It is 5:15 a.m. and the house is very quiet because my husband Joe and sons Benjamin and Joseph have already left for their daily jobs.
Daughter Verena left at around 4 a.m. to go across the road to help daughter Loretta while Dustin is at work. Those two little … Continue Reading ››
Canning season is still in full swing around here. Yesterday after doing laundry, I helped daughter Loretta make Thick and Chunky Salsa (recipe below). We canned twenty pints for them. On Saturday I also helped her and Dustin can thirty quarts of V-8. She still wants to make pizza sauce. I came back home around … Continue Reading ››
August 15th—we are already halfway though August. Today is my oldest sibling’s birthday, sister Leah is 64. Happy birthday, dear sister, if you happen to read this. Although we are over a 100 miles apart my thoughts were with you this morning as you turn another year older. Leah was the oldest of eight children, … Continue Reading ››
We have entered the month of August. We are having cool mornings after having hot and humid weather last week. We also had a few storms that took down trees and branches in the area. Son Benjamin mowed the grass last night and also cleared up a lot of branches from our yard. We have … Continue Reading ››
Last week we went to the orchard to pick grapes. All the households in our family went along, and our driver pulled an enclosed trailer so we could all get our grapes home. We take along 5-gallon buckets, and that is counted as a half-bushel. Some picked Niagara grapes, which make a light-colored juice. I … Continue Reading ››
Thirteen years ago today—September 14—sister Emma and Jacob were blessed with a daughter Marilyn. She died eight and a half months later, leaving heartbroken parents and siblings. We were so close to her—how hard it was to go tell Jacob and Emma’s children and my own in school that day that their little sister/cousin had … Continue Reading ››
Today is the last day of August. This summer is flying by so fast, it seems. I have tomatoes, pickles, and red beets to be put in jars. I will probably make salsa with the tomatoes that I have picked. The plants are loaded with more. How thankful we can be for this bountiful harvest. … Continue Reading ››
We are in the midst of canning season. Yesterday, we canned 16 quarts of sweet and sour dill pickles. Now I want to make dill spears yet. I’ll use the rest of my cucumbers to can some for daughter Loretta. This way, she’ll have pickles whenever their turn comes to host church services. I am … Continue Reading ››
It was snowing most of the day yesterday, although there was not much accumulation. It really does feel good to have heat in the house again. We had let the stove go out over the warm-up.
I have been busy sewing this week, and that is my plan for today. The wedding where daughter Loretta and … Continue Reading ››
It is 4:30 a.m. and son Joseph just left for work. They have a one-and-a-half-hour drive to the job site today, so they had to leave earlier than usual. Joseph enjoys construction work.
Son Benjamin started back to work this week at the horse trailer factory after being off since March 23. Unfortunately, the factory shut … Continue Reading ››
