It occurred to me the other day that the last week or so has been rather eventful for my family.
On Saturday the 14th, we had a graduation. Elliott is the youngest son of my sister’s husband, and it was his high school graduation. Joni, Adam, and I didn’t go to the graduation ceremony at the school, but went over to Bobbi an Mike’s house later in the afternoon for the reception. Mike had cooked up some pork on his new smoker and it was delicious. There was also lots of salads and plenty of cake. Aunt LeeDel came down from Sioux Falls and it was nice to visit with her a little. Uncle Butch was planning to come as well, but he broke his ankle last week and couldn’t make it.
Monday the 16th was the 25th wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife. That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment. Hard to believe I was just a freshman in high school when they got married. The 16th also marks an anniversary for Joni and I, as that was the day we met, eight years ago.
May 20th was my sister’s birthday. I’m not sure but I think she’s 39 this year, it’s so hard to keep track. Also on that day, the state track meet began in Omaha, in which my niece Kylie competed. Mom and Bobbi drove there to watch her, and from what I heard, they all got rained on.
It seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I can’t remember now. Memorial weekend usually marks the time when Mom’s three siblings all come to visit for a few days. This year, they decided to put it off to a later time when Uncle Butch will be more mobile. I’ll be looking forward to that.
Psalms 145:3-4 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Showing posts with label bobbi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bobbi. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Journal - Peaches
On Friday, Bobbi called me and said their peach tree was overflowing with peaches and asked if we wanted to come pick some. So we did that Saturday morning. We came home with about 5 dozen, although they were small because the tree made so many. I decided to try canning them, which I have never done before. We’ve been saving glass jars for recycling, and I always wondered if they could be re-used for canning. I mean like pickle jars, or spaghetti sauce and things like that. I asked Mom, and she said they probably wouldn’t work, but you know me, I had to try it anyway. So after we got home with the peaches, I tried an alfredo sauce jar. I cleaned and sliced 10 peaches which turned out to be just enough for the pint-sized jar. These peaches, by the way, are incredibly sweet and juicy. I heated the sliced peaches on the stove and then Joni put them in the jar piping hot. After a couple of hours, the lid popped and the jar was sealed! It looked like my experiment was going to work.
That evening, I decided to do another jar. I cleaned up 10 more peaches and put them in a jar, but that jar never sealed so I had to put them in the refridgerator. Later on, Joni and I decided that the peaches hadn’t been as hot that time, and that’s why the jar didn’t seal properly.
So, Sunday after lunch, I tried some more. I cleaned up the rest of the peaches, about 30 this time. We made sure to get the peaches very hot before spooning them into jars, but alas, none of them sealed. My experiment was a failure. I did some reading online, and some people say that they use commercial jars all the time. Of course, there are other people that say you shouldn’t do that. For me, it only worked on one jar out of five.
So we had a lot of peaches that needed to be used right away before they went bad. I found a recipe for peach cobbler on the internet, and Joni made some Monday after supper. The recipe used two whole jars of peaches, the jars were smaller than I realized, only about two cups in each. The cobbler turned out pretty good, although it was not the best I’ve ever had. The dough was kind of plain. We still have three more jars of peaches, though, so we can experiment with more recipes. I also found a recipe for turnovers and I thought I might try that. All in all, it was kind of fun. It gave me something to do for a couple of days. And Bobbi and Mike’s tree probably still has peaches on it, so maybe we’ll go get some more.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
That evening, I decided to do another jar. I cleaned up 10 more peaches and put them in a jar, but that jar never sealed so I had to put them in the refridgerator. Later on, Joni and I decided that the peaches hadn’t been as hot that time, and that’s why the jar didn’t seal properly.
So, Sunday after lunch, I tried some more. I cleaned up the rest of the peaches, about 30 this time. We made sure to get the peaches very hot before spooning them into jars, but alas, none of them sealed. My experiment was a failure. I did some reading online, and some people say that they use commercial jars all the time. Of course, there are other people that say you shouldn’t do that. For me, it only worked on one jar out of five.
So we had a lot of peaches that needed to be used right away before they went bad. I found a recipe for peach cobbler on the internet, and Joni made some Monday after supper. The recipe used two whole jars of peaches, the jars were smaller than I realized, only about two cups in each. The cobbler turned out pretty good, although it was not the best I’ve ever had. The dough was kind of plain. We still have three more jars of peaches, though, so we can experiment with more recipes. I also found a recipe for turnovers and I thought I might try that. All in all, it was kind of fun. It gave me something to do for a couple of days. And Bobbi and Mike’s tree probably still has peaches on it, so maybe we’ll go get some more.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Memories - Summer Vacation
Ah, summertime! School is out, and the kids have been turned loose upon the world once again. Of course, now that we are adults we don’t get a summer vacation, but how well I remember the golden summers of my childhood.
When I was in high school, I spent my summer vacations working with Dad on the farm. That was mostly irrigating since he never let me drive one of his tractors or trucks. By that time, Dad had all irrigation pipe so we didn't have to mess with those nasty old tubes any more. At the start of summer the pipe had to be strung out along the edge of each field, and in the fall it all had to be picked up again. It was hard work, but the memories are still good ones.
The summer vacations that stand out most in my mind came in the early 1980's. This would be the first couple of summers after my parents split up. Dad moved out and Kevin went to live with him soon after. Brad, being the oldest, had a summer job so he wasn’t around much. Mom had to go to work too so she wasn't around during the days. That left Bobbi and me to look after each other. Okay, I guess Bobbi didn’t really need to be looked after by then.
In the morning, there would be game shows on tv. The one I remember the most is “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker. In the afternoon it was "General Hospital." In those days, it was all about Luke and Laura. You couldn't get cable tv out in the country back then so there wasn't much to watch. For most of the day we had to find other things to do.
We always loved to bake chocolate-chip cookies. It seemed like we were baking up a new batch about every other day. Probably it wasn’t quite that often, but I would guess at least twice a week. I don't know why, but we never seemed to get very many cookiesout of a batch. That dough sure was yummy, though. I think it was around that time that somebody gave us the recipe that has vanilla pudding in the mix. That's the same recipe I still use today, and I suppose Bobbi does too.
When we weren’t baking cookies, Bobbi and I were usually playing games. I think that was when I first learned how to play solitaire. Of course, personal computers weren’t around yet, so we had to play the old-fashioned way; with real cards. I think that was also around the time that a friend of Mom's, Betty Gibbons, taught Bobbi and me a two-handed pinochle game. That was a lot of fun.
The game I remember playing with my big sister the most was Sorry! We would play game after game of Sorry! We would play with all four colors, blue and yellow for me, green and red for Bobbi. We played long tournaments of games that would go on for days and we called it "The Sorry Championship of the World." I have no idea who won most of the games, but we had a lot of fun playing.
It’s funny to think how easily we could entertain ourselves without computers or video games or mp3 players or cell phones. Just the two of us out in our little farm house, completely cut off from the world. Back then, a power blackout wouldn’t have been a very big deal. Except that the eggs would spoil and we wouldn’t be able to bake cookies.
Those were the good old days. The world is so fast and busy now. I’m glad I have these simple memories to look back on. I wonder what our children will think back on in another twenty or thirty years.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When I was in high school, I spent my summer vacations working with Dad on the farm. That was mostly irrigating since he never let me drive one of his tractors or trucks. By that time, Dad had all irrigation pipe so we didn't have to mess with those nasty old tubes any more. At the start of summer the pipe had to be strung out along the edge of each field, and in the fall it all had to be picked up again. It was hard work, but the memories are still good ones.
The summer vacations that stand out most in my mind came in the early 1980's. This would be the first couple of summers after my parents split up. Dad moved out and Kevin went to live with him soon after. Brad, being the oldest, had a summer job so he wasn’t around much. Mom had to go to work too so she wasn't around during the days. That left Bobbi and me to look after each other. Okay, I guess Bobbi didn’t really need to be looked after by then.
In the morning, there would be game shows on tv. The one I remember the most is “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker. In the afternoon it was "General Hospital." In those days, it was all about Luke and Laura. You couldn't get cable tv out in the country back then so there wasn't much to watch. For most of the day we had to find other things to do.
We always loved to bake chocolate-chip cookies. It seemed like we were baking up a new batch about every other day. Probably it wasn’t quite that often, but I would guess at least twice a week. I don't know why, but we never seemed to get very many cookiesout of a batch. That dough sure was yummy, though. I think it was around that time that somebody gave us the recipe that has vanilla pudding in the mix. That's the same recipe I still use today, and I suppose Bobbi does too.
When we weren’t baking cookies, Bobbi and I were usually playing games. I think that was when I first learned how to play solitaire. Of course, personal computers weren’t around yet, so we had to play the old-fashioned way; with real cards. I think that was also around the time that a friend of Mom's, Betty Gibbons, taught Bobbi and me a two-handed pinochle game. That was a lot of fun.
The game I remember playing with my big sister the most was Sorry! We would play game after game of Sorry! We would play with all four colors, blue and yellow for me, green and red for Bobbi. We played long tournaments of games that would go on for days and we called it "The Sorry Championship of the World." I have no idea who won most of the games, but we had a lot of fun playing.
It’s funny to think how easily we could entertain ourselves without computers or video games or mp3 players or cell phones. Just the two of us out in our little farm house, completely cut off from the world. Back then, a power blackout wouldn’t have been a very big deal. Except that the eggs would spoil and we wouldn’t be able to bake cookies.
Those were the good old days. The world is so fast and busy now. I’m glad I have these simple memories to look back on. I wonder what our children will think back on in another twenty or thirty years.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Churches pt 2
Now then where was I? Oh yes, Grace church. Yes, we liked Grace church quite a lot. Grace was unlike any church I had ever been to before, not that I had been to a lot. These people were very enthusiastic about praising God. There was loud music played by a band, people would raise their arms into the air while they sang, and some people would even dance in the aisles. On our first visit to Grace, I remember thinking “I can’t go to church here, these people are nuts!” For me, church had always been a rather sombre affair. In church you were expected to sit still and keep quiet, and the music was supposed to be something you might hear at a funeral. This was very different. I had to force myself to pay close attention to everything that was going on. By the time that first worship service ended, I had discovered that it wasn’t so different after all. They preached from the same bible other churches use, and the sermon itself was very much like other sermons I had heard, although the pastor was much more emphatic than I was used to. Incidentally, the first sermon we heard at Grace was all about change. Coincidence? No, the only thing that was different about this church, was that the people were enthusiastic. They were actually excited about praising the Lord. Once I got over my initial shock, I began to realize how right that felt.
After three or four months, however, I began to notice some things that I was not sure about. They practiced speaking in tongues, which I didn't really notice at first. I had never encountered this before and didn't know what to make of it. I emailed both the pastor and the associate pastor with some questions. I couldn't really get a straight answer from either of them, although the pastor said he had done a series of sermons about that and I could get a CD copy at the church bookstore for twenty dollars. That bothered me a lot more than the tongues did. I kind of agonized over that for a while because we had really been enjoying the church. I remember talking to my sister about it and her advice was, “if it’s good for Adam, you should really consider sticking with it.” Well, she was right. Adam was excited about going each week and Joni and I were still getting something out of it too, so we stayed. Soon after that, God took the decision out of our hands anyway, as He so often does.
We began attending Grace in November of 2008, but only stayed until April of 2009. I didn’t agree with all of their practices and customs, but at Grace, I learned that it’s okay to be enthusiastic about praising God, that it’s okay to clap your hands in church and shout “Amen!" if you hear something you like. That was an important step in our spiritual growth, and God picked the perfect church for us. If God had sent us to Grace church first, I don’t think we would have been ready for it, that’s why we had to spend some time at UCC first, to prepare us for the next step.
That was when God decided He wanted us in Nebraska. So to Nebraska we came. We took a couple of weeks to settle in before beginning our search for a new church. In the meantime, we visited my old Baptist church, where my mother and sister still attend regularly. It was great coming home to the old church and hearing all the familiar voices, but we knew we wouldn’t be attending there regularly. It is very much a traditional church and we had become accustomed to the contemporary. After we had settled into our new home, we began our search.
The first church we visited was another Baptist church. It was a blend of the traditional and the contemporary. The pastor gave a pretty good sermon, but brr! It was chilly in there, and I don’t mean the temperature. The second church was better, the people were friendly, but we just weren’t sure. We decided to look a little further.
Our third try was a success. At the Evangelical Free church in Kearney, we found Friendly people, powerful sermons, and a strong commitment to youth. More importantly, it just felt right. On our second or third Sunday, the pastor announced that they would be expanding the church by building a larger sanctuary. I think any church that can do that in these economic times must be doing something right, but I don’t feel funny about the money issue there like I did at Grace. Nine months later, all three of us are still enjoying it very much.
It is clear to me that God had our growth and progress carefully mapped out. Each step of the journey, each church we have attended, has played an important part of that growth. If we had tried to go our own way or follow our own plan, I’m sure we would have bungled it quite badly. How reassuring it is to kno that God is there, guiding us and directing our path.
Well, that was a much longer story than I thought it would be! If you made it all the way through, thank you! If you happen to be looking for a church yourself, try not to fret about it too much, okay? God will lead you to the right one. And if you start to feel a little restless in your present church, give it some thought and prayer. God might be telling you that it's time for the next step.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Psalms 98:4-6 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn, shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
After three or four months, however, I began to notice some things that I was not sure about. They practiced speaking in tongues, which I didn't really notice at first. I had never encountered this before and didn't know what to make of it. I emailed both the pastor and the associate pastor with some questions. I couldn't really get a straight answer from either of them, although the pastor said he had done a series of sermons about that and I could get a CD copy at the church bookstore for twenty dollars. That bothered me a lot more than the tongues did. I kind of agonized over that for a while because we had really been enjoying the church. I remember talking to my sister about it and her advice was, “if it’s good for Adam, you should really consider sticking with it.” Well, she was right. Adam was excited about going each week and Joni and I were still getting something out of it too, so we stayed. Soon after that, God took the decision out of our hands anyway, as He so often does.
We began attending Grace in November of 2008, but only stayed until April of 2009. I didn’t agree with all of their practices and customs, but at Grace, I learned that it’s okay to be enthusiastic about praising God, that it’s okay to clap your hands in church and shout “Amen!" if you hear something you like. That was an important step in our spiritual growth, and God picked the perfect church for us. If God had sent us to Grace church first, I don’t think we would have been ready for it, that’s why we had to spend some time at UCC first, to prepare us for the next step.
That was when God decided He wanted us in Nebraska. So to Nebraska we came. We took a couple of weeks to settle in before beginning our search for a new church. In the meantime, we visited my old Baptist church, where my mother and sister still attend regularly. It was great coming home to the old church and hearing all the familiar voices, but we knew we wouldn’t be attending there regularly. It is very much a traditional church and we had become accustomed to the contemporary. After we had settled into our new home, we began our search.
The first church we visited was another Baptist church. It was a blend of the traditional and the contemporary. The pastor gave a pretty good sermon, but brr! It was chilly in there, and I don’t mean the temperature. The second church was better, the people were friendly, but we just weren’t sure. We decided to look a little further.
Our third try was a success. At the Evangelical Free church in Kearney, we found Friendly people, powerful sermons, and a strong commitment to youth. More importantly, it just felt right. On our second or third Sunday, the pastor announced that they would be expanding the church by building a larger sanctuary. I think any church that can do that in these economic times must be doing something right, but I don’t feel funny about the money issue there like I did at Grace. Nine months later, all three of us are still enjoying it very much.
It is clear to me that God had our growth and progress carefully mapped out. Each step of the journey, each church we have attended, has played an important part of that growth. If we had tried to go our own way or follow our own plan, I’m sure we would have bungled it quite badly. How reassuring it is to kno that God is there, guiding us and directing our path.
Well, that was a much longer story than I thought it would be! If you made it all the way through, thank you! If you happen to be looking for a church yourself, try not to fret about it too much, okay? God will lead you to the right one. And if you start to feel a little restless in your present church, give it some thought and prayer. God might be telling you that it's time for the next step.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Psalms 98:4-6 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn, shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Journal - Odds and Ends
Well, I ordered some new speakers for the computer today. It’s gotten very difficult to make my headphones work, and I know it won’t be long before they don’t work at all. Naturally, I tried different pairs of headphones, but that’s not the problem, it’s the jack in the speaker. It really sucks to have to spend money on something like that, but I have to be able to use headphones at the computer. Without them, I won’t be able to hear well enough, and if I turn it up louder everyone will have to listen to it. I’ve been agonizing over this for the last five days, so I kind of feel better that the decision is made. They should get here early next week.
I also ordered Joni’s birthday present. I think she'll really like it, it's a…
Oops! I better not tell. Somebody who reads this might tell her what it is.
On Tuesday Joni and I ran into Gibbon to visit the doctor. We’re not sick, we just needed to give her that paperwork for BCBS. I’ve only been to this doctor a couple of times so there wasn’t much. She made copies for us, then we took it over to the post office and mailed it. So the ball is back in their court again. Can’t wait to see what they say next.
I’m looking forward to a good basketball game tonight. The Lady Huskers are playing Kansas. Kansas hasn’t had a very good year, but Nebraska played them earlier this year and, from what I’ve read, Kansas almost won. Also, it sounds like Kansas has to win this game to get into the NCAA tournament so they will be fighting hard. Nebraska is in the tournament no matter what so there’s no pressure. They still have their record to think of, though. Nebraska is two games away from a perfect season. I wonder if the basketball team has ever done that before?
Oh, one more thing. Today is my big sister’s anniversary! Happy Anniversary Bobbi and Mike! I know you guys have many more happy years ahead of you. Especially now that most of the kids are gone! Hahaha! Have a great day guys!
Colossians 3:14 over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
That’s it for today. See you next time!
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
I also ordered Joni’s birthday present. I think she'll really like it, it's a…
Oops! I better not tell. Somebody who reads this might tell her what it is.
On Tuesday Joni and I ran into Gibbon to visit the doctor. We’re not sick, we just needed to give her that paperwork for BCBS. I’ve only been to this doctor a couple of times so there wasn’t much. She made copies for us, then we took it over to the post office and mailed it. So the ball is back in their court again. Can’t wait to see what they say next.
I’m looking forward to a good basketball game tonight. The Lady Huskers are playing Kansas. Kansas hasn’t had a very good year, but Nebraska played them earlier this year and, from what I’ve read, Kansas almost won. Also, it sounds like Kansas has to win this game to get into the NCAA tournament so they will be fighting hard. Nebraska is in the tournament no matter what so there’s no pressure. They still have their record to think of, though. Nebraska is two games away from a perfect season. I wonder if the basketball team has ever done that before?
Oh, one more thing. Today is my big sister’s anniversary! Happy Anniversary Bobbi and Mike! I know you guys have many more happy years ahead of you. Especially now that most of the kids are gone! Hahaha! Have a great day guys!
Colossians 3:14 over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
That’s it for today. See you next time!
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Memories - The Pasture
Kids these days! They just don’t know how to have fun, sitting in front of a TV all day playing video games, or doing heaven knows what on the internet. When I was a kid, we actually went outside and played. You know, running and jumping and stuff like that. We played games like hide-and-seek, or tag; freeze tag was my favorite, but I liked shadow tag as well.
One of my favorite places to play when I was a child, aside from the corn field, was our cow pasture. Our pasture hardly ever had any cows in it, so it became our own personal playground. It was way better than most playgrounds, though. It had all kinds of neat places to play, and far corners to explore. It wasn’t an overly large pasture I think, but when I was little it seemed like the other side was very far away.
On the edge up close to the house, was a little shelter for the cows to go in when it was cold. Of course, that made a nice little play-house for us. After a while it got torn down though. Probably it was close to falling down anyway.
Near the shelter was a big old tree. I don’t know what kind of tree it was, but it was huge. The lowest branch of the tree must have been a good six or eight feet off the ground, much too high for us to reach. That didn’t stop us from climbing it, though. We found a long, heavy board and propped it up in the crook of the tree, and would kind of shinny up it. That was as high as we could go, but we didn’t mind, it was very roomy. Not quite as roomy as we thought, however. One time Bobbi, Kevin, and I all tried to get up there at the same time. I ended up falling out and breaking both of my arms. I was in kindergarten at the time. I don’t really remember climbing the tree anymore after that.
At the corner of the pasture nearest our house, was kind of a separate fenced in area. I guess that’s where they would put the cows if they needed to be branded or something. There was a cattle chute on one side, to let the cows in or out. On the other side was a huge and heavy wooden gate. The gate hadn’t been used for a long time and it leaned to one side. I remember pulling the gate back as far as I could, it was very heavy, then hopping on and riding it as it swung back the other way. That was quite a thrilling ride, but always too short.
In this same area was a small feeding pen. I think that’s what it was anyway. It was a square enclosure, maybe twelve feet on a side, constructed of very heavy planks of wood. It was really nothing more than a wooden fence; the hay would go in the middle and the cows could stick their heads in between the boards to eat. I have no idea why the hay had to be inside a pen, but it was fun to tightrope walk around the top of it. I don’t think I ever went in the middle of it, though. The grass was always very tall in there, and who knows what might have been lurking in there; snakes maybe, or monsters.
Somewhere in the pasture, we could always find the wheels. They were old wagon wheels or something, just a pair of metal spoked wheels connected across the middle by a bar. We would grab on to that bar and just take off running. The next thing we knew, we were clear across the pasture and had to walk all the way home. Not very far, but like I said, it seemed like a long trip back then. Those wheels were a lot of fun.
There was a low spot in the pasture that would fill with water if it rained enough. We didn’t play in the water because it was dirty, but in the winter it would freeze over and we had our own little skating pond.
Somewhere out in the middle of the pasture was a roll of some kind of fencing material. It had been rolled into a bale and just discarded out there. The roll was kind of flattened on top, but it was still very springy. You could jump on it and go flying off. I also remember one time I tied my kite string onto it and just laid back on the ground, looking up into the bright summer sky as the kite soared overhead.
On the far side of the pasture, was a wooded area. Lots of trees with a little creek, or crick if you prefer, running through it. That always felt like such a magical and secret place. When you’re a kid, any place that grownups never go seems magical and secret, I guess.
I can’t imagine how many hours we must have spent playing in the pasture. The corn field was fun, but it was only there for a few months. The pasture was always there, waiting to give up its secrets to us. You just never knew what you might find; strangely shaped artifacts of rusty iron half-buried in the earth, or overgrown by a clump of weeds. Sometimes it felt like you were exploring the ruins of a vanished civilization, finding relics and trying to decipher what they might have been used for.
Ah, those were the good old days. Time gets away from us, somehow; we grow older and our priorities change. As children, we spent most of our time pursuing the things that made us happy, scheming to try to get a little more than our brothers or sisters or classmates. But then we grow up and, well, hummmm, maybe our priorities don’t change so much after all. I guess sometimes we forget that we’re supposed to be looking out for eachother, helping each other. Maybe it’s time, finally, to leave our childhood behind.
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
One of my favorite places to play when I was a child, aside from the corn field, was our cow pasture. Our pasture hardly ever had any cows in it, so it became our own personal playground. It was way better than most playgrounds, though. It had all kinds of neat places to play, and far corners to explore. It wasn’t an overly large pasture I think, but when I was little it seemed like the other side was very far away.
On the edge up close to the house, was a little shelter for the cows to go in when it was cold. Of course, that made a nice little play-house for us. After a while it got torn down though. Probably it was close to falling down anyway.
Near the shelter was a big old tree. I don’t know what kind of tree it was, but it was huge. The lowest branch of the tree must have been a good six or eight feet off the ground, much too high for us to reach. That didn’t stop us from climbing it, though. We found a long, heavy board and propped it up in the crook of the tree, and would kind of shinny up it. That was as high as we could go, but we didn’t mind, it was very roomy. Not quite as roomy as we thought, however. One time Bobbi, Kevin, and I all tried to get up there at the same time. I ended up falling out and breaking both of my arms. I was in kindergarten at the time. I don’t really remember climbing the tree anymore after that.
At the corner of the pasture nearest our house, was kind of a separate fenced in area. I guess that’s where they would put the cows if they needed to be branded or something. There was a cattle chute on one side, to let the cows in or out. On the other side was a huge and heavy wooden gate. The gate hadn’t been used for a long time and it leaned to one side. I remember pulling the gate back as far as I could, it was very heavy, then hopping on and riding it as it swung back the other way. That was quite a thrilling ride, but always too short.
In this same area was a small feeding pen. I think that’s what it was anyway. It was a square enclosure, maybe twelve feet on a side, constructed of very heavy planks of wood. It was really nothing more than a wooden fence; the hay would go in the middle and the cows could stick their heads in between the boards to eat. I have no idea why the hay had to be inside a pen, but it was fun to tightrope walk around the top of it. I don’t think I ever went in the middle of it, though. The grass was always very tall in there, and who knows what might have been lurking in there; snakes maybe, or monsters.
Somewhere in the pasture, we could always find the wheels. They were old wagon wheels or something, just a pair of metal spoked wheels connected across the middle by a bar. We would grab on to that bar and just take off running. The next thing we knew, we were clear across the pasture and had to walk all the way home. Not very far, but like I said, it seemed like a long trip back then. Those wheels were a lot of fun.
There was a low spot in the pasture that would fill with water if it rained enough. We didn’t play in the water because it was dirty, but in the winter it would freeze over and we had our own little skating pond.
Somewhere out in the middle of the pasture was a roll of some kind of fencing material. It had been rolled into a bale and just discarded out there. The roll was kind of flattened on top, but it was still very springy. You could jump on it and go flying off. I also remember one time I tied my kite string onto it and just laid back on the ground, looking up into the bright summer sky as the kite soared overhead.
On the far side of the pasture, was a wooded area. Lots of trees with a little creek, or crick if you prefer, running through it. That always felt like such a magical and secret place. When you’re a kid, any place that grownups never go seems magical and secret, I guess.
I can’t imagine how many hours we must have spent playing in the pasture. The corn field was fun, but it was only there for a few months. The pasture was always there, waiting to give up its secrets to us. You just never knew what you might find; strangely shaped artifacts of rusty iron half-buried in the earth, or overgrown by a clump of weeds. Sometimes it felt like you were exploring the ruins of a vanished civilization, finding relics and trying to decipher what they might have been used for.
Ah, those were the good old days. Time gets away from us, somehow; we grow older and our priorities change. As children, we spent most of our time pursuing the things that made us happy, scheming to try to get a little more than our brothers or sisters or classmates. But then we grow up and, well, hummmm, maybe our priorities don’t change so much after all. I guess sometimes we forget that we’re supposed to be looking out for eachother, helping each other. Maybe it’s time, finally, to leave our childhood behind.
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)