Hello Everyone,

Just a little note on the last section of today's post. It is actually a slightly modified version of the Mother's Day "card" my siblings helped me make last Saturday while Mom and Dad were gone.

Speaking of Mother's Day, how did it go for all of you? You gave your mom some nice things and didn't run into any trouble? Yeah, that's what I figured. Everybody seems to have better luck than we do. By the time last Saturday was over, we decided that Mom would probably have a happier Mother's Day if we just stayed out of it. You'll see what I mean.

But first...

Mom on the laptop? What other surprises does this modern era have in store for us?

Battleship - now there's a laptop that's been around a long time.

If you were an admiral and if you had just been told that your entire fleet had been sunk, you might look a little startled too.

Actual Interview with Mercy

Sat. Even. Post: What does this picture remind you of?
Mercy: I drank coffee and it was not good and too much sugar went in and I was sad.
SEP: Would you ever drink coffee again?
Mercy: No
SEP: Never?
Mercy: But I will drink it sometimes when it's like - like - like when it's good.
SEP: So you think coffee will be good someday?
Mercy: Yea
SEP: Why?
Mercy: Cause I like it.

(Whoa, I think I need to go back to kindergarten. Four-year-olds' logic is too much for me.)

The Clean and Dirty of it is - We're Remodeling

Arm and hammer have been busy lately but...

...they haven't been making things cleaner.

Pennsylvania Dutch folks that we are, we have been chasing all that dirt.

The days the builders don't sweep the porch, we do. We don't do it very often, which tells you something about the character of the construction crew.

Eeek! That piece of dirt had eight legs.

People put such stock in open doors. Let's just say, I'm not so sure they're always meant to walk through.

And closed doors - sometimes they're meant to be opened.

Reminds me of Samson leaning on the two pillars.

The boys getting a concrete education on construction.

As the builders pushed us out of more and more rooms, there were more and more books to pack away. Candace stayed on top of the packing, thankfully.

The Day the New Lens Came

Mercy glanced at it but, next minute, wanted someone to read her a story just like she does every day.

Mervin didn't even look at the lens; he just got in line to wash his hands as he does every day.

And Phares - he needed plenty of TLC just like he does every day.

I tell you! People just do not realize that getting a 50mm f/1.4 lens is not an everyday occurrence.

I had been warned that, with this lens, it is easy to get a person's one eye in focus and, at the same time, have the other out. I didn't care; I was just thrilled that I finally had the capability to do it.

Making Toys

If I believed in Santa Claus (which I don't), Mr. Whistler would make a very convincing one. He's a jolly, old fellow who...

...loves children (sorry, Candace :) and makes toys for them.

If he's Santa, that would make us Santa's elves since we go to help make toys once a month.

All pagan myths aside, we go once a month (whether we were good or bad children) and we glue, glue, glue.

Dad's new line of work: helicopter assembly.

Our air-force, ready to go fight in the War to End Toylessness.

Hey, who put the elephant's ear on backward?

She'd better not try any such monkey business with the chimpanzee ears.

Wheels - hot from the drill press...

...right onto the bus.

We've got an assembly line that works.

What We DIDN'T Give Mom for Mother's Day

Candace made Mom a beautiful card using one of her quilled flowers

Well, it was beautiful.

Conrad decided to cut something for her.

It was going to be a heart, but it ended up being a finger.

Faith made a banner to put up for her.

Instead of going up, it came down.

Making Mom's cake called for a team effort.

Baking Mom's cake nearly called for the fire company.

"Turn the hose on! Hurry!"

We figured we could at least get the house cleaned up for her.

But we forgot about snack time.

_______________

This was posted in honor of the one who wipes up the glue, bandages our fingers, teaches us how to bake, and picks up our crumbs. That one is Mom. Thanks, Mom, for all you do for us.

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Until I post again, God Bless.

Carmen

Hello Everyone,

There's a place that I've thought it would be interesting to take pictures of for a while now; but I just wasn't getting there, which makes sense since it's several hundred miles away. Really it's just down the road. Thanks to the Raine family, who took some of us along with them when they went sightseeing, we became tourists in our own neighborhood. I'm sure the locals thought we were tourists too. I didn't see many cameras to begin with, and a big camera like ours is a very rare sight. More than that, two SLRs walking around together on girls my and Emma's ages made quite a sensation. One man told me to make a brochure, one lady wondered where these photos are going to show up, others were downright jumpy about having their photo taken, and once I was ordered to stop altogether. (More on that later.)

Oh, you all still don't know what place I'm talking about. How could that have happened? Not intentionally, surely? I'm talking about The Green Dragon, the famous local farmer's market. I like to call it the "melting pot of Ephrata." Everybody's there (and on Good Friday literally everybody's there), from the Spanish-jabbering Hispanics to the legendary Amish, chattering away in Pennsylvania Deutsch. It's a place with character.

The Green Dragon

A sea of people, a sea of boxes, and so much else to see.

Isaac doesn't quail from carrying quail.

CANDACE - Calculating Amount Net Dollars Auction Could Earn

(She sells quail at the small animal auction.)

Chic hair accessories? After all, they are yellow and fuzzy.

Shady Characters

Now we know why there's so many around.

In we went.

Mr. Raine, mobile lemonade stand, out to find customers.

Customer finds him.

We searched, but all the tables were full. So we set up camp in the parking lot. It wasn't the loveliest spot, but...

...I'd argue that the scenery was nicer than these folks' picnic area.

Nathan, not too keen on keeping company with the cigarette butts on the macadam.

Some people have such great attitudes (not to mention great seats).

The saga of a man and his sub.