Bed & Breakfast

You know the food and bedding has to be good when the clientele keep coming back… 

As for me,  I thoroughly relish  sharing my breakfast (yes, even my  garden strawberries) with such docile and graceful visitors.

The Original McGuffey Eclectic Readers

They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.  First published in 1836, out of print for over 125 years, these hard cover classics are the “cherry” of our Language Arts melange.  Here is the Poppet’s current reading from chapter XVIII of The Eclectic First Reader for Young Children.

Keep in mind that these were the standard readers in American Education for numerous years until (and I quote) “ The desire for distinct grade levels, less overtly religious content, and the greater profitability of consumable workbooks, helped to bring about their decline.”  Enough said.  But oh how far the bar has fallen. 

“The Thick Shade.”

 sunflower from last year’s garden

Come, let us go into thick shade.  It is noonday, and the summer sun beats hot upon our heads.

The shade is pleasant and cool.  The branches meet above our heads and shut out the sun like a green curtain. 

The grass is soft to our feet, and the clear brook washes the roots of the trees. 

The cattle can lie down to sleep in the cool shade, but we can do better.  We can raise our voices to heaven. We can praise the great God who made us. 

He made the warm sun and the cool shade, the trees that grow upwards, and the brooks that run along.

The plants and trees are made to give fruit to man.

All that live get life from God.  He made the poor man, as well as the rich man.

He made the dark man, as well as the fair man.  He made the fool, as well as the wise man.  All that move on the land are His, and so all that fly in the air, and all that swim in the sea. 

The ox and the worm are both the work of His hand.  In Him, they live and move.  He it is that doth give food to all of them, and when He says the word, they all must die.

Quiet and Holy

I loved my bible's introduction to 1 Thessalonians. 

"In the third century, St. Cyprian wrote to a friend named Donatus: 'This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden under the shadow of these vines.  But if I climbed some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see; brigands on the high road, pirates on the sea, in the amphitheaters men murdered to please the applauding crowds, under all roofs misery and selfishness.  It really is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. 

Yet in the midst of it, I have found a quiet and holy people.  They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of this sinful life.  They are despised and persecuted, but they care not.  They have overcome the world.  These people, Donatus, are Christians... and I am one of them."

What a compliment!  A *quiet* and *holy* people.  Is there any phrase that captures the essence of the faith any better?  Quiet.  Not obnoxious, not boastful.  Not demanding.  Just quiet.  Contagiously quiet. 

"Do all you can to live a peaceful life.  Take care of your own business and do your own work as we have already told you.  If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you..." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Some Would Call It Optimism.

or wishful thinking…


or denial...


or naivety…


Take your pick.


I hung my clothes out on the line today.








is this what you would call a bad laundry day?

and if April showers bring May Flowers what do April flurries bring?

Regretfully Yours, P-Chick.

Raise a Little Less Corn

I have to say I like this woman’s balls nerve.  Mary Elizabeth Lease, a founder of the Populist Party (a farm and labor supported political party that took on the Democrats and Republicans in the late 1800’s to fight for (among other things) economical reform, is quoted as saying; “What you farmers need to do is raise a little less corn and a little more hell.”  Ha ha. 

All’s Right.

The (pigeon’s) on the wing;

The (lambs are in the barn):

God’s in His Heaven - All’s right with the world.

Robert Browning (adapted *grin*).

Raspberry Slush

8 cups raspberries
6 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (not essential)
1 pack strawberry jello

bring raspberries to slow rolling boil for 5 min. Transfer to blender and liquefy. Strain through a mesh, cheesecloth or food mill on smallest setting to remove seeds. Return to pot, add water and bring to boil again. Stir in sugar until dissolved, add lemon juice and jello. Turn off element and stir for 1 minute before transferring to ice cream pails (for large gatherings) or wide mouthed jars. Freeze.

To serve: start defrosting at LEAST 3 hours before needed. Depending on room temperature it could take longer. Scoop slush into a glass with an ice cream scoop to half full, top with ginger ale.

Prairie Wisdom

“I ran away from a thousand things waiting to be done

and stole a little visit with a friend.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Some weeks ago **Mildred** sent me the sweetest present in the mail. it is a little coffee table book called Prairie Wisdom with quotes of Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Yvonne Pope. Really, I can’t think of a more appropriate and heart warming gift than this. It is filled with kindred thoughts that tickle my fancy and warm my soul.

Some weeks find me happily holed up in my bustling household with my tender little charges while others, like this one, are blissfully enriched with moments of sweet fellowship with people I treasure over steaming Chai Lattes, fizzy Raspberry Slush, Starbucks coffee and strawberries drizzled in hazelnut chocolate. Life is sweet.

It got me to thinking. If life were a strawberry, friends would undoubtedly have to be the hazelnut chocolate, wouldn’t you say?

The Jury is In

The Verdict: Spring has sprung. 

Deliberations were not lengthy, the evidence was irrefutable.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B. 

Exhibit C.

Celebrate!

Call us strange. But this time of year you can find us playing at the cemetery.

We don’t really go there to pay traditional respect.

Some might think us rather uncouth.

We don’t dress to impress.

and our kids are what some might consider uncultured.

But this is our culture.

We like to celebrate.

and what could be more worthy of celebration than this?

Spring.

a risen Savior.

Home. (our yard in view across the field)

Family.

Friends

and a graveyard where for only a few days of this prairie year the water pools

and flows.

and draws us to these banks to pause

to ponder.

to play

and to celebrate.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

“But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.” John 4:14

“If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person's heart.” John 7:37

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who places his hope in Him." Psalm 34:8

Good Friday, Behold the Man

From our family devotional time this morning.

"Pilate said unto them, “Behold the man!” John 14:5

We cannot do better than obey Pilate’s word.

“Behold the man!” Let us fix our eyes in loving gaze upon Jesus as He is led out from the palace and stands before the multitude. On His head He wears a crown of thorns; around His bleeding body is thrown a purple robe, mock emblem of royalty.

“Behold the man!”

Behold the man… enduring shame and contempt, set forth before the people as a spectacle of mockery, in order that we may be presented in glory, honoured before angels and the Father.

Behold the man… wearing a crown of thorns, in order that we may wear a crown of glory and of life.

Behold the man… robed in mocking purple in order that we may wear the white garments of righteousness.

Behold the man… in the majesty of meekness, reviled, yet reviling not again; hated, yet still loving on; wronged yet speaking no resentful word.

We should study the character of our Lord as manifested amid the terrible scenes of that morning. How His sublime patience shames our miserable impatience! We fret and vex ourselves with our sickly discontents over the smallest discomforts; let us behold the blessed peace of Jesus in the midst of the sorest trials. We fly into anger and cherish bitter resentments when others slight us or wrong us in the merest of trifles; let us behold the sweet spirit of Jesus; loving, gentle, meek, under the greatest cruelties and wrongs ever inflicted on any life.

Behold the man!

The God man, divinity manifesting itself in humanity, humbling Himself unto shame and death that He might save our souls.

Behold the man.

Holy, undefiled, separate from sinners, yet bearing upon His own head the sin of the world.

Behold the man.

Look.

Weep.

Love.

Trust.

Rejoice.

And that is what we chose to do today.

Passover

Some of you emailed, asking for details. Sorry it’s late, but here is a glimpse of what Passover commemorations look like at our house.

The menu is rather simple. Roast leg of lamb, oven roasted potatoes seasoned with olive oil and herbs, braised vegetables, unleavened bread and raspberry slush..

We put an extra chair and setting at the head of the table which remains empty through the course of the meal. During the meal we discuss (for the younger kids benefit) the poignant symbolism of the items on the menu and how they each teach us something about Jesus. We talk about how Jesus and His disciples must have been feeling on this day two thousand years ago..

Toward the end of the meal we read from Matthew 26:26-29 “Jesus took the cup and said, surely I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until I drink it with you anew in my Father’s kingdom.” etc.

Then we read the following slightly condensed excerpt from “Come Ye Apart” by J.R. Miller

“The Passover points forward as well as back. It keeps the past in remembrance; we are to think of what happened over four thousand years ago in Egypt, and over two thousand years ago at Cavalry. The supper is a memorial but it is also a prophecy. Christ drew white lines of future hope amid the red streaks of sacrifice and sorrow. He lifted the veil and gave a glimpse of a fulfillment very glorious beyond earth’s shadows. Even the Passover, precious as it is, is but a faint picture of something far better.

The disciples would not have Jesus with them at the table any more. This was their “last supper” together. From this time forward on earth, His place would be empty. But in telling them this He gave them sweet comfort in the assurance that He would sit down with them again, by and by, not here, but in another kingdom. These words tell us of a supper in heaven of which the Lord’s supper on earth is only a shadow.

That night when the Master and His disciples sat down together in the upper room, a cloud of sorrow hung over their hearts and His; the shadow of the cross. But the other side of the cloud was very bright. Out of Christ’s death came blessed and glorious salvation, now in heaven Jesus sees the result and is satisfied. Out of temporary separation there came to the disciples an eternal presence of Christ which filled their hearts full. Jesus went away from them for a little while so that He might be with them forever. His place at the table is empty now, but He is here, and one day soon He will invite us to celebrate Passover at His table. And He will serve us, and we will worship the Passover Lamb.”

And then we celebrate communion with the bread and the juice and “toast” the anticipation of His return.

Some of you also asked for pictures. I’m sorry, these are the kind of moments that I tend to want to just “experience” without a camera in hand. I don’t know why but sometimes the camera, even while capturing the moment, feels like it gets between me and the experience.

Passover Food and Food for Thought

It's a busy day for me, I'm cleaning and cooking and making special plans for passover supper with my family and close friends. My brain is not idle either. Contemplating HIM as He and His disciples prepared themselves for their passover meal together. THE passover meal. Where everything foreshadowed would come to pass. Where HE would become the lamb of atonement and His love would be poured out as a sacrifice for many, offered to us as the emblem that would seal this New Covenant of redemption.

Specifically, right now, I am contemplating Jesus and His friendships. The time He took to invest in the lives of those He loved. The *way* He loved them. Jesus was (and is) a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Even while He was cognizant of Judas manipulative plans to betray their friendship, He didn't pull back. No, he drew even nearer. He chose to honor Judas by proffering him the sop (an emblem of favor and deep intimacy).

Wow. What about me? Do I love my friends with that kind of love? How about my "enemies"? Jesus never even saw a soul as his enemy. To Him, they were all people who needed His love, His forgiveness, His redemption. And He gave it. Poured out. Laid on the altar. And He gently beckons me to do the same. To love the (apparently) unlovely, to forgive the shortcomings of fallen humanity and to claim His redemption in all areas of life.... including my relationships. I'm so glad He's my friend. The kind of friend that sticks closer than a brother. I will do my best to follow His lead.

Did You Know? Science Edition

Foregoing Figs.

That’s what I may be doing in the future after the following enlightenment.  Did you know that a fig is not a real fruit but is a fleshy bundle of flowers?  These flowers can only be pollinated by a certain kind of female wasp called a fig wasp.  She wriggles her way inside the fig through a tiny hole, ripping her wings off in the process.  She pollinates the flower with pollen that she has on her from the flower she was born in, lays her eggs, then…. DIES.   Inside the fig the young wasps will hatch and mate with each other, the female wasps will then wriggle out to find their own new fig to pollinate.  The male wasps are wingless and can never escape.

Bumbling Bees

We had heard of the bee dance, the little dance that they give to tell other bees in the hive where the “good stuff” is.  Today we learned the actual choreography and the logistics of the thing.  So, the messenger bee dances in the shape of a circle 8.  The centre line of the 8 points in the direction of the “stash”.  As he dances along that centre line he wiggles his body back and forth.  The *faster* he wiggles, the closer the treasure.   Pretty cool.

Prolific Pests

Did you know that if all the aphids descended from a single female in one summer  were lined up end to end they would stretch more than 4 times around the earth?  And btw, did you know that ants are aphid farmers?  They literally coral them and care for them to consume the nectar like substance they produce with their digestive juices.

Sensitive Suitors

Did you know that male moths have feathery antennae covered in hairs that have such sensitive sensors they can detect the scent of a female moth over a mile away?

Enjoying the Fruit of One’s Labors.

Did you know that female orb spiders make a new web every single day and eat the old one to avoid wasting the protein found in the silk?  A spider’s silk is five times stronger than a thread of steel of the equal dimension.

Who Are We?

Mr. Martin Brennan in “The Great Wheel” by Robert Lawson.

Oh, could we relate as we read this out on the porch with the praises of spring just filling our lungs and throats to bursting. No gloomy silence here… we are singing right along with the birds of the air to the tune of the sunshine.

Barbecue Basics

Temp: Preheat skies to sunny blue, aim for a high of 9 degrees (upper 40’s)

Ingredients: 2 little boys, a barbecue surface, coloring book and crayons

Dressing: Easy Breezy…. no jacket, hats, scarves or mittens required,

Garnish: Season heartily with sweet conversation and laughter

Rating: 10/10, this recipe is so delicious you wouldn’t mind a helping of it every day of the week.

I was reminded by the blog url of a prologue reader that **every day is a gift**. I have been praying for you Brent and Trudy, and tears come to my eyes when I think of the joy you exhibit in life, even through the hard times. Your story is a blessing to me. You remind me to look and see the gifts that are a part of my every day life. Sunshine, blue skies, laughter, crayons and pudgy fingers. Let's all open our eyes and realize the gifts that He has so graciously granted us in this day, in this moment.

Living Art

The tulips were a gift from a friend who saw them and thought of me (isn’t that sweet?). Unlike the rest of you southern girls who are delighting in honeysuckle and all kinds of other lovely things budding and blossoming (Leanne, what you wrote in your card to me about your Bradford Pear petals just about did me in =) ) it will be weeks before the earliest buds of my own irises and tulips will begin to poke through the still freezing ground. Until then I treasure signs of light and life within, such as these carnations I had picked up a week ago already at the grocery store for $4.99 They have given me more joy this week than framed art ever could. Hand crafted by God.

Whence is yonder flower so strangely bright?
Would the sunset's last reflected shine
Flame so red from that dead flush of light?
Dark with passion is its lifted line,
Hot, alive, amid the falling night.

~Dora Read Goodale~

Tulips

And with childlike credulous affection
We behold their tender buds expand;
Emblems of our own great resurrection,
Emblems of the bright and better land.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

Little Stinkers.

**Boy** OH **Boy**....

Things People Do

Our pre-school Social Studies reading today was from the Usborne book "Things People Do". It was about Fine Arts. I read;

"Honor Toze and Leo Tarde are Banilla's leading ballet dancers."

The Rugrat (2) pipes up with, "He dancing, Mommy?"

"Yes, he's dancing, baby. 'They have both been dancing since they were five years old.'"

"five years ode, Mommy? My two."

"yes, you're two. 'Before they joined the Banilla Ballet Company, they went to ballet school.'"

"School, Mommy? My do school. My do ducky book." (there is a hidden duck on every page of these Usborne books and he LOVES to find them).

"Uh-huh. 'Every morning,they go to ballet classes to practice their steps and to exercise their muscles.'"

"My have muscles, Mommy. See my muscles, Mommy? He have muscles?"

"Yes, he has muscles. 'Pierre O'Wet is a choreographer....'"

"He dirty, Mommy."

"Hmmm?"

"He dirty his hands."

"Whose dirty?"

"He dirty his hands, see.... he touching his pee-nuts."

ohdidIsplitagut.

Seriously. Take a look at Mr. Leo Tarde in that first picture box up above and you will see where THAT came from.

The joys of teaching boys.

Back on Track

How's it going **my fellow spiritual Olympians?**

How's the training regime? You taking the time to read your Personal Trainer's manual each day? Putting forth that concentrated effort to focus and keep your eyes on the track?

I have been having a tough week in the discipline department, spiritually, physically.... I'm **seeking to refocus** and get back on the treadmill of intentional living, in so many ways. Hold me accountable and I'll do the same for you.

You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed. So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

ETA: So interesting the responses I get to this kind of post. You'd think I'd learn and maybe stop sharing along these lines, but hey... this is me, and this is where I'm at. I'm not out to be popular, just real *grin*. After a sweet email exchange I thought it might be best to come back and make some important stipulations though, for the record. Namely;

YES, God loves me unconditionally, YES, it's all about His finished work on the cross, YES, He is my righteousness. Amen and amen and amen. Nothing but the blood.

My husband also loves me unconditionally and is grace personified. The success of this marriage does not depend on my fulfilling his expectations or the success or failure of my domestic and relational expertise or lack thereof. The fact that this amazing man loves me unconditionally and has chosen to become one with me in spite of my shortcomings doesn't change the fact (it actually motivates me all the more) that I want to grow in devotion and commitment to him.

It confuses me why whenever I feel an itch to soar I feel like people are quick to reach out and pull me back "down to earth". Like it's "wrong" somehow to want to be devoted. Like it robs the cross. I see it so different. I'm not trying to carry burdens, I'm itching to fly. I'm not a legalistic fuddy-duddy... I'm passionate about relationship and I strive to grow in ALL my relationships, not to prove myself or attempt to gain favor or love, but as an expression of my love and appreciation for the blessing of that relationship.

Would someone say to me, "Dear P-chick. I just wanted to encourage you to not concern yourself about becoming a better wife... after all, your husband loves you unconditionally and he married you for better or worse, right?" just the thought makes me smile. I mean, it doesn't make SENSE does it? BECAUSE my husband loves me unconditionally and because I love HIM, of course I want to be a better wife. And yes, the better wife I learn to be, it WILL affect my relationship for the better. It doesn't mean that my marriage hinges on my performance, but devotion takes things to entirely new levels.

I realize that the little bit I shared above in the original post is lacking background and heart. It comes across as rather detached and "works" oriented which isn't my heart at all. I'm trying to learn to be more brief and concise, but maybe it's backfiring on me and I end up having to go back and fill in the cracks anyway, heh heh.

Anyway... No, It's not about me. It's not about me being disciplined. It's not about me "earning" God's favor. Yes, it's about Him. It's also about me doing my part to meet Him at the place He is already waiting. It's about me "showing up" and embracing all the great things He has in store for me . Not to gain His approval. Just to experience His grace.

Nature Personified.

One of the things I truly appreciate about our home is the huge windows that look out over nothing but a wide expanse of fields and sky. It means I get to be a thankful spectator every single day to the many faces of nature. Amber sunrises, crimson sunsets, blinding lightning storms and star studded blackness. The blue, pink and white brush strokes of the northern lights sweeping across a black canvas and the stages of the moon as it waxes and wanes.

It’s like watching a spectacle and it is interesting to examine the emotions that accompany each one of these experiences. When we turn off all our lights and park ourselves in front of our dining room window to watch **a lightning storm** approach and overtake us our hearts are in our throats much as they would be if the headless horseman were charging our way.

Northern lights for me are akin to opera or a night at the symphony. I am held spellbound and breathless with a feeling of awe and of worship that can just hold me still and captive for hours. Even when the air is too cold for comfort or the mosquitoes are doing their part to drive me insane.

**Sunrises** and **sunsets** are like visits from a brilliantly clad flamenco dancer all flamboyant and beautiful, weaving rhythm and joy into the fabric of our day.

And the **moon**? Oh the moon. The moon is the face of a gentle friend smiling down on us through these prairie nights. When the winds of change take her away to make the rounds of other far away lands she is sadly missed, and when we catch sight of her making her way over the horizon we always welcome her with glad hearts. I wish she never had to go, but then again, her temporary absence surely makes me delight in her presence all the more.

The Moon’s the North Wind’s cookie

He bites it day by day

Until there’s but a rim of scraps

That crumble all away

The South Wind is a baker

He kneads clouds in his den

and bakes a crisp new moon

that greedy North Wind eats again.

Vachel Lindsay