HALLOWEEN SHOTS

Halloween Sunrise
Elly gets her girls ready to trick-or-treat at my house.

Gracie is "Poison Ivy"

Lizzie is ready to go!

UP IN SMOKE

Yesterday afternoon a family barbecue at Jake's house in Buhl was interrupted when Joey called to announce that his haystacks were on fire. Dad and Jake dashed off to the Hagerman dairy to see if they could save the day. But the fire was too intense. Fire departments from Bliss, Hagerman, and Wendell had already responded to the emergency, trying to keep the fire contained to the straw stack and the haystack and the hay barn.

Joey with the firemen.

Dad and Jake show up to help.

The fire seems to have been caused by an Idaho Power transformer that threw sparks, igniting some weeds beneath the pole. The wind carried the fire to the stacks nearby. Harry is still assessing the damage, but his early estimate is that he lost 4000 tons of straw and hay and a new hay barn.

INDEPENDENT MILK PRODUCERS - RETREAT IN SUN VALLEY

October 23 - 24, 2008
The young organization of Independent Milk Producers met in Sun Valley Idaho to discuss the future of the cooperative. David Barton led the sessions which addressed the decisions that may need to be made as the organization moves ahead.

ELECTION REFLECTIONS

The first time that I was able to vote,
I voted for Richard M. Nixon.
He later resigned in disgrace.

A lifetime ago, I made this poster
for my younger brother *Tony,
who was running for Student Body President
at Ontario Christian High School.
He was later impeached in disgrace.

This year I have the less-than-stellar
option of voting for Obama or McCain.
I wonder what my future reflections will tell about
my choices and my judgement this year.

* Tony, today is your birthday, and I don't even know what to say about that.

THE INSULA

Harry in an "insula" in Israel - September 2007

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

John 14:2-3

In the verses quoted above, Jesus gives a beautiful picture of what heaven will be like, using imagery that his audience would understand. In Jesus' time, families usually lived in clusters of buildings called insulas. These clusters were built around a central courtyard. Grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts all lived and interacted together in the insula.

As sons married, they added to the insula. After asking a girl to marry him, the son would return to his village and build new rooms onto his father's home. The son, anxious to be married, waited for the day when his father declared that the building was complete. Then he could finally marry his bride and bring her to their new home.

These past few weeks, as we've had Jake and Vereni and Sofia and Nicolas staying with us, Harry and I often reflected on the lesson learned in Israel about the insula and God's intent that His people live in community. In the United States we are into rugged individualism. Children leave home early and multi-generational households are rare. Hearing the lesson about the insula, we realized that that living arrangement is very similar to what we saw in Mexico when we travelled to Vereni's hometown of Casacuaran in Guanajuato. I figured that Vereni would be quite comfortable staying with us for an extended amount of time, as she recovered from both the C-section and the hernia surgery, because having alot of family around is so familiar to her. But it would be a new experience for the rest of us.

Jake and Vereni and their beautiful little family have gone back to their own house today, after spending nearly five weeks with us. Jake had dreaded the whole idea of being back with mom and dad, but he now admits that it wasn't that bad. Mealtimes were special, and there were always ready hands to help with the tasks at hand. It was a positive experience for all of us.

SEE WHO'S READY FOR HALLOWEEN

Benjamin Noel Mohr
is ready for Halloween!

TENDER MOMENT

Sofia gives her new baby brother Nicolas a hug.

OCTOBER SUNSHINE

PUZZLING IT OUT

While the public and the politicians puzzle out the scary changes in the economy, Ava is entertained with her Barney Jigsaw puzzle

WINE APPRECIATION WITH A VIEW

"...I'd like a Merlot with a hint of cherry, low in tannins, with a mocha finish."

After finishing the class
"Wine Appreciation with a View"
offered by the College of Southern Idaho
at the new Canyon Crest restaurant
we are ready to order wine properly.