Saturday, May 31, 2008

Stephen- courage under fire

Stephen is introduced in Acts 6 as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" and we see him immediately in the fire. He is one who was chosen to lead the group of men sent out to minister in Jerusalem. This work spread rapidly and many priests were even "obedient to the faith" and were saved, washed with the blood of Jesus for their sins.

As we see in the following verses, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, and not the type to keep his faith to himself. He spent his time following in Christ's footsteps, preaching to whoever would listen. This got him thrown in jail, brought before the religious leaders of the day. These priests, who should have been men of God, told people to lie and give false testimony about Stephen so that they would have cause to shut him up. So, what does Stephen do to get a point across? Well, he lays it on them and comes out with both barrels.

Stephen knows that his message is not his own, but directly from God. He is not going to back down. He remembers that Jesus taught how important this message was. This was not just a message that would improve your life. It was indeed a matter of life and death, eternally. Faith in the laws only, and rejection of Jesus was the downfall of this group of religious scholars and leaders. So, Stephen tells them about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and the whole history of their nation. They all know the stories, and accept God as supreme, sovereign, and able to judge. His history lesson is all pointing to how God has revealed Himself to them, how all the prophecies point to a Messiah, an anointed one, who would come and offer a finished sacrifice for sin. They refused to see who Jesus was, and instead killed Him, murdered for a crime He did not commit, all fulfilling what the Scriptures said would happen.

Then Stephen shows them the error of their own ways. This is no longer a history lesson, but a personal accusation against the very people who called for Jesus to be crucified, those who concocted the lies about the empty tomb. These were those who felt the earthquakes, saw the dead walking around, the tombs empty, and the veil in the temple rent in two. He also reminds them that they killed the prophets and those who foretold Jesus' coming. This was no quiet sermon or lecture, but a passionate speech proclaiming these men as those guilty of killing their own Messiah. This was a Spirit filled speech that Stephen knew would not be well received. So, did he tone it down to fit the crowd? No, he let them have it with both barrels. We see that there is a time for calculated, convincing sermons, but there is also a time for unbridled, in-your-face truth that may cost you something. Stephen's choice to follow Jesus completely led to his immediate stoning, killed for his faith and his willingness to follow wherever God led him. He followed, knowing the consequences, and still pressed on.

Faith in action, and courage under fire. Stephen is an inspiration, and source of challenge for all of us who are fearful to preach the name of Jesus, thinking more about our own comfort than the torture inflicted on our Savior, who didn't deserve anything but worship. Jesus also laid down His life for us, knowing before His birth the consequence He would have to pay, yet He came anyway. Jesus offered His life for us, while we were dead in our sins. What are we willing to offer Him in return?

Cornelius and Simon Peter- critical changing point

Our family reading tonight was about Cornelius and Peter, found in Acts 10-12. As I was reading, I realized how critical this story is to the way we believe. Jesus had preached to the Jews, offering Himself and they rejected Him.
As time progressed, Pentecost happened, along with the filling of the Holy Spirit upon those believing. Even though there were many in Jerusalem that day, a lot that did not speak the language of the Jews, they all heard the truthful message about God that day. They heard about Jesus and what He came to do. Yet many did not understand the full message.
It is shortly after all the intensity of the day of Pentecost that we see Peter's vision from God about the unclean animals, and Peter's revelation that God was showing him to go and preach to non-Jews. It is an interesting note that the text of Acts 10 includes the fact that it is not only poor form, but illegal to associate and eat with a non-Jewish person. This was not just a cultural thing, but the law. God had forbidden the children of Israel to marry outside of their own kind. He told them to not worship like others did, and to keep themselves separate for God. Peter's invitation to dinner was a big deal in the history of the church as we know it today.
Peter, after teaching those at Cornelius' home, and having them believe and receive the Holy Spirit, realized how much this meant also. He ran and told the others in Jerusalem what God had revealed to him. Some mocked, and those keepers of the law of Moses would rather argue about circumcision and the like until Peter set them straight. Peter had realized through his vision from God and the meeting at Cornelius' home that Jesus had told them before what was to be, but they had not comprehended it at the time.
In chapter 11 of Acts, we see Peter talking to the disciples and those who were in their midst. He tells of the vision, the meeting, and how those who listened and believed were filled with the Spirit of God, just as they had been not that long earlier. What an amazing thought. These people had always thought that the gospel of Jesus was just for them, not for the whole world. This meeting was the reason missionaries were sent out, giving the gospel to the world. An amazing part of God's plan for the ages was revealed in this chapter. Truly, the reason I am writing this, and having my own Bible to read stems from the knowledge that the gospel is for all the world. When the Jews rejected Jesus, they opened the door for the rest of us to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.
It is also in this passage that we see that the church was first called Christians at Antioch. A direct, immediate result of the first missionary works was the church of God being spread to Antioch, and this would lead to many more villages, cities, and countries being reached with the good news of Jesus and the payment for sin for the whole world. What an amazingly rich passage of Scripture we read today. In our family time, we have time to talk about what we learned, what it means to us today, and how we can take the principles we learn and apply them to our lives. I hope you enjoyed this study of the critical changing point in the lives of believers like Peter, Paul, and Barnabas.
Have a great Lord's day tomorrow. Half the family is sick, and we really don't want to miss it, so we are headed to bed early so we can enjoy worship, teaching, and fellowship tomorrow. May God richly bless.

mark

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Updates

We got our sheep, one black and one white. One weighs about 45 lbs and the other 55 lbs. They took their time getting used to us and we also let the chickens in with them, but they are seeming to enjoy life here. The fenced in area is smaller than we planned, maybe 1/4 acre, so I have more work to do getting that set up. It was all cleared, but started some weed growth recently. We will be seeding in with timothy and clover and burning our brush piles that are outside the fenced area in the next few weeks. It has been windy lately, so I don't want to burn just yet, maybe later in the week we will get one going.

We did find one dead hen in a corner yesterday. She had snuck into a corner in the old broiler tractor, and that is one of the places you don't think to look. We haven't done a head count in a week or so, since the rooster hit the stew pot, so she could have been gone a couple of days. With all that has been going on, we miss some things.

I got green beans, romaine lettuce, onions and carrots planted yesterday. It is hard to believe it isn't June yet, and our garden is about half empty. We have it all planned, and have stuck to the schedule pretty well, sometimes early, never late.

We had Sara's parents and sister Jessie over for a BBQ yesterday. We had a great time catching up, and the whole lot of us moved our old chicken pen from front yard to back yard. That was interesting and HEAVY. Another check mark on the list. Now, I have this 20x20 spot that would be perfect for raised beds, maybe more carrots. I will think of something no doubt to fill that space. I just hate to waste a nice area like that. It is not connected to the lawn really, and the chickens are all set, so more food production area would be wonderful.

We also had friends over last night for supper. We had a great time after we ate, reading the Bible together and talking about the passage. Our evening Bible time is fun, and when others are able to take part it just adds another perspective on the readings. Also, it helps keep our conversation on Godly things, instead of always talking about the weather or work, we are reminded that God is in everything we do.

Everything we say, the reasons we do what we do, are all driven by the Lord and what He would have us do. This time has kept God at the forefront of our thoughts, and been just what I needed to keep me from neglecting my duty as husband and father in teaching spiritual matters. I pray that we never forget how important it is to spend time daily with the family in study and prayer.

May today be a blessed day for you, and don't forget to spend time in prayer and in the Word of God today.

Mark

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Sheep are coming today!

After church meeting and lunch, we will be headed to Palermo to get our new sheep. We will be getting 2 lambs about 3 months old. The farm we are buying from weans his lambs late, which is good for them. The longer they can be with mother sheep the better. So, our time of anticipation is nearly over, and preparations are done. It is time to get on with it.

This puts our homestead collection to 2 sheep, 6 Rhode Island Red layers that are 1 year old, 3 Silver Laced Wyandotte bantams, 4 Ideal 236 pullets(leghorn type layer), 4 Rhode Island pullets, 5 Ameracauna pullets, a dozen assorted 3 week old bantams of all colors, shapes and sizes, some feathered feet, some bare feet, some with bright colors, and some single color plumage. Now June 13 we will be adding 50 Broiler type chickens to the mix for meat.

The broilers and the sheep will live in the newly renovated 16x8 shed(barn) with about 1/4 acre fenced right now. That will be expanded later on in the summer when they need it, and will allow rotational grazing to some extent. The layers and bantams have their own section of ground about 2500 square feet, and with about 35 chickens, that is just about 75 square feet per bird. That should do just fine for now. I forgot that along with the 3 week olds, we have 6 or 7"males for warmth" which appear black and white striped, maybe a Barred Rock type chick.

With strawberries planted, along with 3 new pear trees, and the inlaws having a ton of apple trees(which they don't care for and we get all we can pick) and a garden that is currently about 2200 square feet, we are getting ever closer to true homesteading.

So, with all the discussion around here about a milk cow, we have decided to wait until at least fall. That will give me time to build the fence needed, see how the pasture hold up, etc. There is a lot more to it than just getting a cow and feeding it hay. Sure, you could do that, but we want a happy healthy cow and would rather wait than do it wrong and become disillusioned. We have an acquaintance that has Dexters just up the road that he uses for "meat and mowing" in his words. He has calves born each year, and that will be where we probably get our family cow.

I will post pictures of the sheep later today or tomorrow, along with updated pictures of the fences, barn, etc. We are still not using about 1/4 of an acre here. That area will have perimeter fence next and then we will consider the cow. Until then, we will enjoy the sheep and chickens, and keep buying our organic milk for $6.25 a gallon. The cost and time of keeping a cow is nothing when you consider we make a trip to town each week and burn $10 in gas to get 4 gallons of milk, cheese, butter, and all the other products that we could produce right here if we had that cow. Also, an added meat bonus calf would be nice for the freezer.

Life sure is good here on the 1 acre homestead. Check out Sara's blog for more information on the family, kids,and garden. She is doing all kinds of new things to save money and help us eat more healthy. God has blessed us richly, despite most folks considering us poor. I pray that you also continue to be blessed.

Our family Bible time is such a wonderful time of reading together, hearing what the kids think about a passage, and a great way to spend our time. We pray daily that God will bring people our way that we can minister to, and the Lord has blessed us in that way too. If you do not have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus, please contact me today. You could also visit this page to learn more about the ultimate cost of sin in our lives. Don't wait to learn what God desires from our lives. After all, we were created by Him and for His purposes.

I pray that today is the day that you commit to serving God. We are not promised riches or fancy living, but knowing that you have a part in serving the God that created all things, living in harmony with His will each day, life couldn't get any better than that. We are so blessed to be able to share that joy with others. If you are one who follows God through Christ, I hope you share the gift of salvation with others you meet too.

Sheep pictures will be here soon! Keep checking in, and go enjoy the day. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Mark

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Getting things in the right order

We were talking yesterday about priorities, order of importance, and how to live how God would have us to live. For us husbands and fathers, the list is as follows:

1. God
2. Wife
3. Children/family
4. Work
5. Local church ministry

OK,so many may say that you need to put others first, and that is valid, but needs qualification. The issue is when we are focused on others, we sometimes put earthly things in front of God. Our lives need to be centered on God. His will, His work, and being what God tells us to be is the first thing that needs to be attended to. Only when we are where God wants us is the rest going to fall into place.

If we are where we should be with God, it should follow that we are being the husbands we should be. God has given me a wife. It is a ministry to God to be a good husband. The home is the proving ground for leaders in the church, and also the role a man spends the most time working on. We are married before we have kids (usually) and after our children are grown and out of the house, we will still be married for the rest of our lives. We serve God by serving our spouse, and that relationship is the basis of having a healthy family. If we are not being the husband we should be, maybe something lower on the list needs to have less precedence.

Children, a blessing from God, are the ministry of the husband and wife team. They are our responsibility to nurture, teach, train, and love. If the relationship with God is as it should be, and we have a Godly marriage, then it will allow us to work together to raise Godly children. When we show the example to our children of how to live, it will be much easier to use the time we have with our children properly. When we are too busy to have a marriage, the children suffer, and we are not going according to God's plans.

With our priorities on God, wife, and children in place, we can then get on to work. When we are in proper relationship to God, we don't have to worry about falling into temptation at work. With a good relationship with our spouse, we won't be looking where we shouldn't or being angry with our spouse, leaving things unsettled before we leave for work. How many marriages have work and money put first and the man has no time for God, wife, or children. Maybe he feels bad and puts children first. This still does not work, because marriage is God's work and blessing.

If we are angry with our spouse, we will not be able to love the children as we should. We may say things or do things opposed to our spouse in front of the children. A man who loves his children more than he loves his wife is teaching his children the wrong thing. According to the Bible, God puts man and woman together. When folks get married, they leave their parents and cling to each other.

The time of parenting is over when the children get married. Sure, you still have a relationship, but the dynamic changes. Most of the time, the married children do not live with you anymore. The son, now a husband, has his own family to take care of. That is his new place, leading his own family. Children grow best under the husband/wife relationship that is putting God first, spouse second, and children next.

So, you say, what about work? Well, if you don't work, you don't eat. That does not mean that we should spend all our spare time at work trying to make more money. There is never enough money. I know people who live on $12k a year and those that make 10 times that. Both would tell you they don't have enough to live on. Both have food, shelter, and clothing plus some. So, what does that tell us? I see that folks tend to spend what they earn or more on average. Only when you spend less than you earn do you come out all right. Save some for a rainy day, avoid debt, and you will not have to work nearly as much.

The problem comes when working and money become the focus of life. God gives us work, to earn and take care of our family. God did not ever command us to earn more so we can give more. In fact, the story of the widow's mite would make me thing more like those in poverty, relying on God, being good husbands and fathers, serving the Lord are those who have it right.

Ultimately, I cannot tell anyone what to do with their lives. What I can do is tell you that I have to examine myself often, as we all should, to see that God is in first place and that I am living up to the jobs God has given to me. 1 Corinthians 7:32-33 tell about the difference in priorities and the place of the married and unmarried.

When you are not married, you should be able to serve the Lord only, having nothing in the world to keep you from serving. A married man has to think about his wife and children also. God comes first, but the man must also take care of the family. Paul seems to be a bit indignant in 1 Cor. 9 when he speaks about those who took their families on in the work of the Lord, how they were taken care of, yet Paul and Barnabas were expected to work AND minister. As a body of believers, we should support those who have given their lives completely to God's work and see that they have no needs(note I did not say wants, dental plans, or retirement).

To conclude, I would say that again, I have no concrete answers, but to ask yourself the question that God would ask, "Choose you this day whom you will serve" are you serving Him or yourself? Are you serving God or money? You cannot do both. We must all make the choice.

The Lord's table

Sorry about the choppy format. I wrote this for a men's group, and wanted to share it with those who wanted to study further. Feel free to write with questions. Email is markcowperthwaite@roadrunner.com

1.Introduction- Jesus and the disciples- Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:19-20
A. History- the blood and body sacrificed-
Abraham and Isaac- the lamb for burnt offering Gen 22:7
Passover in Egypt- spotless lamb less than a year old - Ex. 12:5,7
B. The meal with the disciples- time with Jesus, fellowship
C. Worship- recognizing Jesus as able to pay the sacrifice, perfection, truly God. John 1:29 "takes away the sin of the world"

2.Remembrance for today- Acts 2:42,46 Acts 20:7 Focus on Jesus- 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
A.Blood-
Jesus as the lamb- Is. 53:7, John 1:29, Rev.12:10-11, Rev. 5:12-14
Lamb as picture of innocence- Luke 10:3,Matt 10:16
B.Body-
Broken for us- no bones broken, but body broken, no longer alive.
Reflection- Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for you, we need to walk
worthily- 1Cor. 11:27
C.Unity through worship- fellowship around the table, one common goal, to worship and
bring glory to Jesus as He is worthy of our praise. When we come around the table,
we have one purpose in mind, and everyone at the table should be there for the same reason, not to further an agenda, to share problems, but only to focus on Jesus.

3.What it is not- Luke 22:21-27
The problem seems to be whenever people get together, there is conflict. This ought never to be inside the assembly of believers gathered to worship. We need to put aside our sin, our pride, our hurt feelings, and remember that we are the body of Christ, brought together for the purpose of glorifying and serving Him. We are not here for ourselves, though we are ministered to by the Holy Spirit. We are gathered for the purpose that Jesus instituted when he said "this do in remembrance of me" We are not here to air our grievances or to show each other up, but rather, are to be gathered quietly, in solemn manner, to remember the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for us.

Where two or three are gathered, He is here in our midst. It is often asked "If Jesus were standing there with you, would you ..." Well, friends we have no reason to question "If" but only to remember that Jesus is here, in the center of the assembly, worthy of worship, praise and adoration. It is Jesus who instituted this meeting, and His sacrifice that we remember. We need to leave our differences behind, and look only toward Him as we come. Only when we have a singleness of mind and focus can we truly worship as we should. Eph. 4:13,16- Colossians 3:12-17

Problems with blogger, SORRY!

I recently posted a few old messages that I forgot to post at the time. Once was "Getting things in the right order" about priorities including God, family, work. The other is a lesson about "The Lord's Table" and was published April 16. You can find that one on the drop down list in the left column.
I actually published them today, but the draft date would not change. Anyone on Blogger that knows how to fix this is welcome to send me a note.

Again, sorry. Have a great day.

Mark

So, where are we putting everything??

With 2 lambs coming this weekend (we think) and a third batch of chickens running in the brooder, and another batch due June 13, I figured it was time to start working on where to put all these animals. Also needed to figure out what to do with the wood for the winter. You know, the wood I cut over a year ago that I am slowly bringing home(driving would really help)on days that I don't have too many seizures, or back problems. Wow, sounds like I am complaining, and that was not the intent of this blog. I was writing about how things are progressing, so let's get to it.

I took today off to get a couple things done, but none of them actually got done, because we had to see the chiropractor, get milk and produce in town, and didn't get home til lunch time. Soooo, when we actually got home and ate lunch, I decided (Sara's idea, good one too) to use the currently empty wood shed for the sheep for the summer, and deal with wood storage later. Since the little lambs are coming really soon, I decided that they needed to be taken care of first.

I retrieved a few windows from a remodel job at work yesterday and installed 2 of them in the wood shed/lamb shed for ventilation and light. Previously, there were no windows, not even a door as it is just some place to stack wood. The boarded walls shrunk pretty well, so that let air in OK, but probably wasn't really bright(like me!)So now we have 2 windows, a door...well a door opening, but no door yet. I put hay down on the floor and partitioned off an area for the lambs about 8'x8' with the other half needing to be cleaned out sometime. This can wait, but needs to be done in the next month or so before I have chickens in there too.

So, we have one less chicken today as yesterday, but he was asking for it. Zebulin, our Buff Cornish rooster, about 14 months old, was getting a little territorial, which is fine to protect his ladies, but wouldn't let me out there to water, feed, or care for the chicks in the brooder. He jumped on me a few times, and I would knock him out with a bat or whatever was handy. I am not one to be mean to an animal, but I was protecting myself. I was really hoping to keep him, but I will not put up with a mean animal, as the kids do most of the chores out that way. After the third time ol' Zeb came after me, he got taken up by the throat and was soon in the dinner pot.

Note to self: skinning chickens is not my thing, leave it to the professionals or anyone besides me as I do not have the patience to do it right.

So, I guess that is it for now. I will write later about the rest of the day, gardening, and the like. Hope all is well for all of you.

Mark

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Family Bible study

It has been about 3 weeks now of doing Bible reading and study after breakfast each day. We have also been reading after supper each night for just over a week. The morning times are just the family, and half the time the evening time involved visitors to our home. It is becoming my favorite times of day, and showing me how I was really missing the boat for a long time.

Our family Bible time used to be part of the day usually, but not always. Some days it was a few verses and conversation, some days listening to the Bible on CD for an hour, and droning out to it, becoming more of a chore than a privilege. Seeing a need to make it more regular, real, and relevant, we decided to make a regular time each day to read, discuss, and reflect on what God was showing us as a family.

Unfortunately, my personal time in prayer and study seems to have dropped off with the busy season working, planting, and a myriad of other things going on. That will change as of now, and I am starting over the right way. That is another post in and of itself, so back to family study time.

Mornings, we read 2 chapters. We started in Matthew and are now finishing Luke. I read aloud mostly, with Nathaniel starting to read aloud some of it also, and everyone follows along. Nathaniel seems to be getting the most out of it, becoming more and more a man each day. He usually has some good insight into the stories, beyond retelling what happened and more expanding on the lessons and thoughts of the story.

Sara sometimes reads along, as we are teaching the baby how to sit still and be quiet. This is still a work in progress, as she is 13 months old. She can sit still, usually quiet, but does not learn anything from the reading. This is, however a time of training, and she knows that when Sara gets out the "quiet blanket"(just a small blanket that she trained her to recognize as special, the same one she sits on during church)that it is time for our family to come together and read. As she gets older, she will be able to listen more, and pick up stories and themes.

Virginia likes to "read along" with us also. She reads a bit more slowly than us old folks, but is sounding out harder words each day. She loves learning to read, and wants to be able to do what Daddy, Mommy, and Nathaniel do. She listens intently (most of the time) and can relay stories and her personal insight. It is important to note that sometimes she misunderstands what happened. Usually upon questioning, she understood the basic story, but may not get the point.

When she is wrong, we don't just giggle and laugh and say "she tried"(the usual response to a child's misunderstanding) but lovingly show her the parts she missed and explain a bit more what it means. I know that I have noticed people just assume children cannot understand the Bible, but that is not true. The opposite is true, if this child is born again (she comprehends and accepts salvation) then she has the Spirit of God living in her, revealing the truth to her. Sure, she needs some help understanding it, but when it explained in language that she understands, you see her desire to live up to God's standards, wishing to be pleasing and acceptable to God.

Nathaniel is growing leaps and bounds in the Lord. He talks about God and things of the Bible constantly, asking lots of questions of myself and Sara. He wants to know, to be taught, and to experience God. I wish we had started this earlier in their lives, but look forward to how God will use this time to build our family.

So, with family time in the Word of God going well, I am now having to adjust my schedule and put my personal time on a regular schedule also. If we get busy, something slips by and before you know it, you have missed days. We don't want that to happen, so I am going to have to start getting up earlier. I will be waking up and spending my personal time before breakfast now, then getting ready for the day (work or not) and doing family reading time. Being a time oriented person, and forgetful too often, making it a scheduled part of the day makes the most sense for me (and most others too).

I hope this has been encouraging to all. When we see the benefits to our family, our walk with God, and all that comes from living a life where God is first, we can truly succeed in life. After all, following God and training our children in the Lord's ways are some of the best measures of success I can think of.

Did you spend time with God today?

Mark

A long time coming

I know that I have not written about anything of substance in a while. In men's group yesterday, I was asked how my prayer life was going, and if I was in the Word of God like I should be. I had to admit that my prayer time was not what it should be. It would seem that sometimes we get caught up in what we are doing and forget why we are doing it.

It is sometimes this way in our Christian walk. I would be fairly certain that I am not the first to experience this problem, but that makes it no better, and maybe worse that I did not learn from past experience or other's mistakes in the same area. The guys let me know that it seemed like when I was studying more, it was evidenced in my blog. You know, this blog, the one that I have not written anything important on in a month or more. While I do not agree that time in front of the computer typing is equal to a good spiritual walk, and neither do the guys, in my talk and walk it is obvious when I am not where I should be.

It does seem that whenever God is showing me things that I just burst forth with excitement, ready to share and encourage anyone who will listen about His truth and when He is doing in our lives. God truly has been at work, molding us into the image of His Son, Jesus. We are doing pretty well as a family, and many things have changed, making us closer to the Lord. I hope you will continue to read on, and please contact me with questions about my writing. I hope this is challenging, encouraging, and most of all honoring to God. I will be writing next about our family Bible reading time.

Mark

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Pictures posted, finally!

The slide show is on the left bar. You can click on the pictures and see them on the Picasa Web Albums site if you wish to read the full captions or see them, magnify certain pics or whatever. Feel free to copy any pictures. Not that anyone would want to, but they are free for the taking.

Mark

Pictures of the homestead.

Well, I am finally done with planting trees and got 1/5 or so of the garden in the last few weeks. We have a lot of successive plantings planned, and work to be done on the back pasture area. We measured and have about 2/3 of an acre of pasture available, with 1/4 acre of lawn and garden. The rest of the .99 acre is buildings, driveway, and the like.
We planted 3 pear trees today in a line with our yellow and purple lilacs down near the road. We also got 75 strawberry plants that will be planted in a raised bed on the other side of the driveway near the property line and fence between us and our neighbors.
With the idea of grinding our own grain (we inherited a grain mill from a friend) we have been looking into the price of wheat berries and the possibility of growing some of our own grain, barley, and a few other staples beyond the normal garden fare.
It has been very busy at work also, with jobs kicking into high gear for the summer. Still, I only have to work 9 days a month to make the bills with a little to spare, so I am trying not to push it too hard. Also, my back is bothering me quite a bit lately. My L4 disk is bulging and causing quite a bit of pain. This is an ongoing problem that keeps me from doing all that I would like to do.
We did get to fill one of our wood stacks and most of a second. They hold 1/2 cord each and sit in front of the house. We can fit another 5 cord in the wood shed and I have 10 cord of so cut from last spring that should be well seasoned already.