ELMER IS BACK !!!!!

This week has certainly been eventful.  First I would like to thank Jean for taking over for both Anna and myself.  Second, I am glad that Marilyn has a camera.  Anna and I are contributing to the donations even though she says no.

Everything started when our son-in-law came to our house and told us that the baby was coming forth and the midwife was at another house delivering a baby.  There is another midwife local and he called her - she also was at another house delivering.

A little off side here.  Anna was a midwife in Pennsylvania, but in New York State you have to have a college education before you can be trained as a midwife.  As Anna does not have a college education, she can not be licensed in New York State.  Anna still has her medical equipment, but does not use it unless it is an emergency and no one else can come.

So Anna grabbed her medical case while I hooked up the buggy and off we went.  Anna examined her and told me to call the ambulance.  Our daughter didn't want to go.  But we had no choice.  I used my cell phone to call 911.  My son-in-law said I wasn't suppose to use it.  I said only in emergency and I am sure if Bishop Eli were here, he would say this is an emergency.  Anna said they better get here soon.  If not, she would have no choice but deliver it.

I called a driver to come to the house to take us to the hospital.  When the ambulance arrived, they picked up our daughter and Anna was allowed to go with the ambulance.  The English neighbors saw the ambulance and when they heard what was going on agreed to take care of the children - no matter how long we were gone.  I also had my son-in-law call his parents on the cell phone to tell them what was going on.  His parents live a few towns over and left the message on their shanty phone.  I called Bishop Eli and left a message on the shanty phone telling him what was going on and to please get help doing my son-in-law's chores and to call John and ask him to do ours.

I better tell the Amish when babies come.  The children usually go to relatives or neighbors.  If, for some reason, the children can not leave the house then you have a lady come in to take care of them.  The men are suppose to do their chores like nothing is happening.  That is also not what men usually do.  They are pacing back and forth either in the house or outside.  The Mother is in the bedroom with the midwife and maybe her Mother.  Everything is suppose to go on in the bedroom.  Husband and children are invited in after the baby has arrived, is dressed and the everything cleaned up.

Anna and I are different.  I have been in the room during the birth of every one of our children including a still born.  If Anna asks for me, I will be there.  I have gotten more than one midwife upset, but that is the way it is.

So the nurse, at the hospital, came out and asked son-in-law if he wanted to go in.  He asked me if he should.  Now I am not the one to ask.  I told him if he wanted to, go ahead, just don't pass out.  He wanted to know what Bishop Eli would think.  I said he's not here and he knows I go in with Anna.  So in he went.  He made it until the baby came forth - then he came out - all dressed in white.  When I asked him if it was a girl or boy, he didn't know, but the midwife said it would be a boy.

Anna was the one that came out and told us the midwife was wrong.  The baby was a girl.  We were all very happy.  Their first child was a girl.  Then they had eight boys.  Of course they would love the child no matter what it was - but if they had a choice - they would like another girl.  That is what they got !! She came at 8 pounds 5 ounces.  They named her Anna, of course, for her mother and Marie for my son-in-law's Mother.  Little Anna Marie is a cutie, of course any Grandfather would say that.

We stayed the rest of the day.  At time to leave, Anna stayed with daughter and son-in-law and I went home to our old house.  Englisher neighbor had fed all the children.  They did not know how we had bible reading and prayers at night, so they read some bible passages to the children and prayed.  Then they put them to bed.  Our Englisher neighbors are Christian and we thought it kind for all they did, but especially the bible reading and prayers.  Son-in-law and I slept in the house all night.

Next morning some Amish ladies came and had breakfast for us. Son-in-law's parents arrived. Anna and daughter-in-law came home from the hospital about lunch time.  We had lunch which the Amish ladies made for us.

Now here is where the greenhouse comes in.  As Jean said, I forgot all about it when we moved and left it in the barn at the old house.  We didn't get home until night, tired so we went into the house through the mud room.

Next morning I get up.  Anna went to the kitchen to make coffee.  All of a sudden I hear her scream and come into our bedroom to hug me.  After I got her calmed down I asked what she was excited about.  She kept saying that I knew.  Finally I got her to tell me the greenhouse.  I said we don't have one.  She said we did.  I told her that I bought one and it was in the barn at the old house.  She convinced me to go look out the kitchen window.  I did.  Darn, we had a greenhouse all put together in our yard.

Anna gave me a cup of coffee then got dressed and flew out to see the greenhouse.  I am drinking the coffee trying to figure how the greenhouse got here and put together.  Anna came back and said I had to see it.  One of the tables inside had plants on it, with garden tools and more.  So I went out and took a look at it.  It was just as she said.  I knew someone set it up, but who.

As I was coming out, our Amish neighbor across the street came over with a grin on his face.  He said it all started when David, Michael, Edward and Thomas showed up with the greenhouse and tables on the back of their wagon.  He came over to help.  When his wife saw what was happening and knew how bad Anna wanted a greenhouse, she started spreading the word the greenhouse was going up.  News travels fast by word of mouth among the Amish and then spread to the Old Order Mennonites.  All the ladies wanted to give Anna gifts for her new greenhouse.  So now we knew who put it up and gave all the plant gifts, tools, etc..  They wanted to help start her greenhouse.

I went to the shanty phone and called Jean's house to thank them for all they did.  Also thanked our neighbor.  Thanked the ladies for gifts.  It was a real surprise.

Later Bishop Eli came over to find out what I thought of that greenhouse standing there when we came home.  When I told him what happened - he laughed.  I also told him about using my cell phone.  He said those were emergency calls.  Eli was on his way to see the baby and Mother at home.  Make sure they didn't anything.

I know our son-in-law is having a maude come in to run the house for a few weeks.  He doesn't want to wear our daughter out.  She had come to their house and met them.  They liked her right away.  A maude is a teenage girl who comes into the house to do the cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, taking care of the Mother, if needed, and more.  This maude is a foster child from a foster home in Seneca Falls.  She dresses our way and says she is in the middle.  She'not an Englisher anymore and isn't Amish yet.  She plans on becoming Amish in the near future.

Well, I think I really told you a lot this week.


Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer