To bat or not to bat; As it is Christmas; Our greeting; Raccoonery

To bat or not to bat?

That is the... 

question

^,^
AS IT IS CHRISTMAS...

 the Raccoon went to church

last Sunday.

 We went to the Vernon WI Reformed Conventor Pesbytyerian church

to meet up with Bro. Walt Lohman and visit this 1854 edifice.
Had never been there; do not remember it at all.

Walt, a ghost of Christmas past,

thought we would like to see a simple church at Big Bend Rd and Hy ES

that has not been used for regular services since 1920.

The members' living relatives do have one Sunday service per year
to meet insurance and/or existence rrquirements

when things are really dusted off

for old time's sake and the kerosene lamps are lit, if required.

The occasion to which we were invited last Sunday

was the interrment of Walt's mother's ashes
- Marjorie Jean Lohman -

in the adjacent cemetery at the Reformed Covenentor Presbyterian church.

Last Sunday was the anniversary of her 100th birthday,
the time chosen to bury her ashes in the Lohman plot.

Getting to the old church building early we got a tour of the
preserved rusticity as it is today.
In its original day, the mid 1850's,  the Reformed Covenentor
was nice and plainly serviceable as a house of worship.
with a kerosene central sanctuary chandelier that could be lowered 
from the ceiling by rope for lighting and extinguishing.

A balcony was reached via a steep, narrow-staired
flight of steps.  Hewn benches provided the seating there.

(In summer: photo courtesy of LANDMARK - John Schoenknecht/Libby Nolan)

ibid

Walt, in his barn boots
for it had rained hard in the night
and the cemetery was expected to be muddy.

Miraculously, it wasn't. See lower photo
of our two cars in the gravel lot
and hard rain still on the church window pane.

The church was heataed by two wood stoves,

one on each side.  The stove pipes traversed through the balcony

giving off their heat before passing through the roof.

The Lohman burial grounds.

Walt dug the grave for his mother's ashes

some days ago and covered it for protection

with the green tub.

In a little but time unforgotten cemetery like this

such personal handling is allowed.

This is the lane that became Big Bend Road.  

Above pictured, a painting in the vestry, a sleigh is driven to church.

They would park the horse in he open shed to the right of the edifice for the animals to wait

tlll the service was over and people departed.

That structure too is still standing.

 



^,^

Our Christmas wish this year
is for a secure line through your piton.
(And all the meanings and pertinences thereof.)


^,^

The raccoonery at 7 AM Friday 12-18-15
as we walked over to meet the Rev. Leroy for breakfast at Dave's.
Our tree shines tall on the 3rd floor, right.