Larva and Pupa

Last week after opening the front door for the Schwann's man, the children spotted a caterpillar.  We brought him in and by the next morning he had transformed into a chrysalis.  My best guess is that he is a Buckeye which seems appropriate seeing that we live in the Buckeye State.  If he emerges (hopefully in the next week or two), then we should be able to easily identify him.

Then one morning this week while Cheez Wiz and I were outside tending to the animals, CW heard the electric fence popping.  When I took a look, some Queen Anne's lace, wet with dew, was touching the fence and what was on the Queen Anne's lace?  A Swallowtail caterpillar!  I knew that they ate Queen Anne's lace and have looked for them off and on since we moved here (there is an abundance of QAL growing where we live).  This is the first cat I have seen.  We brought it in and fixed up a place for it complete with plenty of leaves and stick.  What more could a caterpillar ask for?

As of today it is in position and looks ready to form a chrysalis anytime now.  I would not be surprised to find one in its place tomorrow morning.  We hope!

Hope Realized

Today has been a day where I happily spent time in the kitchen.  Today is a day where we had no need to go anywhere and could stay home.  A favorite kind of day of mine.  So I took pumpkin, corn, and squash and chopped, baked, and blanched, then cooled and froze our produce blessings. 

Lately we have received some bad news.  It was unexpected, and right now we are taking it one day at a time.  Yet in light of this life does go on.  The world does not stop for bad news.  I think that is a good thing to help my mind not dwell on things that bring me down.  Also the Lord is giving us peace and strength to trust Him as the situation is in many ways out of our control.  We are praying more diligently and praying for the Lord's will - whatever that means. 

This summer I wrote myself a note in big letters and placed it in the kitchen where I would see it every day.  At the top it says R-E-L-A-X and underneath are the words L-E-A-N, R-E-S-T, B-E-L-I-E-V-E, T-R-U-S-T.  They are reminders to myself of how I ought to be living.  I need to be reminded.  How about you?

What We Read - July 2010

The man who walked between the towers by Mordicai Gerstein

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

LMNO peas by Keith Baker

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant

Noodle Man by April Pulley Sayre

Being a pig is nice by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Primitive

A few Sundays ago the children surprised me. You never know what they are going to do. A recent widower, arriving for the first time since his wife died of breast cancer last year, to preach and having no way of knowing how it would be. His first time back to Washington Courthouse without his wife by his side.

It is traditional for us to have a handshake at the close of services. During this time a young girl - our daughter - slips her hand into his and stands by his side at the front of the sanctuary, bringing great joy to him and thereby supplying a need. On another occasion her sister draws a picture of the same preacher while he is feeding us with God's word at an association meeting. Afterwards I inquire whether she will give this illustration to the man, and she says, "Yes." He is delighted and says that he will put it on his refrigerator at home. Blessings!

Pumpkin promise

Last fall our neighbor gave us two big, dark green pumpkins from their garden with no promise of ripening.  We sat them on the front porch and waited to see what would happen.  Both did ripen in time, and I cooked the first one and we ate.  The second served as our fall front porch decoration up until the time it rotted.  I then tossed it on the side of our house, and there it stayed. 

This spring what I thought might be pumpkin seedlings appeared - two of them.  The vines have extended with leaves and flowers to boot and one small green bulge at the base of a stem where a flower used to be.  The promise of a pumpkin!

What We Read - June 2010

John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads by Christopher Canyon


A song we like to sing when traveling by car and also anytime we are in West Virginia.

My Dad
My Mom by Anthony Browne

Two books denoting the wonderful things about parents.

One step, two . . .
Say it!
Sleepy book  by Charlotte Zolotow

A blog directed me to check out this children's author's books at our library.  I am glad that I did.

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Mommies Say Shhh
The Lemonade Club
Oh, Look! by Patricia Polacco

One of my favorite authors!

Encore for Eleanor by Bill Peet

An elephant tale of a former circus performer past her prime and her future purpose in life.

Going West by Jean Van Leeuwen

A good historical fiction for children reminding me of covered wagons and Little House on the Prairie a bit.

Who Made the Wild Woods? by Scharlotte Rich

God did!

Primitive

Our family has started visiting a church in Washington Courthouse, Ohio.  This church was built in 1889 and still has the original hardwood flooring, pews, and kerosene lamps (now converted to electricity).  No air conditioning and no indoor plumbing.  

On our first visit the children needed to use the facilities so we ventured back behind the church to find the outhouse. I had been told to use the women's as it was in the best condition and that door was unlocked.  Seeing one with a rope tied around the doorknob, I assumed that that one was not it.  So we walked behind it to find another outhouse waiting.  After opening the door, I could tell that this one had not been used in a while.  The church only meets once a month.  There were leaves on the floor.  The roof was missing a few boards, and spiders had been spinning their handiwork on the holes.  The children did not even want to go inside, but I insisted since they had said that they had to go to the bathroom.  In they went and did what needed to be done.

After church and lunch, I took the children outside so that they could play while OBT and the others visited.  As I walked around the backside of the building, I noticed a small portion of fence with a shed behind it.  I had assumed that this was where they kept their lawnmower for the lawn.  Instead it turned out to be the women's outhouse, the newer one.  I tried to open the door, but it was stuck and I could not get it to budge.

When I went inside, I shared our story of our outhouse adventure, and one of the brothers stated, "You used the real Primitive outhouse."  Yes, we did, but next time we knew better!