|
||||
 ~ revolutions never go backward ~IN THIS ISSUEWith Americans celebrating the 4th of July and the French observing Bastille Day on July 14, revolution is on my mind. Webster's defines a revolution as a sudden, radical, or complete change, and we typically think of this in terms of the overthrow of a government. I'll be taking a look at the American and French Revolutions, as well as the idea of more personal revolutions--a fundamental change in the way we view things. Are you in need of a revolution? |
July 2009 | ISSUE # 18
The American Revolution and the Marquis de Lafayette« Feature Articles »
Without the military and diplomatic skills of this Frenchman, history may have had a different ending. Publishing July 5th The French Revolution and the Marquis de LafayetteLafayette joins another revolution in his homeland. A look at why it was so much harder this time. Publishing July 12th Your RevolutionAre you ready for a new paradigm? What are some key areas in your sphere of influence where you see a need for change? Publishing July 26th |
|||
Hello SummerPosted July 2nd, 2009 by Jen in family life, the ranch3 Comments »
Hello Summer! We’re done being sick and we are ready to enjoy this beautiful world. I’m listening to Little L read a book to himself, I’m feeling anticipation about the days ahead, I’m smelling the fresh garden dirt, and I’m seeing a clear blue sky out the window.
Today, I need to accomplish: cleaning all the bathrooms, vacuuming the upstairs hall and guest room, washing about five loads of laundry, and supervising the kids’ chores. I have a visit from Elisabeth today, the gal who arranges the French Exchange Program. I’m also expecting a friend from out of town to stop by on her way through to Idaho. What’s on your plate today? Many blessings to you as we head into a celebration of Independence this weekend!  Stomach Flu tonic?Posted June 27th, 2009 by Jen in family life, health/cooking/food7 Comments » My family has been hit hard by a stomach flu virus. First, it was my oldest son on Monday night. Then the youngest son on Wednesday night–throwing up every 20 minutes for four hours. Myself on Thursday night. Hubby Saturday morning. We’re dropping like flies. It’s a horrible, stomach churning, vomiting, exhausting kind of thing. On Friday afternoon, when I finally felt like I could ingest something, I really wanted Gingerale or 7-Up, but there was none around. I found a liter of Club Soda in the pantry and decided to experiment. First, I made a vanilla soda for myself, and my stomach was pleased. Here’s what I did: Jen’s Vanilla Soda This morning, my stomach still not normal, I tried another recipe and liked this even better: Jen’s Lemon Soda There’s my stomach flu tonic for you–both of these calmed down my seething tummy and tasted fabulous, too. If you’re healthy and don’t need a flu tonic, just spoon a few scoops of ice-cream on top and have a delicious dessert drink. Do you have any family recipes for easing the pain of the stomach flu? Please share, I have at least one more person to nurse through this. Little of This and That: Train, Garden, France.Posted June 21st, 2009 by Jen in family life, features, france/french, the ranch6 Comments » Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! I have a little of this and that to write about today. TRAIN.
A little train depot we pass nearly every day had a surprise for us one fall afternoon last season. The regular train was on vacation, and this beautiful steam powered locomotive, called the Mount Emily Shay #1, was there to greet us. Built in 1923, she worked for 30 years on a logging railroad in southern Oregon, then spent some time in West Virginia running tourists on the Cass Scenic Railroad. The “lockie” has since been retired to the Oregon Historical Society, which leases #1 to the City of Prineville Railway to occasionally pull its Crooked River Dinner Train. There’s the facts, and for you train lovers, you will appreciate the history. My kids appreciated the power and beauty up close.
GARDEN. I transplanted what I could into the garden, and reseeded almost everything. I may not have enough days to make it to harvest before a fall frost, but I’m taking my chances. No matter the outcome, I love working with my kids in the garden. My husband shared my pain over those lost seedling leaves. He found a Maine Coon Cat on Craigslist. Apparently this enormous (seriously, it’s like a dog) feline mouser is the thing to have, and there’s a free one in Springfield, Oregon. To further protect against critters, he’s out right now putting boards around the bottoms of the garden, and I’ll be joining him shortly to help place rocks around the garden base. FRANCE. Getting her room cleared out is the number one priority. It currently holds several dozen boxes of …. stuff. I love having a pressing reason to get things cleaned up! I mean it. After having Elise as our guest, I also realized that the French have a certain expectation about food. Like, it should be prepared at home, not acquired at the drive-up window or in a frozen cardboard box. So, I need to get my menu in order. Finally, language lessons are always fun for me, so the kids and I will spend some more time with French lessons. But that’s not a huge concern, since I already figured out with Elise that these Europeans nearly always speak English better than we will ever speak their language. As far as activities, we just plan on living our normal life. The expectation of this particular exchange group is to just have an immersion experience with an American family as they go about their day. I will certainly show her some highlights of Central Oregon, but I have no plans beyond that. Do you want to host a French exchange student? If you live in Central Oregon, get ahold of me right away, because there are still a few students needing to be placed here immediately.
Technorati Tags: family, France, gardening, ranch, seedlings, French exchange student, steam engines, trains |
Search
|
|||
