SUNRISE

You don't get many pretty sunrises during the winter in upstate New York, so when I saw this one last Friday, I just had to get pictures of it.

ANNA'S POST

I am doing the post this week as Elmer is down with the flu that John had.  One thing about John is he minds what his Mother says.  Elmer does not mind what his wife says,

When he got ill, I told him to go to bed - our children would take care of the farm while he was ill, but he did not listen.  I woke up the next morning and Elmer was not next to me.  Once I got up and looked out the window, he was in the barn milking the cows.  I knew there was no sense arguing, so I went and helped him.  Of course I mubbled how he should be home in bed.

After feeding the animals, we had breakfast.  He wouldn't even let me take his tempature.  Out again, he went to do chores.  It was a hour or so later, he came in and admitted that he didn't feel well and went to bed.  When he awoke, he was sicker.  Finally, I got a tempature and called the doctor.  Elmer would not go to the doctor, so the doctor came to us.

Our doctor is a man doctor, but he is getting up in years and considering retiring, so he does not do house calls anymore unless absolutely necessary.  He has a new doctor who will be taking over his practice when he retires - she is a lady doctor.

Now Elmer has nothing against a lady doctor for a shot in the arm or to look at a cut on his hand and alike, but he does not like a lady doctor that comes in his bedroom and sees him in his night clothes.  He feels that is just not right.

Well, the lady doctor has been through this before.  She explained that he did not have to pull down his blankets or quilts.  She also explained that she understood how he felt, but he would not come to the office to the man doctor, so this was the best he was getting at home. Elmer, for once, did not know what to say.

She took his blood pressure, temperature, etc. and prescribed the same medicine the other doctor gave John.  In fact, she called it into the drug store.  I called our daughter Alma to go and get it for me, which she did.

I offered the doctor coffee and some muffins, I made and we sat and discussed medicine.  She said that the other doctor has said that us Amish have our own medicines and ways.  He called it back hills medicine, and that I was one of the leaders.  I told her I didn't know he felt that way.  During our conversation, I explained that there was a time there were no doctors or the people couldn't afford it.  There are many natural ways that we can use it.  Also I explained that I only go so far as I knew Elmer needed a doctor - I had toget the  medicine to cure him.  I went into what kind of tea, I will give Elmer to drink.  Certain foods he can eat at this time and some he shouldn't.  Many of todays medicine that the doctor uses are part of natural medicine.  She was very interested and wanted to know if she could come back and talk to me again.  I told she was welcome anytime.

I apologized for Elmer not being happy with the lady doctor.  She said many men are that way Amish and Englishers - they prefer a man doctor.

Oh, someone asked if we get flu shots.  No, we do not.  We believe that any illness we get or don't get is God's will.  If a doctor says a patient should have it, Bishop Eli will approve it, but most of us don't get shots - we trust in the Lord.

Right now Elmer is on the mend.  He still won't listen to what the doctor says, but I make him take the medicine.  Went out to milk the cows, but two of our sons and one of our son-in-laws were there and ordered him back in the house.  Elmer can be stubborn sometimes.  Yes, he knows I am saying this.  Still, I couldn't ask the Lord for a better man.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Anna

BARNS

These barns also go back to December 24, 2015.  Time to put them on, too.

MARY TYLER MOORE

                                                 December 29, 1936 - January 25, 2017

FARM HOUSES

These farm house pictures go back to December 24, 2015.  Guess it's time I put them on.  As you can see, some are Amish, some Mennonite and some Englisher.

QUILTS FROM ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH SALE

Here are pictures of some more quilts I took at St. John Lutheran Church Quilt Sale last October.  I am getting down to the bottom of my pictures.  I know some of these were on, but here are some I didn't get on last time.

ELMER TELLS HIS VIEW OF THE PRESIDENT

" I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honest." 1 Tim 2:1-2

Our ways are that government is separate from our way and yet it is not: "An he saith unto them.  Whose is this image and superscription?  They say unto him, Caesar's.  Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's: and unto God the things that are God's." Matt. 22-20 21  We pay our taxes.  We try to abide by the rules as long as they do not go against our beliefs.  We pray for all parts of the government including the President.  We ask that God's way be done.

Most of us do not vote.  Of course, I knew what was going on during the last election as it was in our newspaper.  During that time, Anna, our family and myself prayed that the right person would be chosen.  We did not side with either of the candidates.  We asked that the person God wanted to be President to get the position.

As I said most of us do not vote.  Bishop Eli and I were talking about it and we believe a few of our people do.  Some of the younger folks.  It is not of our way to vote.  It is our way to pray.  At church, Bishop Eli prays and asks us to pray for the people in power of our country.

My personal view.  Anna and I could not understand how people could say such terrible things about one another.  We got to a point where we avoided reading that section of the paper.  We prayed for the people running for President, but could not read all that was written.  We still pray for the government.

John is staying at our home for a few days.  He came down ill and they called Anna to come to their house to check him out.  She took one look at him and said he had better get to the doctor.  He had a high temperature and she wanted to make sure what he had.  So off he went to the doctor.  He has the flu and the doctor said it would not be good that he was in the same house as Baby John as he could also get the flu and it would be harder on him than on our son, John.  So, on the way home from the doctor, Sarah and he stopped at our house, told us what the doctor said and asked if John could stay.
Of course, we are not going to turn our son away.

Anna and Sarah went to John and Sarah's and got some clothes for him.  My son-in-law and I have taken over all his farm duties.  He is one of the guest bedroom's at our house with Anna using the doctor's medicine and some of her own.  John looks a lot better now than when he first arrived.  John asked what made Anna send him to the doctor.  She said his temperature was so high, she almost called the ambulance.  Anna said there are times she will treat and times when she refers to the doctor who has more training that she does.  Honestly, she thought they would send him to the hospital.

The first couple of days, he was really ill.  He could hardly get out of bed.  Anna made him stay in bed as much as she could and cooked, baked, and did her medical.  Of course, now he wants to go back home, but Anna will not let him out until his temperature is normal.  It is almost there.  In fact, when you read this, he may be home.

Well, I guess that's the news for now.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

INAUGURATION DAY OF OUR 45TH PRESIDENT

                                                 President  Donald J. Trump
                                                 45th President
                                                 United States of America

God's Creatures - Birds

I went out Monday to take pictures, had lunch with Anna, but didn't find anything to take pictures until I went to Canandaigua Lake.  Here it was on the lake in January, 2017.  You can also see the lake melting.