Merry Christmas!

Note: Photos taken in November in La Crosse, WI

A Smile

Dad, Hannah and I happened upon the decking of many trees in a park along the Mississippi on our November doctoring trip. This fella made me smile.

Goodbye, Dear Dorothy

On December 8, we said goodbye to Dorothy. Painful for us. Peaceful for her. The joy and peace she is experiencing with Jesus seeps into our hearts. Still, we miss her so.

"Death is the Gate of Life.

"There is deep insight in those old words. For man's natural thought of death is that of a dreary ending in decay and dissolution. And from his standpoint he is right: death as the punishment of sin is an ending.

"But far other is God's thought in the redemption of the world. He takes the very thing that came in with the curse, and makes it the path of glory. Death becomes a beginning instead of an ending, for it becomes the means of liberating a fresh life."

- I. Lilias Trotter, Parables of the Cross

Note: Picture taken two days before Dorothy went to be with Jesus:

Maren, Dorothy, me, Hannah

August - September: Meals of Produce

There is great satisfaction in eating what you (or your Dad) grows. These plates full were just two of many meals grown mostly in our own gardens.

August - September: Pots of Flowers

August 20: Cabbage + Photographer

On the day I took this picture...

...I was caught in action by Hannah.

September: Goodbye Doyon

September brought signs of changing seasons. That month also brought another evidence that my bakery season has come to an end. Dad expertly crated up Doyon, my thirty quart bread mixer, loaded and strapped it in the back of the pickup (see orange straps below). He and Mom then drove to Pennsylvania to deliver it to the Global Aid Network Logistics Center. It is time for Doyon to bless more people.

Dad and Mom also delivered one hundred twenty-eight LuoPads (washable feminine pads) that Hannah and I with the help of friends sewed up. More travels for these ahead. Africa, Central Asia, refugee camps...

Note:

You can help donate LuoPads through every purchase made at hand.maid.en.

1 item sold = 1 LuoPad donated

Or sew them yourself with instructions found here.

September 5: Product Tags

Some parts of business seem to take endless amounts of time and have so many steps. Designing, printing, cutting, corner rounding, hole punching, string cutting and attaching product tags is a case in point. Doing the afore mentioned on the deck while listening to a good audio book helps.

September 9: Do Not Eat

This kettle full may look a lot like Mom's seven minute frosting or Hannah's marshmallows made from honey, but looks can be deceiving. Cocoa butter lotion anyone?

September 29: The Last of the Roses

October 10: Glorious Cottonwood

October 29: A Birthday for Mom

Mom taking up her mother's trick of unwinding the string from a burnt match stick. She even had Grandma's signature sly grin.

Leaf Mounds

Normally we prepare our rose beds with dirt insulation at the base of each rose before raking the lawn. That way we can dump the leaves directly on the roses for good winter insulation. Some years are just abnormal though. And so when the temperature is abnormally persistently cold and more snow is in the forecast, the leaves had to be harvested and stock piled while they were still to be found. The rest of the rose insulating steps will come later.

Second Snow

Growing

Our gift-tree is growing by leaps and bounds.

Garden Flowers of August

Garden Improvements

Dad and a friend made Mom's wish come true - a quack grass barrier around her flower bed. Now to fully eradicate the unwanted grass inside the barrier.

Resident Turkeys

We have had plenty of rain which means plenty of mud. In addition we have had plenty of wild turkeys. Add turkey traffic to mud and you get turkey tracks.

Our turkey parade began early this summer. The members included a very protective mother and six of her lively miniatures. Over time one miniature went the way of all good birdies and a papa joined the group. Now one more of the troupe has been lost. The remaining six have determined that our property is their permanent residence with occasional day trips. The amenities are rather nice, after all.

The well stocked grape arbor has been a great attraction.

As have fallen crab apples.

The Garden Patio

Much has changed in Dad's raised beds (a.k.a. the Garden Patio) since I posted about their formation early this summer. While now they look rather bare except for a smattering of a few cold hearty crops, here's a look at a mid-August garden.

Rapunzel Cherry Tomato

Lettuce

Onion

Pie Pumpkin

Swiss Chard

Nasturtium

Green Beans

Kale

Celeriac or Celery Root

Parsley

Celery

Broccoli

Peppers

Spaghetti Squash

Young Plant Protectors

(How did my non-coffee drinking parents collect so many metal coffee tins?)

Wild Turkeys with Garden Patio in Background

(More on the wild turkey's another day.)