When my children were small, we spent hours reading children's poetry. Now that they have grown and we no longer read those simple rhymes, the lines of those poems still float through my mind. When I need to find a place to sit and think I still sit
Halfway Down
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up,
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run around my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"
----A.A. Milne
And who can sit by the fire on a damp November day without thinking:
The Mist and All
I like the fall,
The mist and all.
I like the night owl's
Lonely call--
And wailing sound
Of wind around.
I like the gray
November day,
And bare dead boughs
That coldly sway
Against my pane.
I like the rain.
I like to sit
And laugh at it--
And tend
My cozy fire a bit.
I like the fall--
The mist and all.
--Dixie Willson
In honor of those poets who every child needs to meet, I add a little poem of my own. Slim chance that any of mine will find place in the Childcraft Poems of Early Childhood, but here it is, all the same:
Kitty
I went up to my room today
And curled up in my chair;
I planned to read my Bible
And say my daily prayers.
My kitty came to sit with me;
He curled up on my lap;
I scratched his chin
And cuddled him,
And then he took a nap.
Each time my kitty sits on me,
he purrs and purrs and purrs;
He's sweet and irresistible,
A fuzzy ball of fur.
Oh children without kitty cats
Miss out on something dear!
When I was small, I loved Fuzz Ball
And on him wiped my tears.
Someday when I am old and gray
Still here, not called above,
I'll have a soft companion,
A little friend to love.
--Jean in Wisconsin
Monday, November 29, 2004
Sunday, November 28, 2004
A Quiet Sunday
"It's 7:30, mom, and we have to be to church early for choir practice." I was still buried under my duvet this morning when my daughter decided to come get me. Did you know that a person can check the internet, shower and "do" the hair, dress and get make-up on, eat breakfast, feed the cats, make sure the children are on schedule, and stoke the stove in less than 45 minutes?
My mind was wandering too much in church this morning. I just couldn't seem to get it to settle on the task at hand. Perhaps I am tired; bedtime has been creeping back a little each night. My husband stayed at church to wait for my youngest's Sunday school class to be done since we drove separately, and my daugher drove the rest of us home. We are into the days of the driver's permit. Such bold parents we are!
Sunday dinner was chuck roast, baked potatoes, and cauliflower. I'd rather have had something other than white potatoes and white cauliflower on the plate, but the cauliflower needed to be used up. Does anyone else color coordinate meals? I have an angel food cake made, but it was not cool enough to turn over and cut, so we will have that served with strawberries a little later. I probably should not admit this, but I never made my daughter's birthday cake in August since she was at the Wisconsin State Fair on her birthday. I am just now getting one made for her. (She did get a birthday gift!).
Now I am sitting here typing, my husband is snoozing in the bedroom, and my children are scattering to various Sunday afternoon pleasures. If you were to drop by, you could enjoy the sunshine we are having. It has been way too long since that large orb shone in the Wisconsin skies! You could play with all the fuzzy cats that are spread out for a nap on the deck. Most likely you could get the pleasure of watching a large calf enjoying the grass in my backyard; her name is Toothberry (I could tell you the story of her name if you wanted to hear it), and she has learned that her small size allows her to go wandering for better grazing. Unless we lock her in a pen, there is no way to keep her from walking through the barbed wire fence. Since she is not weaned, she never strays far. The beautiful scene is marred, however, by the sound of the grain bin; we are drying down the corn that has just been harvested, and the burner and fan are loud. I always wish we could build a sound barrier so that it would not be so noisy. One year my husband put a row of round bales around it, and that helped, but it seems to bother me more than anyone else and is not much of a priority. I suppose I could learn how to drive the big tractor with the bail stabber, right?
I do not make an evening meal on Sunday. The family is responsible to get their own supper, so I am done with kitchen duty. I'll probably get a book and curl up in my big, green chair; I'll be able to doze in the chair but not sleep so soundly that it will affect tonight's sleep. Then I really ought to take a walk (but I probably won't). If I do, I'll throw an orange vest on so that the hunters can see me coming. Can you believe that someone shot a prize llama while deer hunting? Obviously, the rule that requires them to see what they are shooting prior to pulling the trigger was too difficult a concept.
Tonight we will look to see if there is something the family can watch together, or we might pull out the game of Clue or chess or dominoes. I'll get the advent wreath out of the Christmas box and we will read something, too. We are reading Isaiah together; which Christmas book should I choose? I always read The Twenty-four Days before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle. Last year I read "The Chimes" by Charles Dickens. Any suggestions?
And I'll keep the fire stoked in case you stop by.
Blessings!
My mind was wandering too much in church this morning. I just couldn't seem to get it to settle on the task at hand. Perhaps I am tired; bedtime has been creeping back a little each night. My husband stayed at church to wait for my youngest's Sunday school class to be done since we drove separately, and my daugher drove the rest of us home. We are into the days of the driver's permit. Such bold parents we are!
Sunday dinner was chuck roast, baked potatoes, and cauliflower. I'd rather have had something other than white potatoes and white cauliflower on the plate, but the cauliflower needed to be used up. Does anyone else color coordinate meals? I have an angel food cake made, but it was not cool enough to turn over and cut, so we will have that served with strawberries a little later. I probably should not admit this, but I never made my daughter's birthday cake in August since she was at the Wisconsin State Fair on her birthday. I am just now getting one made for her. (She did get a birthday gift!).
Now I am sitting here typing, my husband is snoozing in the bedroom, and my children are scattering to various Sunday afternoon pleasures. If you were to drop by, you could enjoy the sunshine we are having. It has been way too long since that large orb shone in the Wisconsin skies! You could play with all the fuzzy cats that are spread out for a nap on the deck. Most likely you could get the pleasure of watching a large calf enjoying the grass in my backyard; her name is Toothberry (I could tell you the story of her name if you wanted to hear it), and she has learned that her small size allows her to go wandering for better grazing. Unless we lock her in a pen, there is no way to keep her from walking through the barbed wire fence. Since she is not weaned, she never strays far. The beautiful scene is marred, however, by the sound of the grain bin; we are drying down the corn that has just been harvested, and the burner and fan are loud. I always wish we could build a sound barrier so that it would not be so noisy. One year my husband put a row of round bales around it, and that helped, but it seems to bother me more than anyone else and is not much of a priority. I suppose I could learn how to drive the big tractor with the bail stabber, right?
I do not make an evening meal on Sunday. The family is responsible to get their own supper, so I am done with kitchen duty. I'll probably get a book and curl up in my big, green chair; I'll be able to doze in the chair but not sleep so soundly that it will affect tonight's sleep. Then I really ought to take a walk (but I probably won't). If I do, I'll throw an orange vest on so that the hunters can see me coming. Can you believe that someone shot a prize llama while deer hunting? Obviously, the rule that requires them to see what they are shooting prior to pulling the trigger was too difficult a concept.
Tonight we will look to see if there is something the family can watch together, or we might pull out the game of Clue or chess or dominoes. I'll get the advent wreath out of the Christmas box and we will read something, too. We are reading Isaiah together; which Christmas book should I choose? I always read The Twenty-four Days before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle. Last year I read "The Chimes" by Charles Dickens. Any suggestions?
And I'll keep the fire stoked in case you stop by.
Blessings!
Saturday, November 27, 2004
"I Think It's Snowing."
My blond-haired boy just announced as he passed the window. "Yes. Yes it is." Then he quietly continued down the stairwell.
Two minutes later my daughter came tearing up the stairwell, "MOM! IT'S SNOWING! MOM! MOM! IT'S SNOWING!"
The third child then said in a monotone voice, "She knows. She knows. She knows." My daughter did not notice him. And later he added as he passed the same window as my younger son, "It wasn't suppose to snow yet. It is too early."
How does your family announce the 1st snowfall of the year?
I am cleaning the house. This is the 1st time since my two children were confirmed on Reformation Day that you can see that the furniture in my bedroom is made of wood. Everything that needed to be moved was put there, and I had not gotten back to it. A little Pledge and a vacuum cleaner will make it a peaceful and relaxing place once more.
While cleaning, I found all the books and papers I have been reading and writing over the last weeks. Don't tell me if you are more organized than this, please, because I don't even want to hear about it. I found my astronomy book that tells me the difference between types of telescopes. There under one pile was the Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition the newest one I had purchased, that I was reading. It was the closest thing I could find to be a basic, old-fashion recipe book with great tips and food that we, here on the farm, would make and eat: muffins, baking powder biscuits, pumpkin pie--recipes that I can make from the food that normally fills my cupboard shelves.My old copy of The Well-Trained Mind was found with papers still poking out of it; I will need to use the list I was making and the list from Let the Authors Speak to update my son's reading requirements for the year. His reading level has gone from struggling to read a phrase like "the cat sat" to completing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the last two years. I find it hard to know what to "feed" him in literature class! I found a pair of scissors that was lost a while ago, and the belt my husband has been missing, a little laundry and a pair of shoes. Cleaning day can be rewarding!
My husband has volunteered to take the poohs with him when he goes shopping this afternoon. Will I really have a quiet house for a few minutes? What shall I do? Clean? Read? Watch a Voyager tape? Make a pie or an Angel Food Cake? Such luxury!
Tomorrow is the 1st day of Advent, isn't it? It will be time to start our preparations. Shopping, cooking, baking, making gifts and doing just what Advent is meant to be: a time to prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Christ. We will not decorate until our preparations are made.
Life is good.
Two minutes later my daughter came tearing up the stairwell, "MOM! IT'S SNOWING! MOM! MOM! IT'S SNOWING!"
The third child then said in a monotone voice, "She knows. She knows. She knows." My daughter did not notice him. And later he added as he passed the same window as my younger son, "It wasn't suppose to snow yet. It is too early."
How does your family announce the 1st snowfall of the year?
I am cleaning the house. This is the 1st time since my two children were confirmed on Reformation Day that you can see that the furniture in my bedroom is made of wood. Everything that needed to be moved was put there, and I had not gotten back to it. A little Pledge and a vacuum cleaner will make it a peaceful and relaxing place once more.
While cleaning, I found all the books and papers I have been reading and writing over the last weeks. Don't tell me if you are more organized than this, please, because I don't even want to hear about it. I found my astronomy book that tells me the difference between types of telescopes. There under one pile was the Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition the newest one I had purchased, that I was reading. It was the closest thing I could find to be a basic, old-fashion recipe book with great tips and food that we, here on the farm, would make and eat: muffins, baking powder biscuits, pumpkin pie--recipes that I can make from the food that normally fills my cupboard shelves.My old copy of The Well-Trained Mind was found with papers still poking out of it; I will need to use the list I was making and the list from Let the Authors Speak to update my son's reading requirements for the year. His reading level has gone from struggling to read a phrase like "the cat sat" to completing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the last two years. I find it hard to know what to "feed" him in literature class! I found a pair of scissors that was lost a while ago, and the belt my husband has been missing, a little laundry and a pair of shoes. Cleaning day can be rewarding!
My husband has volunteered to take the poohs with him when he goes shopping this afternoon. Will I really have a quiet house for a few minutes? What shall I do? Clean? Read? Watch a Voyager tape? Make a pie or an Angel Food Cake? Such luxury!
Tomorrow is the 1st day of Advent, isn't it? It will be time to start our preparations. Shopping, cooking, baking, making gifts and doing just what Advent is meant to be: a time to prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Christ. We will not decorate until our preparations are made.
Life is good.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Watching
This morning I was looking out the window at the beauty of the gray fall day. The poem that tumbled out probably should be put away for a couple of days and then worked over again, but I'll post it anyway! Blessings!
Watching
Gray stretches from horizon to horizon,
Few are the leaves upon the trees.
The fields that were once green, vibrantly growing,
Stubble and chaff blown in the breeze.
Now thankfully we watch the harvest passing;
Crops again all safely gathered in.
The sky the hunter's moon already waxing;
The cold of winter's snow can now begin.
The seasons roll by silently and swiftly;
Watching from our window now we pray,
In the midst of hurrying and bustling
We will not miss the beauty of each day.
---Jean in Wisc.
Watching
Gray stretches from horizon to horizon,
Few are the leaves upon the trees.
The fields that were once green, vibrantly growing,
Stubble and chaff blown in the breeze.
Now thankfully we watch the harvest passing;
Crops again all safely gathered in.
The sky the hunter's moon already waxing;
The cold of winter's snow can now begin.
The seasons roll by silently and swiftly;
Watching from our window now we pray,
In the midst of hurrying and bustling
We will not miss the beauty of each day.
---Jean in Wisc.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
A Day to Give Thanks
Their Boy
Nine cats on the step
Waiting for the boy
Who brings them food each morning--
Their tails go up in joy!
Morning Silence
A cup of tea and a warm hearth all wrapped up with a silent house,
early mornings are precious because they are so fleeting.
As soon as the family begins to rise the quiet is shattered,
rent for the day.
Silence will not return until the night has fallen heavily upon us.
Now it is gone.
And now
it is Thanksgiving Day. We are going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. However, we are going in our white Toyota, but the neighbors will no doubt be going out with the horses. But no sleigh. Living in Amish country is so poetic.
Last night in church we sang:
Earth and all stars! Loud rushing planets! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Oh, victory! Loud shouting army! Sing to the Lord a new song!
He has done marvelous things.
I too will praise him with a new song!
---Herbert F. Brokering
I, too, choose to praise Him with songs of Thanksgiving. Will you join me?
Nine cats on the step
Waiting for the boy
Who brings them food each morning--
Their tails go up in joy!
Morning Silence
A cup of tea and a warm hearth all wrapped up with a silent house,
early mornings are precious because they are so fleeting.
As soon as the family begins to rise the quiet is shattered,
rent for the day.
Silence will not return until the night has fallen heavily upon us.
Now it is gone.
And now
it is Thanksgiving Day. We are going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. However, we are going in our white Toyota, but the neighbors will no doubt be going out with the horses. But no sleigh. Living in Amish country is so poetic.
Last night in church we sang:
Earth and all stars! Loud rushing planets! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Oh, victory! Loud shouting army! Sing to the Lord a new song!
He has done marvelous things.
I too will praise him with a new song!
---Herbert F. Brokering
I, too, choose to praise Him with songs of Thanksgiving. Will you join me?
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Thankful celebrations
Forty-two turkeys later...
Today our community is have a Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone volunteers and donates for a free meal and anyone can attend. My dd will be helping and playing the piano. Lots of people get involved with this. Then tonight will be our church's Thanksgiving service. Tomorrow we will head out to Grandma's for the annual feast of turkey, stuffing, corn, green beans, rolls, multiple salads, and pies with lots of of my husband's family. We are thankful for so much: family, friends, health, a good harvest, and God's constant love and blessings.
Today is my 26th wedding anniversary (Donna might notice the typo on her blog--I did not go back and correct it :-). I am thankful for a wonderful husband, great children, a pleasant place to live, and a peaceful life.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving? For what are you thankful this year?
Jean
Today our community is have a Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone volunteers and donates for a free meal and anyone can attend. My dd will be helping and playing the piano. Lots of people get involved with this. Then tonight will be our church's Thanksgiving service. Tomorrow we will head out to Grandma's for the annual feast of turkey, stuffing, corn, green beans, rolls, multiple salads, and pies with lots of of my husband's family. We are thankful for so much: family, friends, health, a good harvest, and God's constant love and blessings.
Today is my 26th wedding anniversary (Donna might notice the typo on her blog--I did not go back and correct it :-). I am thankful for a wonderful husband, great children, a pleasant place to live, and a peaceful life.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving? For what are you thankful this year?
Jean
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Turkey Day
No time to chat! I'm heading out to butcher those turkeys!
Thought for the day:
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet it is one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us that happiness of not having things.
Elise Boulding, "Women, Frugality and the Planetary Household"
Thought for the day:
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet it is one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us that happiness of not having things.
Elise Boulding, "Women, Frugality and the Planetary Household"
Monday, November 22, 2004
Vets and Quotes
Yesterday one of our cows headed out into a lone spot in the pasture--a sure sign that she was getting ready to deliver her calf. We checked her off and on all day. By mid-afternoon we saw hooves appearing, but no calf. Finally I had to call Sally the vet away from home where she was making potato soup with her daughter to come and pull the calf. Sally said the cow would not have been able to have it on her own, and we could have lost the calf and even the cow if we had not had it pulled. We are thankful for our vets who willingly come out at any hour of the night to help us when we need them!
I suppose someday I should take my camera up and make a series of snapshots for my Web site that show the process of pulling a calf.
I thought you might enjoy some of the quotes I've found in one of my cookbooks. These are some of the quotes I marked as I read through them because they caused me to smile or reflect.
Quotes taken from From a Monastery Kitchen by Boulding and Avila
If modern civilized man had to kill the animals he eats, the number of vegetarians would rise astronomically.
Christian Morgenstern
It is always the secure who are humble.
G.K. Chesterton
We cannot become saints merely by trying to run away from material things.
Thomas Merton
Lift up your heart to Him, sometimes even at your meals, and when you are in company; the least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of.
Brother Lawrence
Live within your harvest.
Persian Proverb
If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.
Carl Jung
Man's happiness does not lie in freedom, but in the acceptance of a duty.
Andre Gide
It is a great obstacle to happiness to expect too much.
Bernard de Fontenelle
No man can safely speak, unless he who would gladly remain silent.
Thomas a Kempis
The kind of work we do does not make us holy but we may make it holy.
Meister Eckhart
He has spent his life best who has enjoyed it most. God will take care that we do not enjoy it any more than is good for us.
Samuel Butler
Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up.
Joseph Barth
If women but knew it, health is more apt to be maintained by what is done by them in the kitchen than by what all the doctors and druggists can do for their families.
Ralph Borsodi
Enough is as good as a feast.
John Heywood
The trouble is, people do not work in peace and quiet. They bustle, like Martha.
Dorothy Day
I suppose someday I should take my camera up and make a series of snapshots for my Web site that show the process of pulling a calf.
I thought you might enjoy some of the quotes I've found in one of my cookbooks. These are some of the quotes I marked as I read through them because they caused me to smile or reflect.
Quotes taken from From a Monastery Kitchen by Boulding and Avila
If modern civilized man had to kill the animals he eats, the number of vegetarians would rise astronomically.
Christian Morgenstern
It is always the secure who are humble.
G.K. Chesterton
We cannot become saints merely by trying to run away from material things.
Thomas Merton
Lift up your heart to Him, sometimes even at your meals, and when you are in company; the least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of.
Brother Lawrence
Live within your harvest.
Persian Proverb
If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.
Carl Jung
Man's happiness does not lie in freedom, but in the acceptance of a duty.
Andre Gide
It is a great obstacle to happiness to expect too much.
Bernard de Fontenelle
No man can safely speak, unless he who would gladly remain silent.
Thomas a Kempis
The kind of work we do does not make us holy but we may make it holy.
Meister Eckhart
He has spent his life best who has enjoyed it most. God will take care that we do not enjoy it any more than is good for us.
Samuel Butler
Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up.
Joseph Barth
If women but knew it, health is more apt to be maintained by what is done by them in the kitchen than by what all the doctors and druggists can do for their families.
Ralph Borsodi
Enough is as good as a feast.
John Heywood
The trouble is, people do not work in peace and quiet. They bustle, like Martha.
Dorothy Day
Saturday, November 20, 2004
A Mouse in the Dryer and Other Thoughts
Saturday :-)
I can't post a picture of my new do. I haven't figured out how to post a picture at all! I can't even download my new pages onto my web site. Love that Microsoft Service Pack 2. I wish I could delete it as easily as I downloaded it!
This morning I rolled out of bed in the early hours to feed my two hunters a little breakfast before they went out. After the scrambled eggs and pancakes were eaten, I did what I usually do on hunting days: I returned to bed. At eight o'clock, I finally decided it was time to brave the day. I mozeyed over to my computer and my dd, having slept in as well, came out of her room to announce that one of our Amish neighbors was galloping down the lane on a horse. Do you know how quickly a woman can go from robe to jeans?
The laundry is piling up. I was greeted by a little green mouse that rattles if you shake it this morning when I opened the dryer. Curious. I took the unusual piece of laundry and handed it to Snowflake, who was sleeping under my oldest son's bed, saying, "Here's your laundry, Snowie." There is a first for everything, I guess.
Here is a thought for the day. Blessings!
In Acceptance Lieth Peace
He said,"I will forget the dying faces
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
Voices moaning deep within me, cease."
But vain the word; vain, vain;
Not in forgetting lieth peace.
He said, "I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood cease."
But vain the word; vain, vain;
Not in endeavor lieth peace.
He said, "I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life's riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease."
But vain the work; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.
He said, "I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?"
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.
He said, "I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God to-morrow
Will to His son explain."
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word; not vain:
For in Acceptance lieth peace.
----Taken from Toward Jerusalem
by Amy Carmichael
I can't post a picture of my new do. I haven't figured out how to post a picture at all! I can't even download my new pages onto my web site. Love that Microsoft Service Pack 2. I wish I could delete it as easily as I downloaded it!
This morning I rolled out of bed in the early hours to feed my two hunters a little breakfast before they went out. After the scrambled eggs and pancakes were eaten, I did what I usually do on hunting days: I returned to bed. At eight o'clock, I finally decided it was time to brave the day. I mozeyed over to my computer and my dd, having slept in as well, came out of her room to announce that one of our Amish neighbors was galloping down the lane on a horse. Do you know how quickly a woman can go from robe to jeans?
The laundry is piling up. I was greeted by a little green mouse that rattles if you shake it this morning when I opened the dryer. Curious. I took the unusual piece of laundry and handed it to Snowflake, who was sleeping under my oldest son's bed, saying, "Here's your laundry, Snowie." There is a first for everything, I guess.
Here is a thought for the day. Blessings!
In Acceptance Lieth Peace
He said,"I will forget the dying faces
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
Voices moaning deep within me, cease."
But vain the word; vain, vain;
Not in forgetting lieth peace.
He said, "I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood cease."
But vain the word; vain, vain;
Not in endeavor lieth peace.
He said, "I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life's riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease."
But vain the work; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.
He said, "I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?"
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.
He said, "I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God to-morrow
Will to His son explain."
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word; not vain:
For in Acceptance lieth peace.
----Taken from Toward Jerusalem
by Amy Carmichael
Friday, November 19, 2004
Rainy Days are Gifts, Too
It is one of those dreary, rainy days here in Wisconsin--the kind that makes you wish you could curl up with a good book in a window seat and let the day slip by.
Every morning I feed Snowflake and India Ink, and then India heads for my daughter's bed for a nap while Snowie roams outside. Usually we see him sitting on top of the house for a while, too. Today he took one look outside the door and made a U-turn. He just requested the door to the attic be opened for him--perhaps this is his substitute for the daily jaunt and roof top observation.
When I opened the deck door this morning, about a dozen soggy fuzzies came charging through the door. They know they are allowed into the sun porch, but I was not too impressed with the whole floor being covered with little muddy foot prints. Ears, the oversized, long-haired, white cat with two black ears, looked as though he had walked through the muddy stream to get to the house. Eeeew.
I ordered a microscope from Sonlight and yesterday our package came. What a beauty! We are all impressed and each of us took turns figuring out all the knobs and levers. I love my Brock Magiscope, but I think I will also love this one, too. It seems to offer more for the money than any of the high school scopes I have seen elsewhere.
I am going to take my boys shopping today. We need to buy rockets for 4-H projects, ceiling fans, and fabric for curtains for one of my son's bedrooms. We'll stop at the book store and get my copy of Star Watch rebound with a spiral binding at Copyworks so that it will be easier to use when handling the telescope.
Telescope. That makes me realize that we have missed the Leonid meteor shower completely. One of my friends at my astronomy club claims that Wisconsin has on an average only 20 days per year that are truly clear for good viewing of the skies. There are more nights than that when the skies are clear enough to enjoy the sky, but if you want to see the deep sky objects with a telescope, you need a night without the mists and wisps of clouds.
Today is art and piano lesson day. It is a lighter schedule and we will be done by noon. I'm glad the weekend is here, but I would like the weather to improve so that I can collect corn cobs for kindling and rake leaves. My yard is not ready for snow. Our corn is now all picked, but my brother-in-law's is not. It will be nice to have the harvesting finished.
Oh, and before I go, I thought you might like to know that I did get brave and have a rather short hair cut. The jury is still out. With the tight wave my hair naturally has coupled with the rigidity of graying strands, it seems to be poofy on top and flat on the sides. :-( I'll work with it for a while and see if I can get it to do anything reasonable!
Take care and God bless!
Jean
Every morning I feed Snowflake and India Ink, and then India heads for my daughter's bed for a nap while Snowie roams outside. Usually we see him sitting on top of the house for a while, too. Today he took one look outside the door and made a U-turn. He just requested the door to the attic be opened for him--perhaps this is his substitute for the daily jaunt and roof top observation.
When I opened the deck door this morning, about a dozen soggy fuzzies came charging through the door. They know they are allowed into the sun porch, but I was not too impressed with the whole floor being covered with little muddy foot prints. Ears, the oversized, long-haired, white cat with two black ears, looked as though he had walked through the muddy stream to get to the house. Eeeew.
I ordered a microscope from Sonlight and yesterday our package came. What a beauty! We are all impressed and each of us took turns figuring out all the knobs and levers. I love my Brock Magiscope, but I think I will also love this one, too. It seems to offer more for the money than any of the high school scopes I have seen elsewhere.
I am going to take my boys shopping today. We need to buy rockets for 4-H projects, ceiling fans, and fabric for curtains for one of my son's bedrooms. We'll stop at the book store and get my copy of Star Watch rebound with a spiral binding at Copyworks so that it will be easier to use when handling the telescope.
Telescope. That makes me realize that we have missed the Leonid meteor shower completely. One of my friends at my astronomy club claims that Wisconsin has on an average only 20 days per year that are truly clear for good viewing of the skies. There are more nights than that when the skies are clear enough to enjoy the sky, but if you want to see the deep sky objects with a telescope, you need a night without the mists and wisps of clouds.
Today is art and piano lesson day. It is a lighter schedule and we will be done by noon. I'm glad the weekend is here, but I would like the weather to improve so that I can collect corn cobs for kindling and rake leaves. My yard is not ready for snow. Our corn is now all picked, but my brother-in-law's is not. It will be nice to have the harvesting finished.
Oh, and before I go, I thought you might like to know that I did get brave and have a rather short hair cut. The jury is still out. With the tight wave my hair naturally has coupled with the rigidity of graying strands, it seems to be poofy on top and flat on the sides. :-( I'll work with it for a while and see if I can get it to do anything reasonable!
Take care and God bless!
Jean
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Good Morning!
I slept late today and did not get up until 7:00. I've been sleeping late a lot lately--and have been getting 9 hours of sleep each night. It feels good!
Donna wrote, "What are you reading, watching, making, thinking about??? How are things at church? What is working...what is not working? " Hmmm. Donna is the experienced blogger here, so I think she has some good ideas. I'll have to think about this.
Books
I need to get back into the book Farewell to Manzanar. I have about a fourth of the book left to read. It is written by a woman who was in one of the camps for the Japanese here in the U.S. during WWII. I will have my 6th and 8th graders read it this year along with our history study. It is well written and should be one of the easier books on their list for them to read.
Shall I admit to having taken a couple of days to brainlessly enjoy a Star Trek: Voyager book? I don't read these often and usually am not very interested in doing so. When I am feeling overloaded and sense the need to take a break from the world, I sometimes turn to a Voyager book and head out to the Delta Quadrant... This time it was Section 31. Not all of the Star Trek books are very well written, but this one was fun.
I have a hair appointment this morning. I wonder if I will be brave enough to go a little bit shorter. Each time I've gone in over the last few months I've been going a little shorter and shorter and shorter. I've always had long hair. Only in moments of mad abandon have I ever gotten it cut short, and then I always do penance by having to grow it all back out again. The last time I had it down to my waist, I melted it into a dreadful mass when stoking the wood fire under the maple syrup. My pony tail fell forward just as I threw a log onto the fire which blazed up into my face. Even my eyelashes were singed. After years and years of long hair, I decided to keep it "short". Shoulder length hair is short to me! But now I am entering the bold stage of going even shorter. Oh, my! Such bold abandon!
Well school time has begun in my home, and I need to get the meals for the day put together and a load of laundry started. Perhaps I should get out of my pajamas, too, before entering the classroom--my children would think it rather odd to have mom looking like a rumpled bed trying to teach school! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Blessings.
Donna wrote, "What are you reading, watching, making, thinking about??? How are things at church? What is working...what is not working? " Hmmm. Donna is the experienced blogger here, so I think she has some good ideas. I'll have to think about this.
Books
I need to get back into the book Farewell to Manzanar. I have about a fourth of the book left to read. It is written by a woman who was in one of the camps for the Japanese here in the U.S. during WWII. I will have my 6th and 8th graders read it this year along with our history study. It is well written and should be one of the easier books on their list for them to read.
Shall I admit to having taken a couple of days to brainlessly enjoy a Star Trek: Voyager book? I don't read these often and usually am not very interested in doing so. When I am feeling overloaded and sense the need to take a break from the world, I sometimes turn to a Voyager book and head out to the Delta Quadrant... This time it was Section 31. Not all of the Star Trek books are very well written, but this one was fun.
I have a hair appointment this morning. I wonder if I will be brave enough to go a little bit shorter. Each time I've gone in over the last few months I've been going a little shorter and shorter and shorter. I've always had long hair. Only in moments of mad abandon have I ever gotten it cut short, and then I always do penance by having to grow it all back out again. The last time I had it down to my waist, I melted it into a dreadful mass when stoking the wood fire under the maple syrup. My pony tail fell forward just as I threw a log onto the fire which blazed up into my face. Even my eyelashes were singed. After years and years of long hair, I decided to keep it "short". Shoulder length hair is short to me! But now I am entering the bold stage of going even shorter. Oh, my! Such bold abandon!
Well school time has begun in my home, and I need to get the meals for the day put together and a load of laundry started. Perhaps I should get out of my pajamas, too, before entering the classroom--my children would think it rather odd to have mom looking like a rumpled bed trying to teach school! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Blessings.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Continue Blogging?
One person has asked me to keep blogging. I was thinking that it was taking too much time to write in my blog, and no one seemed to mind that it had gone silent. I also have been pondering that what I write in my Journal is not always appropriate for my blog. I shall have to reconsider.
On the Farm
The corn is coming in. My husband and brother-in-law have been running the combines as much as they can. The grain bins are roaring as we dry the corn for storage. One of our cats has come home after several months of being away. She is a pretty little callico with a bit of a temper; we named her Spit Fire. Do you wonder what the neighbors think when we yell, "Spit Fire! Spiiiiiiiiit!" or when we lovingly refer to her as Spittle...?
I am going to try to change to FoxFire for my internet connection. I cannot upload my new pages on my web site since we installed the Microsoft Service Pack 2. Grrr.
India Ink has been ill. She is my old house cat whom we love even though she has never been sweet and huggable. I've told her a number of times that she is only loved because she is soft and fuzzy and certainly not for her temperament, but now that she is losing some of her fur I've discovered it is not true. I love her even when she is getting less fuzzy. Sniff, sniff.
The Leonid meteor showers can be seen for another couple of days. Check out earthsky.org if you want to find out more about them. We pulled the poohs out of bed one year in the early morning and saw over 80 meteors in just a few minutes, but I am told they will not likely be as spectacular this year. So far the clouds and fog have blocked our chances of seeing anything.
Well, I don't know what else I can say to update you on all our news. I'll see if I cannot get myself to type here for a few minutes each day again. Sometimes life just gets in the way of internet time!
Blessings!
On the Farm
The corn is coming in. My husband and brother-in-law have been running the combines as much as they can. The grain bins are roaring as we dry the corn for storage. One of our cats has come home after several months of being away. She is a pretty little callico with a bit of a temper; we named her Spit Fire. Do you wonder what the neighbors think when we yell, "Spit Fire! Spiiiiiiiiit!" or when we lovingly refer to her as Spittle...?
I am going to try to change to FoxFire for my internet connection. I cannot upload my new pages on my web site since we installed the Microsoft Service Pack 2. Grrr.
India Ink has been ill. She is my old house cat whom we love even though she has never been sweet and huggable. I've told her a number of times that she is only loved because she is soft and fuzzy and certainly not for her temperament, but now that she is losing some of her fur I've discovered it is not true. I love her even when she is getting less fuzzy. Sniff, sniff.
The Leonid meteor showers can be seen for another couple of days. Check out earthsky.org if you want to find out more about them. We pulled the poohs out of bed one year in the early morning and saw over 80 meteors in just a few minutes, but I am told they will not likely be as spectacular this year. So far the clouds and fog have blocked our chances of seeing anything.
Well, I don't know what else I can say to update you on all our news. I'll see if I cannot get myself to type here for a few minutes each day again. Sometimes life just gets in the way of internet time!
Blessings!
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
A Week on the Farm
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
I woke up early to get my husband and Laurel out the door. They needed to put up Bush/Cheney signs along the route that the president would take as he headed through Wisconsin. Unfortunately, none of the signs could be put up ahead of time because there had been a lot of vandalism done to the signs put up earlier—we would have had to post a guard!
I drove the distance to help work at the Cuba City visit. The whole family as well as Daniel and Peter (extended family) helped. We helped direct people into the bleachers and get those who could not stand in the middle of the gym a place to sit. One child standing near me was feeling faint. As I started to offer to try to get some ice or water there was an explosion of cheers and clapping, and there they were! George W. and Laura Bush were on the stage. What fun to see them and hear his speech live. We all were surprised at how much the same it was to see him there in front of us as when we saw him on TV. George W. is George W!
It was said that there were 1,000 people in that small gym. We had heard many of his lines before in other speeches and in the debates, but it was fun to have him there in front, so close to us. I think he must be exhausted, though, to be going from place to place, giving speeches and working so hard. What a system we have set up for the election of our presidents!
After his speech, he came down to shake hands and see some of the people closest to the front. We all took lots of photos and the children collected posters. What fun!
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Early morning chores found Laurel’s Kiss Me, Too very ill. The mother cow, Kiss Me, died this spring, and Laurel had grieved her friend’s loss, but had taken the newborn calf into her care by bottle feeding her, cleaning her pen, and going for romps in the yard with her. The tears! KM2 and gotten too much corn and was so bloated that I feared we would lose her. As she lay in my daughter’s arms, I could see that the calf could barely breathe. Dad pushed a garden hose down her throat to relieve her of some of the bloating. We medicated her. We prayed. The vets were all out on call, and we began to think that we would not be able to get one here soon enough. Then one of the people at the vet clinic was able to get her husband to come (a vet at another clinic). That poor calf had 15 gallons of water and meds down her throat, was given an IV and was stuck and prodded… but she lived. It was not until 2:00 a.m. that she finally began to clean the corn out of her system. We now wait to see if there has been any other damage done to her internal organs. It is good to go out to the pen to be greeted by an alive, little, bloated, black calf.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Today was Reformation Sunday and Confirmation Sunday for Laurel and JM. JM said that the worse thing about the day was that he had to wear something that looked like a tablecloth in church! Grandmas and grandpa, and our cousins all attended and then we came home for a meal of lefsa and meatballs. I am pleased that my children are growing in their faith. It is wonderful to have children grow up and become wiser and so helpful; it is hard to contemplate that they will grow up and head out for a life of their own.
Monday, November 1, 2004
Today we heard that one of the families in the church of our Amish neighbors was in a terrible car-buggy accident. The mother (of 10 children) and one of the children were killed and they had to med-flight 4 others to Madison. We grieve with them.
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Election Day. Please get out and vote!
--------------------------------------------------------
I do not have the ability to post photos here yet. I am getting ready to post my best ones of the president’s visit and of our children’s confirmation on my website. I will try to get it up soon. I’m having difficulties figuring out WebEasy, my web page program. Click on Fairview on the main page links to check and see if it is up. Jean
I woke up early to get my husband and Laurel out the door. They needed to put up Bush/Cheney signs along the route that the president would take as he headed through Wisconsin. Unfortunately, none of the signs could be put up ahead of time because there had been a lot of vandalism done to the signs put up earlier—we would have had to post a guard!
I drove the distance to help work at the Cuba City visit. The whole family as well as Daniel and Peter (extended family) helped. We helped direct people into the bleachers and get those who could not stand in the middle of the gym a place to sit. One child standing near me was feeling faint. As I started to offer to try to get some ice or water there was an explosion of cheers and clapping, and there they were! George W. and Laura Bush were on the stage. What fun to see them and hear his speech live. We all were surprised at how much the same it was to see him there in front of us as when we saw him on TV. George W. is George W!
It was said that there were 1,000 people in that small gym. We had heard many of his lines before in other speeches and in the debates, but it was fun to have him there in front, so close to us. I think he must be exhausted, though, to be going from place to place, giving speeches and working so hard. What a system we have set up for the election of our presidents!
After his speech, he came down to shake hands and see some of the people closest to the front. We all took lots of photos and the children collected posters. What fun!
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Early morning chores found Laurel’s Kiss Me, Too very ill. The mother cow, Kiss Me, died this spring, and Laurel had grieved her friend’s loss, but had taken the newborn calf into her care by bottle feeding her, cleaning her pen, and going for romps in the yard with her. The tears! KM2 and gotten too much corn and was so bloated that I feared we would lose her. As she lay in my daughter’s arms, I could see that the calf could barely breathe. Dad pushed a garden hose down her throat to relieve her of some of the bloating. We medicated her. We prayed. The vets were all out on call, and we began to think that we would not be able to get one here soon enough. Then one of the people at the vet clinic was able to get her husband to come (a vet at another clinic). That poor calf had 15 gallons of water and meds down her throat, was given an IV and was stuck and prodded… but she lived. It was not until 2:00 a.m. that she finally began to clean the corn out of her system. We now wait to see if there has been any other damage done to her internal organs. It is good to go out to the pen to be greeted by an alive, little, bloated, black calf.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Today was Reformation Sunday and Confirmation Sunday for Laurel and JM. JM said that the worse thing about the day was that he had to wear something that looked like a tablecloth in church! Grandmas and grandpa, and our cousins all attended and then we came home for a meal of lefsa and meatballs. I am pleased that my children are growing in their faith. It is wonderful to have children grow up and become wiser and so helpful; it is hard to contemplate that they will grow up and head out for a life of their own.
Monday, November 1, 2004
Today we heard that one of the families in the church of our Amish neighbors was in a terrible car-buggy accident. The mother (of 10 children) and one of the children were killed and they had to med-flight 4 others to Madison. We grieve with them.
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Election Day. Please get out and vote!
--------------------------------------------------------
I do not have the ability to post photos here yet. I am getting ready to post my best ones of the president’s visit and of our children’s confirmation on my website. I will try to get it up soon. I’m having difficulties figuring out WebEasy, my web page program. Click on Fairview on the main page links to check and see if it is up. Jean
