Grafted In

Our friend, Mr. W was gracious enough to show us a wonderful homesteader's skill- how to graft scions onto rootstock. He has been grafting for several years and had a lot of experience to share. Of course, our entire family got an excellent lesson in botany!

Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Romans 11:19

After the cambium layers are matched, they are secured and protected from the elements until the two become one. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. Psalm 3:3
All exposed pieces are covered with grafting wax to keep out pests, bacteria, and anything harmful to the newly connected branches.

Covered and protected with plastic as well as paper, the joining process is ready to take place without outside interference.

After several days of waiting, new growth appears! The branch has been successfully grafted in!

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Romans 11:17

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. W for your hospitality and sharing your knowledge and skills!

Hamilton County HEA Lincoln Bicentennial Program

Happy 200th Birthday, President Lincoln!! We were blessed to be able to share with the gracious ladies from the Hamilton County Homemakers. We sang, played, quoted, and shared a little historical music with the group that had gathered.

Thank you, ladies for allowing us the opportunity!

From Our Table to Yours!

The latest issue of the Prairie Proclamation has hit the US mail! They are currently traveling across this nation and will arrive soon in your mailbox! Hope you enjoy reading. You can find subscription or renewal information here.


Of course, we had to engage in a little creative diversion after adding the postage!

Kits According to Their Kinds

"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind. . . .and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Kits come in a variety of styles and sizes, but each one is according to its kind. Rabbits, Weasels, Cats, Woodchucks, Skunks, Beavers, Bobcats, Muskrat, Rats, Foxes, Badgers, Ferrets, Mice, and Squirrels all have offspring called kits or kittens.

Here are a couple of the kinds of precious domestic kits born on Providence Prairie. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." Genesis 1:31

Lots of Hands on Learning

We had been planning a trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky for some time. A group from DCC decided on a date that each family could attend and it was a go!


The day before we left, we decided to accompany Mark on a business trip to St. Louis. While he was engaged in a meeting, we traveled to the Science Center and had a great time re-acquainting ourselves with all there was to see, do and learn. This meteorite survived the earth's atmosphere and allowed a little "hands-on" learning!

That evening, we hurriedly packed for our trip to Kentucky.
We enjoyed a 3 day, 2 night camping excursion at General Butler State Resort Park. The flagstone encircled scenic overlook at the peak of the park showed us the mighty Ohio River as it turned the bend at Carrollton.

There was so much to see at the Creation Museum!

The exhibits were outstanding and the history of our world beginning with Genesis was superbly presented.
Dinosaurs could be seen up close and personal!

We enjoyed several video presentations and visited the planetarium. There, we experienced a trip into the outer realms of our galaxy. After a nice lunch, we exited the facility to meander through the botanical gardens and petting zoo. But first, we crossed the swinging bridge! What fun!

There were zonkeys, zorses, and a variety of barnyard animals; a kangaroo in honor of Australia, the founder, Ken Ham's native home; and there was an especially gracious camel that posed nicely for our photographs.
The rain set in on Sunday morning and we broke camp among the drizzle. We attended Southeast Christian church in Louisville and worshiped with the 20,000 others who had gathered for the early service.

It was a good weekend.

A Day Among the Giants

"There were giants in the earth in those days. . . " Genesis 6:4

On a recent lovely Saturday afternoon, we journeyed to Giant City State Park for a hike through the grand boulders and rock formations. While we have visited this picturesque wonderland may times over, we continue to find it a pleasing site to frequent. The huge rocks and boulders have a story to relate, while the flora and fauna speak a message of their own. It appeared that many others had the same idea on this exceptionally nice and sunny day before Resurrection Sunday. Picnics were taking place throughout the state park and families were enjoying each others' company.
Along one trail, a friendly zebra swallowtail paused to share its glory.

The fern fiddle heads were in their prime, preparing for their attractive summer fronds to unfurl.

This bowing beauty appeared to be bellwort or merrybells, commonly called wild oats, that will show their characteristic seed toward autumn.

The Dutchman's breeches were hung out to dry. We thought they were a little small to fit any "giants" in the area!

The red trillium was blooming all around. "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27

And Jack was in his pulpit, preparing to spread the Good News to all who passed by.

***

"As I love nature, as I love singing birds, and gleaming stubble, and flowing rivers, and morning and evening, and summer and winter, I love thee my friend." ~Unknown

Sunday Afternoon Sights

While perusing the woods for mushrooms, we happened upon a few other interesting sights.

Of course Maggie would not miss the opportunity for an excursion in the woods! So much to smell, so many new sights, so much to do!

The water was still up from the rains yesterday and the Story Well was full of water and bubbling over.

We ran across two western box turtles as well as an eastern one. Do you know the difference? This particular fellow was a friendly chap as he did not mind being handled. The next one we came to was approximately fifteen years old and very shy (or wise) as he closed himself inside his mobile home.

Mushrooms!

It's that time of year again! Yeah!!!

More Babies!

We have had many new babies, but have taken the time to share only a few of their pictures. We have had a very successful season.

Fun at WMCL

The Cuz', also known to Southern Illinois listeners as Cuzin Eddie invited our family to join him on the Cuzin Eddie Show for a time of fun and singing. When we arrived that Tuesday morning, we were greeted by the familiar face of Edna. We caught up on the latest news with her before tuning our instruments and heading to the studio. It was nice visiting on the air with the Cuz' about old times and having a good time singing. We sang, reminisced, and even did some live production for all to hear. What fun!