Real winter returns—a bonus when preserving meat for next year
Meat aplenty: Making pon hoss and cutting up beef
Saturday we left at 6:00 a.m. to go help sister Emma and Jacob butcher three hogs. One of the hogs was for Menno (Menno is a special friend of niece Emma, 19—Emma and Jacob’s daughter). Menno lives alone in the house Timothy (married to our Elizabeth) used to live in before he moved to the … Continue Reading ››
Just an ordinary day? The comings and goings of the Eicher family
Diary of March 1, 2017
3:10 a.m. The alarm rings—time to get up and prepare Joe’s lunch. I make a pot of coffee. Joe always likes a mug of coffee to drink on his way to work.
3:55 a.m. Joe leaves for work. He is leaving later since one of our neighbor boys started working … Continue Reading ››
Lovina’s daughter shares the news and a recipe for whoopie pies
Hi! This is Verena, 19, filling in for Mom this week. I had the urge to do some writing, and I thought Mom would be happy to have a break.
This last week has been absolutely beautiful spring weather. It’s hard to believe it’s only February. I will be happy to see summer come.
I started working … Continue Reading ››
Tapping trees, baking bread and going to baptism fill February days
We have had a few very warm spring-like days. Son-in-law Mose took advantage of the weather and tapped our maple trees. He also tapped sister Emma and Jacob’s trees. They asked him to cook their maple syrup for them. Son-in-law Timothy is tapping their trees to make their own maple syrup.
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Continue Reading ›› Helping family prepare to host church services brightens dreary winter days
We had a few days of sunshine, which we very much appreciated. A person is so much more energetic and life looks better when the day is sunny! We had a lot of gloomy January days when we didn’t see the sun too often. With all the solar panels we have, that can be a … Continue Reading ››
Week marred by illness brightened by kind gesture
We have entered the month of February. The temperature has dropped to the teens again, and we have had several more inches of snow.
Last Friday the girls and I helped daughter Elizabeth with the final preparations for hosting church services on Sunday, January 29. Joe and I and the children went again Saturday so Joe … Continue Reading ››
Can you ever have too much birthday cake?
Yesterday, January 24, was daughter Susan’s twenty-first birthday! My sister Liz also has a birthday on the same day. She turned forty eight. A happy birthday to both!
Friday evening, Mose’s family brought in supper here at Mose and Susan’s. It was a surprise for Susan. They … Continue Reading ››
Friday evening, Mose’s family brought in supper here at Mose and Susan’s. It was a surprise for Susan. They … Continue Reading ›› Scary moments for Eicher family
Scary moments for Eicher family
It is Thursday morning and past time for this column to be on its way.
Joseph, 14, Lovina, 12, and Kevin, 11, are almost ready for the school bus. Son Benjamin, 17, is hitching up a horse to take our daughter Susan to … Continue Reading ›› Getting to work in snow and ice when you’re Amish—and more
We are having a thunderstorm this morning: not at all normal weather for January. The temperature is hanging around 34 degrees so some places could be icy.
Daughter Susan has to be at work by 9:00 a.m. She was going to drive the buggy but called a driver instead (“drivers” are non-Amish people that we hire … Continue Reading ››