During the middle of the summer Amish stores would begin to have their back to school fabric sales. It was always an exciting day when the fabric samples arrived in the mail and I would carefully inspect all the choices before me.
Most years I was allowed to choose one color for a new outfit from the select group of colors Mom was willing to buy, while she chose what color my other outfit would be, as well as the shirts my brothers would be wearing.
Blues and greens were so predictable, and it took several years for Mom to realize I really meant it when I said I want a warm brown dress for one of my school outfits. We only got two outfits each. We'd wear one for an entire week, and Mom couldn't imagine anyone could possibly enjoy wearing brown every other week for an entire school year.
I was twelve the year Mom agreed to allow me to have my dream dress. I watched with interest and excitement as she spread out pages of The Budget to use to create the pattern for my dress. When it had been completed it was even more exciting seeing those patterns being placed on top of the brown fabric and pieces of my dress being cut out.
I had always enjoyed watching Mom sew, but watching my long anticipated brown dress take form under her skillful fingers was a dream come true.
I couldn't wait for my first day back to school when I could finally wear it.
I loved that outfit, and wore it happily every other week for the entire year. I didn't mind being the girl in brown, in a sea of girls wearing blues and greens.
That was the only brown dress I ever had until after I got married. I still love soft, warm shades of brown, but nothing has come quite close to being loved as much as that dress had been.
Showing posts with label Twelve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twelve. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2016
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Teacher / Mom
We were soon able to get into a comfortable routine in the evenings after school. Mom would spend time preparing the next days lessons and checking the ones that had been done that day. I thought it was interesting to see how the other children did especially when ever there had been an assignment to write stories or poems.
I found it rather disturbing though that Mom thought LV was her star student. He was unusually polite and considerate when ever she was there and he excelled in all his school work. After hearing Mom's praise of his story and poem writing skills I renewed my efforts to do better and try harder with everything because it certainly wouldn't do to have LV do better at school than I did.
Most times when Mom came to teach grammar classes she stayed inside during recess to get everything ready for the next classes. When spring came and we were once again playing baseball at recess we got her convinced to come pitch for us. She was as good at pitching as she was at teaching grammar and we all enjoyed it immensely when she had time to help us play. At one noon recess we were once again playing baseball. Daniel, an eighth grader was up to bat. We all heard the satisfying crack as the ball and bat met but instead of everything progressing like normal we were all stunned to see Mom stagger and fall. Daniel helped her into the school house while everyone else stood there not really knowing what to do.
Somehow I came to my senses and ran into the schoolhouse to see how Mom was. She was sitting on her chair and when I asked her how she feels she assured me she was going to be fine. I felt rather dubious about that since the lump on her head looked nasty. Her glasses were bent, and when she tried to stand up dizziness made her sit down again.
Recess was extended until she was feeling a little better, but I couldn't wait until it was time to go home. i was sure Daddy would know what to do to make Mom feel better.
Once we got home Mom sat on her rocking chair while I made supper. When I again brought up the subject of how badly her head must be hurting, she asked me to please not talk about it too much. She then shared that we were going to have another baby and it was important for her to not think of how painful her head really is because she doesn't want the baby to have a birthmark.
I didn't say anything about her accident again, I still felt sorry for her but I was very excited about the news that another baby was on the way. I was sure that this time I would finally be getting the sister I wanted so badly.
I found it rather disturbing though that Mom thought LV was her star student. He was unusually polite and considerate when ever she was there and he excelled in all his school work. After hearing Mom's praise of his story and poem writing skills I renewed my efforts to do better and try harder with everything because it certainly wouldn't do to have LV do better at school than I did.
Most times when Mom came to teach grammar classes she stayed inside during recess to get everything ready for the next classes. When spring came and we were once again playing baseball at recess we got her convinced to come pitch for us. She was as good at pitching as she was at teaching grammar and we all enjoyed it immensely when she had time to help us play. At one noon recess we were once again playing baseball. Daniel, an eighth grader was up to bat. We all heard the satisfying crack as the ball and bat met but instead of everything progressing like normal we were all stunned to see Mom stagger and fall. Daniel helped her into the school house while everyone else stood there not really knowing what to do.
Somehow I came to my senses and ran into the schoolhouse to see how Mom was. She was sitting on her chair and when I asked her how she feels she assured me she was going to be fine. I felt rather dubious about that since the lump on her head looked nasty. Her glasses were bent, and when she tried to stand up dizziness made her sit down again.
Recess was extended until she was feeling a little better, but I couldn't wait until it was time to go home. i was sure Daddy would know what to do to make Mom feel better.
Once we got home Mom sat on her rocking chair while I made supper. When I again brought up the subject of how badly her head must be hurting, she asked me to please not talk about it too much. She then shared that we were going to have another baby and it was important for her to not think of how painful her head really is because she doesn't want the baby to have a birthmark.
I didn't say anything about her accident again, I still felt sorry for her but I was very excited about the news that another baby was on the way. I was sure that this time I would finally be getting the sister I wanted so badly.
Monday, March 22, 2010
More Changes
As I entered seventh grade we had again had a new teacher. She had been a teacher for years at a special needs school and wanted to have the experience of being a teacher at a regular school. The only problem was she wasn't qualified to teach grammar.
The school board made quite a few visits to our house and Mom and Daddy would spend hours visiting with them while we children tried to be quiet in another room. We wondered what they wanted but since we didn't get into trouble after they left we were kept wondering.
Finally one evening after we had our evening devotions Daddy announced that after a lot of thought and consideration they decided to tell the school board that Mom would teach grammar classes several afternoons each week for the next school term.
John, David, and I sat there speechless. Mom wasn't supposed to be our school teacher. She was supposed to be at home sewing, baking, and taking care of customers in our store, and everything else that mother's do, but certainly not be a school teacher. I jumped up and ran upstairs to my room and lay on bed and cried. I had no doubts that Mom would be a great teacher. I really loved her and I wanted to keep her for myself, not share her with a lot of other children.
Daddy came upstairs to see what was troubling me, but I couldn't seem to find a way to tell him. It sounded too silly to put into words. He sat on the side of my bed for a while and talked to me assuring me that we would all work together. Mom would need a lot more help around the house since she had to make lessons for school, and that the afternoons that she came to teach would soon be my favorite times at school.
Daddy was right. The afternoons when grammar classes were taught became the highlights of the school weeks. Everyone loved having Mom as teacher and some how everything was fine even if a lot of other children learned to love her too.
The school board made quite a few visits to our house and Mom and Daddy would spend hours visiting with them while we children tried to be quiet in another room. We wondered what they wanted but since we didn't get into trouble after they left we were kept wondering.
Finally one evening after we had our evening devotions Daddy announced that after a lot of thought and consideration they decided to tell the school board that Mom would teach grammar classes several afternoons each week for the next school term.
John, David, and I sat there speechless. Mom wasn't supposed to be our school teacher. She was supposed to be at home sewing, baking, and taking care of customers in our store, and everything else that mother's do, but certainly not be a school teacher. I jumped up and ran upstairs to my room and lay on bed and cried. I had no doubts that Mom would be a great teacher. I really loved her and I wanted to keep her for myself, not share her with a lot of other children.
Daddy came upstairs to see what was troubling me, but I couldn't seem to find a way to tell him. It sounded too silly to put into words. He sat on the side of my bed for a while and talked to me assuring me that we would all work together. Mom would need a lot more help around the house since she had to make lessons for school, and that the afternoons that she came to teach would soon be my favorite times at school.
Daddy was right. The afternoons when grammar classes were taught became the highlights of the school weeks. Everyone loved having Mom as teacher and some how everything was fine even if a lot of other children learned to love her too.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Another Milestone
One summer evening Daddy announced that it was time that I learn how to milk the cow. It always looked easy when ever I watched Mom or Daddy milk our little Jersey and I looked forward to being able to milk her on my own.
I brought the cow in from her pasture and carefully measured her usual amount of grain into her little trough. After washing her udder with warm soapy water I was ready to start milking. I set the pail on the floor and held it with my knees to keep it from tipping over if Pansy should happen to bump it. Daddy showed me the correct way to squeeze so that a nice stream of milk shot into the pail. I tried it but the stream of milk I got wasn't very impressive. I kept on trying. The pail gradually filled up but my arms ached so badly I could hardly keep on.
Pansy had finished eating her grain and was getting impatient to go back out to her pasture. Daddy finally offered to finish milking her and I was happy to hand the pail and milk stool over to him. The next evening I tried again, and Daddy again had to finish milking her.
After several weeks with Daddy always finishing the milking I finally succeeded in doing it by myself. I was so happy about that, that after I had given the cats their bowlful of fresh milk I sent the pail into the house with one of my brothers while I borrowed a pocket knife from John and climbing up to a beam I carefully carved the words, "I milked Pansy all by myself." I then added the date in hopes that sometime once I was old I could show it to my children if I ever had any.
I brought the cow in from her pasture and carefully measured her usual amount of grain into her little trough. After washing her udder with warm soapy water I was ready to start milking. I set the pail on the floor and held it with my knees to keep it from tipping over if Pansy should happen to bump it. Daddy showed me the correct way to squeeze so that a nice stream of milk shot into the pail. I tried it but the stream of milk I got wasn't very impressive. I kept on trying. The pail gradually filled up but my arms ached so badly I could hardly keep on.
Pansy had finished eating her grain and was getting impatient to go back out to her pasture. Daddy finally offered to finish milking her and I was happy to hand the pail and milk stool over to him. The next evening I tried again, and Daddy again had to finish milking her.
After several weeks with Daddy always finishing the milking I finally succeeded in doing it by myself. I was so happy about that, that after I had given the cats their bowlful of fresh milk I sent the pail into the house with one of my brothers while I borrowed a pocket knife from John and climbing up to a beam I carefully carved the words, "I milked Pansy all by myself." I then added the date in hopes that sometime once I was old I could show it to my children if I ever had any.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
School Hike
Every spring, a few weeks before school was dismissed for summer vacation the teacher would pick a day for our annual hike and picnic in the woods.
Right after our usual scripture reading and songs we would all grab our lunches boxes and head down the hill behind the school house, across the creek and into the woods. There was a perfect spot in the woods where a creek ran through, there was a nice pond surrounded by lots of hemlock trees and mountain laurel bushes were scattered throughout the woods. Once we arrived at this spot we would stash our lunch boxes under a tree and start playing games. Some of our favorites were Hide and Seek, and a pioneer game we invented.
There were so many great places to hide. The big mountain laurels were excellent since they were filled with glossy leaves which made hiding under them perfect. Once we got tired of that we would go hunting for the little red berries that were almost tasteless, but quite edible. We girls would gather as many as we could while the boys tried to build a bridge over the creek and catch minnows in it's shallow waters.
It was so much fun playing, that the day never seemed to last long enough, we would head home tired but happy. The following day we used to have to write a report about our hike which wasn't nearly as fun but worth the effort since it was a required part of taking the hike which was one of the highlights of every school year.
Right after our usual scripture reading and songs we would all grab our lunches boxes and head down the hill behind the school house, across the creek and into the woods. There was a perfect spot in the woods where a creek ran through, there was a nice pond surrounded by lots of hemlock trees and mountain laurel bushes were scattered throughout the woods. Once we arrived at this spot we would stash our lunch boxes under a tree and start playing games. Some of our favorites were Hide and Seek, and a pioneer game we invented.
There were so many great places to hide. The big mountain laurels were excellent since they were filled with glossy leaves which made hiding under them perfect. Once we got tired of that we would go hunting for the little red berries that were almost tasteless, but quite edible. We girls would gather as many as we could while the boys tried to build a bridge over the creek and catch minnows in it's shallow waters.
It was so much fun playing, that the day never seemed to last long enough, we would head home tired but happy. The following day we used to have to write a report about our hike which wasn't nearly as fun but worth the effort since it was a required part of taking the hike which was one of the highlights of every school year.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Hard Times
As the school year continued John and I were getting more and more frustrated with David for walking so slowly on the way home from school. We knew better than try to run ahead of him but were annoyed that he made it impossible for us to walk with our friends.
Mom and Daddy were getting concerned that something must be wrong with him, because he was constantly fatigued. They made an appointment with a doctor for the afternoon of the last day of school. It seemed a little funny to start summer vacation having to go to Grandpa Masts, while Mom and Daddy took David to the doctor.
When they came home, we were hoping that the doctor had given something to David to make him less tired, but when we saw Mom and Daddy we knew something was troubling them. The doctor had done a few tests that they were waiting on the results, but they were pretty sure he had cancer in his lymph nodes.
When all the results came in their fears were confirmed David had cancer. They told John and me about it but warned us to not tell David that he has cancer, they wanted him to be as happy as possible as they made plans to take him to a clinic in Idaho.
John, Mahlon and I stayed at Grandpa Masts while Mom and Daddy took David for his treatments. I enjoyed staying with Grandpas. There was so many fun things to do and Vernie was there to keep it from ever getting boring, but often we would wonder what is happening with David. I wished we would have been more patient with him and I was so afraid that he was going to die.
After what seemed like a long time they came home. David had lost a lot of weight, but the doctors were pleased with how the cancer seemed to be shrinking. They had sent a lot of medicine along home and a strict diet that he had to follow for a while. They also suggested that he should be home-schooled because school would probably be too strenuous for his weakened condition.
Mom and Daddy were getting concerned that something must be wrong with him, because he was constantly fatigued. They made an appointment with a doctor for the afternoon of the last day of school. It seemed a little funny to start summer vacation having to go to Grandpa Masts, while Mom and Daddy took David to the doctor.
When they came home, we were hoping that the doctor had given something to David to make him less tired, but when we saw Mom and Daddy we knew something was troubling them. The doctor had done a few tests that they were waiting on the results, but they were pretty sure he had cancer in his lymph nodes.
When all the results came in their fears were confirmed David had cancer. They told John and me about it but warned us to not tell David that he has cancer, they wanted him to be as happy as possible as they made plans to take him to a clinic in Idaho.
John, Mahlon and I stayed at Grandpa Masts while Mom and Daddy took David for his treatments. I enjoyed staying with Grandpas. There was so many fun things to do and Vernie was there to keep it from ever getting boring, but often we would wonder what is happening with David. I wished we would have been more patient with him and I was so afraid that he was going to die.
After what seemed like a long time they came home. David had lost a lot of weight, but the doctors were pleased with how the cancer seemed to be shrinking. They had sent a lot of medicine along home and a strict diet that he had to follow for a while. They also suggested that he should be home-schooled because school would probably be too strenuous for his weakened condition.
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