Ice Skating

My family's reaction to the pond of ice in the back field, depends on whether the speaker views the situation as a farmer or a skater. For Betsy and Logan the situation is positive. Rains followed by cold weather flooded fields and created ice ponds. The past few days the more energetic members of our household have taken advantage of their personal, though bumpy, ice rink. 

Winter

Flash

Student teaching

By Abigail Lang, age 1 1/2 years

Over the next fourteen weeks I will attempt to entertain, motivate, discipline and impart knowledge to approximately one hundred 10th and 11th grade students, while I collaborate with my host teacher and meet the expectations of the University supervisor. 

I will be student teaching.

My supervisors promise that the next weeks will include some of the most stressful days of my entire life. I've already experienced elevated levels of anxiety as I scrambled to complete paperwork required by the University. While most of my peers received their placements in October, I didn't receive my notification until two days before winter break began (and the next day was a snow day!). 

The past few weeks I've undergone a criminal background check, applied for two substitute teaching permits, been fingerprinted at the law enforcement office, completed an in-person interview at a nearby high school (where I wasn't invited to student teach), been photographed for ID, paid union dues, signed and dated stacks of papers, and received training about sexual harassment, blood borne pathogens, FERPA and hazardous communication.

I appreciate your prayers as I embark on this adventure. Please pray that God will grant me sufficient energy, that He will bless my interactions with administrators, teachers, parents and students, and that He will protect me as I travel each day on country roads in the winter weather.

I'm not sure how student teaching will affect my blog. I may be too busy and too tired to post regularly. But I may be too overwhelmed and too stressed not to post. Whatever happens, I'm sure I will not run out of experiences to write about. 

Sunday, go-meetin'

Simple pictures

One of my bestest Christmas gifts consisted of pieces of plastic piping. After consulting with a photojournalist friend and visiting several websites, Betsy constructed a photography background frame out of various lengths of PVC pipe. The pipe provides a frame that I can drape with a sheet for an instant background. It is light, easy to use, and portable since Betsy sewed me two carrying cases. 

My new contraption provided the excuse necessary for a crazy photo shoot yesterday afternoon. One of our favorite children's picture books, Simple Pictures Are Best (by Nancy Willard with illustrations by Tomie DePaola), inspired the session. In the last shot Betsy snagged the parasol on the sheet and pulled down the backdrop as the shutter opened. 

Morning Bible reading

So I reflected on all this 

and concluded that 

the righteous and the wise 

and what they do are in God's hands

Ecclesiastes 9:1 NIV

Butchering

***Warning***

This post is not for the weak of stomach.

Brother Duford said we made a boring job fun. 

As a favor, Don Duford, a retired butcher and pastor of the Mennonite church, agreed to butcher a few goats yesterday. A month or so ago, Brother Byler traded his milking goats for four goats for meat. Brian selected one of his ten-month-old goats for our freezer. I declined the opportunity to witness and document the first part of the procedure, but headed over to the Bylers after Kendra informed me that the deed was done. 

As Brother Duford cut the meat, I scribbled notes about the cuts and order.

Cuts:

Front legs are for roast or burger

Back straps are for roast or butterfly steaks

Neck is for roast or stew meat

Back legs are for steak or roast

Tenderloins are for steak or roast

Everything else is for burger

Order:

Back legs

Front legs

Tenderloin

Neck (saw off)

Ribs (saw from tail to head)

Back strap

Burger

Pieces to be ground into burger