It was supposed to be cold and rainy, today.  The weather reports had told us all weekend to enjoy the good weather, because on Monday, it was all over.

As I sat at the breakfast table this morning, I informed the children of the busy day I had planned for them.  Monday is the day I spend an exceptional part of our day on “class” time.  I love “class” time (versus independent study) so I was looking forward to this.  I had an appointment in the afternoon for our family business, so I needed to keep the day moving in order to get everything done on time.

I gave the kids their chore list and told them that we need to hurry.

The chores – feed the chickens; give them water, let them out of the coop; the horses – alternate the pastures for the 7 horses.  Rachel said she needed help doing this because Magic is being weaned from his mommy, Minnie.  I was hesitant to do this.  I figured that while the kids were out getting the chores done, I could be getting ready for my afternoon appointment (washing my hair, drying, etc..)  But she was insistent that she needed my help.  I hesitated some more, knowing that I have a hard time going by my horses without jumping on one for a ride.  And then one thing just leads to another…

But she was relentless. The kids might let Minnie and Magic mix, and they could let other horses out of the gate when trying to alternate the pastures.  I capitulated…

And then it happened just like I thought it might, but on a grander scale than I could have ever imagined. 

When I went to move Minnie into the other pasture, I figured, why just put a lead rope on her and walk her?  Just put a bit and bridle on her and ride her to the other pasture.  When I got on her, I started noticing that the weather man had been severely wrong.  It was beautiful outside!   No clouds, no rain, no cold weather.  It was sunny and warm.   Hmmm… my mind started ticking.  It might be a very long and cold winter.   I think this day’s plan needs to be drastically altered.

I called all the children together (from my position on Minnie).  New game plan, kids.  We are having “Equine Class,” today.  

Some of the little ones are not familiar with grooming and saddling the horses.  It’s been more of a Rachel (16) and mom thing.  So, we spent two hours together, grooming, cleaning their hooves, and saddling 4 horses.  When you are teaching how to do this, it takes a lot longer than one might take when you do it yourself.  Rachel loves to teach, so she took the responsibility.  I helped Ruthie with the stuff she thought was too hard (getting the tangles out of their tail and mane; cleaning their hooves.)  Then, we were off on a trail ride.

This was significant, as they are usually only in the round pen taking a lesson.  But today, here we were off on a trail ride into the woods.  Ruthie and Joshua started trotting and racing each other only a few minutes into it.  I had to slow them down and remind them that today is a learning day and safety comes first.  Jacob rode Major – he sat in the saddle and Rachel rode on his rump.

The weather truly was beautiful.  I was riding Minnie, bareback, and I lingered behind the four of them.  I so enjoyed watching the lake glistening in the sun, the huge blue heron that glided off the surface of the water when we startled him, the blanket of leaves all over the ground, and the rustling of the leaves still left on the trees.  Watching my children laugh, talk, and trail riding through God’s beautiful creation, was another day that a memory was made.   

I never did get my hair washed – we came in just in time for me not to miss my appointment.  My instincts had been right after all - moving Minnie to another pasture was just too much temptation for me!  But, “Equine Class,” will give me many a good memory into that sure-to-come cold winter!

It’s Monday morning and the sun is shining.  The air is crisp and the leaves of the trees are colored in brilliant orange, red, and yellow.  I love autumn.

It was a gorgeous weekend.  On Saturday, I took the kids to a neighbor’s equine 4-H children seminar.  This neighbor of ours is where I first fell in love with the Haflinger species. She has some of the sweetest horses I’ve ever met. 

When I got home, I took Minnie out of the pasture to groom her.  Ruthie was helping me and she suggested that we take a ride.  I hadn’t really considered that before, but when it comes to horses, it doesn’t take too much twisting of my arm to get me to accommodate. I put a bit and bridle on her, sans the saddle, and off we went into the woods.

 We both thought it was cool when we seen a deer on the other side of the creek, standing so still he looked frozen.  The closer we got to him, he still didn’t move. I started thinking maybe someone had set up a deer statue as a lawn ornament!   Finally, he turned around and began to hop away – and then we seen the back side of several other deer’s tails hopping with him.  Ruthie’s giggling at this neat encounter with a family of deer was precious to me.

  I’ve said it before (a hundred times?) that it feels as if I’m dreaming when I’m on my horse on a beautiful trail ride.  But now, with my little just-turned-10 Ruthie, hugging my waist, giggling and talking as we explored the trails, it truly did feel like a wonderful dream- the kind you never want to wake up from!

We were way off in the distance when we seen Rachel in the pasture rounding up the horses with her friends.  We went to greet her.  When we were all caught up with each other (there were six of us), the first thing I said was, “Someone pinch me so I will know I’m not dreaming.”  At course, Ruthie quickly accommodated my request! 

It was hard to come in. Ruthie had gotten off, as well as the other girls had called it quits.  The sun was starting to set, and I thought that I’d just take a lone trail ride.  I meandered all over the property, enjoying the quietness of the woods and the beautiful leaves that carpeted the trails.  When I finally came home under the moonlight, Rachel stood in disbelief that I was still riding, just coming in now.

Sunday was an equally good day.  Our church fellowship started early this morning.  I served farm-fresh scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, Bob Evans bacon, English muffins and apple butter, peach and raspberry jam.  After having breakfast together, we gathered in the family room to pray, worship, and study the Bible.  We are in the 12^th chapter of the book of Revelations.  I confess, though, that it was hard at times to concentrate fully - I had sweet baby Kayla, my ten week old grandbaby, nestled in my arms throughout the entire service.  Lots of Nana and baby bonding time! 

After church, we took the kids to a pumpkin patch. Matt and Kristi (and Kayla) joined us.  We rode on a horse-led cart out into the field to pick our pumpkins.  And although we have horses on our ranch 24/7 in which to ride, our two smallest ones wanted to ride on the ponies.  We enjoyed hot apple cider together as we sat around a bonfire on a seat of hay.  It was dark now and the only light was coming from the embers of the fire.  For me, it is times like this that autumn was made for.   

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When we first moved here almost a decade ago, we inherited from the previous owners

a relationship with neighbor cattle farmers, Dave and Don.  They cut our alfalfa

field approximately three times a year.  It all depends on the rain if we have much,

or even, if were able to cut.  If it rains to much, the ground is to wet and the equipment

will  get stuck.  We have to wait for dry ground.  Each year, I find myself with a little

bit of apprehension at cutting time. as in, will we have enough hay for our horses this winter? 

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(This picture was taken Tuesday of this week.)

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The first cutting was in July, although it seemed way over-grown by then.  Dave and Don were too busy to come and cut, and the ground conditions never seemed just right.

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(This picture was taken in July - the first cutting.)

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The second cutting came this last weekend.  They told us that we hadn't had much rain, so we were only able to get 190 bales (I need at least 200 more).  If we don't get rain, they told me, there will be no October cutting.  This concerned me because this winter I will have twice the amount of horses that I had last year.

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I told Dave and Don that our God is a great God, and that I would pray for rain, because I need those 200 additional bales.  I will pray for rain, I told them, and when God sends it, and we have our October harvest, their families are inivited to our ranch for a giant picnic celebration.  I've already planned who's on this guest list - I can't wait!

 Other harvests this week:

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Zillions and zillions of tomatoes...

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 (And that's our herb garden growing in the square boxes by the fencing.)

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Raspberries and strawberries.... 

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 What I don't have picture of (yet) is all the apples that are waiting to be picked.  We think

that there might have been an orchard here at one time, because there are dozens of apple trees

and different kinds of varieties.  I'm not much of a baker or a canner (although I aspire to

be some day), so I am thinking about juicing them and then freezing.  Any suggestions?

(Come over and visit Mary at Canadagirl for a whole lot of interesting (and fun) show and tells!

 Oh, and guess what?  It's raining outside.  There's been a down pour the past 24 hours!

Let's see...the guest list:   Dave and Tammy plus their three children; Don and Dawn and their two children; Adam and Becky and their three children; our friends and neighbors, the Vale family............

When we first moved here, almost a decade ago, we had no idea that the property had fruit trees

and berries growing abundantly.  It has been a pleasant surprise as we have discovered, one by one,

what treasures grow here. 

This is one of our mulberry trees.  Mulberries look like blackberries when they are ripe. 

We have found these Mulberry trees growing everywhere. There is one growing over the

fence in the front horse pasture; another one growing right next to the chicken coop (the chickens

seem to love this sweet treat as they drop from the tree); and there are several that hang over our driveway, dropping their treasures on to the black pavement.  But we have discovered most of these

Mulberry trees when trail riding.   

They are easy to harvest.  Take a brown bag, and then just slide your fingers over the branches.

They fall off that easy. 

My oldest daughter, Becky, made me some jam made from these.  Delicious!

(For more show and tells, go see Mary at Canada Girl)

 The priority on the list for Monday, (in addition to exercise), was to pick the remaining cherries left on the tree.  There were other things I could have possibly accomplished this day, but to make sure the cherry tree has been fully harvested would have to be tops on the list.  We made it a family affair and spent several hours gleaning all the remaining cherries – mostly the ones on top.  I hadn’t climbed any trees in a very long time and it reminded me of when I was very young.

Although the day was initially very hot, humid, and muggy, there was a really nice breeze right around our cherry tree. It made our time spent there enjoyable.  Rachel commented on how peaceful it was being here.  I wasn’t sure if she meant the entire ranch, or just this particular place at the time, but I am in agreement with her in either case.

I pitted cherries with Ruthie on the front porch for several hours.  The breeze felt so nice – it just seemed to be the perfect thing to do on a summer day with my young daughter.  I love slowing down and taking the time to do things such as this.

Last night: 4-H practice with the horses at the fair-grounds

On the agenda today:

Horse trainer comes today for a full morning.

Made spaghetti (in crock pot) already for today’s meal.  Meat balls were already in the freezer – since this is a busy day, I was greatly appreciative of this shortcut!  Food was “light” yesterday – I was too busy picking and pitting cherries.  I will probably let everyone serve themselves today.

This afternoon is especially full so I don’t think a whole lot of goals will be accomplished.

Our summer days are filled with a lot of fun, but there's a little bit of structure to them, too.

For starters, Grandma volunteered for a continued summer education program for the kids, so

three (and sometimes four) days a week, there are some reading, writing, and arithmetic classes

going on.  This is going to be a big help this coming fall for mom!  I am very thankful for such

a loving and dedicated grandma.

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Secondly, I'm a big believer in teaching that life is not just about "education", it's about work and chores, too.    Everyone participates in the daily management of our home. 

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But there are some chores, that I think that will make some fond memories for the children - like going out to the front yard and picking strawberries, or raspberries, and then freezing them.

On this particular day, I sent the kids out of the house with the mission to go pick cherries from our solitaire cherry tree.

It had just started to mist with a little rain when they left, but I figured a little bit of getting

wet wouldn't hurt anyone.  But, after they'd disappeared from my view, it began to downpour.

I expected them back at any minute, but it didn't happen.  I kept waiting and waiting, and finally figured that they'd slipped into one of the barns and was having a great time there.

Hours later, they came back.  They were laughing delightfully and showing me their bounty.  They were

so proud of all that they had picked - and in the heavy rain!  They never did go to the barns, all that time it was pouring down rain, they kept picking cherries!

I mentioned to them that now it would be nice for them to sit down on the porch and to pit the

cherries.  Wouldn't it be nice for dad to come home each night and have cherries with his ice cream?

I gave them a quick lesson on how to do this, and they all got busy. 

Some of the cherries went into the refrig, but most went into plastic baggies in the

freezer.  They are easy to freeze!

 When it was all done, they posed for pictures....

 And yes, Dad has really been enjoying his vanilla ice cream every night, with scoops of

frozen cherries heaped on top!

Don't miss Mary's Show and Tell...

and....

read Spontaneous Birthday Party for Antoinette to particpate in Mary's Birthday Theme this week.... (I've added pictures)

After we unloaded the horses from their trailer, I asked Margie if she'd like to

pick some cherries with us.  "Sure," she said.  We grabbed some bags and off we went.

 We had fun chatting and picking cherries, while our husbands talked about the day's

event at the horse competition. 

 It wasn't but a few hours later, that Margie's children were back on our front porch, with

a warm cherry pie, taken straight out of the oven.  We devoured it quickly!

We never had a better pie - but how could it  not be the best?  From a cherry tree straight

into a home-made pie crust, made with love by our neighbor.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Join us at Mary's Canada Girl!

The week has started well.  To start the week on Monday morning, I assigned jobs.  While Joshua cleaned the upstairs bathroom, I went outside to weed the strawberry patch.  Ruthie’s job was to pick strawberries while I weeded, and Rachel sat beside us giving Jack (our golden retriever) a haircut.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  The sun was shining, and there was a gentle breeze. I enjoyed the company of my two daughters in such a relaxing manner.

 We sat outside together for a while eating ice cream sitting on our swing.  I couldn’t help but absorb the beauty of our moments together – the ability to just sit and enjoy each other and the good weather.  This past year was busier than I would have liked it to be.  I am so glad that it seems to have slowed down, and I’m able to spend time with my children without the pressures of multi-responsibilities to fulfill.

When we finished our ice cream, we went and got some brown paper bags and began to pick fruit from our cherry tree.  It didn’t take too long because there wasn’t a lot that was ripe, yet.  We ate all that we picked.  Then, we meandered over to the mulberry trees and filled our bags quickly.  It is interesting that the taste of the mulberries varies from tree to tree. One was especially sweeter and tastier than the others.

Last week, we went for a trail ride with Lady and Major.  Lady (the horse I rode) had some issues to work through and it wasn’t the most pleasant ride I’ve ever had.  The first half of our trail ride she continually tried to eat grass.  She has been rode regularly for the past month by one of Rachel’s friends that has let her get away with a lot of naughty things such as this one.  The entire ride I worked with her to bring her to an attitude of listening and obeying.  I can see that there is a lot of work this summer ahead of me in horse training.

I’m looking forward today to cutting the grass (one of my favorite things to do); making dinner in the morning (so it’s all ready for tonight); writing a letter to a friend; meeting my husband for coffee; a trip to Tony's Saddleshop;  and exercising.  A very full day!

Monday and Tuesday were spent towards getting the bedrooms in order.  Ruthie needed help in her room – so I spent the majority of my time with her on Monday.  Tuesday was the day I spent re-organizing my room – sorting winter clothes, and pulling out my summer things.  M and T were all work and no play.

Wednesday was just the opposite.  After dh left for work, I hopped on our lawn mower and cut several acres of grass.  I love doing this – it’s one of my favorite things to do. I so enjoy being outside and enjoying the scents and sounds of nature.

Our new horse trainer arrived at 9:30 a.m. to work with Rachel and Savannah for their 4-H preparation.  I sat with two other parents as we watched our girls being taught.  It was a beautiful day to be outside with a gentle breeze and not too hot weather.

When the girls were done with their class, I began mine.  This was my first time with our new trainer, Tabatha.  I was very pleased with her demeanor and feel totally blessed by Him that He allowed us to meet her (a week ago) and that she has time in her schedule to fit us in.  Jacob, Ruthie, and Joshua all had a class, too.

I can’t imagine a more delightful day; cutting grass, picking strawberries, enjoying my children, riding my horse, taking an evening walk and gator ride with my husband, and tending to our chickens.  This  is truly the delight of summer.

When we do camping, we don't have to go far. Just a skip, a hop, and a few big size steps.  

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Oh, and a few rows, too, with a couple of paddles.

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The kids always have a lot of fun setting up for camp.  It's the anticipation of it that is part of the fun.

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 It gets a big chilly around here this time of the year, so a good fire will keep us warm.

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 Even the pets get to come.

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  Being on the island keeps us safe from the packs of coyotes that we hear howling each night.

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We have created a lot of sweet memories with our children and nieces here!

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(Drop by Mary's at CanadaGirl and check out all the fun show and tells....)

 Every autumn I have a lot of fun decorating our porch.  I put up cornstalks and tie an autumn colored and patterned ribbon around it in a bow.  I place bales of hay on the porch, steps, and by the arbor.  I select pretty mums in the colors of purple, yellow, and orange and set them on the bales of hay.  I have even found specially grown "Indian" corn that is much prettier than your ordinary every-day corn.  I have large and miniature pumpkins and gourds, and even a basket of honey crisp apples.

If you have an extra minute, scroll down to the very next post and see the end of autumn here at Shekinah Farms.  It snowed today!

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving day with family and friends. 

It's almost winter, but not quite yet.  Maybe we are just hours away from it - but as of yet, it is still warm enough to be raining, like it did all last night and today.  Monday, we were walking around without even a sweater on - the weather was that mild! 

It is amazing that our trees have stayed this pretty for this long.  I think this is the most gorgeous autumn we've ever had, or at least that I can remember.

 Each day of this November I would step outside and marvel at the beauty of all the colors.  I'd grab my camera and just start snapping, as if to capture the beauty and keep it.

 I am so glad that we do not live  where one is expected to rake the leaves.  I love the blanket covering of the beautiful, crisp leaves.

 From every angle of the house, I can see yet another tree in all of it's autumn glory.

 This has to be one of my favorites.  Every day I'd snap half a dozen pictures of this one tree - with  different angles and distances.

 It's positively amazing - this picture was taken November 12th.  Strawberries!

 Raspberries!

 Even a rose beginning to bud!

 The view out our family room window:

 Looking out the kitchen/laundry room:

 Looking out the second floor window in the hallway:

 I love looking out my bedroom window:

                                           Have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

It's been a stressful week.  I'll be sooo glad when all of our house remodeling projects are completed.  That time is coming soon.  I think I have had my limit of what I can tolerate - the busy schedule, the dirt, grime and dust that comes into the house on a minute to minute basis via the carpenters sawing wood and the front door opening and closing constantly.  The decisions I am making on what seems a constant process is taxing my  mental processes to its limit.  The intrusion of strangers in our home on a hourly basis, even into the night time hours and the weekends.  There is no break.  There is constantly a flow of carpenters and electricians here.  If all of this wasn't enough to bring me to the brink, the noise of it all will surely send me over if it doesn't come to a conclusion soon!

But it IS coming to an end.  The electricians come today to give us light in the kitchen.  The actual lighting is all installed, but the wiring has to go to a completely new panel. We will be without electricity for 4 to 6 hours. It has been strongly suggested that we leave for the day.  Just what I DON"T want to do after a busy week.  I want to just stay snuggled inside my home, without people/strangers in my home.  But dh wants to get this ordeal over with, so today (hopefully) will be the last of our stressed out Sabbaths. 

Yesterday, we moved everything that had been stuffed into the den (my exercise room) back into its rightful places, mostly it all went back into the family room.  Clearing the areas that were piled with stuff and furniture is a stress reliever in  itself.  There is a lot to be said for organization and cleanliness in connection with a peaceful state of mind and family.  For me, it is very important.  It's the foundation of everything else that goes on here. 

The house is still in disarray.  But it’s looking better than it did a few days ago.  I can see the light at the end of this tunnel.  

We had a sweet church service in our home this Sunday.  My husband led in Scripture reading the book of John, Chapter 13 and 14.  This is where Jesus is telling his disciples that he will be leaving but will be back again.  My husband is very good at explaining the Bible to little children.  He brings it down to their level.  He gives examples of situations trying to help them to relate to what Jesus is saying. 

This is something that I love about home-church.  So often, when our churches are large, it is easy to become invisible and uninvolved.  Often, a  boy might attend church with his daddy and sit in a pew as an observer, but in our church, our boys (three of them) watch their father open his Bible and explain the Scripture to them.   

My daughter, Rachel and I, have had considerable conversations of the many churches that seem to be “top heavy.”  What I mean by this is that people come to church to watch the “important people” do the “important things.”  Sing, pray, and give a sermon.  People come and sit in their pew and watch the people up front.    In a home church, it is an intimate setting and very “non-institutional.”  Everyone is involved.   We all pray, individually, out loud.  We all take turns reading Scripture.  We all help in picking out songs.  Everyone is welcome to ask questions and to share thoughts and opinions on the Scripture.  The children are not segregated from the family  - they are an integral part of the church.

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My niece was with us this weekend.  I am always so happy when she worships with us.  Were it not for our church and family, I do not know that she would have this constant exposure to the gospel.  She has had a troubled life so far, and today, my husband explained why God allows troubles.  He encouraged us to develop a relationship with God through prayer and Bible reading.  My niece always looks forward to attending church.  I am so thankful for that.

 I stepped outl on my porch and seen the sun setting with this beautiful array of colors in the sky.  I ran for my camera and snapped these pictures.  I wasn't sure which one I liked best, so I just posted all three.

 The bright yellow leaves against the backdrop of the sun setting and the  magnetta- colored sky is one of the things I love about autumn. 

Thank you for praying and for all of your very sweet comments.  That is what I love about this homeschool community - I have met so many loving and kind people that share the same faith in Jesus Christ.    My second-father (grandpa) is doing well.     Prayer is still appreciated as his body now will be using only one kidney and he will be recovering from his surgery.

It's Canada Girl's Show and Tell day.  Ever since I started participating, I've begun to feel what it must be like to work for a newspaper.  I think about this during the week - "What should I write about?" - I try to come up with an interesting story (via pictures/show/tell).   I've even started to walk around with my camera, everywhere.  Everything is potentially an interesting story or picture.  My deadline is Thursday night - I need my pictures and "text" all ready by midnight.  Then, Friday morning, usually very early, I check in with Mary and sign in for my show and tell. 

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Last week, I promised the "scoop" on my herb garden - surely an interesting story for us gardener-lovers.  I've taken some pictures and put a lot of care into this particular "article."   However, Monday night's delivery of my third grandchild will delay another week of my herb-garden "publishing."    

**

This week, I have just two simple pictures to show.  It was most recently that I stepped out on my porch as the fog was just lifting.  It was such a picturesque moment.   

As pleased as I was with these pictures, this is not the "headline news."  The real "front-page" story is this:

Grace Abigail born October 29th, 2007

My third grand-child, my first grand-daughter.

(You can read the details in the below post.)

For Show and Tell this week (Canadagirl) I was going to post pictures of my herb garden I just harvested.  But I haven't put it all together, yet, so instead, I will show and tell you about our 150 year old crib barn.

I've always had a "thing" for barns.  I'm not sure why.... I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area.  In fact, my home was just 15 minutes away from the downtown loop.  Yet, I've always had an infinity for barns.  It must be in my genes, somewhere!

  This  may look like an ordinary barn, but inside, there is a room that has been made into a play area for the kids.  They love to go out there and put on "shows."

This room used to be a wood-shop for the previous owners (almost a decade ago).  When we moved here, my oldest two kids made it into a room for youth to meet.  They called it, "The Refuge," and had a teen outreach.  Now, my younger kids and my nieces use the platform that Becky and Matt had built to sing and dance.

This is Ruthie  (jumper)  and my niece, Amara (jeans), just a few weekends ago.

 I recieved an invitation to come to the concert and I came as the Paparazzi, with a camera in hand.

It was quite unique, with Amara as a human guitar! Ruthie was the bongo drums....

The concert took a curve of events when the Paparrazi dropped the camera and went on stage.... 

 (Yep, that's me, with the pink plastic spoon as a microphone...) 

The closing moment of the concert - the band jumping off the stage -

The band pose for a picture after the concert -

Come over to Mary's Canadagirl and join the fun... 

 (Come join the fun - go on over to Mary's Canada Girl and share something with us all)

 October 7th, 2007 was a special Saturday.   

Katie Lee  arrived at  Shekinah Farms to live.

 Rachel was the photographer - but  she should have been in this picture instead of me, as it will be her horse.  

 This was an exciting day in more ways than just Katie-Lee.  Our Amish friends, Gerald and Darla, hired a truck driver (a friend of theirs) to deliver her to us. They spent the entire Saturday with us.  We went out to eat together, toured the farm on the golf cart, and chatted all day.  I've rarely enjoyed anyone as much as I did their company this day.  I cherish their friendship.

Darla told me a funny story. She said that on the way here, they stopped at a gas station to use the rest-room.  A woman came up to her and asked her if she "was in a play."  Darla assured her that no, this was the real deal. This is how she dresses each and every day. Darla and Gerald got a kick out of her astonishment.  

When we went to the restaurant together, you should have been there to see everyone looking at us.  There was a lot of small talk as you could see heads turn and people whispering to each other as they watched us.  I am sure we were quite a sight.  There was six of us and five of them sitting at a very long table.  I had brought my laptop to show them at the dinner table some websites of horses (as we are discussing forming our partnership in a horse business).  

Gerald has told me that it's o.k. if I capture his picture as long as he hasn't posed for it (which would be against the church rules.)

 This is Omer taking one last ride.

 The proud new owner of Katie Lee.

 This is John.  Katie-Lee was his horse and he has rode her almost every day up and down the roads of Shipshewana, Indiana. 

 Racing horses....

 The horse that Rachel is on, Major, is also from this Amish farm, bred from the same stallion as Katie-Lee.

 Gerald and Darla have seven children.  They only brought the three boys, John, Omer, and Joash. They had a blast.  I am sure that they told some pretty exciting stories to their siblings when they got home that night.  They were riding the golf court all around the property, trying out the electric scooters, and even seen T.V.  

 I invited Gerald and Darla to come back with the entire family and to consider staying the weekend. I would love for them to come back and spend more time with them. 

It was one of those days that is captured in my memory - a sweet time of Christian fellowship with  delightful friends.   

 This is one of my favorite seasons here at Shekinah Farms.  We have our alfalfa field harvested three different times from the middle of summer to autumn (if the weather permits).  We have been told that our alfalfa field has the perfect mixture of alfalfa and grass.  I always love looking at the rolling hills of our just-cut alfalfa from the porch. 

 It's a family affair - everyone helps!

 There were three carts like these.

 View from the porch

 Major watching the harvest

Resting on our porch when the work was done.

 Being a part of Canada Girl's Show and Tell is a way of getting to know others that you might not meet ordinarly in our world of blogging.  If you have something you'd like to share, it's a good forum.

I decided to show and tell about a feature on our farm that I love:

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I have always been in love with creeks. Ever since I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do when on vacation with my parents in New York and Pennsylvania, was to find a creek and go wading in it.  I have fond memories when we would go to my Grandma's. My mom and I would take a walk to a creek that was near-by her home.  I loved to wade my feet in it and listen to the gurgle of the water rushing over the pebbles and rocks.

When we moved here to Shekinah Farms, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the property was bordered by a creek that runs by our house.  Sometimes we take inner-tubes and float down it, if the water is high enough.  The day this picture was taken, we decided to follow it for as long as we could.   

It was quite the adventure.  I only wished that I had brought my cell phone because we were too weary to walk back to the house when we got done exploring. 

This is a mushroom that my kids found and picked here on Shekinah Farms. 

My husband was going to work and when he opened the door, this is what was looking at him through the front storm door.  The kids ran and told me, "Mom! There's a turkey at our front door!"  I didn't believe them. No way.  We don't raise turkeys. Our neighbors don't have turkeys.  I don't know anyone that has a turkey.

I came to the door, totally in disbelief.   There he was.  Just walking around on our front porch!

I shared this with you today because of plainjanes blog...

View from the porch:

 Where I have my coffee in the morning and commune with Him in prayer and Scripture:

Although this barn might look like it's been here for a very long time, it was really just recently built a few years ago. On this exact location where this present barn stands, there used to be a gigantic barn that had  three levels, with 2,400 square feet on each floor. 

Our property, 150 years ago, was deeded to the Gerber family (think: baby food). The barn that once stood here was 200 years old and pictures of  it before the previous owners chose to demolish it showed that it was in great condition and was magnificently built. Don't ask me why they tore it down, it pierced my heart when they told me of this (after we had already bought the house and land). I have always had a sort of love affair with  old barns.

When they tore down the 200 year old barn, they found underground tunnels that they never knew existed before the demolition. Shocked, the older teens of the family followed the elabortaly bricked and mortered tunnels that led back to the old farm farm house.  The previous owners speculated that maybe they were part of the underground railroad.  They  chose to fill in the tunnel openings,  and when we moved here, my son begged us to try to find these tunnels.

Well, long story short, we did find one opening, by virtue of my son going around the speculated areas of where these tunnels might be, throwing large boulders on the ground to see if if there was an echo.  He was sure he had found it through doing this, and he began to dig. He found it.  This cobblestone barn is built directly on top of one of these old tunnels.

I love to write about our "hobby farm", meaning it's not really a working farm. We have an alfalfa field that is rented out to local farmers, and we have a few horses.  There's a crib barn, woods, pastures, a lake, a pond, and a lot of 4-rail fencing.  All my life, I wanted to live in a place like this.  I think it had something to do with being raised in the suburbs of Chicago, attending the Chicago public schools, and then taking summer vacations out east in New York and Pennsylvania. The contrast in the topography of land (hills and mountains, creeks and lakes, old farmhouses, pastures with cows and horses) was so stark. It created this love for the countryside that never would leave me.

I always wanted to live in an old charming farmhouse with little children surrounding me.  I remember when we lived in a brand new 6,000 sq ft home, thinking that life was escaping me, I'm getting older, and my dream of living in a farm house might never happen. See, I didn't want to live in a farm house just at anytime in my life, it was a picture I had painted in my mind, of little children, and babies, in this farmhouse wtih me.  This wasn't something I could do just anytime, it had to be while I was still raising small children. 

When we finally sold our beautiful home, I didn't see my dream coming true any time soon. My dh builds "new" homes for a living. He's not a 'fix it' guy, he hires quality carpenters and subcontracters to build an excellent product.  He's a General Contractor as well as a Commercial Developer.  He doesn't have any appreciation for "old", whether it be a car, a house, or a quality antique piece of furniture. He likes everything new.  So, after we sold our home, I was at the age of 41, with 5 children with ages ranging from  17 to  1.  My dream of living in an old farm house in the country with little children and babies, was escaping me, and I felt a certain uneasiness that I might never see this dream come true.

But, it did happen. It's a very long story, of how my husband ever consented to come live here.  Long story short, were here, in a 150 year old farm, with a big front wrap around porch, surrounded by 40 acres of pastureland, 4-rail fencing, a cobblestone barn for my horses, and a crib barn.  It's so beautiful. Every day is literally a dream come true.

The best is yet to be told, though. After living in my farm house with my 5 children, the Lord blessed me with yet another baby, at the age of 43.  Every day, this has been so much of a beautiful dream come true for me.  When I write about our nights by the fireplace, I'm sharing the dream that I'm living.  Every day is a gift from God, and I appreciate each moment.  I often think that time is hurrying by so fast, and I don't want it to go by so quickly. I stirve for ways to slow our life-pace down. I keep our outside activities to a minimum. I don't want to be so involved with the outside world that I'm kept too busy to enjoy the present.

I have a very keen perspective of time, being an older mom. I had two kids in my twenties, two in my thirties, and then two more in my forties.  It's a bit like living in a time machine, watching two by two by two growing up. I appreciate this time in my life because I know how fleeting these moments are. I thank Him continually for giving me this desire of my heart and helping me to see this dream to really come true.

After my husband had left for work,, I jumped on the tractor to get the high weeds and grass cut in pasture three. I love doing this.  From the very first moment we moved here, this 'job' was a highlight.  I love to ride the tractor in the wide open field, listening to the numerous nature sounds, and watching the swallows darting around my head, barely missing me it seems so many times.  I love the aromas, that in almost every foot of ground, they seem to change.  I can identify the scents of  freshly mowed grass, mint (plentiful in this pasture), but there are so many others I can not.  Mowing this particular pasture makes me to begin wanting to study horticulture so I can know more about God's numerous plants, even the weeds.  I never had this desire before smelling  all the scents and wondering just what plant was producing them.

After riding on my tractor for over 3 hours, I ran out of gas. Uh oh. I'm on the farthest end of the pasture. By the time I would walk through the 3rd and the 2nd pasture, over to the crib barn, find the gas can, get in the gator and ride back, it would be time to come in and get ready for my afternoon appointment.  That's not how I want to spend my remaining 2 hours of free time.  I decide I'll worry about the gas problem later in the afternoon, hop off the tractor and take a wonderful walk through the pasture.  I figure this must be God's will, although it's really my fault that I didn't make sure I had enough gas.  But I see God in this.  It's a grace moment.  In my mistake, I see that I would have not taken this lovely walk and meandered through the pasture, seeing a blackberry tree I hadn't ever noticed in the 6 years we've lived here!  I walk over and pick a blackberry.  How long has it been since I've went wild blackberry picking?  Since I was a small child!  When I would take vacations with my parents to Pennsylvania to visit our relatives, my mom would take walks with me, and sometimes with my cousins, I would discover these delicious wild blackberries and begin to eat them right there. This was a special memory as a city girl born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  And now, in this moment, for the first time since then, I am eating from a blackberry tree. As I pick it and eat it, I just can't believe something this good is growing in my yard, I don't have to buy it at the store, which I have paid premium price at times in my lifetime to have some of these delicious berries.