                                               

 

As I count down the days until the end of my fourth decade , I am fully aware of the place I am in the timeline of life . On May 31, 2013 Penny and I will celebrate our first decade of marriage together . I have received many blessings in my fourth decade , but by far my biggest , best blessing was meeting and then marrying Penny. She has been my constant companion , my best friend and a devoted wife , which I had been searching for in my life. Her strong faith in God watered my small seed of faith that was planted years earlier by my Grandmother , Jackie Cogburn . She encourages me when I am feeling sorry for myself , and rejoices with me during the good times. Her heart is pure , and a more devoted wife a man could not ask for .

 

Other blessings we have received in my fourth decade , where the birth of our five grandchildren , Daniel , Joseph , Keli , Landon and Alexis. Also during the last decade , we have become debt free through hard work and frugal living.

 

My hope and prayer going forward , is that Penny and I will get to enjoy 4 or 5 more happy "decades" of marriage , and that our children and grandchildren should prosper and live well .

 

Happy 10th anniversary to my wife ..... I Love You !

 

 

These are some pictures I recently discovered from our honeymoon trip in Eureka Springs , Arkansas that we had not ever scanned and put on the computer .

 

Enjoy !

 



 

 

 

Penny on a raised sidewalk in Eureka Springs , AR

Penny LOVES flea markets and trinket shops !

Clint tries to blend in with the locals ....

Penny .... CAUGHT! Leaving a BIKER BAR !

Clint .... waiting patiently :)

Penny ...with her latest  FIND ......

We rented this cabin near Jasper , AR .... Buffalo River area

Look .... no gray hair ....amazing what ten years does to you

My lovely wife

Clint demonstrates his brute strength ......

Deep thought .........

Penny poses for the camera ...

Penny ..... "Horsing around"  while waiting for the trolley bus ...

A Quick Outing

 

Hawksbill Crag in Boone County Arkansas

   Well , I have been working for the better part of a month now , and our bank account seems to be stabilizing , which is a good thing. My job is at a small equipment rental company , and we currently have only 3 employees. It is a big change of pace from the mind blowing pace I was working this time last year at the John Deere dealership in Texas . Of course , the pay is about 1/3 less , but I'd much rather earn less take home pay and be able to not be stressed out every day . I still have my moments when I long to be out on the trails , but I can still do some hiking on my days off.
    Penny has been suffering from a bad case of poison ivy , which apparently she got while walking around with me on the lower part of our property. She has been miserable with the itching and sores , and I pray she will soon be free from her misery . I may have ruined her from ever going trekking with me in the woods . I hope not , I do really enjoy her company .... it is a great place to talk .

  Penny could tell I was bored today , and gave me permission to leave her in misery , and go do something outside. We have been having a really cool spring this year (haven't hit 90 yet!) and I decided to try out some local trails , even though it is a holiday weekend. I started down the Dogwood trail , made it about 1/4 mile and the bugs were really bad , and I noticed that the poison ivy was everywhere along the sides of the trail . I didn't want to take a chance of bringing home a fresh batch of poison , so I aborted that trail and drove on over to the White river park about 2 miles from home. I donned my pack and hiking staff , and went up the Big Bluff trail , to the overlook , which is a stunning view of the Bull Shoals Dam tailwater area and the White River . There were quite a few river boats drift fishing for trout , and I saw a group of kayakers heading downstream at a slow pace , enjoying the day .

    I always feel better if I can spend some time in the woods , if only just an hour or two .... it's like resetting a clock or something .

 John Muir , the founder on the National Park systems once said

" In every walk with Nature , one receives far more than he seeks"

    That is the way it is with me .... I always see something that leaves me in awe , and makes me glad I took the time and spent the effort huffing up a hillside , to get to that wonderful vista , or just to see a deer romping through the woods. Life is short .... live well !

A visit from Family

 

  



   Last week we had a visit from my uncle Rod Cogburn . It was great to see him and my other uncle Denny , who lives nearby in Yellville , AR .  We all met up down at a resort near the White River and had a great meal and spent several hours catching up with each others lives.

  

   My uncle Rod brought me two large envelopes containing all kinds of family history of my Grandparents , Lee (Levi) and Jackie Cogburn . I really enjoy going through all of the old records and photos that my grandmother Jackie painstakingly put together in her later years of life . These are a few of the photos that were in the envelopes , and I scanned them into my collection of other old Cogburn photos that I received from my Dad , Charles , after he passed in 2009 . Here are some of the ones I received from Rod .

 

 

My Grandmother Jackie , with my Uncle Rod ... age 3 months in Arkansas .

My Grandfather Lee , age 33 , horsing around on a bicycle in Los Angeles , CA

Lee , Jackie and son Rodney , age 2 , Little Rock Arkansas

Jackie , Rod, my Dad Charles , Lee and Denny on a picnic in Little Rock . Where were all the child safety seats going to fit in that pickup truck ??

My uncle Denny (left) and Rod  . They must have been up to something .... look at those grins .

Denny & Rod play in snow at the farm near Round Mountain , Arkansas

 

Drink your Ovaltine boys ..........

 

Denny and Rod with trusty pet dogs , at Round Mountain , near Conway Arkansas .

Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks !!!

Employed Again ........

  Well , my free wheeling days of camping , hiking , and life of leisure have been temporarily halted by full time employment . I landed a job with a small equipment rental company located in Mountain Home , about 13 miles from our home in Lakeview. The pay is a lot less than I was making in Texas , but is on par with what is normal for around here , and it will stop the steady drain on our savings account that has been taking place since we moved up here in December . It is a small business with only 4 employees total , so I am lucky to find work , and the stress level should be much less than my previous job .
   I have had very mixed emotional feelings when returning to work . It is similar to when we used to come up here on vacations , and then have to head back to our jobs in Texas . It is hard to explain , but I think most of you know that feeling in your stomach . Penny and I have had a really GREAT time off for the past few months , and it is very hard to leave in the morning to go off to work . It isn't that I am jealous she isn't working yet , it is just that I am used to being with her all the time for the last few months , and for now that is over .  My mind wanders and thinks forward to the day when we are financially able to quit working , or retire , and we can enjoy our lives again like we have these past few months. I try to keep things in perspective , by noting all the many blessings that GOD has laid in our laps , that many other couples have not received. We are VERY blessed to have been able to move to this beautiful area and have several months off to settle in and explore and enjoy our new home. Still , though , I look forward to the day when I will no longer have to live my life beholden to the clock on the wall ...... telling me when to get up , eat , work and sleep . I hope that day comes while I am still physically able to enjoy some of the activities I have been doing lately. Penny and I drove down to the state park down the road , and hiked the Big Bluff trail (1.75 mi) this afternoon , and it was great . The weather is unusually cold (we had snow this week!) and we didn't see anyone on the trail as we were hiking , so that was great . I love having the woods to ourselves , and Penny and I can walk along and talk about all the things that are on our minds . I'm still in awe by the fantastic scenery we have located just 2 miles from our home . Even though I am now working , I'm
going to try and get out there and enjoy the countryside as much as I can ....... that is why we moved up here .