Catching up

Boston pictures are coming forthwith. I have lots of pictures to go through, but they're all on my mom's camera because I forgot to bring mine.

So it's a race to see who will post first, Jayme or me.

Memorial day

His name was Peter Kaplon and he fought in The Great War. His grave lies across from my grandparents' and is sadly forgotten. We never knew him or his family and very possibly no one is left to come tend his marker. Every year the caretakers of the cemetery leave a crisp new flag for each veteran, but the dried leaves and grass all but covered his name.

He died when my dad was seven. 

Today my seven year old son cleaned up his grave and planted a flower next to the flag.

Thank you Peter Kaplon for serving your country and securing a future for many new generations. We remember you and the countless others who gave. All gave some; some gave all.

One Nation Under God

On this, the National Day of Prayer, here are some things I am remembering in prayer.

Government
praying for our leaders, as well as the judges in our courts. Asking God to grant them wisdom to act with integrity.
I Kings 3:28; I Timothy 2:1-2; Exodus 18:21; Proverbs 11:3; Romans 13:1-2

Federal Government
praying for the President, Vice President, Cabinet Members, Congressional Leaders, and Supreme Court Justices.

State Government
praying for the Governor, Executive Leaders, Legislative Leaders and Judicial Leaders.

Local Government
praying for the Mayor, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Judges, County Officials, Pastors, and Leaders of education.

Military
"He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them . . . and encouraged them with these words: 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles . . . '" II Chronicles 32: 6-8

Praying for:

* courage and dependence on God (Psalm 91)

* perseverance to endure hardship (Isaiah 43:2; Deuteronomy 31:6)

* Divine protection from the enemy (Romans 5:1-5)

* wise leaders who inspire respect from those under their command (Romans 13:1)

* confidence and vision to persist in the face of negative publicity (Psalm 18:31-39)

* protection and support for the families they have left behind (Romans 1:8-10)

* chaplains who are divinely appointed to deliver hope and spiritual strength (Proverbs 4:11)

Media

" . . . Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Praying for:

The decision makers within the media to realize they can make a profit by producing family-friendly projects (Proverbs 8:10-11)

Christians in media to find favor and be filled with creative ideas that bring kingdom principles and life-giving messages to the public (Proverbs 2:1-15)

Celebrities to be provided with repeated opportunities to hear and receive salvation 

(Proverbs 8:35)

Business 

"I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working . . . " Exodus 31: 3-4

Praying for integrity among Christian workers so that they win the right to be heard 

(I Chronicles 29: 17) . . . for impartation of ideas and resources to open principled businesses, especially in areas that need an economic boost (Psalm 132:15) . . . for Christian workers to display Christ-like humility and service to their co-workers (Philippians 2:3) 

Education

"And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:3-6

Praying for a return to truth and Judeo-Christian ethics (Psalm 1:1-2) . . . a safe atmosphere conducive to learning . . . excellence in educators (Exodus 18:20-21) . . .  equal opportunities for every student to achieve their full potential (Philipians 1:9)

Church

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." 

Colossians 2:6-8

Praying that the church would find a new zeal and commitment to the mission and purpose of Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:37) . . . for unity with and among churches that reveals God's love to the world (John 17:23) . . . a return to the absolutes of God's word (Psalm 1:1-3) . . . for integrity -- that God's people look and act differently than the world (I Peter 2:11; I Corinthians 13:6) and for a holy fear of the Lord to be released in the heart of God's people (Proverbs 9:10)

Family

"If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Mark 3:25

Praying for unity and love in individual family units that reaches out in hospitality toward others (Romans  12:9-13) . . . the re-establishment of relationships between parents and children (Malachi 4:5-6) . . . a return to family values that serve the nation as a whole 

(Job 22:21-22) . . . and a return to the biblical mandate to train their children at home in the fear of the LORD and not leave the responsibility to others (Proverbs 22:6)

Ice, Ice baby . . .

Oh, that's a bad title. Sorry. But it does have to do with what I'm writing about today.

I've officially entered the ice-craving stage of my pregnancy. I've never really had strange cravings, or middle of the night attacks. No ridiculous food combinations. When I needed red meat with Noah my body needed iron. With the girls, it was grapefruit - I needed vitamin C and folic acid I suppose. The evenings when only ice cream would do? I needed calcium of course.

But ice?! There is not much nutritional value there. Maybe you could say I needed water, but a glass of water did not satisfy the need to chew. Minerals maybe? Maybe. We do drink filtered water so as not to ingest the chlorine and fluoride infused water the city so graciously provides us with.

I was hoping to avoid it this time around because it is so bad for my teeth. And that is not good for someone whose worst nightmares are of her teeth crumbling, cracking and falling in sharp shards from her mouth.

But I really cannot help it. It's just beginning now, but in full swing I sometimes can't think of anything else except how to get more ice.

And, this form of Pica lasts for awhile after the birth of my baby, though I don't know what I could be deficient in that I crave ice. I mean, it's just frozen water. And, lest you think, "Aha! an iron deficiency - her body needs minerals."  That may be true but my anemia tests are normal this time around. So that must leave another biochemical deficiency.

I have discovered that the ice machines at Memorial hospital have The Best Ice ever. It's soft enough to not be bad on my teeth and yet fulfills the craving, the fixation, the must- have- ice- or- I'll- go- insane,  the need to chew on ice. 

After Bronwen was born, and we were released from hospital, my beloved made two trips back for ice for me. Now that's love.

Just something to chew on. I've gotta go get some ice, these pictures are making my mouth water!

May day

For me, May the first is the promise of a beautiful, bountifully blooming spring. After months of winter whites and grays, the colors are vibrant and alive, the plants are bursting forth.

This is the last Spring here at my home of ten years. It would have been difficult to leave my garden to another, trusting her with my friends. But we are keeping this property as a rental and so the garden will still be mine!

 I intend to transplant some of my garden joy to the new home we have finally found. 

Don't forget to dead head your lilacs right after blooming this year, so ensure a bountiful bloom next year! The new blooms for next year will begin forming within a few weeks of these blooms fading.

Odds and ends

For several reasons, we decided to delay our trip to Boston for two weeks.

This will be better because now we'll be able to go to Jayme's graduation.

Today, I'll be doing some more packing, cleaning and laundry. 

The heating and cooling guy is coming out for the spring cleaning of our unit. 

Our contractor is coming out to finish a few projects . . . we'll have a potty and sink in the bathroom again! This news recently astounded Bronwen who has never known a sink to be located in the downstairs powder room.

It's cold and rainy outdoors so we're pumping up the music and activities indoors.

Have a beautiful day!

It's a road trip

Noah and I are leaving for Boston on Thursday morning. 

We're driving with my mom to visit my beautiful sister Jayme. 

I've never been to Boston and being a lover of all things historical, I can't wait to soak in this old city. 

And it will be the perfect finish to Noah's spring break.

So today I need to have the oil changed, tires rotated and brakes checked because it's a road trip!

Brightly Shine

As you, dear Lord, let the sun and the rain warm and water the dormant trees ['til] they begin to come alive with beauty. So also as you water and shine your light and love on us, we too become alive and beautiful, ready to let your perfect will be done in our lives.

We become ambassadors for others to see. 

Our life shines and waters others with your word and example.

~ Gladys Luckenbill

A Gift From Above - Little Parables to Bless You

April Freshens

Have you been wondering about our dairy herd?

I thought you might be.

I had to stop milking at the end of January because of my pregnancy. Extreme morning sickness and cows, manure, ballage, hay and even the milk did not mix well for me. Actually when I'm pregnant, all smells become my enemies - even some of my favorite things. Sadly, many things are ruined for me for life because even after the baby is born, I still have an aversion to that particular smell. I've lost more favorite candles that way. 

And so I had to quit milking.

We dried the girls in February anyway. For the last two months of their pregnancies dairy cows are not milked so all their nutrients can go into their developing calves. We dry all our girls at the same time, so there are two months without milk, and then they should all start up about the same time when they freshen.

The cows, if bred on time should all freshen in April - that is, give birth - and they are surprisingly accurate with their due date. If she's due on the 12th, she'll most likely freshen on the 12th. All but one of the girls bred on time and should freshen this month. One of them will freshen next month. 

A few days after the calf is born, he is removed from his mother and bottle fed and she is milked for human consumption.

Meet our new babies!

Jack, a bull calf, was the first to arrive from our yearling heifer Jiffy Pop. Being a first time mama, and a bit persnickety, she wouldn't let him nurse for a couple of days so Jack was bottlefed from day one. This is a very tiresome process for the farmer since babies are almost constantly attached to the teat!

Blackie freshened with Black Jack another bull calf just a few days later. When the farmer found him the morning of his birth, he was running around kicking up his heals. He's a very robust boy.

Five days overdue, Quatro's heifer calf came early Easter morning. So much for bulls coming late and heifers coming early!

She's so tiny!

Lola's hiefer just minutes old.

As far as I know, the new little girls don't have names yet. 

The heifers will be kept to grow our herd and one of the bulls will be our stud in 2010. He can be bred to everyone except a sister.

That's the news from the farm for now, though I think we're expecting four more in the next week or two.

Our first milk delivery should be next weekend and we are so looking forward to that rich, creamy, full fat, raw organic milk! 

*edit: the vet was out to the farm yesterday and Rosie and Lucy look like they won't freshen until May. But Rosie does have a big calf, so she may be ready in 10 days after all and she may just be a cow whose utter fills at the last minute. 

And I forgot that the large Dutch belted Gator was traded for a smaller Buttercup and she's due in May too. And poor Popcorn had to be butchered, so I guess we're only waiting for three more babies.

The day she was born

Four years ago, we had just had twelve trees felled around the property. 

Doesn't that sound like we have a lot of land?

Actually eight of them were a tangled line of various volunteer trees, planted by birds perched on the power lines. Over the years, no one bothered to remove the saplings from growing up through the chain link fence dividing our property from the neighbor's. 

Three silver maples across the front tree lawn were dying thanks to carpenter ants. 

One was a badly splitting pear tree in the back yard - a highrise for termites and ants.

Our arborist (uh, husbandman . . . uh, tree doctor . . .?) hauled away most of the tonage, but neighbors and family members had spoken for some fire wood. So that morning my boy, my mom and I were carefully making piles of firewood and loading her truck. 

By 11:30 we were done and came inside for drinks. My water broke - two weeks early- and immediately hard and heavy labor set in.

I jumped in the shower to get cleaned up because I was not going to give birth smelling like a sweaty lumberjack, while mom tried to get Josh out of a meeting. 

With work only 7 minutes away, and the hospital only 5 minutes away, we still barely made it. I was creeping along the hall ways to delivery while nurses asked if I wanted a wheelchair. 

Who wants to sit down when such radical things are going on where you're supposed to be sitting? I made it to the room and remember waiting bent over the bed trying to get on top of the contractions while nurses fluttered in and out asking me to 'sign this' and 'please change into this' and 'move so they could get the monitor around my belly to make sure I was in labor.'

At this point I couldn't even speak, so I was very grateful that my mom was there. She had someone filling the tub to prepare for the water birth while having the other nurse get on the floor with me if she really needed to strap that monitor on.

I think we were only in the hospital 30-45 minutes when my baby was born. Only 1 hour and 50 minutes from the moment my water broke at home.

I cradled the babe for several minutes in the still, dimly lit room. Everything was finally quiet and calm.

My midwife, who had left another mother in labor to attend to my fast delivery, finally broke the silence and asked, "well, what do we have?"

I loosened my grasp enough to look and then announced, "She's a girl!" 

And that's my boy telling me what a good job I did.

four is FOUR!

Four years ago today, my first daughter was born.

Bronwen Ebril Elise

Her name means pure heart born in April consecrated to God

My darling girl, you are such a joy- a light in my life - and I am so grateful for you!

You are so excited to be four.

You were really good at being three . . . I can't wait to see what four is like.

But don't grow up too quickly, please.

Resurrection Day

"And at last, the enemy to be destroyed is death.

Then when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this scripture will be fulfilled: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' [Is. 25:8]

O Death, where is your victory?

O Grave where is your sting?

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin it's power.

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."

~I Corinthians 15: 26, 54-57