Papa

For the past 30 years I've had the privilege of working with Papa. He and I have accomplished some fairly impressive tasks. We laid a half-mile of six inch pipe line and installed a complete irrigation system in Oak Glen, California. We also installed several 10 to 40 thousand gallon water tanks as part of the system. We built a barn for Papa and a workshop for me and cut many cords of apple wood. Then in 1989 we moved from California to Maine. Every year since Papa and I have cut and split at least 8 cords of wood, that would be a total of 160 cords which would be a stack 4 feet high 4 feet wide and about 1000 feet long. Papa helped me this year, we just cut, split and stacked two big beech trees and one huge maple tree. We have also with the help of Paul, Barry, and John cleared a garden spot and built a barn from wood cleared from the garden and sawed on-site. Papa has tended the garden each year and hauled innumerable loads of seaweed from the shore to the garden. He has helped can a multitude of jars of peaches and applesauce and tomato sauce. When we remodeled our house including the removal of a large chimney and two fireplaces, Papa cleaned every brick. Papa has always been up for a trip or a new adventure. He was up on a slalom water ski on his 80th birthday. He loves to read and loves a good joke even when it is on him. When I needed help he was always there usually before I asked.
Two winters ago our neighbor called asking for help to get her husband up off the floor where he had fallen. Papa (though he was older than the man who fell) went to help, on the way slipped and fell on the ice; despite his fall he went ahead and helped the neighbor up. He never said a word about his fall. The next day I noticed he wasn't as agile as usual and on examining him found 3 fractured ribs. He never uttered a word of complaint though he was in obvious discomfort. In fact I've never heard Papa complain about anything or anyone, ever. Perhaps the greatest gift Papa has given me though is his daughter; as a wife, she has his same unfailing cheerfulness and sense of adventure. Papa is 90 now and won't be with us forever but I thank God for him and his daughter every day.

Rmantraining

Giving Thanks

It is Friday evening November 21. The leaves are gone from the trees and raked from the yard. Only the brussel sprouts are left in the garden and they are at their best. I've started making fires in the shop for Merlin and Rollo. Merlin is now more eager to get into the shop than out as he likes the warmth. I put a rug on top of Rollo's crate. Merlin hops up there and sleeps contentedly. Papa brought 2 loads of wood from the pile by the barn and we stacked it in the shop all ready for cold nights. The stone oven did good service this morning and we have two fresh loaves of wood-fired oven baked bread sitting on the counter. It has a nice thick crust when baked at 600 degrees fahrenheit. Mom is sleeping curled up on the couch under John's alpaca blanket. Rollo had a bath today and for a special is in the entry lying asleep on a bath towel.
All of our 5 gallon buckets are full of oats, wheat (red and white), barley, rye, sesame seeds, beans (red kidney and pinto), lentils (persian and red), split peas, rice (jasmine and basmati brown), chick peas, dry soybeans, shredded coconut, raisins and currents, and date pieces. We have about 250 quarts of apple-raspberry and apple blueberry sauce in stacked in various places around the house. A delicious lasagne with pimento stuffed olives, dried tomatos, garlic and basil sits in the kitchen awaiting tomorrow's fellowship dinner.
I've just lit the fire in the soapstone fireplace and am getting ready to do a little reading. but what I'm really thankful for is that we could lose all these things, be out in the cold with no home and no place to go and still have riches untouchable by any earthly event. As Paul wrote from the prison in Rome, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So by faith no matter where we are no matter what our situation we can be in heavenly places with Jesus. Now that is something worth giving thanks about.

Wings as Eagles

One windy morning this week Lyn and I were fixing breakfast when we heard an eagle call very close to the house. We looked south across Long Reach and saw a pair riding the wind current about forty feet above our blueberry patch just off our deck. The wind was blowing from the south and apparently as it hit the point 100 feet or so from our house it swept upward giving the eagles just the updraft they needed for an easy ride. It reminded me of the text "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles". And this one, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou heareth the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

Ride then, ride on the Wind of the Spirit, ride on to transformation, renewed in His strength.

sabbath sunset at long reach

FALL

Soon the days will be shorter than the nights, soon the frost will come to the salt marsh, then to the lawn by the shore, and last to the garden. The tomatoes are just about done, a few green ones remain and will be picked hurriedly the evening of the garden frost. The onions and potatoes have been dug. The squash has been harvested. But the collards and the brussel sprouts are just coming in to their own ready to sweeten with the first hard frost. We should be picking brussel sprouts till December provided the deer don't find them before we're through. Papa and I have enough wood put in for the winter (thanks in a large part to John's help this summer), and are working on cutting wood for two winters from now as well as scrounging up some old dead pine to burn in the shop to keep Rollo and Merlin warm this winter. Mother has twenty quarts of dried tomatoes in the pantry, about as many quarts of peaches, and ten or more quarts of peach sauce. The bulk food is safely stored in 5 gallon plastic buckets in the first cabin's window seat. Apple sauce lies ahead maybe about 200 quarts will do for this year about two days work if we process it outside in the maple syrup evaporating pan over an open fire. Then let the winter come and do its best, it'll not likely shake us loose from our snug corner of life.

HOT

My good friend Willie delivered another string of dried chilli peppers. They are a full flavored pepper with some heat but not an excessive amount. They are just right to add to a variety of dishes. We are very thankful for them as we had given most of our last string to Paul and Petra before we discovered their exceptional qualities. He also gave us a string of black peppers with little or no heat but a very rich pepper flavor and a string of little red fire crackers so hot I think I may save them for Paul. But the real hot tamale in this picture is the lady holding the peppers who has given my life wonderful spice for 28 years.