November, like the rest of this year, seemed to pass by lickity-split, and I didn’t even have a lot of pictures to record our activities. I think that’s because a lot of our time was spent organizing. Organizing really doesn’t make for good photography. My husband spent countless hours organizing in the barn and I sorted some areas in the house, finding things that could be given away or thrown away. There is still a lot of this to do but we’ve got a good start on it.

Progress at the Farm

We did have some nice weather in early November, and I spent some time at the farm working with my husband. It was November 10th when he began cutting trees.

Together we developed a plan for cutting and cleaning up the cut trees but before we started my husband wanted to build a new sawbuck. A sawbuck is a tool that is used to hold a log up off the ground so it can be cut into smaller pieces. Our old sawbuck, which was already old several years ago when a neighbor gave it to us, was pretty wobbly and worn out, so my husband used the old one as a pattern to make this new one.

Once we got to the cutting and clean up, we started by removing all the smaller (in diameter) limbs.

We stacked these in an out-of-the-way spot. They will make nice habitat for wildlife. Rabbits, mice and birds will use this pile of branches for shelter especially in the winter..

Larger limbs were cut for future firewood and stacked where they will be left to season.

While the largest trunk portions, that will take even longer to season, were stacked in another area. This process has been repeated a couple times with my husband cutting down just two or three trunks at a time.

As of this writing there are still two large trunks of that tree to be cut down and then we will move on to the other trees that need to be removed.

A Visitor

November 14th was one of those nice weather days. I was standing in the driveway when I got a glimpse of a blue heron flying over the back field toward our pond. for a moment it was blocked from my vision by trees then suddenly it landed at the north end of our pond.

It didn’t stay long because Ruby was quick to spot it and it flew off as she headed in that direction.

My husband and I were both surprised to see it land in one of our maple trees. Neither of us have ever seen a heron in a tree before and we were even more surprised that the limb that it perched on did not bend, droop or sag.

The heron sat in the tree for at least 10 minutes before flying off. Shortly after that my husband took the dogs and I back to the house so I could fix dinner and when he returned to the farm, he reported that there were then two blue herons fishing at the edge of the pond.

Crafting

In early November I learned that our community was collecting hats, scarves and mittens to donate for the mitten tree at a local elementary school. These items would then be given to children who needed them. The deadline for the donations was November 22 so I figured I had time to make a few hats. I decided loom knitting was the quickest way to make them. To learn more about loom knitting see this post.

I used yarn that I had on hand and completed five hats and delivered them before the deadline.

Recommended Reading

This month I’m recommending two books, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and are appropriate for the Christmas season.

The first book, A Log Cabin Christmas, is a collection of nine Christmas stories by different Christian authors. The stories about American pioneers take place in various regions of our country as it was being settled. These stories of hardships and triumphs are filled with inspiration and faith. I have read this book several times and for me it has become like a favorite Christmas movie that you might watch every year.

Synopsis from Amazon: Experience Christmas through the eyes of adventuresome settlers who relied on log cabins built from trees on their own land to see them through the cruel forces of winter. Discover how rough-hewed shelters become a home in which faith, hope, and love can flourish. Marvel in the blessings of Christmas celebrations without the trappings of modern commercialism where the true meaning of the day shines through. And treasure this exclusive collection of nine Christmas romances penned by some of Christian fiction’s best-selling authors.

Amazon gives this book a 4.5-star rating. Personally, I give it 5 plus stars.

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The second book, A Lineage of Grace, is not really a Christmas book, yet is fitting for the season.

Amazon synopsis: The Bible is filled with inspiring stories of unlikely candidates God chose to change eternity. This bestselling compilation in one volume contains five novellas about such people―women in the family tree of Jesus Christ.

Tamar. Rahab. Ruth. Bathsheba. Mary.

Each was faced with extraordinary―even scandalous―challenges. But they had courage. They lived daring lives. Sometimes they made mistakes―big mistakes. And yet God, in His infinite mercy, used them to bring forth the Christ, the Savior of the world. Their stories still hold great meaning and inspiration for us today.

Tamar risked her life and her reputation to be the woman she was called to be. See how God uses our circumstances and our steps toward Him, however faltering, to fulfill His plan.

Rahab was exploited by men who saw only her beauty, yet she held fast to her faith in God and was rewarded. Discover how God seeks and finds those whose hearts are tender toward Him, no matter how far away they are.

Ruth’s loyalty, especially toward her mother-in-law Naomi, helped her to persevere in the face of tragedy, and God gave her a second chance at love. Be encouraged that God will provide even when all hope seems lost.

Bathsheba’s scandalous affair with David did not end in one night. Learn that God is willing to restore those lost in the depths of despair who call out to Him.

Mary is one of the most revered women in history. But first, she was an ordinary woman striving to please God in the same way that women still do today. When God spoke, Mary responded in obedience which changed the world forever.

This book is considered fictional history, while the story of each woman is biblically based the author shares her vision of how the story played out using details that are not in the bible. To quote another reviewer, ” The author makes these women come to life. And shows how God loves unconditionally and used these very imperfect women as part of his plan to bring a savior, Jesus Christ into this world.”

This book also received 4.5 stars on amazon, and I would give it a five-plus rating. If it were still on my bookshelf I would not hesitate to read it again. It was, however, passed along to one of my sisters with a slip of paper inside which I wrote “Must Read”.

Thanks for visiting.