POST 17/2026 GOSHEN IN . . . I’m sorting through files from my working years as a writer-editor, as well as from my early and current years. The files are destined for the shredder, archives, give-away, and personal retention. I created a timeline that really eases the effort. It’s a relief to have designated stacks …
POST 16/2026 GOSHEN IN . . . Thirteen days on the road. Our journey by car included: the memorial service for Marcia Parker at Plains Mennonite Church, Lansdale, PA. A round of visits in Harrisonburg, VA. Several nights at Breaks Interstate Park (on the border of Virginia and Kentucky). A first-time visit to Maysville, Kentucky, …
POST 14/2026 GOSHEN IN . . . Today College Mennonite Church dedicated more than 500 school kits that will serve children in deprived areas internationally. CMC joined other Anabaptist congregations in this annual effort coordinated by Mennonite Central Committee. School kits collected during the money offering. One paragraph. One photograph. One phrase from the opening …
POST 13/2026 GOSHEN INDIANA . . . Our potted plants wilted, seemingly dead. Will they come back? My fault. I overdid it with too much of a good thing. One morning the geraniums and gerbera daisies simply hung their heads, withered. The hanging fern turned some fronds brown. I hung my head, flabbergasted. Our summer …
POST 12/2026/GOSHEN IN . . . Recently we spent time with family and friends in Ontario. Time with the extended Mast family in Michigan. Local events. The Elkhart County 4-H Fair coming up. Welcome to a post a bit longer than usual. Pick and choose as you wish. Elkhart County Fairgrounds, Goshen, IN The county …
POST 11/2026/GOSHEN IN . . . The first four photos bow to lowly rhyme: "Amish farmers sweat it making hay. / Cyclists placidly wend their way. / Ice cream (at Lucys) screams, 'Stop by today!' / Heat advisories go away. / Happy the ones from whose shaded bower / The new-bathed moon and stars emerge …
POST 10/2026 GOSHEN IN . . . Moving from May to June is hardly cause for comment. It's a calendar thing. Progression of the seasons. An almost imperceptible shift. The jumping-off place for summer. Talk about how it's hot already. To my, "hardly cause for comment," I add the quaint verse by Rowland Watkyns, cleric …
\POST 9/2026 GOSHEN, INDIANA . . . Days ago we were in Cornwall, UK; we're now home again in Indiana, USA. The almost 4000 miles of separation are bridged by fondest feelings for people and place. Let a few photos give a glimpse of the now and then. Homebound over Newfoundland and Labrador I still …
POST 8/2026 CARBIS BAY UK. . . Our stay in Cornwall wraps up soon, with only a few days left to bid adieu, pack, and tie up loose ends. As Juliet said to Romeo, "Parting is such sweet sorrow. . . ." Bittersweet. Happy and sad. Goodbye. In the week we've seen niece Rachel off …
POST 7/2026 CARBIS BAY UK . . . The words, "Through cloud and sunshine" convey what we are experiencing in our stay in Cornwall. Today we sang that phrase as part of the funeral service for dear friend Margaret, who died 23 April. We chatted with Margaret a week earlier at fellowship time at St …
