An Amish Summer

It happened slowly.

My life has gone from simple, to simpler.

In the last year I visited my Amish friend each month, sometimes more.  But then, without planning, I started visiting several times a month.

Now...I visit weekly, sharing my week between my rustic lifestyle on our small farm, and traveling to the Amish community I dearly love.

I have met new friends - friends who care deeply about God, family and community.  And me.

I feel so blessed to be able to live and worship among these new friends, living and visiting in their home(s), sharing their meals, assisting in chores and enjoying their company.  They are such a treasure to me, in guiding my walk with the Lord.

This 4th of July I will be with the Amish.  Traveling to a huge Amish Garage Sale with my dear Amish friends.  Later in the evening, I look forward to falling asleep with the sights and sounds of an Amish farm...no fireworks/but the night sky lit by fireflies.  No big bangs/just the whirr of the farm's windmill. The bleat of the sheep, the snort of the content horse as it night grazes.  This is my life.  Farm life.  Amish life.

I'm so fortunate to have a husband who shares me with another world.  It's a world not that different than what we have on our small farm, but the community is strong, and the worship is long and reverent.  I hunger for it - more than food itself.

I've shared so much of their lives.  It's too precious to detail in a public way.

I will continue writing, for now, albeit sparse as I'm not near Internet often.

Until then, find solace in His word.  Jesus loves you.  It's as simple as that...

Sherry

My Field of Dreams

Dear Friends –

Greetings to you, in His precious name! 

The weeks are flying by, but few things have changed. 

We are still sans water.  It was nearly five weeks ago when I commented to hubby Russ that the constant pencil-thin drip/drip/drip was certainly along the lines of water torture.  However, that next morning at 3:30 a.m., when our temps hit lower than –30, the dripping stopped.  No more water torture.  No more…water.  But spring is on the horizon.  We have had some warmer days, although our wood stove is firing hot on this sunny-but-freezing day.  As I type this, hubby Russ is traveling to get our daily water.  I have our noon dinner in the Crock Pot – BBQ infused pulled pork (homegrown) with garlic/parmesan celery noodles.  A yummy combo!

Earlier in the week, we experienced a “teaser” of what is to come.  It hit the 50 degree mark.  I actually took advantage of the beautiful day we had, and left the county.  It was about the 3^rd time since early December that I traveled over our county line for any reason.  I headed to my treasured Amish friend’s for an afternoon of friendship, much-needed talk, and warm fellowship with her family, including her adorable grandchildren.  Her husband teased me about our “running water”, saying we have to RUN to get it.  So true~!  We have to travel about 7 miles, and back, thanks to our dear friends who share their well water.  At any rate, it was good to see my Plain friend, and make plans for spring.  I will be returning to their home for Easter – attending church and sharing in their dinner – Lord willing.  I can’t imagine such an Easter.  I will be humbled, to be certain.  Russ, although encouraged to attend, will remain at home, tending to the critters. 

There are changes on the horizon for us.  These plans are based on Scripture.  His Word.  These plans have been talked about, prayed about, wept over and are now being put into place.  I am moving forward to enter my “field of dreams”.  A move closer to a Plain life.  I feel like James Earl Jones in the movie, Field of Dreams, beaming that huge smile of his, as he tentatively sticks his arm in the cornfield.  After doing it several times, he shrugs, lifts his eyebrows and walks in, a smile planted on his face.  I, too, am “sticking my arm in”, beaming as I do so.  I’ve been waiting for the last year for the Lord to lead me.  I believe all the changes up to now have been set in place for such an event.  (The changes actually began nearly 30 years ago.)  Hubby Russ is my biggest encourager.  He feels I need to act.  To see.  To experience.  After much debate and prayer, I decided I will just move forward, and see if the Lord throws up barriers, or opens doors.  So far, so good.  I’ll explain more later…as I/we move forward. 

Yesterday morning, in an attempt to feed my husband, and to get him inside to hear my plans for the day, I made raspberry pancakes.  (Russ rarely enters the cabin, once he leaves in the morning for chores.  Many times, usually in a snowstorm, I must venture out and find him on the property to deliver a message, or request assistance.)  So the pancakes were a draw.  We smothered them with the fresh Maple syrup he had put up just the day before, while I was visiting my Amish friends.  Tasty indeed.  The raspberries were from my Amish stomping grounds, and brought good memories of retrieving them last summer.  Sap run is slow this year, so every drop is precious.  Trees are still tapped, waiting for a second “go round”. 

Speaking of getting hubby into the cabin – we have laughed about his uncanny ability to KNOW when the first batch of my cookies are coming out of our little oven.  I make oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies whenever the cookie tin is low, so it is a usual event for us, every few days.  Russ instinctively knows when to come in, even if I delay or speed up!  I then lose my entire first batch, or most of it!  I always make sure there is fresh coffee sitting on the woodstove, to go with the cookies.  That makes the day!

We still have our big hound of a sled dog inside the cabin, in a large crate, along with the other three.  His travel to his new home in Kentucky is delayed another month, so he remains for now.  As I type this, he is enjoying the heat of the woodstove.  He doesn’t mind the delay, as long as he remains toasty through our winter/spring conversion. 

Outside the cabin, I see thick-furred baby bunnies sunning themselves along the side of the feed shed – their favorite spot to be.  Older rabbits are enjoying the crusty, albeit rotten, snow as it melts to expose new sources of tasty treats such as sticks and wood.  We still have several feet of snow to melt before grass comes into play.

One day last week, mid morning mind you, hubby Russ walked out back (armed as usual) to stare face-to-face with a huge coyote.  This big boy (as big as any of our sled dogs) was hootin’ and hollerin’ and yippin’ up a storm.  After staring at each other, the coyote skirted the ridge along the dog yard area and along the back of our property.  No wonder our resident wild turkey stayed treed until almost noon!  Later in the day, while tapping trees, Russ saw where the coyote doubled back and remained behind our cabin.  I was glad when my new Cree 1600 headlamp arrived in the mail, as we have a nightly visitor to the dogs, and I wanted the lumens to see properly from the cabin.  Sneaky boy as he is, I can never get a view of him, although we know he is out there.

Although we loved our horses, I am so glad we are now “horse free”.  It is a freeing feeling, knowing you don’t have to buckle down and spend the summer finding hay to store for the next year.  Not only costly, but time consuming.  But a good horse is Godsend at times.  Like the other day while I was in my Amish friend’s home…let me explain.  Upon saying goodbye to an Amish family who had been visiting, I looked out my friend’s living room window to watch them leave.  I gasped and put my hand to my mouth as two-year old “A” climbed up onto the wagon, and grabbed the reins.  The rest of the family was busy loading items on the wagon, and other children were bustling around.  Little “A” raised his little arms with vigor and swatted the horse with the reins.  I was aghast!  However, the horse merely turned his head in a s..l..o..w.. manner and I could almost read his mind…oh, it’s only the boy.  GOOD HORSE!  This continued on for a minute or two, reins hitting rump, before 4-year old “R” took the reins from her little brother and wrapped them around the wagon.  Whew! 

I have so much to write, dear friend.  I’ll check in soon, and update about our life on our 40 acres.  So much excitement now that it is spring! 

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sherry

P.S.  Out of the 24 chicks that our hen, Israel, hatched last year, 9 ended up being roosters.  I wish you were closer, as they are too beautiful to “put in jars”.  Anyone need a rooster?  $5 a bird! 

P.S.S.  Speaking of birds...wait until I tell you about my new crow call (Primos) and what excitement it brought!!  First, I scared our chickens half to death when I "crowed" outside our cabin door, not to mention it made the crows scatter.  But later in the afternoon, when I went to the woods...oh what an adventure!  Next time, I'll share!  

Russ-Stick Realville

In the last few weeks, we saw our final horse, Raz, head down the driveway to his new home.  Actually, he is “going home” to the place where he was born, a few miles east of us.  Our good friend, who loved him the minute she laid eyes on him as a newborn foal a decade ago, is thrilled beyond words to have him back.  

She still owns his Mama, along with several other horses, some also related to Raz., so he is very well received.  Every ride he has taken off our property has included a visit to this home, so he knows it as second nature.  We sent along his groceries too.  150 bales of hay, so the winter won’t be a burden to our good friends.

As for us…I found this quote tucked within my weekly Amish Newspaper (The Budget), which outlines our life desires to a T.  It is by Wendell W. Price.  “There are many activities I must cut out simply because I desire to excel in my pursuit after God and holiness.” 

Will we miss Raz?  Of course.  But I truly believe God brought us to this point, for many reasons.  I must say, I was stunned to see my dear friend, Terri at Our Crazy Farm, was also at this point in her walk.  I think we were saying goodbye to our horses at the same time as she and her family saw their last couple equines leave the farm.  She, too, had horses for many years, with generational ties.  She summed up my feelings upon their departure when she stated “peace dominates the sadness…”.  She added, “These earthly treasures and delights don’t demand our attention like they used to, our satisfaction and joy is sought elsewhere.  We walk along now, after having tasted of glory and eternities nearness, refusing to be comforted by anything short of God Himself.  It’s a strange place to be, to live in this world as if we don’t belong here, strangers and aliens waiting to go home.”  

She goes on to state our feelings, as if snatched from our very thoughts.  See for yourself, HERE.  {Thank you dear Terri, for your ever-comforting words.}

As for our small farm, we still have chickens.  We had two batches hatched this summer, starting on Memorial Day, with the last one in August, with a count of 14 chicks, compliments of our hen, Israel.  What a sight that was!  This summer, we made a new tradition of Sunday dinner being chicken dinner, compliments of our young roosters who morphed into “manhood” throughout the summer.  They go from the outdoor butcher table right into the oven.  Fresh and delicious ~ baked chicken with ‘tators and thick gravy and the trimmin’s.  Next day or so, it’s Chicken Pot Pie with the leftovers.

As for me, my travels to the Amish community have increased tenfold.  (I’ll be leaving again on “Black Friday” to spend the day.)  I have enjoyed so many visits to various homes, being welcomed into the fold by children and adults.  In recent months, I’ve enjoyed road trips with my Amish friend, traveling to other Amish communities.   I’ve been learning about living out a Christ-centered life to the fullest extent (I now wear not only a skirt, but a head covering).  At times, the emotions are so raw, there are tearful conversations as we dig into revelations of the Word, and such. 

Oh friends, I have so much to tell, but hold back.  I couldn’t figure it out until I talked with a dear friend, who also knows the deep roots of the Amish life.  She summed it up with one word.  INTIMATE.  It is too “intimate”.  It’s SO true…to write any facet about my visits, is truly too intimate.  Perhaps someday I can figure out a way to do so.  The Lord will let me know.

As snow continues to fall, my eyes wander to the sled dogs, all 15 of them.  (Zip is in the cabin by the woodstove, with me.)  This is their time.  And they know it.  For us, it will be different, as it is the first year in over a decade that we aren’t open to the public for dog sled rides.  Calls continue to come in.  We have already had to turn away two Boy Scout troops and others.  I feel bad in doing so, but know our musher friends will pick up the slack and provide them with a wonderful experience. 

I have decided I’m going to check in here each week.  I’ve missed you, my friends.  There is so much to talk about, and we must advance the Kingdom, as the Lord tarries.

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sherry