Whatcha Up to Lately?

 Whatcha been up to lately?

The Fair.

Yep, gettin' ready for the Fair.  

I'm truly thankful that the Blossoms can man-handle tasks like never before!  They've done this so many times that they understand what we're working toward!  (and the saved annual to-do checklists and menus sure help too!) 

Blossom1 is done showing; she has graduated from 4-H, so it does look a bit different this year. She supervises a local park and teaches piano lessons while she prepares to start teaching 7th grade ELA this fall... and she's ENGAGED!!! 

Blossom2 is in charge of the Junior Fair Board, so there are new responsibilities there.  She works, did a custom wedding order, counselled at camp, and is running for State 4-H Council... on top of the usual animals and her baking exhibits to get ready.

Blossom3 has a job, went to camp, and is assisting with an art camp too, so that's different than previous years.  She's pulling a lot of weight in the micro farm.

Blossom4 enjoyed day camp, but ultimately, still thinks that her summer revolves around her time with Nancy Drew, so sometimes she has to be reminded to actually DO the things that she knows must be done.  The house is quiet a lot though, so I understand, because I'd like to curl up on the couch with a book too.  

Every season looks a little bit different and demands and responsibilities ebb and flow here.  We're focusing daily on communicating with each other and staying connected.  

It's beautiful 

and it's challenging 

and it's good 

and it's worth it.

Another Jaunt

It was time for another jaunt.

Time to swing on grapevines and perch on trees.

We headed to a local state park.  We wanted to finish hiking a trail we'd started months ago.  That hike had been interrupted when we ran into hunters.  We politely rerouted, per the unwritten hunter/hiker code of conduct.

This trail didn't have much of a climb to it (thank goodness).  It did have several tiny stream crossings, which we thoroughly adored.  

At one such stream crossing, we encountered this little garter snake, wriggling out from under a rock and slithering away.  It seemed a bit early to me for snakes, but he moved with such grace, that we stood transfixed, observing his quick getaway.

Look closely here.  Those are ALL briars.  

We walked through ALL of them, for SEVERAL minutes, because ~ onward!!!!!!!

Next time I'll take a machete to groom the trail a bit.  

We came across this small man-made pond and were delighted with it.  Surprisingly, it's not on the state park map, so we felt like we'd made a grand discovery!

Jake loved swimming in it because he loves swimming period.  

Then, Blossom2 made an exhilarating discovery ~ frog eggs!

We promptly harvested a few to take home to observe.

This gelatin-like mass in the water above is hundreds of thousands more frog eggs.  We didn't feel bad about the few we harvested for our scientific research.

We exited the woods and cautiously walked on the railroad tracks for a little while.

It reminded me of my own idyllic childhood, 

since we walked the railroad tracks at times.  

We stopped for a bit of quiet at the lakeside. 

 I just kept breathing deep, invigorating breaths of the silvery azure air.  

Dominique

PS - Walking and hiking are just a few of the things we've been filling our days with during the pandemic.

Rambling

Spring Sunday afternoons seem perfect for rambling in the woods, stretching our legs, deep-breathing scrumptious air and exercising dogs who long for the woods as much as we do.

This time we ventured to a part of our favorite state park that I'd never explored. 

The Rugged Mountain Man had once cross country skied here, but the rest of us only became familiar with it at our forest-schooling co-op session last fall.  

Though this part of the lake is drained, I still felt the envy of the the kayakers I saw there on that magical fall morning last year.  

The evening sun made up for the lack of water and kayaks on this splendid Sunday afternoon.

Curiosity over this water crossing was what drew me to this trail to begin with.  

I do love a good bridge; they're quite possibly as poetic as a bend in the road.

Don't be fooled by the calm picturesque nature of this snapshot.  We were all marveling at Jake, romping through mud 12 inches in depth and then scrambling to get out of the way as he greeted us to shake the mud away. 

There's always the draw of the view.  What's over the noll?  What is beyond the tree-lined crest?  Blossom3 couldn't resist the urge to see.

We found ourselves at the peak of a local sledding hill, a place where I sledded as a child.  I told the stories again; the one where my brother hit an unknown ramp on the first run down and vaulted 8 feet in the air, while my dad sprinted down the hill to check if he was okay.  Despite having the wind knocked out of him, he was.

After soaking up the stillness on the bench, the Blossoms decided that sledding hills are terrific for rolling log-style down, since no sleds or snow could be fabricated at the time.

We hustled back to the truck to beat the setting sun and closing gates, delighted to have rambled the afternoon away.

Fifteen Years

Today, fifteen years ago, I married the Rugged Mountain Man.

I have never regretted that decision.

Many marriages posts are so gushy, that they seem to get all up in your face.  The older I get, the more I shy away from that.  I can get gushy on my man, but no need to blab it to everyone, right?  Likely, the Rugged Mountain Man's preference for privacy has rubbed off on me over the years.  Hopefully I've also become more sensitive to whether or not something classifies as boasting.  Boasting benefits no one.

The Lord led us together.  There's no other explanation for a Wisconsin born girl who lived in Texas for seven years to eventually cross paths with a man who was born and schooled in Pennsylvania. 

Together we marvel at His beautiful orchestration of our lives.

The Lord shaped the Rugged Mountain Man's character into the rugged, dogged and faithful person I admire today.  Surely the prayers of his grandmothers and mother and the presence of his father were instrumental in this.  

I don't mention "rugged" only in reference to his physicality.  The Rugged Mountain Man's faith is strong, tough and capable of enduring hardship.  

I marvel at his Godliness, his patience and his wisdom.  

I reflect on his love and I whisper in wonder, "What hath God wrought?!"

Look at this man God has made.

Surely this is the fruit of years of God's own mighty handiwork.

And I'm humbly grateful.

Dominique

Pictures from our vacation at the cabin and another local state park.  Believe it or not, the above photo was not staged or arranged in any way.  

O Weary Mama

I glanced over at the verse of the day. 

 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NASB

 

It reverberated through me. 

 

Strength is what I need for this particularly demanding week, a week chock full of meetings, 4-H details, sermon prep, vehicle trouble and research, decisions and everyday parenting. 

 

Then, I was confronted with this.

 

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1 NASB

 

Strength and courage. 

 

Strength for the days I am weary. 

 

Strength and courage to fight the battles I don't want to fight. 

 

Strength and courage to avoid the easy path this week. 

 

There is just some whining I'd rather simply ignore.  There are just some attitudes in my children that it is easier and quicker to just look away and think about something else. 

 

But God's strength and courage are for me!

 

O weary mama, stand in His strength and courage.

I reminded myself that God is my strength and my portion;

He's the nourishment and sustenance I need today. (from Psalm 73:26, Isaiah 12:2)

 

My God is never weary or tired! 

 

I stop.  I wait on Him. 

 

I soak in His strength,

gaining what I need to lift up my weary head and be useful to the Master today. 

(from Isaiah 40:28-31, 2 Timothy 2:21)

 

Wait and take His strength and courage for your weary self today,

Dominique

PS - All photos from a recent jaunt to a local state park.

Life Lately

Dear friend,

I hope you've been well lately.  We are thriving here as we delight in spring time.   It's the end of the school year for us - homeschoolers who march to the beat of their own drummer.  We recently squeezed in a homeschool day at the local state park.  The weather turned out gloriously as the Blossoms worked on their survival skills.  (Yes, homeschoolers let five and six year olds build fires.) 

We also wrapped up the Poetry Performance workshop our library was putting on with an entertaining performance by Blossom1, Blossom2 and their cronies, the Kid Poet Society.  It's pleasurable as a parent to watch children with introverted tendencies blossoming and slaying their own giants.  I feel like parenting may be more about baby steps than we all realize.  I'm not trying to make them into extroverts.  There's nothing wrong with being an introvert, but we all must function within society.  My version of parenting an introvert involves helping them tackle societal skills successfully.  I'll get down off my soapbox now.  Back on poetry, I'm a bigger fan of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutzky than I ever was.  I even picked up a book of poetry by Tennyson when I was at the library the other day.  I feel like my own interests were broadened as the Blossoms interests grew.  I like that. 

Tonight we'll venture out for an Open House, where the Blossoms will share piano pieces, more poetry and some other presentations.  It'll be fun to celebrate the end of the school year with previously mentioned cronies, and the mamas and daddies that lead them.  Our eyes will be bright as we think of the conclusion of a whole lot of steady plodding.  You know that leads to good progress.

I've ventured out to the greenhouse to snag some veggie plants, although I did grow some of my own this year.  I haven't done that in a long time; probably since Blossom1 was born.  I'm excited since I also put together some of my own hanging baskets.  I love adding beauty to our homestead and this was my way of doing it the budget-friendly way.  We started planting the garden, so "Gardening The Hollow 2016" has now officially begin.  It's quite the adventure, but every year I learn something new. 

The great "Heat the Hollow" adventure will be kicking off soon.  The girls have been out their splitting some wood already, but I don't dive into my part of getting our wood under roof until the school year officially commences. 

There's been several new additions to our micro farm recently.  We're trying out turkeys.  We are finding them to be super entertaining, mischievous and a bit curious too.  Their fence adjoins the garden fence and they love to strut the length of it, making their turkey noises at me.  The broilers, or "meaties," as we somewhat affectionately call them, are on the premises.  With all the peeping and chick feed, this place feels like spring for sure.  I'm told the next wave of "layers" is showing up on Monday so there's more chicks to come!

On a personal growth level, I've so many opportunities to grow interpersonally.  Have you ever checked all the verses in the Bible on how to treat "one another?"  They are staggering.  It's those "one another" times that I've been experiencing lately.  I've had to be patient, when folks weren't patient with me.  I've had to be kind, when I didn't feel like it.  I've had to extend grace, when I was seething inside.  I don't want you to pity me, but I've marked a distinct season of growth.  It's really just the nitty-gritty of growing more like Jesus going on in my life.  Sometimes it can be painful, this process of becoming more holy, but on the other hand, it's comforting to know that God cares enough about me to help me grow. 

I must wrap up a few more thing before the Open House.  Additionally, Blossom4 is having her 3rd birthday party tomorrow.  It'll be nice to have all the family around.  Blossom4 adores being doted upon as the center of attention, so she's looking forward to it. 

Blessings,

Dominique

Geology Rocks

I've shared with you before that more people (especially homeschoolers) really ought to utilize the educational opportunities at their local state parks. 

We went over a valley or two and attended a 5 hour "Geology Rocks" session.  This turned out to be our best education state park experience yet.  (Previous picture is the group learning about sedimentary rock.  The bottom layer of sedimentary rock is very warm and totally feeling the pressure... the same as the kids as they piled on layer after layer of kids.)

 

Blossom4 and her little pal agree that there ain't nothin' better than a cozy fire.

 

I got to fellowship all day with my friend, her little one and my little Blossom4.  The Environmental Center was full of fun educational books, heavy duty dinosaurs, all sorts of stuffed native animals and even aquariums for fun gazing.

 

Blossom3 was so pleased that her and her little pal got to participate and identify the rocks in the rock collections, even though they aren't 9 yrs old.  (I like it when people are flexible to include siblings.)

 

Then, when Blossom4 grew tired and restless in captivity, we ventured out to the playground.  The sun was shining and we basked in its rays and its warmth.

The day was a terrific change of pace, packed with knowledge and excellent hands-on activities to "make it stick."

Even Rory and Jake love field trips!  The Rugged Mountain Man came along so that he could do some hiking on the Mid State Trail with the "fellas" (as we call the dogs.)

Plus, Daddy even got to keep an eye on the girlies' Run Your Own Profitable Mine activity.  (Blossom1 tied for first as having the most profitable mine on the second go-round.  She was pretty pleased.)  The activity was quite in depth, complete with a patrolling MSHA officer watching for safety, health and environmental violations. 

I loved getting to chat with Daddy on the ride over.  I thoroughly enjoyed having meaningful mama-friend conversations in the Environmental Center, while putting the same puzzle together (at least) 5 times. 

Never forget that true fellowship can happen just about anywhere - in a vehicle, on a playground, over a puzzle, wherever.  More and more, I embrace the opportunities that come my way.  I appreciate the encouragement that I'm given and the encouragement I can offer.  It's fellowship, even during a Geology Rocks session.  As I used to say in my early (EARLY) twenties ~ "I'm down with that."

Dominique