Visiting With The H Family

While Mr. H was powerwashing the house, his wife and children came to visit and play. We had a nice dinner together and played hard.

And for the Cherubs (and Parent Cherubs too) - we had a grand time !!

Thanks again H Family for a fun-filled afternoon AND our sparkling house.

House Cleaning ... Literally

A dear friend, Mr. H, came today with his pressure washer and his chainsaw.

With the chainsaw, DadToCherubs and I managed to trim some limbs that were tearing the screen on the second-story windows.

And with the pressure washer, Mr. H cleaned years of dirt, grime, and cobwebs from the outside of the house. It looks BEAUTIFUL - so white and clean - just an amazing difference.

We still have to clean the carport and 1 short-sided wall outside because we ran out of daylight.

In the mean while ... it looks AWESOME !! Thank you Mr. H.

Photo 1: Mr. H cleaning the front of the house.

Photo 2: On the long side of the house, it was easy to see the BEFORE and AFTER.

Photo 3: Mr. H cleaning the long side of the house - while saying THIS IS A HUGE HOUSE.

About Billy & Ruth Graham

Billy Graham, the evangelist, made a public statement Wednesday after his wife (Ruth) slipped into a coma following an illness, and was reported to be near death. She passed away today (Thursday), and as I read the news I was struck by the words he spoke just yesterday ....

"I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together. We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."

"Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side," the 88-year-old Graham said. "I am more in love with her today than when we first met over 65 years ago as students at Wheaton College."

He is 88 years old, and she was 87. They have been married for 65 years. And the true love he spoke of, the dedication, the friendship, the romance, and their shared strong faith in God and in Heaven .... it is not often anymore we hear publicly such sentiments. These words Billy Graham said about his wife touched my heart deeply.

Rain ??

Absolutely !! The storm came this time - with 60mph gusts according to our local news, and we saw hail, and LOTS of thunder & lightening. It was awful ... except the RAIN which was wonderful.

And I suppose the question is WHY IS THIS FAMILY SO FOCUSED ON RAIN LATELY ?? Well, because our area is in a severe / extreme drought and we have had minus 13" of rain so far this year (compared to annual averages). So all rain is precious, and a reason to celebrate. We have a garden and flowers, but even our animals seems to be a bit "off" with things being so dry. And we are living on a dairy farm, and we KNOW they need rain for the hay to grow and the corn ... and to keep the wells full too.

The children are cheering - WOO HOO !!! THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE RAIN !!

UPDATE: In 15 minutes we received 1 full inch (and a smidge more) of rain. Also the temperature dropped from 85 degrees to 65 degrees. So our land and well are thankful AND there will be a nice cool night's sleep to look forward to as well !!

Today In History

And it was on this day in 1951 that the world's first commercially produced electronic digital computer was unveiled, known as the UNIVAC. It weighed eight tons, used 5,000 vacuum tubes and cost a quarter-million dollars. But it could perform a thousand calculations per second, the fastest rate in the world at the time. The first one was bought by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The president of IBM thought that computers were far too complex and would never sell, but with the invention of the microchip in 1971, all the processing power of those thousands of vacuum tubes could be crammed into a tiny space.

In 1975, an engineer named Ed Roberts was one of the first people to try to market a computer to ordinary people. It didn't sell very well. You had to know how to turn hundreds of little switches. But it was an inspiration to Stephen Wozniak – who went on to found Apple – and also to a young Harvard student named Bill Gates.

** Quoted directly from Writers Almanac daily email newsletter.

A New Place To Swim

We used to go up into the mountains to Chilhowee Lake to swim many times each summer. But now it is a much longer drive - approximately 1 1/2 hour each way.

So we set out today in search of a new place to swim. And that adventure took us to Fort Loudoun.

The lake itself is gorgeous !! And the park is extremely clean - almost too nice to believe !! There is a nice simming area that is close to parking, close to restrooms, and is grassy nearly right up to the waters edge.

So - someday soon we will try it out and we'll let you know how it turns out.

Photos above of Fort Loudoun swimming area and the children wading in the water this afternoon (to TEST it, of course - HA !). And as always, no "trip" is complete without photos of the wildlife we encountered along the way too.

A Visit To Fort Loudoun

We visited Fort Loudoun State Park this afternoon, just to see what there is to see. There is a nice visitor center (it closed at 430p so we did not get to go in) and a whole Fort Loudoun replica.

The Fort site dates back to the Seven Years War (French & Indian War).

Apparently they do Living History weekends throughout the year, and also host several "presentations" nearly every day.

We explored a little on our own, and definately intend to return. This will make a nice addition to our American History and Local History studies too !!

Chick Crisis

This morning Vixie (our new Mom) was out in the pen with her two peeps that hatched yesterday .... and in her nest along with the other unhatched eggs was a little fuzzy gray chick still too weak to walk (but all dried off and fluffy - peeping up a storm) ... and there was a little peep still sticky and wet, but it was breathing and peeping a bit.

So they are both inside because Mom was not caring for them. We are hoping they will warm up a bit as they are in a box on fluffy towels (fresh from the dryer) and are under a light. And we are hoping that with some chick starter and water that they will perk up a bit so that they can rejoin their mother tonight (after dark) in the nest with the other peeps.

We checked the other eggs, and so far none are pipped. So we will keep checking ...

IN THE PHOTO: on the left is the little wet chick (on the striped towel) and on the right is the little gray chick (on the blue towel). We are using the Mancala box to separate them just incase someone feels like pecking (which happens when they are stronger). We do not want them to injure each other with pecking around.

Update Friday June 15: (1) The little fuzzy gray peep was successfully returned to Vixie's nest last night, and did great today in the care of his mother while in the chicken yard with the whole flock. YEAH - a happy reunion !! (2) The very first little peep (the wet one - who is now named Squeaks btw) we found abandoned has made an amazing recovery but is even still tonight a bit too wobbley to return to the family, so perhaps tomorrow if more improvements are made ?? Better to be safe than sorry. (3) And lastly, Cherub 2 checked the hen house this morning for fresh eggs and progress (we have 2 other Moms setting - in addition to Vixie's new hatches) ... she found yet another little wet shivering peep in the middle of the floor struggling to breathe, only it apparently got pecked pretty hard by someone and suffered quite a head wound (on the side of the head just a bit behind the eye). It was unable even to hold its little head up all day, but finally this evening it is "almost" sitting properly, and seems to have gained a tiny bit of strength. And of course it is fluffed and dry now as well. We are doctoring it's wound with Neosporin and are giving water and chick starter ... and the heat of the lamp, along with a soft comfy towel to sleep on .... what else could it possibly want ? HA ! Well, to be honest, we were not very confident that this little one would make it, but so far it seems far more possible as time passes. This little one will be with us atleast until the wound is completely healed so that no one else pecks it again. The poor little dear - it is soooo tiny. We will keep you posted.

We Are Happy To Announce ...

Vixie (the golden hen in the photo) is a Momma again. These are her first 2 peeps of the year, and also are the first peeps we have had hatch since moving here.

Aren't they adorable ?!?!?

In The Words of C.S. Lewis

"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road,

progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road;

in that case,the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

First Post-Fire Furniture Restoration Project

This is my Great Grandmother's (Mary Lavelle Jones Grace) sewing machine. It was originally a treddle, and was converted to electric after many years of hard work (according to the Singer serial number).

It was in the living room of our house, which had fire above it in the attic and fire below it in the basement, but most of the damage in that room was from the smoke and heat. This sewing machine was sitting in the case in the corner of the living room - it weighs a ton - and when we picked it up to remove it from the hosue after the fire, the hardwood floor underneath was untouched and still shined as if it were just waxed.

Anyway, the heat and smoke damaged the case quite a bit, as since it is covered in a cherry veneer finish we were not exactly optomisic that it could be restored.

However, I followed some advice given by the Lowes paint people - I used medium grit steel wool to scrub the piece rather than sandpaper. Then I followed that scrubbing with a very very fine grit steel wool. Then I wiped it very gently with Murphy's Oil Soap.

I intend to use some sort of clear varnish as a protective color, but I have not purchased any yet. So these "after" photos are after the steel wool scrubbing and buffing, and then the Oil Soap.

AMAZING !! Singer can be clearly seen on the case again, and the letters are still gold leaf. It cleaned up beautifully !! This gives us a lot of hope for other pieces of special furniture that were also in the living room - namely most of the Hitchcock pieces that once belonged to my mother-in-law.

Photo 1: Case exterior after just baby-soap and water rinse. Blackened, flaking stain and varnish.

Photo 2: Interior and actual sewing machine - discolored, waterspotted, early rust signs.

Photo 3: Case and machine after steel wool scrub, steel wool buff, and Oil Soap.

Photo 4: Close up of brand name of case - note gold letters intact.

Photo 5: Another photo of the finished projects.

Garden Update

It has been just over a week since we finished putting in the garden.

And this morning I went out to see if I could notice any growth, especially after the wonderful 1/2" of rain we received yesterday.

WOW !! Our first three rows of corn are starting to come up; it is maybe 1/4" tall so far. (We will plant the other 3 rows in another week or so to stagger the harvest a bit.) The row of radishes is up. The sunflower seeds have sprouted and each plant has 3 leaves so far. The pumpkin seeds have sprouted. The tomato, cucumber, melon, pepper, and squash plants are no longer wilted and look "lively".

So - that's certainly progress !! Just waiting on the carrots to peek through .... then everything will be "up".

We are going to mulch the garden today with 2 bales of rotten hay, so that should help with soil moisture and temperature, and over the coming monthes it should do much for our soil which needs improvement as it is mostly red TN clay.

Update: Tuesday June 12th: We have been working hard these past few days to mulch our veggie garden. The farm gave us a bale of rotten hay, so we are pulling it off and are mulching around all of our plants and seed beds. It is our hope that it will continue to breakdown, thus feeding the soil, and will ultimately not only help our plants retain moisture and nutrients as they grow, but also that or soil in that area will be much improved for next year's garden as well.

More Storm Photos

The storm clouds gathered and the wind picked up. The thunder rolled in the not-so-far distance.

And then ... the rain fell ... cold, drenching, POURING rain .... (photo 4 is of the puddles and the water literally rushing down along our driveway curbs - a sign that it is a really really good rain !!)

So far this heavy rain has lasted 20 whole minutes. The sky is still dark and the winds still blowing, so hopefully it will last atleast a little bit longer.

UPDATE ON 06/09/2007 (SATURDAY MORNING): The second storm that came lasted just under 2 hours total. Our rain gauge shows that we received 1/2" of rain yesterday total. And everything this morning looks sooooo green again. What a difference it made !! All nature is singing praises to God for the refreshing rain !! (and we are too !)

Storms Coming

We have dark clouds filling the sky (at 2p in the afternoon) and 90 degree temps ... and now we have wind and lots of thunder .... so HOPEFULLY with this is coming atleast SOME rain. We have a severe storm watch all afternoon .... and although we are not thrilled with the STORM part, we would certainly welcome any RAIN that comes !!

We will post later on the outcome.

330p This storm was more bark than bite. We got a scant amount of rain, but there is still hope as there are more storms moving our way in the next few hours.

503p According to weather.com "Variable clouds with thunderstorms – possibly severe, especially this evening. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%."

WE ARE PRAYING FOR RAIN TO COME TONIGHT !!

An Afternoon At The Pool 2

TRICKS OFF THE DIVING BOARD

Photo 1: Cherub 1 doing a Front Flip.

Photo 2: Cherub 4 doing a Front Roll.

Photo 3: Cherub 3 doing a Pike Dive.

Photo 4: Cherub 5 doing (and shouting) CANNON BALL !

Photo 5: This photo is Cherub 6 doing a perfect Front Roll off the diving board. Cherub 6 HAS to be in on all the action !! He can also dive, do pike dives, cannon balls, watermelon, can openers, and many other "tricks". This little boy is one amazing baby - 4yo and a diving board expert. HA !!

An Afternoon At The Pool Part 1

Photo 1: Cherub 4 pretending to "deep sea dive on an expedition".

Photo 2: Cherub 6 swimming around and having a grand time.

Photo 3: Cherub 1 swimming with Miss K, just before playing Marco Polo.

Photo 4: Cherub 3 IN the pool, and Cherub 1 near the ladder.

Photo 5: "Swimming makes me thirsty" said Cherub 6, taking a break with Little T.

Let The Bowflexing Begin

Well, my Mother's Day gift (my request) finally arrived just before Memorial Day. DadToCherubs assembled it after we got home from our weekend at the Lake.

Assembly was not easy - this thing has a million pieces. It took DadToCherubs several hours, and maxed out his patience completely. HA !! But finally it was assembled and ready for use. We put it in DadToCherubs office for two reasons - it takes upa 6 foot by 8 foot space - and so that we did not disturb one another working out at varied hours (night vs day workouts).

Photo 1 above of DadToCherubs assembling the Bowflex.

Photo 2 above is the fully assembled Bowflex.

DadToCherubs and I have officially been Bowflexing for over a week now. We are working out once daily for 30 minutes, faithfully. I am working out in the morning when I first awake, and DadToCherubs is working out in evening just before he is scheduled to work or the middle of the night after work (he works nights from home). Other than a few sore muscles, our program is going well so far. Training ourselves into a new HABIT of course is the biggest challenge, but so far it is going smoothly.

Our plan is to tone muscle, and NOT to look like body-builders (well, DadToCherubs might want to eventually, but not me !!). We thought that since we are both in our mid-30's that we should get into the habit of keeping better health practices. We are not kids anymore. (HA !) So first we are beginning our workout programs, and are going to do them faithfully for 3 weeks. Then we are going to begin a diet of very-healthy eating, not just to lose some unwanted pounds, but also to optimize our energy levels, metabolism, and to gain muscle tone. DadToCherubs hopes to shed some pounds while getting back into shape, and he is looking forward to having more energy. I just want to tone up a bit, and more energy would be nice. When we begin the diet, DadToCherubs is giving up soda completely ... please pray for him when he begins this. He managed to quit soda (and lose about 15 pounds) for nearly 4 weeks before the fire (he gave it up for Lent). When he first "quit" he really struggled with headaches (because of his lack of sugar comsumption and caffeine withdraw) .... but then with the stress of the fire and the lack of sleep through that period of time, he started drinking it again. I have already cut my morning coffee to 2 cups and have stopped using sugar, instead using Splenda. It's a start .... I plan to eventually quit "morning coffee" all together.

So - stay tuned for progress.

The End Of An Era

Now, I am not a television fan. Actually, I would prefer to live without one completely. But, that being said, I have been known to watch a few shows here and there. Mostly documentaries and other one-time programs. And I do try to watch the news atleast a few times per week.

All of this is leading up to the point of this entry: The End Of An Era.

I learned that Bob Barker is retiring after 35 years on the Price Is Right.

I remember watching the Price Is Right when I was home sick from school in first grade .... and many times through my school years did Bob and I spend time together when I was too sick to go to school. His voice was almost comforting during my suffering. I also remember watching Bob when I was in the Hospital recovering from a migraine ... I was on active duty in the Navy then. I also saw the show following the births of several of our children while we were in the hospital. And I have seen him a few times here and there through the years since.

When I told my children about this news, they ALL knew the show and they have all seen it ... mostly on sick days (since mean ole' mom restricts television unless you are nearly dead - HA !). They asked WHY he would retire ?? The article says he is 83yo, and I have to agree that it might be time for him to retire and enjoy some relaxation.

So - Bob Barker has been on the Price Is Right for 35 years !! And I am 36 years old. His "career" nearly spans my entire lifetime. WOW !!

The news release says they intend to continue the show, but with a new host. This is my question - how does one select a man to follow such an icon of American Culture ?? Well, I know one thing for sure ... my sick days will never be the same again.

To See The Actual News Article, click here http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=264539&GT1=7703

Garden Update AFTER THE RAIN

YAHOOOO !! We were working hard to get the rest of the garden in this afternoon. We planted our pumpkins (jack o lantern and sugar), snow peas, 2 kinds of green beans, watermelon, cantelope, honeydew .... and then rows of corn (silver queen and bi-color sweet).

We were only 4 rows short of finishing sowing the corn seed when the sky got dark REALLY QUICKLY ... and then the wind came and the thunder began to rumble. Just a few minutes later the rain began to POUR .... a cold hard blowing rain. YAHOOOO !! I am not sure how much rain actually fell, but with the drought we are THANKFUL for any at all. Actually, with our blisters and aching muscles we were thankful for the little break too.

So we waited for the rain to stop so we could finish our corn planting .... then the garden was offically PLANTED. All that is left is to fence it off, but that will have to wait until our blisters heal. HA !!

After planting, we cleaned up the tools and put everything away. And then THE BATTLE WAS ON .... a water gun battle broke out between all of the cherubs. The verdict on the "winner" has yet to be determined.

PHOTO: The photo above was the RAINBOW after the storm we had. Isn't it pretty ?? And in addition to being so beautiful, it is a reminder of God's Promise.

UPDATE 6/5/07: MORE RAIN TONIGHT. I was in Knoxville with a friend this evening for a trip to teh bookstore and coffee. It started raining just as we were leaving to come home. The rain followed us (off and on) the whole way home ... and when we arrived at my house, IT WAS RAINING !! (which is esp good as I did not water my newly planted garden because I was not home.)