JEAN IS BACK !!!!!

I would like to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.  Also, would like to thank both Martha and Elmer for filling in for me. 

Right now, the flu is going through Martha's house.  We didn't have meeting (church) last week because Bishop Joseph was ill.  The Ministers could have put on a meeting without the Bishop, but with all the flu going around, it was thought that it would be better to not have a meeting on Sunday.  Many of the people got a driver and went to a meeting a way from our area.  David and I decided it would be best if our family stayed home.

The biggest concern through the flu was Grandfather Albert and Grandmother Olive.  The doctor suggested that Grandmother Olive go in the hospital, but she said she had never been in a hospital as a patient and she wasn't going to go into one now.  She took some home remedies along with the doctor's medicine and came through just fine.  Grandfather Albert had to go to the hospital.  He has had a heart condition for many years.  The flu did not help and he had breathing problems.  When Grandmother Olive was allowed in the hospital she went to his room and said: "Albert, don't you dare die on me. It's not time."  After about a week and a half he was home.  We don't believe Grandmother Olive's words had any power, we believe God did, but Grandmother's words didn't hurt either.

We had a time when Katie, Susan,  David Jr., Grandfather Albert, Grandmother Olive and myself were sick with the flu.  That left all the work inside the house and out to David Sr., Michael and Edward.  So glad that Edward knew how to cook or we wouldn't have eaten as well as we did.  Poor Michael did something to the washing machine and it wouldn't work.  When Kevin came to fix it, he told Michael he had fixed many other washing machines, why he couldn't fix ours.  Michael was afraid if he messed up, I would be upset.  Kevin supervised as Michael fixed it and the dryer, too.  I told Michael I was proud of him for fixing the maschine.

Because they did so well and helped us so much cooking, cleaning, seeing we took our medicine plus their barn shores, David gave Edward and Michal the money to go skiing on Wednesday that turned out to be the day of the snow storm.  Kevin went with them. 

While they were gone Bridget came to give me a hand.  She was sad as she has been married over a year and is without child.  I told her that we were married over 8 years before I had Susan and six more years before I had David Jr.  The Lord gives in His time not our time.  Also to remember all the children that came to Martha's and Joseph's door that they adopted including Kevin and the ones that came to our door that we adopted.  I think I made her feel some better.

David and I worried about Michael, Edward and Kevin coming home as the snow storm got worse.  They ended up coming home in our usual drivers son's pickup truck.  It has a back seat inside so all could fit in the truck and has four wheel drive. All of the men had a great time skiing.  It had been snowing, but great for skiing. 

Things are getting back to normal at our house.  All of us are well again.  Bishop Joseph said that he will hold meeting this Sunday.  We look forward to meeting as Sunday did not seem the same without it even though we had Bible readings and prayer at home.

We also, wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.

Be With God,
Jean

ELMER WILL HAVE A POST ON TOMORROW.

ZION EPISCOPAL CHURCH , PALMYRA, NY

Zion Episcopal Church is the fourth of the famous four corner churches.  This church is different in that the other three main churches are of brick, but Zion Episcopal's  main church is made of sandstone.

On June 23, 1823 Zion Episcopal Church came into being under the ministry of Rev. Rufus Murray and two others who were the first wardens of the parish.  On February 1, 1829 they consecrated the first building - a wooden one that stood on the present site.  In July, 1873 the present sandstone structure was consecrated.  The entire spire was given by George W. Cuyler (one of our bank founders of the time), as a memorial for his children.  Since then the brick addition has been added and the inside of the church was remodeled and rededicated on June 21, 1998.

In the last two church pictures, I tried to show the beautiful spire on the roof of the church.  The house picture is of their parsonage. 

Zion Episcopal is a very giving church.  Two Sundays a month they have the Free Community Dinner in their new addition.  On Thanksgiving Day, they also put on a Free Community dinner.  All of their meals are hand cooked by the people of the church  and are delicious.  At these dinners, they do not mention religion unless you do.  Also, they have the Food Bank in their church for those that might be running low on food during the month. Most of the churches contribute to the Food Bank.


THERE IS A NEW POST, EVERYDAY, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY THIS WEEK !!!

STILL ANOTHER SWISS-GERMAN AMISH FARM

Here is another Swiss-German Amish farm.  The last sign is the reason, I have not been out there recently.  They don't snow plow out there from November until April.  There are houses out there and they still don't plow the road.  So I stay away from there, I don't want to get the car stuck.

CROCKPOT RECIPES PEOPLE SENT FOR MARTHA AND JEAN

PEPPERONCINI BEEF SANDWITCHES

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds beef chuck roast
1 (16 ounces) jar pepperoncini  pepper (small part of top with stem  cut off)

Optional

6 ounces sliced mozzarella or Swiss cheese
6 hamburger buns or French Rolls.

Put meat in slow cooker, pour jar of pepperoncini pepper and juices over the meat.  Cook on low for about 8 hours.  Shred the meat with two large forks and stir.  The combo of the meat, the pepper and the juices are delicious.  This can be spicy depending on jar of pepperoncini you use.  Serve on toasted bread, rolls or buns with slice of cheese.  You can broil your sandwiches in the oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.

PULLED PORK

Cut pork loins (less fat) into big chunks. Put in crock pot and pour a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce over the pork.  Let cook on low 8 to 10 hours - then shred and serve on rolls or buns.

I thank Cathy in Webster for the above two recipes.

SLOW COOKER LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 package dry Italian Dressing / Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare your chicken by rinsing it and trimming the fat.  If chicken breasts are large, cut in half making them more like tenders.

2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour and pepper.  Coat the chicken in flout.

3. Melt the butter is a saucepan on your stovetop over medium heat.  Once melted, brown each side of the chicken, but not cooking it throughout because you will be putting them in the crockpot.  You just want them to have a nice golden brown breading on each side.

4. Spray crockpot with cooking spray and place the chicken into the crockpot.  Sprinkle the Italian seasoning package on top of the chicken. 

5. Mix together the lemon juice and chicken broth.  Pour over chicken and seasonings,

6.  Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.

I thank Christine T for the above recipe she got from The Recipe Critia

If anyone else has any crockpot recipes for Martha and Jean, please leave them in comments.  They are looking for your favorite recipes.

BILL COLEMAN - GREAT AMISH PHOTOGRAPHER PASSED

It is with great sadness that I advise that Bill Coleman, the great Amish Photographer passed away on January 28, 2014 at the age of 88.

Bill was an international photographer.  His career spanned more than 60 years.  Although he took pictures around the world, the last forty years were based in Pennsylvania taking pictures of the Amish.  He was introduced to a remote Amish community, by chance.  Bill had the good fortune of having access to a few of the Amish farms and families, and has recorded them well over forty years of their family events. He took viewers on a visual journey through a Pennsylvania valley largely unvisited by tourists and the trappings of the modern world.  Bill captured with a perceptive eye that one unique gesture that reveals the character of an individual and community. 

Bill was born in Connecticut but raised in New York City.  He served during World War II as an Infantryman and was an American Prisoner of War in Nazi Germany.  When the war was over he attended Penn State University, majored in English and went on to Rochester Institute of Technology for graduate work.  He opened his first photographic studio in State College, Pa. in 1951. Frequent travels over seas, Bill took pictures of people in their daily lives in their own lifestyle. 

In the last 40 years, Bill has had a never ceased interest in the Amish way of life, which he has captured in pictures that he has shared with the world.  Many of his works are in framed pictures, puzzles, books and more.  You can see many of his works at: www.amishphoto.com.

When New York State of Mind came on, I never thought that Bill Coleman knew we were here much less read us.  It was about a year ago, I had a problem on the computer and who should e-mail to tell me how to correct it but Bill Coleman.  He was very kind and humble to talk to.  I told him that I had one of his pictures in puzzle form.  He told me that his taking Amish pictures were not a job, but an enjoyment.  He looked forward to taking their pictures whenever he could. 

I told him that I was taking pictures, but not with his training, knowledge and no where near as good as his.  He said that the we don't know all the pictures that he has taken that will never be published, which is true. We only see the best.  But he told me to keep taking the pictures.  I was honored that he told me that.

I always hoped that some day, I would get to meet him, but it never happened.  He was a great man to talk with on e-mail and to take his time to talk with me.  He will live in his pictures forever.

Marilyn

ELMER SAVES THE DAY !!!

As Jean and Martha's have the flu in their homes, I am, again, doing the post this Monday, which leads to our young folks think we were born yesterday.  My son John told me that the flu was in Martha's house and she couldn't do the post after speaking with her son Erin.  I asked him how he knew seeing we are in Pennsylvania at Anna's sister, Hannah's house.  Being Amish, she does not have a telephone.  Erin, Martha's son,  is in New York State.  John's face turned red.  Anna told him, he must have a cell phone.  He him and hawed.  I was behind him and could see the bulge in his pocket where the phone was and pulled it out.  I said you must mean this phone.  John is going through his rumspringa.  Anna and I both decided long before that if he had a cell phone, we wouldn't get upset about it.  With so many things in the world like drinking liquor, drugs, driving cars and more - if John has a cell phone - that's the least of our worries.  In fact, I have a cell phone because I am with the fire department back home.  Of course, I left my cell phone home.  I told John if he wanted to hide his cell phone, his back pocket was not the best place.  He didn't know what to say.  After he left the room, Anna and laughed about it.  Parents chalk up one point.  But, the other thought is that if he is doing this without our knowledge, what else is he doing we don't know about? Really, John , going through his rumspringa, is the least problem of his other brothers and sisters when they went through.  After a while I borrowed John's cell phone to call Martha and Jean to find out they are both sick.  So I called Marilyn and here I am doing the post.

In my last post, someone guessed that Anna and I were going to have a Guest House.  Well, we are seriously thinking of turning our house into a Bed and Breakfast.  While we are here in Pennsylvania, we are visiting a couple of Amish Bed and Breakfast's to get information, see how it is set up, what services they offer and more.  Also, we are looking for advice, along with the good news and the bad. 

On Monday, we leave, on the bus, for Florida.  The bus leaves at 10:30 AM Monday and arrives at about 9:00 AM on Tuesday. We are allowed one large suitcase (under 50 pounds) and one small carry on per person.  Well that was fine for John and myself, but Anna being a woman, has to have to have two suitcases - so we are paying extra for one of her suitcases. 

Just thought I would let you know how much it costs to go on the bus.  The price is $256.00, a piece, for round trip for each of us.  (It would cost me more than that in gas, alone, for me  to drive my car   down there-Marilyn).  They do have discount for Senior Citizens and little children.

Our seats are assigned at boarding time based on order in which reservations were made.  They do keep family together as much as they can.  There is a toilet and sink on the bus.  Bus stops every 2 to 3 hours as well as a dinner stop and breakfast stop.  These buses are not like the old school buses that they had when I was a child.  They are individual seats, very soft,  comfortable, and they recline. They do have a place they can show movies (DVD), but we don't have that on.

What do we do on the bus?  Many times, us men get together to sit and chat while the ladies are together knitting, chatting, crocheting, etc.  A lot of times we talk of what we are going to do when we get there.  Most of us are Amish or Mennonite, but there are Englishers on there sometimes.  When the bus gets to Florida, there are several places it will stop like: Jacksonville, Tampa before it gets to Sarasota.

The cottage we are going to stay at belongs to our Bishop who I grew up with.  I guess we became friends because he was the tallest in school and I the shortest.  He has two cottages at Pinecraft.  One his Father and Step-Mother stay in and the other he rents. 

A little side story is that his Father married his wife's Mother.  His Mother had passed on and his Father came to live with them.  His wife's Father passed on and she came to live with them.  Without my Bishop or his wife's knowledge his Father was courting his wife's Mother.  Finally, one day, his Father asked if he could speak with his Son and Daughter-in-law.  They couldn't believe it when asked for his Daughter-in-law's Mother in marriage.  After the Father and Mother-in-law married, they had their own small place for a while and then went to Sarasota for the winter, but they usually came back from Thanksgiving through Christmas.  Bishop and his wife would also go down to Sarasota for a month or so each winter.  Finally, they decided to buy one, and looked as they didn't come up for sale very often. 

Now here comes Amish thinking.  They found one on a corner and the one next door came up for sale.  Originally Bishop bought them to take those two down and build one cottage all on one floor.  Now here really comes the Amish thinking.  I am Amish and don't understand it, but would have done the same thing he did.  He thought and decided tearing them both down and building one cottage on two lots would show pride.  It is against our beliefs to show pride.  So he built a new two story one on a lot and rents the other.  After the new cottage was built, His Father and now, Step-Mother moved down there all year round and said if you want to see us, you come to us.  So Bishop, his wife and some of his children go down for Thanksgiving through Christmas and come home.  We took care of their farm while they were there so they will take care of ours while we are there.  The cottage we are staying in is the one they didn't tear down.

This cottage is a two bedroom.  Most if not all the cottages in Pinecraft have electric and if they are new have central heat and air or if like the one we are staying in, has central heat and a window air conditioner.  Refrigerators are electric, stoves are usually gas or electric and there are electric lights in the cottages. Some of the cottages have telephones in them. The old adage is: "What goes on in Florida, stays in Florida."   So we are not "roughing it" in Florida.

We also have reserved two three wheel bicycles and one two wheel bicycle.  There are no horse and buggies in Pinecraft.  Most people use bicycles.  So Anna and I are using a three wheel while John gets around on a two wheel.   Already the three of us are planning on going fishing on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico when we get there. 

Well, I hope you enjoy hearing about Pinecraft and the trip.  If another post is needed, I will tell of what is going on and what we do when we get there.  Seems we will be getting there just before a snow storm hits this area.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

Thank you Elmer, for saving the day.

Marilyn





 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF PALMYRA, PALMYRA, NY

The First Baptist Church is the third of the four famous churches on the corners.  The Baptist Church was organized at the home of Lemuel Spear on May 29, 1800 with 19 members.  In 1808 a frame meeting house was built.  At that time, the Baptist Church was of Macedon and Palmyra in Macedon.  On November 9, 1832 the Baptist Church instituted in the home of the minister in Palmyra. The First Baptist Church of Palmyra and Macedon separated on February, 1835 with the First Baptist Church of Macedon retaining the building (which they still use today).  Seventy-eight members moved to the village of Palmyra as the First Baptist Church of Palmyra.  They went from meeting buildings until the old stone church was dedicated on January 28, 1848.  That church was torn down in 1870 to give place for the present church which was dedicated Match 29, 1871.

Someone e-mailed me and asked if the four churches have tours of the insides of these churches and the answer is no.  All are welcome in all four of the churches for services on Sunday.  But there is no tour through the churches.  I have contacted our Historian and asked if the Historical Society would consider arranging tours through the four churches.  Tours would be the opening of more of the history of Palmyra. 

NEXT WEEK WILL BE THE LAST OF THE FOUR CHURCHES - ZION EPISCOPAL CHURCH