The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

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Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
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Fall has arrived

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The summer went so fast with Catherine being in the hospital and all. Fall has certainly arrived with nightly temps in the upper 30's and highs in the upper 60's. Fall is a beautiful time of year around here as the leaves on the trees go out with a bang bursting in brilliant color. It is a time for pumpkins, apples, warm apple cider, hay rides, and a roll in the leaves. It is also a time for hiking. The boys and I went again on Friday. Our main goal was to find buckeyes up on the hill behind the house. I'll let the pictures, and some commentary, tell the rest of the story.....but before we begin, a picture of the ladies of the house.

Mom and Catherine doing fine. (Add on from Nicole...at the risk of being removed from Jim's blog as a contibutor, I must point out Catherine's socks because as a male he failed to appreciate the cuteness of them. You may think that she has cute little black shoes on, but they are actually printed on the socks! I LOVE them. You can see some similar ones here.
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Dad and #4 getting ready to hike (dad specifically, #4 at 30+ lbs is along for the ride!)

#1 hidden beneath the tree branches.
Some paw paws hanging from the tree. We snatched a few and they are actually really tasty. Sort of like a banana-peach flavor with a custard consistency. I was hoping to get enough to make....you guessed it, Paw paw Wheat Beer. I tried some this summer and loved it. Maybe next year!

Paw paw fruit and leaf.

Can you find the Praying Mantis?

Here are some of the Buckeyes we found on the hike. This is from a smaller tree on the property. My uncle and his grandkids often come out to gather them. They then make large necklaces out of them for fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes (college, American football).


Okay, now for some fun. These nuts are not easy to find. The next three pictures have one buckeye showing. See if you can find them. The only advantage we have in the woods is that they are glossy and this doesn't show too well in the pictures. Give it a shot anyway. Maybe I'll re-post the pictures in a couple days with the buckeye circled.




Okay, yes this was the easiest of the three. That's Brutus Buckeye the mascot of the Ohio State Buckeyes. GO BUCKS!

Comments

Barbara said…
Bishop Watterson HS? Are you an alum? Hmmmm. We are SC people. ;-)
9:12 AM
James M. Hahn said…
No, not alum. That ruler is from my office. I have a friend who teaches at SC and some friends who have graduated from there.
8:57 AM
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