The Lord has provided a week of beautiful weather in which to do some necessary Autumn cleanup in the yard and outside the house. Today Josiah learned to fastidiously clean the windows. My, how they shine!! I tackled some of the perennials to be pruned in the front garden while Isaac and Isabelle tackled those never-ending weeds in the rocks. There are still the fruit trees to prune as well as those overgrown red twigged Dogwood bushes which I allow to take over through the summer. Joe and I
pulled out the tomatoes yesterday and he rototiled. I'm still a sucker for the smell of freshly ground up earth! The herb garden is still full of blooms and I can't believe that I'm still eating the fresh lettuce and peas from my late summer planting. They taste wonderful and I will treasure these fresh grown veggies each day that they linger before Autumn's inevitable hard frost makes its appearance at long last. It will take us several days to complete, but our Autumn cleanup is always a special time for all of us. We
put away the outside chairs and firepit last - hopefully after roasting marshmallows one final time. Our 7 1/2 acres demands so much of our time from Spring till now that it is a sort of bittersweet chore to put it all to bed and look forward to more free time to do things inside during those cold winter evenings. I'm hoping to pull out those long neglected quilt squares and get something sewn before I completely forget how! Isabelle and I have also determined to learn to knit! We have the yarn and needles ready, we need only to find a willing teacher?! Of course, there is always work to do in the barn, the field can always use a rototiling, and there are countless trees awaiting the pruning shears. The lavender must be split this year before it takes over, and the raspberries and blackberries will get their haircuts after their leaves have all let go. I love having this space in God's creation to plant and grow and prune my literal garden as well as the true garden which God has placed in my life.
children (my godchildren) Emily and Daniel. It has been close to six years since I've seen them! It was precious to see our children enjoy eachother's company and to share some of our home and life and homeschooling details with them. Shari and I shared our teen years together, and many an afternoon found me riding the few miles to her house on my trusty ten-speed to enjoy company, hear about her day, and eat microwaved ice cream which her mom always had on hand in anticipation of my arrival! I was spoiled by their love and still cherish the relationship with them. I just thank God so often for the privilege of blessed friendships like these.
myself in one of those particularly pleasing moments the other day as I stood chopping apples to can homemade applesauce. I looked across the kitchen to see Josiah showing Isabelle the success of his Science experiment which was demonstrating the electrical charges in water. Isabelle, or rather her hair, was a necessary part of the experiment itself! Isaac, who was doing his math seat work at his desk, joined in to see the exciting results. Later that afternoon the kids all worked for over an hour to harvest grapes and pull off stems in preparation for our 3rd (and hopefully successful this time!) attempt at making homemade grape jelly. I love moments like these because it makes me so appreciate this privilege of homeschooling. It seems like I'm constantly told, "I could never homeschool," by friends and acquaintances alike. I wish they could live in my shoes for just a day to see the sincere wonder that teaching and learning and living alongside your children can bring. Now, don't get me wrong. If any of you know me, you know I am far from perfect and my children are certainly all that the Bible declares of them when it says in Proverbs 22:15 , "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child." But there is a closeness ... a sort of depth and respect in our relationship simply because we are with each other throughout every day. We see each other in the good moments and in the moments we wish we could erase. I am uniquely designed to be my children's teacher because I am with them to see their strengths and weaknesses. I know when to push them in a particularly difficult subject; and also when to pull out the chocolate and go for a walk! I cherish these moments. I cherish the gift of this time. I know that each day and month and year will bring new and different challenges and discoveries. I'm so thankful to my God and King for giving me life and health to be able to walk this path He's given me.
o, but loving the bountiful harvest God has given us with our 7 1/2 acres. Our fruit trees gave us nothing this year, but our raspberries, grapes, and garden gave us rich rewards for our efforts. Isabelle and Isaac harvested the potatoes today and all of the children helped with the grape
harvest this week in between science experiments, history reading, violin and piano practice and lessons, football games, and all of our other academic work. Josiah enjoyed driving the Ranger today to gather in the last of the pumpkins and sunflowers. What a joy it is to be able to decorate festively with our own homegrown gourds, Indian corn, and pumpkins! I love autumn!! Growing gourds is so easy (they go crazy!), and Indian corn is strong enough to withstand the biggest winds. Potatoes are a no fail crop. Just build some rows of mounds and plop them in. Gardening is really so easy if you just devote a little time every few days. The fresh, organic produce throughout the summer and some of autumn make it so worth it. I pray that my true harvest proves as bountiful as I consider the fruits of my children's hearts. They are as different as the gourds that grew up my corn stalks! Each is unique in his/her bents and decorations. What a delight it is ... a privilege to watch them grow every step of the way.
