CHRISTMAS LETTER 2019

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a “Christmas Letter” with a whole family update so I thought I’d stay up tonight and get one written for 2019. If nobody reads it, at least I’ve recorded our family status for posterity.

Jessi (34) left her job at Cardinal Health and moved to Russellville, taking a job in account collections with Transco Lines, Inc. She bought the camper we lived in during our house remodel and is currently living in our driveway! She’s taking some time to figure out what she wants to do next, maybe grad school, maybe buy a house near by. In the mean time, we are enjoying having her around! Her dog, Moony, is happy as a clam down at the barn where he was born, with the other dogs and livestock.

Joshua (33) has an apartment in Conway but rarely spends the night there. He travels constantly doing non-destructive testing for Applied Inspection Systems. What this means is that he tests welds and metal integrity through radiography, sonography, and other methods. Most of this work is done in power plants. Joshua successfully passed is CWI course this year also and is now a Certified Welding Inspector. We don’t see him often enough, but he stops by every once in a while and we mange to catch lunch with him in Conway on occasion.

Katie (28) lives in North Little Rock and got her own apartment for the first time last February. She has a terrific job that she loves at Sowell Management, an investment management company. She is excelling there and since being with Sowell she has become interested in going back to school for accounting. She is active in her church and volunteering in the Little Rock area. About once a month, she and her dog Ladybug come spend the weekend with us.

ClaireAnna (18) graduated from High School last May and started classes at Arkansas TECH University in August. She was awarded an ATU academic scholarship as well as the AR state lottery scholarship and a scholarship from Ted’s company! We told her to take it easy at school just so long as she keeps her scholarships but she finished her first semester with a 4.0! She is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish. She works in the ATU library about 15 hours/ week for spending cash. ClaireAnna is no longer in 4H or showing animals and it was very strange for Ted and I to not step even a foot on the county fair grounds this year! My, how life changes! She has taken up Karate, though, and goes to class twice a week. She sings on the worship team at church, volunteers with various organizations, was a camp counselor at Camp Caudle again this year, and went to Bogota, Columbia for the second time this summer with our church doing street evangelism.

One of the most exciting changes in our family this year has been the addition of our bonus daughter, Sydni! What a surprise and a blessing she has been to us! She is 18, graduated high school in May with ClaireAnna, and started ATU in August majoring in Emergency Management with a minor in Spanish. Sydni was valedictorian of her HS class, is also on scholarships at ATU, and finished her first university semester with a 4.0! If that weren’t enough to be proud of, she became a black belt in Karate this year, having been studying at the same Dojo since she was 10 years old! Sydni also works at the ATU library as well as at her Karate Dojo. Both Syndi and ClaireAnna are living at home during college to save money for travel and missions trips during the summers.

Ted and I are doing well. We celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary this year and are grateful to God for each other and our marriage. We hope and pray for 35 more! It’s hard for us to believe that Ted has completed sixteen years as shipping manager with his company, which is now called Amcor. (The 4^th name change since he’s been there!) We are getting close to the number of years he worked for Pfanstiehl! I have started working again, as a substitute teacher, and I really love it! It’s flexible so I pick and choose the jobs I want to accept and the days I want to work. I’m trying to work 3 days a week to help pay for my new Tacoma!

We have slowed way down on the farm over the last 2 years since ClaireAnna is occupied with other things now, and have sold nearly all the sheep and goats and cut back on cattle numbers. We now raise purebred Dexter cattle, which are miniature cattle and very easy to handle and work with. We like them very much! We sell pasture raised, hormone and antibiotic free whole or half steers and also beef by the package out of our freezer, USDA inspected. We do expect a few goat kids this spring which will be fun.

We are really loving life in our remodeled home. It’s just a lovely space now that it’s finished. Thank God that’s over! (Actually, we are still waiting on sidewalks, a deck, and a driveway gate!) We are active in our church as always, doing weekly nursery duty where all of the babies love Ted more than me as always (It’s true!). I enjoy attending our women’s Bible study with Jessi, and Ted leads the deacon team. We’ve had no major health issues this year, but many minor ones. Ted ruptured the tendons on his right pointer finger and it looks like that will be something that bothers him for the foreseeable future. There have been a few kidney stones and sore backs and joints, but all in all, we are doing great!

God has blessed our family in so many ways, but none compare to the blessing of being adopted into his family by the redeeming blood of Christ! We wish this same blessing to all who read this letter. Merry, Merry Christmas! 

Sonnet 82

by Lisa Marie Harmon

His eyes are gentle, glancing toward her face: 

Abashed to hold her gaze, they are not bold. 

His confidence slips in and out of Grace: 

Yet within the man, a will that keeps it's hold.

His words, like honey, stick, struggle to flow.

The sweetest of them, only God has heard. 

His heart knows secrets her heart needs to know. 

He prays there really is a little bird. 

For lack of words he offers up his form.

In sacrifice, a Greater Love has he. 

Each limb and muscle pressed against the storm; 

No harbor safer than his arms could be. 

The white winged Dove does whisper in her ears; 

All to the man she gives, joys, tears, and years. 

Sniper

by Lisa Marie Harmon

He leaps and bounds, and spins around, 

A giddy grin has he. 

When ere I open full his gate, 

His heart is filled with glee. 

He doesn't spy a cat to fright

Or hunt for morsels free, 

But sits, instead, square at my feet

And waits obediently.

For the fulfillment of his need, 

His fervent reverie,

A hug, a rub, and yes, a kiss, 

Then by my side, to be. 

For if a dog finds joy in life, 

It certainly is he. 

But the object of his overt love

Is absolutely me. 

Those eyes that shine aim deep in mine; 

He knows not what I see.

That I'm the one to receive from

A heart as true as he. 

Doggie Daycare

By Lisa Marie Harmon

Doggie day care, what is that?
My dog is simply not a cat.
He doesn't like it when I leave.
I hope he's good but I'm naive.
If left alone to his device,
I'll be the one to pay the price.
Plus I don't want him to be sad;
Doggie pals might make him glad!
And so, today, I dropped him here;
I must admit I shed a tear.
He's not my kid, I know that fact,
But like my kid is how I act.
And after work I'll pick him up,
And hug and kiss that silly pup.
Doggie daycare, what is that?
It's where my puppy kid is at!

Farm Cat

Farm Cat

By Lisa Marie Harmon

Where’re you going, Jackson?

With a mighty leap, to the top of your lookout post, statuesque and proud, you survey every barnyard happening

Where’re you going Jackson?

To the top of my shoulders, to purr and nudge and insist I caress your glorious, silky coat of tabby stripes, and hypnotize me with piercing yellow-green eyes

Where’re you going Jackson?

On a family hike through the woods, to the pond, with kids and dogs, you and sister, June, both meowing so loud, “Wait for us!” when we get too far ahead

Where’re you going, Jackson?

Into the hay barn where it’s quiet and warm to take your nap in the middle of a summer’s day

Where’re you going, Jackson?

On a rodent hunt in the feed room at dusk and then maybe to get a drink from the goat pen water trough, or chase a cricket through the tall yellow grass

Where’re you going, Jackson?

Down the dusty farm road to greet ClaireAnna as she walks to the barnyard to do her chores, then roll onto your back at her feet so she has to pick you up and carry you back to the barn

What’s the matter, Jackson?

Just days ago, the picture of health, now your coat is dull and those piercing eyes are pleading and the doctor says there is no hope

Where’re you going, Jackson?

As my hand is closed around the handle of a small, empty crate and the doctor hands me the towel you were wrapped in when they carried you away

Where’re you going, Jackson?

Where Junie can’t find you and we can’t see you anymore or hear your thunderous purrs or feel your glorious, silky, beautiful, tabby-striped coat or marvel at what a wonderful farm cat you are

On Harding Road

By Lisa Marie Harmon

In a tiny house, on Harding Road

as breezes through the oak leaves flowed

in a quiet midwest lakeside town,

kindly neighbors all around,

a mother in a kitchen stood,

a sister asking if she could

watch one more show or maybe two

Dora, Barney, Scooby Do?

Warm beams of light on golden floor

where ninja turtles fight a war

A sleeping dog lies near the chair

A loyal guard, her name is Bear

Dad’s out hosing down the walk

washing away the sisters’ chalk

A little boy hears such a noise

he quickly drops his favorite toys

and runs to flatten down his nose

and stand on tippy tippy toes

He’s looking out the window pane

the view outside hard to attain

because he is so very small,

just four years old, and not so tall

And then he sees, to his delight

just two doors down, a wondrous sight

The biggest truck on God’s green Earth

spinning round for all it’s worth

And men in working boots with spades

setting up the barricades

On Harding Road in the summer sun

some manly work is getting done

Now running fast down front porch stair

the boy has grabbed his favorite chair

He can’t believe his lucky day

A concrete truck just steps away!

He places close his little seat,

Sits right down and plants his feet

And happily he spends the hours

watching men with manly powers

pushing buttons, pulling levers

letting flow the concrete rivers

Filling frames and floating flat
the liquid rock from the rolling vat

And as he watched, the little boy

thought "One day I won’t play with toys."

At least not Ninja turtle kind

Imaginations filled his mind

And he was big and all grown up

And driving his own concrete truck

Too soon the sun began to set

Don’t touch the sidewalk, it’s still wet

The work is done, the truck is gone,

and Josh, the boy, is walking home

His tiny chair, he puts away

He calls for Bear to come and play

Soon dinner time and then goodnight

His mother tucks him in just right

In a tiny house, on Harding Street

a special day is now complete

Valentine

By Lisa Marie Harmon

This is a Happy Valentine

to all the children that are mine

To say you’re children is a lie

but mine you are, I won’t deny

The first, beloved daughter, Jes

A love unknown, I now posses

Then Josh, the one and only boy

My sympathies he can employ

Dear Kate, so sweet and very kind

does play a favorite in my mind

Then came a final, precious jewel

In all our hearts, ClaireAnna rules

A mother blessed beyond deserve

My joy expressed, I won’t reserve

I love you all more than my breath

I’ll love you true till my own death

Till Death

Till Death

By Lisa Marie Harmon

It’s said a man will leave his home and cleave to his new wife,

And she and he will then be We as long as both have life.

But promised not, is any pair, full freedom from contention.

In love and life there is more strife then passion dares to mention.

And just because they now are one in flesh and life and purpose,

It would be foolish to pretend that conflict will not surface.

And when it does, the two are shocked and saddened to discover,

That pride and sin and discontent are certain to uncover.

They must, instead of giving up, a war against these wage.

Hold not a grip on bitterness; turn every damaged page.

Remember well that love is not based on the way you feel.

But rather it’s a gift you give with purpose strong as steel.

It doesn’t come; it doesn’t go. True love is not unfaithful.

It holds no record, casts no blame; it’s patient and it’s graceful.

So when you take that sacred vow, and make it from the heart,

You Stay, you Keep, you Persevere, till death, you do not part.

Questions

This one just came flying out of me this morning.  I had no choice but to write it.  I LOVE it. 

Questions

By Lisa Marie Harmon


Does distance-perfect golden sun emit sustaining light?

Does lightning bright with thunder boom a wondrous show ignite?


Do ranges surge forth from the earth? Do Tetons pierce the sky?

Do canyons grand and river’s rage a shocking view supply?


Do far beneath the crusted firm the molten mantles stream?

Do crystal pools of azure blue in mountain valleys gleam?


Is winter cold in farthest north white deep in glacial snow?

Is spring with cherry blossoms pink a certainly to show?


Do creatures strange of deep abyss in lightless pressure thrive?

Do killers breach and dolphins leap? Do seabirds hunting, dive?


Do eagles glide on currents high in swift and glorious soar?

Do redwoods live a thousand years to harbor forest floor?


Does single cell to infant form in less than forty weeks?

Does newborn’s wisdom urge him just and mother’s breast he seeks?


Did all of universal realm, in random chaos form,

Or God but whisper His command and all that is was born?

Daughter

Haiku about a certain girl I know with curly hair. (Love you!)

Seeking direction
Willful, striving, divergent
The hair and the girl

Love Song

By Lisa Marie Harmon

I wish that I could write a song

An opus just for thee

Love manifest in measured verse

My desperate rhapsody

A major hymn with lyrics strong

On notes that rise and fall

That voice my tender passions
For my One, my Love, my All

But when I put my pen to leaf

A rest is all I see

Love’s lexicon fails to supply

A single line for me

The longest words are less than small

Impotent to impart

The essence of my love for you

Your lock upon my heart

And for the pitch, what intervals?

What rhythm in what time?

Fast like the beating of my heart?

Slow like your breath with mine?

No chords could possibly progress

With sound to justify

No harmony, no melody

That wouldn't’ be a lie

I know I’ll never write the song

There’s nothing on the page

My song of love for you, my love

Is silent for the age

A song’s but whispers in a life

A life can louder sing

For all my days, to you, my love,

My life, my song will bring

I Like You the Way That You Came

I wrote this poem awhile ago after looking through a fashion magazine and thinking about all the ways people in our modern times try to change themselves physically.  With plastic surgery, steroid enhanced body building, excessive tattoos, multitudes of piercings and gauges, body changing implants, exorbitance of fashion and/or jewelry and metamorphosing make-up, we can literally become unrecognizable as ourselves. Sure, we all want to express our individuality and creativity and often we humans do that through our physical appearance. But I also think that a lot of people are so deeply unhappy with who they really are or so petrified of not being accepted by others that they go to spirit crushing lengths to become someone they were never intended to be.  And I just wanted to say to those people.....Every single one of you was created in the image of God. You are endowed according to His Will and Wisdom with totally unique and intrinsic value and natural beauty. Nothing could be more perfect than that. He loves you beyond measure just exactly as you are. You are already different from every single other human being.  You are already special, amazing and precious. Nothing you do to your physical self can make you more valued, important or loved. 

I Like You the Way That You Came
By Lisa Marie Harmon

Your long hair is lily hot flame. 

Your tresses are blacker than night. 

Your curls sing canary gold fun.   

Your braids are mahogany light. 

 

Your smooth skin is cocoa dark brown. 

You shimmer an effloresce white. 

Your tan skin glows beachy sun gold. 

But your skin is red like a fight. 

 

Your eyes are a Bonnie bell blue. 

Your eyes melt a chocolate sea. 

You've got eyes of spruce hazel true. 

Your eyes can look straight into me.  

 

Your soft body rolls like the surf. 

Your body is spindles of thin. 

You'r tall and you're mountainly stout.. 

Your strong body races to win.  

Your shoulders are broad and they're square. 

But you have the smallest of mass.  

And you have a button small nose.  
You’re kind hands are wispy like grass.  

Your square face is solemn and stern. 

And your face is quiet with pride.  

You favor a whimsical grin. 
And your face shows happiness wide. 

No two can be one in reflection. 
Each one wears a crown of his own. 
Brilliantly made with intention.
Not chance like two dice that are thrown.  

  

So how are your stars all aligned?   

And what dispensation is true? 

What way are your textures combined? 

Just who is the authentic you?  

Some people don’t like their own book

As it was designed and imprinted.

They just can’t accept how they look

In the form that they were minted.

Each one of us changes with time.

In ways we both shrink and we grow.

But don’t change your natural rhyme

Into somebody nobody knows.

I like you the way that you came. 

Your features combine to a T.

You are the most perfect you.

And that you is just fine with me.

Upon the Pillow, Soft

By Lisa Marie Harmon

When to the darkness of the night she finds herself resigned,

It’s time to rest and let the Lord renew her tired mind.

And so she lays her weary head upon the pillow, soft.

The worries of her day, in prayer, she sweetly sends aloft.

Tomorrow is another day with troubles in reserve.

Tonight she feels the Peace she knows she doesn't dare deserve.

This Peace, it comes from just one source, 
the Name Above All Names.

It washes all her sins away and swallows all her shames.

It fills her thoughts with gratitude; it fills her soul with joy,

A happiness no truth can shake, no circumstance destroy.

Her life has not been easy; she has known her share of pain.

But every night, this Peace, it comes, and in her heart it reigns.

The pillow’s feeling softer now; the comforter is warm.

Her eyes are growing heavier; her dreams are taking form.

But just before she falls asleep, a smile crosses her face.

For she’s received the Promise of His never ending Grace.

And In His Grace she knows she will find all the Strength she must,

To rise upon the morrow and that day, to Him, she’ll trust.

Today, On The Farm

Lot's of things going on this weekend at Harmon PFarms......

My reluctant farmer held off till the last
minute but did make it out by 9:00 this morning
to start our long day of farm work.  Aww.  Poor baby.  
A real farmer would have been out there by dawn....Just sayin'. 

First, We checked on the new chicks in the nursery.  There is a whole new set of meat chickens waiting their turn in the pasture pen. We've also got some laying hen chicks and 6 turkeys.  

Poultry Nursery

ClaireAnna with a young turkey. 

23 Cornish Rock meat chicks, several buff Orpingtons and some barred Rocks. 

Young Turkey's

Then we fed the always voraciously hungry meat chickens in the pasture pen. They are doing great and will be ready to butcher in a couple of weeks.

The pasture chickens.  Getting big!  

We spent most of our day out in the horse pasture, moving, piling and burning logs and debris from several fallen trees that has accumulated over the last couple of years.  We've still got one big section to do, but were very happy to get a lot accomplished and leave the pasture looking good!  The horses were so curious and hung around us all day, sticking their noses in the truck and piles of wood.  Weirdos.   (Should have gotten a photo of that.) 

This pile is all that's left of one of our favorite giant oaks.
 It fell during a big storm a couple of years ago.
The loss of it changed the entire look of the horse pasture. 

Before the fall.  This favorite tree will be missed! 

When we finally pooped out in the horse pasture for the day, Ted set an entire cow pasture on fire, burning off the remains of several round bales from winter hay feeding.  Men love to do this.  I stayed in the air conditioned truck.  

So while we were picking up branches from a woodpile, Claire and I came upon two baby snakes.  One was a green garter snake.  The other a black rat snake. Ted caught them both with his bare hands while Claire and I picked out jaws up off the ground. (Okay, he was wearing gloves, but when it comes to picking up snakes, that's the same as bare hands.)  Considering Ted is petrified of snakes, we were both shocked. Way to go, honey!   This is the baby garter snake.  

ClaireAnna picked up a log and noticed the earth beneath heaving slightly up and down.  

The center part of this divot was rising and falling in a very odd way.  

With a little scraping of the area with a stick, she unearthed this guy, still enjoying his hibernation.  Sorry, toad.  It's time to get up! 

Sleepy Toad

And the icing on the cake of creatures unearthed in the brush pile.....A huge tarantula!  Ted actually picked this thing up too, but he dropped it before I could capture it on film.  You'll just have to trust me.  He was having a particularly fearless day! 

We spent a little time today, caring for Ruby and Bell, who are getting some training time tied in the milk barn shed.  This is in preparation for the county fair.  Claire will be taking them both.  

Ted is moving out some manure as the cows adjust to being tied.
The dogs are trying to lend an air of calm to the situation.  

For some reason, Elsa likes to interact with the cows and had
just finished nuzzling their faces before she lied down here.
They seem to like her too.
Joey just wanted to be in the photo!  

Belle, the Jersey dairy heifer, is used to being
 haltered and is taking to standing tied very well.  

She loves her scratches and cuddles from CliareAnna. 

Ruby, the Angus cross commercial heifer, was just haltered
yesterday for the first time and is not happy about it! 

"Get this thing off of me!  Let me go!" 

She's Not Going to Fall for That!

One of the many great things about homeschooling is the opportunity to teach your kids the subjects you feel are important.  ClaireAnna and I just finished this text on argument.  She is now very capable of identifying twenty-eight different fallacies and understanding how they invalidate an argument.  She's learned how to recognize these fallacies in our culture, discussions and media and she's not going to fall for them! This is a great study of informal logic that sets the stage for learning more advanced deductive reasoning skills. We enjoyed it and learned a lot! 

Microwave Chocolate Cake For Two (Or One!)

There are two versions of this cake.  Both are delicious and nutritious, grain free and therefore gluten free, and refined sugar free.  One is sweetened with coconut sugar and raw honey and is a perfect treat for kids that you will not feel bad about giving them.  (I'd even let Claire eat this for breakfast since it is more nutritious and has less sugar than a bowl of cereal and is definitely healthier than waffles or pancakes!) The second version uses Truvia for a truly low carb, low glycemic cake that will satisfy ANY sweet craving you may have!  Every single ingredient in this cake has some nutritional value and on the whole, it is actually GOOD for you! Honest! We LOVE this cake!!

1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce, optional
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, or any unsweetened nut butter
1/2 tablespoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon almond milk, coconut milk, milk, half and half or even sour cream
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, melted but not hot
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Optional add ins:
1 tablespoon unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon chopped pecans or walnuts, or any other nuts
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips

1. Beat egg in a small, microwave safe bowl (I use a 3 cup Pyrex glass bowl) or large mug. 

2. Add all other ingredients except nuts, coconut and chocolate chips if you are using them, and whisk till smooth.  Stir in your choice of optional ingredients. 

3. Microwave for 1 minute, 40 seconds.  If the bottom is still very moist, then microwave 10 more seconds. 

4. Turn out onto a plate or eat from the bowl.  The cake will come out easily.  

Notes:

In order to make this a low glycemic, low carb cake, omit the coconut sugar and honey and use 1 tablespoon of Truvia instead.  You will barely notice the difference.  It is delicious! 

The apple sauce is also optional.  It moistens the cake a bit, but the recipe works well without it too.  You can add a little extra milk to make up the difference in liquid ingredients. 

You can make up baggies of the dry ingredients and store them in the freezer.  When it comes time to make your cake, you'll have half the measuring already done!

This recipe is plenty for two people, but I'm not saying I never eat the whole thing myself!