We boiled down about 1 – 1 1/2 gallons of sap on our wood stove. When done boiling, there was about 1/3 cup of tasty maple syrup. We had to watch the sap very carefully towards the end.

I am so glad the Lord has given us maple trees for making syrup. I am looking forward to having fresh Virginia maple syrup on my pancakes.

Maple Syrup Resourcs:

 How to make maple syrup and tap your own maple trees

 Here is a slightly different set up

 Maple Syrup facts

 To beware of when storing maple sap

 Backyard Sugarin: A Complete How-To Guide

A Daddy and Mommy chickadee found the house around the beginning of May. They worked hard to make a little nest for the babies that would come shortly. Before long, two baby chickadees hatched and began chirping every day for food. The nest was located close to the place where Jennifer likes to have her morning devotions.

A couple days after we arrived home from Nashville, TN, Jennifer found one of the baby chickadees sitting in the crepe myrtle. She went slowly up to the tree, but the bird flew into the neighbor’s yard. The bird stayed right where he was and Jennifer picked him up. He was so cute. Soon after, the Daddy and Mommy chickadee became alert to their missing baby and began chirping for it. We let it go after taking a few pictures.

The Bible says to, "Behold the fowls of the air (Matt. 6:26a)." I have been enjoyed taking the time to watch birds with my older brothers and the Staddons. One lesson that the birds teach me is to be attentive to the younger and needy ones.

I am glad Jennifer was alert and saw this little baby chickadee. Now it looks like a family of Wrens may be checking out the same nest.

First, you have to pick something to paint. Yesterday I chose a small cardinal. With a large brush, you dust off the clay. Next, the nice lady who owns the store helps you pick out the paint colors. She squirts the paint onto a plastic tray and gives us a lot of paint brushes. My favorite  part is the painting. Matthew helped me paint the bird. Usually, you have to paint the whole ceramic atleast 3 times. If you don’t, the ceramic may not look right after it is baked.

The store owner has lots of creative ideas that make the ceramics look really neat. After we are done painting, she puts the ceramics inside a large kiln. They are heated to around 400 degrees for several hours. Afterwards, the pieces of painted clay feel like glass.

Sometimes the color of the paint doesn’t look right when we are painting. And it also feels very rough. But after the clay is baked in  the kiln, the paint becomes the right color and is smooth as glass. In our lives, God uses  trials to make us beautiful vessels that bring Him glory.

Let your light so shine before men  that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is heaven.

Matthew 5:16

After dinner, they took us to a very large barn where our cousin Kevin works. Earlier that day, before we arrived, a baby bull was born. They thought the mother cow had only one calf but when we went to the barn we found a second baby calf. But it had died. The first calf was very cold and weak. It needed milk, but was having trouble sucking. We all helped Kevin move the mother cow into an open space and forced her down a long channel to a holding place. The cow was then locked into a position where she could not move. Kevin tried to milk the cow so we could feed the baby calf, but she did not have much milk and kept trying to kick Kevin. We would have to make some.

Most of us went with Kevin to his shop and made a bottle of milk. Joshua and Daniel stayed behind and kept trying to bottle feed the baby bull with the little bit of milk Kevin had gotten out of the mother cow.

Even though it was very late and cold, everyone kept good attitudes, prayed, and helped wherever they could. Kevin brought the new bottle of milk to the baby bull. It started to suck on the bottle. We were so excited. God saved the little calf.

We received our first snow storm this December and it actually fell on Adam’s Birthday! It was a very powdery and was really good for snow balls. I call it puffy snow

We all woke up that morning to snow outside and we all really wanted to go out and play in it. So after Wisdom search we decided to skip breakfast and head out to play in the snow. We had a blast!

The snow ball fight was my favorite activity that morning! We had two teams. One team started on the deck and the other was on the ground. The team on the ground was trying to take over the deck by pelting the team on the deck with snow balls until they surrendered and ran off! It took a lot of working together in order to get the one team off the deck. If one person decided to try and take the deck by them self they would stubble off the stairs very quickly and be covered in snow. But if we went up as a team we had a lot more success!

If we try to only please our self and do things our own way instead of God’s way. It will not work very well. We will stubble and fall. But if we are willing to do things God’s way and work together as a team by looking at our problems from God’s perspective we will have success as we did in our snow ball fight!

With Thanksgiving coming right around the corner, all three of us decided to create our very own ‘Turkey.’ Using delicately sliced fruits and vegetables with toothpicks, we were able to construct a scrum-dilly-licious looking turkey. We learned some fun things about the turkey:

The frontal caruncle (the large growth that appears from the base of its bill) and the waddle (the skin underneath the turkey’s throat)change colors depending on their mood. When the male turkey struts around the waddle and caruncles become a bright red. When scared, the head take on a pale blue color. When the bird is butchered the head changes to a whitish blue.

The turkey demonstrates availability by preparing itself for the needs and demands of others. Early in the fall, the male turkey spends much time eating and storing up food in its body. Later in the fall, as the hens begin to lay their eggs, the male turkey sets aside his own agenda and needs so he may assist the ones he is called to serve. It listens for a yelp or cluck and then quickly runs to help. Later, after all the eggs have been laid, the Tom can begin to take care of his own needs once again.

That’s all for now – Joshua, Hannah, and Markie signing off!

Availability: Rejecting ambitions that hinder us from being where we are needed.  

I am thankful Daddy took time out of his busy day to build the birdhouse. I like working with Daddy.

We set up a special arrow display to tell Daddy that we are glad to be his arrows. Daddy is following the Lord and carefully shaping and sharpening each one of us children so we will hit the mark of God’s special plan one day. Daddy is the archer for our family. Psalms 127: 4-5 say, “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” I am very grateful that Daddy has a full quiver!

A good foundation was very important so the towers wouldn’t fall down so easily. I’m glad that Jesus is my foundation. He became my foundation when I was saved.

Joshua: Testing. Testing. Testing 1, 2, 3. Markie, are you there?

Markie: Yes!

Joshua: Markie, I understand you have some news to share.

Markie: Yes. One day, not too long ago, we went to the land, and we planted apple, peach, and pear trees.

Joshua: Wow, Markie. That sounds like quite the experience. Could you describe the process of planting an apple tree for us?

Markie: First, you have to make a hole.

Joshua: Oh, I see. How deep should the hole be?

Markie: About this big.

Joshua: Ok, that appears to be about 2 feet deep. Tell me more!

Markie: Then you have to buy them. Mr. Burford (at Vintage Virginia Apple Farm) helped us buy our apple trees. Next, you have to make a pyramid with the dirt (if you have some good soil to mix in with the dirt, that would help, but it is not necessary).

Joshua: Ok. I’m sure most of us would be able to find a bit of good soil somewhere in our yards. Now Markie, where should this pyramid of dirt be?

Markie: Inside the hole, maybe about 6-8 inches from the top. Then you spread the roots out over the pyramid. Fill the dirt back in over top of the roots.

Joshua: I also heard that it might be good to water the tree with perhaps a gallon of water when the level of the dirt is about 3-4 inches from the top. Is this a good idea?

Markie: Yes. Then add a little more dirt and stamp it in firmly. Smaller feet can stamp it better. Add more dirt and then push it down again. Make sure there is a small ditch around the base of the tree so the water can get caught there for the tree.

Joshua: Excellent Markie. I’m beginning to think this may be a fairly simple process.

Markie: To protect you tree from deer, mice, and other little things, get a big thing of chicken wire (unless you are only going to plant one). Wrap chicken wire around the apple tree and use 4 foot rebar to stake the chicken wire into the ground.

Joshua: Now what would you recommend to deter the smaller rodents. Like mice, and moles, and other little creatures?

Markie: Put 1-2 feet of black pipe (Joshua: oh, the corrugated black plastic pipe? Markie: Yes)  around the bottom of the tree. This will keep those little animals away.

Joshua: Oh, thank you! As far as upkeep for the newly planted tree – what would you recommend?

Markie: Every week, you should water the tree (pond water, river water, or even water from your house will do).

Joshua: Well I think we should be able to do that! Thank you very much Markie for the timely advice. 

Markie: Enjoy your apple trees. Take care.

This has been an interview with up and coming orchardist, Markie Wilkes. Thank you for taking the time to read and be sure to check back in later for more ‘news from Markie.’