from The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1849-1924:

The strongest footman in the house carried Colin downstairs and put him in his wheeled chair near which Dickon waited outside.  After the manservant had arranged his rugs and cushions the Rajah waved his hand to him and to the nurse.

"You have my permission to go," he said, and they both disappeared quickly and, it must be confessed, giggled when they were safely inside the house.

from Mark 2:

       11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

The long-awaited time has come:  one of our Everday News Network reports has been posted!

Today features Robin's report on the fledgling robin we found in our backyard.

We are so grateful to Vision Forum for inspiring homeschooled children like ours to learn the basics of video production, writing, editing, and performance.  We appreciate the cost it takes for them to format and host these homemade reports on their website.

If you've never seen ENN, here are a few of our very favorites from the archives:

A Burrowing Geoduck:  You have to admire this youth's enthusiasm for a marvelous, yet most disgusting creation of God.

 

10,000,000,000 Children:  I'd like our boys to meet these young ladies some day.

 

Versatile Vertebrae:  It tickles my funnybone!

 

Taking Care of the Ladies:  I've seen a few wild animals like that hanging around my house, too.

 

Donut Boy:  Because you can watch the donuts being made, we go for breakfast and call it a field trip!

from Proverbs 15:

 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, 
     And a good report makes the bones healthy.

Despite having lived in Chicago for the past 13 plus years, I had never been to the southernmost shore of Lake Michigan to see the sand dunes of Indiana.  Until this past Saturday.

One of Paul's colleagues had invited us for lunch, and afterwards we drove out to "Mount Baldy", a very large pile of sand, indeed.  From the top on this very fine day we could see the city's skyline, almost 30 miles away.

I wish I had taken some time to read up on the ecosystem before visiting it; that little bit of knowledge would have helped us understand what we saw, and I've always found that such understanding instills or deepens appreciation.

Even with all the sand, only Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountains feature more plant diversity than the Indiana Dunes.  The conditions in which they must exist are harsh:  fierce storms in the winter, scorching heat in the summer, and abrasion by wind-driven sand in all seasons.  For these reasons the plants that can survive are those which are annual.

Inland trees and brush will trap the sand and allow it to accumulate in huge piles.  The crest of Mount Baldy stands at 123 feet, above the tops of the trees and at eye-level with the nearby town's water tower.

The Dunes are host to the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis).  Its caterpillars require the leaves of the wild lupine found in pine and oak savannas, and two generations occur each year.

We saw a huge caterpillar in the path on the way up Mount Baldy, but it wasn't the Karner blue.  I don't know what it was, but it was really big.

The part of the lakeshore we visited wasn't suitable for swimming:  besides the sudden drop-offs and accompanying rip currents just a few feet out, the water was very cold.

If we were to go diving some 200 yards offshore, however, we would have seen the shipwrecked Muskegon, built in 1872.  In the fall of 1910 she caught fire in the harbor at Michigan City, Indiana, and was set adrift several months later to sink in deeper water.  I understand that machinery and huge boilers sit on the bottom, as well as a propellor that makes a great backdrop for photographs.

It was a pleasant day to be out, even though we came back full of dune.

from Psalm 139:

 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
         How great is the sum of them!
 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
         When I awake, I am still with You.

Paul Rader, Christian Radio Pioneer.  1920's.

There wasn't an official press release, much less an evening reception for members of the press, but earlier this month two copies of the award-winning historical documentary film by Paul Butler were installed at the flagship branch of the Chicago Public Library in downtown Chicago.

Copies have also been made available at two other neighborhood library branches, and the full record of this acquisition may be found by doing an author keyword search for "Paul Butler" at www.chipubweb.org.

Additional information about this documentary can be found at the currently underdeveloped website of Edit Productions: http://editproductions.org/Edit_projects2.htm

So, how did such a prestigious lending institution come to acquire copies of this breakout independent film?

Simply this:  the filmmaker donated them after they had been subjected to a review and approval process.

Perhaps now you see why the media didn't catch the buzz, but we're kinda tickled about it, anyway. 

from 1 Corinthians 1:

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

 

from Psalm 89:

 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
         The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
 12 The north and the south, You have created them;
         Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
 13 You have a mighty arm;
         Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
         Mercy and truth go before Your face.
 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
         They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
 16 In Your name they rejoice all day long,
         And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
 17 For You are the glory of their strength,
         And in Your favor our horn is exalted.
 18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,
         And our king to the Holy One of Israel.