Summer Updates and Good (and not as good) Reading

While visiting The Midland Agrarian, I saw that he had posted a link to an interesting blog, The New Agrarian.  One of the posts is The Eightfold Agrarian Way.  There appears to be a great deal of wonderful reading on his site.  I hope to indulge as time permits.

Life seems to have consumed me of late.  A new grandbaby in Minnesota, needing to do more chores by myself, which at this stage of my life requires much more energy than it should and a great deal more time, trips to doctors (ugh), and reading.  So I regret that I have not written for so long.

My reading has included recreational, The Help and The Hunger Games.  While I enjoyed The Help and can't wait for the movie, The Hunger Games I could barely read.  It saddened me--scared me-- to think it could really happen.  I can't even think about reading the other books in the trilogy.  My theological reading includes, The Wages of Spin, Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism, by Carl Trueman, and The Letters of John Newton.  I'm in a small study that is looking at Newton's letters.  I was unable to make the first meeting, but the second study, was like no other I have attended.  Newton's writings have challenged my thinking in a profound way.  One quote:  "The Lord appoints occasions and turn in life, which try our spirits.  There are particular seasons when temptations are suited to our frames, tempers, and situations; and there are times when he is pleased to withdraw, and to permit Satan's approach, that we may feel how vile we are in ourselves.  We are prone to spiritual pride, to self-dependence, to vain confidence, to creature attachments, and a train of evils.  The Lord often discovers to us one sinful dispositions by exposing us to another.  He sometimes shows us what he can do for us and in us; and at other times how little we can do, and how unable we are to stand without him."

Thanks to my husband's skill at carrying five gallon buckets of water from the spring all the way to our garden--no small distance!!--during that hot, dry spell, our garden is doing pretty well.  I do this every year--why do I let it upset me, when God has provided every year for us despite heat and drought.  In fact, some plants are doing a little better than I would rather.  The watermelon and cantaloupe have literally taken over the west end of the garden growing over the bean row and the onions.  The tomatoes are a jungle...if they would only ripen.  The deer have kindly removed the top leaves from the green beans, which makes them so much easier to pick.  They were not so kind to my edemame--no crop this year.  The beets are canned, thanks to a very helpful neighbor for laboring beside me and keeping me from turning the entire kitchen purple.  The green beans are coming in now.  There are carrots that need to be canned or frozen.  I'll need them for tomato soup.  We have so much basil, which  means we have a great deal of pesto in the freezer.
The Japanese beetles were not near as bad this year, so the grapes look great, too.  The rainfall from the spring must have helped the apple trees.  Every road side tree is covered with apples.  I only hope my apple guy will have a good crop as the applesauce is running low.

These last few days have been lovely and easy to enjoy.  Not much heat or humidity.  Nice low temps at night for great sleeping.  Although, I don't think summer is over.

"Let us as Christians fill our various situations in life,
     escape the snares to which they expose us,
     discharge the duties that arise from our circumstances,
     enjoy with moderation their advantages,
     improve with diligence their usefulness,
And may every place and company we are in be benefited by us."
--from The Valley of Vision, Sixth Day Morning, The Gospel

Sunshine--At long last

It has rained for most of the last month.  Our yard has areas that are laying with water and are unable to be mowed.  The sun has arrived today with great delight to everyone in Western PA.  People are cutting grass, working in flower gardens and generally enjoying a long awaited beautiful spring day.

My clothesline is also happy.

As Mr. Rodgers would say, "Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood!"  And it is.

"Show me your ways, O LORD,
   teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long."
Psalm 25:5

Meet Hazel

This is Hazel.  She is all ready for this year's mowing season.  She's been washed and waxed.  Her 54 inch mowing deck has been cleaned.  The hoses fitted and everything that is supposed to have grease has been greased.  Her oil has been changed and filters cleaned and she's full of diesel fuel.  All thanks to my husband.

She and I spend many pleasurable hours together during the grass cutting season.  She has a "tool holder", which is used for holding water bottles, sunscreen and any snacks that might need consumed during our mowing sessions.

You will be pleased to know that on this very first outing, she and I were able to run down a mole and grind the thing up in her newly sharped blades.  (Pesky things make a mess out of our yard.)  This is Hazel's second mole kill.  The first one I had to drive in circles in the front yard, no less, to track the little bugger down.  (I probably looked like a crazy woman!)  Finally got him before he could sneak down a hole somewhere.  I wonder if they make decals--moles with a red circle with a line through it.  It would certainly make her look pretty tough up against the other lawn tractors in the neighborhood--even the other John Deeres.  At any rate, knowing that there are many more of these little buggers roaming under our lawn, at least there is one less critter to do damage.

Looks like the early spring is going to be great for growing grass.  We certainly have had enough rain in this neck of the woods.  It is difficult to find a dry day to get the grass cut.

I'm looking forward to many peaceful, thought-filled hours with Hazel in the coming months.

Oh, and that is my husband's 1977 Ford pickup in the background.   It is the only vehicle we ever bought new.  Ole Bessie may not be as pretty as she once was, but the heater works and she's paid for.  Nasty on gas mileage though.  She gets to sit in her little parking spot a great deal of the time lately.

Raw Milk Uproar

Another unbelievable move by the Federal government:  A sting operation to crack down on Amish farmers selling raw milk.  A stink operation?!?  It is the Amish!  This is, yet again, another example of government overreaching and waste.  What did our ancestors do before pasteurization??  From what I am finding, pasteurization did not begin in the US until 1947.  Not that long ago.  

From this report, the customers are very pleased with their product and are up in arms with this government intrusion.

Our children were raised on raw milk.  They all now lead productive, healthy adult lives.  (I like to think that raw milk is not the only reason.)  Once you've tasted fresh, raw milk the other stuff tastes like there has been water added to it. 

With everything else going on in this country, why does the government feel the need to "control" raw milk to such an extreme?  Big Food?  Big Milk?

It is Ready for Ada...finally

Ada is now over a year old. 

Since my only daughter was expecting her first child, I wanted to make a special quilt.  Emily loves the reproduction 30s and 40s fabrics.  So I chose some of those.  Em also likes "random".  This means that, unlike her mother, she prefers the abstract.  She does not like the standard quilt block designs.  Being someone who needs a pattern for any project no matter the difficulty, this presented some problems for me.  The first was working outside my comfort zone for most of the piecing of this project.  Triangles are easy, right??  RIGHT??  Well, not for me, it seems.

It wasn't long into my quilting career that I discovered that my piecing abilities were shabby at best.  But give me a piece of plain muslin marked with a beautiful design, and I'm in my element.

This project was begun not long after we heard about the upcoming blessed event.   Once I came up with a pattern, I was able to get the thing pieced.  I really thought it would be easy enough.  So much went wrong and I nearly threw the thing away twice.  Then came summer and garden and outside chores.  It is rather uncomfortable to quilt in the summer...so warm with all that fabric in your lap.  Hence, the delay.

It was my hope to have it done by Christmas, but that didn't quite happen.  But, today it is done!!

Here are some pictures of my progress:

Since this is just a small quilt, I like to do it in a big hoop.  The pins are basting pins that hold the whole thing together while it is being quilted.  Here I'm working on the outside border, which is a Celtic braid.  Emily and her husband had been to Ireland, so I thought the border would be appropriate.

Here is a view of the "random" triangles and leaf design down the center panels.  The hoop needed to be moved to work on another area.

This is the binding that is being pinned on to the edges.

 Sewing the binding to the edge.

Now the binding is turned to the back side to be sewn by hand.  (The corner really is quilted.  It just didn't show up on the picture.)

Done!

I hope that Ada enjoys her quilt.  It was certainly a joy to stitch for her.  One blessing about quilting is that it is easy to pray for the person receiving the quilt.  My stitches were made with prayers that Ada will come to know Christ at an early age.  

Emily's next baby is on the way, so I need to get to work.  The next quilt will not have this much quilting.  At least I don't think so.  It doesn't look like it will be done before the big arrival in July.  I have started marking it, though.  At least that is a start. 

Let those that are united to me in tender ties

   be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory.

Let not those of my family who are amiable, moral, attractive,

   fall short of heaven at last;

Grant that the promising appearances of a tender conscience,

   soft heart, the alarms and delights of thy Word,

   be not finally blotted out,

   but bring forth judgment unto victory in all whom I love.

--an excerpt from The Family in The Valley of Vision

Signs of Spring

It seems spring is slow in arriving this year...or is it just me feeling a bit elderly?

On a walk around the garden lately, I did see some signs of spring...

 
Yep!  That is rhubarb making it's appearance.  Not real impressive, I know, but still ya have to take what you can get.  Can't wait for rhubarb crisp!!

Some of my bulbs are up and the croci have bloomed adding some much desired color.

 There is our little bit of color. 

It is obvious that this winter has left quite a bit of tree shrapnel in the yard.  There are pine cones, branches and bark all over the yard.  Going to be quite a bit of work this spring cleaning up.

Blessed Creator,
Thou hast promised thy beloved sleep;
Give me restoring rest needful for tomorrow's toil.
If dreams be mine, let them not be tinged with evil.
Let thy Spirit make my time of repose a blessed temple of his holy presence.

Help me when I helpless lie,
   when my conscience accuses me of sin,
   when my mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts,
   when my eyes are held awake by personal anxieties.

Show thyself to me as the God of all grace, love and power;
   thou hast a balm for every wound,
     a solace for all anguish,
     a remedy for every pain,
     a peace for all disquietude.
Permit me to commit myself to thee awake or asleep.

~ an excerpt from "Sleep" from The Valley of Vision

The King's Speech

As usual, I stumble on things.  Not only around the house, but on the Internet. 

Here is a delightful and insightful piece by William H. Willimon entitled, Voice Lessons.  It is written as he reflects on the movie, The King's Speech.