ELMER TELLS PLOWING SEASON

First, Anna and I would also like to thank Jean for all she has done on New York State of Mind.  She has done a great deal over the years and worked hard to convince us to come on.  We are glad she did.  Anna says this is a place I can express myself.  I wonder what she means by that?  Thank you, Jean for all you have done and hope you will continue.

Plowing, to us, is the awaking of the soil for the coming planting year.  You heard, last week, what I did at our house so I was more careful when I helped John and Moses at their homes.  Maybe Anna warned them ahead.   Anyway they went well.


John, David (Jean's husband), Michael, Thomas,  Edward and myself went over to Edward's Grandmother's House.  Edward has big plans for that house.  David tried to set him straight in that Thomas will be living in the house first and he has no plans of putting Jenn Air appliances in the kitchen.  Sears appliances work just fine.

David, Thomas and Michael checked the beams in the wall that Edward wants to take down and it does not have any supporting beams in it - so the wall can come down.  Then Thomas and Edward got talking about taking down one of the living room walls and making it all open like the new Englisher houses of today.  Where the kitchen, dining area and living room are all open.  David stopped them there as the property isn't even in their name yet.

John and I told David that Edward's Grandmother's house doesn't need the work on it that John had to do on his.  Its current plumbing and there is insulation in the walls - so that cuts down on a big expense.  David is going to have the electrician and building inspector over once the property closes so they can see if anything has to be changed or done that they hadn't planned on.

I almost forgot that when David and I checked underneath the carpeting, we found that there is hardwood floors under it.  Edward was a little child when he and his Grandmother moved there.  He can't remember if the carpeting was there when they moved in or she put it in. Anyway, when they get the house, the carpeting is going.  John told them, they are really going to have fun refinishing those hardwood floors.  I've done it. I know what it is like.  We all agreed to come over and give them a hand when the times comes.

When Thomas and Edward were plowing in the back, Thomas hit a rock with the tractor that put it out of business.  Thomas was afraid of what David would say.  David wasn't happy but said it has happened before.  Michael had hit a rock with a tractor years ago.  At least this time, he hoped Michael could fix it after all Kevin taught him.  They had to have it towed home and Michael is working on it.

I guess it didn't help, when I heard about it, I asked them if they wanted our horses.  At least a horse knows when to stop or turn when it sees a rock.  I don't' think they appreciated my humor.

One of Bishop Joseph's sons brought his tractor over and they finished the job with two tractors.  They also turned over where Edward's Grandmother's garden was and enlarged it.

Well, planting is next.  All the years of being farmer, it still makes me wonder, how you plant these seeds and they grown into big crops that we eat and sell to others.  Every year we plant the seeds and they grow - some years better than others.  We hope this year is a good year.

Before we plant and while we plant, we pray and ask the Lord to Bless us.  Anna and I stood on our new walk and prayed this year - not only for ourselves, but for those around us.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer