first snow at long reach

Winter has come to Long Reach and with it a cold quiet beauty. A time of Sabbath snow shoeing on the frozen salt marsh among the reeds and muskrat houses, of morning walks by lantern light with snow squeeking under foot and nose hairs stiffening in the brisk fresh air, of sea smoke drifting over the bay aglow with dawns first light. But not to worry the wood shed is full, the house and shop are warm, it is perfect weather to fire up the wood bake oven. So come on home for your fill of fresh air and your fill of comestibles(including of course as much of "pizza by the sea" as you wish).

Shabbat Shalom

I slowly drove the mile through the austin cary wood lot shedding the push and pull, the tension and fatigue of another week. Arriving home I was met at the door. My wife, camera in hand, simply pointed to the sky. After few deep breaths of cool black spruce scented salt air, a few moments of wonder, a few attempts to digitize the essence, I turned, gave Rollo a pat or two, opened the door and stepped into the warmth and fragrance of wood heat and fresh baked raisin bread. What a gift Our Lord gives in this time called Sabbath. The wonder of family, home and love become especially poignant as the Sabbath Peace descends with the setting of the sun.

apple sauce day

With the help of Papa, Tutu and Mom we got 140 quarts of applesauce canned today. Papa, Rolo and I found that we could can 121 quarts at a time in the maple syrup pan which speeded things up considerably. Needless to say we were thankful when the day was over.....

and the sun was set. We are looking forward to seeing our family in a few weeks.

Papa's new splitter

Well Papa got his new splitter today. It works very well, even better since I lengthened the handle you pull up on to activate the splitter improving the mechanical advantage and making it easier for Papa. I also added a trailer hitch so we can easily move it around the wood lot. But we have a problem we are hoping some one could help us with; we are able to split fire wood so fast now that we are afraid we may run out of wood to split long before we are tired of our new toy.

Another Day at Long Reach

The sunset started out like this and then it started to rain so I turned around to go in and....

I saw this rainbow, the first I've seen at sunset. then I turned around again and .....

I saw this lovely scene. God can surely paint a canvas with speed and beauty. Mom is out lecturing tonight; she is becoming a speaker in high demand now that she is back to work in her field after twenty four years of unexcelled motherhood. I finished 3 of six interviews with Sheryl McWilliams for a series we are doing for cable and local TV on Healthy Living which will be distributed around Maine. So although we miss you each alot we are trying to stay busy enough to stay out of trouble and off the streets.

Sundown over Long Reach

Another week of work is over and quiet has come to our home. A pot of Mom's Dahl fragrantly simmers on the stove all ready for Sabbath dinner. Rollo is resting on the front porch after a vigorous walk out the lane with us. Merlin surveys him somewhat disdainfully from a safe distance and though he wouldn't admit it, draws some companionship from his presence. Merlin has been eating a good bit more heartily of late and is putting on some poundage against the coming winter's cold. Only the oaks still have their leaves and are fast thinning. Miss you all but draw comfort knowing you are each in the hands of an Almighty God. Happy Sabbath, Dad

Help Wanted

As you can see things have gotten a bit desperate around here of late as we are short of help so Papa has decided to advertise. The pay isn't great but he guarantees a more rapid gain of muscle than you can get in a health spa and also guarantees rapid weight loss if desired. You can apply even if you don't have any particular skills. All skills needed can be gained on the job. Job benefits include fresh air, good company(Papa and Rollo), time at the sea shore (collecting sea weed for the garden), time on a beautiful sailboat(scrubbing it down and covering it with tarps for winter), no mosquitos (it is too cold for the beasties now). No need to apply just show up at sunrise and Papa will be up and about. If you arrive before sunup check for him in his basement he'll be there splitting kindling.

Papa"s Pumpkin

Papa had quite a good garden this year with Lots of tomatoes which we are still enjoying and lots of onions that we are braiding for the winter and fresh basil that we just picked the last of yesterday and made into two quarts of pesto which is now in the freezer and beautiful kale (seen to the right of Papa's foot), But the pumpkins took the prize. This one weighed over 100 pounds and was moved along with its brothers using the front end loader on Papa's John Deere tractor. Of all the produce that has come from the garden this year Tutu likes the pumpkin best, for its ornamental value of course. We were wondering if anyone had a pot we could borrow that we could cook the pumpkin in so that we could have a pie or two for Thanksgiving. None of ours are big enough. Please let us know if you can help.

Woodathalon

Some run, swim, and cycle but the two above with a combined age of 140 years entered a two day woodathalon during which they cut, loaded, transported for over 1 mile and then unloaded six cords of oak. They won first place but of course we must tell you that there were no other participants. The next phase of the trials comes when the above attempt to split and stack the six cords in record time. The truth of Thoreau's observation that wood warms you twice was verified by their endeavors.

HOME FOR RENEWAL

As the sun sets I think back to the Sabbath School lesson from Genesis 34-35. Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Ye have troubled me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land...they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; I and my house. " The sons of Jacob had treacherously slain the inhabitants of Shechem to avenge the defilement of their sister Dinah. They had spoiled their homes, stolen their goods, and taken their wives and children captive. They had returned evil with double evil. They had caused the name of their father and their father's God to stink.
And God said unto Jacob, "Arise go up to Bethel." Bethel, house of God, named such by Jacob in his flight from his brother Esau. God was saying to Jacob, "Come home, come home to Bethel. Come home, when there is no other place where you can go. In the words of Frost, Home is the place where when you have to go there they have to take you in; It's something you somehow haven't to deserve. Only God can provide that kind of a home to us, a home that gives cleansing and renewal , a home that we will never deserve, but always need.
"Then Jacob said to his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise and go to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God." Where else could he go for safety, where else could he go to rid himself of the stink? Where else can we go? There is of course no other place.
Go home then, home to God for renewal, go home every day.

New roof is almost done thanks to Greg Penner, Kregg&Sandra Boisvert, Ken Lombard, Alissa, Robin', Papa, Mom, and Dad. All in one day.

Old roof is off

Old roof is coming off

Cabin in progress

These are the 20X1 foot wall extensions for the cabin which I made today.

These are the gable ends for the new roof for the cabin which I made today.

Papa working hard the easy way

Papa at work as usual of course. Here he is helping to rehab an old cabin for Paul and Petra to stay in this Summer. I have had the privilege of working with Papa for the last 28 years. He is always thinking ahead looking for ways to make the job easier. Often I turn around to look for a specific tool to continue the job only to find that Papa anticipating my need, has it in his outstretched hand. He has given me two of the best gifts of my life first his daughter and second himself. I hope to be as good a father-in-law as he has been to me. Tim

Spring in Maine

It was looking like time to plow up the garden but one nights work by Mother Nature put us back into January. so no grass to mow or seedlings to plant for a while. The snow was beautiful though and although it took our power out for 3 days we did fine cooking our food on the cookstove and warming ourselves on the heated soapstone bench. Too bad there were no little boys at home to go sledding with Dad.

REST

Jesus said "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Mat11:28). Rest and peace, now those are what I want. "In the heart of Christ, which was in perfect harmony with his Father, there was perfect peace. He was never elated by applause, nor dejected by censure or disappointment. Amid the greatest opposition and most cruel treatment, He was still of good courage. but many of his professed followers have an anxious troubled heart because they are afraid to trust themselves with God" DA330.
Jesus tells us how to obtain this rest. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls" (Mat11:29). A yoke does two things for the oxen who usually wear them; first it keeps them working together, secondly it makes the job their trying to accomplish easier. The yoke that Jesus asks us to put on with Him is His law, that perfect law of love. This yoke keeps us side by side with Jesus in harmony with Him. The yoke is light and easy only because we are yoked to the omnipotent power of the Son of God. If we tried to bear this yoke alone it would crush us, but through His power we may accomplish the otherwise impossible and find true rest of soul. This rest of soul comes when our will is swallowed up in the will of God. It comes when our goal is perfect harmony between conscience and conduct. We may fail a thousand times and still have that blessed rest knowing that our standing before God is dependant upon the perfect performance of the One to whom we are yoked. So long as our goal remains to be in perfect harmony with Jesus, He who gives us the desires of our heart will see that it is accomplished. Yoked to Jesus we may rest from worry and fear. We may cast all our care upon Him knowing that He cares for us(IPet5:7).
"If you will seek the Lord and be converted every day; if you will of your own spiritual choice be free and joyous in God; if with gladsome consent of heart to His gracious call you come wearing the yoke of Christ,- the yoke of obediance and service,- all your murmurings will be stilled, all your difficulties will be removed, all the perplexing problems that now confront you will be solved" (TMB150). Now there's a rest and a peace I need. Dad

An Average Maine Sunset

Muskrat lessons

Last Sabbath we hiked far down the salt marsh and found a group or muskrat homes surrounded by some very tall reeds. They were well-made with various sizes of reeds and mud creating sturdy homes. The Marsh is frozen now, and the muskrats are safe inside their homes perhaps dreaming of Spring. It has been a very cold week here in Maine, but thanks to Dad and Papa, the house is toasty warm with fires in the mornings and evenings keeping the house really cozy. I was thinking how thankful I was to sleep in my bed and not Mrs. Muskrat's. We along with the Muskrats work hard to keep stay warm and safe, but I was thinking that if our eyes were opened to the spiritual warfare surrounding us, we would see our great need of God's help. There is no safety apart from Him. Nahum 1:7 says " The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him."
mom

Thoughts on the fall to the Boys

This past Sabbath the lesson at our church was on the Fall of man. Eve according to Paul in 1Timothy 2:14 was deceived into sin whereas Adam sinned undeceived or knowingly. Adam's sin was therefore the greater, as it was a sin of rebellion. His punishment should have been commissurately higher than Eve's. How is it then that he came to rule over Eve?
To ask the question implies that to rule is better than to be in submission but is that the case? First, with authority comes responsibility. Second, Christ said he that is greatest among you shall be servant of all. Adam before the fall (according to Paul) had authority over Eve by virtue of being created first. If this authority meant preiminence one would expect that Adam would lose it after his negligence in allowing Eve to stray from his side.
In the Christian economy Men are called to be leaders. This call to leadership is a call first to death to self, second to servanthood, and third to responsibility. In Ephesians 5:25 Paul calls men to death for their wife's sake even as Christ died for the church. This is first a death to self and if need be a death to life itself for our wives' sake. Adam was charged with provision of sustanence for his family through the sweat of his brow. Men today are called to the service of their families and communities to provide them with the necessities of life. Lastly, as Adam was in a measure responsible for the fall of Eve, so today Men are in a measure responsible for the safety, temporally and eternally, of their wives and children. It is a charge we should not take lightly.
As leaders Men should seek to liberate not subjugate, they should guide not dominate, they should seek to benefit not to be benefitted, they should spend and be spent for those in their charge. We have the highest calling to the lowest position, that of leadership. If we accept it it is likely that the fog of confusion engulfing male/female roles in leadership will burn away as we light the way through imitating the servant leadership of Christ. Love Dad