Homecoming!

 On Tuesday, May 17th, Andrew flew home from Norfolk, Virginia, where the day before, his ship, the USS Ponce, had just returned from a nearly nine month cruise to the Middle East.

A few friends made it to the airport. Two other friends from church came too, but I forgot I had a camera then. Thanks, friends!

I was hoping there could have been a bigger welcoming committee since no one met the ship the day before, but as you can see, he wasn't too upset about it!

It is nice to hear his man-voice around the house again!

Opening Day!

We don't usually open our pool this early in May, but with the gorgeous weather yesterday and company coming for dinner a couple times this week, as well as Andrew coming next week, we thought it would at least look prettier to have blue water rather than black, stinky, dirty tarp covering the pool.
The lilacs are in full bloom this week, and I absolutely love it!

 When I got these lilacs, I didn't know they were white, but they are so pretty all fluffy next to the purple bushes.

 I love the robin sitting on the fence!

 The vinca that was on one of the hosta when I transplanted it has taken over the south side of the tree!

 The man at work. He loves this pool stuff!

 Rinsing off the tarp

 The tarp is off, and it's time to add more water.

 By evening, it was full and getting all vacuumed out.

What a beautiful evening!! Summer is nearly here!

A Day with Helen

Flower sunshine

Ah, if we can't have the real sun at least we can bring it inside with these forsythia blooms!

Fear Not, Stand Firm, And See

That's how I started off our memory work for my class last week. It gave my students three pretty "visual" phrases to help them memorize their verse. And they did a good job! Our lesson that week was on the crossing of the Red Sea. The Egyptian army behind, the deep waters of the Red Sea in front, what to do? And then Moses says to the people in Exodus 14:13:

Fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today.

In yesterday's lesson, which finally came together by afternoon, we wandered around the desert for awhile. At each of our "stops" we were reminded of this verse. No water. No food. Enemy army. Absentee leader. Grumbling. Complaining. An impossible conquest... "Fear not, stand firm...."

We never stop learning those lessons. And hopefully my students are set on a life course to remember what God promises. Fear not. Stand firm. I have one boy who is shall we say very lively. Some weeks I become VERY exasperated! However, this week when I asked who remembered the verse from last week, he whipped the whole thing off WORD PERFECT. His background is pretty rough and he only comes to church on Wednesday night for class. I pray that the Word will transform his life!

And we are seeing God work for our family as well. Linnea phoned yesterday to say that she got her "dream job" at the school where she's wanted to work! We are so happy for her! So she will be moving this summer and beginning a "real" full-time job! Praise the Lord!

Our "Gramma's House" project is moving ahead as well. We had a WONDERFUL trip to Minnesota the beginning of the month. Entertained the neighbors for dinner one evening and my cousins for Sunday dinner. Hopefully, the beginning of many more meals together!

AND Will got a job in California, and Andrew comes home for the last two weeks in May!

Farming, as it used to be

The family photo album has given me a first-hand look at farming and farm life less than 100 years ago. How quickly that lifestyle has gone! I'm not so sure it's been for the good, either. I heard yesterday that we spend less of our income for food than any time in our history. But I bet we're paying more for health insurance and drugs than any time in our history. I think I'd rather pay more for food.

If I could remember how to put these into a slide show it would make it easier to look at!

I found it very interesting to see WHAT they thought was worth photographing. They didn't have much money, but they recorded very everyday events!

 Must've been pretty proud of that stack of hay. I think this photo is from 1913. Even a wooden wagon.

 Huge stacks of corn cobs!

 Not sure if this is Sweden or America or even who this man is, but the horses look good!

 Out for an afternoon. Looks like something from Little House on the Prairie! My great-grandmother with a couple of great-aunts and a great-uncle (or is it my grandfather?)

A threshing machine?

So happy about the new calf!

 So many hens!

 I noticed several photos of family members holding kittens, cats and puppies. They loved animals!

 Is he plowing? Looks like about four horse here.

 This dog does this in several photos. These great uncles think they look pretty good. And "Mamma" is peeking out the window!

white hens now

 Ah, ironing in the fresh air! No need to be near the plug!

 The family all poses with their berries. Not sure what they are, but they're pretty proud!

 I wonder who's in charge here?

 Love these horses. Looks like they're off to work!

 Add some pigs to the sheep, cows and hens!

 More sheep

 And pigs

Grass-fed cows

Talk about diversified farming!

So teach us to number our days....

I haven't blogged in a month. Nearly 5 weeks. There are so many things going on in my head that I just don't know what to blog about. I do manage to communicate a bit with friends and family on Facebook, so I'm not totally out of the loop. But I must say, I do love hibernating in the winter! Here are some of my many thoughts consuming me/us:

• the opportunity to buy family property in Minnesota
• how much?
•  when?
•  financing?
•  retirement (if and when)
•  a trip to Minnesota to try to figure out some of this
• organic gardening and mini-farming because of Minnesota land opportunity
•  archiving family photos and letters
•  Andrew onboard the USS Ponce
•  William moving to California
•  Linnea debating what to do next year

 As the oldest grandchild on my mother's side and one without children at home AND one who lives near enough to make regular trips to Minnesota, I have become the family archivist. On my last trip, I brought home four very full photo albums to scan. I have been scanning off and on all week, have scanned over 200 photos and I'm just a wee bit over half-way through the first album of which the oldest photo is from 1889. Most of them have dates written on them, but I am beginning to distrust some of them.

Back then the photos were small and one could just put those little black sticky corners on the page to hold each photo. It didn't matter what size the photos were. Some pages have as many as nine photos on them! I crop, enhance and save each one. I am really getting to know these ancestors!

One thing that struck me as I flipped through all four albums: the brevity of life. In this photo my grandfather is second from the right. The photos archive his and his siblings lives as well as my mother and her siblings and cousins. I see photos of  their childhood, graduations,  courtship, wedding, children, and funerals. The cycle continues with the next generation, and the next. The albums go up to about 1990, when the aunt, whose albums these are, stopped gathering photos.

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12