Christmas Greetings

At this time of year, we send our greetings to all of special friends and family. We have had a full year. Steve retired from teaching in June,but He never really sits down and relaxes. He loves all of the projects on the farm that continue to keep him busy. Pam stays busy with farm field trips and working with Steve at Summer Camp. We enjoyed a very successful Apple picking and Pumpkin patch season. She continues caring for Emily and Helen and has recently been hired by JC Penney's
Ashley continues her creative role as a photographer,web designer and specialist at The Apple Store. She enjoys crafting and her dog Casey is her best friend. We see her often and love to share all of her special moments.
Nick has been busy this year too. His research has taken him to St.Johns, and Taiwan. He taught a Biology lab and worked as a T.A. this semester at CSUN. He is completing his Thesis and plans to graduate with his Masters in Spring 2010.M He is currently making plans for a PhD program. He should know where he is going by the time he graduates.
We pray that this season is filled with God's richest blessings. Have the Merriest Christmas....

Fall is here

We love the changes in the seasons. The weather is cooling off, the leaves are changing colors and falling. We had over 1500 pumpkin pickers this season and I think we'll have to plant more next year. I have enjoyed spending time with Emily, I spend 3 days a week as her caregiver and I feel so blessed to take care of her. Steve is enjoying his retirement, even though He has worked alot of hours for the District and get's requests from teachers to come in and "sub" for them.
We have become a part of a great home group with friends from Reality Ventura, each Wednesday evening we spend time in God's word and sharing. It has really been a blessing to both of us. This time of year is one of our favorite, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll keep you posted...

It's going to be a Great Summer!

Summer is almost here and we are getting ready for you here on The Farm. Pick your date , fill out the application , mail it in and we'll plug you in. Below are the weeks that are still open and the available spaces in each week:

July 6-10- 11 openings
July 13-17- 18 openings
July 20-24- 18 openings
July 27-31- 15 openings
August 10-14- 20 openings

An Ageless Friendship

My friend Helen and I have been friends for over 25 yrs. She was 45 yrs old when I was born, but we are the best of friends. The two of us can talk about anything and she teaches me daily about living life to the fullest. She retired from teaching 1st grade for Santa Paula Elementary 33 yrs ago and Steve was hired to take her classroom. She will tell you, He took her classroom but didn't take her place. She is a spitfire and her life history is truely amazing. She was born at home in Ada Oklahoma on the family farm. Her father was a farmer and her mother took care of the home and family. She was one of 3 girls to go to Teacher School and got her first teaching job in a one room school house. She and her husband Orville made their way to California in the 1930's. He was an accountant and they had a sweet love affiar that lasted over 65 yrs. Steve and I were with her the night before he died. She has one child, Tom and He and I share in taking care of her. We go to appointments, eat lunch out and bargain shop. I count her as one of my dearest friends...

How does your garden grow?

We revamped our garden in January and Steve built new raised raised, put wire in the bottom of each one. Then we filled them with dirt,horse manure and composting. Time to plant in April. We have tomatoes,cantaloupe,watermelon,lettuce, and Pole beans. The weather has been perfect for the young plants and it seems like they just grow right before your eyes.
We added dirt and mushroom compost to the area where we will plant our Rose Garden. We have designed a plan and the next step will be to transplant the roses we have in the back and add the new roses we have purchased. We are very excited to get started. We both love to garden and it truly is a joint effort. We plan on planting corn,pumpkins and a Sunflower forest before the end of June...

Visiting with Nick using Skype

Nick is 4000 miles away in Moorea, but we are able to visit on the computer. It is really amazing..... There is a 3 hour time difference so we usually talk to him when He is in the lab and before dinner. The weather is beautiful right now and his project is going well. He brought another piece of equipment that helps him record over 300 measurements per day. He then goes back to the lab to record the data . All of the guys on the team are having a facial hair contest. I think Nick looks like "Wolverine", They're having fun with it. Nick is learning more french and we constantly remind hm of how blessed he is to have this opportunity.

Ashley is right at home with Apple

Ashley joined the Apple team in Santa Barbara and couldn't be happier. When she talks about her job, the enthusiasm swells up in her voice and we love hearing every detail. She has met some new friends and the "Apple" company is a perfect fit for her. She will work everyday next week. We are so thrilled for her can't wait for the new store to open.

Our Marine Biologist is in Moorea

Nick has been in Moorea a week and we have had a chance to Skype and see him via video chat. He has shown us the area where the Lab is and WOW, is it beautiful. He told us that only the professor's are allowed inside the library where the wifi is but, He sits outside and He is able to get on the internet via wireless. The flight is about 9 hours and he had extra luggage to take for the crew. He is using a new piece of equipment that alows him to study the effects of light on coral. He is passionate about his work and is committed to bringing awareness of the effects of climate change. He will be in Moorea for 6 weeks, return home for 1 week and help us celebrate Nana's 75th birthday then off to Taiwan for 9 weeks. He says that the fieldwork is one of his favorite parts of his research, when He returns to the states ,He'll be in the lab processing the data. We're so proud of him and love hearing about his adventures.

Ashley joins "Apple"

Ashley has been offered a job with Apple .Yeah! She will be a "Specialist" for them and we are all so excited for her. She has long been a fan of Apple and all of their products and so its fitting that She work for them. She will work in Santa Barbara and her training begins in a couple of weeks. She has a cute apartment near Cottage Hospital and a darling roommate ,Helen. They share their home with 3 cats and Casey,Ash's Dalmation. She continues to amaze us with her artistic talents and technology expertise. If something can be created on an Apple, She wants to experience it.
She has had time this past month to work along side "Nana". They have cleaned,packed and moved Papa and Nana from The Ranch to Say Road. Both She and Nana have said they're so thankful for this precious time together. Their project should be finished right around the time her new job starts, Is'nt God's timing perfect?
She and Helen visit the Farm as often as possible and we get the best photos from them, love having photographers in the family....
So, we "Celebrate Ashley" on beginning a new adventure with Apple!

Nick goes to Washington DC

Nick is in Dc to receive a grant for research in Taiwan this summer. He is being honored by the National Science Foundation for his work on "The bleaching of coral reefs by the UV rays of the sun"(that is Mom's interpretation of the scientific description) He called last night and said He has met other Grad students from numerous Universities that are also receiving Grants to do research in China, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. His project will take him to Taiwan in June and July and He will be part of a team of about 20 scientists. He has really found his passion and seems to excel in studying the ocean. Who would have thought all those trips to the ocean as a little boy would have prepared him for this adventure?
He flies home tonight and we will meet up with him tomorrow to get all of the details of this trip before He leaves on Friday for Morea(Tahiti). He will return to the reseach station there to join his team and continue his research . This trip will last 6 weeks and the weather there should be beautiful. He has become the seasoned traveler and makes all of his own travel arrangements.
Needless to say" We're so proud of him"

We love Kids

Springtime here means babies.... Here are some pictures of some of our newest " kids" As of today we have 6 Mama Goats and 8 Goat kids, we are bottle feeding one set of twins because their Mama doesn't have enough milk. We also have 2 sets of lamb twins and about a dozen baby chicks. We get so excited about each birth!

Delta Tau Omega Alumni visit in Malibu

Today, Ashley and I traveled to Pepperdine for an Alumni luncheon and Songfest. We had a great day! One of my Delta sisters, Liz Leahy worked with Tara Lawrence in the Alumni office to include a group of fellow Delta's in the Alumni luncheon and Songfest. We had a beautiful meal in the Art Museum next to Smothers Theater. We then were given tickets to Songfest, a long standing student production. The first year was 1973 and Steve was the first Host with his friend Marti Hathaway-O'Rear. I had the priveledge of serving as Host in 1979. We had great seats and loved the entire 2 1/2 hour performance. The music and dancing were so great! One of the long standing traditions is to invite any and all alumni on stage at the end of the show to sing " Let there be peace on earth" It was so great to be back on campus and re knew old friendships.

Spring is almost here

We love springtime on the farm! The calendar says that March 20th(Pam's Birthday) is the first day of Spring, in fact when Pam was born, the woman in the room with her Mother said," If I had a baby girl born on the first day of Spring ,I would name her Spring Flowers", So glad Pamela Jo won out! The weather is cool in the morning and evening but so pretty during the day and everything is so green, and of course lots of babies re being born here. Right now we have 4 lambs , 6 goat kids and a couple of dozen baby chicks, It is so fun to have all of the babies...... Friday was our first field trip visit by a kindergarten class from St. John's Luthern School. Next week we will have 3 schools here and each week after we have groups coming to visit.
We plan on getting our kitchen garden planted and then we will transplant our roses and create a beautiful rose garden. The trees are beginning to blossom and flowers are blooming every day.
Spring is really about new beginnings.....

The week before surgery

Steve's surgery is scheduled for Monday, March 16th at 7:30 am. Dr. Cory Albertstone is the Neurosurgeon and the surgery will take place at St. Johns in Oxnard. He will spend the night in the hospital and will come home on St.Patricks Day. The hard part will be keeping him down for 6 weeks. He has really struggled with lots of pain for a month now, so it will be a relief to have him comfortable again and off of all the pain meds. We're asking for your prayers for the hands of the surgeon and for a speedy recovery.

Planting Apple Trees

This is the time of year that the Farmer plants bare root. Well, our apple orchard got 7 new Anna apple trees. These apples are from Israel and are green with a pink blush. Picking season is in June and July and our claim to fame is that we won a blue ribbon for these apples at the Ventura County Fair. Steve spent part of December and January pruning the entire orchard. The Anna's have blossoms and we're afraid that a cold snap with make them bare again. The next variety to be planted is Fuji. To finish the orchard, as well as fill in the naked spots where trees have been eaten by gophers, we'll need to plant 18 Fuji's. We love our Orchard and loved sharing it last picking season with hundreds of school children. We're praying for another successful harvest.

The MRI results are in

Well, We got the news we have been waiting for. The Dr. read the MRI notes and confirmed that Steve has a herniated disc in his lower back, He is requesting an immediate appointment with a Neurosurgeon. He said that the injury is so severe that surgery is the only option. We will probably be in the Doctor's office some time next and we will find out about surgery . Needless to say, Steve is disappointed and not looking forward to surgery and the recovery time.Pray for him as we go through this process and wait for the healing to begin.....

Update on Steve's injury

It's Thursday, and it's amazing what a few days of medication and rest can do. We returned from an appointment with the Doctor for a followup checkup. Steve's back is sore and He has numbness in his upper thigh, but feels so much better. The Doctor is ordering an MRI and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, The common thought with the ER Doctor and our family doctor is that this is a Herniated Disc injury. The Siatica Nerve is pinched and the Muscle Spasism is a result of the nerves being pinched. He is off of the Oxycodone and is taking 800mg Motrin in stead, He will continue taking the percocet and predisone. He is still not released to go back to work, but He has a long weekend anyway, so that will give his back more time to rest. He's really hoping that He doesn't have a serious injury and if He does, it can been healed with exercise and physical therapy. We'll know more after he has the MRI and meets with an orthopedic guy. Thanks for your prayers...

My weekend warrior is wounded

Well, Give Steve an extra day off and He will plug in as many projects as the daylight will allow.After completing the pruning on our Apple orchard, painting Ashley's bedroom, reinforcing the animal pens and doing his weekend yard work here and for his parents, We ended up at the doctor's office. He was in such pain this morning that He couldn't stand ,sit or lay down without feeling sharp pain in his back all down his leg. We got in to see the our doctor and Steve had to lay over the exam table,stomach down. The doctor came in and said this pain was caused by muscle spasims and gave him a shot of Torval, He prescribed Oxycotton and Percocet , No work for the next 3 days. Boy, this is one way to get him to relax. Pray that He will rest and let his body heal....

Proud of our Neighbors Thomas Aquinas College

Just a short quarter mile from our home is Thomas Aquinas College, a small Catholic School. For the past 10 years they have been building this amazing "Chapel", We say it's a Cathedral! Check out the website and take a virtual tour. They are slated to dedicate it in March and Steve and I plan on going. We take drives through the campus to watch the progress on the construction and we are amazed at the beauty of this facility. It reminds us of some of the cathedrals we saw in Italy.
It is so neat to have this beautiful group of buildings right in our backyard......

A beautiful farewell for "Mac"

Today, Mac has turned a corner. When I arrived at 10:00 a.m.,Flavia, the full time caregiver met me at the door to tell me that this morning things became different. She ate very little of her breakfast and is struggling more with her breathing. The hospice nurse,Teresa came and evaluated her overall appearance. She started her on morphine, she began to relax and slept most of the day. She has told me that she has seen her dad waiting for her and she is tired. I feel so blessed to care for her,she is such a gentle kind soul, To witness the journey a person takes as they leave this life is beautiful, I felt the same way with my Mom. What an honor to be there in the final days. My prayer is for God to wrap his loving arms around Mac and carry her into heaven......

January Showers in Sunny California

We love the rain... Last night we heard the rain on our deck. We got so excited to see the raindrops coming down and making puddles . Then in the middle of the night it began to rain harder,You know we just don't get enough rain here so this rain is so welcomed. The weather is still warm(about 65) so this will be good for the plants and trees. Don't believe em' when they say "It never rains in California".....

Papa is taking Baby Steps

Today, Papa walked a short distance from his room with the help of his Physical Therapist. On January 15th he went in for a total hip replacement on his left hip. He is dealing with the pain very well and is eager to work with Physical Therapy so He can get full movement again. Please pray for a full recovery and that Genelle will get some rest.

Heirlooms

I feel my role as a caregiver is to take care of a family's heirlooms. Since I began this new journey I have met the most amazing people. First there is Phyllis and Robert. She was married to his brother and now they are both widowed so they take care of each other. He loves roses and email and she likes to take care of Robert. Then I met Dot, a precious christian woman who had just returned home after having a knee replacement, We spent long afternoons talking about her years as a young woman who attended Biola College. She met her husband at Youth for Christ, They didn't have a car when they got married so they rode a bus to Big Bear Lake for their honeymoon, She emails me and keeps me up to date on the goings on at her Senior Living Facility. Next I wrote out Christmas Cards with Bob, a retired Pastor who is stuggling with Parkinson Disease and Dementia. A gentle soul with such a compassionate heart, His wife Donna is a pre-school teacher and the love of his life. Then there is Jacqueline, 94 and a classical ballerina from the 20's. She grew up playing with the Kennedy's in Mass. She reminds me of the actress that played Rose at the end of the movie Titanic. She wears her pearls everyday and loves to have a manicure and listen to classical music.A real beauty. Another woman,Jean lives in a beach house she has owned for 50 years on Faria Beach. She is a retired High School teacher and loves to watch Little House on the Prairie and drink green tea, She has beautiful white hair and is very soft spoken. I spend 48 hours with "Mac" she is 84 and has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer. She and I share the love of beautiful china,drinking tea and talking about our Scottish heritage. She lives in Camarillo and is the most organized person I have ever met, She is teaching me how to have a farewell party and enjoy each day. She taught me how to bake shortbread cookies and I make her homemade ice cream I count her as one of the most inspiring.
If you knew you were at the end of your life, how would act? All of these people have lived their lives with No regrets and have such peace. I am so blessed to have been trusted with these family heirlooms

January is Birthday Month for Nick

January 23rd our Nicholas Blake turns 24! Anyone that has been to our house during birthday months, knows we set up a Birthday Display for the Honoree. Here is Nick with Baby Lillie Sage, Big boy Hunter Hall ,Christmas Day with the Farm Fam and his Birthday Shrine here at home. So Happy Birthday to you, our favorite boy, Nick!

A Month of Memories

We decked the halls, baked the cookies,hung the lights,shopped for bargains then hit the floor running. We spent special times with our extended family, The Starr's,celebrated Christmas Day with The Colvard's and ended the month with all of The Wallace Clan. The holidays were complete with a weekend stay from our dear friends, the Varela's including their beautiful girls Angie and Allie. Nick and Ashley were home and it was a reunion 10 years in the making.
Ashley's roommate,Helen join our family for Christmas, what a blessing.
We had such good times with everyone and loved spending time with some of people that mean so much to us.