Answer:

Question of the Day

What do you do when you have two different mechanics tell you that your van is a piece of junk and it would be better to get rid of it?

A Few Pictures

Here is a picture I got of our first snow. There isn't even an inch and it has melted as quickly as it fell, but the first thing I heard this morning was Joseph saying excitedly, "Mom, it snowed!"


Here's a new picture I got for the banner for my weather blog:

Here's a picture of our chickens, Jessie surrounded by his Jessica's...

This is the "nesting condo" our neighbor put together for me. The girls obviously like to sit in it, but they aren't really laying much at all yet. In fact, we've only gotten four eggs so far.

I thought this was a really pretty picture of our kitty, if only I could have held the camera more steady (it's a little blurry). This is Puddles, and he is sitting on the edge of the loft in the garage.

That's all for now. God bless!

Day of Rest

Today we fixed the motor for the garage door opener and cleaned out the sauna top to bottom, including vacuuming out the stove pipe for the wood-burning heater.

We also cooked, cleaned, washed dishes, and took care of laundry that couldn't wait. Some of the boys used scrap wood to make "swords". We also had our regular routines and chores to do.

I laugh to think that earlier I mentioned how nice it is to just be together. I was wrong... working together is definitely the best!

God bless!

He made it

Chuck made it home safe and sound yesterday. We don't have our van back yet, but I was able to borrow a van from our neighbor to go get him. Thank you for your prayers! He was anxious to get home to finish some chores that need doing before the snow comes. Well, it isn't snowing (yet!) but there is enough rain to prevent us from being able to split wood or fix the roof of the garage. But, honestly, I plan to enjoy the fact that he is "stuck" inside. Working all together is wonderful; just hanging out appreciating each other's company is wonderful, too.

I hope you all have a beautiful Sunday. God bless!

Yay!

Chuck is on his way home today! He was down in Houston, working in a place he called "Satan's Basement" so I have to say I'm really relieved he's on his way home in one piece! I guess it is excitement that woke me up at about 6:00 this morning (that's early for me!) and wouldn't let me go back to sleep. Now I am just sitting here in the dark- rather, in the glow of my computer screen, sipping coffee and enjoying the quiet. It won't be time to watch the sun rise for about another hour.

We have a winter storm warning in effect; it could start snowing tonight and last through Tuesday. The forecast says "moderate accumulations possible" so I'm curious to see what that means. We had an October snow storm our first winter here (this will be our third) that dropped a good 6 inches. It looked like a ton of snow to this former-Southerner, but now I realize six inches hardly counts as a storm up here. Also, we live in an area that gets a lot more snow than they get by the lake. So, whatever they get in Ontonagon, we can easily double out here!

Prayers are most appreciated, that Chuck makes it home safely and I figure out a way to go get him. My van is still with the mechanic, but I'm hoping I'll get it back this morning!

God bless you all with a beautiful weekend!

Shearing, Day 2

We sheared Cocoa today and I was so disappointed with how it went that I almost decided not to post about it. But I decided it wouldn't be fair to leave out the negatives of our experiences here. So, I will tell you about our job today. This is Cocoa before we sheared her. She's such a beautiful sheep, and really pretty well mannered even though she is shy.

Now "they" say that you approach the sheep on a certain side, grab hold of the shoulder and the rump and use your leg as you lift to flip the sheep on his or her rear end. They also say that once the sheep's feet are off the ground, he or she will not struggle. THEY LIE and don't believe a word of it! Maybe this is how it works for professional men and their professional helpers (handling docile and trained sheep), but here it was just me and the older kids, and it didn't work that easily at all! We laid out a tarp on a relatively clean spot of their pen, but before the job was a quarter of the way through Cocoa had kicked and struggled her way off the tarp and onto the ground into the straw, wet grass, and "berries" a.k.a. poop... For some reason instead of coming off in one nice fleece, her wool came apart in chunks. I'm not sure if maybe I was pulling it too hard in rolling it back out of the way, or maybe it was just that the quality of her wool wasn't as nice as I thought it would be. Here's a picture of us about done with the first side.

For shearing I used a good, sharp pair of material scissors. These have proven easier for me to handle than the design of the traditional shears which look like the cliched medieval torture device and feel about like that when they are making your hands cramp up! The actual shearing is accomplished by taking small snips with the scissors, cutting the hair one tiny row or section at a time. The hair rolls back away from the skin, usually in one piece although as I mentioned that's not how it worked for me today. It is so luxurious to run your hands over their freshly sheared areas! The lanolin really does wonders for your skin, and the sheep are so very warm and soft! I personally even think they smell good, but I guess that's a matter of opinion. I only cut her once, and almost nicked her another time, which is really pretty good. I feel bad about cutting them, though. It has to be frightening enough to be tackled like that, but then to have your body shaved and get cut in the process just adds injury to insult!

The end result is a bag of about two pounds of wool and a sheep that looks like this:

It's really rather comical, isn't it? Like a wet cat, LOL! She even has a smug little look on her face- I think she is wishing she could have kicked me one more time while she had the chance. Ha, ha! I didn't trim nearly close enough under her neck, so it is hair that's hanging there. It was very difficult for me to see where her hair ended and her skin began in that area! I'd rather leave some wool and not cut them, personally.

Now, you may be wondering why I felt disappointed about the job. Well, first, what you cannot see in the above picture is a small patch on her back that I somehow missed altogether. I tried to cut that off while she was eating her after-shearing treat, but didn't quite get it all. Also, I was really expected the fleece to come away properly and not end up in pieces. I think it will still be usable, but maybe not sale quality like I was hoping for. Oh, well...

I also found out that I am not in very good shape; I am so sore! On account of that I decided Spot will have to wait another day. Instead of shearing him, we worked on cleaning the garage. Trust me, it was easier!

One other thing I did yesterday evening was put together some scrap lumber to make next boxes for the chickens. I was rather proud of my achievement. My neighbor came over, took a look at it, and offered to put together another one for me. LOL! I should be thankful for these humbling experiences that teach me I'm not all I think I am!

Shearing Time!

The kids and I were busy today shearing the two lambs. Overall, I am pleased with our job! Here's a picture of the lambs with their mama.

Jill (center) was dark grey and black when we started. Imagine our surprise to see all that white underneath! Jack (right) was the same color as Coco (left) before shearing, and you can see how different he looks now! Coco grew a really gorgeous fleece this year, and I'm excited to see how it comes off. The lambs' wool is also beautiful, but unfortunately they had gotten into some burdock! I'm going to have quite a job cleaning their wool, especially Jill's. (You can also see in the picture that our naughty boy, Jack, is out of the fence. We still haven't figured out a way to keep those two little ones behind even three electric wires!)

No post about the sheep is complete without a picture of our Spot. He also will be sheared tomorrow, if I can manage it. Shearing is hard work- I can't imagine how the pros manage to do a large flock! We have only four and I had to break up the job over two days because it was killing my back and legs!

It's nice, though, to check off another job from the "Before Winter Chores" list!

On my camera today...

Raechel had some fun getting video of the chickens; she also got a good portrait of one. Daniel got a (rare) picture of Mary napping- she tired herself out and fell asleep in the floor. We were treated to a gorgeous pair of rainbows this evening. I tried to get pictures of them, but it just wasn't possible to capture their colorful beauty. I did, however, get a pretty good picture of the setting sun.

Bad Vet

Written by Raechel:

Here's a little song for you,

From the old days to the new.

Let me tell you so you won't forget,

You are a terrible vet.

You put bullet holes in the dogs,

You decapitate the hogs.

You bruise the legs of the deer,

Oh, my gosh, I hate it here.

You eat the turkey for dinner,

And you don't feed the animals so they get thinner.

You munch abundantly on chicken legs,

In place of them you give them pegs.

That was a song for you,

I bet you enjoyed it; I did too.

First Egg!

Today I could

loose 30 pounds by drinking tea; eliminate wrinkles with botox; get a long-distance degree; be a lazy Google millionaire; have perfect makeup; find singles in my area; clean my colon; and work from home with no shows, no selling, no calls and no obligation.

All I'd have to do is reply to the SPAM in my inbox.

More chickens

Well, we got ten more hens today, for a total of 22 chickens. We decided to call the rooster Jessie and all the hens will be Jessica. They are so funny to watch! They haven't laid any eggs yet, but we expect it will be a couple of days before they are really settled in to their surroundings.

It's going to be a slow weekend here. My van is back, but still not starting. The mechanic said he never could get it to act up on him, but he replaced a sensor (just had to do something!) and he brought it back today. Well, we were going to take Raechel for an eye exam and it wouldn't start! I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it is just me!? Anyway, it looks like we will be staying close to home for a while longer. I do have Chuck's truck that is okay for short trips; so I can get in to the market.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. God bless!

I know, I know

I remember I said I'd stay out of politics, but I thought this was too funny not to share.

Obama may have at one time been a "blob of tissue"? Who would believe it...

Did you guess?

Hint: cluck, cluck



Still not sure? Here's the answer:

We got chickens today from a neighbor. These are all barred rocks, ten hens and a rooster. The woodshed off the south side of the garage is now a coop. It's good to finally have chickens!

You would never guess...

...what we've been up to today. Just try....

I'll leave you to think about it a minute.

(Pics coming soon...)

The Elections

Like everyone I know, I have been concerned about the outcome of the elections. Of even more concern, in my opinion, is the state of our very culture. I was talking to Chuck about it last night over the phone, as he watched the debate on TV. I told him I'd been "thinking about" (more like "planning") a novena for God to guide the hearts and consciences of all Americans on election day. Today in my e-mail I received a link to this quote from the Little Flower, St. Therese:

"My whole strength lies in prayer and sacrifice. They can move hearts far better than words."

I have made a personal resolution that I will abstain from further political discussions. This will be very easy for me, in my particular circumstances! I am also planning to begin the Novena for Faithful Citizenship (link is to a pdf file) tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow there is time for two novenas. Talk is cheap, but prayer and sacrifice demonstrate the type of faith that can move mountians!

If you are not familiar with a novena, it is simply nine days of prayer. Why nine days? Because that is how long the Apostles prayed while waiting in Jerusalem after the Ascension of Christ until Pentecost. It is not a magic formula; it is not superstitiously expecting God to grant our wish if we say all the prayers just right. Rather, the nine days demonstrate our sincerety and perseverence in prayer. It also provides time for our hearts to conform to God's will in that particular matter. You don't have to be Catholic to pray a novena!

I would encourage everyone to pray between now and the elections. There is not a particular candidate I want to pray into (or even out of) office. I just pray that whatever happens, God will have mercy on our country and allow us to turn back to Him with all our hearts!

God bless!

Doing Laundry

Boy One: "Is this your shirt or mine?"

Boy Two: "It's yours."

Boy One: "How can you tell?"

Boy Two: "See? It's a left-handed shirt!"

School Days

Everyone was hard at work today....

...even our youngest pupil. (I swear I did not pose her like that!)

Prayer to Redeem Lost Time

Oh, my God, source of all mercy! I acknowledge Thy sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that Thou, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that Thou can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Thy grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before Thee in "wedding garments". Amen.

Thinking about going anywhere?

Check this out... Cost To Drive.

It underestimated my cost by averaging gas about $.40 per gallon less than it actually is up here... still, it is pretty neat. Our little trip to the library yesterday cost us about $7.74. (I changed their results to reflect our actual gas price, which is currently about $3.69 per gallon, regular.)

It is a good reminder to plan trips ahead and combine errands as much as possible!

Friday, 10-10

We're having more trouble with the van. I thought for sure the kids and I would be stranded at the library this afternoon. But, God is merciful, the van started after a few more tries, and we made it home. We have already arranged to get a new radiator (part should be in on Monday or Tuesday) but now it seems we may have a problem with the feul pump as well. If it doesn't seem too silly, please say a prayer for our van. I really hope that the string of necessary repairs will come to an end, and that we can get a few more years of reliable service out of it!

Meanwhile it is absolutely gorgeous outside. We are definitely in full fall color out there. The view of the ridge and the hills was just breathtaking. Some of the trees are so red they appear to be on fire- others are so brightly golden it almost hurts your eyes to look at them. The weekend is supposed to be perfect. I just love fall! It is truly my favorite time of year.

All is well, God is good, and I love you all...

Oh, by the way...

It's a lemur. And yes, it is kinda freaky. *grin*

How we spent a good part of our morning...

laughing at this....



...and the "dramatic chipmunk".

The Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, Daniel

When you read this, please pray with me for Daniel. May he be blessed today and in the coming years! Happy Birthday, Pumpkin! (As always, I promise pictures will be up later!)

One of those forwards

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I have the same middle name as my dad, just spelled differently.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
It's been a couple of days, at least.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's okay.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey sandwiches are my favorite.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Oh, yeah!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes, I think so.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No, never.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Last time I checked I still had 'em.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Good grief, no!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
homemade granola

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Yes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
chocolate

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
I'm going to say their height, but I probably notice different things about different people.

15. RED OR PINK?
Is this a trick question?

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
my impatience

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
our daughter, Hope.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Sure!

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
black

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
kitcheree (rice and lentils seasoned with curry and red pepper)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Chuck reading to the boys from the Little Flowers of St. Francis and Mary babbling happily to herself.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Probably blue.

23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
clean sheets from the clothesline, lavender, cookies

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Kathy C.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Like I'm gonna say no! LOL!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
We don't have any interest in any sports.

27. HAIR COLOR?
brown and grey (I wonder how much longer before it'll be "grey and brown"?)

28. EYE COLOR?
brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yes

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Homemade pizza is my favorite; otherwise anything that anybody else has to clean up after.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
I hate scary movies, so happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Gone Baby Gone (I can't decide if I liked it or not.)

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
My shirt has blue, red and yellow flowers with green leaves on an ivory background- hopefully it is prettier than it sounds.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
I love summer, but I also get a lot of winter.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Silly question- I love hugs from just about anyone and kisses from a select few.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
brownies with vanilla ice cream

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
nobody

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
anybody

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm between books right now...

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I have a plain grey mousepad with the word MEMOREX on it.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
We don't have a TV.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
silence

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles, I guess.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME???
Washington DC, I guess.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
nope

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Kansas

Well, that was fun. :o)

Life Chain is Tomorrow (10-5)

from the official website:

LIFE CHAIN is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour praying for our nation and for an end of abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception.

If you cannot stand, bring a chair and sit. If you cannot give one hour, give as much time as you have. If you cannot get to the site in your community, offer your prayers at home. If there is no site in your community, prayerfully consider starting one. But please, do what you can.

Back Online

Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised. The phone company sent out a tech support guy (probably young enough to be one of my children...) and he "reset something in the modem" and we are back online.

Man, I'm so spoiled...

October

We've had such a busy month already! (LOL) Chuck bought a little wood-burning cook stove for me, so he has spent the afternoon moving it in. Unless we decide to build another chimney for the kitchen, the stove will stay in the front room. I'm really excited to start learning to cook on it. I can't think of anything that says "Country Comfort" like a beautiful little black stove that warms the home and fills it with delicious smells.

My internet has been down for three days- I'm only online now because we can use Chuck's cell as a modem. I was on the phone for about an hour with tech support, unplugging various cables for 60 seconds, plugging them back in, and rebooting the computer. After being talked through mysterious codes on a black screen I didn't know I had, they gave me a confirmation number and promised somebody would call. So far, I haven't gotten that call. I'm predicting I won't have my DSL back until at least Monday, if I'm lucky!

Here's a little bit of miscellany in honor of today's feast of the Guardian Angels. It may come in handy for any of you with little ones to rock to sleep. Did you know the words to the traditional prayer to your Guardian Angel fit the tune "Rock-a-bye Baby"? Try it!

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom His love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, rule and guide.

Amen, God bless!

Yay!

Well, did you wonder what I've been up to? Chuck made it home safe and sound last night. We have been blessed to attend a mission at our church the last few nights. The children have been doing well and (mostly) having fun with their lessons- that right there keeps all of us happily occupied about half the day. There is less than a week until Daniel's birthday. God is good!

God bless!