Since gas prices have fallen, I wanted to get in a visit to some of our Amish friends in New Wilmington. This was to be a short afternoon visit since my daughter-in-love and grandson were going along.
When I know an Amish visit is on the horizon, I am like a kid at Christmas! It is a big event for me to get to visit them. A very special day.
There are two young women that I visit with, Lizzie and Sarah. They are a closer age to my daughter, but we really seem to click. Maybe its because they know so much more than I do. I love learning how they do things. They laugh at me because I volunteer to do the dishes. For me it is an accomplishment to say that I can do dishes in a dry sink. Lizzie has also shared with me about what she grows in her garden, berries she grows and different things that she has canned. Today's visit was primarily a fact finding mission on chickens.
Lizzie greeted us at the door and the smell of wood burning in her cook stove was the first delight. The house was warm and cozy--a bit warmer than what I'm used to--but warm with friendship, too. After a bit of a visit, she heated up some venison chili that she had recently canned. Of course, it was wonderful. When Sarah and her boys arrived, we laughed about the time I was with Lizzie to get peaches this summer and I saw the Amish women dressing chickens and she allowed me to de-gut one...much to the shock of even Lizzie. I couldn't let down all my 'english' sisters by gagging! Sarah couldn't believe I actually did it. We all enjoyed Lizzie's retelling and had a great laugh.
Poor little Daniel had a rough day. His poor mom, probably more so. Not being used to so many HOT things around, Daniel was constantly being followed by his mom or I so as not to touch one of the stoves. He did manage to touch one. Thankfully, it was not that hot and he didn't get burned badly. Needless to say, it was not a relaxing visit for his mom. It was so cute--we should have had a camera--to see Daniel sitting with his new little Amish friends on the sofa looking at books together. What a picture. The boys seemed to think Daniel was dressed a bit strangely, though. LOL
Lizzie took me on a guided tour of her very roomy and insulated hen house. It was very nice. Although I have only been in two of them in my life. Hers would be considered a 'high end/upscale hen house in my book. She raises Golden Comets. They are very lovely birds! A soft golden, light to medium brown that lay brown eggs. I learned that I need a hen house of some sort, a feeder and something for water, that saw dust is good for the floor, that vinegar in their water when they are molting seems to help and that I should get about 5 birds. Quite frankly, I'm not sure I'm ready for chickens. Keith is very sure he's not. While I did de-gut one chicken, I didn't kill it or strip the feathers off. (I was happy to learn that my friends can't kill their birds either, their husbands do it.) We would need to do a bit of work to prepare a place for them. I guess I'm afraid of trying. It all seems a bit scary. If I had someone around to make sure I was doing things right, I would feel more confident.
As always, our visit seemed so short. There is so much I want to learn from these ladies. They are a delight and a visit there is always fun and relaxing. I come away feeling energized and loved. (They are always working hard and put me to shame.)
On the way home, we talked about whether we would make 'good Amish' or not. My daughter-in-law said she wants to keep her flush toilet--I want my hot shower. If I could figure out a way to have one foot in each world, maybe I could make a go of it. :-)
Perhaps we can make another visit after the holidays and I can get another Amish 'fix' to get me through the winter.
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