Horror!

I'm not even sure what to say about this. I'll let you make your own commentaries... 

Autumn

I love autumn! I can smell and feel the crispness in the air. The leaves are just beginning to turn. Apples and pears are in their season and pumpkins adorn vines in gardens. Everything pumpkin, apple and cinnamon starts to hit the store shelves. I light my fall candles and fill my home with the scents of fall. The kids are back to school and we're back to a normal routine. Signs of corn mazes and haunted forests start popping up along the main roads. The color purple is in season! I think Fall is my favorite season. But I say each season is my favorite when we're in the beginning. I think mostly it's just the change of seasons that I love. Enjoy the days! 

Bat Rescues

This little baby bat slipped through a tiny crack in our attic access panel and was found at the base of our stairs.  In the picture, the bat is clinging to my thumb, that's how small it is.  I picked it up very carefully with thick leather gloves (don't try this at home!).  I put the little guy into a shoe box while I got a ladder and opened the panel.  Let me just tell you, it is NASTY up there!  There is spray insulation with spider webs, bugs, piles of guano and at least two dozen bats.  I found a couple babies huddled together near the opening so I got the baby out of the box and placed it with the other two.  I made sure to replace the panel so that there were no cracks for them to slip out.

This is a full grown bat that was at the base of a tree one morning.  I put the thick leather gloves on again and picked it up.  I examined it to make sure it wasn't injured and then placed it as high up the trunk of the tree as I could reach.  It hung out there all day and then the next day it was gone.  I'm hoping that it flew off in the night and went back home (into my attic, lol). 

We plan to close up the attic this Fall when all of the baby bats are able to fly.  The proper way to do it, I've heard, is to wait until evening, when they have all flown out and then seal up any areas where they are getting in.  I really don't like going up the tiny hole into the scary attic but it will have to be done so my husband and I will do it.  I'm sure that'll be in a blog!

Rock Garden Rehab

You will not believe the before and after pictures of an overgrown rock garden on our new property!

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanks to my Mom for tons of help and a bunch of perennials from her garden!

Fallen Bat

This poor little boy fell from the roof of our house.  Bats can't fly from the ground so I picked him up and placed him on his belly near a tree.  His wing looked like it was a little hurt but he had a lot of spunk.  He was spitting and growling at me and flopping all over the place.  I did manage to snap this picture of him before I let him go.  When I went back out to check on him he was gone, so either he climbed the tree or he was someone's dinner.

Disclaimer: Bats are one of the number one carriers of rabies!  Do not pick up a bat without proper protection and knowledge.  If you aren't sure, don't touch it!  I used thick knit gloves and picked up the bat in my winter hat.

Welcoming Gnome

This is my welcoming gnome.  

He is outside the barn offering water to all of the animals!

Scary Visitor

This scary thing appeared on my daughter's wall this morning!  I thought it was a tick and squashed it.  The bug turned out to be a pseudoscorpion.  Although the thing looks like something from a horror movie and the name sounds terrible this tiny creature is harmless.  I found out they actually eat pests such as ants, mites and many types of larvae.  I guess next time I see one I'll just let it be.

Friendly Moth

My daughter rescued this moth from being stepped on or eaten by one of our dogs. After it crawled on her finger it wouldn't leave. She carried it around for a long time until finally she got it to walk onto a leaf. It was pretty cool! 

Big Dreams

This is my daughter petting the nose of a Clydesdale at the Michigan State Fair.  No fear, just big dreams!

517 Rocks

The County we moved to has this cool program called 517 Rocks. It's on Facebook. I have no idea who started it but it's a community initiative where people paint and place rocks in public places for others to find. Anyone can participate. You can start one in your community if there isn't one! I think my daughter and I are going to paint some rocks. ;) 

To check out the Facebook page, click here!

Christmas Orange

We had our church Christmas party this morning. It was a Polar Express breakfast and we got to go in our pajamas. I was asked to tell the story of the Christmas Orange about an orphan boy and his special present.  I thought it was a good one to share, especially with young children.

"Jake was nine years old and for as long as he could remember he lived within the walls of an orphanage. He was one of ten children supported by what meager contributions the orphan home could obtain in donations from local townspeople. 

Throughout the year there was very little to eat, but at Christmas there always seemed to be a little bit more than usual. The orphanage seemed a bit warmer and there was time for holiday enjoyment. But most importantly there was the Christmas orange! 

Christmas was the only time of year that such a rare treat was provided and it was treasured by each child. They each enjoyed their very own orange and prized it as they slowly savored each juicy section. It was truly the light of their Christmas and the best gift of the season. Jake had been looking forward to his Christmas orange all year long! 

On Christmas Eve, Jake somehow managed to track a small amount of mud from his shoes onto the new carpet in the orphanage. He didn’t even notice it had happened. But it was too late and there was nothing he could do to avoid punishment. The punishment was swift and grim. Jake would not be allowed his Christmas orange! It was the only gift he would have received from the harsh world he lived in. Now, after a year of waiting, it would be denied him. 

Tearfully Jake pleaded that he be forgiven, but to no avail. He felt hopeless and totally rejected. Jake cried into his pillow all that night and spent Christmas Day feeling empty and alone. He felt that the other children didn’t want to be with a boy who had received such a cruel punishment. Perhaps they feared he would ruin their only day of happiness. Maybe, he reasoned, the gulf between him and his friends existed because they feared he would ask for a little of their oranges. Jake spent the day upstairs, alone, in the unheated dormitory. Huddled under his only blanket, he read about a family marooned on an island. Jake wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life on an isolated island, if he could only have a real family that cared about him. 

Bedtime came but Jake couldn’t sleep. How could he say his prayers? How could there be a God in Heaven that would allow a little soul such as he, to suffer so much all by himself? Silently he sobbed as he prayed for the future of mankind, that God might end the suffering in the world, both for himself and all others like him. 

As Jake climbed back into bed from the cold, hard floor, a soft hand touched his shoulder, startling him momentarily. He was surprised when an object was silently placed in his hands. The giver disappeared into the darkness, leaving Jake with what, he did not immediately know! 

Looking closely at the object in his hand in the dim light, he saw what looked like an orange! Not a regular orange, smooth and shiny, but a very special orange. Inside a patched together peel were segments of nine other oranges. Together they made one whole orange for Jake! The nine other children in the orphanage had each donated one segment of their own precious orange to make a whole orange for Jake." - unknown author

This story is a wonderful example of sacrifice and love.  Merry Christmas and God Bless!

First Blog Post

We recently moved from the city to an 1880's farmhouse on 8 acres off of a two-lane dirt road.  My daughter turned 6 at the end of November and I have been homeschooling her since she was 4 years old.  With all of the craziness of homeschooling and country life I thought recording all of the antics in a blog would be a fun way to catalog our days.

With all of that said, here is blog #1 and a picture of our beloved farmhouse.