The power has been out here for over 4 days now, longer than ever before in our family’s experience! On Friday evening, February 5, the rain turned to sleet, and then to a thick snow that stuck to everything and mounted up to twelve inches. The scenery was breathtaking, especially in the forest where even […]
Tag Archives: Michael Staddon
The 10th Miracle
Returning home on the last leg of our Florida journey, we made one last stop at our grandparents’ house in Salem, West Virginia. After all, there’s no place like home – except Grandma’s. Robert, Esther, James, and Daniel especially relished the visit before heading off to the mid west once again. The thick blanket of […]
The Wonders of Ding Darling N.W.R.
Another unusual aspect of this vacation is the fact that watching wildlife and identifying new species was not our primary objective. But we still set aside some time for it, and the trails of the J. W. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge proved to be an excellent place to see a diversity of wildlife. As […]
Can you Bee-lieve it?
Happy Thanksgiving! I am rejoicing in the grace of God poured out on us this year in respect to our honeybees. We were able to harvest enough wildflower honey to supply our big family until next year’s harvest, and still have some to sell. The bees stayed semi-busy through the part of the summer that […]
An Amazing Blessing
This Thanksgiving one of the biggest things I am grateful for is family harmony. It is so important for members of a family to love one another. It is not only important for the well being of the family members, but for the ability of society to function as a whole. Family life shows everywhere […]
Dangerous House Resolutions 875, 759, and 814
After reading HR 875, the “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009“, I had to conclude that it fails to conform to the United States Constitution. Article IV of the 1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches […]
Tomatoes!
Before moving to West Virginia we had never been very successful at growing tomatoes. But in 2004 everything fell into place, and tomato growing has never been the same since. It started with some seeds my grandfather gave me, whose friend had been growing them in the area for a long time. This friend had […]
Spring Work
Much has been accomplished on the property this spring thanks to the availability and cooperation of the whole family. In addition to starting the garden, working the beehives, and maintaining the orchard, we had ordered almost 70 new nut trees, fruit trees and shrubs. The plan was to dig a large hole for each one […]
Future Human Habitat
After reading of some folks’ concerns about a sustainable human future on our planet, I am reminded of the words of God: “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth;” Luke 21:26 Their primary concerns are poor environment, overpopulation, and unsustainable economy. Yet these pale […]
2008 Peach Trial Report
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” For the past few years we have begun evaluating a few peach cultivars here in our orchard. A summary of our conclusions so far would simply be this, that the ‘Reliance’ cultivar (planted in 2005 on seedling stock) outperformed the other 4 varieties tested by a long shot. […]