New Year's Eve Day, The Seventh Day of Christmas

I’ve been reading My Utmost for his Highest during my personal devotions lately. The entry for December 31st spoke on Isaiah 52:12, “You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

A few quotes may give you the flavor of the message. How apt for our last day of 2005:

God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the
present.

And God’s hand reaches back to the past settling all the claims against our
conscience.

But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will
go before us.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in his hands, and step out into the
invincible future with Him.

May your coming year be full of peace, joy, and blessing.


Oh, Ruffy. A man in a pickup truck drove into our driveway this week. He talked to my husband and then left. A few minutes later we received a phone call from my brother-in-law. The same man had stopped at his house after ours--and a "fluffy yellow cat" crawled out from the engine compartment upon arrival. Oh, Ruffy. My sister-in-law almost had another cat to feed. How did she travel so far without getting hurt? How many of her 9 lives does she still have? What if the man had gone someplace else or my brother-in-law had not noticed her crawling out of the truck? When I went to get her, I called and called and called. Guess where she was hiding? Under the hood of my bil's truck. Didn't learn a thing, did she!?!

I was born in a small town in Wisconsin. When my parents took me home from the hospital, this was our home. I lived here through my elementary school years and all the way through college. Then I married. I returned often to visit, and 8 years ago, when my dad died, this was a safe haven for my mom--with all the comforts and memories she needed to grieve and heal. A few weeks ago she decided it was time to give up yard work and shoveling, and she move into a beautiful apartment. Today we signed the papers and it now belongs to a young couple who are expecting a child in February. This little house was my parents for over 50 years and holds a lot of memories. So long old house. Blessings to those who will reside under your roof. 

The 6th day of Christmas. We are going to help my mom close on the sale of her house today. This photo was taken last year from the sun porch where we do school. I love all the white! Today is the last day of preparations before the open house. Lots to do! Merry Christmas! 

On the 5th day of Christmas I'm posting another of my favorite photos. This is outside my sun porch window. Today I will continue to clean and cook for our open house on Saturday. I suppose you are all too far away to drop in for a visit, right? Merry Christmas! 

On the 4th day of Christmas I'll post a photo I love. This is our farm. Merry Christmas! 

On the 3rd day of Christmas I finally had the lights on the light post up, but the light bulb at the top burned out! So I'll post last year's photo and hope to get the light working again on the 4th day of Christmas--or at least before our open house on Saturday! So how many of you have your tree standing yet? I wonder if I'm the only one still decorating?!? Merry Christmas! 

On the second day of Christmas my kitties say to you, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" 

Advent Is Over

Advent is over and Christmas has come;
All is made ready, our planning is done.
Everyone’s welcome to join us tonight;
We’ll sing of Wise Men, a star of great light.
Children in bathrobes and candles and mirth,
Laughing and singing ‘bout peace on the earth,
Whether we come bringing laughter or tears,
Heartache or worries, contentment or fears,
Come to surround us with his endless love
He who was sent by our Father above.
--Jean in Wisconsin


Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

More...

Bethany tells me I was supposed to do 7 favorite movies. So…

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (I watched this tonight. I still laugh when watching it!)
2. Charlie Brown’s Christmas
3. Star Wars Original Trilogy (actually, I’ve probably seen this enough for the next 50 years, so maybe it doesn’t count any more)
4. Pride and Prejudice (Not the new one--you know, Colin What's-His-Name)
5. The Wizard of Oz (I grew up watching this in black and white!)
6. Cinderella (The old one—“In my own little corner, in my own little world, I can be whatever I want to be.”)
7. I give up—Movies just don’t happen around here too much!!!

India Ink (aka Ink Pot)

Thursday, Friday, Saturday--that is all that is left of Advent. Then we will begin our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve; we have not sung any Christmas songs on Sunday morning, just Advent songs. I love those wonderful old songs we will sing on Christmas Eve and the 1st and 2nd Sunday in Christmas! We will have until January 5th to celebrate Christmas; January 6th will be Epiphany.

Prepare the Royal Highway

Prepare the royal highway;
The King of Kings is near!
Let every hill and valley
A level road appear!
Then greet the King of glory,
Foretold in sacred story:
Hosanna to the Lord,
For he fufills God's Word!
--text by Frans Mikael Franzen

Tagged

What is a meme????

Seven Things to Do Before I Die.
1. Continue to grow in trust of Him who created this universe
2. Learn more and more each day to be a better and more loving wife
3. Raise my children in wisdom and faith
4. To be at peace
5. To practice forgiveness whenever I am given the opportunity
6. To love God with all my heart
7. To reach out to those around me with the compassion of Christ through words and hospitality

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1. Drive a tractor well enough to be useful on the farm
2. Juggle all the tasks given to me and keep all of the balls in the air
3. Learn Latin well with the amount of time I have to study
4. Read all of my ClassEd (Yahoo) email every day
5. Keep my weight at 124 lbs. like it should be
6. Find a hair cut that I like

Seven Things that I Admire in my husband or wife (or for singles, dad or mom).
1. His willingness to give backrubs!
2. His getting up early every day and every day to do farm chores
3. That he knows how to cook and bake (esp. the pecan rolls!)
4. All the things he knows that I have no clue about: electricity, plumbing, cars, woodworking, computers, politics…
5. The time he spends working with the children for 4-H
6. His support in my efforts to homeschool and his expecting the children to do the work I assign with respect
7. How much others within the community respect him

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Yes, yes. I know you are fuzzy. (In response to a meow.)
2. Let’s see here. What was I doing?
3. Just because you love him/her doesn’t mean you have to marry him/her and please choose to marry someone we all can enjoy being around!
4. Kitty, kiiiitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kiiiiiitty! (a vocalized chant)
5. I used 3 lbs of hamburger in this recipe and I want some leftovers!
6. What?
7. What do you want for supper?

Seven Books (or series) I Love (right now)
1. My Bible
2. The Hawk and the Dove Trilogy
3. George MacDonald? Edith Schaefer?? Elisabeth Elliot???
4. Reader’s Digest Home Made Best Made
5. A Sand County Almanac by Leopold
6. The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by L’Engle
7. Connecting with the Cosmos by Goldsmith


Oreo doesn't quite fit on the tub with Orion and Bright, does he? LOL!

Fourth Sunday in Advent

This is the 4^th Sunday in Advent. I love the Advent carols that we sing each year. Every time I open my hymnal to see what we are going to sing next, my heart rejoices! Today we sang “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” and “Fling Wide the Door”.

Fling wide the door, unbar the gate;
The King of glory comes in state;
The Lord of lords and King of kings,
The Saviour of the world who brings
His great salvation to the earth.
So raise a shout of holy mirth
And praise our God and Lord,
Creator, Spirit, Word.
--Text by Georg Weissel

We decorated our Christmas tree. I started Christmas shopping. The school books are put away. And now we need to bake candies, and cookies, bars and snacks. Celebration!

------------------------------

Patty asked who the other cat was in the picture below with Ruffy. It is Spit Fire. As a kitten we almost put her down because if we accidentally touched her or got too close to her she'd sink her teeth and claws into us then streak at top speed away. I lost count of the number of times she was in quarantine for 10 days because of this. We normally do not give our barn cats rabies shots, but this one got one. One day my hubby was going to put her down because we were afraid of having her around the children, but he got the flu and it did not get done. Today she is a very skitterish cat, but also loves to hold on to my shoulder and purr. Sometimes we call her Spit for short. Strangely fitting.


Spit Fire

Meanwhile, Down on the Farm

This is not the tractor that has the snow blower that had the flat tire so that the engine heater did not get plugged in so it cannot start. This is the tractor that has the snow plow that stalled in the driveway that has fuel filters that froze up so that this tractor can not go, either.

This is the truck that got stuck in the driveway that was drifted over because the tractor stalled that had the snow plow. It was pulled out of the snow by our Amish neighbors that had the horses that were not stuck in snow and that were not frozen up. I think it is good that I like winter. 

Yikes!

I checked to see how much it would cost to have my own calendar made. Kodak has them, but they cost $20 each. If you order 25 or more, they are $14 each. If I add shipping to that and some extra (wasn't this suppose to be a money making endeavor--at least a wee bit of one?), it will get the cost up rather high for a simple calendar! LOL!

Checking In

I’m sorry that I have not been as regular a poster as I usually am, but I have been busy writing to other people.

To a friend who was dealing with an extra dose of responsibilities I wrote:

“My heart goes out to you. I always recall a quote, of which I do not know the author, but says that it is doubtful that God can use greatly any man he has not first broken.

Brokeness. Not a strong-willed determination that we will follow Him, but a spirit released and set free, walking in the path of sorrow and joy, humbly embracing God.”

In a lighter spirit, I wrote this to another friend who'd lost something I'd sent her:

“Don't worry. I obviously carry my mind around in my hand and when I need to pick something up, I mindlessly set it down and then cannot find it again. It is hard to explain to my children why I keep losing my mind, but I keep thinking that they will probably have a chance at understanding it more when they are my age.”

Another person requested information on TWTM boards about Classical
Composition’s use of “recognition.” This is what I wrote:

“When we read stories that describe a situation that we have not experienced, we may not feel as though we are emotionally attached to what is going on. However, if the author adds descriptions of things we have experienced, we can more easily enter into the story. For example, we may never have experienced standing at the edge of an ocean waiting for a ship to come in. If I wrote, ‘She stood at the edge of the water waiting for the ship to come in. It was windy,’ it would not give you much to let you “feel” what was happening. There is not much in those two sentences that you have experienced yourself, so you cannot read it with recognition.

If, however, you have stood in the wind while it matted your hair and blew it everywhere, if you have seen a pink and blue sunset, if you have ever had feet that were so cold that you have had to pound them to keep them "alive," you will be able to enter into this ore easily:

’The child stood staring into the pink and blue sunset, tugging at her matted brown locks to keep them from blocking her view of the horizon. She shifted her weight from left to right as she tried to keep her numb feet moving. She could not bear to leave her lookout post, but did not know if she could stay here in the biting wind much longer. Would he come today? Must she wait longer? Surely, he would be here. He had promised.’

I don't know about you, but I wish I'd write the rest of the book to see how it ends! What is the difference? Recognition, for one. So in CC you are teaching the beginning tages
of recognition. You want the child to add information about wind in the trees because you have heard and felt the wind. It is something you can add that will bring the reader "into" the story. At this level it may just be one line, and it may not accomplish the task in an effective way, but the child gets to experiment with it so that later she can expand upon it.”

I’m going to go to my email box and write answers to some of your comments. Then, maybe, I’ll see if I can get a calendar made through Sundance for those of you who express interest. After that, I need to wade through the boxes of china, bedding, books, and furniture in my front porch that I brought from my mother’s house. I also promised to clean off the game shelf in my son’s room, and need to get my Christmas list ready for my trip to town tonight. Meals, housekeeping, laundry…

I went cross-country skiing yesterday. Bethany, my non-outdoors lover, asked to learn how to ski! Old mom was able to keep ahead of her most of the time, um, at least until the found herself on the ground. Oh, well. A few muscles noticed the extra activity when she woke up this morning, but all is well.

Blessings on you this week!

(I am now going to give up trying to get the spacing to look right on this entry!)

I doubt I need to tell you what Ruffy thinks about warming her toes by the hearth. This photo tells the whole story! 

Today We Remember

There have been several people over the last few years who have written me to ask about farming. Normally when I write about farm life I show you the beautiful sunsets, cats around the fire, newborn calves, and silly donkeys. When you ask serious questions about tossing the city life and paycheck aside for going farming, I feel responsible to tell you some of the “other side” of the story.

This Advent, as you work your way through holiday plans and celebrations, I am going to ask that you keep the families who are struggling to survive on the small family farms in your hearts and prayers. You see, at least around our area, this institution is going the way of the dinosaur. At the supper table the other night we could only come up with two other families that we knew personally whose incomes come solely from the farm, although we did not include the Amish neighbors who have recently move to the area. In the last couple of years, two of our neighbors have sold out and changed careers—farms that had been in the family for more than one generation.

The farmers I know would rather live on a small income than give up their land, but when the price of corn does not cover the price of planting it, the slightly higher price of beef does not offset the losses. Even the most committed is not willing to work 80 hours a week to end up with a negative paycheck at the end of the year unless his wife can bring in enough from an outside job to pay the bills.

Across the nation people are trying to make their incomes stretch, and stores like Wal-Mart, who can buy in large quantity and sell at a good price, do well because they can give us more for less. The same is happening with the large corporate farms and the small family farms. Who is willing to raise his food bill in order to keep us in business? Who wants to have his taxes raised in order for the government to do this?

Usually farms do not get sold because of the smelly tasks, long hours of work, or heavy labor. The farmer can find a balance between the good and the bad: We see our children learn the benefit of hard work and caring for animals; they grow strong. We live away from the cultural activities and big stores. We have glorious sunsets, busy harvests, unpredictable paychecks, and families that work together.

Right now, however, many are having to cut their ties to the land and move on. Farms that were kept in the family for a hundred years are no longer viable. Some move on successfully, others do not.

So today, while you shop, wrap, listen to music, and celebrate, take time to pray. I’m sure there are many folks other than farmers who find themselves struggling as well. Let us not forget to thank God for what we have, and pray for those who are less fortunate.

God is Good. He is Faithful. We will trust in Him.

Blessings.


A Fairview Farms sunset

It snowed again yesterday. Here Penelope is standing with her face to the wind while turning white with snow. Snowie refuses to go outside unless we toss him out--we put him out the front door and time him to see how long it takes to get to the back door. The longest was 45 seconds. Today is brilliantly sunny. It is the 3rd Sunday in Advent, and we had a wonderful Sunday morning worship. I'm thinking, though, that I ought to think about doing some Christmas shopping. Soon, I guess! Blessings!

Yesterday

India woke me, complaining about her empty dish. I ignored her for a while, but finally grabbed my robe and headed for the computer. Email, TWTM boards, my blog were all quickly checked, and then I headed downstairs, India and Snowie running down the stairwell in front of me like heralds. I fed them and then stoked the stove.

Our chickens are not producing as many eggs as I like, but I decided to have French toast anyway. We brought up a quart of strawberries as syrup, and those who prefer maple syrup heated some of that up for theirs. Breakfast, devotions, dishes were finished, and I decided to straighten the sun porch. It is the room everyone comes into when they visit. I like to have it neat.

Afterwards I kidnapped Snowflake, and we settled into the Big Green Chair to read the Bible, pray and meditate. India joined us, too. I’m reading the Christmas story now. I love those stories.

After some stretching and back exercises, a shower, and picking up my bedroom, I worked on throwing in some laundry and making meals for the day. I had the fixings for chicken and rice enchiladas all ready when I discovered “someone” had finished off my supply of tortillas. I called Hubby, and he decided to take the tire that needed to be repaired into town early so he could stop at the store for me. Blessed husband.

Time goes quickly when I need to answer questions, pick up here and there, answer a couple of phone calls—before I new it, it was time for lunch. We failed to exercise self-control and turned on Star Trek for a few minutes.

Then I worked with the children: the youngest first, then the middle child, and finally my oldest. We corrected tests and papers, gave assignments and checked over the homework. By the time I was done, it was 3:30. I checked the boards and headed out for a walk. It was snowing. It had snowed all day. Beautiful.

For supper I made cornbread with applesauce, egg drop soup, and a 7-layer salad—perhaps that is an odd menu, but my family liked it. While the children did the dishes, I tried to get caught up on emails. I think I still have 400 in my ClassEd folder! I finished the day’s work by cleaning up the laundry room and sorting through piles of laundry that got ignored while cleaning my mother’s house.

I stoked the stove for the evening, and while I brought that up to 600 degrees, I read Herodotus’s Histories. The outside kitties came in to sit before the fire with me until it was bedtime. The bed was cold, but it was not long before my duvet was warm and the world was gone. It was a good day.


It has been rather cold here lately. The wind has been brisk and it has been down close to zero in the mornings, not getting above freezing during the day, either. I love winter. The beauty, simplicity--it makes me feel alive!

It has been snowing all day. The cows don't seem to complain as long as they have enough hay. 

Blue for You

I’m blue.
Are you?
Today
I'd say
A sigh
Is nigh.
I do.
Do you?

I’m blue.
Are you?
I sit
A bit
Then try
To fly
In dreams
Don’t you?

I’m blue.
Are you?
And then
A pen
I take
And make
A rhyme.
Would you?

It’s true.
I do.
I yearn
To turn
To Him
Again
In verse.
Will you?

Jean in Wisconsin

Ruffy says, "Hellooooo! The comments box has been very slooooooow. Is any one out there or are you all buried in snooooow?" Christmas got your tongue? LOL! Enjoy your 2nd week in Advent!

Mommy has been sick. I've been taking care of her and think she is finally showing signs of getting better. She's probably around 10 years old--quite old for a farm cat. She's put on quite a layer of insulation this year! If we were to forecast the winter by her, we'd pile more wood under those pine trees! Maybe she knew that we would be having our 4th snow fall by December 3rd; even our 4-H awards night has been cancelled tonight because of the weather. Blessings! 

My son tossed the Halloween and Thanksgiving pumpkins into the pasture and a passerby decided to taste one

Twelve Years

Today is the 1st day of December. We started our 12th year of homeschooling 3 months ago; now that my daughter is in 11th grade, I am beginning to see what her transcript will contain:

English: (Literature, Composition, Grammar, Vocabulary/Spelling) 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th (6 credits)

Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II & Trig (3 credits)

World History, U.S. History, Government & Economics, World Views (Geography?) (4 credits?)

Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (4 credits)

Latin I, Spanish I & II (3 credits)

Logic, Progymnasmata, (Rhetoric?) (2-3 credits)

Health (.5 credit)
Art (1 credit)
Music (1 credit)
Keyboarding (.5 credit)
Physical Education (1 credit)
Driver’s Education (.5 credit)

I’ve decided to place her Bible Education into her “extra curricular” activities since a large portion of that was done in the church and includes her working with the children as well as her studies.

That’s 26 to 27.5 credits.

Whew! I do not look forward to seeing my daughter head off to college—I’d love for her to stay nearby. I will, however, have mixed feelings on seeing her graduate. The years have been long and a lot of work, but I do not want to lose the relationship we have built over the years.

My 9th grader is just beginning the trek through high school, and then there is my 6th grader moving up behind him. I’ll be doing this for a while yet, I think! I would not trade these last 11 years for any job you could give me. I like what I see in my children—their walk with God, their love of reading, their curiosity towards life, their work ethic, their humor. Life as a homeschooler has been good.

Detective, Judge and Jury

With sleepy eyes he slips his sock-covered feet out from under the blankets. Morning. Stretch and yawn. Look outside the window to see the grass poking through the soft layer of snow and then amble down the hall. He was not ready for the ice-cold water waiting for him, quickly wicking up through his toes. That was Clue Number One.

Eyes wide open, he observes the room. The cats’ water dish is half empty. Curiously, that which remains is no longer clear, but has a purplish hue. Clue Number Two.

Upon further inspection, he finds the victim. One soggy, purple mouse lies discarded beside the bathroom door. Clue Number Three.

The socks hung up to dry, he chances upon a suspicious personage…with four soggy white paws. Detective, judge, and jury, he tosses the mischievous beastie out onto the deck where he can dash up trees and chase kittens to his heart’s delight. Perhaps when he returns, he will find a warm spot to curl up and dream of his adventures.

Looking innocent

Sophia A. 1891
Celia R. 1891
Infant Children of A. & R.

The Warm Spot

The house became quite cool last night, and I know that I had reached down and pulled the heavy quilt up over us sometime in the early hours. Snowie snuggled close to me until early morning, when I heard the jingle of his bell as he jumped off the bed, headed for the downstairs. There must not have been any little stuffed mice on the stairwell because I did not hear him scampering around on the wooden steps after he left.

The next time I opened my eyes, the windows were letting in the soft glow of early morning, telling me it would soon be time to rise. I rolled over, and much to my delight, I discovered there was a warm spot in the bed—the kind of spot that makes you pull your arms and legs up to be certain that you do not have them outside that comfort zone. It reminded me of childhood.

It is such simple things as this that makes winter my favorite season. A wood stove, a cozy down coat, a warm spot—all these things are simple pleasures that bring delight.

Blessings.

Click on the photo to enlarge this and see the detail of this beautiful tombstone in our church cemetery. What a work of art! 

I took this photo when I was standing in front of my church. We have to travel several miles to get to the closest town. We are celebrating our 150th anniversary this year.