A LITTLE TASTE.......?

Just when I thought that there was a scent of Fall in the weather, God arranged for a hot day to intervene. Today is supposed to set a record (previous was 92 - so you know what that means). But the cool mornings (50's or low 60's) when I do my 1/2 hour walk have begun to make me feel like it won't be too long until cooler weather sets in.

I know that it's still three plus weeks to the official Fall season, so I am hoping that this is not our "Indian summer." Time will tell.

This bush along the driveway reminds me that a new season will be upon us shortly. Some of the trees are already shedding leaves (although that may partly be from the stress of dry weather).

It is simply hard to understand God's paintbrush. His handiwork is so very evident in the variety of colors painted on the Fall leaves (or is it leafs??). I am thankful for all of the wonderful seasons.

The goldenrod is in full bloom. No, hayfever does not come from this flower, but from the ragweed!

Mimo He, baptized over two years ago, continues to be a joy-filled person. She will be finishing up her last year at UWSP and then looking for grad school. Wants her PhD followed by med school with the goal of working in Africa in one of the Third World countries.

Naoki, one of the Japanese students that Karol taught, came with his host family to the Crossing Cultures Corn Roast at Peace this past Sunday. About $5000 was raised for international student ministry work at Peace Campus Center.

After feeding bread to our "pet" fish (bluegills and largemouth bass), Karol spends some time in simply reflecting on what a beautiful home and property we have. Certainly, we'd love to have you come for a visit.

TRANSITIONED

Last week I was invited to Karol's class of students from Dokkyo University in Japan. I was given the topic of retirement. Karol has been teaching this August three week class for 10 years.  Enjoy the commentary, but especially enjoy the pictures......and if you have questions, email me, or leave a comment.

DAY BY DAY, LIVING IN THE COUNTRY.....


I've decided to share some things that are almost every day happenings. This assortment of photos might give you an idea of what's up day to day.


Large numbers of  big brown bats roost under the soffits on the west side of our house (we've counted 60). Normally we sit inside come dusk and watch them "drop" and head off for another evening of eating mosquitos. Jerry Nicolaus and I decided to grab lawn chairs and watch from the outside. Not a bat attacked us. And, there's more. About a dozen small brown bats roost on the north side of our home behind the shutters. We sometimes watch them after one of our late evening meals. 

Karol has been teaching a three week English and American culture class for 30 Japanese students from Dokkyo University (near Tokyo). Each afternoon, they invite a guest speaker. I thought the applause at the end of my presentation on "retirement" was given with gusto.

At the end of my presentation (including pictures of bowl turning), I offered a bowl for a drawing. Yuriko was the lucky winner, able to take a "Made in the USA" souvenier back to Japan.

I have had this burl on my shelf for some time now. It's a piece of scotch pine (not at all good for making bowls since it is very soft). But the burl intrigued me, so last night, I thought I'd see what I would get. Later, I made a platter out of the thick pine board under the burl branch.

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The bowl turned out to be a real beauty. I had intended to make the "big chunk" into a bowl, but since the wood was so soft and "ugly," I kept turning it off. The burl itself is wonderful.

Do you remember the flat piece of wood under the raw burl? This is what the flat piece turned out to be. It's pine, but I wanted to experiment to see if I could make a flat type dish. The creation is 10" in diameter.



I made this "vase" several days ago. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is, but it came from St. Louis from Jerry Nicolaus' wood pile. It turned fairly easily. The flowers are sitting in a 13 grape glass tumbler.

 

There's only one caption that fits this picture of the doe that I was able to photograph standing right by the side of the road. "You really aren't going to hunt again this fall, are you?"

Dr. Shigeru (Shibo) Narita stopped by to visit this noon. We met many years ago when I was serving as a Prince of Peace Volunteer in Japan. Later, in Madison, we met again when he studied at the University of Wisconsin. How good it was to renew our friendship.

 

SANDHILL CRANES

You might guess by now that I enjoy immensely some of the interesting conversations that take place in the world of wildlife. Here's a special few sentences from two sandhill cranes in a hay field.

"I just never grew very tall. If I don't stand on this bale, I'll never be able to see the far away insects."

"You're crazy! I can see all the insects fine from this height. I wish you'd grow up!"

 A VISIT FROM COUSINS JERRY AND BETH NICOLAUS (ST. LOUIS)

Cousin Beth Nicolaus is visiting with her husband, Jerry. Beth goes on to a class reunion while Jerry sticks around to help me with projects here at the "farm." While Beth was here, we visited several art galleries, the farmers market, and had lunch with Karol at the Vietnamese restaurant. You'd guess that Beth is really all wet!

VACATION WISCONSIN!!

COME TO BEAUTIFUL MINOCQUA, THE ISLAND CITY IN THE HEART OF NORTHERN

WISCONSIN. A WEEK, A DAY, YOU'LL ENJOY YOUR STAY.

From shopping in the downtown,

to relaxing at one of the many comfortable inns,

to enjoying a feast at one of the fine restaurants,

to fishing for muskies or watching the wildlife (geese swimming on the left),

to appreciating some of the fine entertainment that the area offers,

to helping grow the economy with your dollars for gas,

to spending your money on making your vacation comfortable,

to participating in a stimulating worship service (this one led by no other than the former campus pastor from Peace, Stevens Point),

To arriving early enough to beat the traffic jams (I was a bit late),

to basking in the serenity of a quiet evening sitting on one of the many lake shores.

IT'S ALL A PART OF WONDERFUL WISCONSIN. WHY NOT COME VISIT?