God's Mosaic

It's harvest time in Kansas -

Milo harvest, that is!

The last harvest of the year here.

It is brought in by the semi-trucks

and deposited in two HUGE piles at the edge

of our little town.

Each pile is several stories high,

and nearly a block long!

Soon it will be headed out of town

in the train cars that roll along

the track in front of it.

How they do that is a mystery to me!

It is used to make feed for cattle.

But I think God intended it

to add some spectacular

Autumn color to our little town

before Winter comes!

Little Country Church

Little Country Church.

Found this sweet little church

one day when I was out meandering

the Kansas backroads . . . 

hope you enjoy!

"Tabernacle"

By Karla Worley & Brent Lamb

Chorus

Down by the tabernacle, oh,

Where the June bugs danced

And the lemonade flowed

And we prayed and we sang ‘til

The sun sank low

Laughing with our sisters and brothers.

Down by the tabernacle, hey,

Where you knew you were loved

And you wanted to stay,

Though the Texas heat

Was like judgment day,

We always enjoyed each other.

Autumn Gold

Just out rambling around today . . .
enjoying the golden beauty of autumn.
Wonder where the train is going today?
Want to come along?

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!

Sweet Farmhouse Memories ~

"Every home where love abides,

And friendship is a guest,

Is truly home -

and home sweet home -

For there the heart finds rest."

(Henry Van Dyke)

This was one of the dearest places on earth to me -

my grandparents farmhouse in

Smith County, Kansas.

Built in 1926, it was in our family for

nearly 80 years.

I grew up in Colorado, but every summer we would

come out and spend a few days here.

Oh what fun for a city kid!!!

I got to pet a newborn baby piglet once - and ohhh!!!

How he squealed!!!  I loved it!

Got to pat  the sweetest bottle calf once, too - and

run my fingers over his velvety soft mouth!

There were hogs in the sty, cattle in the pasture, and mules -

there were lots of chickens for several years, too -

always scurrying about as we arrived!

And Old Susie, the farm dog - oh how I loved Old Susie!

My first memory of her was as we pulled into the yard one night,

and she came flying out in a blur around our car - all teeth, noise, and attitude!!!

We stayed in the car til my uncle, who owned her -

gave us the "all clear" - and then she made right up to me,

and we were best buddies ever after!!

(Once my heart stopped thumping in my throat, that is!)

She only had three legs, but that didn't slow her down a bit!

I also got unusually brave one day -

and followed my uncle right into the BULL's pen!!

I stayed close behind him as he walked the width of the pen

to check the bull's water tank . . .

that humongous ol' Hereford bull just stood there,

and never took his steely eyes off me, though!!!

And I lived to tell the story!  LOL!!

Yes, there was a lot of love in that farmhouse -

lots of laughter, family fun, Grandma's and my aunt's good

old-fashioned down home cookin' -

happy visits out on the porch, and very happy memories!

Down a Country Road - September Beauty ~

September

by Helen Hunt Jackson

The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.


The gentian's bluest fringes
 Are curling in the sun;
In dusky pods the milkweed
It's hidden silk has spun.


The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow-nook,
And asters by the brookside
Make asters in the brook.


From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.


By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.



Sunset Clouds

 

Sunset clouds seen from my front porch a couple evenings ago. 

 They were actually pink-ish, but showed up golden on the Kindle camera. 

 Which I thought was still pretty cool. 

 No matter what color they are, God does awesome work!

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!!!

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!

Down A Country Road . . .

 

Won't you come along with me . . .

 

and ramble down some of the back roads near my home today?