Where are the Women?

Some more of my little sister's poetry. I stole it from her blog. She's quite the poetess.

Where are the women, that our country’s forgot,
Raising godly children, while complaining not?
Where are the women, giving their life for a child?
Without a contrary word, following husband into the untamed wild.
Where are the women, staying at home while husbands were away?
While men fought wars, women, not at work, but at home, did stay.

Where are the women, working hard in the home?
They made meals, scrubbed, swept, and sewn.
Where are the women, not afraid of what the world thinks?
Not afraid of mice or bugs, skinned ducks, geese, and minks.
Where are the women, rising early and retiring late?
They spent their days working hard, not taking a break.

Where are the women, who have gone down in history?
Leading profitable lives to pass down to you and me.
Where are the women, who were abundant, but now few?
Their helpful hints are not being passed to the young and new.
Where are the women, our country’s long since forgot?
From the history books, American wants their names to blot.

Where are the women, living their lives for the Lord?
Costing far above rubies, their husbands had adored.
Where are the women, bringing joy to their family?
Giving a little smile, while doing their work cheerfully.
Where are the women, making the cheerless happy?
Adding a kind word and all the gloom would flee.

~Susanna R. Criss

UPS pick up

Largest UPS pick up to date: 178 packages. Lane is sprawled over the packages.

Weekend with Friends

Goose on the rotisserie

Life is tough sometimes

Carving the goose

Mom trying goose for the first time

Matthew playing games

Susanna's "dramatic" photography ...but Stephen just told me I wasn't dramatic

Susanna

Sarah playing Whoonu

Laura

Whoonu

A string trick/game... very entertaining to watch but I don't love doing activities like this :)

The kitchen trick/game... again entertaining

Stephen

Logan

Friends

A Day of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

When I did an internet search to see how some would describe Thanksgiving here's what Wikipedia said:

"Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday."

A good friend of mine is a middle school teacher. He said when asking several of his students what Thanksgiving is about they had no clue of the original meaning.

From observing the general American people one could assume Thanksgiving is just another long weekend with a paid holiday, increased marketing and shopping, drinking and gluttony, friends and maybe family over to party it up with a big turkey dinner. 

A peek in the past:

After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, “Plymouth Plantation” in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed:

"All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings."

On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation was proclaimed, and signed by Henry Laurens, President of Continental Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 was thus officially set aside:

"…for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor;… and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them (their manifold sins) out of remembrance… That it may please Him… to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth of 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost'…"

Then again, on January 1, 1795, our first United States President, George Washington, wrote his famed National Thanksgiving Proclamation, in which he says that it is…

"…our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue is… our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced…"

Thursday, the 19th day of February, 1795 was thus set aside by George Washington as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

Many years later, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is…

"…announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"

So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.


Take time this Thanksgiving to think, or better make a list, of all the ways God has blessed you and shown you mercy.

Lydia's 6th Birthday!

Duck

Saturday night I tried duck for the first time. I've been a little hesitant about pulling some out of the feezer to cook, afraid I might cook it wrong and have a bad first expirience. Finally I got some out and with the help of some good friends decided how to prepare it.

I'm not sure of everything she did to it but Kelsie cooked some fine duck. I was quite surprised and really liked it.

Mr. Weese did a good job cutting it up and arranging it on the silver platter.

Finish product. We figured out the current price after all the gear, license and shells was around $50 for the one duck. That doesn't include one's time either. Adam reminded me I forgot for figure in gas cost as well as some other items. I realize maybe we could do better on that price but hunting definantly is more for the experience then being a cheaper way to eat. I think I'd rather farm my food.

Another Goose

Saturday morning I was hunting again with my friend Jacob and shot another goose. It was a lone flier and I was able to call it back even with out the decoys. One shot put it down and I had to chase it about 50 yards before I caught it. Shooting a big bird is quite exciting!

Trucks

Sooner or later, if you're into either buying or fixing up trucks, you'll learn it doesn't pay. If that is what means a lot to you and you wish to spend your money on, then fine. I realized I had higher priorities in life then driving a fully restored 1974 Ford Custom pickup. The cost would be over 20 thousand dollars plus the time. When I got done I would have a pretty truck I'd be proud of but afraid of someone hitting or children playing around. A pickup truck should be primarily for work, not show. I shouldn't have to worry if the children are riding in the driveway on their bikes. If it were that 1974 Custom one of the children smashed into or one of the guys dented while loading it up on a job site I probably wouldn't be to happy, to say the least. Since I plan on having lots of children around and using my truck for work and hunting I decided I needed something better fit to my needs. I didn't think this way from the beginning.

Somewhere along the line I also decided I like manual. After replacing the C6 automatic for $2200 I didn't want to do that again. I like standard transmissions now. They are great for off road, towing and they last longer. I've had power window motors go out so decided I liked manual better. Less things to brake.

The trucks I've had and the stories behind them.


#1. 1988 Ford F150 Lariat 4x4 short box. Two tone red and white. Lifted 3" riding on 33". Powered by a 5.0 V8 hooked up to a C6 three speed. The engine had a cam, headers, and Flowmaster exhaust. Power everything. Alarm, remote locks and start. Big stereo and woofers.

This was my first truck. A boy's dream truck with all the toys. I found it at one of the Guide car lots and Dad test drove it for me since I didn't have my license yet. I got the price knocked down to $3100 because of a few small things needing fixing which I had Van Loos take care of (I've now paid for that new shop of theirs). It was powerful and fun to drive. I took it off road a few times but being a new driver I didn't try anything too wild but what I did it took great. I loved that truck.

One time I was in Bellingham with my friend Adam and the fuel line got disconnected. Every time I turned the key to try and start it fuel would spray out from under the truck. I called for a ride while Adam picked up a pack of cards at the Dollar Tree. We played Rummy for a few hours before someone showed up. I had it towed back to Lynden and Van Loos fixed it again for me.

But one day it came to an end. Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30pm I had Adam and Phil with me headed to get coffee when I slid into a pole. That is a story for another time. I got to see it once after it was taken to the junk yard in Sumas. I saved the burnt "F150" decal from the side of the truck.

#2 1988 Ford F250 Lariat 4x4 extended cab. White. Stock suspension and tires. Powered by a 5.8 V8 hooked up to a C6 three speed. Power locks and windows. It needed work.

Throughout the summer I watched craigslist for another truck. I was working at Rader Farms and still recovering from the accident. I'd seen this truck earlier in the summer but the price was over $4000. In November, it came up again in a search for $1990.

I drove to Blain with Dad to look at it. The seller was from India. He and his three sons were dressed in robes and turbans - not the friendliest of fellas. We finished the papers and had gone into Cost Cutter where there was a DOL. They left us at that point and we finished the licensing. We turned to leave when I realized he hasn't given me the keys. We ran trying to find them and did in the Cost Cutter. He gave us the keys and we left.

This was the biggest money pit of any truck I'd had! A full tune up, new head gaskets, and thermostat among other little things from Van Loo's had it running nicely. I then had a 2.5" lift installed a new 33's put on with nice rims. The rear end had to be rebuilt and the front u-joints and hubs replaced. New brakes all around. One afternoon coming home from work a freeze plug started leaking and Van Loo's drilled and replaced it. Then the worst: the transmission went out while I was working construction. My buddy Dan Moos towed it to the job site where later I had it towed back to Van Loos. Having no other options I paid the $2200 to have a new one put in. I'm sure there is more but I was getting tire of it. The engine had 190,000 miles and ran ok but was tired and I knew would need to be rebuilt someday. The quote from Van Loo's was $3600 so I started looking for a old truck I could work on my self rather then these new electronic engines.

#3 1982 Ford F250 4x4 extended cab. Primer brick color. 35" mudders. Powered by a 1978 460 V8 hooked up to a standard 4 speed with granny gear. The engine was built for racing and DYNO tested had 500 horse power. It had Edelbrock intake, carburetor, and air cleaner. Holley valve covers. Heavy duty springs, rods, valves, pistons and roller rockers. Comp cam. Electric fan and starter. Headers and custom 3" dual exhaust. Posi track Dana 60 rear end. The interior was stripped and the body was rusted through in several places. Manual windows and locks.

Searching craigslist for an older truck I could work on I ran across a listing that said "Old rusty Ford. 500 horse power $900". Calling the owner I found out it was built in 1998 by a crook who then got thrown in the clink for 30 years. I didn't ask what he did. It had approximately 15,000 miles on the new engine but being raced it had worn the rings out and was getting blow by. When the rings become tired and worn they allow some of the compressed and burning fuel/air mixture to leak past and escape into the crankcase. That is called "blow by". It still drove so I decided to take a look at it. The first trip down to Maple Valley to see it the battery wasn't holding a charge. After a short test drive the battery died. The short taste of 500 horse power sold me. The following Saturday Mr. Van Cleve agreed to go down with me and help fix it. Adam and William came along too. We installed a new alternator and recharged the battery. Because of the work to get it running I got the price down to $750. The truck now running we were off. Twenty minutes down the road the battery died and I coasted to the side of the road. We called Mr. Van Cleve who then went to pick up a Ford manual and some lunch. After eating we were all under the hood again. I then found the problem: a battery splitter had been used and the main battery pulled leaving the backup not reconnected to the alternator. We pulled some stereo wires out from under the dash to rewire the battery and after jumping it were off without anymore problems.

That night I wanted to show it to Phil so we went for a spin. I opened it up and after the tires spun a few times they got traction and started hopping and broke the drive shaft. My first experience with hopping or axle wrap. Note to self: get traction bars or be careful with that much power. I only broke it 3 more times. After one of the snows I took it for a spin and in a series of 360's hit a dry patch of concrete and it hopped, braking again. I laid under the truck for an hour fixing it while it was -9 degrees with windchill. Another time my friend Kevin and I had just put in new plugs, wires, and distributor and were out driving and adjusting the timing. When we finally got it, Kevin driving turned it toward home and stepped on it. I started to warn him but it was too late. Another broken drive shaft. It was an amazing experience owning and driving a driving a 500 horse power.

#4 1974 Ford F250 Custom 4x4 factory high boy. White. 3" lift riding on 36" super swampers. Powered by a 390 V8 hooked up to a C6 three speed with a shifter kit. The engine had Eldelbrock intake, valve covers, and air cleaner, Carter carburetor, headers and Magnaflow exhaust. Factory air conditioning, tilt wheel, and carpet.

I now became interested in restoring trucks. I had the engine from #3 I could use after new rings but needed a good body to work with. Looking on craigslist again I found this truck in Winlock. The perfect truck to restore but the seller was asking $4000 which was over my budget.

I found another high boy in Toledo, five minutes away, and had gone to look at it. After seeing it in person I decided I didn't want it. Right about that time I got a call from the owner of the '74 saying someone had bought it and returned it that morning. Apparently the engine was blown because it had lost a lot of oil. Knowing I wanted to put a new engine in he offered me $1250 delivered to my house.

Finding him is a story. Winlock is a small town of 1500 people. We didn't have a address so drove through town slowly looking for the big white truck. We finally saw it well off the road in a old trailer park whose inhabitants were mostly druggies and crazy men.

A week later he delivered it and I went to work on it. Turns out the oil leaked because of an old gasket on the oil filter and after changing the oil and filter I never had another problem. I made mounts and installed a new chrome bumper with Kevin. After Phil got pulled over driving it with out mud flap we put some on.

#5 1990 Ford f150 Custom 4x4. Two tone white and brown. 6" lift and riding on 35" mudders. Powered by a 300 inline 6 and hooked up to a standard 4 speed with granny gear. Everything is stock except a single cherry bomb exhaust. Manual windows and locks.

I was searching craigslist again. This time I wanted something that wasn't a junker but didn't need restoring either. Not too old or too new. I was also looking for something with better gas mileage. I found this truck in Port Orchard for $1800. Phil drove me out and I bought it. Driving back I got over 20 miles per gallon on the highway.

The body is strong and in good condition. The engine has 170,000 miles but these inline 6's usually run to 300,000 with out any major problems. At that time if I still have it I will probably have another one put in since these are such great engines. Although it only has 145 horse power it also boasts 265 ft. lbs. of torque. It will tow anything and has plenty of power. It drives nicely and does what I need it to do.


Hearing Joel Salatin's story inspired me. $20,000 total spent on cars in his 20 years of marriage! I'm afraid I've already gone over that in 2 1/2 years. I now don't want to spend anymore money on vehicles then I have to. If I could I wouldn't mind riding horse back to town but in today's culture having a vehicle is a necessary evil.

So that is the story of my trucks. Hope you enjoyed it. I hope there aren't many more.

Large China shipment at ChessHouse

It took Lane and I a hour and a half to unload the container of chess products from China.

Steven and Tara Engaged

How To Shave Like Your Grandpa

I said I was old fashioned. Some of my ideas and likes might be a little out dated but I thought I'd share. Maybe someone else will appreciate it.  I read this article by Brett and Kate McKay from Art of Manliness over a year ago and started using a traditional double edge razor. I've really enjoyed using it and spending a lot less on razors and cream. I like The Real Shaving Company's shave cream. The best I've used. I've been able to use a lot less and get a great shave. Hope you enjoy the article.

Proper shaving has become a lost art. Today’s average male has no clue about the fine art of the traditional wet shave that their grandfathers and some of their fathers used to take part in. Instead, they’re only accustomed to the cheap and disposable shaving products that companies market. I’m not sure when or why it happened, but the tradition of passing down the secrets of a clean shave abruptly stopped. Thankfully, this glorious male ritual is making a comeback.

Benefits of The Classic Wet Shave

Reduce costs. An 8 pack of your typical four blade cartridge razors can set you back over $20. $20! That’s $2.50 per cartridge. The cost of a double edged safety razor is no more than $.25. You can save some serious money switching over to a safety razor. Additionally, you can save money by using traditional shaving creams and soaps. A can of the chemically packed gel goop that most drug stores sell can cost you up to $5 a can and it doesn’t even last that long and they don’t give you a quality shave. On the other hand, traditional shave creams and soaps are made out of natural materials. While their up front cost may be a bit more than shaving gels, you require less product to get a proper lather. Thus, you end up saving more in the long run.

Reduce environmental impact. Traditional wet shaving with a double edged safety razor uses less waste than shaving with cartridge razors. The only waste is a single metal razor blade and lather down the sink. Unlike today’s razor cartridges, a double edged blade can easily be recycled. The tubes and bowls that most traditional shave creams and soaps are sold in produce less waste than those clunky non-biodegradable aerosol canisters that gels come in.

Better, more consistent shaves. Most men today walk around not knowing they have horrible shaves. Electric razors and the latest 5 blade contraptions irritate the skin more than needed, leaving razor burn, ingrown hairs, and redness. Shaving with a safety razor will eliminate the skin irritation and give your face a clean healthy look because you’re just using one blade instead of several that chew up your face in order to cut your whiskers.

Suggested Razors

Merkur Classic Safety Razor, Straight-#178- Made in Germany

Merkur Futur Adjustable Double Edge Safety Razor with Satin Finish- #700- Made in Germany

Merkur Classic Long Handled Safety Razor, Straight

 

Suggested Razors Blades

American Personna. You can find these in most drugstores. They’re usually marketed as generic brand blades. They’re pretty forgiving for the first time user.

Merkur Double Edge Razor Blades- Pack of 10 Blades- Made in Germany

Hib Kuiper

Please pray for the Kuiper family. Yesterday morning Hib Kuiper, Raphael Neff's father-in-law, had a heart attack and passed away an hour later at the age of 48. Raph and Jo visited a week ago and took this picture.

Journaling...

...it's not not just for women. Somehow keeping a journal got associated with being a woman's thing to do over the last century. In studying the lives of great men, I’ve noticed a common trait: they were all consistent journal writers. Here’s a short list of great men from history who kept journals:

Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Lewis and Clark, Winston Churchill, Jim Elliot, David Brainard, George Washington, and George Muller.... the list goes on.

So I figure, if great men like these thought it was important to keep a journal, maybe I should, too. If it weren’t for their journals, we probably wouldn’t know much about their great lives and deeds.

Why Keep a Journal?

Your children and grandchildren will want to read it. You may think everyday life is quite ordinary and of little interest to anyone else. I'm sure great-grandpa thought the same growing up on the farm in the days before electricity, cars, and other modern day conveniences. For me a peek at the olden days is fascinating.

While you think that you’ll be able to remember everything just as clearly in the future, you won’t. Remember when you were a kid and you thought your experiences would be easily recalled at age 30? Now what do you remember from those days besides that time a dog bit you in the face? Someday your grandchildren will ask you about the big stuff too: “Where were you when you found out about the attacks on the World Trade Center?” and “What did you think about the election of Barack Obama?” Your journals will give them the answers they’ll be looking for and will bring you closer.

And who knows? Maybe the whole world might be interested in your musings someday. You may not think so now, but how many famous men knew that they would be famous before they actually burst onto the scene? And how many men were ignored in their lifetime, only to be celebrated after their death?

Journaling can be invaluable in sorting out thoughts, keeping track of goals, watching your thoughts change, and recording family life for later reminiscing. You don't have to get overly personal if that's not your interest. Create a dialog with yourself about career challenges or goals.

Your journal can also be an exploration of your growth and goals in your Christian walk. Write down things God is teaching you, ways he has blessed you, and areas you want to improve in.

A man, interested in a young lady, could share his journal with her father. This would help the father get to know him better and understand his goals and values. Same could be done later for the girl being courted.

It’s time to get started. Your task today is to start a journal. If you already have a journal, but haven’t written in it in awhile, write an entry today. And if you’re one of those few consistent journalers out there, way to go!

Reagan's 1st Birthday

Last Saturday my pup turned one. We didn't have a party as we were so busy already but she does get to go hunting with us now, which she loves. Now begins the process of changing her from a pup to a gun dog.

The Art of Letter Writing

In the days of cell phones, email, and text messages, letter writing can seem hopelessly outdated. But it’s an art worth bringing back, and not because of some misplaced sense of nostalgia either. The writing and reception of letters will always offer an experience that modern technology cannot touch. Twitter is effective for broadcasting what you’re eating for lunch, and email is fantastic for quick exchanges on the most pertinent pieces of information. But when it comes to sharing one’s true thoughts, sincere sympathies, ardent love, and deepest gratitude, words traveling along an invisible superhighway will never suffice. Why?

Because sending a letter is the next best thing to showing up personally at someone’s door. Ink from your pen touches the stationary, your fingers touch the paper, your saliva seals the envelope. Something tangible from your world travels through machines and hands, and deposits itself in another’s mailbox. Your letter is then carried inside as an invited guest. The paper that was sitting on your desk, now sits on another’s. The recipient handles the paper that you handled. Letters create a connection that modern, impersonal forms of communication will never approach.


For two years before we were married, Kate and I were a thousand miles apart, with letter-writing our only available means of communication. We fell in love over the dozens of letters sent between us. I do not know of a richer and more satisfying way of getting to know a person. Today the collection of letters from that time is one of our most treasured possessions, something we hope our kids will read and get a kick out of. Thus, letters not only serve a purpose in the here and now, they also stand as historical records, giving us a incomparable window into the past. Anyone who has ever come across the old letters of parents and grandparents and suddenly felt transported back to another time and place, knows well the legacy-leaving power of letters. What will we leave our grandchildren? The username and password to our email accounts?

by Brett & Kate McKay

New Truck

Here it is! It's not new and shiny but it does the job for me. Personally I think if one has a truck that he's afraid of getting dirt on or putting a dent in it isn't worth much!

It's a 1990 F150 Custom. Powered by a 300 inline 6 cylinder and connected to a standard 4 speed with granny gear. New 6" Rough Country lift and 35x12.50 mud terrain tires. The tail gate and bumpers are a little bent but the truck runs like a champ. Great gas mileage and it will tow anything.

My primary reason for getting this was the gas milage and torque combination. At first I was looking at the Toyota trucks with the 22R 4 cylinder. Good gas milage and reliable but very small and no power. Ford's inline 6 produces only 145 hp but also 265 lbs.-ft. of torque@ 2000 rpm. In comparison a Chevy 350 V8 from the same year gets 160 hp and 260 lbs. -ft of torque but the miles per gallon doesn't compare. A full size truck that will still haul or tow anything and you get 15 miles per gallon in town and 20+ mpg on the highway. The 300 inline 6 is also very reliable and many run to 300,000 miles with few problems.

Gun Owners of America: We Came Heartbreakingly Close to Killing ObamaCare in the House

-- Pelosi "puppets" stab gun owners in the back
 

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

It would have been nice if we were celebrating victory on ObamaCare today -- and could turn our attention to other issues. 

This was not to be, however, thanks to House Democrats who campaigned as "moderates," but in the end, danced at the end of Nancy Pelosi's strings.

Saturday, the House passed ObamaCare by a 220-215 vote.  The bill now goes to the Senate, where South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham -- hardly a staunch conservative -- has pronounced it "dead on arrival."

We remain convinced that we can and will kill ObamaCare, but only if the grassroots keep the pressure on. 

Peter Bernard

He is Home!

Pastor Bryan Pollock is now with the Lord. Here is what his oldest son wrote on their blog:

My dad passed away tonight at 10pm. It was a peaceful passing as he merely fell asleep and awoke in Heaven. Though our separation is painful, we know that God causes all things to work together for good, and we rest tonight in His goodness. "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2nd Cor. 5:1)

We will post the time and place of the services as soon as they are established.

Rejoicing in the mercy of God!
Jonathan

Energetic Men

We love upright, energetic men. Pull them this way, and then that way, and the other, and they only bend, but never break. Trip them down, and in a trice they are on their feet. Bury them in the mud, and in an hour they will be out and bright. They are not ever yawning away existence, or walking about the world as if they had come into it with only half their soul; you cannot keep them down; you cannot destroy them. But for these the world would soon degenerate. They are the salt of the earth. Who but they start any noble project? They build our cities and rear our manufactories; they whiten the ocean with their sails, and they blacken the heavens with the smoke of their steam-vessels and furnace fires; they draw treasures from the mine; they plow the earth. Blessings on them! Look to them, young men, and take courage; imitate their example; catch the spirit of their energy and enterprise, and you will deserve, and no doubt command, success.

Rules for My Unborn Son

Walker Lamond wrote:

“Somewhere along the way, rules got a bad name. People wanted freedom. Authority was questioned, rules were broken, dress codes banished! Rules were seen as antiquated obstacles to individualism and progress. Barbers were ignored, ties packed away. And the game of life suddenly got a bit sloppier, more uncertain, and even a bit less fun. My father….understood that a man of strong character, who took pride his appearance and behavior, was given the most liberty to have fun. And so he had rules.”

The Young Pioneers

Laura told me to post on this so here it is...

The Young Pioneers is one of my favorite movies.

Molly and David Beaton are young newlyweds who head out for the vast wilderness of the newly opened Dakota territory in the 1870s to start a new life. They secure a large track of land as "homesteaders" and built a sod house to try to get through the long, difficult winter.

Soon Molly discovers she's pregnant, and it doesn't take long before the couple realizes that a depression, a blizzard and an army of grasshoppers who attack crops will make survival harder then they had planned.

I love the simple, pioneer life style. Kind of a dream of mine... Two lessons to note in the movie: Young husbands must learn to listen to their wives cautions. Second, don't borrow money! It is betting on your future. We need to learn to have faith and trust in God to provide for us rather then replacing that with insurance or running to get another loan.

Bluegrass Gospel

I'm a big bluegrass gospel fan! I don't have many albums so some friends lent me a few CDs which I'm going through now.

Most of my music is from a group called Bluegrass Brethren. One of my favorite albums, In His Name, I received right after my accident in 2007. The song Lord Jesus written by Tim Bryant meant a lot to me at that time, and still does. The lyrics are below.

VERSE
Lord when I came to you
All things became new
But it seems like the 'old man,' he really wants to stay
And though you live inside, in you I must abide
Yielded each moment so I can go your way

CHORUS
Lord Jesus take me, remake me
Let you love shine through me
Lord Jesus hold me and mold me
Into the person you want me to be

VERSE
Lord, I give you the task
Of pulling off the mask
I wear in front of others each and every day
And would you please reveal the things that are concealed
Make your word more real to me
So I can know your ways

CHORUS

VERSE
I know your word is true
So help me trust in you
Guide my thoughts and actions
And the words I say
And would you do your part
To come and change my heart
So when I am with others
They'll see that you're the way

CHORUS

"A woman's heart should be so close to God that a man should have to chase Him to find her" - C.S. Lewis

New target/varmint .22

Ruger 10/22 with hammer forged heavy barrel. On top is a BSA Sweet 22 6x18.