Winding Down

It is hard to believe that in only 1-1/2 weeks we will be back in Texas. These last 2 months have really flown by. This has been a busy week as usual with family and friends. We were also in the process of changing health insurance, so that meant meetings with agents, etc. Trying to tie up loose ends before we leave.

The weekend was truly busy. The men started on Friday as they mixed and stuffed the sausage (70+#) - what amazing smells all around. This seems to be  yearly ritual - making sausage and brats to last until next year. This year they also made Polish sausage with cheese. The best part is that we all get to taste it - the left over meat is fried and passed around to sample. Saturday was the brat stuffing and sausage smoking day. As this is a man thing, two of our daughters and myself went to town shopping and doing town chores (Rx's, Wal-Mart stop, etc.). Hill City Popcorn was on the go to list. Great new flavor (at least for me) blackberry flavored  with white chocolate. That store is really dangerous. Downtown Fayetteville was flowing with folks, some attending the Farmer's Market, some just coming from a Pride parade, and lots of visitors. We did manage to find a parking spot near Cask and Grove - the specialty oil and vinegar store tucked away on a side street. Fabulous pace to taste different infused oils and vinegars - especially if a person is a creative cook. The wild mushroom and sage is perfect for baking asparagus - just cover the asparagus with the oil, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake about 25 minutes. Don't worry if you bake it too long - the crispy asparagus is out of this world. Back home to find the men just waiting for the smoker to do it's work.

Todd getting ready to stuff sausage

                                                

serious work stuffing sausage

Scott is an expert at tying

                                                

ready for the smoker

enough for 3+ families

happily smoking - it took about 9 hours

the pork, which was ground last week ready to be made into brats

shaping and twisting the brats

all done

while the brat making was going on the Polish sausage was quietly smoking

                                              

cheese filled Polish sausage - delicious

now the all day job of packaging and sealing

lots of good eating for the winter

Saturday Brenda (#3 daughter) and I drove to Fort Smith for the 1st birthday party of one of our great grand daughters, Harper while Christine (#4 daughter) stayed and helped the men package all the meat. The drive from Fayetteville to Fort Smith is so beautiful, although we took  short-cut through Hog Eye (yep, really a pace called Hog Eye). A really winding road, but so peaceful as we enjoyed the untamed Arkansas woods. A few homes, but mostly untouched and wild. The party was enjoyable as we met a few new people sa well as family members.  Harper is a sweet natured child and for the most part always smiling. She still is not too sure bout me  but then she has not been around me much. Granddaughter Casey was also there along with two other great grandchildren, Brielle and Jaylen. It always amazes me what God can do with just two people - from our marriage 56 years ago, we are now an immediate family of 18 - guess we really took God at His word and went forth and multiplied.

 Harper was not too sure about the cake until Grandpa Darrell gave her a taste

 then she got the idea and got right into it

 opening presents with Mama Sydney

singing Happy Birthday - by then she wanted no part of cake

Sunday was another glorious day in the House of the Lord at PGCC. Pastor Vance gave another powerful sermon relating to caring for your neighbors based on the story of the good Samaritan. Who is our neighbor??  Can we decide who is really our neighbor - those who we can love and share with??  Is it your co-workers, your friends, those folks on your block, your church friends, or the person on the street corner asking for a handout??? When you help your neighbor, give from your heart, not worrying about what that person is going to do with your gift -after it leaves your heart it becomes theirs. Let God be your guide - let Him lay it on your heart to give and to whom to give and help. Don't miss out on the opportunity to help others, no matter the situation or how "religious" we think we are.

Along with helping your neighbor, remember to help yourselves - help your family relationships by making amends. It doesn't matter whose "fault" it is that you are not speaking to family members or close friends - take the first step and bridge that gap. 

Continue to pray for those lost in the world of addictions.

                             

Better Late Than Never

Yes, there is blog this week - just  day late. We were gone for  a few days and I did not have my computer with me. Perhaps the most important event this week was the birth of our 6th great grand child, Milo Kenneth Raymond Zoromski safely born on June 14th. Another one of God's greatest miracles.

Baby Milo

The decorating of our daughter's pergola on the patio is under way. the old farm tools/equipment that we brought back from Wisconsin (some were in the family for years) have been put up. It looks really nice - am still looking for a few more to add to the collection.

 these were used to haul logs from the woods, actually used up to a few yers ago by my brother-in-law

imagine cutting down a tree with this

an old tractor seat - John Deere I am sure

It is so relaxing to just sit and enjoy the beautiful weather and watch all the critters flitting all over. The birds come right up to the patio and don't seem to mind us being there. Even the small gecko's run across the outdoor carpet while we watch. As we were looking out the back door, a road runner sat on the rock ledge, staring at the ground. Zap - just like that he grabbed a snake, bit off it's head, and flew away with the capture. So many happenings in nature if a person just sits and watches.

 the rod runner with dinner to go

the ever colorful cardinl

 he sat on the rocks right next to me

if you look closely you can see the gecko

On Friday evening we drove to Fort Smith to visit our daughter, husband, and grand and great grand daughter. It is a beautiful drive of about 1 hour - many, many bridges, over valleys and rivers. Perhaps one of the most  beautiful drives I have ever been on. Our great daughter will be 1 year old soon (her party is next Sunday) and surprisingly, she was not really afraid of us (she has not seen us since  last year when she was  tiny baby then).

 granddaughter Sydney and Harper

she loves her toes and always seems to be smiling

On Saturday we drove to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, an artsy town which also boasts of a Passion Play, a visit to the Holy Land, A Bible museum as well as ,,at other Biblical things to visit. We went to the Holy Land - a trip through the life of Jesus. It was very interesting, but wish we could have walked the area instead of riding a bus (with no air conditioning).

 
a very friendly donkey, perhaps the same as ridden by Mary  and and Jesus on Palm Sunday

the temple built according to Bible specifications

the priest in the temple

 the Ark of the Covenant

 brick making in process

 a cave, used for sheltering animals, and perhaps similar to where Jesus was born

early micro wave

the Sea of Galilee - the daughter of the official who was raised from the dead telling her story

 Jesus walking on water - powerful

 a depiction of a well where the women went to get their water

the Upper Room

We spent the night in Eureka, being entertained by the Ozark Country Hoedown, a really funny, great show, comparable to those in Branson, and certainly much less expensive. Sunday morning we went to church at Thorncrown Chapel, a beautiful chapel in the woods designed by E. Fay Jones, a popular Southern architect  who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. The chapel rises 48 feet high, with 425 windows and 6000 sq. feet of glass. A wonderfully peaceful setting as the thunder rolled quietly and the rain fell softly while we attended worship service.

 it look small, but it is magnificent

from the inside looking out

We drove back to Fort Smith on Suunday, after a few stops at various shop. Our son-in-law prepared a wonderful meal while our daughter treated visitors to rides on their horses. Everyone was tired by the end of a very fun week-end.

son-in-law Darrell getting ready to let every ride

Sydney and Harper - Harper was not too sure about being in the saddle

The sermon in beautiful Thorncrown Chapel related to the fact that we often have trouble seeing the love of God. How do we see it?? God always gives us good things, but we focus on the bad things. Why is that? Good things can't hurt us, but the bad things can, so we focus on  the "what if"? We have to look beyond on the finite and look toward the infinite which is the measure of the love of Christ. God had to  make Paul weak in order to make him strong in Him. And so it is in our lives - God assures it through His love.

Remember this week to practice Agappe love - love beyond human love.

Warm at Last

We are back again in Arkansas after a couple of weeks in Wisconsin, where it was indeed chilly. Shortly after we got there, our daughter and I were in the car and saw a patch of snow on the ski hill. After a short trip to our sister-in-law Susan's (still in WI) last Sunday, we spent a few days just relaxing in the sort of warmth.

I attended Susan's quilting club meeting and received a great prize for being  a guest. It was fun seeing different quilting ideas from different areas - we had 2 short demonstrations on how to sew curves -  one with pins and one without. Most of the ladies had a show and tell time - showing items they had started or finished since the last meeting. So many very talented ladies. They also had a fat quarter drawing (quilters will know what that is). For every fat quarter a person donated, they had a  chance to win all the fat quarters. This month it was polka dots - I was flabbergasted with the many different patterns of polka dots there are!!!! Next meeting is tone on tone (sorry this is boring for non-sewers, I know). Another great idea - the chairman chose various paint swatches from Menards (the Northern version of Home Depot) and handed them to members. They have a few months to create a project using 4 or more  of the colors on her own paint swatch, plus a neutral, and 5" of  pop color, like red. One of the ladies had already finished hers - it was fabulous. Halfway through the meeting, one of the ladies asked me what my maiden name was - she recognized me from girl scout camp years ago!!!!

We visited a few other friends and relatives during our stay -  so many changes yet so many things things were unchanged. As we were on our way to visit a long time friend, we saw  huge rainbow over the barn and fields - so beautiful.

Wednesday we met with two other couples in my hometown, Waupaca for a brunch. One couple from Waupun, is in the park in the winter with us - Dean helps Fred with the food ministry. The other couple, from N Dakota, were in the park only one time 6 years ago. We had a great visit, a few laughs, and wonderful food.

We arrived back in Arkansas on Saturday afternoon, after taking our time and 2 days to get there (usually we drive it straight through, but we are getting a bit tired of that!). Susan had given us a few old farm tools, etc. for our daughter here to hang on their patio. We unloaded them, as well as a cooler of cheese, and other items and relaxed before  delicious meal of smoked ribs, cob corn with mayo, Parmesan cheese, and hot sauce (the Mexican way). Our son-in-law was smoking a ham and chicken for  family cook-out on the July 4th week-end - it looks so pretty!!! Can hardly wait to try it.

ham and chicken, ready to be frozen and served in a couple of weeks. Yum.

We attended services back at Prairie Grove Christian Church this morning - a place where I feel so connected to our Lord. Pastor Vance asked the question of us, "What are some of the challenges of living as a disciple of Jesus?". Staying closely connected to God is so important. Losing prospective and lacking faith are ways which we feel that disconnection. We need to keep praying. When we are disconnected we are like HALT: hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. It is truly hard to stay connected when things are going good. We also need to maintain a humble, teaching spirit. Be a servant - there is great freedom in it. The third challenge is loving those who don't love you back. John, one of the Sons of Thunder because of his quick temper, became John, the love apostle. He went from anger to love - and loved everyone around him and encouraged us to do so also. Let his love life be your guide. The last challenge is keeping Jesus at the center of your life. Too many things get in the way today of our Christianity - let some of them go and concentrate on Jesus.

Your life will be so much better if you don't have comfort over the cross, or commitment over convenience. Keep your eye on the goal (glory in heaven) and don't look back.


 

Shower Time

Really, it has not been showers here in Central WI but baby shower time. Our granddaughter is having a baby sometime this month (his name is Milo) which will make 6 great grand kids. They really need to slow down or we will loose track of them all. It was a very informal baby shower at a local bowling alley - instead of games all were invited to bowl free for 2 hours. Lots of fun for those who participated (I didn't - years since I had bowled) but it was fun to watch. It was the first time for our 4-1/2 year old great grandson Avery - he was so very excited!!! We often forget how excited we become about seeing or doing something for the first time. For toddlers it is walking, seeing a butterfly, or a baby rabbit, for the older ones, bowling, riding a bike, for the tweens going to the movies with a group of friends - teens get really excited about getting their driving license, then it is on to college for the first time for the older teens (a scary situation), serious dating, marriage, parents for the first time then on to empty nesters, becoming grandparents for the first time, and so on. Remember the first time you accepted Jesus into your life?? How exciting was that!!!! The euphoric feeling of salvation, freedom from bondage of sin through the God's grace of forgiveness. Try to start every day with those feelings. One of the features of the shower was a door prize for anyone bringing diapers. The soon to be father's mother won a $50.00 gift card!! Awesome gift.

grand daughter Dela'von, husband Zach, and son Avery

Zach teaching Avery how to bowl

Wausau is a pretty city, especially in the summer time. The downtown area is decorated with umbrellas - really neat to walk under as you shop. And truly beautiful when lit up at night.

shopping under the umbrellas (we used to call them bumbershoots)

We spent most of one day visiting various cheese factories - family members sent their lists for items to bring back to Arkansas. Cheese is so very reasonable if you purchase it directly from the cheese factory with many, many varieties. Family favorites - cheese curds (which taste best when put in the microwave for a few seconds) and all types of cheddar. Curds are better at one factory, aged cheddar at another, etc.

It was an experience driving around the city where we spent most of our married life and marvel at the changes. We used to zip around, knowing exactly where we were going and how to get there No more! Lots of change. We did find time to visit friends, enjoy another Friday night fish fry, Italian fries and sun cookies from the food co-op. Soon time to tighten up and get back to eating the way we should.

We again attended church at Highland Community Church where all of the graduates were honored. There are many high schools in the area, as well as some home schooled kids so there were quite a few honorees. Most of the were going on to college - so graduation is not an end but truly a beginning to a new life. Just as baptism is an end to the old life, the old person, and the beginning of a new life and new person!! Pastor Jeff Hinds had a 10 point message for the graduates, but I was surprised to realize that some of the items relate to life in general.

1) Seize life - sing in the shower like no one is around, embrace life always

2) Be yourself, everyone else is taken!

3) If you want to be a great learner, be a great listener (How true!!).

4) What would Jesus do in any situation you are faced with?? Don't follow fools.

5) Credit cards are NOT free money. Work for what you want and can afford.

6) Whatever you at doing right now is your job (as writing this blog is my present job). Make it your prime objective.

7) Call your parents or relatives often - another day is not promised.

8) Guard your sexual purity, which today seems to be almost a lost virtue.

9) Picture yourself 5 or 10 years from today - what will you be doing?? (For those in our age group -  praising the Lord in heaven tops the list.)

10) Take care of yourself physically - eat from the 5 food groups.

These are the secular rules - the Biblical rules are Roman 12:1-2. Read it - keep it close to your heart

We e asking prayers for our nephew and his wife, Chris and Janna Janke, as they and a group of others from Highland Community Church travel to South Africa on June 25th to prepare to take the gospel into the schools there. Pray for safety, and souls saved.