adventures on my sister in law's farm

2014 begins with my husband and I going to bed at 1:30 AM. We rang in the New Year with a few folks close to us and by the time everyone said their good byes and left we were going to bed at a very late hour for these two old fogies. We woke up at 7:30 this morning to the sound of the alarm roaring in our ears and we knew we had to get up and get ready to go the Shetler gathering. I said to my husband, “I feel like I have a hangover.” And all I heard from him was, “ah mmm.” I think he was struggling as much as I was.

 We had to be leaving our house before 9 to get to his oldest sister’s house who was hosting the gathering this year. Ever since I’ve known my husband, and we have been married for 29 years, the Shetler family has eaten their lunch at 10 am at these gatherings. Yes, you read that right, 10 am. And we don’t have brunch; we have ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, mixed vegetables, salad, and dessert. The reason is, in the afternoon, about 2 pm we roll out the snacks and when I say snacks I am talking cheese balls, dips, homemade confections, fruits and dips and on and on. There are generally two tables dedicated to the snacks. Everything is so delicious. But tonight, I’m feeling the affects, for sure, for sure. J

Because of my late night I knew I had to do something to stay awake today and I knew I wanted to try and take some pictures while I was “down on the farm”, so after lunch I slipped into the bedroom, grabbed my camera and,  while I was mostly alone on first floor as the rest of us were down in the basement visiting and finishing up eating, I shot a few photos of the food table and a few other things in the house I will describe as I share the photos below. As I was taking my pictures though, the grandchildren of my sister in law who was hosting the event, found me and they were enamored with my camera and wanted to see each of the photos I shot, so I got to chatting with them about their animals and they were telling me which kinds of animals they have on their very large farm and so I asked them if they think I would be allowed to go outside and shoot some pictures and they were like, “We will go ask our mom.”

They hurried off and asked their mama if they were allowed to go outside with me while I take some pictures of the farm. Mama consented and so there was a scurry and a scuffle to get ready. I told them not to hurry, that I would wait till they were ready and then we would be off.

What an adventure I had! The next hour was a pleasure-all mine. Ten year old Linda, tall, very pretty and already developing the character of hospitality made sure I knew exactly who we were seeing and what their names were and she told me all kinds of details that made my adventure on their farm so interesting. Her brother, six year old Maynard went along with us. He is also very attentive and stays quiet and allows his older sister to do most of the talking, but when it came time to open up the roof to Penny’s dog house, Maynard was there to do the manly-man work. And then there was four year old Jolene. What a photogenic little sweetie pie and if I could have shot her in more photos I really would have. She beamed the whole time we were on our adventure. You will see a couple photos of the trio who gave me a tour of their family farm as you browse the photos. 

On our way to the gathering this morning. 

My sister in law has my favorite Bible verse hanging over the arch in her living room. 

I stole a few pictures of our food table. The ham was placed in serving dishes and placed on the tables in the basement where we ate, along with silverware, napkins and water glasses. The rest of the food was found here and we had two lines going and everyone got to eat pretty quickly after we had a silent prayer time. 

My sister in law has some wonderful views from her kitchen window. We stood here at this window and she told me about the neighbors on the farm you see there in the distance. Their four year old grandson was killed there on the farm this fall and his parents have a baby girl who has been very sick since birth and the grandfather has just received news he has cancer in his intestines and is very sick. My sister in law said in a hushed tone of concern, "those people have had almost more than they can handle." You can tell she is deeply concerned for her neighbors and their well-being. I imagine she breathes a prayer for them periodically as she is puttering around in her beautiful kitchen. 

More views from her kitchen, a different window. She loves her birds. She, however, does NOT like the sparrows and she shoots those out of her kitchen window. Another sister came upon our conversation and she said, "You can NOT do that anymore! What IF you shot someone?" It was a little bit funny to stand back and listen to their exchange back and forth. It was all because the second sister was concerned for her sister and anyone who might happen to be outside when an unfortunate sparrow was perched where he shouldn't be. :) 

I love this picture. The branches and the horse beyond. It is so pretty. 

My sister in law's book case in her sewing room off the living room. 

They don't have dvd's of Anne of Green Gables, but they have books. :) I see she keeps books around for her grandchildren to read when they visit. 

Again, no dvd's, but the book, Where the Red Fern Grows, is among her collection of books. 

Her beautiful plant. 

Another angle of the plant and looking out into the beyond. How beautiful and serene is that? 

I noticed she has the same devotional I have, Jesus Calling. It is in the stack of books on her chest of drawers. The Amish call it a bureau. I'm not for sure if that is how it is spelled though. 

My farm tour began with this piece of equipment. It is a uni-loader. The joke I heard today was, "The Amish all have a hired hand, named "Uni". Back when I was still Amish they would never have been permitted to have such piece of equipment, but in today's world as they move forward it has become an essential piece of equipment for them. :) It is called progress folks! 

Milking parlor with the ladies eating their breakfast. 

This sweet lady, Penny, had a litter of puppies last night. She had ten puppies and my little friends took me to see her and her babies. She looked tired and we didn't hover too long. She is in a white dog house, you will see in the next photo. Maynard, the six year old on our tour lifted the roof so we could grab a look see. 

Look at this little lovely, Jolene, the photogenic little four year old! Love her! 

Farmers like to know what time it is. I found out today, some of them hang a water proof clock on the outside of their barn so they can always see the time. There was one inside the barn, also, with a Ziploc bag covering the clock. It was hanging over the girls in the milking parlor. 

To be continued, I have some really, really good pictures coming up. I was so excited with some of the shots I got. Can't wait to share those with you too.  I have to go to work in the morning and I have a few ZZZZ's to catch up on before I can do that. Blessed 2014 to you all!