ANNA'S KRUMMEL KUCHEN - CAKE

This is a recipe that has been in my Amish Family from generation to generation.

ANNA'S KRUMMEL KUCHEN - CAKE

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
Few drops vanilla
cinnamon, if desired

Sift dry ingredients together, work in butter.  Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla, Beat well.  Pour into a buttered and floured 9-inch cake pan, top with the reserved mixture.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.  Bake in moderate oven 350 - 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

AFRICAN VIOLET SHOW - DIFFERENT IDEAS FOR AFRICAN VIOLETS

Here are some different ideas people have with African Violets that were at the show.  I thought them very interesting.

We would enjoy seeing pictures of your African Violets. How about sending me pictures to
mab1121@verizon.net

ELMER'S - THE TRUTH BE TOLD

The truth must be told !!! Marilyn takes all the questions you give her for all of us and writes them on a pad of paper.  Then she calls us and gives us the questions.  Well, back when she was sick - she lost the pad.  It's in her apartment, but she hasn't been able to find it.  So we have been doing posts on recent questions and things we could remember or coming up with subjects.  Today, Sunday, she went back to January 1st and came forward writing down all the questions you asked.  So if you asked a question and it didn't get answered - ask again.

It was kind of fun going back in the posts. Some questions we gave to different people than you asked.  Like some questions you asked me, I felt would be better answered by Bishop Eli.  Most of the children's questions - went to Jean as she has small children.  Anna says, I was trying to get out of answering some of those hard questions.  So I gave her some questions, too.

The one I gave the most questions to, were Eli.  Being Bishop, I think he could answer and go deeper than I could in some questions - and you would still understand what he meant. Eli  laughed when Marilyn called him and told him, I was giving him some questions.

So here I go with some of your questions.

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Someone asked how baby John is doing?  He is getting bigger every day.  The doctors feel that he will not be a small person, like me, but wouldn't be tall like his father, either.  As men go, they feel, that he will be about five feet 5 or 6 inches.  But, they won't know for sure until he grows it.  We don't care how small or tall he is - as long as he is healthy.

Does our community allow smoke alarms in our house?  That was a big, long discussion when the subject first came with our Amish group.  At the time we lived in Pennsylvania and there was another Bishop.  We were not allowed.

Being a volunteer for the fire department, I have seen where fire alarms would have saved lives.  I was not the only one of our group that thought we should have them.  It was voted and it was decided against it.

When we moved to New York, everyone is suppose to have a fire alarm in their homes.  Bishop Eli opened it for discussion.  After much discussion, prayer and hearing from us fire volunteers, it was decided we could have them in our house - if they are battery operated.

Some people felt them wrong and I am sure had them in when the house was inspected, but took the batteries out when the inspector left.  Other people, like us, have them in our home in working condition.  Bishop Eli has them in his house.  Seeing they are battery operated, we also have them in our barn.

Now, let me explain, not all Amish Groups have them in their homes.  We do, but many don't.  The say "It is God's will" if their houses catches on fire whether the Lord will let them know or not.  Bishop Eli says that "It is God's will", if the house catches fire and the fire alarm goes off.  He has had discussions with other Bishops who disagree.  Even with people in our own group.

On April 26th Anna gets her cast removed.  She wanted it done two weeks earlier, but the doctor said no.  They had a go around and Anna lost.  The cast makes her leg itch.  Anna uses a knitting needle to scratch.  Both Anna and I will be glad when it comes off.

Keep those questions coming.  Even if you asked before.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

FIRST FLOWERS OF THE YEAR

I was driving around and saw these little blue flowers coming out.  My Mom use to call them Blessed Mother's flowers and say that she was telling us Spring is coming.  I enjoy seeing them every year.  Do you have any flowers coming out that you would like to share with us????

JEAN AND FAMILY ARE BACK

We too extended our prayers and sympathy to Anna and her family at the loss of her mother.  Our family attended the viewing and the funeral.  All of us will miss Anna's Mother.

Our family had a wonderful time in Pinecrest.  We enjoyed the weather.  Ladies enjoyed shopping.  Men enjoyed chatting.  It was so nice to see places that Grandmother Olive and Grandfather Albert had spoken about.  Also, enjoy their cottage that we slept in.  Thomas and Ruth enjoyed theirs, too.

We also enjoyed the Amtrak very much.  Coming back, we were traveling along when the train slowed down.  Our train stopped at a train depot where this Amtrak usually doesn't stop.  It was announced that there would be a slight delay.

David looked up Porter and asked him what the delay was.  It didn't matter if we were delayed, but were curious.  David said Porter had this odd look on his face and said he hadn't been told.  Which we later found, he hadn't.  But inside and years of experience he knew what happened.  He didn't know where or how bad, but Porter knew.

On our train, things kept going but we were standing still.  We had lunch and there was gossip in the dining room about what could have happened.  After lunch, those that wanted could get off the train for a short period of time, but were asked not to go to far.  As smoking is not allowed on the train, I believe a few people were very happy.

It was a while before Porter came to our room and told us that there had been a train accident.  It was on a train like ours heading south and we were heading north.  He did not know how serious it was, but we weren't going to be moving for a while.

An announcement was made that there was a train problem coming the other way and we would be delayed longer than expected.  We were there for sever hours.  Finally it was announced that we would be moving in about a half hour and they wanted everyone on the train.   We really didn't move until almost an hour.

It was several hours before we went by the train accident.  There were multi-tracks there.  The train accident was on another track than the one we went by it on.  Porter told us when it was coming up  in case we wanted to get the little children away so they couldn't see the accident. Thomas and Ruth's room was on the other side of the train, so Ruth took the little ones in there.  Thomas and the rest of us wanted to see the accident.  It was a terrible thing to see.

The people had all been taken off the train by the time we got there, but just seeing the damage to the front end of that train was really bad.  We knew people must have been hurt.  After our passing the train, we prayed for the people and Amtrak.   It was a terrible thing to see.

When we got to New York City to change trains, the accident was the topic to everyone.  We found that two people had died and many injured.  This makes you realize how short life can really be.  You never know when your time will come when you will be with the Lord.  We must all be ready no matter where we are.

As we got to Rochester much later than we thought we would be and it was late at night, we stayed in a hotel over right and had breakfast there.  First thing in the morning, David called our driver.  Driver got there as we were waiting for them by the door with all our luggage.

I must say we were glad to get home.  Somehow we felt safe there, but Michael reminded us of the fire he had in our previous house.  We advised him not to have this happen again in this house.  He said, he wouldn't he knows how to cook now.

We called Grandfather and Grandmother and told them we got home safe.  Explained about the train accident.  They already knew about the train as new travels fast.  They had been concerned about us.

All of us had a good time on the trip to Pinecraft.  The girls went back  to school the next day as they were having state test there.  We hope to go back to Pinecraft again - maybe next year.

Be With God,
Jean.

OSPREY ARE BACK !!!

Our Osprey that we had on last year - are back - in the same nest.  The female came first on April 2nd and the male came on April 7th.  First pictures I took through the windshield of the car as I was afraid if I got out they would fly away.  I went down the road, turned around and took the last three pictures out of the window.  Will be taking other pictures of them during the spring and summer.

AFRICAN VIOLET SHOW

African Violet show was held in a convalescent nursing home.  Many of the African Violets you see were grown by the senior citizens.  The rest were by the African Violet and Gesneriad Society of Rochester.  Some of these African Violets look different from the ones you usually see, but they are "relatives".  In picture 4 & 5 are African Violets in a glass jar.  One picture shows the glass jar and the other gives a closer view of the inside.  These are just the beginning of the pictures I have to put on here.  Maybe I will put a post on a week until we get them all on.