keljonma's Front Porch - Settling in and adjusting

[Quail_Antwerp]

keljonma, that sounds like a fun, fab trip!

They have a train that comes through down here once a year. My childhood best friend lived right by the train trestle in Bowerston, so we used to run out and wave at that train every year as it went by

 

[Farmfresh]

I love trains! We had a train track that ran the length of our pasture on one side when I was a kid. I got to listen to the train every night and used to "race the train" on my Shetland pony Dapper. Of course it was only going about 20 mph where our pasture was at max, because it was in town AND going around a large bend in the track.

I still had lots of fun!

When my kids were little we discovered the "Train to Nowhere" in Baldwin, Kansas. It is an authentic 1940's passenger train and a piece of private line and ran by a railroad history society. The train ride takes you literally to no where! The end of the line is in the middle of a HUGE corn or bean field in the middle of Kansas with a big "Welcome to Nowhere" sign! At the end the train basically backs up back down the same tracks. Since my kids were little they have a Thomas the Tank Engine engine as well! There is also a museum.

If you ever get the chance it is LOTS of fun! http://www.midland-ry.org/

 

[BeccaOH]

I love Schwan's ice cream. Expensive, but so much better quality than most of what is in stores, so you don't even have to eat as much to get your fill.

My brother and his wife road that train. I think they biked the canal trail then road the train back to their starting point. Said it was really nice.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

My brother and his wife road that train. I think they biked the canal trail then road the train back to their starting point. Said it was really nice.

Hey, Miss Editor, don't you mean RODE as in RODE a horse? Because ROAD is what you drive your car on *snicker*

I'm in rare form today.

 

[BeccaOH]

My brother and his wife road that train. I think they biked the canal trail then road the train back to their starting point. Said it was really nice.

Hey, Miss Editor, don't you mean RODE as in RODE a horse? Because ROAD is what you drive your car on *snicker*

I'm in rare form today.

GRRR, sure, whatever.

 

[keljonma]

Becca - time for coffee!

 

[keljonma]

That sounds like a fun train, FF! I will save the link, because you just never know.

 

[keljonma]

TrainsIve always dreamed of traveling on them. I think it is a combination of things.

At the far end of the road I grew up on, there were train tracks, which dead-ended at the power plant. We used to pick up coal and make coal crystal gardens when we were kids. Cheap fun for kids. Another one of those things that make me ask, does anyone do that anymore?.

My mother used to tell me about a train trip I took as a small child and how happy I was during the trip. We were going to visit my mothers dying mother, but what struck my mother was how happy I was riding the train. Now my mom has been with the Lord for almost 20 years, and I can still hear her telling me this story.

Then in fifth or sixth grade, I started reading Agatha Christie mysteries. I think that is when the Orient Express and the Blue Train (Train Bleu) became, to my mind, the height of luxury travel. Im sure that part of the desire to take the train was because Agatha Christie did such a good job of describing everything, and nothing to do with the excitement and adventure of a possible mystery while on board. My dad co-owned a small plane while we were growing up, so air travel, while fun for me, never seemed as exotic as train travel.

During my younger adult life, I vacillated between wanting to farm and wanting to climb the corporate ladder. But I always wanted to take the classic Christie Orient Express trip (London - Paris - Budapest - Bucharest - Istanbul). During my corporate life, I thought this would be the ultimate vacation trip; and shortly after we were married the second time, dh and I almost took the VSOE trip. DH was working as a para for the school district at the time, and had the time off. I had saved my vacation time just to take the trip. We had saved the money and were getting ready to book, when I was told I couldnt get away from work because of a project I was involved in. We were truly disappointed to not be able to go. We went home to Ohio for Christmas that year instead.

Over the years, we have traveled many different trains via dvds from the library - Canadian Rail, VSOE, and the various trains in the USA. It makes for good winter time viewing.

These days, I still love trains, but mentally am a million miles away from wanting to travel the VSOE. Id rather be doing some sort of farming. I did check the rates while I was writing this in my journal, to see how much higher they are from back then. When we were planning on taking this trip, the cost was about $7k per person just for the train ride (no air, no hotel, etc). Now it would be about $10k per person for the train.

There is a small depot in Jefferson and the Ashtabula County train is a fun thing to do. There are different events at the depot throughout the year - Santa, Civil War soldiers, etc., but we have only taken the train once when ds and his dgf were visiting.

When our dd and ds were younger, we spent some week-ends in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park area, so it will be nice to see how it has changed or stayed the same.

 

[BeccaOH]

These train trips, especially in and around the Rockies and National Parks, sound wonderful. My mom would love it.

http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/usa/amtrak_vacations/geysers_glaciers/index.html

 

[keljonma]

9/24/09
Did laundry and canned some peaches yesterday. I have some peaches left to make a cobbler today. I am also making bread today.

***
Last nights Back In The Box class was pretty good. All except two people showed up, so there was a great deal more discussion. Session 2 is called Keeping Score Where It Really Counts. The John Ortberg quote from this session (#2) is: We are by nature, scorekeepers. We crave feedback. We want to know how were doing. Keeping score is really about defining reality. Its the way we determine what counts and what doesnt count. To talk about how we keep score is really to talk about how we define success.

Two key questions are: 1. If we are ladder climbers, what happens to our scoring system when we realize that Jesus not only didnt grasp for equality with God but actually climbed down the ladder to be a sacrifice and servant for all? 2. When we compete, compare, and ladder climb in order to achieve the best that can be won for the benefit of our outer you, what are the consequences to our inner you?

John Ortbergs Summary: Be grateful for the outer you. Come to peace with your body. Rejoice in its strengths. Accept it in its limitations. Be grateful for it. Wash it every once in a while. Let it work hard. Be happy when it gets promoted. But remember, its wasting away. The inner you, on the other hand, is capable of a glory that right now you cannot even imagine.

I really try to live a good life, I dont always succeed. When I fail miserably, I know He always forgives and loves me. I do need to spend more time in study. I slacked off my studying during the summer, so I am glad to be back at it.. The trick in life, of course, is to keep focused on God, by trying to follow Jesus example of living; over and over again. He doesnt expect us to be perfect; Thank God!
***

In yesterdays paper, there was a home for rent near the farm. We keep looking at that area, because it was pert near the perfect distance from dh's work and church; not too close to city and rural enough for privacy.

The ad described the place as a 2 bedroom 1 bath modular/mobile home. The rent is reasonable and the security deposit is half of one months rent. That is it. I called and found out it has propane heat, water and stove, and appliances, except a refrigerator. (What other appliances besides a stove and refrigerator would one need?) The owner kept chatting away, so I really didnt get a chance to ask any questions. The home is on a portion of her farm. It is fairly immaculate as the previous tenant had a woman come to clean it weekly. The woman moving out will be out within the next two weeks. Then it will need cleaned before someone can move in. There is a large pond and all the neighbors fish and swim on the pond. When she took a breath, I asked about her dog policy. Well, she was off and running again. She has a Doberman that has the run of the place and she got him because of theft in the area. He has the run of the place and is always on guard. She has never had any theft problems since getting the Doberman. She is concerned that he will not get along with another big dog on the property. All her other tenants had small dogs like a Shih Tzu , and if we had one of those it would not be a problem. But her dog may not like a Great Pyr. Also, was our dog destructive in any way? She couldnt abide that at all, as this was her mothers house and always kept nice. She took another breath, and I said our dog was mostly an in the house dog these days. Well, her dog has the run of the entire farm and she was concerned that when the dogs saw each other outside that there would be trouble. And she couldnt let another dog boss her dog around. Because he has to guard the entire farm so there are no thefts. Gosh, I wish I could type as fast as she talked! She talked about 25 minutes, I asked two questions and made one statement. So, we are not going any farther with this place.