Sunflower Time

Tulip Time hasn't got a thing over Todd County. Our whole 1/2 mile long driveway is bordered by sunflowers.....in fact many of the roads are that way. Our driveway is one lane now - some of the sunflowers are over 6 feet tall (not the ones in this picture). It's really pretty. And the best part is that we don't have to do any work for this beauty ---- God thru His nature takes care of it all.

YUP --- today is our Anniversary - August 30, 1968 ..... 43 years! Jeepers - I remember celebrating my parents 35th and thought they were "old".....now here we are past that!!! Gary asked what we were going to do today to celebrate...... WELL --- we moved some heifers ----- that was cool.....especially seeing as how we didn't have any troubles with them......no breakaways. They just went along very nicely. Tomorrow they get preg checked. Our 1st calf is now among those heifers.....she will have a calf (hopefully! - we will know tomorrow) come late winter/early spring.

Yesterday I canned / froze green beans. Our garden was mostly destroyed by the hail and then the grasshoppers......and I had just said to Gary "maybe a neighbor will have more beans than they need". Sunday at church Don S. asked if we needed beans. WOW!! I hadn't even really lifted it up as a prayer ---- but there it was - an answer. I think I now have enough beans put away for 2 years!!!!

Gary is working on a welding project....... big repair job on a bale loader/wagon (don't know the technical term for that piece of equipment) ------ but it's used to load the big round bales. I heard the words "this will be a challenge"....... but Gary likes those kind of projects - so he is busy at it already.

School started here in Lakeview today. So I will be bringing the permission slips for Release Time. We usually let the kids settle in to the school routine first and then we start. Our Pastors wife - Lynn - has said that when she is available she will help us with craft time. So we have some bigger crafts planned for this coming year. Lakeview School has a much larger enrollment this year - up to 72 kids last time I heard. So we could run into a problem of having more kids wanting to come than the van will hold......I guess we will take one of our own vehicles then. Really hate to turn any of them away.

This past evening there were only 9 kids at the Detention Center.......which is good...... but the sad thing is ----------it was the weekend of the Rosebud Fair and so many kids get into trouble there. In fact, on Sunday some of the boys were telling us who was in booking. So I know that I had better not skimp on the cookies.....

For a while we were wondering if summer was totally over.....but it's sunny and 93 degrees today. We really need more hot days. Our tomatoes are just now starting to ripen....and I REALLY want to make a batch of homemade salsa. HHHhhmmm.......maybe a neighbor has more than they need.............:) :) :) --- never know!

That's about all for now. We are doing great and look forward to all that comes along in the fall. We aren't really seeing many deer (for all you deer hunters out there)....but the weeds are so tall and there is a LOT of cover for them --- so we're sure they are out there.

Thanks for your prayers and support.
Gary and Barb

A very busy summer --- now back to "normal"

Our "busy schedule" all began in May with mom's 90th Birthday party. It was a fun time and we finally have this picture to prove that our whole family was there. Brennan (Mike's 5th) came to the party with an ear ache and had to leave for a doctors appointment.....but was back and feeling better before the party was over. So for those of you who don't know us too well - I will put names to these faces...... Back row from the left: Mike, Rick, Tim with Marti holding Oliver, Dennis, Holly. Middle Row: Brennan, Julie holding Halle, me holding Sawyer, Gary, Colton, Clayton. Front Row: Trenton, Sidney, and Austin.
Clayton and Sawyer belong with Holly and Dennis...... and the rest are Mike and Julies. Rick is now in Thailand (teaching at a University) and so it was a very special treat that he was home for a visit before leaving for the other side of the world! YES!!! We know --- mom isn't on the photo. OOPS!!! But then our minds aren't always with us anymore either. :(

Then came our Boundary Waters trip and you can look back for photos of that adventure....... then Prairie Light Youth Camp......then back to Michigan for a " :) slave week". We gave Mike and Julie a "week off" and we would babysit the six kids. But they were only gone for 3 days and we all had a fun time..... Their pool did blow out - emptied in about 20 minutes because of a 12 inch rip in the seam......but we managed to entertain the kids anyway. Thankful for Lake Michigan!!!!

And then came our trip to Glacier National Park with friends from Overisel Reformed Church. What a beautiful place northern Montana is!!! As you can see we totally enjoyed our week and did some hiking and some rafting - among other things.......the zip line being one of them .......it was actually six zip lines. Yes, we do some crazy things! But they all proved to be fun!!


Our guide was a lot of fun.....and we really didn't have to work very hard at all!! No one fell out of the raft either - even though this picture makes it look like we might have had to hang on for dear life.







We hike the Highline trail. If any of you know what that is like than you have a better understanding of what we did. The trail is 11.5 miles long, the view is fantastic....but the steep sides and straight down - long ways to the bottom - made for all eyes on the trail!!! The last 4 miles did us in ----- down hill is harder than up hill for some of us. Makes the toes too snug in the boots and was just plain hard on these old bodies. But we are all healed up - and it was a grand adventure. The only bears we saw were at a distance.


We are thankful for the wonderful fun we had this summer.....but at the same time we are glad to get back to our "mission" here. We need to settle down to the normal routine. We are getting ready for Release Time when school starts. We have the lesson materials and have some of the crafts figured out.

We also continue to go to the Detention Center and it was good to get back to see the young people again.

We thank God for the group of friends that we were able to spend time with this summer .....some came for a short visit at our home and that was fun --- others invited us along on a trip of a life time (Glacier).

Thanks one and all for your time, support and prayers!!!! Gary and Barb