A Precious Part of Christmas!

I believe that "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season" and His love shines through our lives in infinite ways! As I carefully packed away the delightful ornaments this year, I experienced a wave of love as I wrapped the handmade Christmas tree in tissue paper to be stored until Christmas 2012. My sister's girls, Joanna and Jeana, assisted their mom with wrapping fabric pieces around batting and pinning the pieces onto styrofoam, thus creating a lovely Christmas tree which has been displayed for many, many years. If you look closely, you will see the little ribbon of fabric (made by the girls with no assistance) which we lovingly place on our Christmas tree each year. THANK YOU, GIRLS, FOR THIS SPECIAL GIFT OF LOVE!!!

Thank You, Veteran! Thank You To All Who Have Served And To Those Who Gave The Supreme Sacrifice ...

Thank You, Veteran! Thank You To All Who Have Served And To Those Who Gave The Supreme Sacrifice ..., a photo by iwork4toby on Flickr.

Thank you, also, to HyVee Food store who served breakfast to a large group of veteran's on this Veteran's Day, November 11, 2011.

Midwest Living

Midwest Living, a photo by iwork4toby on Flickr.

Traveling through the beautiful Midwest during the crisp Autumn month of September is amazing ... even in the rain! The golden fields of corn and soybeans are ready for harvest. Special thanks to the farmers who provide our daily bread ... and thank you Almighty Creator for Your bountiful gifts!

Last Lazy Days Of Summer

Last Lazy Days Of Summer, a photo by iwork4toby on Flickr.

Although Summer began with some rain storms which flooded the back yard followed by scant rainfall and arid climate, Labor Day was a winner! Clear blue sky and temperatures in the 70s made sitting on the back porch a heavenly experience! As I am writing on the day after Labor Day, I hear the children on the playground of the nearby elementary school. Leaves are falling in the breeze and squirrels are gathering nuts! I LOVE the four seasons in the Midwest!
Until next time ... on The Back Porch!

Iowa Municipal Band Festival

Iowa Municipal Band Festival, a photo by iwork4toby on Flickr.

Pencil in the annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival on your calendar on the second Saturday in July!

2011 marked the 20th Annual Festival and, my, what a performance the bands provided! We enjoyed the Ballard Community Band, Sax n' Brass, Iowa Military Veterans Band, Bunny Band, Greater Des Moines Community Band, Karl L. King Municipal Band, Ames Municipal Band, and Boone Municipal Band.

Five bands were included in the first Iowa Municipal Band Festival in July 1992. They were Ames, Hampton, Newton, Marshalltown and Boone. Seven bands performed the following year. Since then, a full slate of eight or more bands have entertained the audience. The festival has truly become a state wide festival with 31 communities participating since 1991. The festival has welcomed a band from Zumbrota, Minnesota as well as the Blaskapelle Muhlhausen group from Germany over the last few years, as well.

Herman Park Pavilion in Boone, Iowa is the ideal setting for the festival. The Pavilion was donated to the city of Boone by the Herman family in 1917. Frank Piersol was commissioned to write the “Pavilion March” and conducted the premiere performance at the 1994 festival.

Join us for a day of music in the park!

http://iowamunicipalbandfestival.com/aboutus.aspx

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

A Happy Couple, a photo by iwork4toby on Flickr.

A search through my Flickr photostream revealed only one photo of Dad as the sole subject and a myriad of photos of Dad surrounded by family. That is representative of how Dad has lived!

God Bless You, Dad!

Father’s Day Prayer

Lord, please bless our fathers,
these men who mean so much to us,
who are greatly responsible
for who we are and who we are becoming.
Bless them for having the courage
to do what’s necessary to keep us out of trouble,
for making us do the right thing,
for helping us build our character,
even when it makes us angry;
and bless them for pushing us to do our best,
even when they just want to love us.
Bless our fathers for being our protectors,
for leading us through stormy times to safety,
for making us believe that everything will be all right
and for making it so.
Bless our fathers for quietly making a living
to provide for those they love most,
for giving us food, clothing, shelter
and other necessary and not so necessary material things,
for unselfishly investing time and money in us
that they could have spent on themselves.
Bless our fathers, Lord,
for saving some energy for fun,
for leading us on adventures
to explore the outer reaches of ourselves,
for making us laugh,
for being our playmates and our friends.
Bless them for being our secure foundation, our rock,
for holding on tight to us...until it’s time to let us go.
Lord, bless these men we look up to,
our role models, our heroes,
our fathers.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

By Joanna Fuchs

Terrific Garage Sale Find!

This is a vintage 1.5 quart Pyrex Flameware Double Boiler.
It immediately invoked memories of mom melting chocolate during Christmas holiday!



Janet and I enjoyed the afternoon searching through housewares, collectibles, furniture, dishes, lamps, children's clothing, sporting equipment, toys, books and an incredible array of miscellaneous items. The bake sale included cakes, cookies, bars, pies, breads, and pastries prepared by members of the Living History Farm's Guild or donated by local businesses.

More information ~

Big as a Barn Garage Sale

Date Jun 2, 2011 - Jun 3, 2011
Time 9:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM
Location Wallace Exhibit Center - Living History Farms

The 20th Annual Living History Farms Guild's "Big as a Barn" Garage and Bake Sale will be at the Murray Conference Center Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. At this eclectic sale, there are always a number of treasures to buy.

You can help too!
Donations for the sale will be accepted Monday, May 30 and Tuesday, May 31, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Murray Conference Center. The Murray Conference Center is located west of Interstate 35/80 off Douglas Avenue/Parkway (I-80/35, Exit # 126). The entrance is marked "Gate 4". Call 515-278-5286 for more information. Donations can be made by appointment May 23-27 by calling Lola Zimmerman at 515-225-7441.

All proceeds from the sale go to the Living History Farms Guild to fund preservation and education projects at the museum.