Oh boy, it really is busy

It's really a lot of work to be a full-time-employed urban/suburban person, try to live the homesteading way, and take care of your personal and civic duties at the same time.  That's the only reason we've been so quiet.  I'd rather be doing it than blogging about it, I guess.  Priorities.  But we brought in goodness knows how many quarts of tomatoes this weekend, along with three FAT quarts (meaning about 1.5 qt. ea.) of green beans.  Big Steve spent a day scraping and painting at my Mom's house -- I need to talk about her more here -- the awesome NONNIE -- and I had a wonderful just post birthday lunch with my bestest of cousins, Kathy.  Walked the dogs, cleaned the house, put two hots on the meal each day....well, you get the picture.  Sent off goodness knows how many soldier packages/letters, and now we've moved into the world of paper sunshine for prisoners.  No haters here...the scripture commands that we remember those in prison.  We will be OFF our desk jobs for Labor Day week, which means there will be a frenzy of real work around here.  I PROMISE more pictures!!! 

I seriously needed a break from my desk job today, and meandered the 1/4 mile from my desk, across the Empire State Plaze, to the NYS Museum.  I thought I knew the place like the back of my hand, due to my proximity and the regularity with which I visit.  WELL -- there was a relatively new exhibit, just beyond the birds of NYS (my personal favorite permanent exhibit) -- and it was all about the NYS soldiers' contribution from forever ago on.  It really was a lovely tribute, and I got to spend more than a little bit of time speaking with a soldier who was born in 1936 -- served the NYS National Guard (same as our dear Anthony) during peacetime.  Once -- while on a training mission -- he was able to actually save a life -- he was a medic, and the other solder had taken a fragment through his face and throat.  I was so moved to hear him speak.  I was REALLY sorry that my day job got in the way of my real life -- in other words, hearing more from this man who, although he never was needed overseas, was willing to give everything to defend me and mine.  Awesome.  It just goes to prove how God puts precious people in our path, every single day, if we ask him to.

Here is one part of the exhibit -- the purple medal awarded to Sgt. Leroy E. Sprague of Elmira, NY of the 108th Infantry Regiment who received a Purple Heart after being seriously wounded in 1945 during fighting on the island of Luzon in the Philippine Islands.  To the left you can see Sgt. Sprague's bible, which stopped the enemy bullet that might otherwise have taken his life.  Miracles do happen!