To Wisconson and Back Again

Last week we had an opportunity to travel to Wisconsin.   The Metz girls were throwing a surprise birthday party for Mrs. Metz, and Mother, Faith and I were delighted to be able to attend.  So we set out Monday evening stopping for the night at a charming Inn located in Porter Indiana.  If you ever are over that way (at the bottom of lake Michigan) we highly recommend "The Spring House Inn".  The Inn is made in the Swiss chalet style, and is set in a peaceful wooded area. 

The next morning we awoke and began the second leg of our journey.  We traveled through the flat lands of Illinois, and the "wonderful" experience of toll roads (The payment points are often, and the rest stops, or oasis's, are few and far between!).

Then we made it to Wisconsin, (Goodbye Toll Roads;)and took a quick stop at the Wisconsin welcome center.

This is where we were...

and this is where we were going.  Practically all the way across the state.

So we jumped back into our faithful Buick and continued on our journey.  God had blessed us with a beautiful day; the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shone brightly lighting up the ever changing landscape.

As we got closer to our destination the lay of the land changed and ever growing hills seemed to arise out of the plains.

Here and there the roads sliced through such mountains (at least they looked like mountain to us Michiganders) revealing jagged rocks and sand layers.

There were many little ranches and large farms set at the foot of the hills, many of which we admired photographed and sighed over;)  One farm had its name painted boldly on the side of a small barn; Almosta.  Almosta Farm:)

We passed many quaint country churches surrounded by corn fields, and finally turned on their road.  Because it was a SURPRISE party we parked in the parking lot of a church a 1/4 mile down the road.

The house was already full of laughing voices and cheerful bustling activity.  Tea was being made, bread cut, desserts displayed, and decorations hung and scattered around. 

We soon received the call from Mr. Metz that Mrs. Metz was on her way.  Quickly everyone crowded into the kitchen and squeezed as far away from the windows as possible.

Despite several Ladies telling Mrs. Metz that they couldn't come to her party (I guess they missed the Surprise part;) she  had no idea of the party being on this particular day, and was entirely astonished and pleasantly shocked.

After Mrs. Metz had recovered from her surprise and had greeted everyone in turn, Elizabeth managed to gather everyone into the living room, for prayer and then tea.

There was an astonishing variety of beautiful, and dainty teacups; enough for everyone, and plenty of delicious and dainty foods.

Once the luncheon was over we played a few games, one being a questionnaire on how well you know Mrs. Metz!

The games over, we squeezed into the living room for the opening of gifts.

There was plenty of laughter and stories and thank yous over each and every gift.

The girls stood after all the presents had been opened, and proceded to sing a beautiful birthday song that they had written for their mother.   After their tribute was finished, we all raised our voices in praise to our Creator, whoever had a hymn book would name a hymn and the number and so it went for the rest of the party. 

As the sun sank lower, the guests all left, except us, as the Metz were kind enough to have us spend the night.

Faith and I were treated to a new experience while at the Metz - that of butchering a goat!  It was quite an educational sight, and Faith is sure now that she could butcher a goat herself if ever called upon to do so:)

The next morning we rose early to help with chores and see the farm in the daylight before we had to head homewards.

The sun had just recently peeked over the hills, as we marched out to the barn to milk the goats.

The Metz have a "slightly" larger farm operation than us, and Faith and I enjoyed helping them milk a couple of their row of goats.

When the chores were finished the girls took us up to the hay loft of the barn.  The Metz grow and cut their own hay, and the loft was filled with stacks and stacks of bales.  We finished our tour of the farm and rather reluctantly began packing.  We left amid waves and hugs, and began to retrace our steps (or the road) to Michigan.

We passed back over the Wisconsin river, as we drove towards Madison, but after Madison we changed our plans, and decided that since it was midday, we would drive through Chicago!

So through Chicago we went, the skyline rising before us, majestic and solid.

We took the Chicago skyway, which rose above the city and passed right by Lake Michigan.

It was the first time Faith or I had seen the Lake from this side:)

Soon we saw the sign welcoming us to our home state, and we settled in for the last leg of our journey.

God blessed us with a beautiful sun bow which shone in the sky as the sun set, a beautiful reminder of the beauty of our Creator.  It was a wonderful trip, and we were very happy to be able to see our new friends again.  Thank you for your hospitality Metz family, may God bless you!

~Chs

A Smelly Story

God's amazing creatures come in all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes.... and smells.

A week or two ago we were "fortunate" enough (okay well maybe fortunate is not quite the right word:) to run into one of God's more, umm, shall we say, scented little mammals.  You see, Josiah had set out a couple of live traps when he had his meat chickens out in the meadow, and one morning we were eating breakfast and noticed an unidentified object stuck in one of Josiah's traps.  Josiah and Dad headed out, ready to dispatch the troublesome animal, but soon had to call for reinforcements.  It was a skunk!!

Armed with my camera (to document the story) and a pitchfork (to help open the trap) I trotted off to assist in the stinky rescue.  After many futile attempts, and amid the stomping of the little fellows feet, we managed to open and prop up the front door.  Problem solved right?!  Wrong.  He wouldn't leave.  We tried to persuade him out (picture three adults calling and whistling to a skunk as if it was a disobedient puppy) and we tried to intimidate him out.  It was during one of these maneuvers when he released his back up plan.  Dad and I were South of him, Josiah was North of him, and the wind.... You guessed it, was coming from the North right towards Dad and I!  Wow! He certainly was equipped with a very powerful defense system.

When the smell had died down a bit we began our rescue efforts again.  We just about had the back door open, when.... He walked out!!  Just like that - he waddled his way to freedom.  Suddenly, to our rising horror, he turned, looked at us, then ignoring our shouts and pleading cries of "No NO! Don't go back, PLEASE!!!!" he proceeded to reenter his happy little home, also known as our trap.

Uhuh.  Pitiful isn't it.  So we left him there.  He wasn't going to come out if he didn't want to anyways, so after wasting an hour or so of our morning (besides the adorable pictures of course:) we finally did what he wanted us to do.  We left him to his own devices with both doors open just in case he ever decided to go in search of a more suitable abode.  And he did, but not until lunch time, and of course he left in secret silence, not even saying goodbye or leaving a thank you note. 

So much for the gratitude of animals.

~Chs

Just a little bit of Snow

(I apologize for the how long it has taken for these photos to appear.  Mumsie, Faith and I just returned from a trip which will be one of the posts forth coming.  But the pictures are still relevant as it snowed again today and Josiah made an even bigger snowman!)

 Here at last are the promised pictures of the little bit of snow that we received on Friday.

 Sadie Rose wasnt quite sure what to do with the snowflakes as they floated down around her, but once they landed she decided that they were perfectly harmless and quite edible!:)

 

At first, on Thursday afternoon, the snow came down in big fluffy flakes.

 

Falling silently to the ground where they quickly melted, as it was not cold enough for any to "stick".

 

 The next morning, however, we found that during the colder night hours it had continued to snow, and now the deck and all other wooden surfaces were coated with a fine dusting of pelleted snow.

As soon as I was done with chores that morning I went up on the deck and preceded to attempt to make a snowman.  It was a bit difficult since Sadie had decided that she loved snow, and would gobble up any snowballs left unattended.  Josiah soon joined me, and was determined to make a snowman bigger than my baby 8" tall creature.  The sparrows watched and commented while Josiah went to the fort to collect enough snow for his last ball.

The completed snowman was indeed larger than mine and managed to stay intact all day long, despite the warm sun and air.  We are very thankful for our taste of winter a little ahead of time, though Josiah says, "I won't be satisfied until I can shovel it!"  ;)

~Chs

SNOW!!!

This morning we woke up to one of the miracles of God's ever changing world.

Snow

Yesterday (when Mumsie, Faith and I were at the Pregnancy center where we volunteer) large fluffy flakes began to cascade from the gray sky, turning the world, as we saw it, into one giant beautiful snow globe.  One thing I have noticed about snow, is how silent it is.  Just try walking down your driveway/road during the next snow.  Everything is muffled and dim.  Soft, and gentle.

Peaceful

While I did not have my camera with me when I was marveling at this winter's first snow flakes, Charity (back home) did! So I will be sure to post her pictures later, as well as some photos I captured this morning, as Sadie Josiah and I played in the dusting of snow left behind last night.  I will ever marvel at God's changing seasons, and the joy and wonder each brings.  I am ever grateful for snow, a

Miracle

~Chs

  

The Crime and the Detective

 We awoke one morning to find a crucial part of our establishment missing.  Namely our mailbox.  It had been brutally buffeted and flung off its place of prestige upon the solid metal post placed there for the sole purpose of holding the mail box.  So ferocious was the assault that the post itself was dug out of the ground, substantially bent, and was found laying flat upon the grass in disgrace.

 The situation was so grave that we called in a professional from Dewey's detective agency. (aka Josiah)

Mr. J.T scoured the premises and came into the kitchen an hour or so later with an arm full of car parts.  Ahah!!  We now have a suspect.

Mr. J.T used his detective skills to piece together the miscellaneous articles of plastic, metal and glass.

One cup of hot carob and 50 some minutes later, Mr. J.T had come to a conclusion.

His hypothesis ran thusly:  "Someone in a large vehicle of Truck relations, probably in the color black, fell asleep at the wheel and gradually drifted off the road.  This person was rudely awakened by a crunching sound and the unforgettable feeling of the vehicle hitting a resisting inanimate object.  The Truck most probably side swiped our mailbox, leaving it's right rear view mirror and pieces of its bumper behind as proof."

So ran Mr. J.T's reading of our problem.

Being the helpful and multipurpose person that he is, Mr. J.T (Josiah) then proceeded to assist in the installation of a new mailbox in place of the battered metal that once stood across from our driveway.  Thus concluded the case of "The missing mailbox".

~Chs

PS. If anyone happens to come across a Black Truck with a missing right rear view mirror, would you please inform the owner that we found their missing vehicle parts;)