Freedom and Sacrifice – Some Gave All

Memorial Day

A day to remember and reflect and be thankful. 

Thankful to God for the freedoms we still have. 

Thankful to the ones upon whose shoulders we stand as they fought and died for those freedoms. 

Growing up Amish and coming from a long line of conscientious objectors I don’t think that I fully realize the sacrifice it has taken over the years to keep our freedoms intact, but as I age and I rub shoulders with those who have served or who have children serving; I have come to understand more deeply the sacrifice. 

I don’t have many words today, except to say a hearty Thank you to all the veterans and all those still serving today. You are the pride of our country, our backbone and why I get to come from a long line of conscientious objectors. The protection and freedoms you have provided and are still providing today for our country are immeasurable. 

Some Gave All

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Looking in my Rear View Mirror

mt eaton harness and shoe repair – a tour of an amish business

The very first time I ever entered this business was as little Amish girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, and it was located down the road a bit and around the corner. I remember smelling leather as my parents, my brother and I would enter the store, the mission – a pair of shoes for my brother or I – a pair of tennis shoes for the beginning of a new school year or a pair of “Sunday shoes” for when our feet outgrew the pair we had. We had to be careful with those new “Sunday shoes” and not scuff them up too much because they had to “last.” I always loved shoes and shopping for shoes, but as a young Amish girl I felt like there was never enough of a selection for me to choose from and ALWAYS ended up leaving the store with a pair of what I always called “grandma shoes” because my mom, her mom, my other grandmother, aunts, and all the church ladies wore the same shoe and I was always mortified that I had to wear the same kind of shoe the old ladies wore. 

For this reason I believe is why, today,  I like to have a bunch of shoes, something for each outfit, there is nothing like a good selection to mix and match with when I’m pulling an outfit together and shoes oftentimes make the outfit happen. My husband always says to me, “are you sure you wear all those shoes” and/or “if you bring another pair home, you have to pitch five of the pair of shoes that you have.” 

Never! wink wink

I thought about this place a couple months ago and wondered what it looked like on the inside so I inquired on Facebook if it were possible for me to stop over and bring my camera. I was thinking one of the son’s who are no longer Amish might own the harness and shoe repair shop since they have a Facebook page, but I would soon learn that the son, Larry Weaver, who now owns the harness and shoe repair shop IS still Amish and his non-Amish nephew has hooked him up with a Facebook page. Isn’t that kind of cool?

As I stepped out of my car at Mt. Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair a couple Saturday’s ago I noticed a few things, the tree in the parking lot, the dog, Max, and a hitching post all nesting up close to a nicely manicured lawn owned by Larry’s parents. 

I took a few pictures of the out of doors, and Max, of course, and then I walked up the ramp, opened the door and entered the shop and the first thing I did was stand there and breath in the leather smell. If I had closed my eyes I would thought I had returned to the old shop where my brother and I were outfitted with our next pair of shoes, up the road and around the corner. But I didn’t close my eyes and I wasn’t transported into the past, but it sure smelled like it, leathery, woodsy, new shoes, all the smells in my memory were still there. 

Upon entering the shop and allowing my nose to have its way with the smells I saw that Larry and his father were both busy, Larry with customers, his father was back in the corner busy repairing shoes. Since I knew that they knew I was stopping by I started taking pictures until Larry was free to chat with me. It ended up that he was not able to chat because it was going on toward the end of store hours and he and his wife had dinner plans and he HAD to mow the lawn before he had to be ready for dinner. Larry invited me to take all the pictures I wanted and to come back the following Saturday for a visit. 

I did both. I took pictures that day and the following Saturday afternoon I showed up to chat with him a bit about his business. Larry told me his father, Eli Weaver, previously owned the business, purchasing it from another Amish man in the community 41 years ago, about the same year Larry was born. His father moved the business two years later from the shop that I used to go shoe shopping with my parents to where it now resides. Larry took over the business 19 years ago and his father works for him now. 

Larry and his wife have five children, ranging in ages of 17 all the way to 5 years old. The first four children, all girls…the last one…a boy. Larry cracked a big smile when he mentioned his son, adding that his son is spoiled very much. Larry’s oldest daughter works outside the home full time, the next two help him in the shop, cleaning and helping with customer service on those days the store has sales. 

Speaking of sales, Larry mentioned that during the Mt. Eaton Days, June 13 and 14th they will be having 10% off the entire store. This would be the time to stop by and purchase your steel toed work boots, or a nice pair of cowboy boots. Along with the sale inside, they are also have a garage sale and he will have close-out shoes at the garage sale.

In August, 5-9 they will be having their anniversary sale, and I am thinking he told me that they would be having 10% off store wide again on these dates. Along with the anniversary sale in the store they are also having barbecue chicken dinners on the outside; one can come and purchase dinners and the proceeds go to The Pier, a local venue and private school.

The bulk of Larry’s business is shoe sales. He sells all kinds of products, but shoes are the main thing. He has a nice display of shoes and he helps each of his customers fitting the shoes, giving prompts on how they should fit. I heard him tell one customer who was trying on cowboy boots that when she walks there should be about a half an inch between her heel and the back of the boot. He is extremely knowledgeable on shoes and what one needs to get the job done. Mostly, what he sells are work shoe type of shoes. You won’t find fancy shoes here, practical shoes for practical situations. He also sells tennis shoes and I saw Crocs there as well as, Sunday shoes for the Amish. 

The other side of Larry’s business is the repair part. His father repairs boots and shoes. I heard Larry tell someone that if the sole of his shoe wears out, all he has to do is bring the shoes back and they will take the old sole off and put a brand new sole on the shoes for a lot less price. I noticed Larry isn’t all about the dollar, but he is selling a way of life for those who have hard jobs and need tough shoes. He cares about his customers and for that reason is why I’m sure he has repeat customers. He really provides customer service and seems to be less sales driven. Larry repairs harnesses and saddles in his spare time. When I was there the second day he was repairing a customer’s reins for his horses, they were all tore up and Larry patched them up all nice and neat and his Amish customer had a great big grin on his face when he saw the patch that Larry did for him. 

In between chatting about his business and taking care of customers I got to talk with one or two of the customers. This one Amish man asked me if I was a sales lady. I told him no, that I was a writer and I was doing an article on Larry’s shop. The fellow then asked me who I was because I was actually speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch and when you speak the language folks want to know who you are and where you come from. As this fellow and I chatted we ended up being like second cousins. His grandfather was my grandmother’s brother. Neat, huh? You just never know when you will run into relatives in these parts. 

Okay, so for the part that I really enjoy, is showing you instead of telling you. Click on the pictures so they show up in a gallery if you would like to see more details. There is a LOT going on in this little store and I tried to get the gist of what they do. 

Mt. Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair

Their signage by the road. 

The parking lot and/or hitching post are almost never completely empty. 

Happening place for sure. My car is in the background, the black one. 

The hitching post. A great part of the customers are the local Amish. Larry’s parent’s house and neatly manicured lawn in the background. 

Max, what a doll! If you love dogs you will want to stop by and give this fellow a petting. He will brighten your day. 

There is a step and a ramp, they are prepared for all customers. 

Mr. Max was watching me take pictures. He seemed a bit puzzled at what I was doing. 

Another view of the steps and the ramp. 

A sign by the door. Looks like there have been many signs as the year have gone by. 

Nice clean window in the door and the hours. 

As you come inside you are greeted with this rack of boots and to the right of the front door are many more displays of shoes and boots. 

A nice spot in the middle of the room for Larry to fit his customers with their new shoes or boots and make sure they are leaving with the perfect fit. 

Larry discussing shoes and boots with some customers.

A few customers are browsing, carefully making their selections. 

Cowboy hats are sold here as well. 

Leather shoe strings. 

Wall of work boots.

Tough. Everything that is sold in this place seems to ooze tough, durable, long lasting, and good investment.

Candy can be purchased here. 

That is my black tablet sitting on the edge of the counter with my keys laying on top. I like that I got them in there by accident. 

You can even grab a pop here in the fridge. 

Leather Dye. I used a lot of this product as a little Amish girl growing up dying the family Sunday shoes before church and then after I was married making sure my husband’s shoes were nice and shiny each church Sunday. 

Supplements.

Union Salve.

I found Rook cards hanging in-between some flashlights. Amish people play Rook. A lot of Rook. It is my favorite game and always look forward to a hot game of Rook. 

The counter where the sales are finalized. 

Some harnesses are sold here. 

There is a corner for heavy duty outerwear. Carhart brand prevalent in this store. 

Saddles for sale. 

Belts and you can see a glimpse of Larry’s father in the background repairing shoes. 

My sister works at Weaver Leather. Larry sells their products at his store. 

Anything you want for your horse, you can find here on this wall. 

Stacks of hats sold primarily to Amish men and boys. 

Another look at the corner with the saddles displayed. 

Larry was mowing the yard behind the shop. 

Max was out back smelling the roses dandelions while Larry was mowing.

If you are looking for liniment or some other potion for your horse, Larry probably has it stocked on his shelves somewhere. 

Meet Ike. He is a permanent fixture in the store. 

He was getting his exercise. 

A little patron found Ike, I like that his house is low to the floor so the little ones can stand there with their arms crossed as this little gal is doing and relax while she is watching Ike.

Also, notice what Larry is selling right beside Ike’s house! I’m glad Ike can’t read. 

Wonder Dust. I didn’t read the label, but I like the name of this product. I wonder if I purchased some and just spread it all over if magical things would happen.

This stuff is sold at the beauty supply store where I purchase my beauty products. Isn’t that amazing? Me and the horse next door could shop at the same store for our beauty particulars!

Aren’t these cute? A lot of little Amish girls wear a pair of these shoes for Sunday. 

Not a graveyard for leather products, these items are on Larry and Eli’s “to do list.”

Almost anything you need you can find here. 

A leather craftsmen’s tools. 

I loved this piece of furniture. Signs of many, many years of wear and tear. 

Signs that they have fun in this shop. Up on the top I noticed “Gordy” written out and I asked Larry about it. He said it was there because of an English neighbor boy they grew up with. My husband and I know the brother to the “Gordy” on the wall and interestingly enough we call our friend “Gordy” as well. Was interesting for me to see it up on their wall. 

A leather craftsman’s tools. 

These saw horses are very tall, and very smooth from the wear and tear over the years. Really beautiful in real life. 

Love this picture.

The next boot to be repaired. 

I wonder how old those dishes are which hold all kinds of small fixtures. 

A well used chair. 

Lined up ready to be repaired. 

Norman Rockwell calendar. 

The clock. 

The cash register. There are all kinds of things going on, raffle tickets, business cards, etc. 

The bulletin board the community can use to place their ads on.

A nice spot to rest while you are waiting. 

A thank you on the door as you exit. 

Max came by to send me off. He looks so happy.

If you would like to visit Larry and take a gander at what he sells, you can plug his address in your GPS and head that way.

Mt Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair
10265 Winesburg Rd
Dundee, OH 44624

Phone: 330-359-5862

I checked their Facebook page tonight to link to it and alas! It is no longer there. I’m not sure what happened, but if I find they have it up again, I will link to it for everybody. Last time I had checked their page had more than 500 “likes” so they are doing something right on there.

If you do stop in to see Larry, please tell him that you read this. He seemed really happy that I was going to blog about his business. He is a very friendly fellow and if you are in the market for a good work boot or shoe, he is the man to help you out.

If you liked this article and would like to be prompted when I do more of them, I invite you to go to my Facebook page and “like” it so we can stay connected. 

a full saturday

My Saturday was busy. It felt like there wasn’t much room for breathing, but I did stop and breath for a moment or two along the way. I took a bunch of pictures to document the day. 

Enjoy! 

Rhubarb. First thing Saturday morning I visited my rhubarb plant and harvested a few stalks so I could make this recipe for a dessert for lunch. I’ve been using this Rhubarb Crisp recipe for several years now and Mr. Wonderful always asks for it. I like it with ice cream, he and his mom like it with milk. 

Backyard view. 

Ace is my tag-along.

She had to smell the rhubarb. 

I cut the leaves off and placed them on top of the garbage container, I wasn’t able to pitch the leaves over the fence as they are poisonous for horses to ingest. 

Ace got bored with me and trotted off to the barn in search of food. I love the cat’s path to the barn…she is walking in it. All three cats use that path when they are leaving the barn. 

Every time I see one of them using the path I kind of marvel that it never fails, the always do so. It is interesting how God has made animals…they are so predictable when you have studied their habits for awhile. 

Alley Cat…yep, couldn’t go without adding one of him. He looks a bit stalker-ish in this picture. 

The finished product…Rhubarb Crisp all done and ready to be packed up to go to my mother in law’s house. 

Pork and Beans dish. I had fried up a pound of bacon that I had cut up in small pieces. 

After the fat was rendered off I placed the bacon in a cast iron skillet and kept the heat on so it would continue to render a bit and crisp up. 

I added a cut up onion to the bacon grease because there is no way I was going to let that deliciousness go to waste! 

In-between cooking and baking I had a “breakfast” of coffee and a couple cookies I had purchased at the local store. Cookies made at a local bakery. 

I added 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger to the onions and bacon grease. 

And then Bushes’ original pork and beans…and then added some Worcestershire sauce and a few splashes of hot sauce and the fried bacon and presto! Wonderful pork and beans to take along to dinner. 

Here they are in a nice roaster, ready to heat up later in the day. 

The third thing I made was porcupine meatballs and rice. It was our day to provide food and to stay with my mother in law. Mr. Wonderful went down to her house earlier in the morning and I stayed home and cooked and did laundry. When it was lunch time I packed up my car and headed to her house for lunch and a visit. 

I wanted to provide vegetables, but didn’t want to fuss with another dish so I actually added vegetables to the top of my dish and we had a “one dish meal.” There is my casserole sitting on my mother in law’s table. 

A different shot of her table. I had to be careful not to get her in the picture, that is why the picture is kind of at an odd angle because she was at the other end. That blue scarf thing is an old table cloth that she uses on her table for nice, but when someone comes and we eat, we have to push it back so that we don’t get crumbs on it. She told me yesterday that they received that tablecloth as a wedding gift. That would have been at least 60 years ago, I’m not sure of the exact number of years, but she is in her late 80’s so it was a long time ago. 

My mother in law still lives on the home farm in the small house. On the farm, by the big farm house is this flower bed. I just had to get a picture of it. 

Near my mother in law’s house was an Amish wedding. You can see many buggies lined up. 

The ceremony was in this big white tent. 

I left my mother in law’s house around 1 because I had an interview to do for my next post.

Tease alert…..I found this little fellow at that place of business. You will meet “Ike” in my next post. Can you guess where I was? 

On my way home from the interview I saw this Amish lady rolling down the highway in her garden tractor and wagon. 

Our family was invited to Betsy and Allen’s house for a cookout last night. Betsy was on Breaking Amish LA last year, and we have become friendly over the last six months or so. It was raining off and on and cold, so the cookout happened, but we ate indoors. The fellows are watching Allen cook the burgers…very good burgers! I had made the pork and beans and our daughter brought a salad and our daughter in law brought a yummy dessert and Betsy and Allen provided the burgers and the rest of the food. It was a delicious meal for sure! 

Here is Betsy and Allen’s back yard, all prettied up for the summer. Nice plants and so woodsy back there.

A shot out there living room window. Can you imagine that in the wintertime? I bet it it simply gorgeous when the snow is falling. 

Our son and his wife. I love how they are looking at each other in this picture. 

Our daughter and her husband. So pretty. 

Mr. Wonderful’s allergies were getting the best of him last night for some reason. 

Beautiful couple, Betsy and Allen and their dog Sparky. Snoopy was running around there somewhere. Cute dogs. (Thank you Betsy and Allen for having our family over for a fun evening!)

Little Guy was there too. He loved Betsy’s little dogs! Here he is trying to eat a hot dog bun and not let grandma take his picture. He is so ornery! 

We had a lovely day, all the way from visiting with my mother in law to the interview and later on our cookout with Betsy and Allen. It was a good day, a full day, but full of fellowship and good food. 

Dropping into bed was bliss! 

You can find more random pictures,  thoughts and new posts to my blog on my Facebook page by clicking here – Looking in my Rear View Mirror.

what kind of conscience do you have?

I love God.

I know I don’t “say it” a lot in my blog because it is so personal to me and I feel like if I try to “preach it” continually I might cheapen the gospel as I know it. But there are those times when I’ve been so inspired and then I will write what is on my heart and let the world out there read my thoughts on faith and my walk in it. Otherwise, I try to convey my love for God through the pictures I take and the experiences I have, they are all connected for me, but for the reader they may not always get it as it feels inside of my heart and mind. 

Today is one of those days that I wish to write from my heart what I have experienced in church. What an amazing time I had, and for me it never only is about how I feel, but it is also those times of conviction, when God’s word has been presented to me in a way that opens my eyes.  Those thoughts that make me pause and think and contemplate and search my innermost parts and realize where I have failed and then have a time of repentance and moving forward yet again in my walk with the One I serve daily. 

Our church is going through the book of Acts at the moment and today’s sermon notes read: 

What is your Conscience? 

It’s that still small voice inside my head that tells me what is right and wrong. Yes? 

Yes, but so much more when you fully dissect it. As I was reading over each point and as our pastor was preaching; a few things became more clear to me about my own life and I found where I have instances in which I need to think things through and change my thinking a little bit and my actions or in-actions as well. 

I was so glad the sermon notes were so detailed this morning and I’m going to share a few of them here. 

The Function of Conscience

May cause guilt and shame when we sin
May warn us when we contemplate wrongdoing
May approve us when we do what we believe to be right

I think these three points explain the conscience so much better than to simply say “my conscience is a still small voice inside my head that tells me what is right and wrong.” These points help us think it through. 

Your Conscience can be Many Things

You can have a weak conscience
You can have a defiled conscience
You can have an evil conscience
You can have a seared conscience
You can have a pure conscience

This is where I had to start looking at things a bit differently. I had never thought of it like this before. Maybe my conscience is weak because when I watch a television show that portrays sin as funny and I laugh…I’m going against what God would have me do. Or a friend tells me something and I agree verbally, but disagree in my heart just because I don’t want to offend them. Maybe, just maybe I have a weak conscience and I need to figure out how to have a pure conscience. 

In great detail our pastor gave us a definition of having a seared conscience…not in his words, but the gist of what he said, it is when you are involving yourself in something that goes against scripture and you “justify” your actions. That is big stuff. You don’t have to look too far, too deep or too wide to see it happening all around us, folks justifying their sinful ways. Our pastor gave us the word picture of branding a calf and how once that skin is branded the nerve endings are dead and the calf no longer has feelings in that area. The same can be said for our hearts, once our conscience has been seared with sin being justified – there are no more feelings of wrongdoing. 

That is a bit scary for me because I wonder if there is anything in my life that I’ve justified to the point of almost no return? 

It really brings me pause to think of this. 

Train Your Conscience…..

With knowledge of God’s word
Learn and live the commands of God
Grow in faith
Serve God in love from a pure conscience

Basically, we have to keep on keeping on, doing what we know we should do to remain strong and not have a weak, defiled, seared or evil conscience. Our goal should be to have…..a pure conscience. 

The last point…is what really made me pause and question myself. 

Protect Your Conscience

What defiles the conscience? 

Apathy
False Doctrine
Willful sin

I am probably overly cautious when it comes to all the happening preachers and teachers out there, but this is a good example of why, because I do not want to fall under false doctrine and so many big mainstream preachers and teachers can be a little bit shady and we have to protect ourselves from such things. I would rather not be the most knowledgeable in the room and use the Bible for my main source of spiritual inspiration than to be misled by someone who honestly doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, or has intentions that are not good. 

The main thought I had through this whole sermon today was that when we left the Amish we were told by former Amish folks themselves that we need to forget everything we have been taught and relearn how we think of God. I still believe we needed to do that from the bottom of my heart, but I wonder, is there anything that I’m missing, not from the Amish, but more from an attitude of “I am free from being told what to do and so now I get to do what I wanna do.” I know I’ve had a change of heart a long time ago from that kind of mentality, I have come to learn that there is great responsibility in having that kind of spiritual freedom, all of a sudden I have to be responsible to know why I do the things I do and I have to talk to God and learn from his word and form conviction with his word in my heart.

This sermon made me think about things and want to explore more deeply how I allow my conscience to work. Do I do “willful sin”? You know, watching something on television that is laughing at sin and I laugh with it? Or listening to music with lyrics that are nasty…in fact…very recently…I had looked up a particular song on YouTube…I wanted to see what the video would look like and maybe have more insight on the meaning of the song and right there in the middle of the song, there was an occultic symbol and I was taken aback by it, and YET…when I page through the radio and that song comes on, more than not I linger, because the music is so catchy. I’m totally convinced that I’ve been willfully sinning by giving that song any second of a listen and so I had to repent this afternoon. 

As I travel through this world I’ve been inspired to be more mindful of my conscience, to listen to it, and to give it the proper training and protection so that I don’t have to live with a seared, defiled, evil or weak conscience. 

tornado alley in amish country

Today certainly held an element of excitement. In the morning it was pretty much ho hum, not beautiful and yet not awful either. It was one of those mornings that you just knew was going to either turn out wonderful or not. Well, this area certainly got the “not.” 

The tornado siren is in the grounds of my workplace for the surrounding community and it went off between 2 and 3 pm, I believe, and it went on and on and on for at least five minutes. I thought my ear drums were going to bleed or burst because the noise was so shrill and intense…for so long. My goodness, if you weren’t awake, you were gonna be awake by the time that five minutes was over. Whew! I guess they need to blow that siren for so long, but there is no mercy for those in close proximity. 

No tornado actually hit our area, at least not nearby that I know of, but the clouds that loomed were daunting enough and made one take notice and breathe a bit of a prayer for safety. 

As I left my 9-5 this afternoon I knew I had a bit of free time as my plans had kind of fallen through for this evening. I had planned on going to watch our friend’s son play a game of softball. He belongs to Little League and I wanted to go support him, but because of the heavy rains after the tornado scare the game was cancelled. Instead of coming straight home, I went home via “the long way” and was able to get a few photographs of my Amish Country that I love so very much. At one crossroad I wondered which way to go and felt prompted to make a right and oh mah goodness! I was totally blessed with some of the things I found to photograph. I will try and share some of my adventures after I’m finished writing. I don’t edit my pictures, you get them as I shoot them, but it still takes a bit of time to go through them and decide which ones are post-worthy and which ones are just for me. 

This week I’ve been a bit quiet on here. I have many irons in the fire at all times, but one thing that remains important to me is to fellowship with other ladies, old friends and new ones too. Last night I met with a new friend and I had no idea how long our dinner would go, but we ended up having a two and half hour conversation. We laughed, we shared and got serious and then we laughed some more. The week before was the same way, I met with a new friend who has been an inspiration for me via the blog world for at least a year and then I got to meet her and next thing we knew we had scheduled a dinner to get together and visit and talk all things blog and beyond. Next week I have plans to meet for dinner with an “old” friend…not in age, but we’ve been friends for a good long time now…so that is why she is an old friend. I don’t care, new or old friends, if they are true friends, they are priceless and can only enhance ones life.

Last week I didn’t cook a lot, we had some leftovers around here and then we went out to eat once or twice and ended up not needing me to cook. I missed not cooking, so tonight, after my excursion via “the long way home,” I came home and baked a pork roast, made sweet potato fries to go with the pork and then I also roasted a lot of garlic and made a roasted garlic spread to add to sandwiches or to put on top of meat or whatever we wish. I am totally addicted to roasted garlic. It is so delicious and enhances food to the nth degree! If you’ve not tried it, then you should. You will not be let down. 

After cooking and cleaning up the kitchen and then sitting down and eating the delicious homemade food I felt….complete. I love to cook and when I don’t spend some time in the kitchen creating something I start to feel incomplete. At home I’m almost never dismayed at the food, but so often when we go out to eat I’m totally underwhelmed at the flavors that get thrown on a plate with an $11 price tag or more attached to the dish.  

At this point…I’m rambling, so I am going to go upload a few pictures for you and have a bit of a show and tell and then I have to get to bed. Morning always comes so quickly. Can anyone relate???

Some sheep and lambs grazing. I couldn’t stop looking at all the green around them. They are knee deep in grass. The cluster of trees in the background…priceless! 

I’ve been noticing the cows.

This one noticed me as well. 

This isn’t the prettiest picture in the bunch, however, I noticed the colors, the deep blue sky against the green grass and the two very dark horses, and fence. Lots of color going on. 

A lone horse out grazing. He looked up when he heard me. 

Cows in one pasture, sheep in the other. Beautiful green carpet they are grazing on. 

The herd of cattle by themselves. 

The sheep…be still my heart. How precious this is to me.

I love sheep. We used to raise lambs. 

One lone tree standing tall and regal in the midst of a field, providing not only shelter for the animals and reprieve from the hot summer sun, but also beauty to the passerby. 

Love the tree and love the colors. 

Beautiful winding road. 

A herd of cattle grazing deep in this pasture. 

Someone’s garden is about ready to be planted. 

Mr. Rooster didn’t want to pose, he went running, but I snapped his picture before he got away. 

Here is Mr. Rooster’s wife along with another couple. They just stared at me. Not quite as skittish as Mr. Rooster was. 

There is nothing like a long muddy lane with a cozy farm tucked in at the end of it. 

Friendly Curious cow.

I simply love this picture. The creek winding lazily through this pasture makes the whole picture wonderful for me. 

I noticed the sky while I was out of my car, so I got a shot of it. Not as spectacular on a picture as it was in real life. 

Another shot of the muddy lane. I like the sky and the very green pasture beside it with cows grazing. 

Amish schoolhouse tucked neatly back there by the woods. 

That red barn against the blue sky…love it!

Another lane with a farm at the end of it. 

A different farm. 

Here is their very muddy lane. 

I kind of like it though. 

They sell baskets…I dare anyone to drive their vehicle down that muddy lane and go shopping for a basket!

More pictures in the camera…pigs…onions…more scenery, but I’m whipped and have to get to bed. 

Good night all! 

PS…there were more tornado sirens and storms tonight as I was cooking. I forgot to put that in all my rambling. Must be it wasn’t too dramatic for me, or I would have made mention of it. Now I will say good night everybody! 

misty eyes, lump in throat, loved completely

My heart is full. It doesn’t take much for me to know I have been blessed. It is the moments when I stop – completely- in my tracks and listen and look and watch that I am given gifts that if I didn’t take the time I would miss it all. Since I have this new camera and started up my blog last year I am even more aware of the little things each day that often put a period at the end of the day and it feels like God is telling me, “Sweet one, I cherish you, yes YOU, and I want you to understand this in so many ways.” 

God loves me….and YOU! He wants to show us how much and in many ways and forms. In my heart he shows me by giving me that knowledge and feeling of having been completely forgiven for all my sins. All I have to do is come to him, quiet my heart and talk to him, repent and just know that I am again clean and pure of heart. You all can’t see the “forgiven” in my heart but I can show you through the pictures I take how he speaks to me and how he helps me understand how much grace and mercy has been extended to me and how he blesses me through his creation.

The. beauty. of. his. creation!

Awesome!

My heart just swelled this morning as I was reviewing my pictures I had taken during the week. It left my eyes misty and a little lump in my throat. I cherish each moment God allows me to capture and understand his giving heart toward me. 

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

Beautiful half grown lamb. I love sheep, lambs and anything that goes baaaa. 

I liked this picture because of the fence in the front, it gave a true picture of where the lamb is, his/her fellow sheep in the background, the green grass, and the barn right there on the edge of the picture. Providing shelter for the lamb. 

Here are a few of the lamb’s family members and friends. 

How much do I love this? I can’t even put it in words. The setting looks old, but it is in the “here and now.” You can see a horse’s ear coming up the hill. 

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out as I was so, so far away from them when I shot this. I was perfectly happy with how it turned out! Two little guys must be watching the horse while dad runs back to the farm to get something. They are standing in their driveway, but you really can’t tell in this picture. 

Driving through a forest I found this delightful duo. I put my window down and chatted with them while I took their picture. They looked a bit sad when I drove away. 

Ahhhh. 

The other day I parked in “The Cafe Forest” and ate my lunch. I had a front row seat to what you will see next. 

Beautiful green rug surrounded by the trees. 

Mr. Groundhog, peeking out from under his tree house. 

A different shot of the creek flowing by Mr. Groundhog’s house.

He couldn’t help himself, he had to come see me for real. 

I love his little paws on the little limb in front of him. 

How cute is he????

Almost has a “cobra-esque” look to him. 

I first met this crew last year and I just love their setting and I go back often to see how they are doing.

  I wrote about them here.  

They are “characters” for sure, if you have not read about Morty and the Amish Country Ninja’s you will want to click on the link and read about them.  

Farm dog how much I love thee. Doesn’t he look sweet and calm and at home? 

Grumpy farm cat had no time to pause and give me a pose. 

A field dotted with sheep.

Chickens pecking around their farm.

Doesn’t she look serene and happy? I love the yellow dandelions peppered throughout the green grass. 

One night I came home and Mr. Wonderful was doing his favorite chore. He actually gave me a big smile and a thumbs up when he saw me. 

Did anyone notice the clouds this week???? 

They looked like gigantic pillows of cotton candy floating through the sky. I tried to imagine myself laying on one of those clouds and floating all over the universe checking out the world from that vantage point. 

it be awesome to be able to catch a ride on a cloud sometime? 

This fellow was on his way to a wedding on Tuesday morning. 

These folks were on their way to church last Sunday. The truck in front of me went to the same place I went. I followed him like forever and then he put his blinker on and turned in at my brother’s church. 

Funny how that happens. 

A sunrise I captured this week. 

It was just wonderful. 

I like the neighbor’s barn almost hidden but not quite. 

My beautiful niece was baptized on Sunday and here they are ready for her to be baptized. Her pastor is standing in the basin, and she and her dad, my brother, are climbing in the basin. My brother helped baptize her. 

I love this picture. Here she is on screen giving her beautiful and inspiring testimony while she, her dad look on. 

And this is where the lump in my throat arrives. She has just been baptized and her dad looks so proud of her, she looks so happy, and if you notice her t-shirt. It says, “Forgiven.” 

What a wonderful week it has been. God has shown himself in my life over and over and over again. The only thing I know to do is to continue living for him through the hard times and accept the goods ones as favor and blessing from the one who created all of us and all that is in this world. 

Be blessed my friends and if you don’t know what it feels like to be forgiven and at peace, please let me know and I will try to help you find that wonderful solution to an otherwise often unhappy/unsettled lifestyle.

My email address is sage_solstice@yahoo.com if you want to contact me privately. 

If you enjoyed the pictures or the words I would love if you shared this post or my blog with any of your friends who you might think would like it too.

My Facebook page is here if you would like to connect there. 

camera leftovers

I am looking forward to Saturday afternoon because I am going on another adventure and will document it as I go and hope to take a bunch of pictures to show my readers. Thinking about what is ahead and knowing how much space my card still holds in my camera I thought I should clean out some of the pictures that I don’t want. While browsing my camera tonight I thought I should share a post of some of the pictures that I haven’t shared with you before. As always I will be commenting about each picture. 

I observed this older Amish gentleman roadside selling homemade birdhouses. I liked him. He seems jolly and friendly. If I see him again this summer I will probably stop and chat with him a bit. 

My eye notices all kinds of things as I’m out and about. One thing I really notice are the run down out buildings scattered about in all kinds of places. I loved this little outbuilding. I think it must be a shelter for pigs or some smaller animal. I like the setting, the very large tree and fence providing a sort of cozy space for the animals. 

I pass this little store, “the book shanty” nearly every day. It always looks “closed”, but it interests me. It has character and I can imagine a little old Amish lady inside on a rocking chair ready to take a small child on her lap and read the child a story. I’m sure this is not so, but I can always imagine, can’t I? 

I never tire of coming home. Last Fall, this was a  scene I witnessed a lot when I was driving up our driveway. The neighbor’s horses grazing, the clouds billowing over our barn and the night light already burning because the evenings were so dark so soon. 

I couldn’t tell you when I took this one, but it had to be last fall. Tonight I noticed the clouds off in the distance by the young filly’s legs. It looks like the clouds have turned into a line of mist across the picture. The filly looks pensive. 

Two things I notice in this picture. Ace, my black and white cat is very intently poised to pounce on some unsuspecting “breakfast”. I remember I took this in the morning. The other thing I noticed was the color scheme, the contrast of the black and white cat and the tans-almost-orange hues all over the picture. 

Black and white. 

Blacksheep of the herd? There is only one in this herd from what I’ve been able to tell. I watch herds of sheep whenever I can. I love sheep. Mr. Wonderful and I used to raise lambs.

I miss those days. 

A field dotted with sheep. I could stand here all morning and watch them. 

Wouldn’t it be awesome to grab a blanket, a pillow and a book and head for this nook on a hot summer day? 

I love standing outside after dark and look up into the sky and observe the moon. He is so intense. 

I tried to take his picture. 

This is the result. 

One of my most favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. I love the clouds, the corn, the shed, the tree. I love them all individually, but collectively they help me imagine all kinds of stories. I imagine a murder may have happened in that shed and the corn is hiding all kinds of secrets. The clouds are setting the mood and tone for the scene in a movie drama. Or I imagine a child sneaks away to this little hideaway and it becomes his/her shelter and protection from an abusive father. The secrets the corn holds for that child will never be told. The clouds hold back the storm for as long as they can so as not to frighten the young one who is raw and hurt. 

For me, this place holds many a story to be told. 

My brother is playing with my grandson. My sister in law is watching them. 

I love this picture. 

I love that my brother pays attention to his great nephew and I have a picture of the moment. 

Mr. Wonderful and Little Guy have all kinds of things they do together. Watching television upside down is one of them. 

I love them so much!

I had to grin out loud when I saw this one stored away in my camera. Mr. Wonderful had blown snow and had made a path to the barn. Of course, the cats found the path and were walking on it rather than get their feet snowy. It is definitely a winter’s night, this night. 

I love this one. It is a picture of our church. Our class was getting together this night for a Christmas gathering and I took this picture as we arrived. Doesn’t it look so cozy and homey? 

Mr. Wonderful reading the Christmas story to Little Guy before we unwrap our gifts. This is now a family tradition at our house. 

Loved the expression on his face. 

Mom, dad, uncle and aunt all helping to assemble of “Little Guy’s” gifts.

Betsy and Allen. Our new friends. She was on the Breaking Amish LA season, if any of you watched the show you might recognize her. They spent part of Christmas with us. I want to go tour his business this summer, he has houses and houses of hens that lay eggs and he sells the eggs. Wouldn’t that be interesting to see how that all works? I think so. 

Sitting pretty in my sister in law’s bird feeder.

You can read about my adventures on her farm here and here. 

You will meet this little one on the links I shared above. 

Corn in a crib. 

A larger shot of the corn in the crib. I liked the straight lines of the wood and ladder contrasting with the oblong orange ears of field corn. 

A very rustic birdhouse in a very rustic setting.

Alley Cat on Mr. Wonderful’s pickup. He looks so nosy! 

Mr Photogenic sitting on/in a shrub! He is so pretty in this picture. I love his little nose and ears. 

So cute! 

I’m only about a third of the way through my camera, so maybe I will put up more show and tell pictures as I get time. I hope you enjoyed them. 

a once in a lifetime gift?

A few weeks back a fine gentlemen stopped Mr. Wonderful and I after church service, shook our hands and then turned to me and told me that he reads my blog. Rob is an author himself and so to know he finds my writing interesting enough to come back to read it is a real gift to me. While we were talking, Rob told me about an experience he once had and said that maybe I could write about that subject one day. After thinking about it over the next week or so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to put it in quite the words that he could since he is the one with the experience, so I private messaged him and asked him if he would consider writing an article on the subject and allow me to post it on my blog. He agreed to write out his thoughts and experience and soon I had it in my email and I am finally getting it posted on here.

I have no doubt that what Rob experienced was real and wonderful and reading through it sure gave me food for thought. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will let you read for yourself in a minute. Along with Rob’s words, I have a few pictures in my camera that I thought I would share after his article which I think kind of go with his experience. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I have been enjoying putting it together with Rob.

*****

Cell phones, Fax, Email, Text, Blog, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Face Time, Skype, Blue Tooth, Sync, WiFi, Sirius, GPS. These are all terms used in today’s world of tech and communication to make our lives so called “easier.” Sounds almost more like a prison to me. My phone, which is not a smart phone, is still smart enough to call someone without me knowing about it. For some reason it dials the number nine a lot which is my sister’s speed dial number. It has called her so often that if I want to call her for real she won’t answer the phone. So if you have a smart phone, is mine a dumb phone? 

My phone has this sensitive little button on the side for voice recognition. Many times when I put it in my pocket it will activate and say, “please say a command.” So I have to pull it out of my pocket and tell it to shut up. Are we any better off than we were fifty years ago? Sometimes my memory takes me back to my boyhood days like when I first learned to skate or walked a mile to school in ten below zero weather only to find out that school was closed and I would have to walk back home again. 

Being the youngest of four boys I had to learn to skate with old worn out hand-me-downs, three sizes too big, stuffing some old socks in the front of the skates to make them fit or use the kind that you strapped some belts around the skates that strapped unto shoes, this kind must be somewhere on The Antique Road Show by now.

Maybe we have lost our innocence  as a society where we enjoy simple pleasures of life like a cow pie. My memory, again, takes me back to the down of an early autumn morning with the air crisp and clear, my breath floating like little clouds catching the first glint of the morning sun peeking over the horizon. My aim was not to just do a chore of bringing in our ten cows for milking but to see what kind of adventure this new day bring. There it was, a fresh cow pie with a steam from its fresh warmth streaming upward. This was my chance to warm up my feet in this pile of cow dung, feeling the warmth squeezing up through my toes is  a memory that still lingers with me to this day. 

Do we take time to just enjoy life? Last Sunday afternoon we went to watch our 8 year old grandson play golf. After a long hard winter it was such a thrill to watch him play with 80 degree Spring weather, riding a golf cart with our other two grandchildren. 

Today, though, I want to share with you something so rare that according to my memory I have found it only once in my entire life. Maybe you could find it some other places on earth like the South Pole but I’m not sure you could ever find it here in Ohio. I’ve wonder many times in our hectic, on-the-go, got to have it right now lifestyle world when do people find time to talk to God? Or is he someone we just use when we need him or are in trouble? You see God created us in the first place to have a relationship with him. God is our Father and he wants to communicate with his children and give gifts to them. 

This gift so rare was given to me from God himself on a Christmas morning about twenty years ago. Maybe it was the little boy in me anticipating the excitement of Christmas morning that woke me up around four in the morning? This particular Christmas morning, as I filled my lungs with the fresh clean air there was an anticipation and wonderment stirring within me that I had to be a part of. About a quarter mile behind our house is a woods called “Bear Hollow.” On this Christmas morning Bear Hollow was beckoning me to come and visit. Standing under the trees that had shed their leaves in the autumn and on a fresh blanket of snow,  it was here that I was given this gift so rare that all I could do was stand in awe. My heart and soul were so touched by this gift that my emotions could not contain it all so I just stood there and cried. 

So, what was this gift that was given me that Christmas morning that was so rare that this is probably the only time in my whole life that I will find it? The gift I was receiving that morning was the gift of total silence. There were no motors running, no cars, trucks or airplanes, no horses hooves clopping on the pavement, no kids yelling, no dogs barking, no wind blowing. It was like standing in the Cathedral of God with the snow tapping a gentle tune on the tree branches and a little brook rippling over the rocks below me. This is a gift I will have stored in my memory for as long as I live. 

My hope and prayer is that maybe you also will experience the sound of total silence just once. 

Rob Yoder

*****

As I was reading over Rob’s article I could feel his frustration with the cell phone issues and then to be able to go back in his memory to a morning where there was total silence except for the snow and the creek rippling. No one can ever take that experience away from him. 

A few Sunday’s ago we had what seemed to be Winter’s Last Hurrah and there were some crazy things going on in our lives and so Mr. Wonderful and I actually skipped church and we went out into the wonderful snowy world we lived in at that moment and got some fresh air in our lungs and basked in the beauty of God’s creation. I was able to capture some of what we experienced with my camera. What Rob was talking about, that gift of silence. Mr. Wonderful and I experienced some of that silence that Sunday morning we were out and about. Every now and then a car would pass us, but then once they were out of hearing distance it was silent again and except for the clicking of my camera it was pretty much a gift of silence. I will have to figure out how to do panoramic shots on my camera because the fullness of the forest and the snow that day left us totally in awe of the beauty that God had created. 

Click on the first picture to get a gallery view.

I loved how the sides of the trees were snow covered. The contrast of the bark on their sides were just what the doctor ordered. 

The rippling of the waters flowing through a snow covered forest was better than any beautiful song you would want to hear. 

Love.

Almost crystal in feel. I just stood there and drank it in with my eyes.

The creek looks like a giant hallway running through the great room of the forest. 

Even the treetops were singing glory to God that morning.

Reminds me of arms raised high in worship to my God. 

Serene.

The sun shining through and kissing the snowy ground.

Stop! Can you hear the silence?

So beautiful. 

More arms raised high and holy. 

The tree limbs almost remind me of crystal lace as I look at this picture.

The sun really started to appear and right before our eyes the snow was melting and it was noisy, the snow dropping to the ground. I felt heart sick that the moment was passing by so quickly. 

Let all creation sing of God’s glory and wonder!

Rob wrote a book called “Dying to Live”. I’ve not read the full of it, but from what I’ve read it is a quick read and rich in stories about life lessons he has learned. Choice Books sells it and if you are interested in purchasing it, but can’t find it, please let me know and I will put you in touch with Rob.

Here is Rob’s Facebook link, in case you want to connect with him. Let him know I sent you. 

“A book conceived in suffering and birthed through prayer, Rob’s story and his deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ will touch your heart as you contemplate your own spiritual journey.” 

ever notice…..

…those barns and houses, white in color with the candy apple metal roof over their head?  It reminds me of some of those celebrity types who have the pale, pale skin and makeup and the bright red lips. 

Kinda like ketchup on a ghost. 

….when you see someone being unkind to another person or animal, is when it brings out the unkind in you? You get those unkind feelings toward the unkind person you’ve just been observing. 

I hate that. 

…for the creative type you think of your best ideas when you are some place inconvenient, like driving a car, or taking a shower. I’ve lost tons of great lines and ideas because I was not able to write them down right away, thinking I would remember for later. 

Later. Never. Happens.

…when you get acrylic nails that your nail beds are no longer the same after you take the acrylics off. Punishment for vanity? And I was told it would happen before I had them done.

But I loved them while I had them! 

Kind of like sin…fun while you do it, but regret later on. 

….when you make up your mind to begin a new habit, let’s say, walking for 30 minutes every evening and then it rains, and rains, and rains that first night.  

I know it isn’t raining because I decided to walk 30 minutes beginning tonight, but still, it makes me feel like my plans have been sabotaged before they began.

….those folks out on social media making vague and/or sometimes very blatant statements, and you know they are really calling out someone specifically and especially the Christian folks seem to be so hard on their fellow Christians. 

I wonder why that is? 

On that same note, I’ve often wondered what a person would sound like if the only words in that person’s life were the words they put out on social media.

My mind goes too far some days, I acknowledge that. But I still wonder. 

 No “Pollyanna” tonight. Just sitting here with a somewhat restless heart, mulling over many things. My heart feels heavy tonight for a person near to me who is in the throes of some really hard stuff. I have no idea how to help this person, so the only thing I know to do is to pray. 

I wonder, do other folks get that restless feeling deep inside their souls, or is it just me?

Would you like to connect with me further? Here is my Facebook link. 

our outdoor space

Hello all my faithful readers and new ones too. 

I’ve been busy. 

Let me rephrase that. 

We’ve been busy. 

A few months back I had an idea that was swarming inside this pretty little head of mine and so one day recently I said to Mr. Wonderful. “Mr. Wonderful, I would like to have a porch swing in the front of the house so that this summer we would be able to have someplace to sit and enjoy our fantabulous view. I want just a nook and I think I know where that nook is. What do you think?” 

Mr. Wonderful is not a man of many words, but action. He likes action and so it took only my little idea to get him into action and so he announces to me one day soon after our little discussion that we were going “swing shopping” that Friday night and I was like, “serious?”. 

He was serious. 

By the end of that weekend we had a swing on order and it was coming in three weeks. 

That was two weeks ago, I think. 

After “Polly” the swing was ordered we then discussed where for sure to place her and if we placed her where I wanted her, what that foundation would look like. I mentioned I liked those “pavers” that folks are using. Mr. Wonderful and I also discussed how big we would make the “patio” for the swing and came up with from “shutter to shutter” on the garage. and that is it. We would still have a little bit of ground on each side of the patio for some flowers. 

That week we went looking for pavers and after a long and hard search, a swan chasing me, and some discussion with our children we found out that the more people in the discussion, the more ideas, and out of those ideas a project like this can grow in size and proportion. It helps when you have one person on the team who has “been there and done that” before. Our son in law did this kind of work for a long time and so his ideas are wonderful and his help even more wonderful. 

Our son in law explained to us about “sitting walls” and how they provide not only extra seating, but they also provide a certain look of being “done”. We were all convinced we needed two sitting walls and the whole patio had to spread out from there to there, rather than from shutter to shutter. 

So, with pavers and caps and sand and gravel and a packer ordered and everyone on one page that this weekend is “THE” weekend to to get this project done and finished, everyone stopped by to help on Friday night already and even one of our friends came to help as well. My dad was involved in picking up the pavers with his tractor and the neighbor’s trailer and somehow we ended up with most everything we needed for the project and so the fun insanity ensued. 

No, it really was fun. 

Really! 

Friday, late afternoon, our son in law and Mr. Wonderful started with digging out the foundation. It had to be precise and correct or we would not have had it level with the sidewalk that runs in front of that little piece of ground.

It was raining, raining, raining on Friday afternoon. I thought for sure they would cancel it, but I learned something about the menfolk in our family this weekend. When they say they are going to tackle a project, they mean just that. We don’t have “pansy’s” in our family! 

By 7:30 PM and five men working at it at various times the foundation was dug out and the gravel and sand was packed in and ready for Saturday morning. 

The only thing us ladies did was eat. And talk. I had made Mexican Haystacks for dinner. The girls had provided cookies and puppy chow for dessert and snacks for Friday night and Saturday. My mom brought a fruit dish along too, so there was plenty to eat. 

Saturday morning came a little bit quickly. I got up at 5:30 to finish cleaning up the kitchen and do my laundry and get my roast beef started for lunch. Mr. Wonderful got up a bit later and the fun began. By 8:30 everyone was back on the job and I’ve not seen so much teamwork in a long time, especially with folks who normally get together for social/fun functions, rather than big work projects. Our son, son in law and our friend were absolutely amazing in what they did to help Mr. Wonderful! I was just amazed with what they were able to accomplish in a single day. 

There are still a couple more steps to do before we can set Polly, the swing, on top of the patio. We have to water it down and take a brush to a couple of the pavers that have some mold on them. Once those steps are finished then we have to apply a sealer and then it is time to set the swing on top and there is so much room we can now purchase a table and chairs for the space as well. 

Us ladies provided a lot of food for the guys again on Saturday. Roast Beef Au Jus sandwiches, French Onion soup, and a potato casserole were the main dishes for lunch. And then once the work was all said and done and the clean up over with, we ordered pizza from our local little pizzeria and filled them all up again before they all made their way home. 

Mr. Wonderful and I were so tired out, we were in bed by 8:30 last night. I know I was asleep before 9 PM. It was a good tired though, but we both figured out we aren’t as young as we once were and we really do need our kids sometimes to help us with projects like this. Sure, we could have hired someone to come do this for us, but it ended up being a fun project for us all and the children and grandchildren and our family and friends will all get to enjoy this little outdoor room when they come over. We feel so blessed to have children and friends and family who are willing to help us out

So, now for a bit of show and tell. Here are some pictures. As we decorate and add things to our little outdoor space, I will try to add pictures on Facebook this summer so you can see what it really looks like in the end. 

The famous “before” picture. At this point the plants had all been pulled out, so it looks a little bit messy.

Another view of the before look. 

Our son and our friend posing for a picture. 

Digging out the foundation. Our son in law hard at work. Mr. Wonderful taking a break. I didn’t get many pictures of the digging part because by the time I arrived home from my 8-5 they were half way through with that little project. 

My dad supervising. 

The dumped the dirt in our pasture. I wish I knew how many wheelbarrow loads of dirt they hauled out to the pasture. 

We had many helpers, all arriving in various modes of transportation. My dad’s tractor and his neighbor’s trailer brought the pavers over from a local surplus store. They don’t deliver, so we did the next best thing we had. Dad and his tractor, or as my sister and I have dubbed the blue piece of machinery…”truckster”. Because dad uses it more like a truck than a tractor. smile.

The first layer of sand and gravel have been carefully placed and leveled out literally. Our son in law was very careful about the leveling part of the project.

Friday night when the fellows went indoors to eat Mexican Haystack, I slipped outdoors to take a few pictures. I loved this one with the wheelbarrows all in a row. 

Pavers lined up for tomorrow. (Saturday morning.) 

Saturday morning, bright and early, placing the second layer of sand and gravel on the foundation. 

I like our son’s stretched out look here. 

You can see just how thick this gravel had to be. I was amazed it took so much, but I guess that is how you do it. 

The border pavers have been laid down on top of carefully placed sand over the gravel and the inside pavers are now being laid down. 

Everyone is a busy bee. Teamwork to the fullest and a lot of joking around. 

Our daughter and “little guy” checking out the progress. Here you see a better view of the sand and the lines in the sand, everything was carefully done so there wouldn’t be crooked lines and dips in the floor of the patio. 

Since we have some downspout coming down on the corner of our garage they had to take some care with that. Here is they are taking care of things. 

Another shot of them working with the downspout.

Our son placing more pavers where the go next. 

Of course, on a beautiful day, I will capture anything that catches my eye. Our neighbor’s horses were out and about in their pasture. I noticed the green of that pasture more. No more dead wintry brown, but beautiful and glorious summer greens! 

The project is really taking shape. 

At the end of the patio you can see a sitting wall taking shape. 

And there they are, but sitting walls and pillars. 

This is the packer. It is noisy as all get out, but somehow pounds the pavers down into the gravel and sand and creates a sturdy floor. It was amazing to watch it. 

Our yard was a mess for a few hours. 

Little guy was having so much fun…he is always carrying something. 

Starting to clean up, hauling pavers out behind the barn for another project some day. 

Our daughter in law coming out to see how things were going. 

Little guy inside the garage looking out. Look at that grin. 

This picture should have been inserted before the packer. In this step our son in law spread a special sand all over the pavers and then swept the sand into the cracks. After the sand was in the cracks to his liking was when he did the packing with the packer machine. 

Little guy found the dirt and excess sand. 

He was totally in dirt heaven. 

Just nothing like sand to dig your hands into when you are a two year old. 

I like this picture. Brother in laws discussing something. Our son is already sitting on one of the sitting walls. 

There is the finished product. We still have to apply a sealer after we clean up a few of the white stones…they have some mold on them and need to be cleaned before we can seal the whole thing. 

Of course, if a cat is around, I have to take his or her picture. I liked Ace in this picture, her little paw in the air. 

Here is our mean girl cat, she is cranky as all get out but I love her anyway. I like this shot of her. 

One more view of the after. Can’t you just see Polly, the swing sitting there? And a nice table and chairs? I can! 

To think we initially had planned to just go from outside shutter to outside shutter and no sitting walls to what we have now leaves me feeling so blessed that somebody else knew better than we did. It is so pretty and I can’t wait to spend a few minutes on this little space before I start my days this summer and then to end our evenings on here as well.

So happy we did it! 

And to put a period at the end of the day, this glorious sunset! It was just beautiful! 

You can find me here on Facebook.