Sunday, Sunday, Can't Trust That Day!

Each Sunday school class at church is responsible to decorate one window in the fellowship hall before the church Christmas party next Sunday night.  I spent about 6 hours--before Brandy's surgery--shopping for supplies and putting the essentials together.  This morning in Sunday school my two students helped put the finishing touches on, and then we hung our project.  During the week, Owen's mother asked him what he thought I would have them make for a craft, and he told her, "I dunno--probably make a tabernacle!"

He knows me so well after only one quarter!  We're studying the tabernacle this quarter, so I decorated our Sunday school room with the colors and materials God ordained for the tabernacle and also brought incense to accent our lessons.  We didn't actually make a replica of the tabernacle, but for the top part of our window I put together Hobby Lobby's version of the three layers of the roof: goat skin on the bottom, then ram skins dyed red, covered with hides of sea cows. The lower part of the window contains many of the elements of the tabernacle as well as the ephod and breastplate worn by the high priests:  fine linen with twisted yarns of blue, purple and scarlet; gold (painted) cherubim like the ones on the Ark of the Covenant; bells across the hem like the ephod; pomegranates; a golden plaque that says "Holy to the Lord," hung by a blue cord; braided chains of gold, silver and bronze; and 12 jewels, one for each tribe.

Doing this project gave us a chance to review many of the elements of worship in the tabernacle and what they meant.  We ended our lesson by discussing why we don't need a High Priest today and how nice it is that we can come into God's presence without wearing bells and pomegranates on our clothes--without fear of being struck dead!

While we were at church hanging this bright, cheerful decoration it started snowing outside.  By the time we got home, ate lunch, and were ready to go outside and work Brandy, it was quite cold and blustery.  Of course both horses were feeling frisky, so in addition to doing the training lunging I always do with Brandy, I had to lunge Angel, too.  She bucked, crow-hopped, kicked up her heels at me and generally worked off steam until she was ready to ride.  After warming Brandy up for 15 minutes of brisk work, we mounted up and headed out.  We had both been dreading our ride today, looking at the gray skies, blustery wind and gusting snow--not to mention the wind chill!  But despite cold noses, ears and toes, we had a great ride.  Both horses behaved really well and Herb got to enjoy Angel gaiting beautifully.  This is probably only the second time he's ever ridden her, and last time she was too busy fussing at him to settle into her gait.  He was really quite delighted after they finished today's jaunt across the pasture.  Despite continued swelling in her thigh and drainage from the stitches, Brandy is moving so much better without her stifles "catching."

We cooled down the horses, did evening chores, and headed inside by 4:30.  According to local weather, it was about 27°--20° with the wind chill.  All I can say is, I believe it, and I'm glad to be inside!  I wish the chickens would go to bed before dark so I didn't have to go out there again!  It's almost 6 now, and I'm sure they're up in their coop, so I'll end now and get out there before it gets any colder!