Firewood

Friday morning I was back in the woods. On the farm where we hunt deer, they have two houses that they heat with wood. So for the privilege of being able to hunt on their property, we help them cut and split firewood each year. It was a cold, crisp, sunny late fall morning when about eight of us gathered around three log splitters and went to work on some trees that had fallen in the woods. Oak and locust logs had been cut into sections and dragged into the pasture earlier and were waiting for laborers. Some of the sections were three to four feet in diameter. It took a tractor to get them positioned so the splitters could do the splitting. I had dressed warm, but it wasn't long before I started shedding clothes. We got a lot done fast, filling 2 tractor draw trailers and a pickup bed full of firewood. We moved to another spot in the woods and split another large pile before finishing the morning with a bowl of hot chili and a turkey sandwich. All the while the all male group is telling hunting stories and discussing various hunting equipment and ammunition. It is always a positive to be on good terms with the local Sheriff, who is a bow hunter and was included in the group.
We don't have a fireplace or a wood burning stove, or I could have brought some home for ourselves. I enjoyed the day and I enjoy a fireplace fire on a cold evening, but I'm not sure that I would want to work that hard to heat our house. I remember as a little boy, we heated our house with coal. I would ride in the truck with my dad each year to get a load of coal. We scooped it down a chute into our "coal room" in the basement, and then each morning and evening in the winter, Dad would make sure the stoker was full. It would auger coal into the big old furnace as needed to keep the fire going. On a regular basis he would have to clean out the cinders. He would carry them outside and use them to fill holes in the road or driveway. Heating with coal was a dirty job.

I think LP gas works just fine to heat our house.
A big white truck pulls in our yard a couple times a winter and fills our tank. All I have to do is make sure the pilot light is lit.


As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Proverbs 26:21

Opening Day

It was a nice crisp late fall morning with a stiff breeze from the SSW. But this year on opening morning of deer season I was in a tree stand and not in the combine (like last year). At about 7:00 a Doe walked past out in the grassy field in front of me. I decided to pass on taking a shot. But then she turned into the timber and walked at an angle right towards me. I decided she would be meat for the winter.
I rested in the truck until the other hunters came out of their stands at about 8:30 and we delivered the deer to the locker.
I went back out in the afternoon just to sit in a stand and enjoy the day. I do have another permit, but will only use it for a trophy buck or if the boys don't get anything. About 4:00, a doe and two fawns came browsing through the area near my stand. They would nibble on twigs here, then reach for some green leaves over there, and then search through the dry leaves on the ground and munch on acorns. All the while Momma would be alert for danger, eyes always scanning and radar ears tuned in to the sounds of the woods. I watched them for a half an hour until they were out of sight, blending into the woods. A while later a fawn came through from the other direction. Fifteen minutes later Momma came, bleating for her wayward child. There was a pair of squirrels that spent most of the afternoon chasing each other around through the dry leaves, making an awful racket. As dusk came, a couple of raccoons started making their rounds. I climbed out of the stand and started walking through the pasture to the lane and saw several deer in the fields silhouetted against the sky with the dark red/purple sunset as a backdrop.
I love the woods. It was a good day to be out in them.

Our credit card security division called because they caught some odd transactions coming through on our account. Someone got hold of our account number and was making charges in Fresno, CA yesterday. We immediately closed the account, so now we are without our VISA card until we can get a new card next week. The old farmer had to call his wife, who was in the middle of a shopping trip, and tell her she could no longer use the card. Perhaps this saved me some money! I imagine they phished the number off of some Internet transaction. Its amazing how quickly security caught the problem, and how much they know about our spending habits.

The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
Proverbs 12:27

Starved Rock

Earlier this week, we took a short retreat to Starved Rock and did some relaxing, hiking and eating. The waterfalls were not flowing this time of year, and we were late for the best fall colors, but we enjoyed our time there anyway. And rates are reduced this time of year! We were spending a gift certificate to the Lodge that we received for Christmas last year from Bob and Jenny. We thought we better use it before Christmas rolls around again. It was a sunny, crisp fall day, as we hiked the trails through the woods to overlooks, into canyons, and along the river. We hiked into St. Louis canyon, home of the famous Starved Rock murders. A little creepy since we were the only people in the canyon at the time.

The old farmer's wife is the grammar/spelling/punctuation Nazi in our household, and she tells me that Starved Rock is a misnomer. The rock is not and was not starved. Perhaps a better name would be Starvation Rock or Siege Rock. This of course refers to the legend that a band of Illiniwek Indians took refuge on top of the rock formation because bands of Potawatome and Ottawa Indians were seeking revenge for the killing of Chief Pontiac. The Illiniweks were unable to escape and ended up starving to death.

Something I didn't know was that in 1682 the French cleared the top of the rock formation and built a fort on it. It offered a strategic position above the last rapids on the Illinois river, and protection from small parties of marauding Indians. They named it Fort St. Louis, and it became a haven for traders and trappers. They later abandoned the fort and moved to Peoria and established Fort Pimitoui. By the early 1700's, the fort had disappeared.

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Exodus 33:21

Long Black Train

Long Black Train
Josh Turner

There's a long black train,
Comin' down the line,
Feedin' off the souls that are lost and cryin',
Rails of sin, only evil remains
Watch out brother for that Long Black Train

Look to the heavens
You can look to the skies
You can find redemption
Staring back into your eyes
There is protection and there's
Peace the same, burnin' your ticket for that
Long Black Train

'Cause there's vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

There's an engineer on that Long Black Train,
Makin' you wonder if the ride is worth the pain,
He's just a waiting on your heart to say
Let me ride on that Long Black Train,

But you know there's vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the Lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And dont go ridin' on that Long Black Train

Well, I can hear the whistle from a mile away,
It sounds so good
But I must stay away
That train is a beauty, makin' everybody stare
But its only destination is the middle of nowhere,

But you know theres vict'ry in the Lord I say,
Vict'ry in the Lord,
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

I said cling to the Father and His holy name
And dont go ridin' on that long black train
Yeah, watch out brother for that long black train
The Devil's a drivin' that long black train.

I was reminded of this song Saturday night. We had the opportunity to hear the testimony of a 56 year old man who, as a teenager, started riding that long black train. He had been brought to church by his parents as a child, but stopped attending as soon as he was old enough to move out of the house. For almost 40 years, he lived a life of sin and crime. His lifestyle ruined his health and the doctors gave him less than a year to live. Finally he came to his senses and surrendered to God in repentance.
It was a pleasure to hear of (and witness) the joy and peace he now has, and to feel his love for Christ and the church. God still works miracles in the hard hearts of men! He has an eagerness to read the word, pray, attend church, and he has a concern for those like him who are still lost.

The shed blood of Christ purchased him a ticket on a train bound for Glory!
Praise God!

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Luke 15:24