We Plow The Fields And Scatter ~

This wheat field is precious to me.
For it once belonged to my grandfather, and later, my uncle.
I often saw my uncle riding out on his tractor
to work it - would have loved to come along!


We Plow The Fields And Scatter


We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;

He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

He only is the Maker of all things near and far;

He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;

The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;

Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,

The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;

No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,

But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,

Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.

(Matthias Claudius)

Mums

Just wanted to share

some of the autumn beauty

from my garden a few years ago.

Hope you enjoy!

Down A Country Road - Golden Beauty

Kansas is known for it's beautiful sunsets,

and about an hour before then is the perfect time to

capture the outdoor lighting at it's best.

So one evening as I was out 

wandering the byways and back roads near my home, I 

came upon this simple, limestone building,

bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun.

As I understand the story,

it was built by the Boy Scouts,

back in the '30's or so -

and they held their meetings there.

Yes, there really is a lot of

loveliness to be found

 in the simple things of life!

Oak Creek School

"School days, school days

Dear old Golden Rule days

'Reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic,

Taught to the tune of the hick'ry stick

You were my queen in calico

I was your bashful, barefoot beau

And you wrote on my slate, "I Love You, Joe"

When we were a couple o' kids"

This was a popular song when my Grandpa attended
this little one-room schoolhouse in rural Kansas,
in the early 1900's.  I've had the privilege of going inside and
seeing it lovingly restored to the way things were in his day -
wooden desks and chairs with wrought iron legs,
cursive writing charts on the walls, original textbooks,
an American flag, and Kansas state flag at the front of the room -
with Abraham Lincoln and George Washington looking on!
And the teacher's large wooden desk up front.


My grandpa was not able to attend every day, as he had to
work on the farm  (at the age of 16!) -
but he came every day when the family he worked for could spare him.
He was an orphan by that age, but did very well in his life!
Eventually, he married one of the daughter's in that family,
who became my dear grandma -
and the rest, as they say, is history!


And I love and miss him!

Old Barns and Old People

This is a precious old video - I've enjoyed it many times - first in e-mails,
and lately on Facebook.  But a good story always bears repeating, and this
one is no exception.  So sit back, relax, pour a cuppa coffee, and enjoy!

The Story That Clotheslines Told

You could always tell what was going on in a family's life

by observing their clothesline.

This is the clothesline - see it dimly near the bottom of the photo?

that once stood behind our family's Kansas farmhouse.

It is gone now - and so are most of the trees around it.

But it would have told you a lot about us -

and what was going on at my grandparents farm!

        I loved hanging the laundry on the line for my Mom when I was growing up -

first running a wet cloth over it so the dust wouldn't stain the freshly washed clothes -

then hanging things "just so" -

sheets, towels, and blankets on the outside -

"unmentionables" on the inside!

And everything "shared" a clothespin with the item

on either side of it!

I sure do miss having a clothesline!

Down A Country Road - Sparkles!

Kansas is known for it's spectacular sunsets -

and this one was no exception!

As I was coming home from a neighboring town one day,

I just could not resist stopping and taking a picture of this lovely

cottonwood tree  - I love how the setting sun hit the leaves

in such a way that they just seem to SPaRkLe!!!

Country Days

Horse by Bobby Mikul

"PLOUGHING"


The little birds by God are fed

But man must earn his daily bread,

And work that he may eat;

Striving his best, as John does now,

The broad ten-acre field to plough,

Wherein to sow the wheat.

Old John, the ploughman, ne'er repines,

Whether it blows, or rains, or shines,

But happy still does seem;

And Dick, who leads the foremost horse,

Goes whistling as he walks across

The field beside the team.

Let us perform as gladly, too,

The work our Master bids us do,

And then we need not fear;

But when from earthly toil we rest,

We all shall meet among the blest

Who served Him truly here.

Down A Country Road - The Beauty of Old Barns

There is a certain unique beauty in old barns.

Whether still in use, or dilapadated and falling down, the colors of the weathered wood, the lines and angles, have always fascinated me.  Old barns - in their own peculiar way, all have a story to tell.

Their silos - that held the fruits of so many, many wheat harvests.  They also provided a place where Grandpa could rest for a few minutes in the shade on a hot summer's day after several grueling hours on his tractor in the fields nearby.

Their cattle chutes and lean-to's - providing guidance and protective shelter to numerous cattle, mules, and - on my Grandpa's farm - mama pigs and their new little litters of baby pigs - so precious!  One of my earliest memories of our farm is of going with my Mom and Uncle Bertus into the barn, and getting to pet a brand-new little white baby piglet - oh how he squealed!
And oh how much I enjoyed that!

Yes, if you look just beyond the surface of things - you can often "see" a beautiful story, if you have the eyes to perceive it!