Winter, according to some around here, officially ended May 9th with the melting of the last bit of snow on our property. Of course there is still some on Mount Orford, and, as we’ll see in a coming post, another place we went for a trip, but on the whole, it feels more like spring than winter now. This past winter was a long, cold, snowy one and that took a toll on our old sugar shack.

A demolition team got to work last week to dismantle the fallen half of the building. It was much like a giant game of pick-up-sticks, trying to figure out in which order to remove the pieces to keep it from collapsing further. We really had to keep on top of the work – that way, if something gave all of a sudden, we wouldn’t find ourselves underneath! Thankfully, we didn’t have any unplanned crashes.

Tearing down took us two days. Though much of the lumber was rotten and had to be thrown out, there remains a significant stack that is potentially usable for constructing a chicken coop, our old one having also collapsed during the winter.

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

Voting time is here, or at least the advanced poll is open.  Fill in this form to vote on what our baby’s name will be, how much she will weigh at birth, and who she will look most like.

If you don’t see a form below, click on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CAJSrblN73X5WL84rkdwMbIXulFShGhTFlsE2RNQZRM/viewform

Have fun, but only one vote per person!

Update: if you already voted, you can make a new vote with our updated form.

It occurs to me that most of our posts are on the events that take place around here or on the somewhat out of the ordinary happenings.  But perhaps it would be interesting to get a glimpse of our “normal” daily life. Of course there is really no such thing as normal in a home-schooling family, but here are a few activities that various family members can typically be found doing…

Amy is doing well in school and working on learning cursive writing. She also loves to read, and if not otherwise employed will most frequently be found in some corner with a book.

William is also working at schoolwork. His diligence in this area is showing as he succeeds day after day to finish all his work before noon, entitling him to a half-hour of “Flight Simulator” on the computer!

Sarah’s school is often interrupted. She is called on frequently to help in the kitchen before events, do all kinds of cleanup jobs, and a lot of other things.  She also faithfully cares for her excellent mouser, Cookies N’ Cream, whose services are much appreciated in the barn.

Stephen, our jack of all trades, is, along with William, preparing for a cello exam. His activities vary from schoolwork to music practise, to working on sermon preparation, to fixing broken objects around the house, to computer programming, to whatever else he thinks up to do!

Demands of Evelyn’s time are constant. She helps Amy with her school while trying to work on her own as well; she sets up, cleans up and decorates the extension every time we have people in (which is often!); she makes meals; she takes cares of the cows; and a lot more! She’s on the go so much that it is hard to catch her with my camera! But I did get a few pictures.

As seen in the previous post, Jonathan is in high demand. Not only does he put in many hours at work as well as on the computers here at home, but he is often called away to help others with their computers and to tune pianos. Notwithstanding, he still finds time to bless our home with his beautiful hymn improvising. (Note the hymbook is closed…)

Mommy is everywhere and does everything. She is the one who keeps everything running in the home. From the big things such as doing Daddy’s billing, shopping and meal planning, to the tiniest action of picking up a loose paperclip or giving someone a smile she is faithful to her God-given calling of wife and mother!

Daddy is so busy I can hardly catch any pictures of him. Besides his medical practice in the emergency room, office, and nursing homes, he keeps busy with the myriad aspects of family life, organising men’s meetings, and more other things than could be said. And yet, he is never too busy to stop and take time for each one of us!

Times of fun and relaxation also have a part in our “normal” days. Since the ping-pong table came up from the basement, it has been put to use much more.

Well, that is a bit of what goes on during the Frazer family’s “routine” life! Oh, I forgot to mention what I do… Since the cow is dry right now, I’m having a two-month vacation, which means I sit in my room twiddling my thumbs and watching my cheese age.

Well, maybe not… I do a lot of fill-in things, helping whoever, whenever, wherever I’m needed. (And writing blog posts. 🙂 ) While I’m on vacation, I’m catching up on a few things I haven’t had time to do during the past year, including beginning to read through the stack of books collected on my desk. A few quotes from these…

“Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. … The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him – and of her.  … The yearning to know What cannot be known, to comprehend the Incomprehensible to touch and taste the Unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man.”
The Knowledge of the Holy – Tozer

“It sounds strange to talk about fighting for joy… But having a spiritual taste for the glory of Christ is not morally neutral. Not to have it is evil and deadly. Not to see and savor Christ is an insult to the beauty and worth of his character. Preferring anything above Christ is the very essence of sin. It must be fought.”
When I Don’t Desire God – Piper

It is the first of May, and though several snow piles of significant size yet remain, spring has assuredly arrived. Blades of vibrant green begin to appear over what lawn we still have after last fall’s well digging. The crocuses, dwarf irises, glory-of-the-snow, wood squill, and striped squill peek out their shy heads to ornament the flower gardens bordering the house foundation with their exquisite beauty. Most wildflowers will appear later, but already a few hawkweeds are in bloom.

crocus

dwarf iris

striped squill

wood squill and glory-of-the-snow

Who could resist photographing this cute guy?

Joyful anticipation is not limited to the soon-appearance of spring flowers. Mocha, too, will shortly have something to present.  Her calf is due toward the end of the month. What is your vote? Will she have a heifer or a bull?  Or will it be one of the combinations twins could bring?

But neither vernal verdure, nor clement climatic conditions, nor even the anticipation of a bovine birth is worthy comparing to an eager expectation in which every one of us partakes.  A day is coming, perhaps very soon, when eager eyes will see, expectant ears will hear, and loving arms will cradle…

A NEWBORN BABY!

David and Erica’s baby is due to arrive in just a couple weeks.  And it will not be long afterwards that a another little girl will enlarge our family once more.  We join with Nathanael and Samantha in their joyful anticipation of that event in July!

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them…” Psalm 127:3-5a