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 hours 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. I folded my shawl and took it along just in-case it would get cold on the way home. 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 cousins 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 and he was looking forward to the wedding and that we would be able to ride together without Vernon before long.  I was thrilled to hear him say that and as I stepped off the buggy my foot missed the step and I fell down. 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.

Joining The Youth

I looked forward to my sixteenth birthday more than any other I ever had. I would finally be considered old enough to join the youth group. As was customary for our community the only way you could join the youth group was to start taking instruction class to become a member of the church.

A few weeks after my birthday the annual instruction classes started. I was very nervous thinking about having to get up while the rest of the congregation was singing and join the preachers in their little conference room where they would talk to us about the doctrines of faith and what was required of us to become members of the Amish church.

Once Sunday morning arrived we all got ready for church. Once we arrived I was glad to see my friend Nancy was already there and was looking every bit as nervous as I felt. It was comforting to know we would be together for the classes. Once everyone was seating and the bishop had announced it was time to start church services Daddy announced the first song and started singing in his clear deep voice. A shiver ran up and down my back as the rest of the congregation joined in and helped sing the rest of the line. As Daddy started singing the second line the preachers got up and went into their little room. My hands felt cold and clammy and my heart beat faster. When the third line started it was time for us to get up and go join the preachers.  It felt as if all eyes in the building were watching us as we walked to the front of the church house and entered the little room. Since I was the youngest I had to close the door once we were all inside.

I closed it but much to my dismay it popped right back open. The bishop got up and closed it properly and then sat down and asked us if we were ready to denounce the world, the devil, and our own desires and turn to God and the church. We each answered with a yes and then he proceeded to go through the first two articles of faith and explain everything to us. Once he was done the other preachers each had a turn to add their thoughts and admonitions. Preacher Benny went on and on. I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying as I listened to the singing on the other side of the door, I could hear they were nearing the end of the Lob Lied and we should be dismissed I was hoping he would hurry up so that we wouldn't have to walk back to our seats between songs while everything was quiet.

Benny finally got done and just as I was afraid it would happen the last notes of the Lob Leid had faded and everyone was sitting quietly waiting until the next song was announced. We filed back to our seats and the next song was announced and sung.

Once church was over we stayed to visit for a little while before going home to eat lunch. I was looking forward to attend my first singing as one of the youth group. The only drawback was I didn't have a brother older than myself that I could ride with and had to ride with someone else.

Once evening came and a buggy drove into our driveway I wasn't sure how to react that I would have to ride with LV and his brother. As I climbed into the buggy I wished with all my heart that John would be old enough to take me to the singing. I was a little envious that Nancy could ride with her older brother and sister and didn't have to worry about riding with someone else.

Once we got to the singing I forgot about my awkward ride and enjoyed being with my friends. The two hours of singing that followed were great and I enjoyed it immensely. Once the singing was over we headed for home right away. Again there were hardly any words spoken and it was a relief to get off the buggy after thanking LV and Vernon for the ride I hurried into the house to where Mom was waiting to hear all about my first night of being with the youth group.

Watching

We live at the outskirts of an Amish community so driving behind a buggy is not uncommon. Since the weather is warmer they usually have their doors and windows open which makes their ride more enjoyable.

 As a child it used to be especially fun leaning out the window, I used to prefer standing at the dashboard and watching the horse's feet and try braiding it's tail as we drove down the road. Our horse Jim was so gentle that he didn't mind but once we got our new horse there was no more tail braiding.

Once I got too big to stand in the front I used to kneel on the seat behind Mom and Daddy and watch out the window. When ever a vehicle came up behind us we would tell Daddy and he would guide the horse as far toward the ditch as it was safe to do to allow the people behind us to pass.

On Saturday we had to run a few errands and met numerous buggies on the road. When we came behind this one we had to chuckle at the little boy's expression as he contently watched out the back window.  It made me wish that I could be six again for just a little while and go on a Sunday afternoon drive with Mom and Daddy and our faithful horse Jim.

Thoughts

There is a pair of Canada geese living right across the road from us. They are a loud noisy couple and their squawking and honking has been irritating to me.

This morning they were walking around the pasture with their off-spring, calmly enjoying a beautiful morning. I watched them for awhile and it got me thinking of families and life in general. And I realized they have many of the qualities that I admire and want for our own family.

1. They don't mind what other people think about them. They will go ahead and enjoy their life in their home the best they know how.
2. They value family time and both parents are actively teaching their children what they need to know to be successful once they grow up and leave their parents.
3. They seem to enjoy the companionship of each other.

4. Even though they're grown up they still know how to have fun. (Notice how they like to balance at the edge of the waterfall.)

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On a different note I finally read the instructions included with our hairdryer. It made my day. I can't quite picture myself going to bed with a hairdryer with plans of using it while I sleep.

Helping Out

Even though I had graduated from school, the Somerset County Amish still had what they called vocational classes which we had to attend every Wednesday forenoon until our fifteenth birthday. We had to keep a diary of everything we did during the week and hand it in to the teacher, and then we had algebra and German and English lessons. I was glad to be able to go back to school the first day since I had always loved school but it soon became an aggravation to deal with every Wednesday when I had other things that I would have rather been doing.

After school had been going for a few weeks and things were getting into routine at home. I was starting to really like not having to go to school everyday. It seemed nice to be at home with Mom and being able to visit without being interrupted by my younger brothers. There was still a lot of canning to do with sweetcorn, beans, peaches and apples.

One afternoon as we were canning peaches we heard a buggy pull into the driveway. When we looked to see who it was we saw a neighbor that lived right next to the schoolhouse. Daddy went to see what he wanted while Mom and I kept on peeling peaches.

As the buggy drove away Daddy came and said that Joe wanted to know if they could hire me to help out with the canning since his wife had too much work to handle on her own especially with so many little children. I wasn't enthused about the idea at all. Everything was always so dirty around their home that I cringed at the very thought of having to work there. When Daddy asked Mom if she could spare me for a week or two she didn't answer right away, so I voiced my opinion of how there was no way I wanted to go work for that family.

That was all it took. Mom's mouth set in a firm line and said. "Yes, I think I can manage just fine. It would be a good experience for Mary Ann."

I wished I had kept my big mouth shut but knew the matter was settled.

The next morning I walked to school with my brothers and stopped at Joe's house. As I went to the door his wife came to meet me. As I stepped inside I could see she really did need help. There were multiple bushels of peaches on the floor waiting to be canned. Dishes were piled high on the sink, the floors and walls looked as if they hadn't seen water and soap for years, the children hung on her skirts and looked at me with their dirty faces and their clothes were even dirtier. In another corner there were several burlap feed sacks filled with gnarled wormy apples. But worst of all were the flies. They were swarming over everything I tried to keep them off of me but soon gave up since the only way to get any work done was to ignore them even if they crawled and buzzed all around and over you.

The first thing she wanted to have done was have the dishes washed. I surveyed the endless stack and started in bravely. After spending most of the forenoon doing dishes I was relieved once I was done and she sent me to sort the peaches. All the ones that had soft spots or were starting to rot had to be canned first.

I filled up a big dishpan and sat down to start peeling them. The children had lost all sense of shyness and crowded around me to watch as I peeled peaches. They would take bites out of most of the halves before their mother put them in jars to can. I secretly vowed to not eat any peaches for lunch.

I thought the day would never end. The flies, and all the filth were almost more than I could handle as I thought of Mom at home in our clean and tidy house canning peaches by herself. Just when I thought things couldn't be more miserable I heard their five year old spitting. When I looked she was sitting on the floor and spitting on the corner of their hand towel. I didn't pay to much attention to her as she continued spitting until the next thing I knew she wiped the spit soaked corner over my face and then stood there and giggled. That was the last straw. I got up to go wash my face just as my brothers knocked on the door on their way home from school and it was time for me to go.

I was sure once Mom and Daddy heard about my day they wouldn't make me go back, but they weren't very sympathetic and the next morning found me knocking at their door again. This time  she wanted to get all those apples turned into apple sauce. As I cut the first one open I tried not to gag at the little worms and hurriedly cut them out of the apple along with the core. Since the apples were so small and gnarled there wasn't much left. She laughed and said. "Oh, we don't worry about the worms. Just quarter the apples and once they are boiled no one will even know there had been any worms there. I tried to suppress a shudder as I did what she told me but now vowed I would never eat any apple sauce at their house.

The day passed much the same as it had the previous day. the flies were almost unbearable but what annoyed me the most was that Joe was in the house all day on a chair sitting right next to me. He didn't help work but talked almost non-stop. He told a lot of utterly lame jokes and tried to show me a lot of tricks that he could do with toothpicks and various other things.

When I got home that evening I didn't even bother to ask if I had to go back because Daddy had told Joe I could work there for a few weeks until canning season was over. As I got ready for bed the days ahead looked long and bleak and I couldn't wait until my job there was done.

The next day Joe once again sat right beside me all day. This time he started commenting about what pretty hands I have. I felt like giving him a big smack, but instead tried to ignore him as I quartered apples as fast as I could. By the end of the day I was fuming and once  got home I told Daddy how frustrating it was to have Joe sitting beside me all day long. He asked me to tell him all about my day and I told him everything, not sparing any details.

This time Daddy's expression became determined and he marched out to the barn and hitched the horse to the buggy and went to tell Joe that he could help his own wife do the canning and that I would not be coming back. When he got home he handed me the money that Joe had paid for my three days of work. Two dollars a day. Daddy muttered that it wasn't enough for what I had to endure but I didn't really care as long as I didn't have to go back to that miserable house everything was fine again.