Weekly Update for 4/19 -4/26

We hope everyone had a great Easter remembering our Savior's resurrection! 

Looking back over the last week since last Tuesday, I will try to give you an overview.  After a winter's worth of snowplowing on our gravel driveway and parking lot here at the Linck Hill Inn, it leaves quite a bit of gravel in the lawn and grass.  On Tuesday I spent a good bit of the day raking and shovelling up gravel around the property to get ready for grass cutting, which should start in the next week or so finally!

Clay never did get over this last cold very well, so on Wednesday morning Kathryn took him to the doctor.  He had infection in both ears, which he is taking antibiotics for now.  Pray that he will grow out of these ear infections soon.  When Kathryn returned, I headed down to Three Springs to work on a few projects.  There was still pruning to be done on the apple trees there, and I also assisted Nate with putting up some hay racks for the horses in their loafing area behind the barn.  The horses, in their boredom or for whatever reason, chew through the wood of these hay racks until they break apart.  These newly constructed racks are wrapped in wire fencing to prevent this from happening again. 

 We've had such a long and wet winter that the horses haven't been able to get in the pastures yet, due to the wet ground, but we could be in severe drought like other parts of the country, so we won't complain.

Thursday morning I helped Nate load up a load of hay that he was delivering for a local dairy farmer down state near Lancaster.  Nate is from that area and was heading home for Easter anyway and also had some hay equipment to bring back on the trip home.  This delivery would help at least with the cost of fuel for the trip.  The farm that we loaded hay from was so beautiful!

  Later that morning I finished up the apple tree pruning and would meet Steve Ochinno that afternoon to take a group on our nature trail.  This was a Brownie Girl Scout group from Mansfield about 30 miles from here.  We loaded up about 20 or so little girls and some parents in the hay wagon, and for about two hours had a great hike and many learning opportunities about different things that we came upon in the woods.  It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time, even Bernie, the camp dog! 

We had no groups scheduled this past weekend because of Easter.  We had the day off on Friday, and a lot of our staff went home for the weekend.  We stayed home most of the time Friday and Saturday just doing house work and still unpacking a few things left from the move.  It was a little hard this Easter being away from our families, but Kathryn was scheduled to sing and also play her flute at church Sunday.  Her voice had improved enough from her cold the previous week that she was able to sing.  She did a great job singing one of Keith and Kristen Getty's songs called "See What A Morning".  Many people commented on what a blessing her music was which she quickly gave God the glory for.  It was a good day remembering the Lord and there was hardly an empty seat in the church .  We had been invited over to Jeff and Deanne Rush's house for Easter dinner with two other families who were not with their own families.  Duncan and Audrey really enjoy playing at Ms. Deanne's house.  In fact when Duncan was told that we had been invited, he said "That's one place I like to go, tell Ms. Deanne she thinked up a good idea!"

We have still been having some wet and cold weather lately.  I forgot to tell you that we even had snow on Friday for a while although it did not amount to anything.  Monday we had a little break with the sun coming out for a while.  I took the opportunity to weed and clean out most of the flower beds around the Inn as well as trimming a few bushes.  The kids love to be outside "helping" when I'm here working, which is nice having them around.  We came across our first snake in the yard and although it wasn't poisonous, we weren't sure at the time and took no chances.

Please pray for me as I leave Tuesday afternoon on a bus trip out to Kansas City, Missouri.  I will be helping Nate drive as we will travel straight through the night and be arriving Wednesday afternoon.  We are taking kids from the Word of Life ministry in New York for a Bible Quiz competition, and then coming back Sunday evening.  Please pray for Kathryn also, as she will have all the responsibilities with the kids while I'm gone.  Pray for extra strength, patience, and for the kids to do well while I'm gone.  I've got to finish up some last minute packing before I leave, so until next week, "so long" from the Rickerts!