Grateful Hearts

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

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I thought I'd give to you this quote by George Washington that I found on a friend's blog. Hope you have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!

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"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:

"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted' for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

"Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

-George Washington

A Post, As Promised

Just like I promised, here are the pictures of "us" in the first snow. Well, I guess they're sort of pictures of us... two of the four are, at least. The others are our cow and barn, as you will see shortly.

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Hope you're having an excellent day!!

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Hannah

Sarah... and Wide-Eyed-Dixie

Me. (Very creative title, I'm sure.)

Yes, um... hi, Clover. :-)

The barn. Personally, I think it looks the best in winter time! :-)

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That's all for now!! Come back again soon!

Farm Question #6

Hey, all!

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WOW! Can you believe it's Farm Question #6 already?! Time sure flies. And I'm sorry I've been so long between Farm Questions - I think it's been about two weeks...? :-) Okay! Here's the answer to Farm Question #5.

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Farm Question #5 was...

True or False?

You have to harvest every last thing (berries, fruits, roots, vegetables, and herbs) out of your garden before frost.

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And the answer is... False!

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It is indeed true that berries, fruits, vegetables, and herbs must be harvested before first frost or they'll die, however, roots (potatoes, carrots, etc.) can stay in because they are protected by the dirt around them. Carrots can actually stay in the ground all winter, even when the snow falls! It's just a good idea to harvest them because it's a little difficult to go out in the sub-zero temperatures and pick carrots for dinner. :-)

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As DJ pointed out, in Leviticus 23:22 it says... "And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God."

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So the answer to this question is a double "False" because of both aspects (Scriptural and scientific) of the answer! :-)

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Okay, now that I'm through rambling about that, here's FQ#6!

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What is the term for the part of the saddle that "sticks up" from the middle of the saddle? (Tip for locating it - it's just to the left of Mom's shoulder. Mom's in the blue jacket.)

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(Bonus "points" if you can tell me what type of horse that is by just looking at this picture!)

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So, if you have the answer, leave it in comment form here, or you can email me if you prefer. Just make sure to put "Blog::FQ#6::11-20-08" in the subject line.

Thanks for playing the Farm Questions!! Until next time,

Hannah

P.S. Thanks and congratulations to DJ for not only getting the correct answer to FQ#5 but also adding some insightful information!

Graduation Ceremony & Following Proceedings

Greetings to all!

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I have here, as you will soon see, the pictures of Joe's ALERT promotion ceremony!! As well as before and after random shots. :-) I was not there, so I will have to attribute the excellent photography to my dear Mother. (thanks, Mom!)

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During the nine weeks of basic training, (I am pleased to announce) Joe gained three awards from the ALERT Academy. First of all, a Scripture Memory Award, for memorizing the whole book of I Peter. Secondly, an Endurance Hike Award (that was for the 24-hour hike!). And, finally, Personal Excellence award!! (this means that he exhibited outstanding character qualities, wrote in his journal every day, wrote all the required letters [and more!] and memorized all his verses on time.) May I note that, out of the 60-some recruits that graduated, Joe was among only 14 who were awarded Personal Excellence!!!! We're all SO proud of him!!

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Thanks for stopping by our blog!! We hope to see you again soon.

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For the rest of the family,

Hannah

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For all the parents who had been waiting for nine weeks to see their sons, this sign (on the road to the barracks) stopped them rather abruptly. :-)

Heartbreak Hill. Doesn't look that steep, huh? You just try hiking it with a ton of stuff on your back at midnight! Ask Joe. :-)

Beautiful scenery out there, isn't it? But I don't think the recruits bothered with scenery much! :-)

Joe!

Joe's squad demonstrates some of the skills they learned in the training.

Joe's platoon passing in review. I do so wish I could have been there to see this!
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Squads each hold six to eight men. Platoons are made up of three to four squads. The whole unit is made up of three (or is it four?) platoons. You can probably email Joe for more information.
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Unit 40 on the Drill Field.

Recruit Joseph (front and center) gets his awards and is promoted from the rank Recruit to Responder. Way to go, Joe!!

Mom and Dad at the ALERT tower (hard to say exactly what they use it for... it has many uses. Mostly repelling and in-the-air stuff like that.) :-)

Joe by the bunk he slept in for nine weeks! (his was the top bunk) Believe me, he's glad to have his own bed back!

Joe and Ryan - two buddies!

Joe with the person who bossed him around the most during those nine weeks... a.k.a. the squad leader. :-)

Dad, Joe, and Mom - together again!

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That's all I have on Joe's experiences. For a few more photos and a different view on the experiences, you can visit our friend's blog, too.

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Ya'all come back now, ya hear?!

Celebrational Happenings

Well, hello again, all blog readers and P family fans!

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Here we are with photos of the celebration of Mom's birthday. Which, some of you know, I am sure, was on November 7th, and the posting of which was overlooked for some time. So! Here I am now, with pictures and an official report on all proceedings thereunto pertaining. :-) You will notice the absence of our dear brother from these photos, reason being his attendance at the International ALERT Academy Basic Training Program prohibited his attendance. But, happily, he is home again, much to our great relief and immense satisfaction!!

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So! Have a splendid day and we hope to be honored by another visit from you again as soon as you see fit to grace the web page of our humble blog.

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Sincerely yours,

Hannah

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How's that for reporting, hey? All those English lessons paid off!! :-) Thank you, dearest mother! The homeschooling life was difficult and full of trials, yes. But I hope you are satisfied by the outcome (up to this time, at least) and proof of my excellent educational skills. :-)

We took Mom out to dinner on the night of her birthday.

Partygoers!

Yes, Dad. Hello to you, too. :-)

Sarah! What an improper way to eat your fetuccini alfredo! Here...

Miss Manners demonstrates, "Now, you see here..."

Presents!

Giggles and laughs.

Love you, Mom!

And now I leave you with the soon-to-be-famous "Hannah and Sarah Picture of the Event." A newly added feature for our blog!

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Au Revoir!!

He's HOME!!!

Hi, all blog readers and such!

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I just wanted to really quickly post our GREAT news -

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Joe's home!!!!

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The plane bearing Mom, Dad, and Joe arrived safely in Spokane last night. Of course, all of us girls were waiting up so we could greet them. :-) It's so wonderful to have our brother back again!! Mom took many, many pictures of the promotion and I hope to have those up for ya'all very soon. :-) I might even have to get Joe to post here on some of his most exciting adventures!

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The whole family says "Hi!"

First Snow!!

Hello, everyone!

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Here I am with some pictures of the first snow (a very exciting event!) Unfortunately, all I have is "art"... because there's a very round-about way of posting to this blog. You see, our family PC won't let me sign in to blogger (I get the old "cannot find server" deal) and so I have to use Dad's laptop. Problem is, all my pictures are on the family PC! So I have to take each picture and email it to our hotmail, so I can save the picture to Dad's folders, so I can post here... ugh! I'm sorry that it takes me so long!! I will have some action shots of the first snow stuff as soon as I can. :-)

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Thanks for your patience, and in the meanwhile, enjoy these art photos!

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Your photographer,

Hannah

I think this is a balsam tree... I'm not sure. Some kind of pine!

Aren't these weeds cool!?

I just thought that this was SO pretty.

Snow on fence... more typical art. :-)

This is a really pretty bush, the leaves of which turn red in the autumn and look so cool with snow on them! (every time I see these, I remember those red bushes in Newport, don't you, Lindsay? I'm not sure if they're the same or not. ;-)
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Come back again soon!! Have a wonderful day!

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

In honor of the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps, Leslie and I attended a local celebration along with other Marines from the area. The participants ranged in age from a 29 year old former Lance Corporal, to an 89 year old former fighter squadron mechanic who served on Guadalcanal in 1942. In keeping with tradition, we honored all Marines; past, present, and future. Semper Fi!

Farm Question #5

Hello, Farm Question fans and other blog readers!

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Here I am with Farm Question #5, plus the answer to Farm Question #4. First, as usual, comes the answer to Farm Question #4!

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Farm Question #4 was...

Does a female bovine (girl, milk cow) have horns?

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Answer: Yes!! Most all bovines have horns, both males and females. Generally, nowadays, the females are de-horned, because who wants to have a mean ol' cow with l-o-n-g horns staring at them while they try to milk? Uh-uh! Some farmers will also de-horn their bulls, because it makes them a little less dangerous... if you know what I mean! Some species of commercial bovine have been bred in recent years so that they will not grow horns (don't ask me how they did that!). And there are some rare breeds that never did have horns at all.

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Are you ready for Farm Question #5?! Okay! Here it comes.

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You have to harvest every last thing (berries, fruits, roots, vegetables, and herbs) out of your garden before frost.

True or False?

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Okay, so once you have the answer, either post a comment to this post or email the family with "Blog::FQ#5::11-11-08" in the subject line. Have fun!

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Happy Veterans Day, by the way! :-)

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Your faithful farm questioner,

Hannah

Keep 'Em Goin'!

Hello, to all of our faithful friends!

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I thank you, on behalf of the entire "P" clan, for continuing to lift Joe up in your prayers. We are (to say the least) more and more proud and pleased with each evaluation and letter we get from the ALERT campus! He has improved greatly and grown immensely spiritually. He is currently doing some very rigorous physical training that is often accompanied by mental strain, so keep those prayers going!! He'll be home in 11 days - HOOYAH!!!!!! You can almost count that on two hands! :-) We get several letters a week from him and he seems to be doing very well, just getting a little "bored with all the excitement." (is there such a thing?!) I'm sure that those of you who have had sons/brothers go through ALERT (or a similar training) can relate to this! :-)

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Also, please pray for the health of all the young men there. It is my understanding that during survival week a nasty "thing" was picked up and continues to plague some of the young men seriously. Joe had a touch of it, but is already healed - praise the Lord!!

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Thank you for all your prayers for Joe. Continue to ask God to bless him in every area so that he will finish strongly!

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For the rest of the family, your usual friend,

Hannah

Fall Festival

Hello, one and all!

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A happy autumn to you! I come to you bearing pictures of one of our latest adventures - a small autumn festival at a nearby farm. Complete with pony rides, cookies, sunny skies, pumpkins, and apples - this is not a day that will soon be forgotten in the P family!!

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So, enjoy the photos, and have a wonderful day, too!

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Hugs!

Hannah

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Ready to ride! Believe me, the pony rides were the highlight of Abby's time!

Off into the distance...

Look at all those pumpkins!!

Cowgirl on a fence... typical farm art.

The Ride of Sarah!

"I'm Back in the Saddle Again..."

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That's all for now! Ya'all come back soon, ya hear?! Oh - and have a terrific day!

Farm Question #4

Hello, everyone and welcome to our blog and FQ #4! (already!)

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Okay, here's the answer to the last farm question:

What time of day does a rooster crow?

Optional answers were...

a. Early morning

b. At noon

c. Evening

d. All day long

e. Only in emergencies

The answer is "D" - All day long! A rooster will crow any time of day. It's his way of talking to his hens, telling them danger is near, or they'd better go do something, or hurry up and lay their egg... etc!

The "F" option that Nate invented (Whenever he feels like it) is also a good one!! A rooster does crow whenever he feels like it - which is normally all day long. I don't think they crow at night... but you never know. Cuz you're asleep, right?! ;-) A rooster also will crow in an emergency, because, like I stated before, that's his way of talking.

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Okay - here's Farm Question #4!!

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Can female bovines (girls-milk cows) have horns?

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Can't wait to hear from you!! Your answer can be put in a comment to this post, or, you can email it to the family account with 'Blog::FQ#4::11-2-08" in the subject line.

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Bye for now!!

Hannah

P.S. Congratulations to everyone (Becky, Nate, and Lindsay) for getting the right answer to Farm Question #3!!

985

985!!!

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That's how many eggs we got in the whole month of October!! Almost a thousand. :-) We've got even more chickens laying now - I think almost 54 out of the 72. Some are still chicks and will be laying in a few months.

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Tomorrow I'll be posting the answer to Farm Question #3 - so today is your last chance to "vote!"

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Hannah

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