"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Making Creek Sections for Briartun


I have some creek sections that I purchased years back from TCS in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The company is no longer in business and I needed more. So, I thought I would try making my own.

The first thing was to figure out how many and what length I needed. So I laid out what I had, on the table, and came up with two 4” long sections, about 2" wide. For material I used 3/32 thick bass wood. The current sections are about 3/32" thick so would match pretty well. 
I cut a piece of bass wood 4” long and 2” wide. Then I drew the width of the water area to match somewhat with the existing sections. I also drew irregular lines on the outside edges so that the sections would match what I have.

After cutting the outside edges I applied some lightweight spackling. (It’s easy to shape and dries overnight.) I also made sure that the grass area was irregular to give the section  some dimension. 

Once the material was dry I applied paint to the water area and then the grass area. I was trying to match the existing sections so I didn’t add anything that wasn’t too different.

If I was making brand new sections there would have been more room for creativity. Adding stones, plants, etc.

I took some photos to give you an idea of my process. The last photo shows all the creek sections laid out on my table. 








The Creek with added sections




Friday, February 23, 2018

Spring, Babbling & Hockey




We had a touch of spring in February this week. It has been great! I was able to get a start on my spring yard cleanup. Thank you Lord.

**********

Melanie Rigney provided the following quote on her Tuesday blog.

“The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries.” —St. Francis de Sales

She writes about Santa, praying and faith. Then I thought, do I babble?  I try not too and ask for His guidance in my journey. 

“Faith is easy when we’re getting the things on our want lists. Initially, it’s hard to surrender those lists and pray for acceptance, obedience, and surrender to what He knows is best for us. But ultimately, aren’t those prayers for acceptance, obedience, and surrender what Christianity is all about?”

**********
Mark Twain published “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” on February 18, 1885.

This Day in History provides the following synopsis of the novel.

“At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the book is its satirical look at racism, religion and other social attitudes of the time. While Jim is strong, brave, generous and wise, many of the white characters are portrayed as violent, stupid or simply selfish, and the naive Huck ends up questioning the hypocritical, unjust nature of society in general.”

********** 

“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”     Mark Twain

**********

The best hockey game of the Olympics. The USA Woman’s Team have made a statement.

Read the excellent article by Wayne Drehs at ESPN.

US Woman's Hockey - Gold Metal 2018 - APP Photo - Brendan Smialowski
**********

I’m fortunate because Dee always makes sure I have the right underwear in my drawer.


**********

I posted about my French cabin here. Just in case you missed it.

**********

Kelly Ray Burkham - “Telephone In Heaven.” A beautiful song.




Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Une Cabane Française (A French Cabin)


I completed the Russian log house that was mentioned in my February 6th blog. It will be used as a French log cabin. 

Standing outside are Armond Langevin and Antoine Fournier. 

The cabin is somewhere east of Fort Niagara, not too far south of Lake Ontario. It is well hidden in the woods near Little Hawk Creek.

They would use the cabin as a forward base, scouting English villages along the Mohawk Valley. After a couple of weeks the information gathered is used to establish the best places  for raiding. 



Armond and Antoine are Old Glory figures that I have written about before.

Friday, February 16, 2018

Coyote, Vera & Cursillo




Our son, Todd, is into the Konflikt ’47 miniatures. His daughter also enjoys the same miniatures and has a tendency to win more than loose. The photo below is one of Todd’s, Allied Coyote/Guardian Light Walkers. A different period from my French and Indian miniatures.


**********
He also painted some Heavy Infantry for his daughter. I’m sure she’ll create some issues for the Coyote Light Walker.


**********

The following poem, by Vera Mae Thomas, is from our friend Dennis. He gave one to each of our granddaughters.


**********

The Central Virginia Men’s Cursillo weekend is this week, 2-15 thru 2-18. We are blessed to have 14 candidates. Please pray for them as well as the team members.

********** 

I subscribe to Dynamic Catholic's Best Lent Ever series. Thursday's reflection was about being yourself.


"Love's in the little things. Love's doing something every day to demonstrate that we love. That we love the people in our lives, our family and friends. That we love the strangers who cross our path on any given day. That we love. That we've taken on board God's way of life, which is a way of love.”

Listen to the entire reflection here.

********** 

Tom, a member of our Cursillo group, brought in the book, “The Real Story,” by Edward Sri and Curtis Martin. It provides a synopsis of the Bible by providing a closer look at the main individuals and the events they took part in. I found it to be very interesting and it is worth reading.

One thing it brought out, that I have overlooked, is that we are all descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Japheth and Ham. If I were to complete one of those DNA searches, would it be possible for me to discover my connection to one of them?
Just asking.

**********

I posted about my Middle Earth dragon here. Just in case you missed him.

**********

Martina McBride - “God’s Will”




Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

A Dragon of Middle Earth




I purchased this dragon in 2000 at Historicon. Painting it took some time as I had other miniatures on the painting table. It was finally finished in July of 2008. The figure represents Scatha, the fire-dragon of the Grey Mountains. 

Mithril Miniatures is the manufacturer and they had a booth in the vendor area. I had been looking for a dragon and Scatha was on display. I liked the way it was sculpted. The scale, 32mm, was a good size, as it fit into my display cabinet.

The Tolkien Gateway website provided the following information on Scatha.

“Little is known of Scatha's life, except that he possessed a great hoard, stolen from the Dwarves. He was slain by Fram son of Frumgar in the early days of the Éothéod.
His recovered hoard was the subject of great dispute between the Men of the Éothéod and the Dwarves of that region, who claimed the hoard as their own. Fram rebuked their claim, and sent them the teeth of the dragon, with the words, "Jewels such as these you will not match in your treasuries, for they are hard to come by." It was rumored that for this insult the Dwarves killed him. 
It seems like Fram's people retained at least some of the hoard, and Eorl brought it south when they settled in Rohan. The Horn of the Mark that Éowyn gave to Merry Brandybuck after the War of the Ring many hundred of years later was said to come from Scatha's hoard.



Friday, February 9, 2018

Job, Adam and Spiders




Deacon Arthur’s Homily on Sunday centered on the reading of Job 7:1-4, 6-7. 
He talked about the problems that Job encountered after Satan’s discussion with God. How the story develops with Job suffering and wondering what he did to offend God. We all know that Job hasn't done anything wrong and in the end, He is blessed with more ...  

“Thus the LORD blessed the later days of Job more than his earlier ones. Now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-donkeys.” Job 42:12

Deacon Arthur also brought up the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” Actually, bad things can and do happen. But, God is not punishing us. He has given us the tools we need to live here on earth. All we have to do is follow Him.

“We know that all things work for good to those who love God; who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

**********

 The Amazing Stairwell Illusion




**********

I enjoyed Super Bowl Vll. It was an exciting game that had two teams playing their best. There was action throughout the game which definitely kept my attention. Yes, I was pulling for New England, but the Philadelphia Eagles earned the trophy.

********** 

There was a second exciting game this week. On Wednesday evening the Richmond Spiders faced the VCU Rams basketball game at home in the Robins Center. There is a strong rivalry between these teams. The Spiders won the first game which was at VCU, so the Richmond fans were there to support the team to get the 2nd win for the season. 
The Spiders came out strong in the first half but the Rams tied it up at 41 each. In the second half, the spiders took the lead but then the Rams jumped ahead 65-53. There was less than nine minutes left and it didn't look good for the Spiders. As the clock continued to run down, the Spiders started a rally that tied the game at 76-76. With only 31 seconds left the Spiders had a 2 shot opportunity from a foul and put one of those in, leading the game 77-76. They continued the pressure, took possession of the ball and won the game.



**********

The talented Secundus posted this drawing of French and Indian War militiaman. I’m looking forward to seeing his completed miniatures.  


**********

Just in case you missed them, my latest Briartun buildings are here

**********

Luke Bryan - “You Look Like Rain.”




Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

James Gist’s Farm House and Small Cabin


I completed the farm house and small cabin which is now James Gist’s home. The photo shows him and his dog, Sable, watching over a small herd of sheep.


The set is from Pegasus Hobbies. It is the "Russian Farm Houses," which I converted to Colonial farm houses for Briartun. They were a Christmas gift from our son Todd and his family.

The idea for the conversion is from Jay’s Wargaming Madness blog. His buildings are a little different from mine, and well done. Thank you Jay.

I also have the "Russian Log Houses" set, which are next on my “buildings list.”

James, Sage and the sheep are Hovel figures. Most of my Briartun “people” are Hovel Miniatures. They paint up nice and I like the way they fit with my other figures.



Friday, February 2, 2018

M.D., Prayer & Living Years




I went in for my annual physical last Friday and saw this while in the exam room.

"My Daddy"


"M.D.Whenever Daddy signs his name he always writes M.D.
So that people will all know that he belongs to me
For M.D. means "My Daddy" or something just the same
And that is why he always puts these letters in his name.
Some letters in his name are small but these are not, you see,
He always makes them big like that because he's so proud of me.”

- Unknown

********************

Lab results were available by Wednesday. I’m doing well, no issues. My doctor’s comments, “all good.”

********************

My pick for Super Bowl LII are the New England Patriots. On Monday, January 30, Sporting News

Point spread, Patriots -4 1/2; Total, 48 1/2. 

It would have been more exciting if the game was being played outside, but I watch it from the warmth of our friends home, Pam and Tony. 

The Fans
The Teams

********************

On Monday evenings I meet with my men’s Cursillo group. This week I brought in a copy of “Seeing and Hearing God” by Colleen O’Sullivan. The article was well received and provided a discussion on prayer and God. Afterward I got to thinking about the evening and decided I would follow up with an email to the group. This is what I wrote.

“Monday night’s discussion centered around praying and listening to God. (A copy of “Seeing And Hearing God” is attached.)

We discussed the places where we pray and how we are all similar yet different. 
There were descriptions about hallways, rooms and types of chairs. 
Prayers of silence and prayers of discussion. 
What our expectations were. 
Voices responding to us.
God whispers.
Silence, that isn’t necessarily the absence of sound.

At one point I talked about my place of prayer which is my hobby room. My description probably wasn’t quite as clear as it should have been. So, attached are two photos. The first one shows my computer desk because I do reading online and sit there almost every morning. (Remember that I’m a retired "IT Guy," so I use the Internet.) The second photo is my reading chair. It is here that I use my books and Mini-iPad. A different kind of praying. (Yes, the blanket is Notre Dame. It belonged to Dee's Uncle Tony. When he moved on to our Lord, his wife Mary gifted the blanket to me. An honor that I accepted and one which I will pass on to one of our sons.)

This is my prayer sanctuary, my Holy place. 

Dee and her Mom respect and accept my time with God. I wish I could say that this has always been, but it isn’t. However, it is now part of my daily life.
There are days when something interferes with my schedule. Sometimes I’m able to pick up later that morning or in the afternoon or evening. But not always. 
I know God understands and forgives.

Brother Paul”

Computer Desk & Chair

Reading Chair

********************



********************

In July of 2013 I wrote a blog about me and my Dad. It was prompted when I listened to the song, “The Living Years,” sung by Russ Lee. The original version was written by Mike and the Mechanics and you can watch the video below.

So why am I writing about this? Well, I was thinking about the song as I drove home from my workout Monday morning. I selected it from my music list and began to sing along with it. However, memories of my Dad started to surface and I found myself unable to continue. So I just listened. It was not a bad moment, just a remembrance of my Dad and me. A God whisper, letting me know that he still watches over me.

Dad, Kim, Me & Tee

********************

Mike & The Mechanics - “The Living Years.”





Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.