We have been enjoying our beautiful North Indiana August. In all of my 34 years of living, I do not recall ever having such pleasant August weather. Fifty-degree nights in the dog days. I could live with these all 12 months of the year. I’m trying to enjoy this week to the absolute fullest because school will start on Monday. We’ll have to change our schedule again for the next eight or nine months. The summer flew by. Too bad we don’t have school for four months and summer vacation for eight months.
The sweet corn is in the freezer. The job was made sweet this year because two of my friends came and helped me. We did corn two days in a row: one day at Esther’s house, the next day for me. Every year the children can help more, and the responsibilities change. Sometimes it takes a whole lot of bossing, and it would be a lot easier to do it by myself, but I’ve decided I want to teach them while they are young. Now, to keep myself disciplined and focused on my goals.
We canned a lot of garlic dill and kosher dill pickles this summer. We did the kosher dill first because we didn’t have any left in the basement, and the children can hardly wait to have some again. What are grilled hamburger sandwiches without kosher dill pickles? We eat them with any hot or cold sandwiches.
We’ve also canned green beans, red beets, blueberry pie filling, and black raspberry pie filling. I’m not halfway through canning season, and my big helpers will be off to school.
Today we were off on an adventure. We all went to the Shipshewana Flea Market. There weren’t as many people on the grounds as there are sometimes, so it wasn’t too bad with the children in tow. I learned a valuable lesson, and it still grinds me to a T. The first row we went down included a stand with good bedsheets for $20. I thought it was a good price, and I’ve needed a set for quite some time already. I always thought the good sets at Walmart were too expensive, and that next time they might be on sale. Now here they were for $20. The guy said he was the only one here selling these… blah, blah, blah. So I bought a set. Well, we hadn’t gone too far when we came upon another stand with the exact same sheet sets for $14.95! We probably saw six to eight different places that were selling them for $14.95. I know I could have taken mine back and gotten one elsewhere, but I decided I’d just take this as a lesson. The next time I’ll go several aisles before jumping for a deal.
I see all types of people at the flea market. Pale, dark, big, small, happy, unhappy. I always feel very conscious about being courteous, cheerful, and friendly. I try to let my light shine. A lot of people there know little of us [the Amish], and I wish to convey a Christian attitude.
We got our winter supply of booties for the girls and Jesse to wear in the house this winter when the snow flies. We also bought watermelons and peaches—some of our favorite fruit. Our watermelons in the garden aren’t ripe yet.
I treated the children to pizza, which we all greatly enjoyed. We crossed the road to Spector’s Dry Goods to buy a bonnet for Colleen. It was deemed very necessary as she says she’s been wearing the same one since second grade. She’s ready for the eighth grade now! We got our money’s worth out of that one. It was a black outer bonnet that she wore to and from school. It’s actually still in good shape, and I’m sure one of the other girls will wear it now.
After coming home, Colleen and I did the laundry. It looked like rain, and it did sprinkle for a while. We could easily use a good soaker, so I wouldn’t have complained had our laundry gotten wet.
Wayne milked after Brian had prepped the parlor. Brian mixed some feed in the TMR or mixer wagon.*
I gathered some tomatoes and cucumbers for supper, peeled peaches, cooked filling for fresh peach pie, and did other odds and ends. While walking through the garden to gather vegetables, I had a hard time accepting how fast it is emptying. Made me sad.
After supper the three little girls and I went on a walk. Actually, I walked and they rode their bikes. I’d prefer to go alone, but for some reason they love to go along and talk and talk and talk. Sometimes I long for quiet, but they won’t be little for long so I try to swallow my selfishness.
We’re anticipating the Honeyville Consignment Sale this weekend. Emily and Jolisa get to go along on Friday for a while, and they are excited. Our private school has a lunch stand there on Friday and Saturday. With a team effort, we sell several thousand sandwiches, plus French fries, root beer floats, soft-serve ice cream, and drinks. We see a lot of people—unless we’re bent forward making sandwiches like crazy.
Our yellow lab, Sam, is such a people dog. Jesse likes to play horse with him. He puts a rope in his mouth and leads him around pretending Sam’s our Belgian horse Jordan. Jesse says Sam’s a high-stepper.
On August 17, my mom had a stroke in the buggy on the way home from church. We summoned the ambulance, and they took her to the hospital. From there she was life-flighted to a bigger hospital. She was unresponsive for a couple days.
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). We actively practice this by calling the ministry to gather to pray, anoint, and sing together (if requested). So on Thursday evening, August 21, she was anointed, and it was a miraculous experience. We had been unable to awaken her, but about halfway through the ceremony she woke up and seemed to know what was happening. Later she didn’t remember, but that didn’t matter.
We were at the hospital in Fort Wayne for 10 days, and then she was moved to a rehabilitation facility in Goshen called The Maples. During this time Mom would fall into a deep sleep, a result of her stroke. Some days she knew who we were; other days it seemed she didn’t.
On August 30, one of our beloved neighbor ladies died. It was a very emotional week for me, especially because Mom didn’t seem to comprehend. The lady and her husband were neighbors for all of Mom’s 72 years of life. At the same time, our closest neighbor lady was in the hospital gravely ill with an infection, and their newborn son was in another hospital. On August 27, a neighbor man fell at work, but he was treated and released. Still caused us a scare. On September 8, another neighbor man fell at work and was in the hospital until September 18, when he passed on to eternity. He was 44 years old and left a wife and six children.
Mom had more strokes and seizures from September 10 on, until her passing on September 14.
The past month has been such a sad time for us, but we have countless blessings to thank our Lord for. I cannot imagine living without community and church support. My heart is broken, as are my family’s hearts and the hearts of the rest of the church people. Three funerals in three weeks’ time. I trust the Lord in all his ways, and he will heal our broken hearts.
How I struggle with missing Mom and the kids missing their grandma. Our houses are attached, so our children spent many hours with her. I struggle with the fact that my youngest children won’t really remember her. Sure, they’ll remember how she looked, but not the person I knew. Time has gone around long enough that we have found a new normal. And then something happens that throws me for a loop, and I need to refocus again. I do find that talking about Mom’s stroke, death, viewing, funeral, and all the happenings at that time is a comfort to me.
It will remain a mystery to us what exactly Mom could comprehend during that month. Sometimes she would surprise us by what she said, but she never seemed to remember anything for more than a minute or two. Jesse could usually get a bigger response out of her then the rest of us.
On the home front, the neighbors pretty well took care of us with food, babysitting, chores, canning tomatoes… the list could go on. The goodness of our friends’ hearts is overwhelming to me. We are truly blessed.
Since all we’ve had going on, the three youngest have been extremely clingy. That’s stating it quite mildly. Sometimes they almost drive me crazy, but I know they don’t know how to cope with their loss. Sometimes I seem helpless in trying to help them. They had spent many hours with their grandma and must now deal with living without her.
I need to sew some thick winter coats before it gets too cold. I’ve done one and need to make at least five more. Sure wish I could find some cheap, double-faced lining somewhere. Buying lining for so many coats is very expensive. At least the coats are usually worn a number of years, so if I divide the cost over the years it’s not so bad.
All the children need clothes, and I’d love to sew several quilts and do some painting projects this winter so I won’t be entertaining boredom at all. Each winter I think I’d like to make enough greeting cards to last a year. Each winter comes and goes, and I never get it done. Maybe this year…