{AMISH COMMUNITY NEWS} Vol. 3 No. 4
March 30, 2011
Ear ly Signs of Spring
Garden Story By Jacquie Foote
My Mom was city born and bred, but my Dad came from rural Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cleveland during the depression to find work. It was there Dad met the woman he was to marry. He, Mom and I lived in an apartment and, until, when I was 6 and the tenants in our building got together to turn the common backyard into a “Victory Garden”, Dad showed no interest in gardening. When we married, my husband and I bought a house with a big yard and, armed with complete ignorance and no experience at all, I set out to make a vegetable garden. We picked the place our garden would be (even I knew to pick a sunny spot for my vegetables) and my husband turned the soil. When my Dad came to visit, he helped prepare the soil, turning in the organic fertilizer (my mother-in-law who was a master gardener was devoted to organic fertilizer) and raking the soil smooth. We put in tomatoes, onions, beans, and lettuce. My husband helped when he could, my dad provided muscle power when needed, and I planned and happily grubbed about in the soil. To my great surprise, things began to grow! My dad came to help me put up support for my pole beans. When we had finished, I came into the house to find my husband looking oddly at me. He wanted to know why my Dad and I had been doing a folk dance in the garden. (He had looked out of the window to see us stepping carefully through the garden holding aloft a fine wire fence.)
Remembering
Spring Cleaning at Grandma’s By Sarah Miller
When we used to clean Grandma’s house, there were 2 sisters, 2 sisters-in-law and several nieces to help. Lots of talking and fun was had. Grandma always served her delicious 3-Bean Salad. There was also coffee, rolls or cookies. One year we had an exchange student stay with us for a week and she also got to help. The last job of the day was to scrape and lightly sand the living room floor and give it a coat of varnish. Now, Grandma’s been gone for 10 years and there have been many changes. Grandpa moved in with us in 2004, He is 90 years old and still works in his little shop six days a week.
Our next issue of Plain Country is April 20. Deadline for submissions is Monday, April 4. Advertising deadline is Monday, April 11. Please send the information that you’d like to share to Plain Country, P.O. Box 626, Middlefield, OH 44062. You may also call 440-632-0782 or fax to 440-834-8933.