BIRD'S NEST ON TELEPHONE POLE

I borrowed a friend's pick-up truck when I was going through car with drawl.  Driving around I found this bird's nest on top of a telephone pole.  I really got that bird upset.  I didn't mean to, but I did.  The bird came after me, but I did get a couple of pictures. I believe she must have had her babies up there and thought I would climb up the pole and steal them.  With my fear of heights, no way would I climb a telephone pole.

JEAN'S VEGETABLES AU GRATIN

JEAN'S VEGETABLE AU GRATIN

6 cups cauliflower flowerets
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 Tablespoon grated parmaesan
2 Tablespoons, butter, melted

Place steamer basket in 4 quart saucepan.  Pour in enough water to come up to bottom of basket.  Bring to a boil.  Add cauliflower.  Cover and steam 6 - 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.Drain well and place in greased 1 1/2 quart shallow casserole.  Arrange tomato slices on top.  Sprinkle first with crumbs, then with cheeses.  Pour butter over top.  Bake 375 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

GARDENS ARE GOING IN

Even though I didn't have car, it didn't mean that I didn't take pictures. These gardens have been started behind the apartment buildings where I live.  Well, most of them have been started, anyway.  The weather was so nice the day I took these pictures, someone even set their Africian violet outside to get a little sun.  The last four pictures are of the large garden Sam, the fellow that lives above me, grows every year..

ELMER TELLS OF PONY'S LATEST !!

Well, we found out we have a very smart pony - too smart.  When we were coming home from our church service, we waved at one of our Englisher neighbors who was talking with one of our Amish neighbors that got home before we did.  Our Amish neighbor was laughing, but our Englisher neighbor did not look so happy.

When we got home, Anna went inside and I took our carriage horse into the barn to brush and get settled down.  There in the barn was our pony.  I thought I had left it with all the horses out in the field.  Checked the fields and sure enough our other horses were there.  I couldn't yet figure it out when I heard Anna yell for me and it sounded urgent.

Outside Anna was standing by the buggy and said that our English neighbor was coming up the driveway and he did not look happy. In fact, he looked angry. Quickly I asked Anna if I put the pony out with the others and she said yes.  I explained that it was in the barn when Englisher got close enough to see and talk to.

Englisher was angry and said we had to do something about that pony we got.  I asked Englisher why he was so upset.  It seems that pony knows how to open the gate.  I said he had never done it before. He said it did it today.  They looked out in their yard and there was pony standing in their front lawn eating their lawn and flowers.

You have to understand Englisher.  His yard and her flower gardens are immaculate.  He spends hours of many days taking care of the lawn and his wife taking care of the flowers.  So pony eating their yard ruined part of his work. A good part of it.

Pony getting out was not all.  When pony opened the gate all the other horses followed him out.  Which ment there were six horses lose.  Englisher neighbor got a couple of other Englisher neighbors, rounded up the horses, put them back in the fenced field area, closed the gate and hooked it.  Shortly later, pony was back in his yard and the other horses were slowly moving down the driveway. Neighbors got them all back in fenced field except pony - they put him in the barn and tied him to make sure he couldn't get out.

I tried not to laugh.  I really did.  But I couldn't help it.  Also, I couldn't believe this little pony size horse could open the gate.  Of course, I did not say that to neighbor.  We put the pony back in the field, went inside and watched out the window.  Eli and his wife pulled in as we had invited them for supper.  After he got his horse settled, they came into the house and wanted to know why we were looking out the window.  I explained what happened.  Eli was just starting to tell Englisher how this couldn't have happened when pony walks over to the gate, lifts the latch, opens the door and goes off down the driveway.  Eli, Englisher and myself went, Englisher closed the gate so the other horses couldn't get out while Eli and I were running down the driveway to catch the pony. We caught pony at the end of the driveway before it went out in the road.

Now Englisher neighbor was laughing.  Telling how we should have seen ourselves run.  He didn't know we could run that fast.  Neither did we.

I put pony in fenced field, closed gate, chained latch to post and put lock on it.  The pony still tried to open it, but it won't open anymore.  Eli checked me to make sure the horse wouldn't be able to open this.

When we went inside Englisher's wife was there with Anna and Eli's wife, drinking coffee, eating pie. Anna said she would replace all the lady's flowers for her.  She could have them from Anna's greenhouse and if Anna didn't have what she needed in there, they would go to the store and Anna would buy what she wanted.

I asked Englisher what I could do for his lawn that pony damaged.  He told me to keep my horses out of it.

During last winter Anna and Englisher's wife had been talking.  Englisher's wife told Anna that her husband had a heat condition, but he still shoveled out his driveway and sidewalk.  He wouldn't hire someone to do it.  Anna asked if finances were a problem because we would sure help out. Englisher's wife said no, he wouldn't hire someone to do it.  Something about wasting good money.

So I told Englisher, when winter comes, I am hiring someone to come over and plow his driveway and clean his walks.  Englisher said we didn't have to do that, but he wouldn't turn us down.  So when winter comes, I will see if Michael, Edward and Thomas are going to do that job and if so, hire them for neighbor.  If not, I will have one of our son's go over there and do it for them.

When neighbor's left, Eli told me to get on my cell phone, call previous pony owner and ask him if the pony did this when he owned him.  Seeing Eli is Bishop and ordered me to use cell phone, I did as he told me and did not argue.  Sure enough, pony had done this at previous owners.  Seems previous owners children thought it would be cute if the pony opened the gate.  Asked us if we were returning pony.  I explained no and told him the whole story.  He started laughing, real hard.  He tried to tell us he was sorry about this or at least that's what I think he was saying as he was laughing so hard.  We told him we were not returning pony.  Just wish we had know this when we picked it up and would have been prepared for pony.  All of us were laughing.

So Monday, I went down and purchased a special lock for the gate so this doesn't happen again.

Seeing that Bishop Eli was coming for dinner, Anna had made mincemeat pies.  We had most of one after supper.  Anna sent another one home with Eli and his wife.  Knowing how much I like mincemeat she made one for us, too.  So I will be eating pie again.  Mincemeat this time.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

FARM MACHINERY

All the pictures except the last one were taken in April.  As I am not a farm  lady, I have no idea what all these are used for.  The last picture is a tractor I was behind while driving my friend's truck. last weekend.

JEAN TELLS ABOUT HER ADOPTED CHILDREN

Marilyn read me an article off her computer a few weeks ago telling about Foster Homes.  How children go from one house to another with only a bag of used clothes and maybe shoes.  Shoes that are worn and torn.  Also, someone requested that maybe for the new people, I tell how we obtained our adopted children.

Susan and David are our natural born children.  After them, I had to have a serious operation and thought that we would not have any more children.  Little did I know what would be provided.

David Sr. and I decided to become Foster Parents.  At first, we had several children that came for short stays, then either went back to their parents, family or other Foster Homes.

Michael was the first to come and stay.  His parents had been sentenced to jail for a long time and he was to stay to finish out the school year as he was going to public school at that time.  Like, in the article Marilyn read to me, he came with a bag of little clothing.  David and I took him into town and got him some new clothes and shoes.  He finished the school year and was sent to another Foster Home for the summer, but he wanted to come back to our office.  We wanted him back.  Susan was so thrilled to have an older brother.  To make a long story short, he did come back.  His parents gave permission for adoption and we adopted him.

Second was Edward.  Edward lived with his Grandmother.  Both his parents were gone - his Mother deceased and his father's whereabouts is unknown or if he is even alive.  Edward's Grandmother had cancer for a long time.  One night Edward called Michael and explained that his Grandmother was being taken to the hospital and the Police were there to take him to a Foster Home.  He wanted to know what a Foster Home was like.  Michael asked us if we were prejudice against blacks.  We said of course not.  The color of a person's skin does not matter.  So he explained to us Edward's situation.  David got on the phone and talked Edward into giving the phone to the Policeman.  David explained that we were a Foster Home and that Edward and Michael knew each other.  If it was all right with the police officer, we would like to take him into our Foster Home until his Grandmother could take him.  We were given permission.  David went to get him.  Edward's Grandmother gave us custody at her own will.  Edward has been with us ever since.  His Grandmother passed, he became a member of our family so we adopted him.

Katie was our third to adopt.  Her parents had been killed in an automobile accident - Katie had been in a children's seat in the back of the car during the accident.  Another Old Order Mennonite Foster Home had been called.  The lady there knew how bad we wanted another girl and when she saw Katie knew she belonged us to us.  The only family Katie has are her Great-grandparents and they are unable to care for her do to age and health.  At that time we were moving from our old farm to our new.  David was at one house and at the other.  When we got together, we got a driver and went to the hospital to meet Katie.  We knew as soon as we saw her, she was for us.  They kept her at the hospital for a couple of extra days so we could get moved into our current farm and we took her home.  Her Great-grandparents bought her clothes from her former house, which she had lots of fine purchased clothes, shoes, etc.  Great-grandparents weren't too sure they wanted her living with us taking her from cars to horse and buggy, no television, wearing our style clothes, our religious beliefs and more. It took a while, but we worked most things out.  We still have a few problems sometimes, but we were allowed to adopt Katie, which we did.  Susan was so happy that she now has a little sister.

Thomas is our most recent (we are running out of bedrooms).  He has spent most of his life in Foster Homes going from one to another.  Along his way he was never adopted.  It seemed when someone was about to - something happened.  Like one Foster Family were but the husband got ill and all the Foster children had to go to different homes.  Another family were going to, but got transfered out of state before they could and more.  The last Foster Family did not work out - not on his part.  I think they were just to young and just starting with a teenager was difficult with them.  We brought him into our home.  Another person that came with only a bag of worn clothes and shoes.  David and I took him down to the store and got him new clothes.  Since then, Susan and I have also made clothes for him.  He came with an Old Order Mennonite background.  He said he got it from being in so many Mennonite Foster Homes.  We are so glad he comes knowing the Lord.  He immediately fitted into our family although he is insecure that this is his home and he is not going to another one even though we asked him if he wanted to be adopted.  Of course you know, we are adopting him and he will become an official member of our family.

David said to make sure I have all of the children we adopted on here.  We don't want to leave anyone out.  We say, we aren't adopting anymore, but we really never know who God will send to our door.  Susan and Katie still want another sister to even up the score.

I hope I am not boring you telling about our children.

Be With God,
Jean

NEW YORK HAITI BENEFIT AUCTION - JUNE 19 - 20, 2015

NEW YORK HAITI BENEFIT AUCTION
Penn Yan, New York

Bring your family and friends to enjoy the day !
Something for everyone.
Items to be sold:
Bedroom Suites, Wagon, Pole Barns, Furniture, Lawn Furniture, Tables / chairs, Quilts and much, much more.

Friday June 19

4:30 - 7:30 PM Fish Fry & Roast Beef Dinner
6:30 PM Cattle Auction
6:00 PM Misc. Auction (Flowers, Toys and more)

Saturday June 20

Breakfast  6 - 9:30 AM
Lunch  10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Auction  8:00 AM
Furniture  9:30 AM
Quilts  10:00 AM
Large Items  1:30 PM