ELMER IS BACK TO ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS

Someone asked about me and the cell phone I have when Bishop Eli spoke to me at this house.  Could the people have spoken to me rather than the Bishop?  Yes, and some did including Anna, but I did not heed my mistake.  Do we have rule as to when the Bishop must be informed.  Yes, we do.  If I had stopped using the cell phone so much, when people spoke to me.  What was the final wrong I did was when they were building our house.  We ran short of something and rather than going to the shanty phone, I took out my cell and called the store.  When I looked up, there were about twenty people staring at me including Bishop Eli.  Bishop Eli did not say anything at that time.  He waited until our house was done and invited us for dinner when he spoke to Anna and myself. I have learned from my lesson.  Bishop Eli was kind, but firm.  Another problem with some of the people is that Eli and I are close friends.  They sometimes feel that Bishop Eli would be easier on me doing something wrong that he would someone else, which is not true.  He told me that it was very hard to speak me about the phone and hope that it would not hurt our friendship.  I told him it would not hurt our friendship and it didn't.  Even though he is my friend, he has to treat me as anyone else.  As Bishop he must treat everyone alike when it comes to church and religion.

Do we have dogs?  Yes, we do,  We have Basset Hounds that we raise and sometimes sell.  Right now, we have two females and one male.   We have one spayed female named Belle, the other is Sandy (she is sandy color and white) and our male is Duke. Once a year I mate Sandy and Duke, then try to sell the puppies.  Usually I do.  One year when Belle and Duke mated, I couldn't sell the puppies so I was going to take them to the Humane Society.  On the way there, I passed the school as the children were getting out.  My puppies never made the Humane Society.  Every once in a while I see one of Belle and Duke's puppies all grown up now.   So I learned if we don't sell them, to take them to one of the local Amish or Old Order Mennonite Schools - as all of them find a home in one of the students home. All the children want them.  I never had a parent send one back.

Usually, we do not bring the dogs into our home.  They sleep in the barn unless it is going ot be really cold outside.   Then Anna convinces me we should bring them in.

We also have lots of barn cats in our barn.  Most of them were strays or someone left them out near where we live.  They seem to find us.  We try to get them fixed, but sometimes they are with kittens when we get them.  At our barn, they are feed  and taken care of.  We and our grandchildren play with them.  We feel that all animals are gifts from God and it is our job to take care of them and treat them well.

How do we feel about permits and whatever we need to build the house, barns, etc. ?  I wish they didn't have them.  But as long as everyone has to go through it, we go along with it.  If it were just for the Amish, then I would be upset, but seeing it is for everyone we must go along.  Although we did forget to get one for the greenhouse.  When we went to get them for Hannah and her husband's house, and barn, we told them.  The building inspector came out and looked at the greenhouse and we went back with him and got the permit.  He explained that usually people are fined for not getting a permit when we put it up, but he knew it was a mistake on our part and with all the permits we were getting for the two houses, and barns, it was easy to forget.  So he just charged us for the permit, which we thought was nice considering we were in the wrong.

When we had 300 cattle we tried to raise food for them, but we always ran out before the next crop, so we had to go buy some.  We hope with our smaller amount of cows, we will be able to raise enough.

We sell our calves either on our farm or at auction.  Many times when our calves are born word gets around.  By the time they are selling age, we have someone who wants to buy one.  If that doesn't happen, then we take it to the local animal auction and sell it.  Of course, sometimes we keep one.

In our house, we have only one wood burning stove.  We also have propane and wood burning heater.  We try to use the stove as long as we can.  But when it gets colder, we use the wood burning.  When it gets really cold, we turn on the propane.

Right now we have enough wood for the winter from what we cut down for our house, barn and to clear land for farming.  We will not be able to do this next year as we don't have that many trees left and what we do have left we want for shade in our yard for summers.  So after this winter, we will have to buy it either from  Amish or Old Order Mennonite people that sell or at a commercial store.

Either Anna or I go to meat locker about once a week.  During the Thanksgiving, Christmas Season more often and others time less.  But usually, we go once a week.

Yes, as Amish and Old Order Mennonites that do not have electric move into this area, Jean and David could run out of room.  But, if that did happen, there is room for them to add on their barn.  They have put some money aside from the money they are taking there now, just in case that happens.  Right now, they have a lot of room, but they want to be prepared, in case they have to add on in the future.

I know I have more questions to answer, but I will answer them in a future post.  Please keep them coming.

Anna will post and tell you about our Thanksgiving and Christmas as they get closer.  I told her, we don't have that far off.

Also, Anna and I have both agreed to give up our posts if Grandmother Olive would like to put on a post or several posts at anytime.  We hope that might encourage her.

Michael is already planning for his and my birthday on October 31st.  Jean and David invited Anna and I to their house for dinner that evening.  I guess Michael is planning ahead.

It hasn't been announced at church, but John told Anna and I and Sarah's parents that they are getting married on November 14th, which is a Friday.  They want to get married on Anna and mine's wedding anniversary.  Usually Amish get married on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, but our anniversary is on a Friday, so they will get married on a Friday at Sarah's house.  Anna promises she will tell you about the wedding, when it happens.  I guess we know where we will be on our 30th anniversary.  Anna and I do think it such an honor that our son wants to get married on our anniversary.

I know that tomorrow is a special day  for New York State of Mind.  Anna and I wish NYSOM the very best.

Guess I have covered everything for now.  If I haven't, I will call and have Marilyn but on what I forgot.

Trust Gods Wisdom,
Elmer