Sarah’s mind came back to the basket of wet clothes waiting to be hung on the line. She hung the dishtowels together, then the underclothes and socks. She remembered the conversation with Aunt Martha several days after that first date. Sarah was peeling potatoes and Aunt Martha was frying chicken. Martha asked, “How was your date on Sunday night?” Sarah […]
Sarah’s Courtship, Part II Read More »
The diapers flapped in the wind as Sarah pinned the corners to the clothesline. She looked up at the white cotton clouds in the bright blue March sky and took a deep breath. What a nice wash day, she thought. Sarah remembered the day several months before when she was hanging out sheets at her Aunt Martha’s in Geauga County.
Sarah’s Courtship, Part I Read More »
The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living. ~ Cicero About fifteen years ago, I became interested in what the cause of my great-grandmother's death was. (This was my maternal grandmother's mother). I knew only a very few details — that she had died when my grandmother was not yet twenty, and that my
Keeping the Family Stories Alive Read More »
Me at seven years old (For the story behind the photo, please visit my website.) After I finished Kindergarten, I had to get used to the longer days at school in first grade. Then I had the meanest teacher in second grade of all times. She was like Mrs. Trunchbull in the children’s book Matilda by Roald Dahl. On the
When I was five years old, my parents decided to send me to kindergarten in public school. At the time, there were no Amish schools near where we lived, so that was not an option for my older brother, sister, and me. I am surprised that my parents decided to send me to kindergarten, however. It was not mandatory at
My First Day of School Read More »
The other day I was out picking raspberries and blueberries at a local berry farm. I was reminded of another day, back when I was baking professionally in Vermont, when I had an unusual experience. "Olin Clara" was someone who made a big difference in my life as a young Amish girl. Years later, I wrote this tribute to her
