Thursday August 17, 2006

 

Come Along On A Two-Mile Walk

Since I didn’t get my walk accomplished in the usual way today – an early morning trek in our living room via walking video – I chose to walk around the block after supper.

 

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Our Amish neighbor Eli (covered in dust!) was raking hay at the end of our driveway.  Can you tell we need rain.  Our yards and fields are quite dry – despite lots of rain in June and July.

 

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Pears are large and heavy on a tree next to a neighbors Peking Duck barn.

 

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Violet-colored flowers add beauty to this barnyard fence.

 

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Brothers watch animals and fowl in the field next to their yard.

 

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I am fascinated by these pretty ducks, but they are not too sure about me.

 

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Annie’s Story

I met Annie this evening when her owner was working next to her fence.

I learned that this three-month old sheep was born on a truck when her mother was enroute to be slaughtered.  A boy and his dad rescued her, bottle-fed her in their house, then found our neighbor when they began looking for someone to care for her long-term.  Her name is derived from Orphan Annie.

 

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A beautiful sunflower next to a dairy barn.

 

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This burro usually ignores me, when I say, “Good evening friend”, but for some reason he returned the greeting and started walking toward me.

 

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He looked me right in the eye…

 

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…then offered me a kiss!  (I declined, by the way.  )

 

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From there I moved on to check out my brother’s tomatoes.  He told me to pick some, because they were producing in abundance.

 

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The grapevines in the same garden were also filled with ripening fruit.

 

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I surprised a cat who appeared to be stalking a mouse or mole in a flower bed next to the road.

 

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By the time I approached our house, the sun was creating pretty pink designs in the western sky.

~ ~ ~

I hope you enjoyed our time together.

Maybe I can interest you in going along again the next time.

 

 

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Wednesday August 16, 2006

 

 

The Hands That Formed The Ocean

Also Formed You

 

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You made my whole being.

You formed me in my mother’s body.

Psalm 139:13  ICB

~~~

Who has measured the oceans in the palm of His hand?

Who has used His hand to measure the sky?

Isaiah 40:12  ICB

 

 

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Tuesday August 15, 2006

 

 

Trust God’s Timing

He Doesn’t Bother Himself With Calendars

 

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He Doesn’t Bother Himself With Calendars

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 Do not forget this one thing, dear friends;

To the Lord one day is as a thousand years,

and a thousand years is as one day.

 

The Lord is not slow in doing what He promised

the way some people understand slowness.

 

2 Peter 3:8, 9a  ICB

 

 

 

 

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Monday August 14, 2006

 

 

Action in the Field Next to Us Today

 

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 It was a glorious day in our neighborhood.

 

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These two vehicles rumbling by our house emitted a sound of great power.

 

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Trucks waited in the wings until the one in use blew his horn – notifying them his truck bed was almost full.

 

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 Each time I watch the harvest in my brothers’ fields I am reminded of the assurance of Genesis 8:22.

~ ~ ~

While the earth remains,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

 winter and summer,

and day and night

shall not cease.  NKJV

~ ~ ~

We had a wonderful family reunion at our pavilion tonight.  I can’t believe I forgot to take pictures.  I took some of the above photos while waiting for uncles, aunts, and cousins to arrive.

It was windy during the early part of the meal – when I usually take pictures – and i was occupied with trying to keep things from flying away!  When the wind died down half an hour later, I was occupied with eating and visiting – and never remembered that my camera was a few feet away.

The Hawthorne’s are my mother’s family.  I love visiting with this part of my heritage, as I don’t see them very often.   

 

 

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Sunday August 13, 2006

 

Sunday

 

Sermon Notes:  Living as Strangers and Pilgrims

 

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage”  Psalm 84:5 NKJV.

 

Do not be a part of the spirit that possesses this world.  Give it a stiff arm – like a football player gives his opponent – holding him at bay.

 

Living in this world is not about us – it’s about HIM.

 

God’s power is so unlimited – SO UNLIMITED!

 

We had a progressive afternoon – kind of like a progressive meal!

Cerwin wanted to return the TFC pickup to its home in the shop near Marietta, so we decided to take advantage of a restaurant along the way.  Gus’ is a popular restaurant between Mount Joy and Elizabethtown.  It was fun seeing one of my Hawthorne cousins – David and his wife Jan.

 

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The pickup truck is back home.

 

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On the way home, Cerwin said, “Let’s stop and see if Gene Gehman is home.  I’d like to see his new truck.” 

Not only was the truck there, they were sitting on the porch enjoying the beautiful afternoon.  We had a wonderful visit.  Friends are one of life’s greatest blessings!  (Wish I thought of taking a picture of them.)

 

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Our youngest son Jere asked us to stop in to see the progress of the family room in their basement.

 

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He likes to pick his dad’s brain about the continuing construction.

 

 

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Saturday August 12, 2006

 

Our Trip Home From Pembroke – near Buffalo – NY

 

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I took this photo to give you an idea of the setting around our motel. 

 The Flying J Travel Center is directly across the street and the chapel where we worked yesterday is at the TA – TravelCenter of America – on the right. 

 

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This would be my “backseat office” for the next seven hours – where I wrote two more pages of the newsletter.  After lunch I played several games of Spider Solitaire and slept a bit.

 

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My view for the day – Cerwin and Bill talking!

 

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A scenic rest stop shortly after arriving in Pennsylvania.

 

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 Love those Pennsylvania hills!

 

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Thought this pretty sitting area looked relaxing and peaceful.

~~~

We arrived home about 2 PM.  Shortly after that my brother Clair, Cerwin, and I prepared the pavilion area for a family reunion on Monday evening.  If felt good to pick up sticks and branches and do some weed-eating after sitting in the pickup truck for seven hours.

Now it feels good to relax again!

~ ~ ~

We had a neat PRAISE THE LORD when we got home.

Our insurance check was here and they covered everything at 100% – even the things we told them we were not replacing.  The only thing that wasn’t fully covered was the Pitney Bowes SmartMailer printer which cost more than the maximum coverage for one piece of office equipment. 

 

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Friday August 11, 2006

 

The Rest of Our Day

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Conducting business from my outside office.

 

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Bill Rumpf preparing for the door’s replacement.

 

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The reason the door needed to be replaced.

 

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Removing the old door.

 

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Chaplain Earl picking up the pieces.

 

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Installing the new door.

 

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Colleen (Chaplain Earl’s wife) checks out her new camera.

 

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The Supervisor

Earl and Colleen’s dog Muffin kept a close eye on everything and everyone.

 

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Earl spent some of his day visiting drivers.

 

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Bill & Cerwin take a break.

 

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After the sun was no longer beating down on the eastern side of the chapel, I decided to polish some of the dull paint.

 

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After the door was installed, the men began putting new trim on a window.

 

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Cerwin was so impressed by what was happening when I polished the exterior, that he joined me when he was finished with all his projects.

It was a good day – and the chapel looks so much better.

~ ~ ~

Tonight I am grateful for a hot shower and comfortable bed in the motel across the street.

 

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Friday August 11, 2006

 

My Office Today

 

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Setting up my office at the TCA Pembroke, NY.

 

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Working on a newsletter while the men do some repair work on the chapel.

 

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The view from my “desk”.

 

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Friday August 11, 2006

 

Sunrise

 

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This is what the sunrise looked like when we left for Pembroke, NY (Buffalo area) yesterday. 

I spent the seven-hour trip in the second seat of TFC’s pickup truck working on the Fall Issue of The Extra Mile newsletter, sometimes joining the conversation of Cerwin and Bill Rumpf in the front seat – and of course getting out when we stopped for breakfast and lunch.

After we arrived at the motel, Cerwin and Bill went up the street to the chapel (see previous post) to clean the air conditioners and level the trailer – it was sinking into the blacktop a bit. 

I was in a writing mood, so stayed in the motel and continued working on the newsletter. 

 

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This is what the cover looks like.  I was so pleased to finish several of the sixteen pages. 

I joined the men for supper (Chaplain Earl Carlson, Cerwin and Bill) then added a few details to a new page before going to bed early.

~ ~ ~

Since I have to pay a small fee to get online by using WiFi from the Flying J truck stop across the street, I waited until this morning – so my payment of 24 hours lasts until tomorrow morning!

 

  

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Thursday August 10, 2006

 

Today we leave for the TFC Chapel near Buffalo, New York.  Bill Rumpf (a chapel construction volunteer) is traveling with us, as Cerwin needs a helper to install a new entrance door.  

 

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 I am taking my newsletter folders and photo storage along, to begin working on the fall issue of The Extra Mile newsletter (a newsletter I write for the Northeast Region of TFC).

The best part of this trip will be getting to spend time with Chaplain Earl and Colleen.

~ ~ ~

I will update this evening – if our motel has wireless hookup.  If they don’t, I’ll tell you about our trip in a few days.

  

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