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Category: The Erstwhile Acorn
The winter of ’86…….SNOW BLOW…SNOW BLOW! That’s the way winters in Ohio usually pan out. We have been very blessed the last two years with mild winters….Don’t get used to it….You know Ohio….Just say’n. LOLOL! Our boys were 11/9/2. The 2 oldest ones had their routine when they got home from school. Here was their regimen: snack/playtime/tv/homework/dinner/chores. However, if you know about kids on the farm, chores and playtime coincide. After the Blizzard of’78, everyone was aware of the following: one could easily get…
This is one of Granny’s most profound quotes. Proverbs 16:18-19 Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be humble with the poor, than to share plunder with the proud. I heard Granny say this to us diligently. As you well know by now, it was Granny and Mom who formed my faith, spiritualism, and character. They were my role models of wisdom. All you have to do is turn on any of the award shows from Hollywood, and you’ll see what I mean. There are many who receive…
It was President’s Day 2003. A huge snowstorm blew in and dropped about 6 inches of white fluff. School was already cancelled for the following day. Country kids drive 4 wheel drive trucks etc. Therefore, 10 of my son’s senior friends showed up about 6 pm. Our entire barn lot was transformed into a huge snow-fort. Farmer Thomas took the big loader on the tractor, took all of the snow from the barn lot and scooped it into mountains of snow encircling a campfire. The kids created their own universe with tunnels, slides, snowmen, ice bricks, and…
Have you ever had one of those days where you hear a statement in the morning? Then you hear the same statement from another source the same day? Yep! That’s God using your OCD to help you get it! LOL! He does this to me all the time. Yesterday morn I was at my Women’s Bible Study Group. I am not a member of this Vineyard Church. I was invited by a friend, and welcomed with open arms. I am so honored to be with such strong, Godly Women. Last year we did a Pricilla Shier Study that…
Last week, I relayed to all of you, how Colonel Grandpa touched our lives. When he came to us, an entire, new era began to blossom upon the farm. Not only did my farmer have an extra dairy/field hand, but also a mechanic, construction worker, vet, and Ag Researcher. He introduced so many new venues of farming, that I couldn’t begin to name them all: chisel plowing, drilling soybeans, rolling hay, a new tractor and kick bailer and …..Growing Potatoes. When he brought this new idea to us, we thought he was joking. One afternoon in the early…
Our young ,married life on the farm was given a huge blessing. A year after Tom’s dad passed(a week after we married), my mother-in-law married her widowed, college sweetheart. Thus our lives took on a new venue. Colonel Grandpa Ashton, arrived upon the scene. He was a breath of fresh air, in the lives of a young couple under pressure. As a retired, army veteran/veterinarian ,who was raised as a dairy farmer, his wealth of knowledge and experience was a treasure. He served in WWII and the Korean War. I so wish that he was…
Alix Louise……Oh How You Please.. Alix Louise Wells(Good)….What can I say? You will always be my favorite teacher and adopted daughter. As a 30-year educator, you can always pick out the student teachers, which will conquer the world, touch lives, and change the future of education. In the spring of 2010, two Urbana Univ. students were sent to me for a six, week field experience. The first one , I will name Diva. It’s no surprise that I can’t even remember her name. She was extremely self-absorbed, and continuously on her phone. The fact…
PS 105:4 Look to the Lord and His strength: seek His face always. The Star Wars Saga is an empowering genre. The music enhances emotion on a super hero spectrum. Every time I hear the theme song from the movie, it makes me feel as if I can conquer the world. One of my favorite quotes is from Master Yoda. “Either do or do not. There is no try.” The “Who cares, let the government take care of me” mentality, really bothers me. There are at least 3 million people on government aid. Right after WWII, no such…
Growing a huge garden was second nature to me. So I thought. My dad always had a huge vegetable garden. We all participated in the planting, harvesting, and giving tons of its contents to friends and family. Back then, my mom wasn’t one to preserve food. She wasn’t one to can, and big family freezers were just becoming popular. I picked strawberries, corn, and tomatoes. I saw so much given away, and thought it rather odd that my parents didn’t feel it important to preserve and conserve. When I married Mr. Moo Cow, I was excited about…
As a young couple, who had just moved to the family farm, we needed a lot of Country TLC. The farm hadn’t been managed by family, in over 35 years. The pressure was on us to build the farm/dairy, rebuild the home, and build a life together. Being a young farmer, my husband needed a father figure, to somewhat guide him along the way. His father passed right after we married. I, in turn, needed the influence of a country mom. By the grace of God, the loving family across the road, fit the bill. Dale, Ruthie, and…
Granny always taught me that the Bible was the Word of God. Thirty-eight years ago, I began an adventure of becoming. I asked God to help me reinvent myself. I always told everyone close to me that, ”God took me apart, and put me back together the way He wanted me to be.” In fact, He’s still reworking the puzzle of Sue, and rearranging her into His Fearless Faith. My story is an adventure with God. After He made some major changes, I prepared to return to teaching. First, I earned a K-8 Elementary Lifetime Certificate. (90…
It was a Friday night, during Lent, in 2004. Both of our husbands were working, as usual. It was time for a Girlfriend Adventure. When your mothers of boys and wives of 2 workaholic men, Girlfriend Time is essential. Now before I begin my story, I must explain many meanings contained within this picture. Extravagant Grace and Fearless Faith ,are the names that God endowed to us, during our spiritual journey. She’s wearing Ladybug slippers because she is God’s precious One…like a Ladybug. That entire story will be explained within my book, The Erstwhile Acorn . That…
Twice in one week! Are you kidding me? Farmer Thomas….get a drift will Ya? LOLOL! I just loved it, when the black and white moo moos used to initiate all types of exercise for this farmwife/teacher. Farmer Thomas used to say, “I don’t want to teach you how to milk. If I did, I might expect you to engage in this festivity.” My answer was always a cute one.” I’ll milk, once you get busy in my classroom.” You guessed it ! I never milked. He never got involved in my profession. You’ve already been informed…
Every time the weather forecast says that we are in for a huge snowstorm, I hear my youngest son’s words ringing in my ears! “Yes, Mom! Yes, Dad ! I know. I know. You’ve told all of us 100 times. It will never be as bad as the Blizzard of ’78. For those of you who lived through it, and survived, you know exactly where I’m coming from. It was Jan. 28,1978. Thank the Good Lord, I was a stay at home mom at that time. I had a 2 year old and was pregnant with the…
Sit in your comfy chair, rock along with me, and listen to The Spirit Who guides me. Tech era verses….true socialization… It’s called CONVERSATION WITH REAL PEOPLE! Yes, I am a Granny. I was born in 1949.I am a post war baby. I am 67.I have enough tech savvy to be getting this job done….with help! Do I like to take group pics with my friends? Absolutely! However, the Selfie- Generation is over the top. Tech has created a culture of drama, bullying, and less one on one, when it comes to building relationships. I…