#notesfromthevicarage

The Forest Garden Sept. 2025

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

As always happens at this time of year, I look back and think of all the projects I wanted to accomplish in the forest garden over the summer.

I usually look back with a regret. This year not so much. It’s not that I accomplished all those projects, but I did accomplish some and I did a lot of gardening in comparison to previous years.

I think a part of my satisfaction this year, comes from the fact that we have actually used a lot of the produce from the forest garden. We have been making iced tea from this mint all summer in place of Kool-Aid.

The chickens have been keeping us in eggs as well.

For the first time ever, I had success with potatoes.

And the flowers this year, have been amazing.

…AND GLAD OF IT!

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

So I announced in the short yesterday that my youngest daughter and her family are moving in with us at the end of September.

I am really excited to see what God’s next step is for my son-in-law and daughter and their two girls.

I know this is a season of change and a season of growth for all of us.

I sense that our family is at another pivot point in its history, and for some reason this feels like a big one. Maybe it’s just the times we are living in. Maybe it is the reading and listening I am doing of late. Maybe it is something deeper than that, bigger than that. At this point I am uncertain.

What I do know is I am glad to have my family around me at this season. I am glad we are doing life together. I am glad we are doing church together. I am glad we are all of us close in proximity.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR OWN FAMILY SAGA.

ART IN OUR REGION: KEN KNOWLTON

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

Art is an important part of our church community and is becoming an increasingly important part of our wider community. One of our church leaders is a prolific artist, who just hung a show of his newest work at one of our local libraries. Brenda, Amanda and I attended the open reception he and his wife Betty held the other night.

Here is the process Ken follows as he works.

Here is some of his work.

The picture in the bottom right corner is the photo from which the canvas was developed.

Here is Ken’s artist statement

And here is the man himself!

Ken with some fans.

Ken with his sisters.

It was a great show!