Selah may indicate a break in the song whose purpose is similar to that of amen (Hebrew: “so be it”) in that it stresses the truth and importance of the preceding passage… -Wikipedia

“Dry times weather wise are often dry times spiritually”

The wisdom of my friend keeps rolling around through my brain.

Psalm 143:6
I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah.

I’ve felt this in every way this summer. Dry dry times.

I’ve had times of urgent prayer when God remains silent, but this summer was different somehow.

I tried to remain thankful for the “beautiful drying weather” but as the moisture sucked out of the ground and the crops turned a critical blue-my soul echoed their desperate cry.

But there was still beauty to be found in the Valley. And my heart echoed that too.

Definitely the highlight of the summer was the fact that Deb and Sweet Baby A joined us for vacation.

I use the term “vacation” loosely because if you’ve ever tried to pack 7 adults and 3 babies into a 3 bedroom condo along with the uninvited guests Headcold and Croup-you understand that there’s not but so much resting and relaxation involved…

But we did have an incredible time. Family is such a blessing.

Also the rains started while we were away. Praise the Lord 😭 We tried not to haunt the radar, but we couldn’t help ourselves. Em kept us updated by watching the rain gush off the roof past her security cameras. Thank you Jesus.

And before we knew it, we were back home in the Valley- asking God to bless another harvest.

Great is the Lord
He is holy and just
By His power we trust
In His love
Great is the Lord
He is faithful and true
By His mercy He proves
He is love

May you find Him faithful-even in the dry seasons,

Kendra

Bonus Pics:

Recent travels took me to Norfolk on a boat tour- exploring the Elizabeth River around the Naval Base. Very educational. If you’re down that way and have 2 extra hours- definitely look up Victory Rover Naval Base Cruises

How we all feel about summertime watermelon parties and family time.

And finally-I’m sorry to keep going back to the drought… but this is the type of feed we’ve found. I’m so curious to see how these late rains will improve the situation.

The end of July always means party week for our family.

3 birthdays in 6 days is definitely reason to celebrate.

This year we celebrated Deb via Amazon Prime. We borrowed the Ben Friend’s account and he thought he was hilarious sending Deborah Kennell’s packages to Deborah Doghouse. And then we all wondered why the mail carrier had trouble finding that address 😂

Julia’s birthday bash possibly set the record for the earliest party ever. I know it did in our family. We snuck into the house shortly after 5 am with intentions of surprising Jul when she got in from the barn. What we didn’t know was that the birthday girl had the morning off and was spying on our progress from her bedroom. 😂 Em makes a copycat skillet from Perkins that is amazing: sausage, ham, maple bacon, tater tots, scrambled eggs and gravy. My contribution was a blackberry cream cheese coffee cake.

And then the big celebration began.

For Mother’s birthday, Julia planned a night in the mountains nearby. Historically our family isn’t much in the way of campers-but after the incredible success of the event- I can see that changing,

The boys were everywhere and into everything- I love them. After lights out the stillness of the forest was interrupted with my dad snoring and the twins getting freaked out at the pitch dark. And the whine of a drove of mosquitoes. And the call of an unknown bird.

But a good time was had by all.

My mom’s sister and her family are seasoned campers and they joined our party. I hope I learn their ways. I think I could’ve eaten this entire Dutch oven of fresh cinnamon rolls-so delicious.

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Another year of the blessing of family. What a gift-thank you Jesus

Kendra

Bonus Pics:

Travel took me to Belleville this week. It’s so beautiful and green there.

It had been about 2 years since I’d seen my cousin Marj and her family. So having most of the day free was the perfect chance to hop across the mountain and catch back up.

I found these awesome flying monkeys on clearance and thought maybe her children needed them. I didn’t think about the fact that these monkeys have a pronounced cry on impact and how impressive 6 monkeys shrieking at once and 6 children laughing at once would be.

I think Marj’s husband will be fine if it’s another 2 years until I return bearing such gifts 😂 What a fun visit though.

And finally- a photo update on Glen Oaks Farm. With chick placement day looming ahead, the Ben Friend has his nose to the grindstone. What an incredible adventure.