Forbes Forum

2011-07-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today's pick of wonderful fresh raspberries from our thornless bushes.

One of the reasons we love July. And they remind us of Eveline Ritchie--a true saint and the one who gave us the berry starts.

2011-07-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Addition to the playground equipment. Many thanks to all who helped to assemble, collect "Boxtops for Education" coupons and participants in our funraisers.

2011-06-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the laundry room project is now almost done! Yesterday Michael came over to help me hang cabinets--he was alife saver!! The room is now brightly lit, the plumbing in the ceiling is mostly covered, and the room is clean and new.

2011-06-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

The project for the summer is (in part) a remodel of the laundry room. It will be nice when finished an a preparation for a later project.

2011-06-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

June yard flowers

2011-06-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Michael!

2011-04-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our grand-daughter--she is growing up quickly!

2011-04-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

I (Dan) took my class (High School U. S. History) to the Holocaust Memorial in Farmington Hills (the first such place in the U.S.). It is a sobering experience--always is. As in past trips I have made there, we concluded with a half-hour hearing the story of a holocaust survivor. Some day, these stories will only be shared on video--but there is something special about looking a person in the eye who was there. The man today was a child who was hidden by kindly gentiles who really did not even know him, separated from the rest of his family for the bulk of the war years. The depths of evil, inhumanity and deprivation were depicted today. Juxtapositioned against determination, ingenuity and adaptability--the will of the human spirit to survive--made the darkness even more stark. And illustrated the depths of evil lurking in our own souls if not repressed by a miracle from God.

2011-03-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

A very excellent post from a missionary in Niger about modesty. You need to read this.

Our "Wright"-ing Pad: Reflecting on these words: Moderation ~ Moderate ~ Modesty ~ Modern ~ Mode... and what it means to Model Modesty

2011-02-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

About 99% of the snow shown in the last post melted last week--then last night we got 5-6 more inches and a snow day. There are slippery roads covered by new (drifting) snow. We probably won't even leave the house until afternoon!

2011-02-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cheryl took these pictures of Dan cleaning off the knee-deep snow from the flat roof over the porch. Taking down the icicles was to keep them from falling on him.

2011-01-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

Friday we had no school while most of our teens went to snow camp. Cheryl & I sat with the grand boys while jenny went to join michael for the day at the camp.

So we had a little snow fun too--and of course some hot cocao to warm up on!

2010-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

Evan. Evan & Dan

Pat & Charlotte

Dan, Cheryl & Charlotte

Nate & Lissa (& Mt. Hood)

2010-12-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

Lissa, Robin and Charlotte

Pat & Charlotte

Charlote & Nate

AAron & Lissa

Lissa, Aaron (and his new shirt), Joan

Lissa & Charlotte

Joan & Charlotte

Phil, Dan, Steve, Rodney, Brigett, Ariel & others

Aaron & Charlotte

(and a shrunk mistake)

2010-12-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Cheryl's mom clelbrated her 80th birthday a couple of days ago. It was a rather quickly arranged affair at a nearby restaurant. Cheryl's sister Robin and her daughter Chelsea were there and suprise guests were mom's sister Rosemary and her husband Dale. We all ate well , talked long and enjoyed much!

2010-11-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving candids

2010-11-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

Evan & Arron have fun in Grandmas's classroom after church.

2010-11-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING: Things to think about as reported in "Progress Report" by Final Frontiers Foundation.
1--30,000 children die every day from hunger & preventable diseases
2--Diarrhea kills more than 2 million children annually
3--10% of the people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have work: the other 90% do not
4--One Billion people in the world live on less than $1 per day

Thank God for your blessings, and ask God what your responsibility is to others.

2010-11-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

October was a blurr... But last night was the conclusion of parent-teacher conferences that ended the first quarter of the school year, and my American History class brought in objects that are at least 50 years old. We had books, uniforms, a steel penny and a wonderful old short wave radio receiver. I enjoyed it, parents enjoyed it--and I think the students did too.

2010-09-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ford F-150. 1995. 150,000 miles. $800.

2010-09-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

The "real" first week of school begins this week. Last week, students make acquaintance with their teachers, caught up with friends and basically operated on adrenalin. This week, the realities of class work begin, homework starts to get real and there may even be some tests. For us this year, the secondary school has a special week of spiritual emphesis/activities, so the reality of school may be postponed for a week, but it will come...
So far the year has started out well. Enrollments are up (except in the preschool), there is a good spirit among the students and staff. The "new" staff actually have experience, so it is more of transition than learning. All this is good. Prayer is still needed, however. Education of the next generation is Spiritual Warfare all the time. This year, there is a ministry of "Prayer on the Playground" each Tuesday at the start of the day. This and other such support is much appreciated. We are excited about what the Lord will do in our school this year and about the opportunity to be a part of it!

2010-09-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

We found our Camera!!! (Dan admits fault) But now we can share some pictures of our family, espeially the ones far away.

2010-08-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL DAYS......Bulletin boards, meetings, schedules, lesson planning, rooms in order, open house scheduled for Thursday night, more meetings, computer training, CPR training, full brains, laughter, hundreds of details, and we are in full-swing orientation week. It always comes together......... and we have a great time meeting our new class and parents. We are blessed to have such terrific jobs working with fantastic teachers at our school. Blessings beyond measure.....busy is good!

2010-08-11T01:51:00.000-07:00

I ate at a certain noodle shop once nearly every day--these ladies kept me well fed.

The rest of the pictures show the largely ignored people of the city--who will tel them of Christ?

These blue sheds housed construction workers on campus.

2010-08-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my 500 or so pictures from China. I am currently en-route home (it takes about 24 hours, including lay-overs). The students are those who attended my first class on Western civilision--the about 100 dwindled to 45 or so for mostof the rest of the week. I had amazing liberty, and especially enjoyed teaching the Reformation. Pray for lasting fruit, and pray especially for "Pheonix" with whom I had a special relationship. Dan

2010-07-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

PRAISING OUR AWESOME GOD!

Blessings abound! Little Charlotte was born on July 7th and we are so thankful that she arrived healthy and happy and that Lissa is recovering from complications. Still very much in prayer that the blood clot will go away. Also very, very thankful for all the TLC that abounds from very loving family and friends!!!!! It is so amazing to see God's hand work through people.

Dan is enjoying China and using the webcam to keep in touch with all of us --- that is another blessing -- to see and talk with him . Lots and lots of people are everywhere -- 60,000 students at the university.

Lots of summer time fun with the Muths is another blessing! Aaron and Evan are growing and changing so much. And mommy and daddy have exciting days trying to keep up with them :)

Thanks so much for the pictures posted from Oregon that we can share and enjoy --- that is another extra special blessing!

2010-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

The most recent yard sale find.

Aaron's first "trick" on the swing set.

A happy little boy. Evan went directly to the slide, which he enjoyed just as much.

A view of our big oak tree.

Flowers in bloom.

2010-06-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

Aaron was a helper on the new porch project.

2010-06-22T04:07:00.000-07:00

We have new steps to the front porch. It took Dan parts of four days. Now there is not a big reach to take the top step!

New stringers over the remains of the old cement steps.

Clearing out the old cement and putting in posts.

It was pretty much solid cement--that is why it was sinking into the ground. It had probably sunk 8 inches over the years.

He couldn't have done it without a jack-hammer.

2010-05-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Gifts from the school for 30 years of service.

2010-05-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

It has been Soooooooo long since our last post--which was little more than a list of busy things on the horizon, I thought it might be good to see if I remembered the password to post again. Here are a few snapshots of what we have been doing since March or so.

Cheryl took her class a couple of hours away so they could be on a real farm--where they learned about dairy farming and even interacted with a few animals. The farm is operated by the siblings of one of the ladies in our church.

Dan demonstrated his "cutting edge fashion acumen". It seems people really do notice the unusual in the line of neck ties.

On a trip to Ohio, Dan's nieces Bridget and Schalon posed for a quick photo. Schalon has lost a gazillion pounds over the past several months and is looking AND FEELING so good!

Mom's 80th birthday celebration was a total surprise. Here she is with Pastor Shipley and his wife Rita. She was without her new glasses following cataract surgery.

During Spring Break we were able to go out to Oregon to visit Nathan & Lissa. They took us to a Tulip farm. It was a miniature of Holland (MI) several weeks before blooms in Michigan.

2010-03-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Busy time of year: Science & Art Fair Tues. Administer Michigan Merit Exam to Juniors on Wed, Thurs, and Fri morning (Dan just finished preparing plans for his substitute for those days). Church Missions Conference next Sunday thru Wed (Dan is in charge of the schedules) Church wide fellowship on Sunday night for Conference. Friday that week is the end of the quarter & grades have to be turned in Monday morning. Then Friday the 26th is Senior High Fine Arts competition in our building. so all the rooms have to be spiffy, certain areas need to be cleaned up by us. Following that is Spring Break when we will be in Oregon, but first Dan has to secure substitutes as we will be returning on the Monday after break, and plans have to be devised for them. Then comes April.
Honor Society Induction, Sports Banquet, Stanford Achievement Tests (one week for secondary, one week for elementary, but Dan handles materials distribution and mailing for grading). Ladies Retreat. Progress Reports every 3 weeks for student grades. Daughters of the American Revolution award ceremony in Lansing (our student is one of the top 10 essayists in the state). Blood Drive (an event Dan avoids), Junior High Fine Arts. Book Fair and Grandparents Day--plus several more minor events & responsibilities. Then its May. We are too busy to look that far ahead--yet.

2010-02-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

"We've got SPIRIT -- How 'bout you? "

A fun time of celebrating
CBA HOMECOMING
was had by everyone --
especially the elementary teachers ! (We added a picture of Dan, too :) Really the high school lets the elementary join in by dressing up 3 days out of the week. More pictures will be coming later of the decorated walls done by the high school.
Life is great at CBA!

2010-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

We have been quite busy since Christmas--and the schedule will not slacken any time soon. Here are some pictures of what we have been doing.

In our elementary school we have a "Picture Parent" program where a parent comes in with a piece of art to explain (there are materials for them to work from) and an art project to guide the students in. These are a few of her students hard at work.

Mrs. Gay--Picture Parent last week.

Several students and I made phone calls prior to our annual "Friendship Banquet" at school, which informs people about our school and invites enrollment (and re-enrollment).

2010-01-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

Did you feel this way at the end of the first day of the year? Great idea, Evan!

Aaron very excited that he found the hidden pictures in his new book from the Ankenbrandts.

Chelsea and Evan...aren't they adorable?

New blankets from a great

Grandmama! A button-up blanket. Aaron loves to button things :) Plus his best friend George in on his blanket.

Evan 's blanket has trucks and buttons, too.

2009-12-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BREAK TRIP TO OHIO

While several of the family were unable to be there this year, Nate and Lissa made an appearance by way of web-camera on a lap-top. They also showed a Sonogram photo of their yet-to-be-born. (Amazing how technology has changed our lives!)

Phil & Carol who again opened their home to us all.

David & Nicole came from D.C.

Mom with the siblings: Faye, Phil & Dan.

Valerie with one of the twins (Angel, I think).
Faye with the twins and Aunt Schalon (and isn't SHE looking good!)

Mayam

Aaron & Evan playing with their gift from David & Nicole.

More were there, but this is a representative selection. Steve was sick, Matt & Mandy both had to work, Joel could not be there & others successfully avoided the camera!

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of Evan and Aaron taken at Thanksgiving.

We keep thinking Evan will be walking soon--he is Soooo close!--but he still prefers to crawl.

Aaron had fun working with some puzzles--4, 6, 9 & 12 pieces. He did pretty well considering this was the first time with them. He has good concentration and he gets the concept of both shape and color.

2009-11-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

My students did not want to participate. They
said it sounded boring. They said it was too expensive.
But then they got there.

Student Satesmanship Institute is a program here in Michigan where young people learn about a Biblical worldview in the context of a Mock Legislature. Our school joined another local Christian school and an association of homeschoolers to participate.

My students changed their minds. "You were right--I loved it and I want to do it again" another said "I am glad you made us do this". Good stuff.

2009-11-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Cheryl & I went to a celegration of 25 years of service for a friend of ours--and we were so close to where I grew up, I could not help but take a quick tour of the old places.

The first picture is one of the farms where my grandparents lived. Amish now live there and they have vastly increased the house and farm buildings. Grandpa would be pleased that horses once again till the soil.

The old gray barn was on the farm where my dad grew up and were we lived while raising pigs. The house burned down and is no longer the same. Part of the farm is worked by Amish now.

This house was almost unrecognizable. Dad built the basement for it and we lived here for several years as "the basement house" The upper part has been finished and an addition added to the front. The trees in the front are an improvement, and the neighborhood is pretty crowded now--the place is no longer on the edge of farm land. Many memories.....

This is where Mom was raised. The barn has mostly collapsed, and all the out buildings are gone. A garage sits on what used to be the circle drive, and vynal siding is on the house--but otherwise, it looks much the same--with even more massive maple trees growing where they have long been.

2009-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

At school, Dan has two "parties" in his U.S. Government class who will be running for office in a mock election. Members of each party were chosen on the basis of an issues survey. Little did he know how truly different the two groups would be. While writing platforms from which to run for office, the personality of each group became very evident.Some members of each party were absent when these videos were taken, but this does not alter the climate in the meetings of each group.

2009-09-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

6:15 AM August 31, Dan was at the hospital for an X-ray, then immediately to a different building for a lithotripsy to break up a 1mm kidney stone. By 11:00 he was at school for the first day of teacher in-service meetings (2 hours late), then worked at school until 4:00. 80oz. of liquids consumed during the day after the proceedure. No sign of any kidney stone bits, only a little tenderness in his back. Today begins early again, more liquids, and (hopefully) another comfortable day. Lots of details to be accomplished in preparation for classes a week from today. We are looking forward to another great year. Cheryl will have 17 students in her 2nd grade class. Her "mallet finger" injury seems to be doing OK--much more comfortable with the splint on the back of the hand.

2009-08-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few scenes from our celebration of Evans 1st birthday.

2009-08-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cheryl injured her finger in a sort of freak accident. There is no pain, but she will need to wear a splint for up to eight weeks, and there is a slight possibility she will need surgery. It is called "mallet finger" and is a torn ligament.

2009-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a stroll through Dow Gardens.

2009-08-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

HEY! Does anyone want some free straw?

A week after it was palnted, the grass is up sufficiently to rake off the straw--and at least from a distance, the lawn looks green!

2009-08-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the day for seeding the yard where we put new top soil. Aaron arrived in time to help spread the straw over the seed as a deterrent to birds who would like to eat the seeds, and as a mulch to help keep the soil moist. Aaron is an excellent straw spreader! Now we water and wait for the seeds to sprout.

2009-08-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

A visit to the Creation Museum would be a great opportunity for anyone who wishes to find out more about the Biblical account of Creation. It is located in Petersburg, KY just over the river from Cincinnati.
It is a 70,000-square foot "walk through Bible history." You can check it out http://www.creationmuseum.org/

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. It is worth the trip!
Thanks to Steve & Faye for the guest passes!

2009-07-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

A PILE OF WORK!!

We decided that if we put some dirt around the foundation of the house, that we might get less water in the basement when it rains. But how much is enough?

Well we bought a 10 yard truck full--that's 14 tons! And half that amount would have been enough. Half a truck load would have been only $30 less--but I did not think about the amount of work the extra 5 yards (or more) would cost.

So now we are filling in low spots and thin topsoil areas of the lawn.

It is "fill dirt" but is really close to good top soil. It has a few roots, rocks and the occasional suprise (like a golf ball)--and a fair amount of clay, which is just what we needed for the foundation project. So we are happy with the soil. it is just that there will be more work than intended!

2009-07-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

A Day With Aaron--Big Truck Day at the library.

2009-07-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Cheryl & I were able to sit with the grandkids for a few hours while Michael & Jenny were out on a date. This was Aaron's first exposure to "potato head".

2009-07-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Lost Camera is Found!!

Cheryl & I were able to go kayaking with my sister and her husband (and some of their friends) about an hour away on the Rifle River. Good fun! Steve & Faye later came by the house with their camper.

2009-07-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

REMEMBRANCE

As British soldiers evacuated New York City months after Yorktown, a woman of that city wrote the following: "We had been accustomed for a long time to military display in all the finish and finery of garrison life; the troops just leaving us were as if equipped for show, and with their scarlet uniforms and burnished arms, made a brilliant display; the troops that marched in, on the contrary, were ill-clad and weather beaten, and made a forlorn appearance; but they were OUR troops, and as I looked at them and thought upon all they had done and suffered for us, my heart and my eyes were full, and I admired and gloried in them the more, because they were weather beaten and forlorn." P. 506 of "Washington: an Abridgement in One Volume" by Richard Harwell of the seven volume "George Washington" by Douglas Southall Freeman

2009-06-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was hot, especially by Michigan-in-June standards. Of course, it WAS when the afternoon sun was beating on the thermometer bulb--but even so, really hot for us!

2009-06-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

We never see ALL of these flowers in our yard at the very same time--each blooms in it's season, then others pop into view. But this year, with the cooler early June and plenty of rain, then a burst of warm weather, here they all were--all at the same time! (Well at least for a day or two).

2009-06-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

When returning from Ohio, we had clear skies, but as we turned west off US-23, we saw one dark cloud. It appeared to be over our town. Then as we drew closer, we could see it was raining in one area--we guessed where it might be.

We were not far off. We drove through this downpour for about 5 minutes, then emerged out the other side--and for a couple of minutes, a rainbow followed our car.

Of course the pictures do not do the expierence justice, but it was neat anyhow!

2009-06-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

A few shots of our day in Mackinaw City. (see previous posts).

2009-06-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

While in Cheboygan, we saw these posts holding up a picnic shelter decorated with broken pottery, mirrors, etc. Quite nice! (See previous posts).

2009-06-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

More pictures of our cottage in Cheboygan (see previous post).

2009-06-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

Cheryl and I took a couple of days to just relax in northern Michigan at a cabin on Lake Huron at Cheboygan. Being early in the season and in the middle of the week, we got a good deal on a cabin with a nice view. The weather was unseasonably cool, and it was overcast, but we got some stress-free together time, visited some sights in Cheboygan & Mackinaw City. We would go back--a very nice, relaxing place!

2009-05-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

PRAYER REQUEST:

Dan just heard that yesterday, the university in China where he was going has canceled the English program out of concerns about swine flu. The organizers of his group are trying to find an alternate location. Pray that this is possible on such short notice. DF

2009-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Jenny made the finest Birthday "cake" there could ever be!

The Muth's and Cheryls mom helped celebrate

Aaron & Evan bonding with "papa".

Oh the excitement of opening a gift!!

2009-05-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

HAPPPY OH, HAPPY, HAPPY DAY WHEN YOU WERE BORN!
AND TODAY, TOO! i very much love you!
cheryl

2009-05-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

Lake Forbes

Our side yard is fairly low and a few times we see our "lake", but rarely does it last all day. This one is lasting, and rain is predicted almost daily for the next week. Thankfully, our sump pump is new, and it drains directly into the village drain that keeps this lake from getting any deeper.

2009-04-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

We went to see the butterflies today at Dow Gardens. Here we are by the waterfall on the way.

There were hundreds of butterflies, and it was fun to try to get them to perch on your finger. Aaron even succeeded! When he went to see them the first time (last week), he was afraid of them--at least until the end when it was time to go. This time, he was very comfortable. They also had some yellow finches in a big cage in the greenhouse. Aaron loved them, too, as well as some Chinese quail. The baby quail were smaller than the big blue butterflies!

2009-04-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!!

Have a wondeerful day!

2009-03-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

FLAGS FOR MISSION CONFERENCE

Each flag represents a country where we have (or once had) a missionary.

2009-03-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

A blog that is not maintained is not read. And it has been a long time since we posted, so here goes!

This has been a very busy couple of months. This week was Missions Conference. Dr. Hantz Bernard of Bibles International was outstanding! One had to listen carefully ( to understand his French accent) and think deeply (to follow his message)--but both were well worth it! He was so encouraging, and challenging. But we are tired.

This week-end we are working on grades--report cards are due on Monday. After three quarters, I can sincerely say that there MUST be a better record-keeping program than Headmaster. It is not a help, but a burden.

Today, the Women's Basketball team from George Fox University won the Division III national championship. They have been undefeated all season (32 games). They have one Senior, 2 or 3 Juniors and the rest of the team are Freshmen. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Wow!
Nate & Lissa have been avid fans, as both work for George Fox and the campus is only a couple of blocks from their house.

Two students from our school entered a speech contest run by Right to Life--and they both placed in the top 3, and won money. Good Job!!

Yesterday was Junior High Fine Arts competition--I do not know how well they did, but from what I saw, there should be some who placed.

Jenny & Michael are building raised beds for their garden today. The weather is cooperating, though there was snow this morning. Good for peas.

2009-02-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Would you believe..Elderly Day?

Zipporah, and her manna.

Snow White and the Dwarves. That's Miss Peterson (Dan's student teacher) and the Freshman Class.

Purple-Gold and White Day

2009-02-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

HOMECOMING COSTUME DROODLE

So, who am I? It was Character Day, and I am a figure out of American History. (Thanks to Michael for the idea!)

2009-02-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Summer trip planned

Dan will be going to Ch*na this summer during the month of July (all month). He will be teaching Western Civilization: Greece, Rome, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, history of England to the 20th Century. Classes will be three days a week, two hours a day. He is working on power point and outlines. The class will be available to any who wish to attend. He is VERY excited about it and the possibilities of discussion starters. This topic and format is new for the university there. He is going with a group from NBBC under BMM. He needs to raise about $2,500.

2009-01-31T18:44:00.000-08:00

LISSA CHANGES HAIR COLOR!!

Nate and Lissa arrived safely from Oregon. Nate has been struggling with a cold but today we were able to do a few things.

We went to Frankenmuth and spent some time at Bronners, and we drove through town to look at the ice sculptures and snow sculptures that were created in competitions for last week-end.

We also went to Birch Run and shopped at the outlet mall, and ate at the famous I-75 Tony's. Jenny and Michael were with us, too. It was a full and fun afternoon.

When we got home, we each tried on the white wig Dan bought at Bronners for Spirit week at school. So this is what Lissa would look like with white hair!

2009-01-24T04:01:00.000-08:00

BIG FREEZE

Our attempt to eliminate the annual freezing of our dish washer did not succeed. Of course, this year the sub-zero weather went lower than normal and lasted longer than normal. My efforts to insulate did greatly reduce draftiness, but the dish washer did freeze--the drain line freezes nearly every winter. Thawing involves shining a hot-bright light under the washer. This year, it took about 8 hours to thaw. I will have to consider some additional tactics!

2009-01-21T03:36:00.000-08:00

FIRSTS.

Our first black President. My first President who is younger than I am (now THAT feels strange!) The first inauguration I have seen live (on TV) in decades. Words are words and actions are actions, but while I did not vote for President Obama, and I have certain fears, I must admit that the actions I have seen and the words I have heard are more encouraging than I had expected. I will continue to "pray for them who have the rule over" me, and trust the God who has the heart of the king in His hands. "The just shall live by his faith" as the Lord told Habakkuk, and what that prophet faced was far greater than what we can imagine in our own future.

2009-01-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

Our house was built in 1895 by William Alswede (who's grandneice we have met). The foundation is poured concrete and includes a cistern located in one corner--under the kitchen. The only access to it is a 12" X 24" hatch through which it is just possible to lower a 5' step ladder. I have been there before, when I re-plumbed the kitchen and added a vent pipe that helps the drain to run properly. Since the house is made with "balloon construction", I was able to cut a hole in the floor and shove a 1 1/2" pipe from the cistern to the attic right up the void between the wall studs. I did that years ago. At the same time, I filled in the hole through which water used to come from the eves. Rain water used to fill the cistern. I also stopped up the over-flow pipe, and insulated the space between the foundation and the floor.

Even so, that corner was the coldest corner in our house, each winter it is so cold that the pipes to our dish washer freeze. This summer, we had foam insulation blown into the walls of the house, with special attention to that corner. But it is still cold. So over Christmas break, I went back into the cistern (with all the spiders) and put some thin foam insulation in the bottom side of the floor joists. Here are some of the pictures of that operation. The test will be over the next couple of days when it is predicted that temperatures will go perhaps to -20. Thats MINUS twenty degrees. That will be the test. I am hoping for the best!

2008-12-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful hosts, Phil & Carol who put up with the rest of us for a couple of long days every year! Thank YOU!!

Steve and Mayim, who is three going on 10.

Valerie with Mayim and Skylar.

I am standing here with Schalon--I don't know what happened to Kevin when the camera was out! They hosted all of Faye & Steve's gang the next day at their new house--very nice!!

2008-12-30T18:22:00.000-08:00

We went to Ohio to see the Forbes side of the family

Bridget and Rob--Bridget is holding one of Valerie's twins, Angel.

Here Faye is feeding the other twin, Alex. And the Muths are there, too! (Jenny, Aaron and Michael)

The newlyweds--David and Nicole!

Matt and Mandy

Mom with Evan and a self-posed Aaron--we never know if he will show his normal or his funny face.

2008-12-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

On Christmas day Jenny, Michael, Aaron & Evan came over, then Robin, Jim, Cody & Chelsea came with Pat. Here are a few of the pictures we took.

2008-12-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Christmas celebration at our house. As an added bonus--a solo by Aaron. He had just sung "Away in a Manger" on his own and we tried to get him to do it for the camera--but he seldom sings "on demand" so most of us pretended to ignore him, and this time it worked, he just decided to do a different song! This video is taking so long to load, I will put pictures on another post.

2008-12-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

SNOW. SIX INCHES IN FIVE HOURS. AND COUNTING.

2008-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

HOW CAN SMART PEOPLE BE Soooooo STUPID??

The problem, we are told, is that banks are unwilling to loan out money, so the economy is collapsing. (I, personally, believe that the problem is really mega-inflation). Regardless, why did the Federal Reserve just lower the interest rate? They want to create a situation where banks make no profit at all if they loan money?! If the interest rate is now 1/4 percent or less, as declared by the Fed just hours ago, WHO IN THE WORLD WILL LOAN MONEY AT THAT RATE???? They should have RAISED the interest rate--an action that would not exacerbate the inflation problem, by the way. (he shakes his head sadly and stumbles numbly away)

2008-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

"Snow Day Snuggles"

A special part of our snow day off from school was a visit from
Jenny & the boys. We enjoyed playing, laughing and hugs!!!

2008-12-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

This is what makes winter so great--beautiful white snow resting on the trees with a bright sun sparkling off each flake. The sight (and the cold) take your breath away!! We love it!

2008-12-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

We had a great time on a chilly day in Flint, visiting a 19th century village "Christmas at Crossroads" with the Second graders and many parents.
We went on a train ride, rode an old-fashioned carousel, watched a magic show, made a craft, and visited old-time shops. You can see more pictures on Facebook.

2008-11-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

MAKINGTHANKSGIVINGSTUFF DAY As you can see we were into making pumpkin pie as part of the festivities for tomorrow. Aaron & grandma were having fun!

2008-11-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

Lissa is a tree-hugger? More like stump-hugger--it is a little late to save that tree. Actually, I was just looking for a picture to post, since I have not posted for some time.

What I really want to talk about is the absolute craziness I hear from media, current and future government officials about the economy. This morning everybody was crying about the fact that borrowers are having a hard time finding somebody to lend them money. Listen--this is not a mystery. The federal reserve lowered the prime rate to something like 1%. Inflation rate is over 3%. Would YOU loan money at 1% and lose 2% on your money? This "downturn" was supposedly caused by too many loans to too many people who cannot make their housing payments--people who were hoping to make money on a quick buy-sell in a rising housing price market. So now those loans are not worth anything (besides they have been bundled, cut, bundled and cut so nobody knows who actually owns the loan on a particular house anyway). So the "solution" is for the government (that really means taxpayers, remember), to "buy up" those horrible loans? With what money?--the REAL answer to this last question is that the government is simply making money out of thin air. The plan is to inflate our currency--so the value of each dollar will drop. It is obvious to me that inflating the currency is the OPPOSITE of what should be done. We were told that the $700 BILLION "bailout package" was necessary and it HAD to be passed immediately. HOGWASH. Now we are told by the very same people that $700 Billion is not enough, the plan they sold to Congress will not work, so they will not be doing that, but now a small handful of appointed people have billions of dollars to hand out to whomever they wish all in the name of emergency assistance. Insane. Simply insane.

2008-11-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

WE VOTED! We were the 2nd and 3rd to vote this morning in our precinct--the Village of Sanford. We left for school earlier than normal and drove by the polling place--there were few in line (at 6:40), so we decided then was a good time to get in line. The polls opened at 7:00 and we were finished by 7:15. Pretty painless.

2008-10-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

At long last, here are the pictures that go with the following story.

2008-10-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

USS SILVERSIDES

Every two years, Dan takes his American History class to see, and spend the night on, a World War Two submarine. The Silversides was launched just weeks after the U.S. entered the war. It spent the war in the Pacific Theater of war. Three Captains commanded her during those years, and the Silversides sank the third highest tonnage of any U.S. ship. The subs that sank more were themselves lost in the war. The Silversides was considered a "Lucky Ship" for various reasons. Only one man died when he was struck by machine gun shells in an encounter with a small surface ship. Another man experienced a successful appendectomy performed by a pharmisist's mate who consulted books and used implements manufactured on-board. I sat at the very table where the operation was performed.

This year, we discovered that the Naval Museum where the Silversides is docked has undergone considerable upgrades. They no longer operate out of a double-wide trailer, but are now in a nice large new building. It is far from finished, but it will be a beautiful facility when completed. We had a very knowlegable guide this year, as well. We also got to see a movie in their new theater--a very sobering view of the life in the submarine corps. It depicted the story of the Russan submarine Kursk that went down killing all aboard, and the film also described three other disasters or near disasters on submarines.

This year's class were a joy to be with (though some tried to stay awake all night), and the parents who helped out were great, too. (Thank You to Julie Shangraw, Rick Behmlander, Ted Coats, and our fabulous driver who got us where we were going safely and on-time, Dave McCargar). The parents (not our driver) each took "watch duty" in two hour shifts through the night (as according to Museum rules). That takes a special kind of dedication. Thanks!

Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures later.

2008-10-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

This week-end we traveled to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to watch Dan's nephew David get married to Nicole. It was a beautiful wedding, a wonderful ceremony held at a unique location--a botanical garden. You could walk from a floral under-the-sea room, to a tropical jungle, to an arid landscape, all within seconds of each other. The happy couple will continue to live in the Washington D.C. area. About 15-20 of the guests came from D.C. to celebrate with us.

2008-10-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

We stopped briefly at Kevin, Schalon, Ariel & Dammon's new house--very nice!

2008-10-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

In the little town of Wauseon, Ohio, this is the price of gas. In Midland it is $.28 more expensive. What in the name of supply & demand, state taxes and common sense would explain that?!

2008-10-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

So, why are people registering felons to vote? Why do they think felons will vote for Obama? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_on_el_pr/felons_voting.

2008-10-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday a local TV station came and shot video of our school for a new feature called "Cool Schools". You can go to their website http://www.wnem.com.index/html and look on the right side for "video". You should be able to find the feature (including Dan) there. We are not sure how long the piece will be available there, but go ahead and take a look!

2008-09-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

The annual Michigan Association of Christian Schools teacher's convention was held yesterday and today. It was a great time of encouragement, training, challenge and renewing. I think it was one of the better conferences of recent years. Afterwards, we went as a staff to a steak house for lunch. Pictured are Mike & Jeanie Reece, our good friends and school administrators, with Pastor and Mrs. Dan Dickerson(with her back to the camera), enjoying some fellowship.
The other shot is of Cheryl and I enjoying our lunch yesterday. They ran out of lunches on-site, so we rushed out to find some food. We had only a half hour before the next session, so when we saw this small local convenience store, we stopped an got some bread, ham, cheese and cookies. Across the street from there was a cemetery--the perfect place for a quiet, uninterrupted picnic in the shade! We have always liked exploring cemeteries--but had no time for that then.

2008-09-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

CATSUP!

There was a family of tomatoes crossing a field, but one of the smaller ones kept falling behind. Finally, the big leader went to the straggler and just stomped on him and said "now, catch up!"

It has been weeks since we posted so now it is time to "catch up"! School has started and that is always hectic, even though we spent a fair amount of time trying to prepare for the year ahead of time. Cheryl has 23 Second graders, a fairly large class, but there does not seem to be any academic or discipline problems among them--and that is a big blessing! Dan has over 50 students with 21 in his largest class, and 10 in his smallest. He also has a "readings in history class" that never meets together, as it is an independent study class requiring reading and reports.

One of our bigger changes has been our computers. We now have a newer version of windows, so it takes a bit more time to do things (especially Powerpoint for Dan). We are also on a school-wide grade, attendance,etc. program, so doing grades, keeping records, etc. is different and not like the way we used to do things. Elementary teachers have been especially stretched. We all agree, however, that when it is time to do grades, it will be MUCH nicer!

A new "perq" for teachers is free access to RosettaStone for learning a language. Dan decided to try Mandarin Chinese, and he has completed a couple of units. Part of it teaches him how to pronounce the new alphabetical system words--which was the reason he took it, but part is also trying to teach him simplified Chinese Characters, and he is having real trouble with that!

A week after starting his Chinese study, he got an email from a man at Baptist Mid-Missions whom he had written to a couple of years ago about teaching in China (short term). Over the last two days, Dan has received an invitation to go to China this summer for a month to teach History. What do you think--should he start making plans to go? Let us know.

2008-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

The fantastic new playground piece is ready to enjoy. It is very tall, as you can see, designed for older kids. The hope is to add on to it later, too!

2008-08-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is about what Cheryl's room will look like on the first day of school to her 23 Second Graders. I was going to get a picture of the new playground equipment, but forgot to. It is 40 feet tall with a couple very fast slides, among other things!

2008-08-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

VOLUNTEERS OFTEN ARRIVE LATE I noticed a single stalk of corn growing among the remains of irises recently. How it got there, I do not know. Frost will probably kill it before it actually produces kernels.

2008-08-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Uasian Bolt of Jamacia is the fastest sprinter at the Olympics--but not as fast as he could be. Give me an afternoon with him, and I can show him how to shave half a second or more from his time (especially in the 100 meter).
First, I would take away his starting blocks--they are his problem. He is too tall to start all scrunched down like that. His starts are horrible, and it is no fault of his ability or talent. He is simply too tall.
Second, I would have him put his push-off foot as close to the start line as possible with his first step foot very slightly behind it. At the the "set" command, he should crouch slightly and put nearly all his weight on the front foot while leaning forward as much as he can. The back foot would still be on the ground, but only as much as necessary to keep his balance.
At the gun, he would spring forward with a nearly normal running stride, the second step would be normal and the rest of the race would be normal, except he would lead from the start line instead of having to catch up--and his time would be much faster!

As a former sprinter myself, I practiced using this technique, but resistance from my coaches kept me from trying it in a race. In a normal start with blocks, the first step is near the point where the runners head was over the track while in the blocks. A standing start allows for at least a half stride further down the track. In my view, this half stride more than compensates for the "spring" provided by the starting blocks. In the case of a tall sprinter like Bolt, the standing start advantage (and no longer having to raise up the body to get it into running position) provides for an very significant advantage.

Are you listening Mr. Bolt??