OLD ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSES, NEWARK. NEW YORK

Saw these while out taking pictures.  The bottom two pictures shows the school, if I every got the money, I would like to turn into a house.  For some reason I love that school and the location.

JEAN'S GLAZED PARSNIPS AND CARROTS

JEAN'S GLAZED PARSNIPS AND CARROTS

1 pound parsnips (2 very large or 3 medium)
8 ounces baby carrots
1 Tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel parsnips, cut into wedges the same size as baby carrots.  Spread vegetables in shallow roasting pan.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until fork-tender.  Combine orange juice, butter, honey and ginger in large skillet.  Add roasted vegetables: cook over high heat 1 to 2 minutes stirring frequently until sauce thickens and coats vegetables.  Season with addition salt and pepper, if desired.

ANNA WISHES EVERYONE A HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone.  As we Amish have farming traditions like Elmer told you about plowing snow under there is St. Patrick's Day tradition.  Tradition is the first lettuce of the year should be planted on St. Patrick's Day. Rain, shine, or snow, some plant lettuce on St. Patrick's Day. If you plant the first lettuce of the year on St. Patrick's Day you will come up with the first lettuce and the best lettuce.

As Easter will be here soon, there is an Amish tradition that first potatoes should be planted on or just before Good Friday.   Again, it is believed that the best potatoes of the year will be those planted at that time.

Now, for real, is the time to start some of your garden plants inside your home.  If I were home, I would be starting some of my herbs in the green house.  What reminded me of this is that Sarah called and told me that some of the seeds had arrived in the mail.  Also, some of the small plants I ordered had arrived.  Did I want her to plant them for me?  I told her that would be nice if she wanted too,

John called a few days later saying that it looks like he will have to buy Sarah a greenhouse.  She really enjoys planting all the seeds and plants for me.  The plants that she thinks would get to cold in the greenhouse are in their house.  She wants to check the plants about every day.

I, too, enjoy planting vegetables, herbs and flowers.  There is just something about it.  If I am upset it has a calming effect.  To see those little seeds grow into plants, food  or beauty is something I enjoy.  It is nice to know that Sarah enjoys it too.

Most of the local stores that handling growing items, should have everything at the stores now.  You should be able to buy seeds, peat pellets, or peat pots and more.  When I start planting it also reminds me that spring is just around the corner.  After such a hard winter, we sometimes need to be reminded.

My personal feeling is that starting some of the herbs, vegetables and flowers inside gives them a head start on the outside garden.  Maybe makes them stronger before they go into the outside ground. In a way, I wish I were home now preparing my inside plants.

So, if you are thinking of starting a garden, now is the time.  If it is your first time, don't start big.  You can always add as the seasons go on.  If you have been planting gardens for years, then you should know how much you can handle.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Anna

BISHOP ELI TELLS OF HIS STEP-FATHER

Hope you don't mind my being on here this week.  This weekend we are celebrating my Mother and Step-Father's 25th Wedding Anniversary here.  We will celebrate it bigger when they get up north later this year, but it was 25 years this weekend that they married.  They don't want a big party up north, but we will see about that.  Here we are having some local friends of theirs including Elmer and Anna, Albert and Olive.  Anna and Olive made a great dinner and cake.

I guess Elmer told you about my Father passing away in the barn leaving my Mother alone to raise ten children. I and my family lived out of state as did Elmer and his family.  We both moved back to Pennsylvania where my Mother lived because I knew she would need our help.  Also, I guess Elmer told you that about a year later Amos (my step-father) bought the farm next to my Mother's.  He was widowed and had moved into the area to be closer to relatives helping him raise his five children.  Mother was helping him by doing the cooking and baking, cleaning, sewing and more.

After a few years Amos' family was invited for dinner once in a while.  Then it became once a week.  Then it became two or three times a week.  A few times Mother and Amos got family sitters and went out to eat by themselves.  Finally one evening all of his family and our family were invited for dinner when they announced they were getting married.  My wife and I were very happy as were some of the older brothers and sisters.  Some of the younger ones were not.

Being a Bishop, I have seen times when it is hard for two widowed families with children when parents get married.  This children think the step parent is replacing the parent they lost.   All the rules and regulations in the house change.  Someone is going to take all the parents attention.  All sorts of things came up.

Now, I look back on Amos.  He united two families with a total of fifteen children.  A year or two later he and my Mother had another child.  Amos said they had to make a even number of children.  We are not suppose to have pride.  But I have to give Amos credit for taking on such a big family.

Before they married, they had a Father night.  After dinner all of us children told about out Father.  We could say anything we wanted.  Amos wanted to know about our Father.  A few nights later we had a Mother night where his children could tell anything they wanted about their Mom.  Amos said he was going to be the step-father not replacing our father.  He wanted us to keep the memories of our Father and if we wanted to speak or say something about him to feel free.  Like wise our Mother was not replacing his children's Mother.  His children could talk about their mother anytime.  We were not ordered to call our step-father Father.  All he asked was that we call him Amos.  If we decided to call him Father that was fine, but no one was ordered to.  Like wise with my Mother.

When it came to living his children wanted to stay in their homes.  My brother and sisters wanted to stay in theirs.  Mother didn't care if they sold her farm as it bothered her that our Father died in that barn.  So they decided to sell both farms and buy another one.  They ended up buying land and building a new house.  The house was not Amos' house or Fannie's house but their house.

The evening after they married, they had all of us over to the new house.  Amos and my Mother stood side by side and said we are all one family.  There are no your family or my family.  We are one family.  There are no favorites.  Everyone is equal.  No matter what happens - we are family.

Amos saw that we kept that, too.  He worked the farm and an outside job to make enough money to support the family.  My brother and sisters plus Elmer and myself helped on the farm when needed. It seemed he worked morning to night.

One of my little brother's ran away.  As a little child, he wanted to test to see if he was really loved so he ran away to see if our family would come after him.  Amos spent most of the night looking for him.  He found him in a barn at a friends home.  Mother said if she had found him, she would have paddled his bottom right there.  Not Amos.  After my brother explained why he ran away, Amos asked him if they proved they loved him.  My brother said yes.  Amos didn't paddle him.

When any of the children were sick, he and my Mother were up all night taking care of them.  Then he would go to work in the morning.  When the washer couldn't work anymore and was passed being fixed again, Amos took on a third job to pay for a new one.

He made sure every one of us was at church.  Also made sure we had Bible readings and prayer.  Even though, we did not live in the same home he did, he always told us the importance of reading the Bible and praying to the Lord.

During teen years for the younger ones, he had hired a driver to take him to parties or places that the young folks should not be at and bring them home.   One of my sisters ran away and he hired a driver to take him to get her.  He told her if you are going to leave, tell us, just don't sneak out of the house.  Later one of my brothers left.  He was gone for two years.  Amos kept telling us to pray.  We did.  One afternoon, Mother was out and Amos got the call at the shanty.  My brother wanted to come home, but was afraid.  Amos called him back and told him he would send the money and meet him at the bus station when he came home.  When everyone came for dinner, he told us that the Prodigal Son was coming home.  My Mother almost passed out.  He said he wanted him treated equal when he came home.  Asked my Mother to make his favorite dinner that night.  When the bus came in Amos was there.  What he and my brother talked about on the way home is between them.  After all the hugging when my brother came home, he was treated like the rest of us.  Mother did cook his favorite dinner.

When I became Bishop, I was in shock and felt that I couldn't do the job.  When we got to my parents, Amos put his arm around me and told me that I was the one for the job.  The Lord had selected me because He knew I could do it.  I was not to be afraid or doubt.   The Lord knows what He is doing.  Whenever I have a problem or am not sure - I remember his words.

Didn't mean to go on so.  Just wanted you to know how special our step-father is.  We have called him Father for a long time now.  Even today he doesn't want us to forget our natural father or natural mother.  We are all one family.

My Mother always said that she could not have gotten through the rest of her life especially taking care of the children, if the Lord ad not provided Amos.  Amos says he could not have gotten through the rest of his life if the Lord had not provided Fannie.

I am happy that they spend most of their time at Pinecraft.  They deserve it.  Both have worked hard all their lives.  To this day if anyone of us needed one parent or both, all we have to do is call - they would be there. Thank you for these parents, Lord.

Happy 25th to My Mother and Father,
Eli

P.S.
Please ask Elmer, Anna, and Olive questions.  They are running out of ideas to write posts about.

GOD'S DEER CREATURES

God does work in mysterious ways sometimes.  I was thinking of putting deer on here, but the only deer I had were from last year.  So I thought I would put them on again, but God had other ideas.  As I was out taking farm pictures, I came across these deer.  At first I thought they were someone's decorations until they started moving.  They started moving, I started snapping pictures.  I thank the Lord for these pictures.

KOA KAMPGROUND, CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK - PART 2

The top of the campground has an addition building since I was there.  It is a second laundry and rest room building.  I love some of the signs they have around there. Next three pictures are of the pond and cabins.  They have paddleboats that you can peddle on the pond. You can also fish in the pond.  Two more of their signs on the game room building. The duck is one of the figures on the minature golf course.  Next picture shows something you rarely see anymore - a pay coin telephone.  Last  tells of paddleboats and the name of the pond Critter Pond.

That is a safe place to stay at.  It is a man and woman that own it.  One of them tours around the park several time a day and evening to make sure everything and everyone is fine.  They don't allow wild parties, drugs, etc.  I wish I had an RV again.

KOA KAMPGROUND, CANANDAIGUA, NY PART 1

 A long time ago in the 1950's I saw the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez movie the Long, Long Trailer.  I told my my Mom on the way out that someday I would own a trailer.  Well forty years later, I bought a trailer and became a full time RVer.  I lived six months up here and six months in Florida.  While I was up here I ran my store.  When I went to Florida, I bought items to sell in my store.  When I came up north , I stayed at the KOA Kampground in Canandaigua, New York.  After Christmas I was coming back from Jean's and thought I would drive by to see it today.  Over the years, it hasn't changed much.  I really enjoyed that place.

Of course the first picture is their sign, the second is the office, general store, rest rooms, laundry and place where the manager lives. Fourth picture is of children's play area.  Next is the minature golf. Six is the game room.  Seven is the restaurant.  The next two are pictures of motorhomes and trailers that are there for winter storage.  Picture ten has storage items on there for the winter, but during camping time there are picnics, bands, and more.  On Sunday they have a religious service. if you would like to come.  Last picture is the little pond they have.  There are cabins around the pond.  If you don't have your own recreational vehicle, you can rent one of the cabins.  More on tomorrow.