Sunday, December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas!



Note: Photos taken in November in La Crosse, WI

Saturday, December 23, 2017

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.

Friday, December 22, 2017

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

Friday, December 1, 2017

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.


Friday, November 17, 2017

August 20: Cabbage + Photographer


On the day I took this picture...


...I was caught in action by Hannah.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

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.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

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.

Monday, November 6, 2017

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?

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

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.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

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.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Growing


Our gift-tree is growing by leaps and bounds.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

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.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

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.

Friday, October 13, 2017

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.)