From the Carriage House Loft
It’s early morning, pre-dawn, mid-September and I am beside an open window in the quiet of my writing loft in the east end of the carriage house out on Bittersweet Farm this morning. I took the time to brew a mug of coffee.
At Bethel Church we had our gatherings inside for the first time since March. It was good to see the smiling eyes of the saints again instead of preaching to their windshields from the roof of my study.
Late last night (Sunday) Lois posted the last of the wedding pictures on her site. I will include a link at the bottom of this post. Among the pictures was a photo of the full family, all 33 of us. This is an almost impossible picture to get because we live all over the country. About two minutes after the picture was taken our son Dan whisked his wife Kate off to the hospital for a five-day stay. (She has fully recovered and the family has returned to their home in New Mexico. Yesterday I noticed she and Dan had a date at a shooting range so I think she is feeling fine).
It’s chilly this morning—in the low 50’s, a perfect temperature to work out here in my loft. If I want I can close the window and I have a heater. But for now this is a perfect, bracing creative environment. A single light glows directly over my table.
A friend came over to run electrical outlets, Kyle built me a wall and installed a nice door to divide the large loft in half. I fixed the window and installed a lock set in the door. I’m planning to add insulation, faux ship lap on the walls and ceiling, a nice area rug on the floor, a reading chair and floor lamp, and my carriage house writing loft will be useful year-round. The roof slopes to knee walls. I am tempted to add book shelves to the walls. We’ll see.
My plan is to post a Bittersweet Farm Journal by Tuesday morning every week, with a bit of news from Bittersweet Farm and a story. My brother-in-law always thought I should monetize my newsletter—charge for it, but I never will. I would appreciate it, if you like my writing and have the means to do so—if you would go on-line a buy a copy of each of my books over time.
I now have four full-length books. Sunset on Summer, Simple Stories of Faith and Family, For a Few Days; A Season of Life on a Family Farm, Finding Bittersweet, the story of how God led us to Bethel and to Bittersweet Farm, and now, Between the Fires; 50 Camp Lessons on how to keep the campfire burning all your life. The books are available from Amazon in paperback or digital versions. If you read them I would appreciate it I you would leave a rating and review on Amazon and Goodreads. But I will never charge for the Bittersweet Farm Journal.
The intent of the weekly writing is almost always to encourage and to inspire. I like to think of it as the kind of thing I would like to read from an author I liked. It includes a little insight into my heart and life and family and it is a way to obey the instruction of Paul to the Apostle to the Philippians;
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you…”
There is a lot of ugly news in the world. You can see it and hear it and read about it everywhere, but not here. Here you will read warm descriptions of family, food, things that are pure and good and honorable and right and just and pure. You will read of humor and humanity, love and good will.
Here I hope to model how to live in a fallen, broken, sin-cursed world. How to obey the charge Jesus gave to his followers when he said, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
In the near-north field a sand hill crane is announcing the sunrise with it’s loud, musical, rattle-like call. I need to get Hope’s Jeep to the shop to fix the death-rattle again. “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.”
Until next time, from out on Bittersweet Farm, where every day is a beautiful day and the little light in the kitchen is always on…. (Oh, you can see all the wedding pictures now at LoisPierpont.com
You can find my books on Amazon.
Bittersweet Farm
September 14, 2020
I clicked on the link to see Hope’s wedding pics but didn’t find them. There was an Emma and Morgan’s wedding pics I think it was.