How happy sunshine makes the world!
We had some snow and rain this week, but a warm front has melted it all, and I don't expect we'll get any more snow this year. Yay for Spring!
I took the kids to Fulton to visit the Churchill Museum a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold but neat little trip. There are several paintings that Churchill painted in a little gallery there. There's a piece of the Berlin Wall set up on the grounds (Harrison didn't like that they cut figures out of it.... to make it more of a sculpture, I guess). The museum is on the campus of Westminster College. The president of that college really wanted Winston Churchill to visit his campus and make a speech. The president had a friend in the White House who got a letter in front of President Truman asking Churchill to come visit. Truman added a postscript to the letter saying he hoped Churchill could come, and if he did, he'd introduce him.
Well, from that humble invitation (Westminster College in Fulton is by no means a huge institution), Winston Churchill visited Missouri and gave his famous "Iron Curtain" speech. Years later, Ronald Reagan visited that campus and also gave a speech dedicating the Berlin Wall sculpture, and Phillip and his mom were in the crowd to listen!
Another neat feature at the museum is St. Mary's Church that was shipped over from London in 1965. It was built somewhere in the 1200's. It was burned twice: once in the Great Fire of London and once when the Germans bombed it during WWII. They are currently restoring it, so it's off limits, but the docent offered to take us in there as long as we wouldn't be in the way of anyone working.
I wish I could have spent a whole lot more time in there! But I didn't want to take up too much of the docent's time. He didn't offer much in the way of a tour, but he answered in detail every question I asked, which made me think he had a whole lot more to share if I could just keep asking questions. Shakespeare had been to that church several times. Unfortunately, nothing but a stone staircase remain from the time he would have been inside the church. So while it would be neat to say that we were inside a church that Shakespeare was also within..... I really can't say that. (Although that sets one to thinking ~ does a building embody the same building even if just about every physical part of it has been replaced and that building has also moved locations?) Perhaps I can say that we were nearby a stone staircase which Shakespeare was also nearby. I will definitely go back and get a full tour of that church one day. Maybe go for some kind of service where I can hear them play the massive organ.
Phoebe and I are in nursery together one Sunday a month. Love these little ones!
Paul celebrated his 88th birthday. We went over for lunch and cake.
Paul is a generous, hardworking man. I admire him greatly. He picks up Harrison anytime we call so H can ride his bike around town. Harrison will be learning how to drive this year! That's unbelievable. But for now, bike riding is his only solo transportation.
Phoebe and I worked on the last piece of the quilt this past month ~ the binding. She machine sewed it onto the front side, and we hand-stitched it onto the back. I love the hand-stitching part of quilting. It's so satisfying.
Completed!
She said she's gonna break it in so it's ready for her baby one day. I really enjoyed all of this project!
Harrison is doing Biology for science this year. He will be dissecting four different things over the next term. Right here he's dissecting a sheep brain. I have to say..... it's pretty cool. Last term they had him do a blood kit to find his blood type. Again, how cool is that? He and I have the same blood type.
Home Science Tools has just about everything you need for homeschool science, and the prices seem reasonable.
Lanaya Elizabeth sent me a picture of her trying to entertain a baby to keep her from crawling up the stairs at church. She's also been helping in nursery at her church.
Jonathan went with a friend to visit an Arboretum there in Florida.
Those sunny pictures..... So jealous. Not that I want that hot weather all the time. He gets jealous of our snow pictures, so.... it just goes to show that you just have to be happy with what you're given.
Jonathan interviewed at the same church in Boise that Liz and Amos are at. And he found out this week that he was accepted into their year-long residency program. Hurrah! So it looks like he'll be heading to Boise toward the end of August.
Most of our current cats.
I believe we have seven right now. Unless we lost some in the cold a few weeks ago, and I just don't realize it yet.
This cat is the craziest looking thing. We call him Rochester and he's so fluffy! He looks like a scraggly pirate.
And Phillip is back at work this week. His first day back was Friday, and he really got through the day quite well. It's been 5 1/2 months since the beginning of all this pancreatic stuff. He took a turn for the better in February. He had those stents removed in January, and then had a pretty bad week of pains and sleeping and not eating much. And after that week, he just started doing better and better. He now can eat just about anything without it bothering him. He is feeling stronger and has more energy. He lost about 65 pounds and a lot of muscle mass. That will take some time to get back. But we seem to be at the other end of the tunnel, and for that, we thank God!
