Well it has been another few months since my last post. Between seasonal activities, work and facebook it can be hard to set aside time to keep things uptodate.

We traveled to California in August and have been preparing for winter lately. Cutting wood canning food and preparing to process pigs in December. The kids have been involved with a Christmas Dance for the Dicken's Festavil.



Samuel graduates in December from the Community College and then heads off to a four year school.



Joshua is working on putting a band together, finishing his guitar and starting on his surf board.

I have tried and tried to get some pictures to upload but it just isn't working today.

The Chicken Coupe

We finally finished the chicken coop after several weeks. The ground was rocky and the pole setting was tough. Joshua and Samuel did most of the digging. Zech helped we do a lot of the finish work.

It is 12' by 16' pole barn structure with metal roof and siding with a window in the rear and an open front. We installed three nest boxes made of ols 5 gallon buckets with a small land roost. The feeder is made from a left-over peice of corner trim and some scrap 2" by 4".

Well that's all for now. And we are off to California for a few days of vacation before school starts back up. Sherman

Long Break since our last post...

We have been sick, busy, lazy, distracted and generally forgetful when it has come to keeping the blog up to date.

We took a trip to Missouri to buy a 16 ft trailer from Laura's folks. Buttinz wanted to go but she didn't care for the cramped conditions.

Our two oldest boys went to church camp with the youth from Theta Baptist. They had a very blessed time. From the sermons to the songs (live band Lazar Lazar).

This has been a mild summer. So much for global warming. We had some deer coming up close to the house the other day. The boys are looking forward to the early bow season in August.

Our pigs are growing little by little. They are funny to watch but will taste even better come late fall.

Mike and Krista came up for a visit and we all had a blast. It was a really good time had by all.

Well I will try to keep things more current, we are going to California for a few days in August.

Till then

sherman

This was one funny site. One of the college students had been skateboarding through the parking lot while playing a Mandolin - only in Kentucky...

Berea Kentucky Folk Dance Festival

Samuel and I went up to the Berea College Folk Dance Festival recently. It was a fun experience. We traveled up by ourselves and met up with the rest of the folks from the Homeschool COOP.

There were times of intense practice as well as time for some fun and relaxing.

The final performance was very nice. Depicting various forms of dancing from a variety of countries.

One thing I find to be sad is that this festival started out as a Christian outreach to the local impoverished children. But today the college still gives lip service to its Christian roots but is truly that in name only - it is more a humanistic secular college that sees any reliogion as being the same and simple filling a place in life. The outreach has become just another place for people to come and learn and perform. If we are not faithful to pass on the wonderful truths of Chirst to our children it will soon be forgotten.

Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

Party Anyone?

We had a wonderful graduation celebration for our oldest son Samuel this past Saturday. Several friends that we hadn't seen in a while were able to come as well as family and some church family.

Joshua shared a song modified from a poem Laura had written. Zechariah shared some thoughts about his big brother. Laura shared some prayers over the years from time without children to Samuel's' cancer to today as he enters college.

It took all week to empty and transform the shop. Laura didn't miss a detail. She is really quite gifted in this area. Trisha, David and Stephny really helped us out the day of cleaning and making final preparations. They ere all such a blessing to our family.

It was really uplifting that Mike and Krista plus kids (cousins) were able to come and stay Sunday for a visit.

To see how God has changed Samuel's heart to love as he has been loved is a blessing beyond measure.



It is really hard to believe that we had snow just a week prior. Six inches at that. The weather was beautiful. Chrissy put on a wonderful Contra dance as usual. It really was a fun time. We just want to thank everyone who came and celebrated with us.

Blessings to you all.

Sherman

1 John4: 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son {9 Or his only begotten Son} into the world that we might live through him.10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for {10 Or as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away} our sins.11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Around the House

Some friends from the Nut Cave Trout Farm pickuped some extra quail for us recently. We now have 5 males and 5 females. I am not sure what we are going to do with them in the long term (table, release, breed). These are Georgia Bobwhites, about 6 months old.

Lately, we have been trying to clean things up in preparation for the contra dance the first Saturday of March. This means moving everything out of the shop to the garage except the heavy equipment. Along with making a couple of more beds for the spare kid's room.

Our wood supply for the furnace has been running low. So we have been kept busy cutting down a few more trees. Eventually we will clear one side of the property about 150 ft wide and 1300 ft long for pasture. This is where we are selectively cutting our firewood. There should be plenty, as it may take me several years to clear out this section of woods.

We bought a chainsaw sharpener. I was tired of paying $7.00 per chain each time they got dull. For $50.00 you can buy a unit that does a good job. It is not meant to be used in commercial sharpening, but it only takes me about 5 minutes to sharpen my 20" Stihl chain. I still use a file in between major resharpenings.

As the winter time is now fading and we anticipate spring, planting time will be right around the corner. We need to find a tiller for the garden this year as well. I would really like to find an older Troy Buily Horse for around $500.00 with a plow attachment.

Take time to examine your heart before the Lord as we think of the coming spring time. Thank Him for the life He has granted you, along with His manifold blessings. It is our own sins that separate our hearts from the blessings of God. Fear of the Lord is another way of saying to hate your own sin the same way God does. Don't coddle it - rather put it away.

Jerimaih 5:23 'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.24 'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both bthe autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest."25 'Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have withheld good from you.

sherman

The Table has Turned




Keith from Viola way recently made us a new table. The design is very unique as is the size. When I first saw his table I knew in the future I would want one. When we moved into this new house with its large kitchen I pursued Keith to make me one.














He uses basic pine 2 x 6's for the table and legs. It has pin lumber of lumber plus his labor. The finished took another month due to family, visits, etc... and I added another $80 to the project with some other items thrown in for various projects (like Sam's room).













It measures a full 9.5 ft long and 4o inches wide. Notice the single leg in the center. This is a nice touch and it leaves the sides free for more chairs without someone incurring a leg.













Next we need to find some chairs to finish off the project. It was rather nice having the convenience of a heated shop to prepare and finish the table. I sanded the top, side and legs in three steps down to 220 grit using a random orbital sander. Next cam the Minwax sealer/primer followed 15 minutes later by Minwax golden pecan stain. The top has 6 coats of Formby's tung oil (really a rub on laquer - not a true tung oil). It is easy to apply and only requires a rag and a few minutes for each coat along with 24 hours between coats. The legs and the base only received 4 coats. I use some heavy metal brackets to secure the table and to remove a slight bit of cupping in the top. Give it a little time for the forces to work themselves out and it will be ...well... staright as a board.


The table even survived a nightly on slt of rip stick, skateboards and scooters in the shop. That is what happend when you have a 40 x 60 shop with very little equipment to fill in up. It seems more like a skating rink.


Again much thanks to Keith. Be sure to catch his blog at Allelon Farm and you might request your own table. I think he is moving into small scale custom commercial production. You just can't find table of this size and quality.

sherman

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.