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.

2018 Week 35: More Summer Fun

Monday, yet another lovely meal poolside and a refreshing dip in the water.

Stephan and Karen gathering dishes and food. Nova, the cat, looking on.

Can you tell what has been added for poolside enjoyment?

A 1980 memory surfaced this week--a shared week in Uruguay with the Stachuras, minus our men who were in the US visiting Taylor University to consider their offer of help with computers for the ship. From the photo it looks like it was cold in Uruguay, so here in the US it had to be warm weather. And the ship Doulos must have been in dry dock and that is why we had to move off.
We have good memories of our time in the little house with the Stachuras.

Three family members participated in our little art club Thursday. Can you guess who and whose?

Michael spends a lot of time in his den doing all kinds of research, working with two computer screens and a TV monitor, but he does not miss the animated beauty happening right outside his window. He knows how many hummingbirds zoom about competing over the elixir he provides daily. However, I couldn't capture the activity with my amateur photography. 

ThinSats were launched almost daily. The Friday balloon launch at last included the mini satellite put together by Team 1720.  

This weekend we took in some of the Upland Labor Day festivities:

Saturday evening, the BBQ rib meal and Cumberland Gap music. 

Sunday afternoon we joined a special event--a 25 mile celebratory ride of Wandering Wheels' 50th anniversary. We rode our tandem to and from home to the starting point at the Lions' Club so we ended up riding over 30 miles on a very hot day. 

Leah, Kayla and Rebecca joined the fun at the Lions Park so we got to see Becca ride her new bike and later watched them painting rocks.

I am grateful also for the work goals accomplished--cleaning, laundry, writing, and more.

2018 Week 34: Summer Wrapping-up

I enjoy rescuing lonely bent or weather-beaten blooms. Some five years ago at a wedding we were given a little thank you gift--a cute bag with a few lily bulbs. Only one blossoms every year, but grows too tall in search of light and then topples over.

Dove's Crossing pool was open Sunday so we joined Stephan and Karen in the evening for a fun little swim. He even fed us quesadillas! Notice the lights all around the pool now. . .

. . .and the fun little pond.

As is our custom, we went to Stephan and Karens' again Monday for the weekly open meal--delicious food but not pool-side this time.

Tuesday I drove up to see Mother. I visit regularly, every other week, and notice changes each time. This week there was a new person at the table, Beverly Garber recently widowed. She and her husband Martin were missionaries in Africa for 40 years. Beverly could entertain us for hours with her many stories.

Joene Cover, Beverly Garber, and Kathryn Hoyt--three Grace Brethren missionaries representing nearly 100 years of service.

In the afternoon I took Mother to visit Aunt Margaret and give her the news that the Grace library archivist would like to have her many years of weekly letters from Argentina.

I sorted and organized Mother's drawers and discovered the many birthday cards she received. I had not yet seen this very special greeting from cousin Beth.

Wednesday was Rebecca's new beginning--PreSchool!

She came over later for a few hours. We had a lot of fun but  seldom was she still enough to get a photo. This was the only one. She loves to play with water.

Her little friend Sophie came to Art Club Thursday with G-Dad, as she calls him.

I was quite impressed with the five-year-old's bold-colored impressionistic piece!

Michael feels safer on the road with his "bent" than his "single" (cyclist jargon) because vehicles are not as prone to squeeze around a three wheeler. However, he needed a flag in the back to make him even more visible. Adequate enough? What do you think?

He has also been researching how to add motorized help for climbing hills, and how to make a more comfortable seat.
However, the big news of the week is that he delivered the two little stones that were causing him pain the last few weeks! Since then he's ridden his single bike with no problem.

This week, one of my compañeras (classmates) posted this interesting size comparison between Argentina and Europe.

My research this week yielded valuable information to fill out the story of my life in Argentina. A couple 1944 photos I hadn't seen before: missionary candidates; my dear friend Mirtha and her parents.

Other family news: Kristie and Karen both started their fall courses toward Masters degrees in their respective fields. These are intensely busy times for them.

Sam's family were able to enjoy a much desired getaway to King's Island Saturday.

After the visit from our country dancing teacher-friend a few weeks ago, we joined them a couple Fridays in Kokomo trying to bring back the moves after so many years.

2017 Week 19: Mother's Day and more

A photo of my favorite flowers before they fade away. I mentioned an area where I wanted to plant lillies of the valley. So Michael ordered a bunch and planted them! Next year hopefully we will have many more of these fragrant beauties.

After Monday meal at Stephan's I walked up and down the lane taking pictures.

 And on the way home  we stopped to catch this view of the sunset and a couple of geese enjoying the flooded field.

This was the last week of the semester so after final tests and speaking evaluations on Monday, I spent a day or two calculating and submitting final grades.

Michael took advantage of the good weather this week to accomplish several outdoor tasks. He cut the tall grass around the bee hives so he could monitor their activity unhindered. He replaced the old broken down steps leading down to the lower level.

And can you guess what he's installing below?

Tuesday and Thursday evening robotics meetings started up again although not many students have ventured back yet after the intense competition season.

The team press release was published in this week's local paper, a two page large spread!

Wednesday, Rebecca came to our tap clsas to "help" her Mommy teach, so a selfie with abuela was in order.

Thursday I drove up to Grace Village to visit Mother and  be there Friday for a special lunch with a retired missionary, Alice Peacock. She spoke of the current state of the work, the many new churches. So interesting to hear of the growth of the Grace Brethren mission now totally under national leadership after 100 years, while at the same time reading Aunt Margaret's fascinating letters from the early years.

My visit coincided with  an opportunity that opened up for Mother to move into the Assisted Living area. We took her up to see the apartment she will be moving into this coming week.

Pondering the move

I was glad to be home again Friday afternoon. Mike was out riding, his longest one yet, and pain-free! I suggested we start tandem-dates again. So today, Sunday was our first of the season (and my last as a 72 year-old.) We rode some 12 miles.

Kayla invited us over for a Mother's Day cookout.

Our hosts

 Rebecca insisted on going outside and took me for a  walk/run through the neighborhood.

We passed these lovely poppies and picked some other flowers on our way.

Other family updates:
--Elijah broke his wrist last Sunday and is wearing a short cast for about four weeks.
--Kristie still has some very bad days and nights. After the type of surgery she had it takes a long time for the rearranged organs and the digestive system to function normally.

2016 Week 43: Crises and Counting Blessings

I confess this week has had more than one disconcerting crisis, but I am choosing to count the daily blessings.

Sunday afternoon we enjoyed seeing son Samuel, back from his intense work-related travels and with his whole family to watch Elijah play soccer.

Mondays, for me, are dedicated to teaching--prepare all morning, class all afternoon--which makes dinner at Stephan's such a treat. This time there was the added surprise of seeing Sam and three of the boys again.

Tuesday, Mike was dealing with heavy ongoing concerns regarding Team 1720's new location in the Madjax building. The move-in date has been postponed several times which could make it impossible to function during build-season. Other weighty matters keep him awake, like where will the money come from. Sponsors are not forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the team continues to add new students and mentors, the Saturday EV3 (LEGO Robotics) Level 1 Workshop was well attended and staffed.

Wednesday, Michael went to the dentist and got the bad news of a root canal gone bad. Arghhh . . .

Leah, on the other hand, had a very successful visit Thursday. In a month, hopefully, her long road of dental repairs will be over for now anyway.

Friday and Saturday, Karen and I attended a writers' conference at Anderson University. She lives quite close, so the first day, I drove to their lovely place and then rode with Karen.
I enjoyed seeing their fall-colored landscape, the variety of chickens roaming about, and the three stages of rabbits--babies, toddlers and teenagers.

Mama rabbit with "toddlers"; Stephan's favorite "teenager"

That evening several robotics friends gathered at our home to play card games. Some had just experienced a 24@Taylor. Moriah also got her first lesson on using the pottery wheel.

On my way back to the conference Saturday, I was blessed by the sun rising above the Indiana corn fields.

Three grandsons came to spend 24 hours at our house. Mike took Elijah to watch a soccer game at Taylor. I played with the younger two.

Jude ran ahead of me exploring new paths. I discovered the other side of the huge fallen tree that Skye and his friend worked on several days.

Sunday afternoon, while Mike was out riding his bike, the boys rode his other vehicle around.

The day wrapped up with a celebration of Sam's birthday coming up next Sunday, November 6th, when he is gone on another work trip.