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Weekend at the Park

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:24:39 GMT

Albino Deer Retreating to the Woods

We had a rainy weekend for our Church camp-out, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Instead of playing soft ball and volley ball, we played all kinds of table games. On Saturday afternoon, we divided up into 3 teams and played charades. That was a lot of fun. We acted out such Bible stories as Peter walking on the water, Jonah running away from God, Nehemiah rebuilding the walls, Esther going before the king, and the bears destroying the children who were making fun of the bald prophet. Some of the time the other teams guessed the story before we even had time to act it out, which was a little disappointing, since we were all primed to act out the story ... as in one of our stories, the bears never had a chance to tear into the children.

Carson and I had a cozy little cabin, which we enjoyed very much.

We did a lot of resting and reading. It was too wet to spend much time on the deck overlooking the Staunton River. On Saturday morning we got up early and went for a walk to see if we could see the albino deer which regularly frequents the park. We walked just a short way and were disappointed when we came in sight of the field where he is often seen, but there were no deer in sight. Suddenly, way in the distance, a deer came out of the woods and ran across the road, and then another, and another. The little one ran and frolicked near the woods while his mother calmly grazed. Then we noticed a white deer emerge from the woods on the other side of the road and started across the field while a second deer appeared at the edge of the woods. Suddenly the albino deer stopped and studied us. We tried to hold very still so as not to scare him, but he soon started back toward the woods. I decided that if I was to get a picture of him, I would have to do it quickly. I had to use the 4 X zoom to get him, so it isn't very clear. I marveled at how totally white he was, and I think the picture does show that.

We had three meals together, and we only had to help with one meal. For Saturday supper our group served soup, sandwiches, chips and dessert. Betsy fixed Cheeseburger soup, Beth fixed Chili, and I fixed Chicken corn soup. It was just the thing to serve on a wet cool evening. Our shelter had a fireplace at each end, and with a good fire going in each, we were nice and cozy.

On Saturday night, while the others sang around the campfire, we drove about 10 miles through the rain to the Ebenezer Mennonite Church where the Mountain Anthems were giving a program. We hadn't heard them for many years, and we enjoyed that immensely.

We had to be out of our cabin by 10 a.m. on Sunday, so while I packed things together, Carson carried them out to the car. Our church service started at 10:30, with the youth in charge of the worship service. After a lunch of barbecue sandwiches and several kinds of salads ... potato, pasta, and carrot, with ice cream for dessert, it was time to head home. By the time Carson drove home and unpacked the car, he was exhausted. I'm not sure if he enjoyed the experience quite as much as I did.

And Then There Was One

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:58:11 GMT

We have quite a few deer in our area, and I love to watch them. Several months ago, a mother and her twin fawns started coming around. The fawns were quite shy and would hang around near the edge of the woods, sometimes dancing around playfully, while the mother would graze in our yard. The garden had an electric fence around it, so she couldn’t get to our vegetables. After the apple tree started dropping apples, they became regular customers. About a month ago, the twins showed up without their mother. They appeared to be rather apprehensive, eating some apples and then wandering around, all the while staring nervously across the busy road which was at a distance. All at once they took off running across the neighbor’s yard, making a bee-line for the road. They pulled up, nervously before they reached the road, and as they stood there, several cars and trucks rushed past. The fawns turned and disappeared into the woods on the far side of the neighbors yard. As we were coming home from church the next day, we noticed a rather large area of blood on the road just up from our place, possibly the result of a deer/car collision. The fawns continued to visit only sporadically for several weeks. As we drove up the road on our way to church one Wednesday evening, we noticed a very small deer laying beside the road. We didn’t see any deer for about a week, and then one day, one fawn showed up by itself. It seemed so sad and nervous. Finally it started coming around about every two days, then every day, and today it showed up at least four times. When Carson went out on the deck this morning, it ran away. Then a little later, while Carson was still on the deck, it walked up to the apple tree and started eating, but watching Carson all the while. He seemed much more at ease this afternoon, probably spending as much as an hour eating apples and grazing on some tall grass, then he meandered over to the neighbors apple tree and grazing around some out buildings, before disappearing into the woods. Maybe he’s adopting us. I hope so, because I’ve been praying for him. Does God care about a poor orphan fawn? If he cares about a sparrow, as the Bible says, I’m sure he cares about my little deer. I wish there was something more that I could do for him.

I wish I had better photos. They are too far away for my camera,
but if I get any closer, the deer run away. They still have their spots.

We're going on a chorus tour

Fri, 01 May 2009 03:02:34 GMT

We're leaving at noon on the first leg of our chorus tour. Friday night we'll be at Goshen Mennonite at Latonsville, Saturday night we'll be at Crossroads Mennonite at Richfield, Sunday morning at Womelsdorf Mennonite at Womelsdorf, and Sunday evening we'll have a short program at Blue Ridge Christian Fellowship near Aroda. Walter Beachy is speaking at Blue Ridge on Sunday, and we'll sing before he speaks in the evening. So, if you're anywhere in the area, come on over and say, 'HI.'

Last night we had our final practice, so we invited friends and family to come listen. We were surprised to have the church pretty well filled. Carson is going along on the tour, so he didn't go over. He wasn't sure if he should go along since he isn't singing, but he can chaperon.

Martin Layman is our director. He comes from a very musical family of singers. He married a beautiful singer, and they have 3 sons with beautiful voices. Their middle son, Nathan, eleven years old, sang a solo at church several weeks ago, and did a terrific job. Our chorus is made up of 30 + people from at least five different churches, and the ages range from 15 up to grandparents.

Pray for our safety on the highway, and pray that we will be a blessing and an encouragement to others. We want to bring honor and praise to God.

Till next time. Ruth

Busy Week

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:49:03 GMT

We've had a busy week ... in fact, the last two weeks. But it was a good busyness, just tiring for these old bodies. It started out with special meetings at our church, from Wednesday to Sunday, with Brother Phil Hollinger from Pennsylvania. We enjoyed meeting him and appreciated his messages. He brought his wife and two younger sons. His parents and his two older sons joined them on Friday night. Phil has two sisters who are part of our church family, so it was a nice reunion for them.

We had Monday evening to rest up. On Tuesday evening, we went to Woodland, our local nursing home, and met with some of our neighbors from the Trinity Mennonite Church to sing for the residents.

On Wednesday evening was prayer meeting, and on Thursday evening was the much anticipated evening with Eduard Klassen and his Paraguayan Harp. It was an absolutely enjoyable and worshipful experience. It was hard to believe that he could get that much music from one instrument. Between the musical selections, she shared about his life, and how a missionary came to his remote village in Paraguay and explained to them the way of salvation, and what a change that brought into his life. We were truly blest to be there.

I almost forgot that we were supposed to have chorus practice on Friday evening, but when Carson prayed before supper, he asked the Lord to protect me as I drove to chorus practice. So I had to quickly clean up the kitchen before heading out the door. We usually practice twice a month on Thursday evening, but we are preparing for a tour to Pennsylvania early in May, so we have had to shift to weekly practices to get ready. We are learning some beautiful songs, and its really a challenge and a thrill. God has blessed us with so many beautiful songs with which to praise Him.

We were to church this morning. Quite a few of our people were gone, but we also had some visitors. The attendance for Sunday School was sixty-one. On the way home from church, we quite often take a map along, and go exploring the back roads so that we are more familiar with our new community. Today, we didn't have a map along, but there are quite a few dead end roads along route 15, so we explored them today. After we got home I quickly warmed up the poor man's steak, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables, and for dessert some chocolate pudding dessert. We didn't have church this evening, so we rested, and watched the wildlife outside our door as we read.

... Of course, the clock has kept on ticking, so it is now early Monday morning.

God bless! Ruth

Eduard Klassen - In concert

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:14:57 GMT

Eduard Klassen

Harpist & Speaker with his Paraguayan Folk Harp

In Concert on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m.

at the Oak Hill Mennonite Church

Cumberland Virginia

visit his site at www.eduardklassen.com

I've heard that he is very good. If anyone would like to come and needs directions, let me know.

Winterstorm and Finished Project

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:05:52 GMT

The electricity went off on Sunday evening while I was working on this blog, and was off for about 15 hours. Our first major snow storm since we moved north, brought us close to a foot of beautiful snow. Everything closed down. Since we really weren’t expecting it, we were sadly unprepared in many ways. Our only heat was the gas logs in the den, which worked very well in keeping us warm, but did nothing for heating food or water. The only water that we had on hand was two pint bottles of water which had been in my pantry long enough for the bottles to be misshaped, and I had considered throwing them out last week, but, thankfully, I didn’t. The two bottles were enough for frugal hand and face washing, brushing teeth, and an occasional sip. We also had some juices in the refrigerator so we didn’t fare too badly for lack of fluids. We were grateful when the electricity was turned back on before suppertime. Many others are still without electricity. There are some perks in living close to a major highway and close to town. I had a great time watching and feeding my birds, and enjoying the snow. Carson enjoyed reading in his recliner by the fireplace.

Snow Covered Garden Plot & Side Yard

We’re slowly getting a few things done around here. After more than a year without the master bath, we are finally finished with that project. We waited a loooong time for the tile man to come, so we finally gave up on him and asked our long time friend and fellow Xangan, Nelson Miller, aka southernheir, if he would do the job for us. When he was able to fit us into his schedule, he showed up on our door step on a Monday morning, and by Wednesday noon we had a beautiful new shower stall and a tiled floor. When we bought the house, much of the house had been renovated, but the master bath had not been completed because the husband and wife couldn’t agree on what they wanted done. That was just fine with us, because we knew what we wanted. We tore out the dilapidated tub and commode and replaced them with something that was more handicap friendly, a shower stall and a taller commode. Its wonderful how the Lord takes something we plan, and makes it even better. There were 2 boxes of tile left from a previous project, so we thought we would just use them for the floor, but realized when we got closer to the project that the 2 boxes would not be enough. Not knowing where the previous owners bought the tile, and not finding anything local that would match, we finally ordered something that we thought would be compatible with the other tile … however, when it arrived we could see a big difference in the two tiles. I held my breath, wondering if we‘d made a big mistake. Nelson, master tile man that he is, did a beautiful job. He used the two different floor tiles and did a checkerboard, and I love it! It’s much nicer than a solid color floor, and I think the original tile would have made the room too dark. I had fun working on the shower curtain and curtains for the window. I used the drapes that we had helped Martha get for her apartment just a few months before her death. They are a nice reminder of her.

We're grateful for the beautiful home God has given us here. We have more work to do to get it finished. My next project is to get my utility room ready for a laundry tub. I have to move all the food and sewing stuff that has been stored in crates on top of the counter onto shelves in the cupboard. Its a lot of work, but if I do a little at a time, it eventually gets done.

God's best to each of you. Ruth

Carson's Birthday

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:33:12 GMT

Today, Saturday the 3rd, was Carson's birthday. He's 81 ... and still going strong!

Carson relaxing on our Church camping trip this summer

I got a new computer desk last year. A good, sturdy, oak corner desk, with 4 shelves. Two folding doors on the top part, and two folding doors on the bottom part. I have a TV on the top shelf, my computer on the 3rd shelf, the printer on the 2nd shelf, and extra supplies down on the bottom shelf. The keyboard is on a pull out shelf just below the computer. I really like my desk, it’s really well made, but the pull out shelf hasn't been working right for a long time. A gentleman from the reputable store where I bought the desk stopped by to see what was causing my problem, and soon had it back on track, but it was soon back to its old tricks. The drawer wouldn’t push back all the way so I could close the bottom door. When I would have company, the doors stayed open for all the world to see my clutter. I know, I know, I should have called the gentleman back. He asked me to call him back if there was still a problem, but I hated to bother him. Last month something gave way when I was sitting at my desk, (I’m often tired when I’m sitting at my desk, so I was probably leaning too hard on the shelf), and then it was really in bad shape. Earlier this week the shelf came down completely. I showed it to Carson last night, and he said he would look at it. This morning he brought it in from the shop and had it ready to re-mount on the desk. There were 5 screws that attached to the underside of the 3rd shelf, and Carson had to lay on the floor while I tried to hold the shelf in place. It was really hard to get the shelf lined up so that the screws went back into the original holes. Finally he took a nail and got that lined up right and drove it into the first hole. Then it was right easy to get all the others lined up. Last he took the nail out and replaced it with a screw. All done! He said what had caused the problem was, the holes in the pull out shelf were too small, so the screw screwed into that shelf, but didn’t go very far into the shelf above. One of the screws gave way soon after I started using it, and that threw the bracket off kilter so it wouldn’t work right. Does that make any sense to you? (If it doesn’t, its because I didn’t explain it right, not because there was anything wrong with his theory.) Anyway, my man has a pretty good head on his shoulders, and can fix most anything he puts his mind to.

Now, what do you do for a man who takes such good care of you, for his special day. I thought of taking him out to eat, but I know that especially on Saturday evening, after working hard all day, he’d rather have me cook a good meal at home, than to eat out. So off to the grocery store I went and bought some nice steaks. Then I came home, cut his hair, and baked that Amish Cinnamon Friendship Bread, only I made it a triple chocolate Amish Friendship Bread … but it really should be called Cake, because its much too sweet to be a bread. So we had smothered steak, mashed potatoes, zippy carrots, and hot chocolate cake and ice cream.

The Lord has blessed me with a good husband, and I want to be the best wife I can be for him.

God Bless you all! Ruth

The Passing of a Saint

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:52:42 GMT

Last week was a busy, and stressful week. We got the message on Sunday, the 20th, that my oldest brother, Marion, passed away in Uganda. He was retired from active ministry, but I don't think I ever saw a busier retired person. They had moved to a new community several years ago to help establish a new church. They often traveled to Mexico and other countries in Central America to encourage existing churches. He was often used in various communities in the States and Canada for Revival meetings or to help with church problems. They finally moved to their retirement home last year and began to remodel their older house. They were asked to go to Uganda earlier this year for six months to help establish a new church there. They were over two months into their mission. They had such joy in their work there! The people were so hungry for the Word of God. He had a circuit of nine villages, if I remember right, where he would teach and preach. He also spent hours teaching and answering questions on a one on one basis. There were at least two other couples at the mission, but some of them were plagued with malaria.

As I said, we got a call early on Sunday morning that Marion had a heart attack and passed away. There are always a lot of decisions to make when a loved one dies, but it was more difficult because he died in a foreign country, half way around the world. It was so hard to think of Sarah being by herself so far away, but of course God was with her there, and she was surrounded by many people who loved her. Her oldest son and daughter, Dale and Janice, flew to Uganda to escort Sarah home. They had a 17 hour flight over, were there about 12 hours, and another 17 hours back. The family met them at the airport except for Rogers and Erics, who were traveling from Mexico, and didn't arrive home until later that night.

Marions have 8 children, 36 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Their latest grandson was born after they went to Uganda. Dales, Rogers, and Wesleys live at Severn, Gary and Jan live in Pantego, Donna lives at Cross Hill, Wendell lives in Rutherfordton, and Erics live in Mexico.

The viewing was on Friday. They had a special viewing for the extended family from 3 to 5 pm, with a special time of sharing. The viewing for the public was from 6 to 9. I have no idea how many went through the line, but it was 5 to 6 people wide, the length of the building for most of the evening. The funeral was on Saturday at the Mennonite Church in Severn. They estimated that there were about a thousand people there. I couldn't imagine that they could get that many people in the church, but they kept packing them in. They had a tent set up in case they would need it, but the school is attached to the church, and they were able to get everyone inside.

How can you mourn for someone who has lived a righteous life, serving the Lord, who has been called to his Heavenly home, to rest from his labor? We can's mourn for him, but for his family, and his church, and his friends and neighbors who loved him and will miss him.

Let Me Burn Out for Thee

"Let me burn out for Thee, dear Lord,
Burn and wear out for Thee;
Don't let me rust, or my life be
A failure, my God, to Thee.
Use me and all I have, dear Lord,
And get me so close to Thee
That I feel the throb
Of the great heart of God;
Until I burn out for Thee."
~Bessie Frances Hatcher

This song was so appropriately sung at the graveside service. I believe Marion was a good example of a person who was burned out for the Lord.

For more information about Marion's death, you can also go to this link, and for more about the viewing and funeral, go here.

Gardening

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:23:49 GMT

Carson has done all of the gardening since we are married, except for the flowers. He took care of the lawn and garden, and I took care of the flowers ... and any weeds in the flower beds. This year we are experimenting with the raised garden that was started by the previous owner. Carson wasn't sure he would like the raised beds, but it was something that I have been interested in for a long time. We got a late start due to the irregular weather patterns and our inexperience in this type of gardening. The weeds had pretty well taken over the beds. We had onions in two beds that were planted by the previous owner, a few carrots, and a lone mullein plant. We have planted tomatoes, dill, lettuce, radishes, squash, carrots, red beets, green beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and watermelon. I turned two of the plots into flower beds ... rose bushes, phlox, cleome, lobelia, marigolds, zinnia, and cosmos. Some of my flower seed didn't come up very well, and the chick weed has come up in profusion to take their place. I'll have to see what I can do about that. I can't stand to work in the hot sun, so I have really enjoyed the overcast days.

Here are two pictures of the garden taken from our bedroom window. We enjoy looking out over our garden first thing in the morning. I went out this morning and took several pictures of the insects enjoying our onion blossoms. Since this is the second year for the onions, they each put out a seed head. Since I don't have much experience with gardening, I'm not sure if I should have cut them off before the seed matured, or if I should just enjoy their beauty.

Carson likes the fact that he doesn't have to keep the weeds down on a large area. He goes out almost every morning and works up the soil in each bed to keep the weeds down ... except in my flowers.

My sister, Carolyn was with us last week. On Saturday, my sister Mary Lou and Dirk, with niece Jeannette and baby Glen, and my brother, Kenneth and Elsie came for lunch and a short visit. Carolyn went back with Kenneths to her home in Chesapeake. We took pictures of us four siblings, but they didn't turn out very well. I did get a good picture of Carolyn, Jeannette and Glen ... below.

Till next time ... God Bless! Ruth

A Lovely Mother's Day

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:24:16 GMT

Today was a beautiful spring day ... a fitting day to honor mothers and even more, to honor the Lord on His day, Sunday. We went to church this morning and had a different Mother's day message ... It was on Mothers-in-law. It is so important to have a good relationship with your inlaws. Parents need to realize that their children are grown now and need to have a life of their own ... "therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife ...," and children need to respect and honor their parents.

We had a fellowship meal at church, but the ladies had to do the cooking. I asked Carson if he didn't want to fix a dish to take, but he was afraid he would get in trouble with the other men if he fixed something. Or at least that was his excuse.

We have been having a lot of rain this week, and it continued today. It's the same storm that brought tornadoes to other communities south and west of us. After the rain this afternoon, the sun came out so I went out with my camera and took some pictures. I want to see if I can put some on here for you to see. Maybe I'll get this thing figured out yet.

We have so many beautiful flowers around. These are some irises in a flower bed near the road. We have several beds with several different colors, but these are the largest and most spectacular. I am planting a rose bed behind the house, but there is one old rose bush in the front yard. I noticed yesterday that they were blooming and was so pleased when I discovered that they were a beautiful burgundy color. It is full of buds, so I hope they will be blooming for a while. There are two rhododendron bushes on the south side of the house, but there were only three blooms on them ... but they were lovely. I have a mystery plant growing in my garden. Maybe someone can identify it for me. I left it when I was weeding, because it was so interesting looking.

And last, but not least, a picture of the outside of the house from the front yard. This was taken several weeks ago before the trees and flowers were blooming. It is a little dark, but I think you can get an idea of what it looks like.

Till next time ... God Bless! Ruth