Then I Thought of Home

Just a few more days and it's back to school for a lot kids. I went to town  and the store had a back to school section sat up. I went through it and enjoyed all the kids looking at the backpacks and the notepads. I smiled at the mothers checking things off  their lists. I touched the stacks of notebook paper and ran my fingers over the folders. For the first time since 1993  I'm not buying back to school supplies. Oh, Lucas has one more year of college left and Liv is starting her first year but that's different. I loved being a home school family, I loved the back to school supplies and the excitement of opening the boxes when the UPS man brought the new books. I also loved it the other day when I didn't have to load down the cart with paper and pencils and rulers and compasses and all the other stuff. I was reminded once again that I really have and really do enjoy all the stages of mothering. I loved it when they were in school and I loved it the

As most of you know the house at the Lost River farm is a large Old Order Amish built house. It has nice new things that the Mennonites who bought it from the Amish added  but it still has a lot of the old things the Amish had salvaged and used when they built also. I love the way it all goes together but there is one thing I'm not crazy about. The basement. It has a partial block basement which is really more like our cellar. There are open places and you can see the ground right under the house. Yesterday evening I was getting supper  when the wrap room door flies open and Lucas and Tim come through the door. I could tell they were on a mission, they were going fast, not saying a word and carrying a big stick. When I saw them go right to the basement door "Snake" was the first thing that came to my mind. I said, "What are you guys doing? What's wrong?" They said "nothing" but never looked at me. Pretty soon I hear a noise then T

Yesterday evening we invited Mark's parents and my parents over to the river for a bonfire and supper. My parents were going to my brother Todd's but Marks folks got to come. I talked to Lucas earlier in the day and he wanted to know what everyone else was doing so I told him what we were planning. In my mother heart I thought he might come home but I didn't ask. Still as I worked throughout the day I kept looking out the window to see if there was any dust flying up above the rows of corn a signal to a watching mom that her son might be coming home. I had pretty much gave up hope when I got a text that said, "Mom, I'll be there by seven don't let them eat all the food." Of course that made me smile. Sure enough long about 6:58 just as we were getting ready to go down to the river he pulled in. That wasn't the only sweet part of the night though. You know how sometimes it seems you see something for the first time, almost like blinders

You know how men love equipment. Big equipment. Like taking the bush hog to do what a mower could do. Well, maybe a mower could do it but then where would the fun or the thrill be? Where would the tractor, the chain, the bush hog, the loader be? Who would blaze new trails in the woods? Who would pull logs out of the way with their bare hands, bare hands on a tractor wheel that is? Who would venture into those dark woods making it safe for the rest to follow?       Who would continue until the set of the sun. A man, that's who. A man and his equipment. And they will do it all for a glass of Iced Sweet Tea and lots of oohing and ahhing and making over them and telling them no other man, not even John Wayne could have cleared that path like he did. And that ladies is how you get a trail you can ride through with out getting briars in your face and a vast array of others things on your "Honey Do List" too.

This is just a random blog of things I looked at and liked today. This is the front door at Lost River. Mark and Lucas working on the decaker.   Lucas and I went for a ride in the woods and saw these on the way. There is a spot in the woods that has several old horse skeletons in it. We assume they were from when the Amish owned the farm. The kids call it the horse grave yard. The gator always dies when we get there. We think it's because it's so steep on one side there that the gas has trouble getting to the engine. That's what I tell myself anyway as the kids start humming scary music This is the trail leading to the river. I can't even remember where this was or where it went. I had never been on this one before. Bowls that Mother brought over for me.   Relish Heidi made with her mother in law, Mary Jane. Mark was just getting out of the Bobcat when I got there to get him for supper. I know, soup for supper in Ju