Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

Garden–October 2023

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My first attempt at starting tomatoes this year was a complete failure. We planted the seeds in the ground in the greenhouse, as I did a few years ago when I was not able to buy potting mix because of the lockdown. When they germinated, we pricked them out and put them in a mixture of potting soil and compost that I bought from a department store in town–as I have done every year for five years. This year, they didn’t grow. After about five weeks, when I realized they had barely grown since transplanting, I transplanted them again, into larger pots. Two or three weeks later, they still hadn’t grown at all. By then, I had started some new seeds. When a friend mailed me her extra starts, I sadly dumped every one of the nearly 300 tomato plants that refused to grow and were, in fact, dying. This is what they looked like at that point, two months nearly to the day after sowing the seeds.

This is the new ones that I started the second week of October. By the third week of November, they were nearly all about 5 inches tall, growing fast and ready to put in the ground. Our tomato crop will be late this year, but hopefully we’ll get one.

I started a lot of beetroot! Quite a few of them got covered up with the mulch they were transplanted into in the garden, though. We have a resident weka who spends its nights throwing mulch around, probably searching for slugs and such underneath. What a nuisance!

When James rented the digger to work at Simon’s house, he took advantage of having it to do a couple of jobs here. This was the first; he had Elijah dig a hole for a septic tank for the garden sink. They dug the hole and then James dropped in a barrel which he had cut both ends off of. He covered it with plywood and some boards and ran the drain into it, then covered it again. It is wonderful to be able to use that sink without getting my feet wet and without having a perpetual mud puddle there.

This was the other job, and it was a sad one. Our gorgeous tulip magnolia died, so he dug it out. Now, instead of a beautiful tree with branches perfect for the children to climb in, we have an ugly hole. We’re planning to plant grass there, and eventually build a swing. I won’t miss the shade on my garden, but we do miss the tree.

Charleston, Again

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Gayle and I decided to get away for a night to celebrate our 26th anniversary in October. We went to Charleston for a night last year, and enjoyed it so much that we decided to go to the same place again. When we booked into the campground, they gave us the same room we had last year, too! After we paid for our room and put our things into it, we went on a walk. Twice last year, once by ourselves and once with the family, we explored around Constant Bay, so this time we checked out a track that went south of it. We started out on this tame track, and enjoyed the quiet and the green.

Then, we reached this sign. If you know my husband, you will know that he considers a sign like this to be a challenge. Of course, we went through the gate. I kept my eyes open for hazardous spots! We concluded that, most likely, the sign was put up so that the track didn’t have to be kept up and so that DOC wouldn’t be liable if anyone got hurt.

We were treated to spectacular scenes along that track! First was this view of the mouth of Constant Bay, with waves rolling in one after another.

Then, we walked out to one little inlet after another, each one spectacular in its own way.

One area of dense bush we walked through had deep mining trenches like the ones we see at Nelson Creek.

We sat out near the end of one of the rocks and talked for awhile. Here’s the man I love!

Looking back toward Charleston from one of the higher points. You can see the Paparoa Mountains off in the distance; we live on the other side of them.

These hardy flowers grow in a crack in the rocks.

After awhile, the track got so rough that I was ready to turn back. By then, we were scrambling up and down steep areas, holding onto the trees alongside for support. We returned to the track that was kept up, and were treated to more gorgeous views! After enjoying them, and talking for awhile on a bench overlooking this bay, we returned to the campground, cooked some food, and took it up the coast a little ways to eat it at another beach while we watched the sun set. What a delightful evening!

Concrete Work

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Simon took a week off work in late October to work on his house. His renters moved out, and he has another family wanting to move in, so he needed to build a deck. James figured they should rebuild the garage at the same time, so they tore that down and then started working on the concrete that was needed. First, they spent an entire day excavating… and then another day… and then a third day before the job was completely finished! Part of that was necessary because when he tapped the old retaining wall with the digger, it crumbled.

This was after the first day of digging. The garage used to stand just at the end of these tracks.

A few days later, the new retaining wall was formed up and the posts to support the roof over the deck were braced in their holes, waiting for the concrete.

Then, the truck came and it was all go! James worked on pushing the deck piles down into the wet concrete while other people wheelbarrowed it to the farther holes and it was run down the chute directly into the places the truck could reach. Several little neighbor boys came to “help.”

They poured the footer for the retaining wall that day, but had to let that set before pouring the upper part a few days later.

After another week of hard work, the third pour was complete, the pad to build the new garage on.

Elijah climbed a pole to watch what was happening one evening when he was there helping.

Now, whenever Simon or James has a day off, they are working on building the deck and the roof over it.

Book Review–Demolishing the Stronghold

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About the Book:

Book: Demolishing the Stronghold

Author: Allen Brokken

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release Date: November 4, 2023

Lauren, Aiden, and Ethan finally found respite for their whole family in the grove surrounding the Wellspring of Life. However, the threat of the Dark One’s forces still looms over the Heathlands, and lighting the tower of Light in Blooming Glen is their only hope of cleansing their land of The Darkness once and for all. While the family plans a surprise attack on the stronghold at Blooming Glen, the Bishop calls forth the Calamitous Drake, a monster forged from the essence of The Darkness in the corrupted heart of the Iron Mountain. In the midst of the battle, the monster scatters the family, leaving Mother, Uncle, and Tye in the hands of Lord Refi’Cul and the evil giant Skull Crusher who aims to make Tye his wife and become the Master of the Heath Wardens

The children must take to the skies to forge a weapon capable of defeating the Calamitous Drake. Will Lauren, Aiden, and Ethan’s faith give them the strength to Demolish the Stronghold?

My Thoughts:

My 11- and 13-year-old sons loved this series, so when the last book became available, I decided to get it, too, and read the books myself. Even though fantasy/allegory is not my favorite genre, I found myself racing through the series, wanting to find out how the children got free of the current attack. Especially this book, the last in the series, was gripping. Because it is fiction, I knew they would win in the end—but how? How could they conquer the evil that was taking over the land and turning everything to Darkness? And, would their friends survive, or would the children be the only ones to live through the battles?

I recommend this book for children 10 years old and older who love action-packed stories. The battles are too intense for  younger children, so I won’t be reading these books aloud for a good while yet, and I’m not letting my 8-year-old daughter read them for a couple more years. I love the contrast between good and evil, though. This author has done a great job of portraying the fight between Light and Darkness, God and the Devil in a way that children can understand. One thing my boys did not pick up on, though, until I pointed it out, was that two of the words/names that are hard to read are actually words turned backwards, and knowing the original word made the story more meaningful. Parents may want to find those and explain them to their children. (I’m not going to elaborate more, to avoid spoilers!)

One problem I had with this book, and the rest in the series, was the lack of proofreading. There were frequent typos and grammatical errors which jerked me out of the story. I found them both in print and in digital versions. By the way, you can read my review of the first book in the series here.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Allen Brokken is a teacher at heart, a husband, and a father most of all. He’s a joyful writer by the abundant grace of God. He began writing the Towers of Light series for his own children to help him illustrate the deep truths of the Bible in an engaging and age-appropriate way. He’s dedicated 18 years to volunteer roles in children’s ministry and youth development. Now that his children are off to college, he’s telling stories and sharing clean humor on social media.

More from Allen:

As I worked to close out the Towers of Light series, I had to work hard to develop something new and different that still fit the 1800s frontier setting.  I had a lot of pressure from my readers to bring a dragon to the prairie.  On multiple occasions, I had to remind my biggest fans that there aren’t any dragons on the prairie.  But they were insistent that dragons make an appearance.

So, as I put the final touches on the previous book, Wellspring of Life, I thought that the censors spreading evil could bring evil things into the world to corrupt the prairie. So, the concept of a dragon formed from the censor’s smoke made a lot of sense.  But what would a “Smoke Dragon” be like?  I shared the idea with my Realm Makers critique group, and they helped form something that early feedback says works well.  The dragon’s name, The Calamitous Drake, is also an homage to a line from “The Hobbit” that refers to Smaug as a great calamity.

With a dragon flying about, I also had to devise a way for the kids to engage it in the air.  This took significant research as I didn’t want to introduce giant eagles or something else that didn’t exist on the frontier.  As I investigated different options, I discovered that hot air balloons were more common in the 1800’s than I thought.  It turned out they served in minor roles during the Civil War and used a technology they called a gasifier to fill them up.  I took some artistic liberty with that, and Lauren, Aiden, and Ethan now had a way to get off the ground to meet the dragon in the air.

This story was so much fun to write, and early reviews from my biggest fans say it was the perfect end to the series.

Book Review–Fire in the Feedmill

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We were excited to receive Book 6 in the Brady Street Boys series. We’ve been looking forward to this! The entire series has been good, and the books seem to even be getting better. I have only read the first few chapters of Fire in the Feed Mill to the children so far, but I read the entire book myself so I could write this review. I’ll have to admit, I was secretly delighted to “have“ to read ahead! I had a hard time putting it down.

The boys from Brady Street have just arrived in a small town in Illinois. When they were in Iowa, they found a forwarding address for Dr. Jefferson in Bitterroot, Illinois, so decided to follow the trail there. Upon arrival, the three boys and their uncle found a small apartment to rent for a few days that even overlooked and chocolate shop/restaurant. The next morning when they looked out the window before going to the chocolate shop for their breakfast, they were shocked to see an ambulance in front of it, and a man being carried out on a stretcher. Then, it began to appear as if Dr. Jefferson was involved in a scandal that had to do with the man, who had apparently been poisoned at the restaurant. What was the truth? 

This week’s Fruit of the Spirit study is supposed to focus on goodness. However, Terry, Gary and Larry are not seeing much goodness; instead, with a suspected poisoning, they seem to be seeing its opposite. Of course, they have to do their best to solve the mystery of whether the man was actually poisoned, and who did it, as well as find Dr. Jefferson. Their search takes them all over town and they get to meet many interesting people as well as learn a lot about animal feed and architecture.

As I’ve said with each of the other books in the series,  I love the way Katrina Hoover Lee has woven an engaging story with Christian values and a clever whodunit together. I have to admit that I was misled several times. I thought I had things figured out, only to come to an unexpected twist, and something else happened that I didn’t anticipate.  Now, I am eagerly waiting for book 7. She managed to end Fire in the Feedmill on quite a cliffhanger! 

Purchase your copy here. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author (although I will also be purchasing a hard copy), and these are my honest thoughts about it.

September 2023 Photos

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Here are the rest of the random photos from last month. I don’t remember what the occasion was for the pie, but I took this picture because we made the ice cream from a recipe that my sister-in-law gave me. It was delicious!

Simon spent a few of his days off fixing the old ute to make it able to pass its inspection. We were thankful not to have to junk it, too–the gray van couldn’t pass, so we have just replaced it.

James started building a sleepout for himself. Here he is setting up the joists and building the floor. It hasn’t gotten past that yet.

There are lots of Lego creations around. I thought these were pretty nice.

Mr. Sweetie requested a chocolate pizza for his birthday cake. (If you don’t understand, read The Candymakers by Wendy Mass. Esther baked a base from sweet roll dough, and we spread it with Nutella, then topped it with M&Ms and miniature marshmallows. Next time, we’ll make the dough thinner–it was too thick.

Our little lime tree produced a lot of fruit this year! I fermented some, and juiced the rest to freeze for later use.

Somehow, I don’t think Princess appreciated having a pillow on top of her.

Mr. Sweetie made these moccasins for himself.

Book Review–The Two-Cent Piece Audiobook

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About the Book:

Book: The Two-Cent Piece Audiobook

Author: Dennis Conrad

Genre: Christian 1800s Historical Fiction

Release Date: August 2, 2023

Anne wonders what secret her three older brothers are hiding. When she finds out they joined to fight with the Union Army and would leave the next day, she give them each one of her favorite two-cent pieces, and says, “I want you to take one of my new two-cent pieces. I learned these coins are the first with the word ‘In God We Trust.’ I just memorized Psalm 91:2. ‘I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God, in him will I trust.’”

Out of a heart of love, Ann gives six of her special coins away, hoping the message on the two-cent piece will strengthen each person’s faith.

My Thoughts:

I love the pictures in this book. They are beautiful! I also like the historical aspect of it; I had never heard of American two-cent pieces before. I remember two dollar bills when I was young, but never these coins, and I found it really interesting to learn that they were the first to contain the words “In God We Trust.” However, I did not appreciate that this book seems to promote Christians going to war. According to Matthew 5:39, Christians are not to resist evil, not to mention not going to war. For this reason, even though I like the portrayal of generosity, and the history included, I can’t recommend this book.

I read this book in January for a review, and now was asked to review the audiobook. It was well-done and easy to listen to. Each page turn is indicated by a “ding,” so this would be a great audiobook for little children who also have the hard copy. I know my little girl loves audiobooks like this when she also has the physical book to follow along in!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

A former coin collector for over fifty years, Dennis combines his love for the Bible, children’s literature, and sharing stories about the history behind coins.

He retired as a professor of Speech Communications from Barstow Community College. He and his wife served as English and public speaking teachers ten summers overseas.

He became a life member of the Numismatic Association of Southern California in 1973. He is also a life member of the American Numismatic Association.

Dennis is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a Fellow of the National Writing Project.

Learn more about coin collecting. Dennis offers free resources for children on his website about coin collecting: https://dennisconradauthor.com/coincollecting4/

More from Dennis:

Collecting Coins Can Change Your Life! It Did Mine…

As a child, my friends and I wanted to know everything about coins.

We learned about coins through stories: Who was on each coin? What were coins made of? How were coins made? Where were they made? Why were some more valuable than others? and How could I start collecting on my limited budget?

Coin collecting is a hobby where collectors never stop learning! For example, when I started to watch coin prices, without realizing it, I was learning basic economics.

Over the years, I kept adding to my collection. Decades passed. I attended coin conventions, read books and articles about coins, and remembered where I had found and/or acquired each coin.

One day, my wife looked at me. “Will you ever sell your coins?”

“No.”

That is when I heard God’s still small voice.

God pointed out to me that my coins had become more important than Him. Without my realizing it, my coins had become an idol.

At that time, at the top of the market, I sold my collection without regrets, and used the money to pay off my home mortgage.

Now, God has given me the privilege of writing stories about coins, and encouraging others to embrace a hobby that has given me a lifetime of joy.

Blessings to you and yours,

Dennis Conrad

To purchase your copy, click here.

More Birds!

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Every so often, when I look at the camera, I find evidence that someone has been using it besides me. Some of the pictures are nice, some get deleted. Here are a few of the ones I found this time. Apparently, Jo-Jo wasn’t interested in the mirror, but Kea was!

Miss Joy loves the birds! We can’t touch Kea, but Jo-Jo will sometimes be persuaded to sit on a shoulder.

I took this one. One of the children was sure that the yellow-headed bird he saw in the empty section beside our house was a budgie–I took the picture, then zoomed in to show him what it really was.

I also took these two pictures when I was at Arthur’s Pass on the way home from HEART South. First one kea was considering eating Esther’s car, and then another joined it. They didn’t get any bites, though!

Gayle took this picture one day when he was down in the paddock with the children. These are the chicks I hatched in the incubator in May.

Lyttleton

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Near the beginning of September, I had the privilege of going to the HEART South retreat for homeschooling mothers. It was a very special experience to be with around a hundred other mothers who all share similar goals. This year, it was held at the Living Springs camp near Lyttleton, just outside of Christchurch. During the free time on the Saturday afternoon, I went for a walk with some friends. That “walk” turned out to be quite an adventure, as we tried to blaze a trail to a particular destination! The trail we thought we were on turned out to be a dead end, and trying to get back to where we needed to be was a bit challenging. It was a lot of fun, though, and I loved the time reconnecting with old friends.

This is the view up the hill from the camp.

Looking down over the camp buildings toward Lyttleton Harbor. Banks Peninsula is on the other side of the water, to the right.

We walked out past the camp to their outdoor camping area, and enjoyed this view of the harbor.

That evening after dark, I walked outside by myself for a little while to enjoy the warm night. This was the harbor in the dark–except it was much more beautiful in reality.

And, the harbor again in morning light! It was so beautiful!

This was a nettle we saw on the walk on Saturday afternoon. I still haven’t gotten around to looking it up to see what kind it is, but I don’t think I want to touch it!

Then, a few weeks later, I saw Lyttleton from the other side. Simon and I went to Christchurch to buy a car, and the dealer told us to go through the Lyttleton Tunnel on our test drive.

Elijah’s Birthday

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Elijah had a birthday last week. Most of us went in on a high-lift jack to go along with his truck, and when it was delivered here, on his birthday, I decided to hide it in the truck. It has tinted windows, and we knew he wouldn’t be using it that evening. That gave us the idea to make him a treasure hunt to find it, so the other children all put their heads together and wrote up a trail of clues. It took them about five minutes to write and distribute all the clues! I got a video of the last two stops so that Simon could share in a little of the fun, since he couldn’t be here. The first clip shows him finding the clue for which he was given “Words in Red.” He found the last one there, which was, “Red Monster,” meaning his truck. Then, though it’s dark, you can see him finding the gift. After that, everyone came back inside and he was given a few other things. First, James challenged him to an arm wrestle–the winner could have the gifts! Unfortunately for James, Elijah is quite a lot stronger still! After that, James started a newspaper-ball fight with the gift wrapping. (Do you get the idea that James keeps things lively here?)