AMISH IN THE AREA

A FEW DAYS AGO, I WAS ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO DO FOR MY 69th BIRTHDAY.  I didn't have an answer.  Let me sleep on it and I'll get back to you.

SUNDAY, I heard the local Church bells ring in the morning to notify the community that they were getting ready for Church Services.  They don't ring the bells for very long.  The church is around the corner from us where we live.  There's just something peaceful about the sound when I hear it on a Sunday morning.  It was my birthday treat and they didn't even know it.

My dear Husband made spaghetti for my birthday eve and on birthday morning made us biscuits and homemade gravy.  I loved it.  I gave some thought about what to do for the day.  I wanted to walk a mile at the local track field before it heated up with the SUMMER TIME HOTS in the high 90s.

Hubby drove me to the track around 10:15am and I walked my mile.  It took me 29 minutes.  I didn't overheat like I thought I would.  A nice change for an older woman.  

While walking the track, I pray.  The view is spectacular.  Off in the distance are rolling green hills and many trees with a haze in the air.  It's times like this that I wish I lived in the country. This will be my country scenery to look at when I walk.  

Near by, I noticed a young Amish momma carrying a baby across the Community Center Parking Lot.  I thought, they must be having a WORSHIP SERVICE in the center.  All the cars parked out front were mini vans.  There were 9 of them.  Not sure how long the center has been used for their gatherings, but thought this was special.  I think the Amish Community will begin to grow in this area.

In a day with sloppy dressers, me included, the well groomed dress code of long dresses for the women with their hair neatly combed back inside a white head cap is hard to not notice.  I have a soft spot in my heart when I see Amish women out shopping in Topeka.  We're not in Topeka. My head turns quickly when I see Amish in this area.    

These modern day Amish in this area drive very nice cars.  No horse and buggies for them.  I suppose they have cell phones as well.  The new furniture store in the country along side the highway use electricity and have running water with flushing toilets also.  Keeping up with the times in a way.  

Depending where you live, you may not think this is such a big thing having the Amish worshipping at the Community Center.  Back east, I thought the Amish worshipped at one another's farms every other week.  Here, I'm not sure of how often they worship together.  Shall check out the Community Center next week-end to see if they return.  

No birthday cake for me today.  Instead I'll have a chocolate covered peanut butter cookie and sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to myself.  I'm one day closer to turning 70.  I hope I live to see it happen.  70!  I have a plan to walk 1000 miles before I hit the 70 mark.  Well, maybe that's too ambitious.  365 miles might be better as there are only 365 days in a year and that's what I have before me.  More like 3 years to get to the 1000 miles.  If I can perk up when walking I could possibly increase to 3 miles a day like I did when I walked the neighborhood of Spring, Texas.  I was much younger than like a green 34 years old.  Heavens, I haven't been that age in 34 years. Yesterday, when I was 68, I could have divided 68 by 2 and came up with 34.  I have been aging all along.  It boggles my mind that I am this old and Texas was so long ago.

After Texas, we moved to Marion, Ks in 1992.  I keep up with Marion by reading the Marion, Kansas newspaper to see that the elementary school secretary I knew had died.  She was 81 so when I worked there she was in her 50s.  I mustn't think that time stands still.  I have to make a LIFE right where I stand.  I purchased a t-shirt last week that has a saying on it, BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED.

I HAVE BEFORE AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN,

~d

  

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER 2022

TUESDAY.  Heat index was like 107 degrees.  Our first day of SUMMER was a HOT ONE for sure.

When I rolled the car window down at SONIC for iced tea, it felt like a furnace blast invading the inside of my car.  Thankful we had no car trouble and managed to stay cool all day while shopping in TOPEKA.  

As I started to type this evening, the lights flickered and for a split second I thought we were going to lose our house power.  We would be most miserable if the air conditioning goes off on a day like today.

Last night we watched a 1992 movie, THUNDERHEART with Val Kilmer, Sam Shepherd and Graham Greene.  Liked it.  Thought the plot was really good.  Would watch it again.

My morning started out by washing yesterdays dirty dishes.  It feels good to have caught up.  Not often do dirty dishes sit out overnight, but we're getting older and sometimes the energy just isn't there after a long hard day of work like we had.  The dishes went undone.  

I went upstairs to get some clean clothes for the day and got sidetracked by hanging my vintage tablecloth collection.  All 15 tablecloths were hanging so nicely on individual hangers taking up more space in a closet than I will be able to have when we move to our sweet lil COTTAGE.  

Since we were going to TOPEKA I stopped off at BED BATH and BEYOND to get a couple of multi-layered hangers where each hanger holds 5 items.  This evening the tablecloths are hanging in a closet taking up less space horizontally.  I know I am thinning out everything we have.  I hate to get rid of these vintage tablecloths because I use them and also hope to make some blouses or a dress out of some of the vintage tablecloths.  I saw pictures in a magazine awhile back and thought I'd like to try this after we get settled in the COTTAGE.

Will hang onto the tablecloths.  The embroidery pieces make sweet clothing as well. 

Off to Topeka for the day.  Lunch at SugarCreek in St. Marys eating a Rachel sandwich on rye bread.  It was very tasty, but when eating one of these sandwiches I don't get the lettuce or spinach like when the sandwich is made into a salad.  I probably will ask for my Rachel Sandwich to be made into a salad next time and ask for the bread to be to the side this way I'd be getting the rye bread which I luv.

Picked up some Black Licorice, Sarsaparilla and Sarsaparilla Tea, Amish Blue Popcorn, Rye Chips.

We didn't leave town until we got our MJs Almond Milk Steamers with macadamia nut flavoring.  My Steamer lasted all afternoon.  Sipped it slowly.

Onto Topeka to God's Storehouse to donate some things.  Weekly donation is history.  Looked around some.  A $4 1961 Betty Crocker CookBook, and a couple of 75 cent quilted China Storage containers were picked up.  Didn't spend very much today.  Had a Peanut Butter Cookie though! Protein you know. 

Shopping at God's Storehouse were three women and a little baby.  Amish for sure.  I quietly observed them in their pretty, simple dresses and head coverings.  I wonder what HOME LIFE is like for them?

I shouldn't be so shocked to see the AMISH shopping at this thrift shop.  It's such a good one.

Off to a couple of Antique Malls to see what kind of chandeliers they'd have to offer.  Went to Wheaton Antique Mall purchasing a Tea Leaf Platter.  

Alfred Meakin Antique TEA LEAF Rectangular Serving Platter 14" 

Left the Washburn View Antique Mall buying Jackie Kennedy Interviews with book set.  

Listened to some of it on the way HOME.  When this came out in 2011, I wanted to get it, but didn't want to spend the money.  Today, the set was under $11.  The set I bought today was from the Topeka Library.  I was surprised that the Library had turned lose of their copy for someone to be selling it at a Antique Booth.

No chandeliers to take HOME for the COTTAGE.  Still looking.  One that I like on the internet is way more than I care to spend.  I'll have to give this a great deal of thought before I spend as much as this one cost.  Choke a horse.  

The chandy I saw on Monday is not electric, but burns kerosene.  It certainly would add a great deal of abeyance, but not sure I want to go this route.  Electricity is more my speed.

After we went to Sonic for Iced Tea and to Bed Bath and Beyond for the hangers, I was ready to drive HOME.  Walking from our car into the house was a little laborious.  My right foot hurt and I felt extra tired.  In September when I have my yearly Thyroid Check-up I will be asking the good APRN that will be seeing me, what his advice is about dealing with horrible fatigue.  

All these years and I have not asked what would you suggest I do about this horrible fatigue I have and have experienced for 12 years?  That just sounds so stupid that it will have taken me 12 years to ask when I finally ask this.  I am so thankful that I have had 12 years past a cancer diagnoses to live.  My journey has been an adventure for sure, but I still don't have all the answers.  I know that I have put on a gross amount of weight since I was 55 and had my thyroid removed.  

It's pretty common to put weight on after a thyroid is removed.  20 pounds is common.  Thyroid gone...instantly you are hypothyroid.  I put on far more than 20.  More like a hundred pounds.  When I'd tell the professionals that I was putting weight on they'd look at me like I had three heads.  I wasn't told I'd put weight on.  I was told that I would have to take a pill the rest of my life.  I wasn't told so much...another post.  

A SUMMER SALAD for supper.  This is a great way to start off the season.  Spring greens, spinach, shredded carrots, craisins, soy-free eggs, miniature cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, melba toast and Italian Dressing.  Ate it one bite at a time very slowly.  

A Thunderstorm has blown in.  A great deal of rumbling going on.  Lights flickering.  Winds are picking up.  Night has fallen.

Basically I had a terrific day.  

Now to unwind,

~d  

  

My Father’s Story / Growing Up Amish / Ben Girod

GOING FROM A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM into a true relationship with the Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

~d