Weaning calves=bawling babies/R & P take on a project/Canning day tomorrow - spaghetti sauce with 3 families!/Michigan on my heart

Spending the afternoon with these two or should I say - 3...  All the others were out getting the calves off the cows in the pastures.  

Tom and I went along while Joy looked for eggs.  She came out of the chicken house after feeding the chickens hugging and kissing this chicken!  "They are all my special pet chickens." she said.

Showing Tom her pet chicken.  She is known to take Tom along in the wagon while she picks eggs around the yard.  No, he is not holding an egg, but a golf ball that they put in places to encourage the chickens to lay their eggs where they can find them every day.  A veritable Easter egg hunt on a daily basis.

Smiles with eyes closed 

Grandpa comes with the first load of calves - soon the sound of bawling baby calves filled the yard!

Many loads - 3 helpers in the back of the pickup.  All hands were needed to chorall the claves.

Snapping a mountain of wax beans kept us busy.  Tom sat in a booster seat and had some snacks and played with some toys.

Tom's mom, Ruth, is a wonderful gardener!  Tomorrow we will have to do the tomtatoes into Spaghetti sauce.  We will likely do close to 100 quarts tomorrow and another time later on, too.  Spaghetti sauce is our most popularly used canning.  

Yesterday would have been my parent's 73rd wedding anniversary - they made it to 70 years 3 years ago.  Mom than died in a day in March, and dad was here on the farm on hospice for 6 months and died in October.  They were only apart for 7 months!  We thought that mom's wedding rings and mother's ring were lost... I found them recently!  So special for their special day.

My sunflower from my garden for my parents.

I love the beauty of the squash blossoms in the morning garden!  

7 foot tall sunflower blossoms in the blue sky!  

On my way to mass this morning - stunning sunrise by the barn in our yard

Fr Denny saying mass this morning - "Jesus gave his all!"  Standing under the Cross where Jesus truly gave his all!  As he prepares to consecrate the bread and wine into His Body and Blood.  

The Gospel today is Jesus healing, casting out demons, and proclaiming that The Kingdom of God is at hand!  

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”  Luke 4

Across the street from the church - Ruth and Paul closed on this house a few hours after mass.  Their plan to turn it into an Airbnb!  Thinking that it would be used for the many weddings and funerals that happen at the largest Catholic Church in the diocese!  

A few hours before they took pocession.  

How convenient is that!  Wallk right across the street!  I even have designs for living there in the future.  Only the Lord knows how it all will work out.

My sunflower-rose arrangement and my wall of family!  

Another angle - LOVE my family wall! 

The first reading from mass today was I Corinthians continuing - St Paul makes me smile ear to ear and my heart sing!  

I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.

Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers; 

you are God’s field, God’s building.  I Corinthians 3 

We are God's field, God's building...  LOVE this notion of how we are to bear fruit and also have The Holy Spirit dwelling in our inner temple!  Come Lord Jesus! 

The new owners - before picture and shortly they had all the vines off the house and lawn moved!

Stopped by to see it before I headed to Balaton with Meals on Wheels.

Really cute and nice inside - it had been a Lutheran rectory - parsonage.  It is 90 years old.

Ruth has plans for the kitchen to be nicer.

Upstairs bathroom is quite nice...

Lots of light from the glass cube window.

4 bedrooms with wardrobes or small closets.

A queen size bed for this room

Can't get enough of the view of the Church right out the front windows.  Jesus in the tabernacle and in our hearts, minds and souls!  My dream of living this close to our beloved Holy Redeemer!  

The view from the living room windows! Oh my!!!  

Tom will be mom's helper when the rest are in school in a week.  

They found these chairs in the garage and they are handy in the side yard.  That is the wall of former Rehkamp's Funeral home, which might have formerly been the Presbyterian/Lutheran church.  So interesting!  

Missing the older 3 - Ruth envisions a nice porch on the front for wedding pictures.  How Ruth and Paul love to have projects!  

Vines are gone and "let the fun begin."  The Son is shining down on their porject.  

On my parents' Anniversary my brother, Dan, and his wife, Angela, arrived in Manistique, MI for their Anniversary - they shared this picture of my parents' paver at the Grotto to Mary they were instrumental in supporting!  It looks like a friendly neighborhood cat welcomed them.  So special that they were there praying on my parents special day!  

Dan said that mom would love to see how beautiful the Grotto is after many years away.  They came to live closer 12 years ago, and 10 of those were living together in their own home just over the river in St Croix Falls, WI!  How I loved to spend time there with them!  

From my brother today on Beautiful beach!  Here we are facing 91 and there a glorious mid 70s!  How my heart yearns to be there with them.  Someday!!!

A great sharing today from mom's man, Pope Benedict XVI!  She read these daily meditations for 10 years, and now I am blessed to have her book left behind for me.  He is so intelligent and today speaking about God being "all in all" and that fits nicely with Fr Denny and his - "Jesus gave his all!"

Talk about precious and sweet is this sharing from dad's man, Brother Victor, about the holy place we find in the garden.  

Dad left for me his Prayer of The Church, and a daily meditation by Brother Victor!  I am truly blessed!  

Jesus, I love you and long to serve you without counting the cost.  May I die to self so that you may live in me and I may give my ALL!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Nancy's 6 at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis - tomorrow they will be coming to help with our big canning day of spaghetti sauce along with John and his 2 kids!  Family canning day making food for 6 families including our Family of the Lamb in KCK!

I am sure that we will have many kids cooling off in Ruth's pool after working over the hot stove and colendar!  How we love sharing family time and work!  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 54 - 34 with us and 20 in heaven!  

Putting up their dome in Charlottsville, Virginia today.  Wearing long pants and sleeves in 90+ weather to keep from getting bug bites in the humidity there.  Going from Seattle - it is an adjustment for them.  Many prayers for their safety.

From ST Paul yesterday at mass!

So much to help us down the narrow path with each new day!

Danielle Rose

 

Bill and Nancy 12 years married!/St Augustine on the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary time - Humility, taking the last place, and humiliation

Nancy and Bill 8 years ago in Michigan with their 3 oldest children.  Today they are celebrating their 12th Anniversary with their 6 children! 

Celebrating yesterday with their 2 youngest and the others enjoying the Willow River State Park just over the border in Hudson, WI.  They shared their fun with Ruth and the younger bunch as they were on their way home from 3 days at the State Fair! 
 

Ice cream makes it a special time!  

Looks cool and refreshing for sure- I didn't know that there was a waterfall like this close by the Cities.  The story is that 10 year old Rose Again lost a shoe and it just kept going down the river.  

Cousin fun shared after the State Fair.

Happy 12th Anniversary Nancy and Bill on this 22nd Sunday of Ordinary time and St Augustine Feast day, too!  6 here and 3 in heaven - you have much LIFE to show for your union/Sacrament of Matrimony!  Also your ministry of The Catholic Sprouts Podcast - Catholic Sprouts and The Domestic Church Project

St Mother Teresa of Calcutta today is right on!  LIFE is a gift from conception to natural death!  The greatest GIFT!!!  

10 years ago in Michigan by the Manistique Lighthouse.  How we miss our time in Michigan! Just today at breakfast the kids were asking to go and see Lake Michigan - I said "MEA!" A fake plan that might work out! 

Spaghetti sauce 2013 - 9 years ago when the farm was my home - now it is Ruth's and this is the bedroom!  Ruth was soon to have Luke and since then Rose and Tommy!  

The Gospel today and Father Shawn spoke about how we are called to be humble and reminded us that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the best way to lay our burdens at his feet and be forgiven.  I need to get there again soon.  It is just so hard and I put it off too long!   

St Augustine - the Doctor of Grace.  Nancy and Bill named their first son 11 years ago - Augustine, and they celebrated their first anniversary with a 2 month old.  A honeymoon baby as did all our kids!  

Pat spoiling Tom at breakfast this morning.  

He wanted more and more!  "It's like a sweet cloud in his mouth."

He wouldn't open his mouth for a spoon, but for whipped cream....

Tommy is discovering that grandpa is where he wants to be!  

Rose found one of her wonderful golden honeydew melons!  It was so good and sweet and juicy!  

Rose will go shopping when she can find her wonderful golden honeydew!  

At mass with only 5 of our family today.  Paul is at the State Fair with the older 3, and John and Bobbi went to mass in Ghent.  Tom found grandpa Pat and smiled for grandma.

I always need at least 2 - usually 3 is the magic number.

Lots to share about their time at the State Fair.

Ruth and Tom at the falls yesterday.  Ruth is home with the younger 4 kids, she was at 8a mass this morning and we had a much smaller brunch after mass at the farm!  

This is great!  I too see that the squash is good for preventing the weeds in my garden and much appreciated!  

Cleaning my bedroom and Mary's halo is now my special hat!  LOVE and miss you mom and dad - these statues were given to them when they left Manistique after dad was a Deacon there for 12 years!  Great wonderful years on the Big Lake!  

Getting ready to mow - my only sunflower has 6 blossoms now!  

A couple hours following Pat on the 4 wheeler to many pastures way in the back.  The wagon with some creep feed to get the calves through til they are weaned in a few days.  We will have 150+ bawling calves!  

I ate my share of dust.

The jobs he does amaze me.  I feel worried, weak and helpless when we are surrounded by loud big cows mooing to get to more grass.

They are loud and close.  

And the calves are getting big and don't know that their days are numbered for being able to nurse on their mother cows.  Yes, those are flies and they are thick on the back of the cows.  

Getting through the eclectic fence quick so that they don't get on the wrong side of the fence!

A nature picture on the fly - Coreopis?

Cows and calves silouhette on the hilltop.

Even with the drought the corn is looking impressive.  Lord, please send rain!  

My farmer and me...

The beans look nice too!