NOVEMBER 2005: MIRACLES OF JOY, THANKSLIVING WITH ANGELS.
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Bob had a 9:30 Veteran's Administration Hospital appointment for an M.R.I. of his left knee, and afterwards accepted Catherine's invitation to attend a P.L.A.T.O. discussion group at the Senior Center in Madison, about science and religion, which proved to be interesting, and, a little funny (thanks to Bob).
Then Bob joined Kathy at Don and Mary's where Kathy had received her "birthday gift massage" and lunch, later, with Mary in Waunakee.
Kathy is very grateful for the gifts she received from Mary.
It was a wonderful opportunity to share peace, joy, and love.
It was a beautiful drive home, watching the setting sun.
Barb and her great-aunt Silvia were not home yet, so we piddled around doing a few household chores before we went to bed.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Herb drove up from Illinois for a visit and we had a very joyful reunion with him.
A joyful lunch with the five of us, resulted in laughter that went on for several hours!
Bob spent much of the day outside (in the woodpile, etc.), and when Kathy went to her Master Gardeners' Class, Bob joined the "cardslingers" at his mom's for their weekly "shootout."
Mother Superior (Aunt Eva), was the top "gunslinger today."
We had a lot of laughs and fun playing with each other as partners, and also, against each other.
On the way home, we had to slow down or stop twice, because of big buck deer that were crossing the road in front of us!
Herb got us on PalTalk, which is an online, live, ACIM chat group, where we had the opportunity to talk and sing (It's only a thought, and a thought can be changed, etc.) to people all over the world.
Kathy and Herb even made a midnight run to Walmart's to buy a new microphone!
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Thursday, November 3, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Barb brought Alva over to measure window frames, to replace our three kitchen windows. They will be custom made and installed by the Amish.
Bob continued working outside clearing brush and loading wood, and Herb left in in the afternoon to return to Illinois.
Kathy has been working with Lisa in Pennsylvania most days on ACIM Pathways of LIght Courses, which are part of the curriculum for ordination.
Lisa is a very devoted and enthusiastic worker with her "sister," Kathy.
Jim from Digger's Hotline came by to plot out and mark all the underground telephone lines prior to our additional tree and rock removal.
When he finally finished, he had red flags stuck in the ground going in all directions (we use the flags in spring to mark our rows after planting, removing them after things have sprouted).
We went to town (Portage) to visit a new Tractor Store, picked up library books for mom, and then went "out on a date" for a leisurely pizza meal at The Pizza Hut.
Another successful adventure in taking the backroads home after dark, without hitting a deer!
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Friday, November 4, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Bob came out for Alliant Energy to mark (with more red flags) two underground power lines, one to the house, and another to the barn.
Then Joe and his son Tom came over with the backhoe and front end loader to begin moving stones and leveling ground.
Tom removed all the stones, some of them weighing around 2,000 pounds!
We loaded all the smaller stones (5 to 250 pounds) by hand into the big bucket and used them to "fill in all the holes" in our "stone dam" after all the giant stones were in place in a row, alongside the driveway.
Afterwards, Joe dug out a lot of box alder tree stumps that had resprouted into lots of small trees.
Lots of verrrrrrrrry heavy work got done today!
Barb and Kathy made home made chili (yummy!), and Bob roasted very large russet potatoes and butternut squash. All this was done, on, and in, the Monarch wood cook stove, and its oven.
After a great dinner, Barb and Aunt Syl left for Poynette, as great aunt- Sylvia as a hankerin' for a few hands of hold 'em poker!
And we who stayed home, feasted on baked butternut squash, and, ice creeeeeeeeeeeeeam!
Lots got done today, with lots of laughs, food, and great company!
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Saturday, November 5, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Kathy took a break from our woodcutting and brought Mom Helen and her sister, Mother Superior, out for supper with us and Barb W. and her Great Aunt Silvia.
Afterwards, Helen, Eva, and Bob played cards, Barb diced a jillion green peppers, Jerry W. stopped by for leftovers, and then Alvin and Anna Mae stopped by to visit with Barbara W.
We all sat around the Sunrise Room, the nine of us, chatting, laughing, sharing joy, and having fun.
Helen, Eva, and Bob played cards until almost midnight, then Jerry took Mother Superior (Aunt Eva) home, and Kathy and Bob drove Mom Helen home to Portage.
It was a very full and warm evening with the nine of us in The Sunrise Room, and Miss Atlanta (the cast iron wood stove), cheerfully warming all of us.
We did see deer on the way home, but slowly and safely arrived home sometime past midnight.
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Sunday, November 6, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Phil and Mary joined us for our 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., "quaker style" service, which we followed up with readings and discussions from the book: Mindful Loving.
Our lunch was: home made chili, beets, pickles, bread, cheese, Amish raspberry pie, pecan rolls, ice cream, cinammon rolls, etc.
Afterwards we watched the video movie: Where The River Runs Black.
It is really a treat to see the flames waving at us from inside Miss Atlanta. She does a really good job of warming everyone in the Sunrise Room, and heat even goes into the kitchen and makes that comfortable also!
The reverse is true when we fire up the old wood cook stove (Miss Monarch) in the kitchen. Then heat goes out to the Sunrise Room and makes that comfortable.
A hay wagon full of logs and limbs are waiting for us outside our front door, to be cut up into firewood, so tomorrow.........
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Monday, November 7, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Today we continued working on the logs and limbs near the house, Bob cutting and Kathy filling the wheelbarrow and stacking them between two trees. This is wood for next year, the fall of 2006.
Bob used a pair of antique ice tongs to reach down and grab and move the heaviest blocks of wood and stack them for future splitting with the monster maul.
This cut wood is stacked between the trees near the east patio and it warms us just looking out the patio door and seeing that freshly cut, newly stacked, firewood!
Our evening ended in the Sunrise Room, watching the flickering flames of Miss Atlanta.
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Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Bob and Kathy
No outside work today!
So, it's inside work today, organizing desks and furniture, inventorying refrigerators (3), and cleaning in the different rooms.
Bob left for Madison to purchase farm machinery parts and then went to the Madison Masonic Center to join a group of ten volunteers present for a "walk through" of the Masonic Center and our individual responsibilities for the Celia musical intro, and the following Marianne Williamson presentation, next Monday night.
Deb and Paul were there, Ken (our host and leader) and Sally, and five new friends. Not all volunteers were present, including our friend Duncan, but we will meet the rest of the volunteers next Monday.
Bob volunteered for, and received a job as, one of the "greeters" inside the front door.
Hundreds of people have already bought tickets, with much advertising still going on, so it promises to be quite a gathering.
It was really great to get home last night, eat warmed-up leftovers (Barb fixed supper, earlier, sweet and sour over rice), and then read a bit in a warm bedroom, before snuggling in and going to sleep.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Bob and Kathy
We continued cutting, loading, and hauling brush out to the west field for wild animal shelter.
Kathy went to her Master Gardeners' Class at the county building, and Bob played cards with Mom Helen, Aunt Eva, and Victor (with Victor's friend Flossie, spectating).
The young whippersnapper (Bob), survived the card slinging shootout against the three octogenarians, and finished up the evening as the top gun.
We saved a late supper for Kathy after her 6 to 9 p.m. Gardening Class.
We drove home at 30 mph on the backroads to avoid our little Saturn being totaled by a deer.
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
Bob and Kathy
We contnued cutting loading and hauling brush (load number 18 is waiting out on the big hay wagon).
Cuzzin Jerry stopped by and got the head lights fixed on the big tractor, put antifreeze in, and tested both tractors, and then repaired our electric chain saw.
Barb and Kathy made a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig quiche for brunch, with lots of trimmings.
Bob contributed french fries flavored with lemon pepper, italian herbs, and salt.
We continued working outside and finished the afternoon picking up all the flag markers left by the electric and telephone companies to show where all the underground power and telephone lines were buried, prior to our excavating boulders and tree stumps.
We picked up 81 flags, which we will use to mark the rows during our spring plantings.
Supper tonight was a smorgasbord of leftovers.
Afterwards, we sat around the wood stove in the Sunrise Room and Sylvia shared "down south stories," some of them going all the way back to the civil war!
What a blessing she has been!
What a relaxing evening, with the chill coming down outside, and two woodstoves burning in the inside!
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Friday, November 11, 2005
Kathy and Bob
We decided that this is a great day, to continue cutting and hauling wood.
Then, Bob plowed the other gardens, so they're all done now.
Thank you God, for all of the blessings!
Kathy worked inside, cleaning, and did many things there.
We ate many leftovers for lunch and dinner.
Most of them are now eaten.
We are so grateful for all the delcious dishes that Barb made while she was here, and some of them, with Kathy's help.
We are sooo very grateful to have the ability and willingness, to do it all, and embrace every miracle!
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Saturday, November 12, 2005
Kathy and Bob
The morning welcomes us beautifully, as we see it shining through the windows!
Bob went out to cut wood, once again, when his Mom, Helen called. She wanted to see if Bob is ready to play cards.
We told her that we were loading and hauling wood, and would come and pick her up later.
Kathy went out, and helped Bob, by loading many wheelbarrows full of wood, and putting them into the wood piles.
Then, we loaded a wagon of brush, and Kathy went in, to get ready to pick Helen up.
Kathy went to get her, and Helen wanted to go to Wal-Mart, and pick up some chicken,
sweet rolls, and buns, to have for dinner.
We did that, then went out to pick Eva up.
When we got to Bumpity Rd., Bob was still loading a wagon of wood. He finished, and drove it back, as we followed him into the home front.
Then, we came in, and got the wood stove warmer and set the card table up.
Bob came on in, and the game has begun.
Kathy is resting, and doing some others things, while the card angels enjoy the game.
Thank you God, for every experience to embrace LOVE, which is in all that we do, eternally!
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Sunday, November 13, 2005
Kathy and Bob
The game went on until 2:30 am, and when Bob and Kathy had taken Mom Helen and Aunt Eva home, and returned to the angels haven, it was almost 4 am.
We were able to rest in later in the morning, because our friends who come for the Sunday morning group, are at Pathways of Light today.
We got rounded up about midday, and Bob went out to load the wagon of tree limbs again.
Kathy kept working cleaning and doing many things inside the house.
Bob peeled potatoes and rutabagas, and Kathy cooked them, along with some tasty pork chops. Then, we ate those, along with some applesauce.
Bob decided to go to bed early, because he was tired.
Kathy stayed up, clearing the way to take care of many things inside, then decided to join Bob, to take a loooooong kitty nap.
Meow...!!!!!!!
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Monday, November 14, 2005
Kathy and Bob
The wind was a blowin' last night.
Here we are, ready to embrace another day.
We got up, and Bob wanted to go out to do some more work, before going to Madison.
Kathy got ready to go to an appointment in Portage.
Bob was about to get the wagon full again (blocking our road), when Kathy went out to leave for town. Bob drove the car around the wood wagon and tractor and through the wood piles, out to the road.
Kathy went to town for a while.
When she got back home, most of the brush was cleared from the side of the road.
It is beautiful to see this released. It is symbolic of opening your mind to feel free to be relaxed, and at home.
Bob was getting ready to go to Madison, to an event to see Marianne Williamson (author and speaker who travels the world talking about joining in peace).
He got ready, and we ate lunch together. Then, he was off, freely flowing.
Kathy stayed home to go to the library group. She did that, and it was nice to share with everyone there.
Kathy stopped by Helen's (Bob's mom) house and visit for a few moments.
Then, Kathy came on home, and is burning the late hours again.
It is fantastic to be in the comfortable ease, of being home, and relaxing. Thank you God, for this blessing.
Love and joy,
Kathy and Bob
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Other friends, were also volunteers at the Marianne Williamson Event at the Madison Masonic Center last night, among them, Duncan, Deb and Paul, etc.
It was a great delight to see two of our Pathways of Light Ministers and friends from the Milwaukee area, Revs. Eva and Marcia.
Celia opened at 6:30 with Irish songs, followed by Marianne for three hours (with a 20 minute break).
Bob and Sandi were greeters at the front door, before and after the performance. Bob also pinchhit helping Duncan with book and CD sales, after event inventory of materials, boxing and packing for mailing, loading, and, cleaning the auditorium.
Eight of us went to a late meal at Perkins on University, joined by Barb V., a dear friend whom we met at the Masonic Center.
Bob arrived home in the wee hours and alternately spent parts of the day at the wood pile, brush pile, and dinner table.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Still cutting and hauling brush from the trees felled along the driveway, the equivalent of a pile eight feet wide and over a football field long in leangth .
It does make for quite a lot of additional wild animal cover in the northwest field.
Kathy had her Master Gardeners Class tonight and Bob a card playing "shootout" at Mom's O.K. Corral, with Bob the top "shooter" tonight.
Kathy joined us for a late snack and we then drove home very slowy on the back roads, enthusiastically giving up the right of way to anything that remotely resembled a deer by the roadside.
In the heavy fog, it is amazing how many mailboxes are "transformed'' into deer.
(And some of those mailboxes, even walk across the road!)
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Thursday, November 17, 2005
Bob and Kathy
A day at home watching birds on the east patio and an occasional trip with the tractor and wagon to continue cleaning up our long (440 feet?), driveway area of limbs and wood.
A pleasant experience was having both wood stoves burning (Miss Monarch, the ancient cooking stove in the kitchen, and Miss Atlanta, the cast iron warmer-upper (with its cute little fire window) in the Sunrise Room.
Sharing work, sharing meals (and sometimes even the same plate!).
And tonight was a first.......we ate a can of applesauce through straws.
Just......opened the can....and....stuck in two straws... :-)
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Friday, November 18, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Kathy into Portage for an appointment and Bob continuing to work on the wood for the winter of 2006.
We are bringing a two weeks supply of wood inside to be stacked in the kitchen along side the wood cook stove, for a final drying out before January.
We continue bringing in wood from the old former Mexican Migrant Pickle Picking Bunk House that is now our slowly deteriorating wood shed. Just wheelbarrow in, fill it with a heaping pile of wood, and then wheelbarrow out to the house.
A special treat was Deb and Paul doing an A Course In Miracles discussion group, nationwide, worldwide really, on the internet today!
Congratuations, Paul and Deb!
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Saturday, November 19, 2005
Bob and Kathy
A quiet day of birdwatching, housecleaning, and feeding the two wood stoves.
We continue bringing wood into the house to have about a two week supply for both stoves, so that if we have very heavy snows or an ice storm, we won't even have to leave the house for wood fuel.
Weekends, holidays, and evenings, we continue to use the electric baseboard heat (and dish washer and clothes dryer), during the off-peak, lowest electrical rates.
It is such a delight to sit in the Sunrise Room an feel the warm toastiness of Miss
Atlanta as she cast out her cast iron heat radiance to the birdwatchers.
The big deer hunting season opened today with over 600,000 hunters taking to the woods this morning.
We hear intermittent gun shots all day long, from dawn to dusk.
Deer were at the end of our northwest field when I began cultivating the far gardens at dusk today, turning over the earth for next spring's plantings.
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Sunday, November 20, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Today is the second day of the nine day deer season, so we continue to hear the little "firecrackers" popping off during the day.
Mary and Phil joined us for our 10:00 a.m. Sunday Service, after which we prepared lunch and then watched spiritual cinema movies and also the movie Still Breathing.
A quiet relaxing day, good food, good company, and warm sharings.
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Monday, November 21, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Kathy left early to run errands and spend the day with Patty Cakes Maloney in Lodi.
The two of them went to Madison for lunch, and then went shopping at Sam's, Walmart, Woodman's, and others.
Bob continued cutting and hauling brush (about 25 wagon loads now), from the driveway to the west field.
The driveway is slowly being cleaned up after felling about a dozen trees, most of them under, or near, the electric power lines.
Jerry stopped by to get the smaller tractor running, the clothes dryer running, and the large Poulan chain saw operating.
It took Cuzzin Jerry less than 15 minutes to accomplish all three repairs. He is truly a wizard with anything mechanical.
Kathy returned after dark in time for supper after a day of adventuring and fun with Patty Cakes.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Neighbor Joe Dalton stopped by with his backhoe and front end loader to continue working on the land adjacent to, and south of our driveway.
Eventually, it will result in a wider place for guests to easily park cars and easily drive out, thus avoiding the occasional traffic jams by the house.
Kathy inside, and Bob outside, most of the day, coming together and taking breaks for meals or snacks, or a bit of birdwatching.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Kathy to the dentist in the a.m. and then Phil and Mary stopped by to celebrate Mary's birthday by going to a leisurely dinner at a Chinese Buffet in Baraboo. Afterwards we shopped in Baraboo together.
Then the four of us headed the old Caddy back to Portage for Kathy's 6 p.m. Master Gardeners' Class, and Bob's 5 p.m. shootout at his mom's Card Playing O.K. Corral Card Slinging Shootout.
Bob was top card slinger again, and his sister Rita arrived with sons Marshall and Mathew from Peoria, Illinois, for the Thanksgiving holiday, followed by Kathy about 9:30 p.m.
After Kathy's eating, we filled gas cans for the tractors, and then drove slowly home.
To help avoid potential car-deer accidents on our backroads, we invite you to drive 25 to 30 MPH.
We do.
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Thursday, November 24, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Yay! Yay!
Turkey Day!
Today was a sharing of the harvest of friendship.
Kathy's 12 pound turkey with all the trimmings and food brought by all the guests, including 4 pies, most of them homemade.
A joyful, sometimes loud, hilarious laughings, shared by all.
Hearty eaters included Deb and Paul, Mary and Phil, Mel, Duncan, Carol, and Kathy and Bob.
Duncan brought an electronic word game, which we all played numerous times, accompanied by very hearty laughter.
When we sat down to the turkey, we remained at the table for about 5 hours.
We chatted with Duncan around the wood stove (Miss Atlanta), in the Sunrise Room, until about 2 a.m., and then took our full tummies to bed.
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Friday, November 25, 2005
Bob and Kathy
We breakfasted and chatted with Duncan till about 11 a.m., then Duncan left for the Amish Bakery and Middleton, and we left for Chicago to see our newest grandchild Gabriela.
It rained, sleeted, or snowed, the whole trip.
In just one 19 mile stretch near Madison there were 17 accidents.
It took several extra hours to get to get to Chicago, arriving about 7 p.m.
Daughter Linette and her husband David greeted us, but Gabriela was already sleeping.
Daughter Sabra and husband Mike (from San Leandro, California) joined us for dinner and we chatted till late. Sabra and Mike are expecting their first child, a daugher, in March.
That will be our 20th grandchild!
HooraY!
What a glorious time of chatting, laughter and catching up.
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Saturday, November 26, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Gabriela joined us for breakfast!
Kathy fed her, and uncle Mike played with her on the floor.
After a leisurely breakfast, we chatted till about noon.
Ahhhhhh!
Memories are made of times such as these!
Then, we drove to Libertyville, Illinois, to join son Gary, Edna, and five grandchildren for lunch and an afternoon of visiting.
Sabra and Mike joined us for supper and an evening of sharing.
What a great weekend of hearts being touched by the families of these three children.
About 9 p.m. we drove home, which was delightful, with the much improved road conditions, arriving home about midnight.
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Sunday, November 27, 2005
Bob and Kathy
We were joined for the 10 a.m. Sunday Service by Deb and Paul, Mary and Phil, Ken and Sally, and Bob E.
Service was followed by chatting and laughing and dinner preparations
The nine of us dined heartily on Thanksgving Leftovers plus stir fries and pasta for the vegetarians.
Jerry stopped by to eat and relax with us for a while.
He brought his buddy Pew Skunk with him, and we fed Pew on the outside picnic table, while the more daring, ventured to pet Pew.
Pew is a very large, and a very fat, skunk.
Pew also has all his original equipment, thus,we are all very careful about not startling Pew.
The consequences of scaring Pew would be very anti-social, as well as long lasting.
By midafternoon everyone had departed, so we took our beverages and sat birdwatching during the late afternoon.
What a blessing to enjoy the bounty of friendships such as these.
Talk about abundance.
Wow!
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Monday, November 28, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Bob split a load of oak from the north field and Kathy helped him stack it in the Sunrise Room.
It was a warm day, and pleasant to work outside.
After Bob put the tractor and empty wagon to bed, we spent a quiet day of meals, mail, and meandering through the day.
We watched Phil and Mary's video of Leap of Faith (with Steve Martin), and then snuggled in for the night.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Bob and Kathy
Another splitting of a load of oak firewood, loading it on the hay wagon, bringing it to the house, and then loading it on wheelbarrows to bring it into the house.
Lots of wheelbarrow loads.
We used two wheelbarrows.
While Kathy unloaded and stacked from one wheelbarrow in the Sunrise Room, Bob was outside filling the other wheelbarrow from the hay wagon. Then we switched wheelbarrows.
Again and again.
After unhooking the wagon, and putting the Allis Chalmers Tractor in the barn, we settled down to miscellaneous household tasks, and, just plain taking it easy.
Yup! Yup! Yup!
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Bob and Kathy
The last day of November!
Wow!
Where did the month go?
We have Miss Monarch fired up in the kitchen and are being sure that she is very well fed, as it is quite cold outside.
It sure is nice to see our reservoir of wood in the kitchen and Sunrise Room.
It is warming to just know that we don't have to go outside for wood.
Love you all bundles,
Kathy and Bob