A Bear of a Tale

Dear Lizzy, Micah, Kenneth, Nathaniel, Deuce, and Caleb,

Happy Halloween – almost! This is a picture of our house, taken from the Senior Center that is just beyond our back yard.

I think that our little town is pretty in the fall, when the leaves are beginning to turn lovely colors.

Here is a photo of something that is not so pretty.

Do you know what it is?

This is a photo of bear spoor. (That is a polite way to try to say bear poop.) The next photo will show you where I found this pile, and at least fifteen more.

Along the creek bank, across the road from where we live, where I walk with Molly in the evenings, I kept finding these interesting piles of stuff. At first, I thought they were a strange sort of fungus, but Abby informed me that they are (here comes that word again) – bear poop! I am so glad that I did not try to pick one up to examine it further!

This is why the bears are here. One evening, I took this photo, because I thought that the purple berries were so pretty. I wondered if they were edible, and if I could make jelly from them. The next evening, when Molly and I walked along the stream bank, there were no berries left. The bears had stripped the plants bare. From bear to bare. Isn’t that funny? Apparently, the berries ARE edible, at least for bears.

Now, I make sure that Molly and I walk while it is still daylight. If it is getting dusky before our evening walk, we go the other way, along the rail trail AWAY from the bears’ picnic area. I do not want to meet black bears face to face+, even though they would probably be as scared by us as we would be by them.

That would be a trick or treat that I do not want to experience!

This is Molly’s favorite bathroom bush along the rail trail. It goes behind our house, the opposite direction of the creek bank.

Abby and I hope that you will have fun at Halloween. Here are some colorful; leaves from West Virginia, for home or your classrooms.

Love to all of you from Abby and me. You can give your parents hugs from us, if you want to. We love them, too.

Grammy

World Communion Sunday

Carol and I assisted our Pastor at Church in celebrating World Communion Sunday.  I was once again moved as I watched the faces of many who came to receive the elements.  Many demonstrated a joy of having the opportunity to meet Christ in this fashion.  Others had the longing look of a hungry heart and, for these, my heart broke.

I appreciated our Pastor’s comments today, as well .  Pastor Bert reminded us that this one day out of the year, believers around the world gathered at the table in their own tradition, to celebrate and remember their fellow believers everywhere.

Carol, in her pastoral prayer, reminded us that God is caring for His flock, doing what is best for each of His children, across the world.  “In the midst of pain and suffering, in the midst of joy and celebration”, she prayed, “God, do what is best for each of your children.”

I was reminded that in the midst of the imperfect Church, the perfect nature of God is still recognized and experienced through the power of the Holy Spirit, by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Praise be to God!

Dr. Abby, Pastor Bert, Rev. Carol

Life With Mollie at Carol and Abby's Home

My name is Molly. The person who had loved me for twelve years had to go to a place where she could be cared for, and I could not go with her. Abby and Carol saw my photo on the television, and came to visit me at Pet Helpers. They decided to take me home with them, to see if I would be happy there.

We have learned to love each other very much, and now you could not convince any of us that I should go somewhere else to live.

I am old, and I like to sleep a lot. That is fine with my new family. They understand.

But I do more than sleep.

I take my family for walks along the creek.

 

 

I give them lots of love.

                                                         I travel with them.

 

Sometimes, we just sit and watch the world.

I even let them give me baths, so that I smell good in the house..

 

 

 

 

 

I am grateful that my former owner allowed Pet Helpers to help me find a new and happy life.

Molly

http://pethelpersinc.org

You Can Find a Good Time Here

What a weekend!  We had a great time with old, and new friends. 

It is always a good thing to get away from the everyday and engage in an activity, sport, hobby, something different, for the sake of having a good time and a change of pace.  And that is exactly what happened this weekend.

For three days, we stepped back into the 19th Century and took on the role of a War Correspondent for the New York World.  I portray this character at Civil War events throughout the year. 

The reason is first for the sheer enjoyment I receive getting together with friends I have made across the years who live and work in other parts of the country.  Second is because of my love for history and this venue gives me the opportunity to learn and engage in a “first person” role the time period of the American Civil War.   And the third reason is I always have fun at events meeting new friends and seeing old ones, engaging in lively discussions with other re-enactors and the general public who comes out to participate as spectators.

Dr. Abby, Dr. David, Michael and Randy

This event was in Zoar, Ohio outside of Akron/Canton.   The town is quaint and lovely with old homes and beautiful gardens.  There are several Bed and Breakfast Inns throughout the town to accommodate guests. 

Michael and Otie Carol

Over two thousand re-enactors came this year, which is held every other year in Zoar.  I had the opportunity to meet many other “First Person” portrayals, including Jenny Wade of Gettysburg fame, Elizabeth Van Lew (Union Spy), Dr. Mary Walker, Madamn Lily (need I say more), and many others.  Wendell Decker was there with his photography although I did not meet him this time, much to my disappointment.

 Mister Horace Greeley and Junius Brown

The weather was perfect, the food magnificent, the reenactment unparalleled, and the friendships were “PRICELESS”.  Looking forward to the next event at Zoar in two years.

Madame Lily (right) and one of her “girls”

An Interesting Day in WV

Carol and Abigail have had an interesting day here in the mountains of wild and wonderful West Virginia.

The day started early when Molly woke us to begin HER day around eight this morning.  She wanted to go outside and take care of morning business.  However, when we came out of the bedroom, we discovered that Molly had already cared for business in the night leaving a large pile in the middle of the living room rug.  UGH!  Abigail sometimes thinks she is “gonna shoost” that dog.

Next, the plumber showed up later in the day and proceeded to dig the sewer lines up finding that the work done twelve years ago was improperly completed and he has to take everything out and start over.  This now explains why for the past twelve years we have had backups and sewer odors in the house about every six months requiring the “snake” to be brought in an utilized to open the lines.

Then, the furnace man was here earlier in the week to service the unit for the winter.  A bird had built a nest in the flu and he had to take the flu apart to remove the blockage.  Unfortunately he did not have the right equipment to put the flu back so he said he would return when he had the time and finish the project.

Now you have to understand that in WV that may be in a week or month or more likely a year or more later when hunting season is over, the snow has stopped flying and he has nothing else to do.

So Carol and Abby set out to finish the work.  Upon removing the ring that supports the pipe through the wall to add the required insulation, Abigail found a HUGE hornets nest alive and well in the wall.  The hornet spray was promptly applied.

While this was taking place, the plumber came over and looked at the work being done by these two, highly qualified individuals, and suggested that we might wish to allow him to finish the job since the man who had installed the furnace, ten years ago had not properly ventilated the unit, allowing, to some extent, the carbon monoxide to leak back into the home.

Now this is absolutely not the problem it might be for some due to the fact that this is a converted car garage and the air leaks allow for a nice draft to flow freely throughout the structure night and day, summer and winter.

The plumber ran out of time and we were told he would be back on Friday.  In the meantime, we have a large hole in the wall where the furnace flu goes.  The ground is dug up exposing the sewer drains and pipes.  The washer was never hooked up and drained directly into the ground, a definite no no in this land of next to heavenliness, and so we were asked, nay told, not to do any wash before he returns and fixes the problem.  In fact he suggested that we also not shower or use the toilet, or the furnace, unless absolutely necessary.  Can we come to your home and use the bathroom?  Please?

Introduction

This is an introduction to The Family Blog.  On these pages, it is our desire to allow all our family members to post the everyday, the interesting, the mundane, the exciting, and the routine adventures of their lives for the other members of the family, nuclear and extended, to enjoy.

The oldest members on this blog are Carol Crawford Rowe and Abigail Elizabeth Reynolds.  It was Carol who suggested that we begin this project and Abigail who put the initial pieces together.

We will also, hopefully, hear from time to time from the older members, namely Abby’s Mom (Joan), Kevin Shaw’s Mom (Connie), and Sarah Rowe’s Mom (Sharry) and Dad (Duane).  They are happily invited and warmly welcomed into the dialog.

Don’s and Linda’s Mom is  Carol.  Abigail is the parent of Paul and Jon, Aaron and Katy.

Don and Sarah Rowe, along with their three sons, Caleb, Nathan, and Micah live in Rippon, CA.  Don is Pastor of Calvary Church in Rippon.   Sarah is an aide at the local elementary school.

Linda and Kevin Shaw, along with their three children, Deuce, Kenneth, and Lizzy live in Wellington, FL.  Kevin and Linda both teach at the King’s Academy School.

Paul Ward is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Utah.  Jon Fjeldstad lives and works in Norway.  Aaron is a freshman at the University of Pittsburg in Pittsburg, KS.   Katy is a senior at the Southeast High School in Cherokee, KS.

From here, we shall begin telling the stories and sharing the adventures of life, wherever they may take us.  So sit back and enjoy the ride as our family shares with one another.