Two For One

Two large orange Tupperware bowls have been employed in our kitchen for many years. We use them for a variety of chores: mixing, holding, bread rising, you name it. This noteworthy afternoon, Jayla put yeast rolls to rising in one of the sizeable handy bowls.

I attempt to take every opportunity to equip my children for the future, and this day was no exception. I explained to the girls that if you preheated the oven and turned it off, then sprayed the interior with a mist of water, it would make the perfect warm moist place for the yeast to do its job of multiplying and causing the bread to rise. Because it was out of our ordinary routine, Jayla was somewhat hesitant. I assured all parties involved, that they would be amazed. They indeed would wind up being just that!

Tucked away inside the environment of the dark oven, the dough worked its magic while we busied ourselves with various other tasks. I started in on putting together some tasty, spiced pecans with Unique. Halayah was occupied with other kitchen endeavors. Somebody automatically preheated the oven for some particularly delightful goodness to be deposited inside and baked.

Shortly, the most peculiar smell began to waft through the kitchen. Straightway, I remembered the roll dough that Jayla had stationed in the oven! Calamity and ruin! We swiftly removed the now fragile bowl with its even flimsier lid from the oven and took it directly out the back door. I carefully withdrew the lid, as a portion of it simultaneously dissolved upon itself. Hastily, we lifted the salvageable dough from the otherwise normal looking soft bowl and set it safely aside to finish its ascent. The bowl, we nudged back into a somewhat round-ish shape and left it on the railing of the deck to cool. As it cooled, it became more brittle and even cracked at the rim.

 

This Tupperware bowl remarkably continued to serve us acceptably for several months, maybe even years until I recently spotted its replacement at a local resale establishment. There, I spied not one, but two Tupperware bowls of the identical size! I could now replace the well-used orange bowl that we had sadly denigrated. 

We still retain the twin to the melty piece, and these two- a yellow bowl and a green bowl, joined our assembly. We were indeed blessed with two for one. We directly dispatched the abused bowl to be recycled into another useful item.

Items come into our possession and items leave our hands. There is a time and season for everything. Our bowl had lost its usefulness due to our carelessness. While it lasted, the old partly melty bowl stood as a sentinel to our mistake made. It humbly reminded us to check the oven before we preheated it, yet faithfully it still served while it could. Nevertheless, we do truly appreciate the assistance and versatility of the large Tupperware bowls that we employ almost daily in our kitchen. Two for one, our new bowls now ignite delight in our routine and make us smile!

~Rhonda

In the Woods Where It Belonged

Two days ago, I was going to the granary to check the trap that I set. I opened the door and was about to go in when I saw a raccoon! It was still very dark outside and darker yet inside the granary. I was excited! I ran to the house and told Jonah and Samuel. Then we went back down to the granary to see the expert thief.

Raccoons can live 2-3 years in the wild, and I thought that this sneaky mammal was about 1 year old. He had gotten into the feed from the back of the granary. The black masked and bushy tailed raccoon was staring at us with his cautious eyes. Raccoons are nocturnal and have very good sight, especially in the dark. They helped this bandit to see our granary. He wanted to eat our sweet feed, but he could also eat fish, birds’ eggs, fruits, nuts, plants, seeds, frogs, and crawdads.

We decided to chase this one back to the woods where it belonged. Getting the camera and a stick, I ran down to the granary with my brothers. I wanted to take pictures of the raccoon. We did not see him anywhere. I went to the back of the granary and there he was, climbing up with his forepaws like human hands. I tried to shoo him away, he would not budge. We finally persuaded him to come down.

When it came down from the granary wall, the raccoon attacked Willow, our dog, because he was scared. We tried to stop them, but the raccoon kept trying to get her. We finally were able to move the raccoon away from Willow.

He kept running into the same spot to hide and get away from us. Raccoons are very smart animals. Samuel got a live trap and set it in the spot where he kept on going to. Snap went the trap! The clever raccoon was caught.

We brought the little mischief maker up to show everyone. He was not very happy to be in the cage. After everyone got to see him, we took him back to the woods where he belonged. It was entertaining and exciting to observe the raccoon in the granary, to capture him in our trap, and to witness him run away from us into the woods.

~Isaac

Worth Doing Well

I just recently learned to yodel. First, I started with the simple short yodel that I practiced for long time. I learned from mom who helps me yodel too. She showed me a video by a yodeler named Beth Williams. Then I learned a piece called, “Cattle Call.” It was short too, but it was fun.

After I mastered those, Mom got me a yodeling song called, “Teach Me How to Yodel.” I sing that and play the simple chords with my ukulele. I can clog a little bit, and I have been trying to clog and yodel. These things are very hard and just don’t come to you so very fast.

I like to yodel a lot in our fields, or in the woods, and on one of our hay bales. One time I could hear my echo in the woods. It sounded wonderful when the sound wave bounced back to my ear. The earliest record of yodeling is in 1545. That is so incredible. Yodeling was used to call to cow herds. But more importantly, it was used to communicate from village to village and mountain to mountain in the central regions of Switzerland.

Sometimes I like to add a yodel in a song to make it sound different, but it takes me a day or two to fit the yodel in. I enjoy yodeling and I will never forget how to do it. It is a skill I want to keep for a long, long time.

This was just the beginning of my learning to yodel. I intend to get really good at it. It will take a lot of practice for me to get as good as I want to. Everything worth doing is worth doing well.

~Unique

When You Don’t Know What to Write

We’ve all done it before, sat in front of a blank screen or empty sheet of paper and wondered what to write when we have no idea what to write. Your fingers hover just above the keys ready to type down that idea the moment it comes, your pencil, sharpened to a deadly point, twirls idly in your hand waiting for that inspiration and…... nothing.

So, we take a deep breath, and start running through all those little files in our brain. There has to be something in all those millions upon millions of thoughts that traverse our brains each day. That’s what we think until after five to ten minutes of fruitless searching we go back to staring at our ineffective endeavor. If you are anything like me, by now I’ve run my fingers over the keys in a ridiculously fast rate, pretendingI’vegotastorythat’sgoodenoughforthefrontpageofthebestnewspaperinthecountry! Instead, what usually shows up is a bunch of gibberish.

Now, we’re starting to get a bit desperate, especially if there is any kind of deadline involved. We’re starting to panic, when we see that ant crawling across the floor with a crumb of the snack we had earlier, or suddenly notice that book which has been sitting beside us, or we realize we had never seen that scratch on the table top before. Or, if we’re writing on paper, now is when the doodles start appearing on the edges of our page. A little heart, a big heart, a few smiley faces, a few frowns, some stars, then a moon, and how about… you get the picture, we are officially distracted.

After our little friend ant has gone and returned with twenty of his friends, and we went, made and set that ant trap, or once we have read the first three chapters of the book, figure out how that scratch just did get there, or else totally ran out of room to doodle, we return to the task at hand. Suddenly we realize that we’ve been sitting here all this time and hadn’t once thought of playing around with the hundreds of different fonts available to us! KINDS OF LETTERS WITH SO MANY CURLS AND LOOPS IT ‘S HARD TO READ WHAT IT REALLY SAYS. Big bold letters, wispy thin ones, FONTS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY COULD BE ANOTHER LANGUAGE, Others that appear to have come straight from some ancient tome. We could go on and on.

Then, at about the point where we are ready to give up, it happens! That idea comes back to us, that spark of inspiration we’ve been waiting for sets our mind on fire! We did it! Our itching fingers type down legible words, our pencils, blunted by use for all those doodles, now makes out those thoughts we knew we had stored away somewhere in that great big filing cabinet inside. After all that time and waiting, now this! We could do all that, or… we could have had a blast writing up a piece about not knowing what to write about. I did; Eureka!

~Halayah

For the Love Of Leisure Suits

Christmas 1977

I remember well the very “cool” days of the leisure suit from the 1970’s. Turning thirteen in 1976 put me at the heart of the leisure suit fashion trend and my mom made sure I was in style! 

Christmas 1976

Vivid memories fill my mind with visions of Jack Tripper from Three’s Company, Steve Austin- the Six Million Dollar Man, John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever, Evil Knievel, the Bee Gees or me, Mark McDaniel eighth grade Valentine Dance King of Lynchburg-Clay, as we all sported the relaxing, newly designed polyester duds.

          

Lee Jeans produced the first outfits after Jerry Rosengarten designed them in 1970. They were first touted as business suits but quickly turned into popular casual wear due to the comfort level and flex of the polyester material. The suits consisted of matching jacket and trousers and most often came in pastel colors or earth tone plaids. The pants were somewhat bell bottom and the jacket displayed two large patch pockets and massive lapels that opened wide, allowing the exposure of chest hair. It was often paired with a loud-print open poly shirt and a gold chain or medallion. Oh, were they a site to see!

8th Grade Graduation 1978

The cool suits continued in style throughout the later part of my teen years, where I could be spotted at any point with either my light blue, tan, or jeans-colored attire at special events. Dances were especially fun, as I would sway back and forth or attempt to boogie, while feeling groovy in the special garb. I felt especially smug, as I led the seniors in during my junior year, along with Tricia Little, all the while sporting my leisure suit.

1981

I was able to once again bring a leisure suit alive during the recent wedding of my nephew. He was doing a 1970’s themed ceremony, so I took my chance to relive the moment. With my old suits no longer around, Rhonda spied one for sale on Marketplace and I was back in business! The authentic light seafoam green get-up fit perfectly, and I was transformed back forty years. Rhonda fixed her hair in a Cheryl Tiegs sort of feathered way, while dressing the part and looking amazing! We made quite the couple and definitely stood out in the crowd. 

My daughter-in-law, Clair even got in on the act, as we hammed it up together. I may have embellished it up a bit more than I did years ago, but the general fashion was the same and fun was had by all.

The cool suits faded from fad to joke by the early 1980’s and were replaced with some other fashion whim. They did make their mark on history however, and will forever be ingrained in my mind as the coolest look of the century.

My stylish mom

~Mark

Ready To Rope!

I have been doing a lot of roping this year. When I practice on an old tree stump out in the playground, I almost always get the rope loop over the stump. If I don’t practice for a while, I miss the stump more often and it takes me a while to get it.

One of America’s greatest ropers was Will Rogers. Will Rogers joined the Texas Jack’s Wild West Show and Circus where he worked as a trick roper, twirling an eighty-foot rope in a great circle above the audience. Rogers soon was able to throw two ropes at once, one in each hand, catching a horse and a rider! Will Rogers became known as the Cherokee Kid because he was part Cherokee Indian.

The Spaniards, who brought the first horses to America, introduced roping in 1519. Their skill was soon passed on to the Mexicans, who in Spanish called it the “la reata,” meaning “the rope.” That’s where the word lariat came from. I used to call lariats lassos, but lassoing is what you do when you throw the rope. The real name is lariat.

Most lariats are made from stiff nylon or polyester rope and usually measure about 28 to 35 feet long. The lariat has a small, reinforced loop at the end called a Honda or a Hondo, in which the rope passes to form the lariat. The Honda loop can be made from another loop knot or a metal ring.

I have tried throwing two ropes at once, but it did not turn out so well. It would be cool to be as good as Will Rogers. I have lassoed lots of animals, such as dogs, cats, sheep, and even a rooster! Not too long ago, I lassoed one of our spring calves! It was not so hard roping it, but it was hard holding the calf down while Dad castrated it and removed the noose from its neck.

There are two stumps in the playground, one is a lot bigger than the other and in order to lasso the bigger one, I have to make the loop in my rope a lot wider. The largest trick loop in roping history, was made by Ray Kozak in McMinnville, Tennessee on October 2, 2016. It was 33.949 meters! You have to adjust the lariat size depending on what you are trying to lasso.

It has been fun roping this summer. I really have enjoyed the challenges of roping different objects. I am looking forward to the next time our lariat is needed to catch sheep, calves or chickens. I have been practicing and I am ready to rope!

~Samuel

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for the little prancing rainbows that refract from the suncatchers in the window to dance across the room in their colorful costume. I am thankful for the frogs that sing in chorus at night and the crickets that join in. I am thankful for the simplicity of the fireflies that light their lights in the south pasture on the peaceful summer evenings. I am thankful for the soft white petals that float gently down from the lofty pear tree when the wind blows, strewing the yard as though preparing the way for a bride. I am thankful for the times when I stand on the beach and watch the waves roll in at my feet. 

I am thankful for the picture God paints in every sunrise and sunset. I am thankful for the fresh air of farm life. I am thankful for the flowers that bring such joy in life.

I am thankful for the simple way. I am thankful for the rainy days that bring peace to the soul. I am thankful for the sunlight that dances its way through the shifting leaves on the trees and lands in waltzing patches on the soft moss.

I am thankful for the Father in Heaven who is looking down and will never leave me nor forsake me. I am thankful for my parents that love me with their whole heart and have poured so much of their lives into their children. I am thankful for my nine siblings whom I love, and I wouldn’t exchange for anything in the world. I am thankful for my special friend who I talk to daily and is so dear to my heart. I am thankful for the times we have spent, and the memories we have made together as a family.

I am thankful for the days when everything just seems to not go my way, and I realize I am not the only person that exists in the world. I am thankful for the times that I simply do not understand my way, because according to Proverbs 20:24, it means my steps are ordained by the Lord. I am thankful for the times I cannot get to sleep at night, as they give me time to pray and say the things I am thankful for. I am thankful God is the one in control, not me.

I am thankful for those hot humid Southern Illinois days when we are working outside with Dad, drenched in sweat, but still working not only on the job we are doing, but also on our character. I am thankful for the rare occasion when all the electricity goes out and we light the oil lamps and see what it was like without electricity in the olden days. I am thankful for the times years ago when I’d forgotten to close the chicken house in the evening when I should have and am taught my lesson by having to go down and do it in the dark. I am thankful for the pothole in the road that keeps me alert while driving. I am thankful for that precious friend by the name of contentment. I am thankful for the time I have spent in practicing my music. I am thankful for the trials and tribulations of life that bump off our rough edges as stones and make us fit perfectly into the Father’s crown. 

I am thankful for the discipline I have received from my parents, as unpleasant as it was at the time, I am thankful for it as it has made me a better person. I am thankful for the hard times in life that help to make me stronger. I am thankful for the times when I am feeling low, and I realize who is there for me. I am thankful for the fact that I am who I am, and that God made me. I am thankful that I can sing praise to the Lord with my whole heart.

That list could go on for forever. What are you thankful for? Have you ever taken the time to sit down and write a few of them down? It is easy to be thankful when all is well. Other times it may seem hard or strange to be thankful for such things as hard times, or days of sadness, but it makes you understand life and how thankful you are to have the breath you are breathing. I am thankful, yes, I am thankful.

~Jayla

STAIN!

A couple days ago, I decided to make a holster pocket for my new cap gun that I bought a week before. I had just enough leather to make one. I had made a holster for my old gun, but it was too small. After the new holster pocket was done, I tried it on, and it fit perfectly! Now all I needed to do was stain it, and it would look just right.

I asked Mom if we had any leather stain, and after looking for some, she said there was none. We were a little disappointed, but Mom said we could make some stain out of black walnuts. Black walnuts are one of my favorite kinds of nuts to eat. They can be used to put in banana bread and cookies. You can also roast and eat them, too. Settlers used the nuts for stew, to snack on, and to grind up to make their bread.

Isaac and I got a bucket and went down to the bottom of the cow field to look for some. A walnut tree can grow up to 100 feet tall! That’s a tall tree. The wood from the tree is made into furniture, like chairs and cabinets. There was a walnut tree that fell a couple weeks ago, so Isaac and I got the nuts that fell off the tree. 

We got the black nuts that were heavy and not dried out. When we got about ten to twenty nuts, we took them to the house, and put enough water in with them to cover them by a couple inches. Then came the hard part. We left them to sit for a few days. 

It is hard to be patient and wait.

I am getting ready to try out the new stain. The walnuts turned the water black, and it doesn’t look very pretty, but when it is out of the bucket on a piece of hide, it looks perfect! 

I am glad Mom told us how to make the stain, and when it runs out, I will be sure to make more.

~Jonah