April Showers

"Rain is Grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain there would be no life." ~John Updike 

"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world" ~Virgil A. Kraft

 "There are not many things as relaxing and meditative as a Spring shower."

 "The front door to springtime is a photographer's best friend" ~Terri Guillements

~Chs

Abounding with Baby Fowl: Part 1

It has begun - the chick explosion at Lily Spring Farm.  It started with an incubator full of eggs from our various flocks.  

On April 18th, they began to hatch, and kept us in excited anticipation for the next couple days.

The second chick to hatch, still brand new and floppy.

{A collection of chicks}

The very first chick hatched was a beautiful Blue Barred Rock.

{Sadie and her babies}

Aimee's little baby with the first of the daffodils.

Spring time! :)

{Just daffy! :) }

Some of the chicks we hatched went out to Winona who had just happened to go broody at the right time!  Now she is a happy clucking mother running about with a passel of chicks.

So, there is the start to our spring chick adventures... much, much more to come! 

~Chs

"Sprinter" The Meshing of Seasons

The change in-between two drastic seasons have come to be my favorite times of year.  Both Spring and Fall hold that mystery, that tantalizing shifting, not only of temperature, but of the whole atmosphere, and I am so glad that God ordained these delightful gentle changes in our year.  But, I must admit that sometimes the transformation isn't quite as smooth as I (in my "all knowing" finite wisdom..) would like.  This past week would be a prime example.  The air was almost sultry on Sunday, reaching the mid 70s and we enjoyed it immensely, spending the afternoon after church services outside as much as possible enjoying God's marvelous creation. Monday, while a little cooler and less brilliant, brought the joy of seeing my darling daffodils bloom!  Each new spring flower brings their own distinct joy after the bareness of winter, and these golden, laughing, sprightly beings are one of my favorites!

But upon hearing the weather forecast for that night and the next few days I worried for the survival of  my cheerful sunny blooms.  So I snipped off the ones already opened, who ran the greatest risk of danger to their exposed delicate petals, and in so doing brought some of the joy indoor for our enjoyment!

Sure enough the next morning we woke up to a white blanket.  Faith exclaimed that it was funny how fast you forgot what snow looked like! :)

With the right attitude you could almost say the snow was pretty.  I mean we thought it was downright lovely back in November, why should we be so fickle as to have such harsh thoughts of it a few months down the road?

 Inside my rescued Daffodils smiled at us next to our glass chicken, singing a "cheer-up!" at anyone who gave them a glance.  Outdoors, their friends were not quite as fortunate, but something of the cheery, brave disposition still remained.

"This won't last" the little buds seemed to proclaim, "Why there is an April snow nearly every year; it's refreshing!"  And one nodding golden-green bud sang out "The sun will come out tomorrow!"

Well, sure enough they were right!  Because today, is tomorrow (please don't think about that one too long) and the sun is indeed out, and the flowers are welcoming it with happy smiles.  

You know, I read once that as children of the King we should always wear smiles, because we know how things are going to end, and know that the trials (big and little) in our lives, are not the ending, but rather a step towards it.  I think that we should translate the big picture down to our little bit of "Sprinter" and be happy and grateful, knowing that, as God is in control and plans the seasons, a bit of snow and cold isn't the end of the world, and we should smile through it, always knowing the sun is still shining just above that bank of foreboding clouds.

~Chs

The Big Finale

 So the syrup season is officially over.  We were blessed to be able to make a little over 10 gallons of syrup, so we celebrated by having some of our good friends over for a pancake dinner, featuring our syrup!

Delightful fresh fruit-salad to accompany.  

Blueberry Pancakes, 

Waffles... :) 

Love this family!

 :)

Yummy!! 

 Everything was delicious, and we had a blast catching up and chatting with everyone.

Afterwards the "grown-ups" talked while us "younger ones" played.  It was a beautiful evening, just beginning to get a bit chilly. 

We daily have so many things to be grateful to our Heavenly Father.  A couple of things right now, are maple syrup, and wonderful Christian friends!

~Chs

Benjamin Bunny Poses

He was rather overly attracted by the crocuses, but I managed to get a few shots before he had to be whisked away to avoid damage to the flowers. :)

~Chs

The Banquet

Every year we are blessed to be able to attend the Lapeer Pregnancy Center's annual fundraiser banquet.  As always, it is a time of wonderful fellowship, good food, lovely music, and informative speakers.  Here are some pictures from our time there this Tuesday.

{Adorable Table Settings}

{Friends} 

{Delicious food} 

{Donna Leuck, the executive director}

 {James Muffet, Founder & President of Student Statesmanship Institute, was the speaker}

As usual, we were reminded of the sanctity of life, even in the womb, and our duty to share the story of those who were preserved from abortion and how different life would have been without them.  It was a great night with many donations given through the silent auction.

~Chs

Tangible Joy

The crocuses have blossomed, and they are drops of laughter,

Little cups of sunshine,

Tangible Joy.

And I love them very much.

A Sweet Ending Story

Maple Syrup production is in full swing, but a lot went into getting to the point where we can enjoy the sweetness whenever we so desire (which is rather often to be honest).  First was the building of the sugar shack, on some of the coldest and nastiest days of course.  Josiah built it with pallets, filling in the gaps with extra wood to create nice solid walls.  He topped it off with a metal roof, complete with a sophisticated vent to let the steam escape.  Next they had to set up their brand new, truly real, evaporator.  Very shiny, fancy, and efficient.

We were able to procure a large supply of buckets and spiles from an elderly friend of ours who has been making syrup for decades. As soon as the weather had reached the appropriate height, out went the buckets to capture the dripping sap.

Once 40 gallons had been collected, we started the boiling-down process.  Josiah is our master maple syrup maker.  He babies the fire, watches the boiling, decides when to draw off, and when to put in; in short, he makes sure everything runs smoothly.

The magnificent structure.

So if anyone is interest in Pure Maple Syrup, we have it here! :)  And for those of you who are interested in knowing the behind the scenes, Josiah is going to be boiling for the next 2 days at least, and would be happy to tell you anything you want to know!

~Chs