If you have a few minutes I invite you to listen to one of my favorite Christmas stories, A Christmas Guest by Andy Griffith. I know I’ve shared this story in the past but in reviewing my old posts it looks like that was 5 years ago. So, for new readers or for those, like me, who would like to hear it again, I hope you enjoy it.
From our home to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.
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.
Hello Everyone. It’s hard to believe that it’s December already but indeed we are in the homestretch of 2023.
From my 2023 wall calendar.
Our last inspirational verse this year “My Peace I give you.” John 14:27 is presented with a picture of many of the beautiful birds we have seen earlier this year.
I hope you have enjoyed this series. Now it’s time for me to shop for a new calendar.
Thanks for visiting.
Hello and welcome.
The days are flying by and before we get too far into November, I wanted to take a quick look back at things that happened in October that I haven’t yet blogged about.
I made a batch of soap in October, something I haven’t done in far too long. It won’t be ready to use for a couple of weeks yet.
I also did a little sewing. Granddaughter Addie’s birthday was this week (it’s hard to believe she is six years old) so I made her an outfit. The top is pictured below. I also made a pair of matching leggings. He birthday party is today and I’m excited to give her this gift. She always loves new clothes.
Over the summer and into the fall I had been working on some projects to donate to the humane society. I made 7 fleece blankets that they will use for the dogs that they care for.
I also crocheted eight, puppy paw print scarves and three chicken potholders that I donated for them to sell at their annual Pawzarr, a fundraiser that they hold each year in December.
I decided to deliver these items to the humane society on October 10, my late mother-in-law’s birthday. I chose that day because the humane society was mom’s favorite charity. I thought the donation was a nice way the memorialize mom. The staff at the humane society were very appreciative.
Things are coming along with our house plans, not quickly, but building a house isn’t something that happens quickly. We did get the permit to install the septic system. Since the permit is good for three years, we shouldn’t have to worry about it expiring before we can build the house. We have a quote from the excavation company for building the septic system and digging the foundation and we are working with the builder to put together the house plan and get the figures of what it is all going to cost.
The first book on my recommended reading list this month is one I read earlier this year but I’m sharing it in honor of Veterans Day (November 11) the day which we in the USA honor our military veterans.
The book, No Surrender, is about World War II hero Roddie Edmonds and is written by his son Chris Edmonds years after Roddie’s death.
From Good Reads:
Spanning seven decades and linking a sprawling cast of heroes from every corner of the country, No Surrender is an unforgettable story of a father’s extraordinary acts of valor in the treacherous final days of World War II and a son’s journey to discover them.
Like most members of the Greatest Generation, Roddie Edmonds, a humble American soldier from East Tennessee, rarely spoke about his experiences during World War II. Not even his son Chris—who always considered his father a hero—knew the full details of Roddie’s capture at the Battle of the Bulge or his captivity at Stalag IXA, a Nazi POW camp. But when Chris’s daughter was assigned a family history project, Chris reread Roddie’s wartime diaries, which set in motion a series of life-changing events.
Called to learn his father’s story with a renewed sense of passion and purpose, Chris embarked on a years-long journey, interviewing surviving POWs under Roddie’s command, and retracing his father’s footsteps, from Fort Jackson, Georgia, where a boyish Roddie transformed into a seasoned leader of men, to the patch of grass near Zeigenhein, Germany, where he stared evil in the eye and dared a Nazi to shoot.
Chris Edmonds, along with New York Times bestselling author Douglas Century, takes us to the front lines of this inspiring multigenerational story, revealing in gripping, novelistic detail Roddie’s previously untold heroism—and the lasting effects his bravery had on the lives of thousands, then and now. “What was most remarkable about my journey to discover what my father did during the war,” Chris writes, “was the realization that any one of us has the untapped potential to do something incredibly courageous. We all have the potential to change the world simply by standing up for what’s right.”
A quintessential American story of bravery, compassion, and righteousness, No Surrender is a shining example of the transformative and redemptive power of moral courage and a celebration of faith, family, and service, the very characteristics that continue to define us today.
On Good Reads this book is rated 4.29 stars out of 5. See more of those reviews at this link https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43615796-no-surrender. Personally, I give this book 5 stars and consider it a MUST read.
My second recommendation this month came about as a result of a recent conversation with my daughter. As she inquired about our family ancestry, I included that, although it is undocumented, my dad has always claimed that we were somehow related to the Donner Party.
“The Donner Party?” she asked, as if she was familiar with their story, and indeed she was. After our conversation I did an internet search and found the following website with the story of the Donner party, a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. This account is written by Eliza P. Donner Houghton, the youngest Donner child and one of the few survivors of the trip. The entire story can be found at this link https://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/donner.html.
The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate
by Eliza P. Donner Houghton
CREATED/PUBLISHED
Chicago, A.C. McClurg & co., 1911.
SUMMARY
Eliza Houghton (b. 1843) was the youngest child of George Donner, one of two Springfield, Illinois, brothers who organized the ill-fated California-bound emigrant party that bore their name. Eliza and her older sisters were rescued by relief parties that made their way to the stranded travelers at Donner Lake, but their parents perished, and the girls were left to make their way alone in the West. The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate (1911) begins with Mrs. Houghton’s account of her childhood and the family’s tragic overland journey, and rescue. She continues with her life as an orphan, first at Fort Sutter, and then with a family in Sonoma and with her older half-sister in Sacramento.
While this piece is not rated in stars, for anyone who enjoys learning about U.S. history I think it’s worth your time to read this first-hand account.
Thanks for visiting.
Hello and Welcome. November is here and it’s time for our monthly inspiration.
From my 2023 wall calendar .
Love One Another I John 4:7
The Blue Jays in this picture are quite common in our area. Do Blue Jays live in your part of the world?
Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care 