Conner Prairie

We began our Fourth of July festivities with a visit to Conner Prairie last week. The kids loved the Militia Muster the best I think.

I loved the militia's outdoor kitchen.

Complete with their lunch of chicken stew cooking over the fire:

I also loved the tea tray set out and noticed they were drinking lavender tea. Mom and I tried the idea on Sunday by mixing 1 tsp. dried lavender flowers with some decaf green tea. It was surprisingly good -- of course very floral -- the best part is that the tea turns pink after awhile!

Seeing live animals is also a treat. The little boys loved holding baby chicks and everyone enjoyed petting the goats, sheep and calves in the barn. One of the interpreters brought by these oxen.
After lunch there was a parade to participate in.

David marched with his "Quaker Gun".

Then we all gathered to hear the Declaration of Independence read. I am ashamed to say I can't remember if or when I've last read it. I was intrigued to hear all of King George's misdemeanors listed and wondered how hard it must have been for those early patriots to make the decision to break with England.

Many of those early leaders were either Christians, or highly respected the Bible, and so think about how hard it was for them to decide to overthrow the government when the Bible urges us to live at peace with all men, submit to the government, etc. And, that God will hold us accountable for the decisions we make. The Bible does make provision for not obeying authorities that ask you to do wicked things, etc. But, often in these matters things are not always black and white.

Our family knows something of how hard it is to make decisions where the answers are not black and white. When is enough, enough? When do you overthrow an oppressive king? I bet those patriots often felt like the weight of the world was on their shoulders! I'm just thankful that they made that decision and I didn't have to.

After the parade and the assembly, there was square dancing, which Rachel really enjoyed.

She even got me to join her for a bit.

It was a fun outing, the start to a very busy weekend. Here it is the end of another week. Christina and JK and Baby John are staying with us right now while their lives are in limbo due to mold infestation at their house. There's lots going on in the kitchen and we're trying to find some time for knitting. Only one more week until we head to church camp, so there is plenty to do!