Purposeful Pleasures

Lots of pictures this week, and always cousin Karin's beautiful bouquet.

I spotted this beauty in our lovely natural surroundings.

Woodsy Lace

I hired a landscaping crew (three sisters) to care for three areas that are more intentionally planned. Actually, I have planted rather randomly over the years, and now we are trying to improve that.

Anyway, the girls came by this week with their mother to give advice re. what flowers to plant where.

When they discovered our zip line, they had to try it out. All had several successful tries until Mom went down. The bungy cord at the bottom snapped! It protects from crashing into the tree. Truly the straw that broke the camel's back the cord, especially considering she is the smallest of them all! No one was hurt and we had a big laugh. 

I've been recruited to be involved in starting a Friends of the Library group. We went to visit another library to get ideas from their Friends. We were impressed by the charming mural in the children's area .

On the topic of children, here are my favorite Facebook pics of the greats for the week.

Kalani found his toes!

Rebecca caught the biggest fish.

Saturday, while I was visiting with a young friend and her son on the upper deck, two strong and handsome grandsons were moving pieces of furniture into our lower floor. 

Michael and I had gone to IKEA earlier in the week. We are re purposing a downstairs area. I'll let you guess what came in the big boxes.

Several times this week Michael tried to view the comet Neowise. I went along one night. Another time he joined a group at the Taylor University observatory. Not hugely successful, hazy evenings perhaps.

Saturdays he will NOT miss the long ride with his cycling friend--71 miles, the total for the day.

Lunch at the Amish store, Fountain Acres Foods, in Fountain City

At home he continues to cook, bake and experiment. For the most part, I have banned myself from the kitchen. I just clean up after him . . . and us! Although, I did make a large zuchini lasagna this week.

Best pizza and strawberry pie ever!

Sunday evening, Moriah came for her second bread-baking lesson. This time she was doing it all and Michael was giving advice. It was a very successful venture. 

During waiting times, we played Splendor. Michael and I were outclassed by this youthful genius! What good did all those weeks of practice do?

I did, however, accomplish three research and/or writing goals this week!

What were your happy accomplishments ?

Grateful

Here are cousin Karin's weekly beauties.

And our own blossoming plants. The lovely plant on the left was a gift in May, full of blooms then. Two new ones have begun a second round. I have not yet looked up their name.

We all had fun Monday evening at Steph and Karen's. Sam's family joined us. The younger 

boys enjoyed the pool. Malachi regaled us with stories. He is moving out into an apartment in Warsaw soon, in anticipation of Lexi joining him there next year after their wedding in May as he continues his studies at Grace Seminary.

Moriah joins us for lunch on occasion the days she is working at Taylor and even treats us to her culinary creations. 

7 Layer Salad and Chicken Salad on Croissants

Throughout the week I worked steadily at rearranging some areas, sorting and purging stuff. One of the changes involved consolidating Michael's pottery collection and moving it into his den. This is only one of the shelves. I like it. Now we have an open space downstairs that we can repurpose.

These critters are cute but so destructive. Michael has been relocating them, ten so far, due to damaged bird houses, destroyed plants and many droppings on the deck. After they get trapped, the incessant cage-rattling tends to wake us. 

Another night activity this week was to try to locate and catch a glimpse of the comet Neowise, relatively small, so very far away and yet visible for a short time during our lifetime.

We had two lovely visitors one afternoon. Kayla acquired a new toy, a cricut machine, and had fun making these mother-daughter shirts.

Michael continues his culinary experiments. His bread is never plain and is better each time. He is also very generous giving away his product.

Michael's enjoyment of cooking allows me to continue my writing research, digging into the archives and unearthing all kinds of fascinating family stories. 

Saturdays are Michael's day off doing what he loves! 85 miles this time!

We are both very grateful for good health and the opportunity to do things we enjoy.

We are incredibly grateful for family, for friends near and far, and for our church fellowship.

Summer Doldrums

Cousin Karin's weekly bouquet features the Taylor University colors, purple and gold, which in turn reminds me to say that these last weeks we've enjoyed a few lunch time visits with Moriah, now a senior TU student working on a summer research project on campus. 

These bright yellow lilies by the mail box, finally burst open this week.

I missed a couple photos last week. Michael loves to ride his bike. (Emphasis intentional and not an exaggeration.) He's been logging between 150 and 200 miles per week. Saturdays he joins a group for a longer ride out of Muncie. These pics are actually from Friday, July 3. The others rode on the 4th  also, and they often ride Sundays as well. It's safe to say that they are even more obsessed with their bicycles! Can anyone venture a guess at the age of one female rider?

The last few weeks photos have surfaced, in the FB memories, of our visits six, seven and ten years ago to the Basque Country where Michael was part of a group that rode around that beautiful region. We have such fond memories. After the last tour in 2014, he underwent surgery for prostate cancer. He is very grateful to still be riding.

One of our favorite towns in the mountains of Northern Spain--Onati, a very Basque town

The day of his surgery, July 9 (nueve de julio--Argentina's Independence Day) 2014, coincided with the World Cup Semi Finals. In his hospital room, with a tiny television and poor reception, we strained to watch the Argentina - Netherlands match.

July 9 is also Leah's adopted birthday. We celebrated with her favorite sandwich lunch at The Bridge. Then I wrote her adoption story.

And here is bright-eyed Kalani, her grandson, excitedly interacting with his abuela (my chosen title is actually incorrect, should be bisabuela).

After many months of not painting, I dug out my watercolors and followed a tutorial for an evening hour of recreation.

Succulent

Mostly my creativity has been limited to knitting while we watch a show or movie, using up yarn scraps.
 

I cannot fail to mention that Michael continues to experiment with making bread and cheese. He added pickled fish to his exploits!  

What are your creative outlets?

The Fourth

Cousin Karin's patriotic bouquet

Michael surprised me with a patriotic bouquet that we have been enjoying all week!

Beginning of the week

End of the week

Mondays we've enjoyed eating outdoors at Stephan and Karen's new-to-them picnic table. The weather, the food and the stimulating conversation are such a blessing! 

The dentist had just adjusted my partial that morning, so I was able to enjoy the meal even more!

 Another plus was the dip in the pool of 90 degree water before the meal! 

Tuesday I had a special visitor. Rebecca and I had so much fun trying to put together a track. I am definitely not the engineer in the family and it took extra long to figure out the layout. We found the instructions after the fact and when abuelo came home he noticed the car needed a battery!

She also practiced reading animal names on vocab cards and I followed up with the interesting facts on the back of each one. Then we went for a walk. Rebecca picked a little bouquet and left it for me on the window sill by my desk, so sweet!

Several times this week I've gone for long walks. Just stepping outside and seeing the smiling blossoms makes me happy.

As I walk along the road, more blooms smile up at me.

Michael continues to enjoy the outdoors on his bicycle, almost 200 miles this week.

And at home he bakes bread, makes cheese, pickled fish, hefty soups, continually experimenting trying to improve the results.

I tend to be the one to deal with the Misfits bi-weekly deliveries.

Another one of the bountiful pleasures of the season--a visit Monday to Spencer Farm to pick red raspberries. We enjoyed the hour spent picking two pints each and finished just in time before the rain that had been threatening the whole time.

Thursday, a non-photographed blessing in disguise--Leah's follow-up visit to her surgeon. We are so grateful for a wonderfully caring and skilled doctor and to learn that the cancer had not spread, though pervasive within the area.

While Michael was out Friday riding with his cycling group, as it was a holiday, I was digging into the 1941 archives of the Brethren Missionary Herald. I found a very interesting WWII story, The Sinking of the ZamZam. It happened before I or most of you were born. I'd be curious to know if anyone ever heard it before. The reason I took notice, was that one of the families on board was related to my uncle Garner.

On the actual Fourth of July, we made the rounds to see each of our kid's families. First we went to Sam's family rummage sale at his shop.

We watched the younger two, Zion and Jude, skate in the bowl.
Next we went to Steph and Karen's to visit and swim in the pool.
And, finally, we ended up in front of Matt and Kayla's facing the big field behind Leah's house, where Jimmy and Skye outdid themselves putting on what has become an annual neighborhood fireworks display.

Kalani not only survived but enjoyed his first Fourth of July celebration; must be in his blood. 

I love that he loves books! :-)

I finished listening to a good book this week, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, that tells the story of the largest library fire in America--the Los Angeles Central Library in 1986. That happened within most reader's lifetime. How many of you heard of it?

Midyear

Another weekly Tennessee bouquet. None from Indiana.

However, here is some art happening in our state, in fact in the neighboring town. And, what is even more special and pertinent to us is that the daughter of our friends won the project-design contest and is working on it with her team. 

Diane was disappointed that she had not been able to attend the local Strawberry Festival, so I picked her up Sunday afternoon for strawberry short cakes from Ivanhoe's. On the way we stopped to admire Abby's work in progress.

We also picked up a movie at Redbox--A Hidden Life. It is the powerful story of unwavering conviction even unto death. and ends with this quote:

". . . for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts:

and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been

is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, 

and rest in unvisited tombs."

George Eliot                       

I am reminded of the hundreds of thousands of unrecognized martyrs we will meet in heaven.

I think also of the many, many ways that people live and serve one another and go unrecognized. One example is Stephan and Karen's weekly hospitality. Their commitment to Monday Night Dinner comes from a strong belief in the importance of community. Conversations are fun and stimulating as we learn from one another. And the food is always different and delicious!

This week, wonderful weather allowed for dinner by the pool. The young ones were in and out of the water the whole time. 

Throughout the week I had several opportunities to stop by Leah's place and sometimes catch a glimpse of Kalani, or even hold him for awhile.  

Staring up at abuela

Thursday Leah had another doctor appointment, the journey continues. Healing and pain, ups and downs, stresses and joys are all part of the journey.

Like walking, it is step by step--paso a paso. 

I began going on longer walks this week. That shows progress, my ankle is getting stronger! Here are some sightings from my Thursday walk. I love the profusion of wild roses on the corner of our road and 8th St. On the way back I caught sight of a groundhog staring up at me. 

I continue to plug away at research to fill in the gaps in my family history. I find it fascinating.

Sorting through accumulations of years gone by is not as much fun. This week I got through all the Spanish teaching materials that I will never use again. I threw away a lot, but some I organized and hope to pass on to any younger Spanish teacher if I find one who may be interested.

Michael continues to put in well over 100 miles on his bicycle each week. He has taken over all meal preparation and bakes bread regularly. Mowing and keeping up with house repairs are ongoing activities. However, he also has added serious sorting and throwing away stuff.

Not much is happening on the robotics front. Only one meeting this week to continue sorting Legos and clean up the place for an open house on Saturday. The other mentor who owns the building wanted to show off his area with all the machinery acquired, and also the robotics shop.

A great housing possibility opened up for Skye's little family. His paternal grandparents and great grandparents lived most of their lives on a lovely piece of land outside of Upland. The two homes have been abandoned for a number of years, are in terrible condition and need to come down. Then they could purchase a decent, livable or newer mobile home or prefab. The prospects are very exciting. We all went out Sunday to take a look.

Checking out the well

The Sower matriarch and family enjoying the weather and one another on the ancestral land.

We are so grateful for God's abundant grace poured out upon our family.

Justice is getting what we deserve.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve.

Grace is getting what we don't deserve!

(From Sunday's sermon)

As we near the midpoint of the the year 2020, even this blog speaks of God's amazing grace. He enabled me to keep up these weekly reflections faithfully despite a variety of circumstances. Though often published later than I expected, these posts are a record of God's faithfulness to us His children.