Kick-Off for County Board

It happens to be that time of year again. County Board campaigning time! It doesn't seem like Mark has served in office for four years already, but it is so, and time to re-run. We kicked off the fall campaign with a float in our local Fall Festival Parade. It was the largest parade that we have seen in McLeansboro and there was a sea of people around the square. We had pencils and a huge tub of candy, but strangely the pencils were more popular than the candy- even among the kids! We had several friends join us on our float and we had a fun, exciting time. Good luck Mark on November 4!

DCC Church Work-Day

Dale Christian church is growing, and parking space was becoming premium. A very kind neighbor was willing to sell some land, and graciously donated it to our congregation! What a wonderful blessing! One Saturday morning and afternoon was spent clearing the old fence line and cutting some trees. Many showed up to help with the work. We enjoyed a fish fry to follow- thanks to Chris and Glenna! God is doing great things at Dale Christian church, and we pray that He will continue to bless our efforts to serve Him!

Baling Hay

Late this year, we were able to experiment with baling hay for the first time on Providence Prairie. We had recently purchased a hay rake, a baler, and a cutter. What fun we had trying to perfect the process. It had been years since Mark had helped his dad cut and bale hay. Thanks to a kind neighbor who helped diagnose the difficulty, we were able to glean a good number of bales from our improving pastures!

Donoho Prairie Christian Church Homecoming

On Sunday, August 24, we were blessed with the opportunity to share in music with the Donoho Prairie congregation. Their theme was Tradition in Progress and we shared with them a variety of musical styles to complement their theme, while taking them on a trip through music history. Thank you to all of our brothers and sisters at Donoho Christian church for their hospitality!

Pike Lake Perusings

We had a good time with family at our annual camping get together in late August- this year at Pike Lake to save all of those big Ohio campers and trucks gas expense! Thanks Mark R. for the contribution!We swam, visited, discovered many interesting critters in the creek behind the campsites and had lots of delicious food! One of the highlights of the trip was the Campfire Exodus 8:2 Adventure. (Although I don't think those in Egypt were of the singing sort!)

Singing Frogs!!! Can you guess which belongs to whom?

Hand cranked homemade ice cream is always a tradition! Our ice cream recipe comes from Mark's great grandma! When you work for your food (or crank), it is very rewarding!

Beach games were invented and re-invented as we consulted an old game book we had brought along for the event. We found shells and more shells as we perused the beach.

After a worship service at the campsite, we said our goodbyes. Although sad to leave good company, it was time to head back to Providence Prairie.

Clair's Visit

On our way back from Ohio, we picked up Clair- a friend of ours- to come for a visit to Providence Prairie. We had a great trip back and were very excited to arrive at our farm. The next morning, we awoke and set to the many exciting things we had planned. Poor Clair had an eye infection for part of the time, and we laughed and were amused at the various home remedies we tried. She said that the baking soda rinse helped the most! We skirted wool to prepare it for washing, and gathered natural dye-stuff to dye some yarn that we had made previously. We harvested goldenrod, bark, and walnuts.

Amanda taught Rachel and Clair how to make cornhusk dolls. It took them a few hours to complete them, but it was worth it in the end with the beautiful outcome.

We swam almost every day and enjoyed riding the zip-line and jumping off of the end of the dock.

We daily visited the animals and enjoyed teaching Clair how to move the electric netting fence. She is a real worker!

Rhonda gave her a crash course in piano, and now Clair is diligently practicing at her own home!

We were sad to have to take Clair back home as she grew into part of our big family! We love you Clair!