koo-de-HOOOOO!

[caption id="attachment_1751" align="alignleft" width="224"] Controlled Burn[/caption]

I am so glad you stopped by! Aren't these pictures amazing? I love my husband's job! He is a forester which means he manages property for private land owners. He also sells land and timber and has bull doziers to do things like site prep, ponds, and road work. (carlsonlandservices.com)  Anyway, this weekend he burned a piece of property, and I got to tag along. If you've never seen a controlled burn situation, it is a really cool thing to see. I love getting to go and "help." He doesn't really need me, but he lets me carry a torch and set fire along side of him. I love it.


[caption id="attachment_1752" align="alignleft" width="224"] Eddie with torch watching the fire[/caption]The very first time he took me to burn, we had only been dating a little while. When he called to ask me out, I was thinking dinner and a movie and he was thinking trucks and torches. Date nights with a forester are never dull! He told me to wear work boots and jeans and he would bring me a down coat. He and his good friend John picked me up early one afternoon and we headed to the country.( I'm laughing thinking about the three of us riding slam up next to each other on the bench seat of Eddie's truck.) We pulled up to a beautiful piece of property and the guys got out of the truck and prepared torches, moved tractors, fixed water tanks, got these big rubber flaps out and discussed how they were going to burn this place off. Then Eddie turned to me and asked if I would like to learn how to carry a torch and help out. It was very cool and I could hardly wait to learn.


[caption id="attachment_1753" align="alignright" width="224"] I love getting to tag along and help out![/caption]

While the sun was setting, Eddie carefully explained every detail. The last thing he said was that if I got into trouble I needed to holler "koo-de-HOO." I nodded in agreement, and he and John just stood there staring at me. Eddie said, "Let's hear it." I have to tell you, we had not been dating all that long and I was still in the "trying to impress him stage," and I didn't think it wise to holler "koo-de-HOO." He was dead serious wanting me to practice hollering, and I assured him I would be fine. He and John thought that was hilarious and so they "koo-de-hooed" back and forth and laughed hysterically. The sun had gone down and it was so dark. Truly, I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

[caption id="attachment_1754" align="alignleft" width="224"] View of the fire from the fire lane.[/caption]


John and I, torch in hand, loaded up on the back of the truck. Eddie dropped John off, then drove me to my drop off point. He made sure I was good and then went to park the truck at his starting point. It seemed easy enough. John dropped a line of fire to my right and Eddie dropped a line of fire to my left. I would walk straight across the property all the way to the fire lane dropping a line of fire using their lines as my guide. Though we were a good distance apart, I felt comfort watching their lines of fire knowing they were out there in the darkness.  I had no idea how far I would be walking or how long it would take, all I knew was to keep walking and stay in between their lines. Then all of a sudden I heard a sloshing sound. I wanted to stop, but I was afraid too because I had just dropped fire right behind

[caption id="attachment_1755" align="alignleft" width="224"] I love this pic. The fire is dying down and I think its so beautiful next to the greenfield.[/caption]

me. I slowly took another step then another and it was pretty  obvious I was in water. In just a few seconds I went from "this is awesome" to "what in the world do I do?" Eddie said nothing about water. It was pitch black dark and I had no idea where I was. Their fire lines were leaving me and moving ahead and I was frozen with fire at my back. It felt like an eternity, though in reality it was only seconds, as I considered my situation and my options. There was only one.....you guessed it! "KOO-DE-HOOOOOOO! I hollered at the top of my lungs and to this day I will never forget that moment! Though I could not see the boys, I saw both their lines of fire take an immediate detour to my rescue. What a night!

I was studying Priscilla Shirer's book on Jonah the other day and it made me think about that night I was in the woods. Jonah had been in the belly of a large fish for three days and three nights. Can you even begin to imagine that? Jonah describes it like this, "The current engulfed me. All Thy Breakers and billows passed over me. Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me. Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with it's bars was around me forever." You probably remember the story. Jonah tried to run from the presence of God. God saved his life by swallowing him up by a big fish. It took Jonah three days and three nights in the belly of a fish to decide that was not where he wanted to be! Do you believe that? My very favorite part. Verse 2 of chapter 2, Jonah, in all his filth and disobedience, he called out to the Lord. He cried out for help..and at the end of the verse it says...."You did hear my voice." I LOVE that! In verse 6 it says, "Thou has brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. Then in verse 10, God commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land! He heard Jonah's voice from the depths of the ocean and the belly of a fish. God heard his voice and rescued him.

When was the last time you needed to be rescued? When was the last time you hollered "koo-de-Hoo?" I've gotten pretty good at "koo-de-Hooing" over the years. The best part about it, is that God never grows weary of hearing my voice, He always hears me, and He delights in rescuing me. If you holler, He will hear your voice! Thanks for stopping by!                      love love love Ruthie