The Wedding ~ Part Two

As the last notes of the song faded away we watched for Vernon's signal and stood up in unison and walked to the coat room to get our bonnets, and hats. As we stood in line to get them LV kept holding my hand and I was secretly happy that he didn't let go the minute we got into the coat room.

Since Fannie's home was so close to the church house we all just walked to the reception and went upstairs to where her bed was piled with gifts. She started opening them until her Dad came and said the meal was ready and it was time to go downstairs.

It seemed like a happy daze that I was getting to sit at the most important table, the prettiest dishes were used for the bridal party, and the best food. As we settled into our chairs LV started visiting pleasantly as we watched the rest of the wedding guests being seated at the tables.

Once everyone had been seated the Bishop announced it was time to pray. After a silent prayer the table waiters started bringing bowls of steaming food to the tables. It was nice to not have to wait as we enjoyed special service in our corner.

Once the meal was over the married folks started singing. I thought they would never quit and we had to stay seated at the table until they were done. Finally once it was time for the farmers to go home and do their chores they quit and we were able to go. LV told me he had to hurry home and milk the cows. He would try to be back as soon as he could. I stood at the window and watched him walk across the yard and then break into a run as soon as he thought he was out of sight of the house.

I felt strangely alone when he left and wasn't sure what to do with myself, especially since the youth were never invited for the noon meal.  Vernon and Fannie were busy writing all the girls names on a piece of paper for the evening meal when all the boys and girls would pair up and sit together to sing for two hours and then have supper.

I looked forward to seeing who got to sit with whom and was glad that I didn't have to worry about having to spend several hours with someone I didn't even know.  I found a chair and sat down to wait until LV came back from doing their chores.

The Wedding ~ Part One

As my best friend Fannie's wedding day approached I was filled with nervous anticipation. I found myself looking forward to being a bridesmaid and getting escorted by LV ever since we had that pleasant buggy ride.

When the morning of the wedding came John hitched our horse, Fern, to the buggy and took me to the church house where the rest of the bridal party was meeting for several hours before services began. As I walked into the coat room I felt a little overwhelmed that everyone was already there and waiting on me to start rehearsing.

After practicing how to hold hands, and walk with careful even steps and making sure we could all see Vernon's signal when to stand up or sit down we were all confident we knew what to do. After that we, along with the  six table waiters and the two boys that took care of the transportation for the bridal party gathered back inside the coatroom and shut the doors.  There was now nothing left to do except wait for everyone to arrive and church to start.

It was fun watching the buggies arrive and knowing that everyone else was wondering who the bride and groom had chosen to have part in their special day. After what seemed like a long time the ministers started to make their way to the church house and a little bit later the first song was announced. Fannie quickly went to the adjoining coat room and closed the door that opened into the main church house, and we all went over while Vernon and Fannie stayed to have a premarital session with the ministers.

After what seemed like a long time they came back, the expression on their faces made me wonder what all the session had entailed. There wasn't a lot of time to spend wondering as the third song was announced and as they started to sing it we stood ready to enter the church house once they started singing the third line.

The short distance between the door to the bench that had been reserved for us right in front of the ministers seemed long, but everything went just like we had rehearsed. As we sat down it seemed strange to not help sing as the rest of the church's voices rose and fell in the hauntingly beautiful wedding melody.

The service was much like any other church service and promptly at noon the Bishop announced that if they are both still willing to get married they can rise and come stand before him. After asking them a series of questions to which they answered with  a yes he asked the rest of the church to stand while he prayed a special wedding prayer from the little black prayer book. After the prayer everyone sat down while the bishop joined their hands and pronounced a blessing over them.

As they returned to their seat the rest of the ministers added their thoughts on the sermon. I was glad once the last song was announced and it was finally time to go to the reception.

Reader Hodgepodge

Thanks again to everyone who provided questions for me to answer, so we can do our own little hodgepodge of sorts while the regular Wednesday Hodgepodge creator is on summer break.

What family traditions do you have?

We have a number of different family traditions. For Christmas we have a huge breakfast and then don't cook the rest of the day. Instead we enjoy the left overs from breakfast and the snacks we prepared in the days leading up to Christmas.

For birthdays, the birthday child gets the day off of doing any chores or anything he or she doesn't want to do. He/she gets to have their favorite food, and gets to choose any activities for the day. Games, hiking, etc. and the rest of the family obliges them. There's usually an elaborate treasure hunt created for them to find their gift.

For a celebration once end of the school year evaluations are done we will stop at a store on the way home from the evaluations to get ice cream sandwiches.


Where’s the best / worst place you’ve lived?

This is actually a hard question. There were things I've loved about every place we have lived. The house I loved the most was in Missouri. I loved basically everything about it, and the fact it came with twenty acres of land and plenty of woods for Kenneth to play in made it even better. I loved the church / community of believers and friends we had there. I was a weepy mess the day we packed up to move here, even though I knew I would love it here as well.

The worst place I lived was also in Missouri, less than ten miles from the house I loved the most. The difference was worlds apart. The house was unique and nice, but life was miserable enough that the house didn't make up for it. We were part of an Amish community, and to this day those two years living there are a dark blob in my register of memories.

Do you usually listen to music, talk radio, podcasts, or silence while driving?

I like listening to Air1 while driving, but I also drive in silence a lot of the time. I've found conversations while driving can be some of the best, so it's never really stark silence.

What was your most epic cooking failure?

I've had my share of epic cooking failures. One of them was the time I made a Thanksgiving meal for LV before we were married. It involved flying drumsticks, lumpy burned mashed potatoes, and more. I'll have to do an entire blog post on that experience before long.

Where do you usually shop for clothes / shoes / groceries? Do you prefer shopping online or in person?

I like shopping for clothes and shoes at Gabes. Actually I don't like shopping for either, but I'm glad we have a Gabes store when the need to shop arises. Groceries I purchase mostly at Aldi and Walmart.

I enjoy online shopping. It certainly makes mail time more interesting. The only drawback is ... I can't touch and see the products before buying.

Random bit.

The big maple tree in front of the house has been dropping a few leaves. To a girl who likes to have everything in order, it means raking the yard ... already. If it were up to me, the yard wouldn't look nearly as neat.

Plans

A few weeks after I started attending the singings with the youth group I was approached by one of my best friends after church. She told me she and her boyfriend Vernon, were planning to get married and wanted me to be one of her brides maids, and be escorted by LV.

I told her I would be honored to be her bridesmaid and wondered how it would seem to be at LV's side for an entire day. The wedding date was still several months away so I didn't think about it very much. 

The following Sunday our youth group attended church and singing in a neighboring district. Since it was more than an hour's drive they borrowed a few buggies to make that we wouldn't be crowded and have only two people in each buggy.

I got up early and was ready by the time LV drove into our driveway. It was a beautiful morning and the ride was pleasant. We hadn't been on the road very long before LV asked if Fannie had said anything to me about being escorted by him at her wedding. I told him I had already told her I would be happy to be her bridesmaid. He seemed pleased, and we continued visiting all the way to the Summit Mills church house.

After church I went home with some of my friends while LV went to his cousin's house. The afternoon passed swiftly and when evening came so did LV to give me a ride to the singing. I tried to sort my feelings out as we once again had a very pleasant ride. He wasn't like he used to be in school, and I actually enjoyed his company.

After the singing was over and we were on our way home I was happy that we would have a long ride together. This had been one of the best days I had ever experienced. As we rode through the night the horse didn't seem to be in any particular hurry and for once LV didn't seem to mind letting him walk uphill and down.

Once we got home almost two hours later I thanked him for the ride and he told me I was more than welcome. That he was looking forward to the wedding and the fact we would be able to ride together without Vernon before long.  I was thrilled to hear him say that and as I stepped off his buggy my foot missed the step and I fell in a heap on the ground. He jumped out to see if I was okay but I couldn't even look at him as I hurried to the house and up to my room. I was so humiliated that I had to ruin what had otherwise been a perfect day by falling off his buggy for the last thing.

Yellow Billy

Right across the road from our house we had several acres of woods. They were filled with groves of hemlock trees, a pleasant little creek ran through it. There were loads of elderberry and blackberry bushes through out. Near the front stood what used to be my playhouse but it now served as a phone shanty ever since the church had decided to allow community phones. Towards the back of the woods green briers had started growing and were fast becoming a big nuisance. Daddy spent a lot of time in the evenings trying to rid the woods of the briers but it seemed like he was fighting a losing battle. Until one day a friend stopped by and offered to let us put his herd of thirty goats into the woods and let them take care of the briers and all the unwanted undergrowth.

Daddy accepted his offer and after adding a few more strands of wire to the fence to insure it was goat proof we were ready. They came on a Saturday afternoon. As the trailer backed into the pasture and the goats hopped off and went to investigate their new surroundings we watched them from the kitchen window. There were goats of all colors, but one of them stood out from the rest. He was a dirty yellow, his horns looked intimidating even from a distance and his long beard dangled impressively from his chin. He surveyed his new home with an air of disdain and shaking his head he stalked after the rest of the herd into the woods.

Monday arrived and once it was time to sit by the phone for the daily half hour in case any customers wanted to call.  I walked to the gate and noticed most of the goats were near the phone shanty including the yellow billy. He looked even uglier than he had from the kitchen window. As I closed the gate he bleated and lowered his head and came charging right at me. I darted into the phone shanty and locked the door. He bumped his head against it several times for good measure and then returned to the rest of the herd who had continued eating very unconcerned about what their leader had been doing.

Once it was time to go in I carefully checked my surroundings before running to the gate and hurrying to the other side safely. It wasn't long before the billy was there every day to greet me with his lowered head. I armed myself with a big stick and most days managed to ward him off. My little brother Mahlon, enjoyed going to the phone with me and I would often take a book along to read while we waited for customers to call. Ever since the billy was lurking around the phone shanty he had been hesitant about joining me but since I was successful in keeping him at bay with my stick he wanted to join me so we could resume our story time again.

As we entered the gate the billy came charging at us. I swung my stick and yelled at him. Mahlon ran for the shanty but before I could do anything the billy had turned and run after him and knocked him down. I ran over to Mahlon and wielding my stick I chased the billy off for a few yards and we went inside the shanty. Once we got settled Mahlon said "I wish we could throw a five gallon pail over his head! That way he couldn't see where we are."

I loved the idea and the next day when it was time to head for the phone Mahlon carried the stick while I carried a nice white five gallon pail. As usual the billy came charging toward us and I swung the pail and to my utter delight it slipped over his horns and stayed stuck on his head. He looked ridiculous as he shook his head trying to get rid of the pail. The other goats stopped feeding and came closer to get a better look at him as Mahlon and I went gleefully into the shanty. Once our half hour was up the billy had still not been able to rid the pail so we stopped in the shop on the way to the house to tell Daddy about it.

Daddy went out and managed to remove the pail and from that day on when ever it was time to go to the phone I armed myself with a pail. All the billy had to do was see it and he stayed a safe distance. He was still mean and ugly and would still charge anyone who dared venture in without a pail. But my days of having to worry about being butted by him were now over.