Lady of the North

By Fred Blom

No matter how many people there are in the world, there is a different path for everyone! I want you to come with me! Please, it's important! Imagine if you will that it is possible for others to learn from you. Some paths may be similar while other can be almost unexplainable.

Is it possible for your pet to teach you, protect you, and, I mean, even to the point of true values? Let's just suppose that there is a greater good out there. Let's say that if you open your heart, your mind, and perhaps your soul to the possibility that you find something that few have? Let's also say that just because something bad or maybe to your dislike happens to you that you don't just throw it out but learn and grow from it, like for example, a parent's discipline to a child? Compare this to that which is greater than you and to whom you could become?

For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. (Luke 12:2)

The question we will seek to understand is, Is it possible to have things like objects or animals or perhaps events placed on our path of life to help us or instruct us? Perhaps a collie dog that was more than a pet? The Word of God has ninety-nine Bible passages that reflect that he would raise up the stones to praise him if the people would not. Why not a collie dog? Why not the teachings, craftiness, and senses of such? Do you have a pet? Can you learn from your pet? Can you learn from your surroundings and those that cross your path for just a moment?

There are so many different things that we just take for granted. We probably don't mean to, but life just happens. I have at many times taken the time to try a little harder to see things around me, to try to listen a little better, to have a calm temperament and the devotion that my dog, Lady, showed to me. She obviously didn't raise me, but I give her the credit for a lot of what I have become. Now I personally believe she was placed by God in my life and that she was a glory to God. Be kind to your pet!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888329443

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Lady of the North

Fred Blom

ISBN 979-8-88832-943-6 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-944-3 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Fred Blom

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Greetings, Lady

It's Saturday

Sick

Fire

The Guardian

Messenger

In the Shadow of the Trees

Surprise

Pine-Tree Baby

Protect Me When I Fall

The Lost Sheep

God's Mysterious Ways

A Dusty Road

I Believe

Blessed

Secret Place

Still Alive

Is It a Potato?

Little Ladys

Gone

About the Author

Preface

No matter how many people there are in the world, there is a different path for everyone! I want you to come with me! Please, it's important! Imagine if you will that it is possible for others to learn from you. Some paths may be similar, while others can be almost unexplainable.

Is it possible for your pet to teach you, protect you, and, I mean, even to the point of true values? Let's just suppose that there is a greater good out there. Let's say that if you open your heart, your mind, and perhaps your soul to the possibility that you find something that few have? Let's also say that just because something bad or maybe to your dislike happens to you that you don't just throw it out but learn and grow from it, like for example, a parent's discipline to a child? Compare this to that which is greater than you and to whom you could become?

For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. (Luke 12:2)

The question we will seek to understand is, Is it possible to have things like objects or animals or perhaps events placed on our path of life to help us or instruct us? Perhaps a collie dog that was more than a pet? The Word of God has ninety-nine Bible passages that reflect that he would raise up the stones to praise him if the people would not. Why not a collie dog? Why not the teachings, craftiness, and senses of such? Do you have a pet? Can you learn from your pet? Can you learn from your surroundings and those that cross your path for just a moment?

There are so many different things that we just take for granted. We probably don't mean to, but life just happens. I have at many times taken the time to try a little harder to see things around me, to try to listen a little better, to have a calm temperament and the devotion that my dog, Lady, showed to me. She obviously didn't raise me, but I give her the credit for a lot of what I have become. Now I personally believe she was placed by God in my life and that she was a glory to God. Be kind to your pet!

Greetings, Lady

Thought:

So as I have believed for a long time, the Holy Spirit leads us, if we choose to follow. Please let me follow! So now we get to the idea of one phrase. Don't think that a single phrase does not have an impact, either to a stranger, friend, family member, or even a four-year-old. One phrase with the touch of the Holy Spirit can crumble a nation. The phrase of What a beautiful day God has made!

*****

My dad worked for two brothers, who were farmers, when he got out of the Marine Corps. After a short time, Dad wanted to go to northern Minnesota to farm on his own. One brother who was very talented mechanically helped my dad cut a pickup apart and turn it into a trailer. That was Roger. The drive shaft had a PTO connection added to it, and that was then connected to the PTO drive on the back of a Model B John Deere tractor. It gave the little tractor the ability to go about forty miles per hour. You had to be a cleaver operator to know when to disengage and to shift the tractor back into its own gearbox. But still, sweet! I knew the details as I was always climbing right in, just to see how things were done. Dad things were always more fun than Mother things. My two-year-older brother was always budging in, so I had to do some budging of my own.

Dad would ride the green B John Deere tractor by himself, and the rest of us would ride with my grandmother in her car. Mother had painted the little tractor all green with yellow wheels. The tractor looked great, but the color of trailer was not so great. It was not blue and not green, but it was painted. The hitch and the wheels were silver, which she described as being more appropriate. This was a big day!

The spring day came to leave on the almost four-hundred-mile trip. The two brothers my dad worked for came to see us off. The brothers almost always had a big smile on their faces, so this nice day was no different.

The brother named Allen walked up smiling and said, What a beautiful day God has made for you. He had his hands halfway out and slightly extended up, as if he was also gesturing. He looked into the sky with a big smile.

As I stood there, I looked around as if I was looking for someone or something to reveal itself. I liked this guy, so I raised my hands about like he had done and repeated what he said.

What a beautiful day God has made for you.

The big man patted me on the head. I was sad I had to leave him behind. We said our goodbyes and left with our little tractor and trailer with high sideboards, loaded with all we owned.

All my life I have analyzed things. So at only four years old, I did just that.

What a beautiful day God has made for you.

I said this a lot, so I unfortunately annoyed a few! I enjoyed everything I saw; but again, unfortunately, I asked too many question. I ended up falling to sleep and only awoke when we arrived into the wilderness. The adventure for me began.

Everything was taller than me. I was told many times to stay close to the old house because ten feet away I couldn't be seen.

My favorite phrase was, What a beautiful day God has made. Everyone was tired of that after a very short time. I would walk into the weeds and whisper, What a beautiful day God has made, while raising my hands up slightly. No one in the trees or grasses seemed to object to my saying that. It made me feel great! I would think about the large man called Allen and his big smile.

Every time I would find something interesting, I would go to my parents and ask, What is this? Most of the time, I received No name, Part of creation, or Don't go far exploring. I kept thinking the big bright sun in the sky had something to do with the name God as it appeared that there was no person around. It seemed to be a good thing as I had seen the big man called Allen say this phrase with a smile. Raising of the hands slightly seemed to be the thing to do as to make it better. Nice!

We had just arrived into this wonderful new world. Trees everywhere, with smells I had never had the privilege to know. The great pines that seemed to reach the sky had the best smell of all. To lie down in the pine straw and to try to expand your lungs with as much of the pine scent as you could. You couldn't get enough! I was given a machete to chop down great weeds and brush. It was great. As it had been said so many times that a four-year-old was too small to do anything, I beg to differ. I guess many hands make light work, and it didn't matter whose hands they were as long as there were hands doing work! Nice!

Dad already had a job doing home building in a local town; so it was up to my brother, mother, and me to do the tasks that were assigned by my dad while he was at work. Mother had mowed the small bit of lawn in front of the house, and so it was for sure the best spot in the dooryard. Yummy to the smell of fresh-cut grass! It was so thick and heavy on the yard my brother and I had to rake it into piles to be carted away.

The old house we lived in was called the old granary! The house apparently had burned down a few years back, and the grain storage building had been converted into a house. It had a kitchen, living room, and a bedroom. With a small porch on the front, it looked like a house. The house, however, was very tall. It had a very tall stairs going up from the living room. All the studs and rafters were exposed with a black felt paper adhered between them. It was a storage area but was used for our bedroom. Even though it had a large register in the center for the woodburning heat to flow up, it could freeze water up there when it became a bit cold. A thick featherbed covering and no problem!

I chopped away at the weeds by the old barn as I had been instructed to do. I was happy, so I began my chant of What a beautiful day God has made! It was a sunny day, and I didn't know any songs. Every once in a while I would raise my machete to the sky, but didn't know why. I didn't even know what or who God was but just because Allen had said this very thing when we left to come to this new place a week ago. I would say the words quietly and then a little louder and then just keep whacking away at the weeds. The raising of my hands with the machete in one seemed to make the saying more wonderful. Right in the middle of whacking, I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw an old pickup turning the curve of the lane and driving into the dooryard. It was old, rusty and seems to move quite slowly.

For no particular reason, I walked over to the fresh-cut grass in front of the house. On the edge of the sandy area for cars to park was an old chimney tile. I liked to sit on the old tile and did just that. With my machete still in hand, I stared at the old rusty pickup, which had now come to a stop. The driver's door opened, and an old man climbed out. His white hair and beard seem to flutter a bit in the breeze. He was tall and thin, with a cowboy hat topped his head. He was there, and then he seemed to disappear behind the door of the pickup, as if he seemed to be looking for something he had forgotten. Then without warning, something came bounding toward me at lightning speed. It bowled me right over off the tile and into the grass. It began to lick my face with a fury and passion. It was a small dog or a big puppy! It suddenly stopped and put its chin on my stomach, just as I had dropped my machete and prepared to wrestle it away. I decided to just lie there because it seemed like a nice little fellow. The small creature rolled its eyes back and forth looking me over, with its chin still on my stomach. Our faces were about a foot apart, and all we did is just look at each other. A smile came over my face as I thought, This is a nice little fellow.

The old man was now standing over me, laughing away.

What do you think of her, sprout? he asked with a laugh.

Is the puppy a boy or girl? I asked. I wanted to know if the puppy was a boy or a girl for curiosity's sake.

Yes, she is a lassie! A lassie is a girl, the old man added.

Is she a puppy, or is she a dog? I asked.

Oh, she is just a puppy. Maybe six months old, the old man informed me. She is a December baby!

So she gets to ride with you in your old pickup then? I inquired. I started to get up to have a better look at the puppy. How are you, sir? I asked as I put out my hand. That was the thing to do. A good handshake for coming or going.

Very well, thank you, he replied. You are a gentleman and a scholar, proud to shake your hand at that! This fine puppy is going to be yours. I have already inquired with your folks back when they bought this ranch from me. It just took until this week for me to get by here.

So this fine ranch was yours, and this great puppy is yours? I inquired. What is her name?

You will have to give her a name, the old man suggested.

Just then my mother came out of the house to talk to the old man. I sat down on the grass and talked to the puppy.

What a beautiful day God has made, I spoke to the puppy. I held out my arms, and she wagged her tail and came close. Look at all your colors! I told her quietly. Look at your big white collar, all the way to your feet. Look at the different color browns and your little black-tipped ears. I reached out with two hands and picked up on her half folded-down ears. To lie there and look into the eyes of the puppy and smell green cut grass and pine scent was the best. This was the best place in the world! Did you hear? You get to stay here with me! I grabbed her with a great hug until she wiggled away.

The old man and mother returned from the pickup with a big bag of food and some shiny bowls.

Take this scoop and give her one scoop of this dog food each day, he instructed. Always keep water in her bowl every day, all day!

As I had only seen dogs that were all black or all brown, I wondered why this one was so many colors. I knew my colors, and this was a very different sorting of colors.

What kind of a puppy is she? I asked.

She is a rough collie, the old man replied. She is the fourth generation of collie I have had on this ranch. It was her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother that grew up and lived their lives right here. Her mother is going to spend the rest of her years living with me in town. She was born right here in that old barn. The old man pointed to the barn. "I kept this pup, just to see who would be living here after me.

I love her, sir, and she is a great collie, I offered with pride.

The old man was the oldest person I had ever seen. He sat down on the tile, so I sat beside him.

So this was your fine ranch, I stated.

Yes, my grandpa homesteaded this place, the old rancher stated. This old barn and feed lot are well over a hundred years old. He was a trapper and a rancher and had the first collie dog. I think Grandpa had three collies! My dad grew up here and had three generations of collie dogs. He was a trapper and a rancher. I was born here, and your pup is the fourth generation of collies for me. So there have been a lot of collies on this ranch. I ranched, hunted, and had a few horses but mostly cattle, maybe up to as many as two hundred head. It's kind of sentimental for me to keep this pup, just to see who might live here and see if they wanted one more generation of these collies. I never had any children, so I guess the only thing to do is to sell this ranch. I hope you folks are here for many generations and have collie dogs too! You see past the edge of the barn, at the big oak trees on the crest of the hill that leads to the creek? He pointed the huge trees out to me.

Yes, sir, I replied. They are very big trees. I quickly looked around and saw nothing bigger. They're the biggest ones I think!

Yes, lad, the old man offered. Well, we used to go out under those big trees and have picnics on a Sunday afternoon. It was usually a horseback ride! There is a trail that goes out through the woods at the north end. Now my grandpa used to live down on the north end of this pasture, but the house burned down years ago. This place was just a coral and feed storage for cattle. When that house burned down, we built a house here. Then this house burned down, also years ago, and then we took the granary and turned it into this house. The old ranch house with the big open porch was the best. We all lived in the ranch house for a while, and it was just the best. It was a pretty sad time when the old house burned down. Wood stoves are a tricky business, sprout!

The old man stopped talking and kept quiet for a bit.

It's a little sad, sprout, he suddenly offered.

The pup just sat there with its chin on the knee of the old man. The old man stroked the head of the pup.

I put my hand on the shoulder of the old man. May be you could stay here with us and teach me how to do the ranching? I questioned.

The old man laughed. I would love to, but that's not to be! You just go have a picnic under the big oaks and give me a thought of your time! Take your pup with you and enjoy the day! Remember what you said earlier! What a beautiful day God has made! I knew I liked you, sprout, just as soon as I heard you say that phrase! Have your parents read John 3:16 to you from the Bible! Well, I have to go, so you take care of the pup and the ranch, sprout, the old man requested. This ranch and the pup mean a lot to me! It's my hope that they mean as much to you.

I never said to the old man that I didn't know who John was or what the Bible was either. I didn't have a clue! He had to leave, so I didn't want to interrupt the things he had to do. You just never interrupted adults!

The old man returned to the pickup to leave. As he started out of the dooryard, the puppy started after him and the old pickup.

No, pup, come here, I requested.

She turned around to come to me but stopped and continued to stare at the old pickup leaving. The old rusty pickup with a hint of greenish color rolled around the curve in the lane and soon disappeared into the dust rising up from the lane. She just sat and stared at the pickup going down the lane. I went over and sat by her, giving her some hugs.

This is really your home, I instructed her. The old man wanted you to be here with me. I am sure you will miss the old rancher and your mother too! I will be good to you and help you have a good time right here with me. My list of great things about this place was growing. I know, little collie, that you will like this place as much as I do. Besides, all of your family from a long time ago have lived right here. Nice! I turned to my mother and asked, What will her name be?

The puppy stood staring at me without moving a twitch.

She looks very grand with her white mane, Mother pointed out. I think we should call her Lady!

This white collar is a mane? I asked.

Yes, it is, Mother replied. Put her food in the porch and her bowls by the steps. Get her some water and feed her now. She hasn't eaten yet today.

Lady, let's get you something to eat, I informed the puppy and proceeded to do so.

I watched Lady eat her bowl of food, and it didn't take too long. I wondered if that was really enough for the whole day.

You were hungry, I can see that, I spoke to Lady with amazement.

I gave her a little hug, and she gave me a lick in the ear, which made me jump up.

Mother came to the porch door and reminded me to go back to cutting my weeds by the barn.

Come on, Lady, let's go whack some weeds.

Lady followed me to the barn, and I began to cut weeds.

So you were born right here in this old barn, I sang out.

I chopped all the weeds in the front of the big doors of the barn. For whatever reason, I reached out my hand, just to touch the outside of the barn. I had never seen a building like this. It was black tacky material with small boards every so far apart. The boards ran from the roof all the way to the ground. I would later find out the material was black felt and the boards were called batting. The upstairs in the house had the same material as the barn. This was on the outside, and the upstairs was on the inside.

I lived in a half of a barn, I thought. Nice!

As I stepped back to get a better look at the front of the barn, just to get a better look at the large doors and how they might open, Lady jumped up and ran to the big doors and started to scratch in the dirt along the bottom.

What is it, Lady? I asked.

I tried to pull on the edge of one of the doors, but no good. It was not going to open. I went around to the side of the barn, but there was no door. There was a small stairs of three steps, which went up into the end of a long row of bunks in which cattle could eat. The back of the barn was partially open for the cattle