A ~ Aeolian Harp

    Flipping through the Wood magazine one day in the summer I turned sixteen, I stumbled across the directions to make an Aeolian Harp. I loved how it looked, and reading the description I got more than a little excited. It was intended to be set on the windowsill and the breezes blowing through the open window would play soothing melodies.
    Since it was an instrument intended to be played by wind instead of by humans it would be acceptable to have even though we were Amish.
     My brother John got right to work and made several of them. They did produce lovely music in the constant summer breezes, but he had tuned them carefully enough that we could play songs on it. Our music starved souls really enjoyed those harps.
     Later after LV and I started dating he was impressed with them and wanted to make one too. Armed with our patterns he proceeded to make one.
     We still have it. Sadly it's looking a little old by now after having been banished to the top of our china cupboard. Our windowsills don't work to use it in the way intended, and other musical instruments have come along replacing the need to pick out tunes on it.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?

• To do my best at meeting the goals I have set for myself.
• To be the best wife and mother I can be.
• And after listening to Otto Koning speak on the Weapons of Warfare (spiritually) to use and apply them correctly in my life.

2. In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?

There is a section of picket fence that had been looking quite sad so we took it away last fall. We're wanting to get it replaced before long, and then hopefully plant some flowers in front of it.

3. According to this site (Roadtrippers), six of North America's most wondrous waterfalls are-Webster's Falls in Ontario, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Multnomah Falls in Oregon, The Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Niagara.  Have you seen any on the list? Which one on the list would you most like to visit? Prettiest waterfall not on the list that you've seen in person?

We've seen Niagara Falls multiple times already. I would like to see all the other falls as well. The prettiest falls I've seen in person that isn't on the list. That's hard. It could be a number of different ones, most of which I have no name for. I've always liked the one in Watkins Glen State Park. It's been a while since I saw it last, so maybe my childhood eyes thought it was greater than it is.

I suppose my favorite waterfall would have to be the one I see when ever I look out the window.

4. Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?

I don't have regrets involving stupid things I did as a teenager. Thankfully the setting and community I grew up in protected me from a lot of that, and I'm grateful.

There are a few things I wish I would have gotten to experience as a teen, one of them is being able to go out with LV, maybe get to eat at a restaurant or see a movie, or something. I was blissfully content at the time for the most part, though I always thought two weeks between dates was a long time!

5. Ham...yes please or no thank you? If you said yes please which of the following do you like best-baked ham with all the trimmings, a ham and cheese sandwich, prosciutto with melon, a ham biscuit, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, or a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple?

Yes, please! I like ham in all of the ways mentioned, but my favorite would have to be a baked ham with all the trimmings.

6. Are you typical of your generation? How so?

Not really. Somehow I don't feel like elaborating. Sorry.

7. April rolls in at the end of the week, and in keeping with that theme...'act the fool', 'nobody's fool' 'a fool's errand', 'could have fooled me'...which foolish idiom most recently applies to you?

Probably fools errand. Last night we were supposed to pick up a new stove and when we got there they said it was damaged and we couldn't get it after all. We ended up getting a different one, because you can't really cook and bake without a stove.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'm here shivering in my fluffy housecoat. We went from lovely spring like weather complete with blooming daffodils and pretty blue skies, to a snappy 20º this morning. As much as I don't want to, a fire in the furnace seems to be necessary.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What's your favorite thing about spring?

Yes, spring seems to have sprung. The grass is beginning to turn green. The Easter lilies and daffodils are just on the verge of blooming, birds are singing. The pair of Canada geese that always raise their family along marshy section of the creek above our waterfall is back.

2. Besides the weather, what's put a spring in your step recently?

We're at an interesting point of our life right now, with some major changes happening. It's exciting, invigorating, and just a tad scary all wrapped up in the same package. It has been putting an added spring to our step.

3. How does Easter impact you?

We really don't do much of anything for Easter, but the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has impacted our life in a way that nothing else even comes close.

4. I saw this somewhere on Facebook and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing...

a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending onto the sidewalk a just-purchased ice cream cone? a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you're rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten? 

Let's see ..... I don't care for tacos. I don't drink coffee. I don't really care for  peanut butter. I can easily go without ice cream. I don't like toaster toast. But I love avocadoes, and would be really, really disappointed to find it rotten when cutting it open.

5. What's something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

The only thing that I can think of are the lids of a few of our board games Somehow they seem to get more wear and tear in our house than other items.
 

6. Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

No, I don't feel underappreciated. I love my role as a wife and mother, and everything else my life entails.

7. What's something you'd build if you knew how?

I'd probably build a boot/coat rack like my Dad used to in his furniture shop. I could really use one inside our front door.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm currently dealing with some of the most incompetent customer service people I have ever had to deal with in my life. Once this whole mess has been straightened out I won't be a repeat customer. I've been trying my best to stay sweet through it all, but it's beginning to be a little bit of a challenge.

A-Z Theme Reveal

I will be participating in the April A-Z challenge again this year.

For the past few years I always used Amish as my theme, but this year I'm planning to mix things up a little.

Random, is the word that best describes the theme I have chosen. While there will be Amish related posts sprinkled throughout, there will also be plenty of other things. I think it will be a lot of fun.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What do you think about luck?

I don't believe in luck. I believe in blessings from God and the law of sowing and reaping.

2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

One of my favorite places to visit is absolutely gorgeous during the warmer months. Following a narrow footpath through acres of fens and then through meadows with wildflowers, past the crumbling stone foundation of what must have been a mansion back in the early days of our country, all the way back to a lake filled with sparkling clear water. The grass on the banks is so soft, and provides a delightful place to sit and simply soak in all the beauty while the children go wading.

3. How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be?

I don't think I do. I enjoy simplicity and try to keep my life that way.

4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

None of those places really appeal to me, so I would probably need friends to go with me to even consider visiting them. Hawaii does sound nice, and I'd like to see it, but there is no way I want to fly, and forget about even suggesting a boat might be a possibility.

5. What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

Does a Christmas pageant count? I think I'll refrain from rating it.

6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

I am a fan of potato chips, but I hardly ever have any. My favorite flavor is simply the plain original chips, preferably the wavy cut.

7.What rule is most important in your home?

Clean up after yourself ....... no, not really, though that is something we do. The most important one is treating each other with kindness and respect.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

The lamp I used to keep beside my chair in the living room gave us a little scare. After having it for ten years, maybe it was beginning to feel as if we take it for granted or something, because it grabbed our attention by cracking loudly. I though the light bulb might have blown, but it was still fine. Upon further inspection we discovered that it had caught on fire. Thankfully the fire went out almost immediately and only scorched the doily the lamp had been setting on. We chucked it and I'm now liking the new lamp I have, though I seem to have some trust issues since the episode with the old lamp.