The Adventures of a Middle Kid
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Bruu-ruk!

3/30/2016

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Yee-aw!! We have chickens again!! I sure have missed the little boogers. Daddy and I drove off to another county and collected twenty-two old birds from a good friend (paid for them, by the way ;) ) and a cooler full of eggs. 

It started to rain about half way up  and rained while Daddy, John, and Dee rounded up birds in the barn. I stood in the back of the pick-up to seize the birds brought out and tuck them into the "over-sized lobster trap" in the bed. (The "lobster trap" is in reality a big square constructed out of dog and chicken wire.) I got a bit wet as I stepped between the shelter at the end of the truck to the cage and stuffed birds in. It quit raining about the time we left--only to start up again harder shortly after we pulled out of their driveway.

Upon reaching home, I transferred to the driver seat of the go-buggy (the old Ford is not a 4x4 and Daddy didn't want to risk getting it stuck) and collected a bucket of feed on my way up the 'hill'. Backing the buggy tail to tail with the truck, we shifted the cage from one vehicle to the other. (Daddy did most of that, really...I mainly just "held".) Then...we zipped over to the coop and drug the cage off the buggy. I popped in and dumped the feed and then stayed inside to help line up the opening gap with the door. Most of the chickens behaved with sense and just walked on out. There were a few stubborn ones that insisted on the end of a broom to herd them out. Goofy things. 

Due to the pouring rain, we didn't stick around to admire the girls but hurried back to the house. 

In other news...I pretty much have Katherine's bridesmaid dress done (just needs handwork) and I got mine roughly half done today. I should be able to finish it tomorrow, unless I'm crashed like I was yesterday.

Also, I got two packages of bees ordered--and they are supposed to arrive the same week that Savannah gets married! It's going to be a busy week... I am going to have to buy a queen before then because if I don't I'm going to loose my remaining hive. I think Daddy is planning on asking about a queen when he gets honey again. (Apparently they sell queens, too!)

Weelll--that's about life 'round here at the moment. Including the usual--"I'm hungry" which my family and friends are oh, so frequently aware of! ;)

      Racheal

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THINGS

3/19/2016

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It's been a while since I actually posted anything, hasn't it? So...updates!!

#1: Savannah is getting MARRIED!!
His name is Scott (and I'll skip the last name 'cause that's just what I do) and he lives in Florida. :) He came up recently and it was "made official" (even though it was anyway) and the date is set, April 30. 

#2: The kitchen is getting remodeled. At last. :) I regret me that I have no pictures handy for you, but this is the cumulative amount done so far--the new counter tops (butcher-block) are down along with the installation of the new (old, but refurbished) farmhouse sink (it is awesome!) In addition, we now have a dishwasher! AND most excitingly--the carpet has come up. Not that it "came up" all on it's own, but Daddy and Mama got it out. I stayed away as much as possible as the first day ended up aggravating my lungs and stuff so badly that Mom "ordered" me to bed the following day. (I really was hacking and wheezing.)

#3: I've been sewing (see #1). We've attempted three different styles for bridesmaid dresses and this last one is going to do the trick, we think. I actually just made the bodice rather than the entire dress, but it worked so nicely that I turned it into a wearable shirt (in fact, that is what I wore today!)

#4: We had the delight of visiting with two of our 'brothers' over lunch...
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Andy, Savannah, You-Know-Who, Katherine, Dan
It's always a joy to see these guys (and Caleb, who wasn't able to make it). They were exhausted because they had stayed up much to0 late due to a gig they played the night before! I wondered if Dan was going to drop off to sleep a time or two...(shoulda had a black coffee instead of a tea, brother...) Ah well. Teasing aside, I look forward to seeing them again at the end of April... :)

#5: We are supposed to be playing in our church's recital here in a couple of weeks--but I suspect all three of us girls need to practice a little harder. :D I haven't played as much this past week as I did the week before...perhaps next week I will get back into playing every day again.

#6: I FINALLY took my birthday present from two years ago out a few days ago...
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She shoots nice--and for some reason I decided to call her "Jenny". Daddy rigged up the holster on a cross-chest strap...so I carry it backwards for my shooting hand. Essentially, I cross-draw with the off-hand and then cock her with my shooting hand. My best group was about 2 inches across (I guess I was standing between 8-10 feet away?) Most of them (though I only shot three cylinders) were more like six or so...call that gun-handler error. With the steel case ammo, I had to removed the cylinder and knock the shells out with a cleaning rod. Daddy told me that I probably wouldn't have the problem with brass case. Definitely need more practice with the beefy "Jenny", but so far I can say that I like it. :) (No doubt about it...I like a handful of a revolver.)

Church tomorrow...adios for now!

      Racheal

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Spring is on the Horizon....

3/8/2016

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I noticed daffodil leaves pricking out of the ground roughly two weeks ago. I have forgotten to look for their progress...

The Robins are back...along with the Great Tailed Grackles. (Soon it will be time to get my shotgun out and start shooting European Starlings as they go about their dirty ways.)

The maples have been pushing their buds for weeks now and consequently, are beginning to look like they have magenta flowers covering them from twig to bough. I haven't checked any of the other trees recently.

 Yesterday I worked out of doors...and may have gotten the slightest touch of a sunburn--of course it could just have been the wind. :) But what I did requires a small amount of backstory.

Back before the mink murdered all my poor chickens, we had a snow storm. The result of that snowy deluge was the breaking down of multiple paddock fences--which I left down. Disgracefully laid over. 

Well, yesterday, I strolled out and fixed that. I wired the paddock fences back upright. That took less time than the remainder of the job--re-hanging the bird-netting. I did that in two stages. One paddock I re-netted before lunch. The other four got re-attached after lunch. Anyway, the way I went about it was rather slow and tedious, but effective. Instead of using zipties this time (partly because I could not find them), I used a length of hay rope and cut it into sections. Each section then got sectioned out into multiples and therefore I was able to do the entire paddock area with a single hay rope. Not bad. ;) Now I just have to see how long some of those little tied sections last....

After I got done with that, I continued on to the next step of prepping the area for new birds--seeding cover crop into the paddocks. The ground was fairly wet, so after hand broadcasting, I was able to use a rake and scrape the seed into the ground somewhat. Hopefully, it will germinate before the birds really discover it. :)

I decided that cleaning out and readying the coop was not in my best interest for the day, so I crept into the house and soon crashed. I hope to get the coop cleaned today and likewise check my bees. The temperature is supposed to reach nearly 70* today!

     Racheal

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Chapter 22: The Law of God, Part 3

3/6/2016

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As I am having a very hard time with concentration lately, I only managed a little over ten pages. Even though I had to force myself to finish, I did get through Q. 95.

Q. 95: Of what use is the moral law to all men?
A.: The moral law is of use to all men, to inform them of the holy nature and will of God, and of their duty, binding them to walk accordingly; to convince them of their disability to keep it, and of the sinful pollution of their nature, hearts, and lives: to humble them in the sense of their sin and misery, and thereby help them to a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and of the perfection of his obedience.

The keeping of the moral law is a universal obligation.
The Westminster Standards make the point repeatedly that all men without exception—both regenerate and unregenerate, elect and reprobate—have the duty to obey the Law of God. No one is exempt. (565)
There are several uses of the law for all people.
[1: To Inform of God's Nature and Will]
Biblical Law is a written revelation of God’s glorious and holy character....God’s Law is holy and righteous and good because God is holy and righteous and good, and His Law is a reflection of His character....God requires in His Law nothing less than that which is in accordance with His holy character. (566)

[2: To Inform of Man's Duty]
It is the duty of every human being to obey the Law of his Creator, for that Law is the perfect standard of righteousness God graciously has given the human race governing all people in all areas of life in all ages and in all concerns. (569)

All true morality must be based on the perfect character of God or it becomes immorality, anti-morality....This is the essence of sin and of secular humanism—determining good and evil for one’s self with no regard for God or His written Law. This determination always gives birth to lawlessness, violence, rampant immorality and death (Prov. 8:36).
Good is what God says is good, because it is in accord with His character. Evil is what God says is evil, because it is out of accord with His character. And Biblical Law is God’s perfect rule of goodness and righteousness by which all of man’s decisions, actions, and thoughts are to be measured. (570)

God’s perfect law has no gaps, no loopholes, no inconsistencies, no irrelevancies, no imbalance and no arbitrariness: “The Law of the LORD is perfect” (Ps. 19:7). It supplies us with a complete system of ethics that serves as the only solid base for
liberty, justice, holiness and prosperity. It provides a life-wide structure for living that enhances human existence (Deut. 30:15–16; Rom. 7:10), and which needs no improvement or editing: “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you and you will
be proved a liar (Prov. 30:5–6). It gives authoritative direction on issues covering the whole range of human experience. (572)

...God’s standard by which all men are judged is His perfect standard of righteousness, i.e., Biblical Law, and it is only as human beings live in terms of that law do they live in liberty. As Psalm 119:44–45 tells us: “So I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” (573)

We would be unable to distinguish good from evil if God had not given us His Law. It is true that the work of the Law is written on our consciences (Rom. 2:15), but sin has confused and blurred fallen man’s conscience, so that it is not a reliable guide ethically (Rom. 2–3). It is also true that creation is governed by the laws of God which, along with the Deity and power of God, are clearly manifested in that creation, but fallen man suppresses the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18–21). Therefore in His grace God has given us a Law, written down permanently and plainly, so that there will be no mistake regarding what is good and what is evil. (573-574)

[3: To Convict of Sin]
This knowledge of sin which the Law was designed to give is not merely intellectual. It comes with conviction of guilt....The Law is a mirror into which a person may look and see the smallest moral spot or stain on any one of his thoughts and motives. (574)

The Law is the sharp, penetrating needle that rips and tears through the heart, convicting of sin, pulling the scarlet, healing thread of the gospel of Christ. (577)

[4: To Convince people of their inability to keep the law]
Human beings are aware of only a small portion of their sinfulness. We all think too highly of ourselves, with too much self-esteem. Allowing the Law of God to search and try us brings to our awareness much more sinfulness in us than we had known previously. (577)

(1) By the Law of God His servants are warned of all their sinful ways and thoughts; (2) They are promised that in keeping God’s Law there is great reward; (3) By means of the Law a person can discern his errors, i.e., become convicted of those sins of which he was not previously aware, such as sins of inadvertence, error or infirmity, as distinguished from deliberate and presumptuous sins; (4) It reveals to us our hidden faults, i.e., those sins hidden from our neighbors and from ourselves but not from God; and (5) It moves those whose sins are exposed and convicted by it to confession of those sins and to prayers for acquittal and forgiveness from God through Christ. (577-578)

[5: Convince of sinful pollution of nature, hearts and lives]
Honestly measuring ourselves by the Law of God breaks us because it reveals to us the depth and prevalence of the sinful pollution of [our] nature, hearts and lives. It breaks pride and silences boasting in self. It ends all talk of high self-esteem and it leaves us sprawling on our faces in the dust as wretched sinners before a holy
God, deserving to be judged by Him. (579)

Justification by works is totally impossible therefore, for two reasons: (1) “There is none righteous, not even one” (vs. 10); and (2) The function of the Law is not to save
but to convict of sin (vs. 20b). (580-581)

It is not the bare Law that convicts of sin. The Holy Spirit probes and lays bare the heart, forcing us to see the sinful pollution of our inner lives and “breaking” us with the Law of God. Once broken and “killed” by our sense of sinfulness, the Law as a schoolmaster leads us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). (581-582)

[6: It humbles]
This is how a proper conviction of sin humbles us. It gives us a painful sense of our miserable sinfulness, dissolving all self-righteousness, self-trust, self-esteem, making us see ourselves as God sees us, sinners justly deserving God’s displeasure and without hope except for His sovereign mercy. 

True humility is lowliness of mind, the antithesis of pride and arrogance.

Humility is an attitude that develops when we form moral judgments about our spiritual condition, judgments that are based on the unerring standard of Biblical Law. (582)

[7: Provides a sense of the need for Christ]
Out of this conviction of sin by the Law and the Spirit that humbles us, arises a clearer sight of the need we have of Jesus Christ and of the perfection of His obedience. (583)
And...there I ended today.

     Racheal

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Oh, the Carpet!

3/2/2016

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I hack. I wheeze. I gasp.

Oh yes, my dears...the carpet is coming up out of the kitchen!! 

It started yesterday. Moma and Daddy in the "alcove" or "Granddaddy's Room"--they got it pulled out of there yesterday...and this morning, I ended up being "banished" to my room along with my trusty "air-pod" (a gizmo that kills mold/dust/bacteria in the air) to recover from my croaking, wheezing cough. I've been in and out of my room all day since, but the new air purifier thing Mom got at town this morning has really helped the downstairs.

Anyway...yesterday they got the carpet pulled up in the aforementioned room--to discover water damage and mold on floor and wall. I'm not exactly sure what the plan is on that yet.

To move on, no more carpet has come up today, rather Daddy is working on replacing counter tops and putting in the re-enameled sink. I helped a little bit by carrying out the metal sink and assisting with hauling out the old counter tops. In between sessions in my room and doing odd jobs, I bothered some laundry, ironed out a piece of material, and did a little too much walking in circles. But, I did get the toilet flapper chain replaced... :)

Oh yes...and I even played my guitar for a little while! 

But, to return to the opening line...my cough has improved over the course of the day, except when I spend too much time in the kitchen area, then I start hacking again. But such is life. At least my face stopped itching after breakfast!! Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to make my face bleed scratching when it itches like that.

I get the impression my cats might appreciate some supper--though Curio still has food in her dish. Goosey cats. :)

     Racheal

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    New post on The Bee Project! 04/26/18
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    The Middle Kid

    I chose to title this blog "The Adventures of a Middle Kid" because that is exactly what I'll be detailing (mostly). I chose 'kid' over any other word, like 'girl' (I am the middle girl so it also would have worked) or 'child'
    (since I am no longer exactly a child).

    I am a middle kid and I will always be a middle kid--even when I'm 80!

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