I Love My Toy Horse

Matayia knows how to document a classic on video.

The Benson side of the family and the Grandpa Tom side comes out in her as she talks about horses... her toy horse. Next, it will be a real horse. I can't wait to catch that on video.

Yesterday as I drove Joshua back home, he talked of building old fashion rocking horses with exotic wood like the one in the video. Put your orders in. It will be expensive but well worth the price for a custom handmade family treasure to pass down through the generations. Remember, you heard it first here on the family blog.

Christmas Orange

Late Wednesday night, I was trying to think of something to give my elementary school children for Christmas. Standing on the Christmas isle at the grocery store, I saw was over a hundred feet of neatly wrapped boxes and tins of sugary candy treats. If I were to put one of everything in an extremely large bag it would have been more than a strong man could carry or eat over a year's time. It just didn't make sense to stuff children with candy Santa Clauses, jelly elves, marshmallow reindeer, peppermint candy canes, red and green frosted cookies, and chocolates of every shape and size.

Then I remembered, many of the old time Christmas stories I have hear. They tell about a Christmas orange like those I've heard about from James E. Faust, Little House on the Prairie and other stories. Times were hard and oranges in the winter were a real treat and very hard to come by. Oranges seemed to be a symbol of giving something of value through sacrifice, love and thoughtfulness. With that thought, I hurried off to the produce isle and bought two large bags of Jolly Green Giant's (not related to the other Jolly old fellow) California oranges.

The first three oranges I gave away were to my Kindergarten group. I handed them each an orange and wished them a Merry Christmas.

Jack took his and with a puzzled look on his face examined it carefully in his little hands turning it over numerous times.

Finally, he looked up and asked, "What does it do?"

___________________________________________

Now, I have a Christmas orange story of my own. Thanks Jack! Merry Christmas!!!

Three gaints coming down

The roots were uncontrollable and were of great concern to our foundation and sewer. It was also time to harvest the wood for next winter. One year of drying time is important. The three eighty foot giants were coming down. I have three fifteen feet tall lodge pole pines already growing in their shadows that are taking their place. A branch of the plum tree was ripped off when the first big tree came crashing to the ground. It was trimmed and will do just fine.

The wood is all cut and drying. Evenings after work for clean up will still take another week or two . My friend Chuck and I did the cutting up and Ronda, Tiffany and I have been doing the branch clean up and stacking. The video shows the smaller pieces stacked. The big pieces are stacked by the stumps on the north side of the house and are to large to move until dried and split a year from now. It looks like one years winter storage of fuel and/or a old fashion fence at the edge of our backyard. We still have a forest in our yard with four more giants by the backyard fence. They provide wonderful hot summer day cool shade for spending late afternoons having family picnics in the yard. I have three maples growing in their shade just in case I ever have to take them out.

I think I'm more of a tree farmer than a gardener. I love trees. At one time I counted over eighty tree in my less than one third of an acre yard. Well, quakies have a lot of small starts.