Extending the Deck

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, while the girls were at Natasha’s wedding shower, we boys went to town and got some wooden posts.   We have been wanting to build onto the back porch for some time, and we bought these to use get that project started.

We got to work measuring and digging holes for the posts to go in. Each hole needed to be 32 inches deep, and around 15 inches wide so we would have plenty of room to adjust them once they were in the ground. 

When the first hole we dug was finished, we poured in half a bag of concrete, then lowered in the post. After making some final adjustments, we put the rest of the concrete in the hole then filled it in. While one person held the post in place, the others filled in the hole with dirt and tamped it down. Once a post was set, we started on another. We kept digging until dark, then picked up our tools and went inside.  

The next day after church, Mom and Dad went to Lowe’s to get some decking for the floor of the porch! On Monday, we finished setting all the posts, but just before we could do anything else, it started to rain!  We picked up all the tools we had out, then went inside. We didn’t work on the deck anymore Monday.  

So, we know what the next step is! But we don’t know when it is. Maybe it’s today!

~Samuel

Built to Last

About two years ago I was walking on the porch getting ready to go swimming when I saw a bird fly to the top of the back door. I was thinking that it might have a nest somewhere close by. I looked and saw the nest sitting on the frame of the door. I was excited to see the nest there and I ran in to tell everyone about it. Mama told me that it was a phoebe nest.

I started watching it. The Eastern Phoebe is a flycatcher. It eats grasshoppers, wasps, and any kind of insect. They have short and thin bills which helps them to catch their food. They like to live under bridges and on ledges. I think that is why our phoebe built its nest on the frame of our back door. I watched them land on the tree by the birdfeeder. The phoebe twitches its tail while it sits. I could hear its song. Its song is “fee-bee, fee-bee.” That is where it got its name.

A couple of weeks later, Samuel came running in to tell us that there was a snake trying to get the baby birds! We all raced out to get the snake away from the chicks. There we saw the snake getting closer to the nest. Mama grabbed a broom and tried to flick it off. The snake went into a hole in the house! The baby birds were saved, but it was frightening to think that the snake was in the wall! Soon the baby birds were grown and ready to fly away. One morning they were gone.

It is fall, so the phoebe has already gone south because it is almost winter. They don’t want to be here when it is cold, and the bugs are hibernating. Today, when I go out on the porch, I see the same nest as strong as ever over the back door. Unlike most other birds, phoebes reuse their nests. I don’t know how they did it, but the phoebes built it to last. I wonder if they’ll come back next year.

About sixteen days later Mr. and Mrs. Phoebe started bringing bugs for the three baby birds that had hatched in the nest. It was exciting to watch them feed their family. Phoebes can have up to two litters of hatchlings per year.

~Isaac

Making Our Ball Field

About two weeks ago, I asked Dad if I could mow a spot in the bottom of the field to make a place to play baseball and he said yes! We marked where all the bases were going to go, then I mowed. I had made cardboard bases out of pizza box lids. They were good but they got a little bent up and moved everywhere when you ran around the diamond.

After I got the mowing done, we started working on the seats. We wanted to make the seats for anyone who did not want to play and for whoever wanted to take a break. To make the seats, we took two little logs and laid them on the ground, then we found one big log and laid them on the two little ones. The seats are long enough to hold about five people.

That same day we made the ball field, Ryan, and Amanda and all the kids came to spend a couple of days with us. After they unloaded their things from the van, we went down to show them the field. While we were down at the field, we played a little ball game. We had lots of fun playing. About every day after we made the ball field, we went down to play baseball.

While Ryan and Amanda were here, a box came in the mail and Mom called us in to open it. We opened it and it was bases! Mama got them for a surprise for us! We were all excited! We took them down to the ball field to try them out. The bases worked very well; they did not slide around when you ran on them. We all had fun playing baseball on our new ball field.

 

Draw It Again

In the past few days, I have been enjoying drawing. It is a good activity to do. I like to draw horses they are fun to draw.

We have the Complete Book of Drawing. It has a bunch of pictures in it. I like that book, it is amazing! I tried to draw a unicorn, but it did not turn out. Now I just draw regular horses.

I can also draw people. They are a lot harder than drawing stick people. For now, I just draw heads. I want to get so good at drawing that it looks really good.

Since it’s fall, I decided to draw a pumpkin. I learned how to draw the shadow and the lines on it. For the side, I try to draw leaves. Sometimes it does not turn out well, so instead I draw just a brown stem.

I enjoy just drawing with a regular pencil. It is fun and simple. You have to push harder to make your picture darker or lighter as you want. I like to color and draw. You can use ink, charcoal, crayons, or chalk to draw. Before the United States was here, the color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton.

One time I took a picture and then looked at the picture to draw it. That was entertaining and interesting. That’s what I do for my nature journal. I go outside and find something appealing and sit down to draw it. But there are a few things I cannot draw very well. That is the ocean and big rocks. Those are kind of hard because I can’t get the shape right.

I like to watch Mom draw pictures. She is an amazing artist. Jayla and Halayah are incredible too. I want to get as good as them. I practice all the time so I can become as accomplished as them. Mom said that I am becoming a skilled drawer. I keep the practice up every day.

~Unique

Harvest Time

 

The time of harvest has come.  Here in southern Illinois at this time of year, pretty much anywhere you go, you see a dusty cloud of a bean harvester, a grain truck being filled with corn, or trucks and tractors on the roads.  Everywhere you look, harvest is there.

Our corn, as well as many of the surrounding fields have been harvested.  We had the privilege of riding in the combine during part of the harvest.  The view from the cab is quite different from that of which we see from the road.  It was a great experience.  It was exciting to watch the grain pouring into, and filling up, the back of the combine.  I’m sure it is very rewarding to the farmer as well.

Over the course of the year, we were able to see first, the ground being prepared, as it has not been farmed for twenty or so years.  It was plowed and disced and limed.  Then it was planted, and we were all so happy to see the first few sprouts pop up their heads just about two weeks later.  The corn grew taller as the days wore on.  We waved at the crop duster, and he waved at us. Before we knew it, the corn slowly faded from green to brown.  Now harvest is here, and we were kindly offered a ride in the combine.   

Seasons change, times come and go, and the Lord reigns over all.  The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes 3:1 1-8:

“There is an appointed time for everything. 

 And there is a time for every event under heaven-

A time to give birth and a time to die; 

a time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal; 

a time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; 

a time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather them; 

a time to embrace and a time to refrain.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

 a time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; 

a time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate; 

a time for war and a time for peace.”

~Jayla

The "Mys-tree"

It was a beautiful August day, the pale blue sky overhead was tinged in the east with orange and yellow, signs of the rising sun. The ground felt cool under my bare feet as I walked back through the woods toward the house, just finished with the feeding. Suddenly laying there in front of me I spotted something green and round. Picking it up, I found it hard and cold, with textured green skin. Although it looked, felt and even smelled very much like an apple, could it really be one? As far as I knew, we shouldn’t have a fruit tree here. Scrutinizing the area, I found two more of the puzzling prizes. If they were truly apples, where was the tree?

Looking up between the abundant oaks and hickories, I at length noticed the tall and slender tree growing into a half archway. Its thick branches were loaded with loads of the tiny green fruit. Almost convinced, I excitedly raced to the house to show Mama my surprising discovery.

She agreed that they were actually apples and was surprised when I told her they came from a tree down in the cow-pen! It wasn’t long before everyone hustled down to see the “mys-tree.” Even the lowest fruit-filled branches were much too high for any of us to reach. With a diameter of a foot and a half, shaking the tree barely budged it, even with several of us jarring the trunk. Samuel tried to climb it, but the long slippery trunk made it difficult. After several varying attempts, a few small, downed apples allowed everyone to enjoy the fresh taste of the fruit. We all shared the excitement of the find and wondered how we had never seen it before.

Isaac and I enjoyed our “mys-tree,” very much. Every morning when we did the feeding, we stopped and retrieved two apples, eating them leisurely as we continued checking the cow fence. Later all of us kids went down to get apples. The older ones climbed the stepladder and used the picker, while the younger ones stood down below and caught what we dropped down. What an enjoyable time! The apples are now turning red on the tree as the weather becomes cooler. Fall time has truly arrived.

None of us knows how our “mys-tree” came to be in what is now part of our cow pen. Perhaps years ago, one of my older siblings threw down an apple core and by one little seed taking root and growing, blessed us with this fruitage. When Isaac and I were finished eating our apples, we threw our cores far into the woods, in all different directions. We are hoping that one little seed takes root and grows, and then, just maybe, years from now, someone might walk through our woods, and once again find their own, “mys-tree.”

~Halayah

He Never Promised Me a Rose Garden

We have had a struggle finding something that would thrive in the beds in front of our garden fence. After we created an adorable arbor leading into the garden, the entrance left the beds on either side wanting.

Herbs were our first attempt to no avail. The chickens scratched them out. If any survived that catastrophe, then the dry southern Illinois summer finished them off.  We moved the herbs to the opposite side of the fence in what will be an eventual herb garden. They appear to like it better there.

 Our next venture was to plant strawberries in the spot. Identical results. After a couple of seasons of growing, we found only two runners surviving in that oppressive location. We transplanted those safely into a garden box where they multiplied.  The multitude of plants now await transfer to their new dedicated rows in the garden.

I concluded that perhaps we should simply plant marigolds or bushes in the challenging location.  After much speculation, we decided to try Mark’s suggestion of filling it with roses. I was doubtful. We planted a dozen Knockout roses in front of the garden in May of 2020. Frankly, I was apprehensive that the expenditure would be for naught once the foliage withered and died. That is a tidy sum of funds to invest in some plants that may simply be scratched out! Happily, I had to eat crow, as the roses are not only surviving, but thriving and are nothing less than amazing! 

We've appreciated abundant bouquets for the table. We are mesmerized by the pretty morning landscape with morning glories cascading from the arbor and roses ornamenting each side. We've gathered nosegays to delight others. We’ve harvested profuse amounts of petals for drying. Our charming rose garden is thriving!

It's been a little over a year since planting the flowers, and we snicker about how Mark "never promised me a rose garden." Rather than bringing home a dozen roses from the florist to delight in for a few short days, he created an entire rose garden to treasure for entire seasons and years to come. I am truly blessed.

The Return of the Bouncer

Around twenty years ago we purchased a trampoline for our children to reward them for some hard work performed on our farm here on Providence Prairie. I can still see Trey, Amanda and Rachel springing high into the sky doing stunts and bounding with laughter. The highest trampoline bounce ever recorded launched a man 22 feet in the air. Thankfully, their double bounces didn’t quite launch their companion that high! As time went on, the newness wore off as other avenues of life filled their time and the trampoline fell into disrepair.

When God blessed us with additional children, the trampoline once again became a point of interest and excitement. Statistically, trampolines are safer than you think, and they improve coordination, range of motion, and balance. As jumping shifts your center of gravity, it requires you to coordinate your landing so as not to lose your balance. NASA was said to have used trampolines to train future astronauts, since it helped them to get used to the constant bouncing on zero gravity flights. Time and frequent bouncing resumed the device’s inevitable demise, as one leg then another broke off the frame. Safety concerns made it unusable.

When the children recently spent time visiting with Ryan and Amanda for a few days, Rhonda and I were able to surprise the kids by moving the trampoline to the playground. I made the necessary welds to restore the bouncer to its old self. Boy, were they surprised!

I believe that the joy of bouncing has returned to Providence Prairie!

~Mark

Spoiled Dinner!

About a year ago, I went outside to play with Willow our dog, and I saw all the chickens running scared into the chicken house. I went down to check and see why the chickens where so afraid. When I got down to the chicken house, I looked around and saw nothing right away.

I was about to turn around and go back to the house, when I saw a red-tailed hawk fly from the ground in the orchard. Red-tailed hawks are common throughout Illinois and especially here at Providence Prairie. A hawk can fly at a speed of 45 mph. Then I knew why the chickens were so scared! I ran down to the bottom of the orchard, and there lying on the ground was one of our white roosters, dead. Hawks eat snakes, birds, mammals, lizards, and chickens. I thought he must have been out hunting and decided to have our white rooster for dinner!

I think red-tailed is one of the prettiest hawks. It has a cream-colored chest and a dark-red tail. A red-tailed hawk can weigh up to four pounds and can grow a wingspan to 25 inches.  That is almost two feet long!  I really like the red-tailed hawk, even if they do get chickens. Without the hawk we would have a lot of mice getting into everything.   

~Jonah

A Mutt Named Pepper

Nearly a week ago while Mom and Dad were out jogging, they noticed a little dog on the side of the road! When the pup saw Mom and Dad, he ran off a little way then stopped and looked at them. Mom and Dad finished their jog, then walked back to the house. A few days later, on the way to a Preaching Rally, we all got to see the dog! It was black and small and looked like a puppy. We all felt sorry for the canine and were sad that it didn’t have a home.

The next day, when we got back from the Preaching Rally, Mom and Dad went on a jog again. When they got back, the little black puppy was with them! When it saw us, it came running up to us and licked us all over. Mom and Dad said we could keep it! After we all got to pet the new dog, we went in and got some milk for it. The pooch was so happy it didn’t drink the milk but kept licking us! After the milk was finally gone, we went down to the barn and gave it some dog food.

Willow, our original dog, was having a hard time dealing with another hound in the family and showed her dislike by growling whenever it got to close to her face. She has since become friends with the little puppy and plays with it a lot. She will still occasionally growl at it when it comes to food or beds, but they are getting along okay.

Whenever we went inside, the pup followed us! We caught it and took it back outside. It began to howl and paw the door! It was sad to hear it howl, but we were glad to know the puppy was missing us.

The next day, Sunday, when we all got up, we ran downstairs to see if the whelp was still there. When we went outside, the little puppy came running up to us! We all were so happy it decided to stay. When we kids were ready, we walked to church while Dad distracted the dog, so it wouldn’t follow us. When Mom and Dad arrived at church with the car a little later, there was the little puppy following them! We were shocked when we saw it and were surprised that it could keep up with the car! When Church started, we all went inside and took our seats. Halfway through the service, the little pooch began whining and pawing at the door! We all laughed a little at its interruption of our worship service.

When the church service was over, we took the little puppy back home and gave it a bath while Mom and Dad went into town to buy a dog collar! Arriving home, they showed us the bright red collar they had gotten and told us the dog’s new name! Since he was a boy, we named him Pepper! Pepper is a good name for the puppy because he is black and looks like pepper.

We all love Pepper and are glad he is happy living here on Providence Prairie. Even though Pepper came from along the road, we don’t think of him as just a mutt. We love him just the same.

~Samuel