Wagler Wisdom

I am not Much into theology of man ,but am somewhat interested in the subject of some of today’s more conservative Mennonite Church Leadership Teams versus the ‘Regular’ Church members,setting politely in their pews.Why is there often this big divide between them ?Is it performance,or is it duty that is the impetus,of it all ? This thing is happening all over the Mennonite World,not just in our area or yours.Who or what is the head of any Biblical Church ??

The thing that is most disturbing to note,is that for some of these ‘Leadership Teams” that Their purpose seems to be upon themselves,and somehow they have mesmerized themselves,and some of their “Subjects’..I’m sure this may not apply to all of the ‘Teams’  out there,but there is a heap of them in that shape.

If we lose a vision that Christ really is our head,we get in trouble,and the fruits soon tend to show that sorry state, or spiritual condition.Things do clarify a bit when we ask the simple question.”What would Jesus Do?”.possibly not all of what passes as religion in today’s plain Churches.

An unbalanced ‘Team’,without that much Godly guidance finds itself Sometimes Moving and acting behind the scenes,accountable to no one,perhaps not even to God.Some of these tend to not only monopolize your public worship,but move in on the homes,usurping the Parents’ responsibilities..This last one bothers me the most,to hear of.The Father’s and Mother’s responsibilities to their Children,no one should come between that,or even try to .

These ‘Leadership Teams’ that run some of these Churches,are they Biblical in purpose or in results ? The good news is that if these “teams” are not of God they will at some point self-destruct in spectacular fashion   ,and that is always.I will not here use the “L’ word,which is not in the Bible ,but is so often freely and boommingly used by these leaders to describe their ‘ordinary’ and lowly members.

I’ve heard several one-sided monologues over the years from behind shiny pulpits as to why the speaker and his ‘Calling’ needs to be so highly regarded,and held to such a high esteem,with no mention of the Humility that is mentioned too,in Scripture.Oddly this is usually done by visiting Preachers .Is it Truth ?

My feeling  is ,that a good start may be to take that big pulpit out to the parking lot and offer it up in fire.

In the old Testament, things that got between peoples of God were often offered up just like that.Come out from behind that thing,then we may get somewhere,if it is in Humility,

I have never had many problems or been on the receiving end of these ‘Teams’ ire.Some I have heard about have.A lot if not all these Brethren that are  sometimes so firmly in Charge are nice  people,but when they get involved with this ‘I’m in charge,you’re not” thing,the results often are not that pretty.Is it Truth?

So,let’s get the ‘Leadership team’ thing into perspective.Who really is in Charge ?.The below link has some very Christ-like attributes,At least in our perspective.This thing is causing tension all over the land,wherever there is a Plain Mennonite or Beachy Church,it seems.

We recently came out of a Plain Mennonite Church where this Leadership Versus  Member thing got out of hand and still causes much confusion.We do not plan to address the specifics of this particular turmoil,at least not here,or now.

I like, and miss chatting up our Preachers in that Church.We just could not move along in the same direction we as a family, were headed, while there.Also,we left before all the action or seemingly endless drama,which we are very grateful for.We feel that was by the grace and leading of the Lord.(The early exit).

A commonly operated Conservative Mennonite Church is run by what is often somewhat ‘Pountifully’ referred to as a ‘Leadership Team’.This usually consists of 3-6 members,with different titles,all which are important sounding.And they tend to run it all,all the decision making in a Church.And instill their influence as far into their lowly members’ lives as they can reach.They also tend to evolve sometimes into a self-serving entity.(We intend to look good & sound good,at all and any costs ).But is it Truth ?.

Slight of hand can sometimes be used to assure that Members ‘vote’ the right way at the right time.The more conservative the Church,the tighter the little core group tends to appear in charge,to the Church.Church functions like Weddings,Baptisms,even Communion Services can even become a sort of Dance of “”Look-at -what-I-am-itis” for leaders who are Carried away with themselves.Hopefully this condition is quite rare.

The word ‘Appear’ is a relative word here.Like all exclusive little clubs,these often have to contend with  age old evils.And several of those Evils are Pride and Envy.As in Pride and Envy within the ‘Leadership team’.

That is to be expected,if you worship yourself,which is a definition of Pride.Hold yourself above others ,and God may withhold his blessing and Truth from You.Then look what happens.

Now,Pride is something we all try to deal with.It seems to be often there,young and old.I struggle with it,and surely some of you do too.The other thing mentioned seems much more insidious,with more evil consequences to result.And what, may we ask, causes Envy,especially on a ‘Team’ that is supposedly religious in nature?.The simplest expression is that it’s the flesh.Almost certainly not Truth.

It may start small but always grows quickly unless dwelt with.Maybe the other guy is a better speaker,and even keeps the ordinary member’s attention,and awake.It could be a dozen different things that could set it off.But when once started,it’s very clear in Proverbs..”.Who can stand before Envy ?”.The answer to that is ,no one can.And then bad things happen,and it’s good to be far away from it.

Envy has possibly caused more Church Troubles Then Anything else.Running a very close 2nd,or 3rd would be the effects of Moral issues.(No,we won’t go there today).We’re talking about in the ‘Teams’,themselves.And also, what is hidden will always come out and be exposed at some point.Immoral issues carefully hidden away ,without being washed by the Blood,continue to carry a lot of baggage.That is Truth.

The Leadership Member or members on a ‘losing’ side ,often either move away,starts a new group near by,or is even expelled.The unfortunate thing about that is that the ‘leaving team Member’ ,is often as not the Spiritual one.So the Church staggers on with the remaining ‘chaff’ leadership.They soon replace the departing member,being very careful to try and get a malleable replacement.But is that Truth ?

the Idea of servant hood in a Church often slips away,unnoticed, in too many of these ‘Leadership Teams’.They walk different,talk different,dress different,hold themselves above ordinary Church Members,and before long somewhat have an induced God-like aura about them,especially from behind their thrones.(Pulpits).At some more self-elevated Churches ,the Pulpit is off limits to ordinary Members.Is that Truth ?

Another Sign that things may be cooling ,or are cold,is when Volunteers are discouraged or severely restricted.That in itself is a Control measure,often an attribute of a religious cult.All organizations and Churches Tend to do well to foster a Volunteering atmosphere to involve more folk.Where the Volunteering spirit is discouraged ,other problems quickly surface.That is just the way it always is.

Also ,what is a sign of Humility in Leaders or for anyone who is a believer ? That in itself is debatable.It may be easier to consider what are signs that humility is lacking or slacked up on.Here is a recent explanation I have heard.

”A lack of Humility is signaled when one’s own suggestions or Ideas are almost always preeminent,in one’s own mind and actions.” In other words,Thanks for your thoughts,but your Idea is immature and not worth pursuing.My Ideas on the other hand,are brilliant and are thus and thus,and thus..When this is found in a Leader,the damage is Magnified.(Not magnificent)

In the late 90′s we visited a very large plain Church in the State of  Pennsylvania.I was astounded at the huge somewhat sullen crowd of members,and the seeming total coldness of the Church service itself.The “team’ sat behind the pulpit in a regal fashion,almost like Gods.(the team members themselves were nice and congenial,after the service)..The whole experience made me shiver because of the Cold Spiritual tone.I predicted to several of my friends there that something ”really bad” would happen there soon,as in my thinking that carrying on had to be a stench in God’s sight.

Within a year there they had the awfullest falling away one could imagine.Up to 80% of the ordinary members left,in separate directions,scattered to the winds.The odd thing was that the ‘team ‘ stayed intact. The way I understood,they brought a like-minded fence mender in to smooth things down.I think they are still going on somehow today,and hopefully the lord is with them,though one would wonder about that.If they haven’t dwelt with their problem,whatever it is,it’s still there.Was it Truth ?

While we are on this unpleasant part,let’s survey several results of this type of leadership.A dictatorship sometimes evolves at some point,in the ”Leadership Team”.It usually is the ‘Bishop’,that ends up as a  superior’ ”God figure”,though it can be any dominant member who manipulates well,a de facto uber leader.By a dictator,we mean that everything,any rule approved or anticipated,starts with one person.And it really is just a person. .All the members of the ‘Team’ are usually Ordained to their office,whatever it may be.

Some gullible (easily fooled) folks assume that an ordained person is absolutely anointed by God,so whatever he says is God speaking.I have heard that said just like that.But is it Truth ?

We would contend that an Ordained Religious person may have been anointed by God or he may only have been appointed by man..So,anointed or appointed,which one is it for whomever,and how can we mortal beings tell ?

We don’t know,but I do know of one who does Know,and that is God.And He is not telling us,at this time .And that should not ,and will not affect the Greater work of the Church,the Bride of Christ.a Church that is far greater then we can ever imagine..”Without Number”,as noted in Revelation.And that is Truth.

And so,what is the role of an ordinary bench -setting Member in a Plain Church ? Is it to set in Church and admire the walk and talk ,and performance of the Leadership,and believe every word he hears from them is God speaking to us? That exactly can and does happen.I once listened to a Grandfather,who should know better, express his admiration for the local “Team’ like this,in a Plain Church Service testimony.

“”I love and appreciate each of the Ministry,each of their Wife,and each and every one of their children”.(End of his quote,I’d say he covered his bases right well,for worship of man.)

I have heard it said that there is a Mennonite ‘Bishop’ in Florida who wrote in an article ,or a book that the Church is as your Spiritual Mother,And your local Bishop is like your Spiritual Father.Now admittedly that is hearsay.I don’t personally know the man,but if that is quoted correctly ,he may need a week or two on his knees,

All right,now on to us ordinary members who sit in the pews,and do the hard work,(listening up),what’s in it for us ??What is our purpose,besides filling the pews ,and putting the offering in?or having it lifted off us, as we say.

Well,one quick mention here of the Plural Ministry most plain Churches have.Jesus did give us the examples of sending his followers out to minister in teams or in groups.as equals ,as servants sent for the greater good of the Kingdom of God.In humility,a desirable trait anywhere.How did this get corrupted as a ‘Leadership uber all angle”?Humility and servant-hood,as Christ Commanded from the ordinary Member’s perspective,would be much more fitting and encouraging..Is it Truth ?

The Ideal and Scriptural setting,it seems like ,would be to have a single Ordained preacher  of some talent,and a calling,to preach,and then have the brethren of the Church take care of the other matters,and sometimes preach too,If inspired to.After all,most of the Christian  Churches do operate just like that.And the observation of the writer is that very rarely is an Ordained  person very up-to -date on “worldly” matters,or wisdom like that.(Financial ,trouble shooting,etc)

The thing about an inspired message is,that it’s from the Lord,about Glorifying God and him only.If we could figure the total hours wasted by the Thousands of ‘Pewed’ members ,trapped into listening to Man-centered Preaching,we’d perhaps be surprised.

I myself have listened to far more then I cared to,like that.Just Once I would like to hear a preacher say…”"Folks ,the Lord didn’t give me a message today,So let’s spend our time in Song and praise”.

No, even if there is no message,they will usually plow studiously through a long list of notes,delivering something that may not rise to the ceiling,certainly not to the Glory of the Lord..

So change is needed,And we feel that this type of Change is coming for Anabaptist Churches in the future.It will about have to,to restore credibility and Biblical authority .Admittedly,This has been tried some and often does not work,because Volunteers seem to dry up for many duties within the Church.The Preacher gets frustrated and asks for more ‘Team’ help,and then soon for more.Before long you may have the “”Full dream team” ,and maybe all the pomp ,and high-mindness that   can come with it,may follow.It reminds one of the Federal Government,it gets so big it finally appears to be serving itself first ,and then only itself.Is that Truth ?

We would boldly suggest here that the New Testament really has very little to say to back up those of our “Religious Kings”,which may exist within our far-flung circles.Of the gravity of their own self importance.In fact,Jesus spoke and taught about those who love to be addressed publicly in a spiritual setting.He roundly condemned it and them.The example of Our Lord Jesus is still the one to follow ,the only one at that.His Life was totally Blameless,and Service Oriented.Yet he had no Pride.Or Envy either.That was Truth.

Aside from Titus & 1&2 Tim. ,and the very beginning of the letter to Phillipa,Which are pastoral writings.The entire remainder of the NT,especially the Gospels, speaks almost entirely to the whole Church,and to all believers.Together and indivisible.When it does speak to the Leaders it is always in the context of Servant hood & Humility and stewardship,which are rather strange words today to many such.Here is the link to the Best Article on that subject I have found.Print it and hand it to a preacher when or if he is done patting himself on the back too much.He may point out 10 ways why it isn’t right,just remember who it’s addressing.

I once heard an older story-telling Mennonite Preacher tell this proverb.”"If you throw a rock in the Pig-pen,it’s the Pig that is hit that Squeals loudest”.I like that one though I Rather doubt it’s in the Good Book.

Here is the link.It rings like Truth,and Truth can set us all free.

http://www.christianity.co.nz/church7.htm

(Only about 1 of 20 people reading this ,seem to be reading this link.Why? Maybe we have all return readers.maybe the counter is wrong.Maybe my humble effort is more interesting then the link.hardly)

The leadership subject in the above linked article is much better written & Thought out then our own humble efforts to that subject.If through our  influences we can encourage one person to Approach The Holy One in True Spirit of worship,We’ve succeeded in our effort here.

This above linked article has a lot of points to upset a ‘Leader’ that is perhaps more full of himself then he is of the Holy Spirit.Hopefully those are rare, maybe I’ve never met one like that.,I wouldn’t know or pass that judgment, but I do know one who does know,and will pass true Judgment, in due time.

The Above linked article has the best definition I’ve ever read of the Episkopeo or the ”Serving as Overseer” Passage.I’ve heard this explained several times by big timers with big egos and even bigger  words,but always doubted their thinking,and motives.(Never ask a Butcher what he thinks of a Vegetarian).

Also I’m sure there are hundreds of humble Plain Preachers out there whose “Fruit”,is the fruit of the Spirit,..They may tend to be younger,and still study the Bible a lot.Maybe even have the serving servant spirit.They may be in it as a Jesus centered life.May they continue,and not be corrupted by a “Leadership Team uber all” Spirit.

The answer to the  top of the page question is..It’s all about Christ,and the Truth.

Also,try randomly asking a Church Member you just met.”Who’s the head of your Church ?” Surprisingly Often the reply is a Person’s name.

We’ll leave this for now.We realize we may not agree with everything this Above link’s Anglican writer puts forth,Some of it we would not see as truth at all.But on this subject he scores well and rightly.In his biography part ,it notes that he enjoys chopping wood,sounds like a good man to me.

Jess Wagler May 18- 09

May 28-09.the word ‘Pewed”,comes from the Anglican practice of paying for your pew.That is to support the Church and pay the preacher ,it seems.It would have it’s advantages ,it seems.You’d have a guaranteed seat.

Also we are intrigued by all the ‘Voting’ done in supposedly Anabaptist Churches,Where every-thing’s voted on but the weather,and that’s well discussed after Services.My general feeling by much observation is that the more a Church Votes,the more confusion is sown,over a period of time.The excuse for all the ‘Voting’ is that it’s by Spirit led peoples.What Spirit though,one wonders ??

We just received our copy of this long awaited project.Someone has done a great job on this huge book.8 by 12 in . size with over 1100 pages.It’s almost 4 or 5 times the size of the 1978 edition of the Waglers.Almost everyone who has any family connection to the Daviss  County Ind. Amish settlement is listed in here.There is a lot of new names in there ,and a lot of extra material too.This is almost surely the biggest such book I’ve ever seen.Only with Computer Technology could all this have been put together in the relatively short time it was.(Good work there,Ruth Schrock).

The site of the original Wagler Homesteads,in Europe, are easily pinpointed now.Google earth plainly shows the village of Aubure ,France.(about 5 miles west of Ribeauville).On the eastern outskirts of  Aubure sets a large Nursing Home Complex.(It’s odd how those types of buildings look the same the world over).That is the exact spot of the buildings of the larger farm,Muesberg,on top of the ridge ,which at that time had the least people.The main Wagler Residences at Muesbach,lie about 800 yards  easterly-southeast of there,down by the small stream.There are several photos of the Foundation ruins of that small farm,in the book.Google earth only shows scattered Forests there.Lay the google contour thingie-ma- gig wheel thing over, and you can very easily note the Mountains and the valleys.And they are rugged.

Also,in this book there are census records of those 2 farms from 1836 through1851,at the latter date there were no more Waglers present there,at the main farm.

As far as I can tell ,the story of the death of Great-Grandpa Christian Wagler is left out entirely.In the 1978 edition it was mentioned.He suffered in life of serious depression,and ended his own life in an extraordinarily gruesome manner,that affected a lot of people a lot of years….

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As far as who you are or are not related to ,you can figure it out just about any way you want or don’t want to in the Anabaptist world.

Several years back They had a big Overholt-Stucky Family Reunion here in Abbeville S.C.

Now ,there is not a thing wrong with the Overholt Crowd,none at all.They may not be the sharpest crowd,though.I tried to explain to several of them what I was doing there at that particular reunion.Several of them were convinced they knew,but they didn’t,they never listened long enough.(They thought it was some connection of Wife,Lynda’s,and admittedly she does have a slight family connection.)

So I will here explain in detail ,why I was there ,as a participant,on my own record,in case an inquisitive Overholt may read this,and understand it.

My Grandmother, my Mother’s  Mother,was a daughter of Catherine Stucky,Who was born in France in 1864,To Veronnica Stucky,an unwed mother.Catherine stucky was one of my 8 great Grandparents..Veronnica Stucky had 2 such illegitimate children,whom she took to America with her.One would speculate that it was some sort of Servant-Master Relationship,as the 2 girls were born 10 years apart.We don’t know,and Veronnica died in Ind. about 1921.(Her daughter had died 2 years earlier).Veronnica eventually had married John Overholt,and produced several legitimate little Overholts.these Overholts multiplied mightily in to all the Overholts today,that we know.

So ,in essence we do share a Great-Great Grandma,But I have no Overholt in Me,as far as I can see.

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Son Howard is subscribed to different data-bases.He has traced our linage back a full 14 generations (On the Yoder side).To a Man Born in 1522.In Switzerland.Wow.that’s a ways back there,almost 500 years

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We just returned from a 3 day Wagler Family reunion of my side of the family at Mayslick ,Ky.Just southeast of Cincinnati.It is close to Maysville Ky.which has an ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin” museum,the local attraction.I can’t recall we’ve ever got together like that before,for no particular reason,just a get-together-reunion.My Parents live there now,in the hilly river valley by the Ohio river.They’ve made almost a complete circle in migration over the last 60 years.

Both were Born & raised & Married in Daviss Co. Ind. They moved to the ill fated settlement of Piketon in Pike County ,Ohio in 1950.(My birth-place)In 1953,after being run out of there by a huge “Bomb’ plant,they moved to Aylmer,Canada.Then in 1976 they ,(Not Me),moved to Bloomfield, Iowa.Now 3 years ago they moved to Mayslick,Ky., Not 50 miles from Piketon ,Ohio,My Birthplace.

I’ve heard the song ”Lord ,send me anywhere but not to Kentucky”.Or maybe it’s a made-up song.I never imagined any of my family living there,though I suppose everywhere you go,Someone is there,even Ky.

We went into Maysville,which is right on the Ohio River.The native people are not Pure Yankee,neither are they Southerners.They are River People,seemingly a hardy bunch,and they often look like they perhaps Drink a lot.In the grocery store,a place called ”Save-a-lot” it’s a thrifty crowd that’s shopping there.

The portly cashier there  is not overly friendly,nor is she unfriendly.The pure Yankee attitude towards others you don’t know,is to look at them as objects,certainly not as people.(Even Customers).We do connect somewhat over an item I’m purchasing,and she opens up somewhat.(Southern Cashiers tend to chatter almost non-stop.)

A few minutes earlier I had surprised an older gentleman in the cereal aisle when I had nodded to him respectfully and said ”Good Morning”.He looked startled and scuttled quickly away without a word.I decided to remember that I was close to Yankee Country ,and not to scare strangers in that way.

We then drove back down the Hwy 68 to the Blue lick State campground we are all staying at.The reunion is going great,the only scheduled activity we had either day was supper at 5,or thereabouts.This particular Campground’s claim to history is that it was the site of the last battle of the USA Revolutionary War.A party of 280 British Soldiers and Indians Slaughtered about 80 American patriots,and sent the rest packing.About 7% of the White male population of Ky. died there in that unfortunate matter.Very Unfortunate indeed,because ,unknown to the two sides,the war had already ended several weeks before that battle.

That puts into perspective our frustration of having no cell phone service there while staying there.We sometimes think a lack of communication will about do us in.It did those poor settlers.

Daniel Boone was one of the American Commanders,and his son died there,too.Daniel escaped.

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The Only Amish Settlement Ever Displaced By An” Atomic’ Plant

Part 2… Concerning our June ,08′ trek from Mayslick to Piketon Ohio..Checking out The ‘Nuked out’ Amish settlement.

Back to June of 08′ ,6 of us siblings got together in an impromptu get-together and loaded up several vans with us and our parents and headed over to Piketon,Ohio to see the  site of the former Amish settlement there.(extinct since 1954).

This was only about a 50 mile drive from Mays lick Ky. through the hills and hollers of the river basin,on to piketon Ohio.Mom had never returned there since they moved off in 1953.

The reason the small Amish settlement was displaced so quickly way back then ,was not the usual reason those things happen like that.The US defence Dept. announced in 1952 that they were building a uranium refining plant on a 7000 acre plot.The Buildings and roads eventually covered about 600 acres,with the main plant just 4 miles from our home place,Hidden in the rolling hills.The frightened Amish families quickly all sold their farms to a single land speculator and moved off.

The US government assured everyone back then and for the next 30 years that the plant was for ‘Peaceful’ purposes,and that the uranium workings were all very low level and quite harmless to any and all.That the Government lied then and lies now about anything it wants to should not be a surprise.All Governments do.

However, the locals and those who worked there and around there have always referred to it as the ‘Bomb’ plant.Only in the last 20 years has the real truth come out about the product of the huge plant.Almost 100% of all the Bomb grade refined Uranium produced and used in the huge US Nuclear arsenal,From 1954-1980 came right out of that plant.About 550 metric tons of the stuff was produced from there.Supposedly,they are very concerned if only a few ounces of the highly enriched uranium is missing.It can be assumed that the Russians Bulls-eyed that site for numerous hits,if Nuclear war ever broke out.Today the plant stands in so-called Cold Standby.The 2 biggest buildings ,each a half mile long,400 ft wide,and 80 ft high ,are chock full of seriously contaminated machinery,that is sealed into the buildings,hopefully forever.Some of the most contaminated Real estate in the Country.

An announcement in June 09,states That a brand new Nuclear power plant will be built on the site,but not using any of the old buildings.If so,this will be the first one in the USA in many decades.I suppose they can then use all those power lines to shoot the power the other way.

.You can go on Google earth and see the  huge complex easily from several hundred miles out.Right in the middle of Pike Co. Ohio.Eleven Huge Power Lines converge on this site.When in operation,this one single Plant consumed almost 2% of the nations’ Electricity.That is’ more then some States’.

Also the Total enclosed space per Building is considered among the biggest in the world today.The 3 biggest buildings cover a total of 96 acres.

We rode into Pike county,Ohio,and the further we rode .the tougher it looked.Rolling hills and vast wooded areas.This is surely hard-scrabble country,lots of old house trailers,and very little farming going on there now.My Dad mentioned that it didn’t use to look so grown up.(In the early 50′s).

The Amish left in a hurry because they thought they were fleeing development.Instead,much of the land has reverted to Indian Country.Pike County itself has lost a lot and gained little from the whole thing.When the massive project was first announced in the early 50′s, Pike County Sheriff Jesse Foster made this remark.”The very first thing we will need is a new jail”.Time magazine  on Aug 25 1952 even quoted him on this.

Guess what.Pike County Ohio today in 2009 doesn’t even have a jailhouse.They had to close their Civil-war era Jail many years ago Because of inhumane conditions.They have to keep their prisoners in surrounding Counties’ Jails.

We found the old home place ,and all the Amish farms.The widow of the original speculator sold all the land plus much more in 1975.She sold it all to A  nice family that now runs a Horse Ranch called  Flying W Farm  ,on 2000 acres there.The owner and operator, named George Wagner  ,stopped and chatted with us on the road there and invited us to tour the headquarters,which is on the old Peter Stoll Farm.They were a nice family,as horse folks seem to be.He admitted he was not from ”around here”,but from near Cincinnati,(About 60 miles away).We toured the original part of the old Stoll house.They were thrilled to converse with “Amish” folks.He was interesting,and noted he had always heard tales about the Amish people fleeing the Bomb plant.

My older sisters Reminisced about how as girls they used to walk to an old country store,at a hamlet named Bethel,about a mile away.

We went looking for the old Store and found an old clapboard machinery shed ,right on the edge of the road,that the Girls said looked vaguely familiar.About 20 of us milled around,looking it over.About a hundred feet away a man was plowing his garden.as far as I could tell,he never noticed us,or looked our way,just kept on plowing.

At some point someone walked over and got his attention and he ambled over to us.”Yes”,he readily admitted,this was the old country store,and it closed in 1965 when his Dad,the storekeeper died.”And Yes” he noted,he remembered very well the little Amish girls coming down that hill,to the store.(In 1952).He warmed up ,and visited briefly,about things in the early 50′s,almost as if he was continuing a conversation from back then.After a bit he says.”well,I better get to my plowing”.And he did.These River folks really are No-nonsense.

We are enrolled in the C.A.M.property damage program, and have the distinction of having our Name in the Claims section for Commercial property.$890.00 was the amount paid out to replace a roof on one of our Rental houses.It ripped chunks of shingles and overhang material off,as the tornado in early April passed directly overhead,destroying and burning the trailer on one side ,and the 3 trailers on the other side,All within a 400 yard run.They said the Tornado itself was only a hundred yards wide..

Admittedly ,this $890. is not near enough to pay for the 14 squares of shingles it took to do the job,not counting the labor.This was after some much needed rule changes they,C.A.M. put in place the 1st of March 09′.Before Mar. 09′ they pd 100% of the cost of a new roof,minus a small deductible,with very flimsy evidence of damage,and with no regard to the age of the roof.

We tend to have several hail episodes a year ,and wind is a periodic thing too.After 20 or more years,a shingle roof with a 20 year life, start responding quickly to a slight hail or mild wind. This mutual aid tended to pay in full ,No matter how old the roof.So some Smart roofers and homeowners appear to have started to use the program as a normal roof-replacement thing.(Yeah,Mennonites).There are several instances of this happening listed in the latest list,which we are familiar with.It used to be that that did not happen,but it does now.

The new much-needed changes depreciated the Amount drastically after 10 years,am not sure what,if anything they  would pay after a roof is 20 years old,or older.and that is good,This is supposed to be a help after disaster,not a replacement program,that has been going on.It almost seems they were paying far too well,then started paying almost too little,as it does not even cover materials,though We are well satisfied with the bit we received.

I remember several years ago ,at a meeting here with one of the head guys,I questioned the C.A.M. Representative,from Ind. out about their policy of encouraging  us taking enough coverage to rebuild a house ,no matter the age or condition of your house now.I mentioned to him that our 5000 sq. ft. house with 12 ft ceilings (85 years old),would cost over a half million bucks to replace..”Did he feel we should put that much coverage on it?” Yes,he did.

We can assure all, that we haven’t got anywhere near that amount coverage on our house now,and predict that that policy will bite them sometime..If it hasn’t already.

However ,this is a good program, and the people there are very conscientious . Even if a bit naive in some ways .

This Book is a rather lengthy and detailed account about Nancy Coblentz ,a very long term American Mission worker serving in Belize,Central America.The AMA (Amish Men. Aid) has had a Mission presence there since the mid 1960′s,when they had big destructive Hurricanes there.Back when she started ,it was known as British Honduras.

Lynda’s now deceased Uncle Andy Hershberger put a lot of  good effort into that project. According to the book they now have 6 mission -supported Churches there now.It seems to us ,that sadly they have evolved into a professional missionary project.We are basing that evaluation on the fact that after nearly 50 years they still seem to be in the nurturing stage.As in still sending the American Bishops down to ‘Take care’ of their affairs.After that long,and if you haven’t got local people taking charge of things,it shows a lack of something very  important.

This in no way takes away from ‘Miss Nancy’s’ long term service and good influence on the many young folks there and who ‘served’ there from the States.She truly filled a need there ,and according to the Book,was fulfilled in her life through that..We ourselves visited there once several decades ago,and remember her fondly.

The book itself has quite small print,but is rich in everyday tales of Nancy Coblenz’s life there for over 40 years.Thats a very long time to be in the ‘Mission field”,but she appears to have kept her humility,and done well.

Don’t read this when you are tired,the layout is somewhat poorly done and gets repetitious after a bit,and may make one sleepy.But is still a good read,especially if you’ve ever met Nancy Coblentz

We just purchased several old copies of this farm Bi-weekly  on Ebay, issues dated Jan. 5th and Aug 17th of the year 1967.Those of us living the deprived Amish farm life in Aylmer back then,looked forward a lot to these issues,a small tread of information to the outside world..A well rounded family farm magazine that was even then slimming down,and went out of Business in late 1968,just a year later,A victim of the newer types of news media ,even back then.

The U.S. had it’s “Progressive Farmer” Weeklys ,but they never came close to the ”Family feeling” layout of the ”Herald”.It was running a special subscription rate of 100 issues for a mere $3. That was 4 years,no wonder they went under soon.I think they had the readership,but it was the slump in advertising that hurt them.

It had farming news,a children’s section,a style section,and a small ”evil” comic section too.A crossword puzzle,a world news page too.The best was the back classified adds from all over Canada putting up for sale almost anything of use to Man or beast.And also Farmland,advertised at incredibly low prices.300 acres of remote bushland was offered at $5.900.(for all of it).

The News Commentary section had an article on  ”The ongoing fight for Liberty in Rhodesia”".The poor folk didn’t realize then they had it a thousand times better then that they do today.Over there.

It was the centennial year celebration of Canada’s formation.Expo 67′ was much discussed ,in Montreal,and we read it all,never imagining that anyone actually went there.

Of interest to some is the  classified ads in the Jan.5th ’67 issue.

”Rabbits,breeding stock,New Zealand white meat type,4 lbs, 8 weeks,2 months,$4. each $10. trio. Abner Stoll ,Aylmer,Ont.” (Abner’s tragic death was in 82′ ,I think.)

and another  ad.”Pearl Guinea Fowl,$5.00 pair,Bantams $1 each.Peter Wagler,Aylmer Ont.”

The Above two cousins would have been in their late teenage years,I’d forgot now, how hard it was, to scrounge some spending money up before the magic age of 21,when you got your ‘own’.I was then in the unfortunate & forgettable Amish in-between years .Out of School (all 8 grades), but before youth (or youngie) age. Unfortunate, because there’s more awry plans incubated at that stage then at any other time in life,seems like.

In the Aug. issue there is an ad offering Rabbits from a ”Green acres rabbitry” of RR 4 Aylmer Ont. I believe that may have been Older Cousin James Stoll & wife Emma,who were raising a good size family then plus the rabbits.

All you did then was write a letter for more information, with the name and town and province,put a five cent stamp on it and in a few short days you heard back from them.Compare that to today’s high stamp prices,exact box numbers and zip codes required,or it will come back undelivered.

Let’s not kid ourselves ,those weren’t that good of times,they were tough all around.

Abbeville S.C. had their annual spring thing this past weekend.Abbeville is a beautiful town this time of year,and the trees and shrubs are blooming out pretty.What man tries to add to this mix is gaudy rides ,loud but happy music,and food served out of little boxy trailers that’s barely eatable,even for a dog.And folks love it,and come for miles around to partake of it.Not a very good mixture at all ,maybe a place to stay away from ?

There are some nice Crafts displayed ,and are neat.They shut down the whole downtown traffic square,and folks mill around,inhaling the flavor of it.A lot of visiting,you don’t get far before being haled by someone or other,and that’s great.My problem is it takes a while sometimes to place,or recognize people.

Lynda and I were there Thursday evening for a while with the younger children.We tried to eat supper there.

No,I didn’t do the rides,but others of our family did.I got seperated from those I was with ,and found myself watching a friend’s children throwing little hoops at some fake duckies in a water tank,for so much a toss.One of the duckies had a $20 bill taped to it’s back,I suppose that was the prize.Multiply that by about 50 times and you get the idea of the racket.I sat on a Brick abutment right there on the side walk,because my feet hurt and I needed time to figure out a way out from here.(our truck was only half a block away.)

A rather scrawny faced Abbeville City Police Officer with no hair,Smiled slightly as he approached me and asked me to ‘Move Along’.With the noise and milling crowd and all ,he had to repeat part of what he said,for me to catch on.Guess I could have mentioned to him I was well acquainted with the owner of the brick Abutment,The Police Chief,the Judge,the fire Chief,,etc.They are all great folks.I suppose I could have made a case for continuing my Restful repose.I just nodded agreeably and ambled towards our vehicle.I noted the officer was talking briskly to another dwaddler as I left.I didn’t know this particular officer,but it won’t be hard to find out who that was,with that slight description.He’s an anomaly,for sure .Can’t recall being asked to “move along ” from anywhere for quite some time.

On Saturday I had to return to town to take care of some business,but tried to skirt well around the festival area.One bit of important business though ,was to sneak into the basement of the public Library to partake in what they call a ‘Bag book sale’.For $6 they hand you a paper grocery bag and you fill it up with books you pick out of a huge assortment they have accumulated,from donated books and stuff.I mostly avoid the discarded Library books,and go for the donated ones.Found a few author signed ones,including one by Frank Howard,the legendary Clemson Football Coach.And one by some Golf pro.Libraries never use donated books for their shelves,they send for the latest published ones,brand new.I think that’s because most folks don’t go to the library to read,they go to go on-line.

I shamelessly end with a bag full I can barely carry,and stagger out,A great feeling indeed.Do I Need books ?  No.Thats not the point,the idea is no good book should go to waste.

Well,we’ve went and had one,a genuine American Yard Sale.After me resisting the Whole Idea for several months,A 2 day yard-sale happened here.

Leave it up to others in the household,we’d possibly have one every week,until all the ‘stuff’ is gone.A man without ‘stuff’,and a lot of it,isn’t much of a man in my book.

The sheds were full and overflowing,so why shouldn’t we share with others ,in an unselfish way like that ,and get a little bit of money to boot ??(Actually,I don’t get to see any of it).Household items, furniture,tools,books,collectibles,clothes,who knows what,we got rid of a lot.But the general consensus is we need to keep having them ,and considering the last one we had was about 5 years ago,that may be the way to go.

The preparation started earlier in the week,with a $5 ad in the weekly paper announcing the Sale.I painted up the signs ,about 2 by 2 foot square on plywood ,to set on either end of our road,and also one on the end of our circle drive.

I announced boldly that I’d be glad to help get the stuff out and all,But on sale day,I would plan to make myself scarce,as I’m really not a Yard Sale Person,I’m an Auction Junkie,for sure.Several other families offered to have tables too,so that made it a multi-family one.It poured rain on Wed. and Thursday but by Friday A.M. We had about a dozen tables set up,plus a clothes rack,and a scaffold to hold the old Canoe that we’ve had around for years .The old canoe is multi colored ,and makes an excellent scenery prop,we really didn’t want to sell it ,so we put a price on it.As Is for $100.00.We ended up with it years ago when an honest renter insisted to sell off some possessions to us to make up his rent,after he moved out.This rarely happens,and I still appreciate the Couple that did this.

Fri. A.M.People soon arrived to browse and to buy.I somewhere came up with a barrel of Avon bottles .we sold these for 50 cents each and sold quite a few,though we had plenty left over.While I was there ,if I saw anyone looking them over,I boomingly announced that ”These used to sell for a lot of money”.

A large lot of 8-track tapes,we never sold a one, at a quarter a piece.A box of medium size LP’s,all the hits from the 70′s ,sold well at 25 cents each.I dropped the remaining 100 or so off at my nephew Steve Marners’ as he had expressed some admiration for them that day.

The economy is tough here,we noticed some folks really didn’t have but a few dollars,I always tried to give them lots for their money.A middle aged woman who just lost her job expressed interest in a box of 60 ‘Sports illistrated’ magazines from the 60′s & 70′s.I knew how many because she carefully counted them,before buying them and several other items for a total of $10.

To be continued,with numerous insights..

Our recent trip to Pinecraft Florida renewed our interest in smaller, Thrifty Dwellings.There were folks there living in 12 by 16 ft. metal sheds.Also very old Campers and buses that hadn’t been moved in years ,were often occupied.I’m sure these were mostly short term rentals,making a buck for the owners.

You see pictures of Sheep herders out west living in super small houses on wagon chassis with round metal roofs.They cost $15-25 K,and are built to be outside,in all weather.we’re not talking that small here.Most of the world’s populations live in 1 or 2 sleeping rooms with a courtyard for cooking and some sort of Bath room set-up somewhere close by.We still insist on having all that in one unit.For rental units,It’s law in most states,along with the requirements for Hot water, and heat,all on demand.

We’re thinking here about Owner occupied & Built units,for housing.

In today’s financial climates,some may find themselves longing for an affordable house,or a housette.That it could shrink to the available budget may be a good thing.After all a square foot paid for is better then many square feet lost,to foreclosures.Houses are to live in,not be piggy banks,or reverse piggy-banks.

A summertime pastime can be camping,in the great outdoors.If it’s low-cost it will be Tents,pop-ups,or small pull behinds.Anything larger is usually a Rich Person’s toy,not meant to be thrifty,but to be comfortable.

Type in ‘mini-house’ on google ,and you get all sorts of small ideas.What we’ll stay with here is something you’d perhaps consider living in for a year,and that most folk could build or finish out themselves ,if you had to.Also something with a real ‘house’ roof of some kind,and real house windows.It may or may not have wheels.Also something that won’t depreciate if taken care of.

And that is not a mobile home or an RV trailer,with their super-lite ,non durable roofs and wall coverings..The recent high scrap metal price had one great side effect.Many of the old unsightly hulks,of outdated house trailers, were stripped of their sides and roofs,just for the metal.They’ll soon rot down now.Mobile homes have always seemed to me to be designed by folks who would never be caught living in one.

Yes,we have lived in one for several years(early 80′s).You’d hear the 1st raindrop,and the slightest push of a breeze.Step on one end,and the whole thing would creak.We were glad to get out of it.

So, what would be an acceptable Mini home,or house ? At least 100 sq. ft of floor space per person seems a minimum size.You need Lot’s of windows ,a sizable ,(35-50 sq. ft.)working bathroom,and an entry door with glass in it.A regular kitchen sink,a normal stove & Fridge,about does the basics,at least if you expect your spouse to still stay there with you.

The newer type Sheds or mini barns could conceivably be modified to serve the purpose,with some considerable effort.Many of them are built with 2 x 4 walls,and plywood floors.There would need to be a lot more,and bigger windows,to be feasible.also a real door for entries.

The older style barns,the ones with the shingles coming almost to the ground,are not suitable to live in in any form.I’ve always felt they are really ugly,really no beautiful lines ,or uses at all.We’re glad they are fading away,except for maybe at home Depot.

Some states,like Tenn.and Ga. have no building codes at all in rural areas,and it shows.South Carolina requires a lot of paperwork of all kinds for a dwelling,or anchored building.The only loophole here is that storage buildings,or what the Yanks call Sheds,are wide open.You’re supposed to be able to move them,and at least the corners have to be on non-anchored Cement block.

The ‘moving’ part,is sometimes stretched a bit to mean able to move about on the lot it’s on.(let’s say a 12 x 20 with a full size loft,) A ‘ shed’,can also be put almost right on the Property line,while a permanent building has set-back distances.

All this sounds quite idealistic,but have we ever tried living like that ? Yes,we have.And if the economy really tanks,I wouldn’t mind doing it again,if needed.

In the early 1990′s we happened to be between houses,having sold one and not quite sure what to do next.We happened to have a trailer hook-up in a wooded lot in a rural setting.In just over 2 weeks we roughed in what we have always since referred to as a ‘Crackerbox’ house.

The bottom story was an 18 x 18 ft building with a 6x 8 ft Bathroom off one side.the top story was a 12x 18 ft full height sleeping loft.It looked exactly like a little shoe box setting on top of a big shoe box,a real flat metal roof.I’m not clear why it ended a flat roof,It seems to have evolved that way.The heavy steel on the roof was tan,the lumber was all new no.3 from a local salvage place,and also the aluminum windows.Insulation and sheet rock finished it off,with the ceiling of the main room left rough 2×6 and plywood.It was set on cement blocks,supposedly to be movable.The plumbers put in the gray quest type pipes,it has always worked well,and does not burst..

The electric box,and water heater was on the outside.An electric heater was wired up,though we used a Kero-sun for a while.The whole thing was set in the trees,looked rather rustic,and servicable.The total cost including plumbing was less then 3K.We lived there with 3 young children for about 9 months,then went on to better digs.

We later put a nice covered porch in the front.For the aprox 17 years since it’s been a rental,easily paying for itself many,many times over.We’ve had interesting folks in there,it’s usually a single person with very unusual housing tastes.

A side note here,the county assessor approached us about 4 years after we built it ,enquiring how long that ‘cabin’ had been out there,hidden in the woods.He assessed us a very reasonable amount ,and commented that he guesses he’ll have to ”Drive by there every year to check on new things’.

This was in a time when the permitting in the countryside was pretty slack.

To be continued.

Feb. winter Cold is turned into sunny days if you spend it in Pinecraft.We’ve just spent 9 days there,survived,and are happy about it…The weather was beautiful,The people interesting to behold.

However,it was a working vacation as we attended to some caregiver responsibilities,concerning my elderly Parents,who stayed a month on Miller Street, then moved to a much nicer place on Hacianda street on the north side,at less then half the Cost per day.My hat’s off to all caregivers,especially those in it long-term.This is a first for us to spend that much  time there,in Florida,(9 days)maybe the last too.Here’s our observations on that.

First of all,how and why did the Plain folk start going to Pinecraft ? .It happened well after the 20′s land boom and bust.

Pinecraft was then a swampy,thicket covered land far from the Beach,an old Pickup truck could be easily traded for several acres of land.And surprise,it was the eastern Pennsylvania folk that started it all,the first scouting party that was looking for a cheap healthy,winter location.

While on the subject,the Good Lancaster Pa. folk have about taken over the area to the South of the Main drag , Bahia Vista Street.

Now there’s nothing wrong with the good Lancaster Pa. Plain folk,if you get to know them.If you don’t know them,they’ll look at or through you as if you were a rock on the road.And they seem to do each other like that too.That’s probably the way they do it up there,in Pa.

I circled my rented bike up past the Bus loading area as they were loading the Ephrata Pa. passenger Bus.This is behind the Tourist Mennonite Church where all the Buses come in to load and unload.

If I’d closed my eyes,then opened them quick, I’d have thought it was Antarctica.Groups of ‘Penguins’ stood all over the area by the loading Bus.Not much visiting going on there,at least that I could understand.And yes,all the ‘Penguins’ tended to have longer then normal noses,very little emotion between departing ones and those left behind,for now ,in sunny Florida.

Now the Ohio and Ind. buses tended to load with much boisterous conversation and back slapping,wishing one another well,etc.I Suppose the Pa. folk have a lot of chores waiting,which would tend to quiet one down.About the most exciting bus unloading was when they unloaded bundles of Sugarcreek Budgets (The national Amish Weekly)From the Ohio Pioneer Trails Bus,They set up a table right there and sold them to many eager readers.One of the arriving Pioneer Buses had a huge Pink Easter Rabbit taped to the windshield of the Bus.that was cool.

And Now about Oranges and Grapefruit .They’ve got them hanging on the trees.And they are really good.You can take them and cut a small round deep hole in one and juice it on the spot..Just make sure you have paper towels handy.The juice will literally run off your elbows.

Just be careful to examine every orange or grapefruit you buy there on the street-side in Pinecraft.As thrifty Amish & Mennonites,they’ll often try to pass off the ground-fall ones to you and keep the good ones for themselves,and their friends.I scolded one older gentleman,who lived on North Kauffman ave, when I found the whole bottom of a 5 gallon of oranges rotten,obviously very old stock.I explained to him that if you buy a large box of bananas,and insist on eating the ripest,or rotten ones first,you’ll end up eating the whole box just like that.In other words,just throw the rotten fruit away,on to the good fruit.He agreed that it was so,and gave me more off the tree.

The Buses arriving were packed full,the departing ones only partly full.(3rd week of Feb.)They told me that this will exactly reverse in a week or so.The ones departing will be packed,the arriving buses will be only partly filled.We noted that Pioneer Trails had several spare ones on their lot,Waiting till then.

The 1st order of business for all,upon arrival in Pinecraft seems to be to get a hold of a 3 wheel Bike.There must be hundreds circling around Pinecraft.Regular bikes are $2 a day.Kids bikes $1 a day.The much coveted 3 wheelers are $3 and up.

We never did see a horse there,good riddance,I dislike horses anyways.

The several bike shops we patronized were the one on Kruppa St. and also Nelson’s bike shop on North Kaufman St.Both rented you whatever you wanted with just that day’s rental money down.No deposit or Name taken down or any such concern.You were expected to keep paying till you were through and then return the Bikes.A Nice way to deal with,and highly recommended ,I must say.

Being interested in real estate,I rode around with cousin Phil Graber,looking at different houses,There seems to be thousands of them,many begging for a buyer.One of Phil’s rentals had a nice orange tree in the back yard,And they were delicious,indeed.

The next day after a good breakfast  I went house looking with another friend,Dave Beachy Sr. We decided to swing by and check out the house Nephew John W,from Iowa is interested in.About 2 miles from Pinecraft,in a crowded sub-devison,we pulled up to the empty house.Two vehicles sat out front,one with car lot writings on the windshield,a foreclosure sign in the front yard.It appears someone else is looking too,maybe a real estate agent ? We go to the front door ,Dave knocks,then opens the unlocked door.He shouts ‘ Hello-Hello’ into the empty house and it echos.We walk on into the somewhat scruffy living room,into the hall and by the bathroom.Something doesn’t seem right to me,and I drop another 10 feet further behind my friend Dave.We go towards the back Den area,and note that the patio doors are wide open.The back of my neck feels cold.Wine bottles and blankets are scattered in this area.Dave ,by now 20 feet ahead of me steps to the open patio door and peers out.”There they go”,he shouts.Several Spanish males leap over the back fence and into the trees beyond..

They call them ‘House campers’ here,breaking in and living in empty houses..

”Why don’t we leave,and right now?”I ask Dave,and we did,without further ado..Back to the relative safety of Pinecraft.

How does everyone find a place to Stay,there in Pinecraft?? It’s estimated there are 3000 “plain ‘ folk there in the wintertime..A lot of folks own their own houses,and they are not cheap,to own or to keep ‘up’..Or you can rent an apartment or roomette.Watch out for the slumlords,they are out there.

A nice Older couple came down from Ind. on the Ind. bus. The wife confided in Lynda that they ended up in a ‘ little bitty’ room where the bed took up half the space,the tiny bath was a walk-in,and the ”Kitchenette”was a toaster and a small microwave on a shelf ,at the end of the room.We also noted a number of storage sheds fixed up as rental units.

They’ve got several good Restaurents there.I was treated twice ,by friends at the big Troyer’s,at the Beneva junction.This thing is huge,almost like a shopping mall inside.I avoided the ‘Home cooked” buffet line,with about 40 people waiting.My theory on ‘Home cooked’ is that to be good it needs to be cooked in a real home kitchen.Besides the Commercial ‘Home Cooked’ have far too much sugar and salt in it.Instead, I ordered a hamburger & took the salad bar.The salad bar was just so-so,but the hamburger was a delicious surprise.Laid out open face,that you put together,it was piping hot,real char-broiled beef,just right,as you say.

Last yr. my parents came to pinecraft on short notice and ended up on Clarinda St. in a smallish flat paying out $100 a night for a month.

This yr they took the nice little house on miller Street at $60 a night.After moving across to the north side,a much nicer area,they paid about half that for an even nicer flat.So if you go, ask around,someone can find you a good spot ,hopefully without you getting gouged.

About every night there was a concert or a sing-a -long somewhere.Since the Pinecraft park charged $100 bucks to host these,these things were usually held in someones front lawn,and always drew hundreds of mostly Plain folks..John Smet & Johnny Schrock had a great program at Kaufman & Birky St.one night.Several Ind. groups also sang on different evenings.These always ended about 8.30 P.M..

The reason these concerts ended so early, I think was so all the vacationing country folk could get their sleep.Everyone tends to rise early (6 A.M. Or earlier).and everyone seemingly makes Bacon & eggs for breakfast.The smell of frying beacon wafts all over Pinecraft about 6 every morning.I was the designated cook for breakfast,so I got to get up earlier.After we moved to the Alva Knepp House on Hacianda Street,we thought we’d just serve oatmeal & juice on Sun. Morning.Keep it simple,maybe I could even arise a few minutes later,then all these ex-farmers.

Well,it didn’t work out that way.As I strolled out a few minutes after 6 A.M. The smell of frying bacon was all over the kitchen.The Nice older couple in the garage apartment beside us had their breakfast well on the way,and the Bacon smell came through the cracks on the sides of the locked divider door.There went the oatmeal plans,out came the bacon & Eggs.After breakfast I stuffed Newspaper into the door cracks.

One of the things to do was go to ‘Big Olafs’ at Kauffman & Bahia Vista and eat an ice Cream,and watch the Bikes and people cross the busy intersection there.The walk light was barely long enough for pedestrians,some older ones did not make it all the way till the light changed,and the horns blew.One night after dark I watched an Amish Man make a run across on the red light.He was all in Black clothes,peddling furiously,and he made it.They all are in black,can’t hardly see’em after dark.

The next street over,Beneva, is a heavy traffic through street.The city of Sarasota dropped the speed limit to 35 for one mile each way from Bahia Vista,just to protect the Bikes,and pedestrians.Several times a day they had large traffic enforcement teams reeling in dozens of motorists.

Living in Pinecraft,all want to go to the beach sometime,which is 5 miles away.It didn’t suit for us all to go,so I drove Lynda and the girls to Tuttle & Bahia vista,to the ‘Amish’ city bus stop.The beach bus took them to Siesta Beach.They didn’t care much for the beach,they said it was cold and also crowded.(Guess they were more used to the more private S.C. beaches).They started walking along the beach ,and ended up touring an open house,at a 2.5 million dollar Half-a-house.

On Sunday we ate lunch at Cousin Philip Graber’s House.His Wife Dorinda had fixed up a Grand Sunday lunch with about everything.I mentioned to her that she surely shouldn’t have went to all that work,but since she did we’ll gladly enjoy it fully.At some point Dorinda causally mentioned that in her youth she lived 15 years in the McBride B.C. frontier Settlement.Wow,She knows about Bears and snow then.

My parents were there too,they enjoyed it a lot. ,Also Businessman Glen Graber & wife Mary Jane from Davis’s Co. Ind..Singer John Smet & wife Lydia from Ohio..Also Phil’s nephew Glen Graber & wife Rachel From Ky.Also cousin Henry wagler From Sarasota & his family.A lot of conversation took place,I mostly listened ,being somewhat shy around big Story tellers like that.????

And now ,a few observations on the famous Pinecraft park.It’s not a big park,the biggest thing there are the shuffle-board courts.It has a rather small picnic shelter too,where they have benefit suppers and some singings.There is a large bulletin board there too.While i was looking it over I overheard what must have been the caretaker making remarks that ”These here groups don’t want to pay their $100 for a permit to sing here”and that he’ll have to ”Just tell them the way it is”.

It’s where people go to play shuffle Board and stand around.There are often a big bunch of trikes parked there.They have a nice bike path that goes around the back and goes out towards Bahia Vista St. We peddled it often and several times I pushed my mom around it in a Wheel-Chair.Once with her I paused by the courts and she remarked.”Lets not go in there”.And that’s the way I felt too.It looked like the folk there were quite engrossed in their game.And that’s fine.

On Friday a sudden rain squall happened in the afternoon.We headed towards miller street from Kauffman,towards the Park.Suddenly ,around the bend from the Park came several dozen 3-wheelers,Their riders peddling furiously,Hats ,beards and coats flying in the wind,These guys were heading home to Mama,the schuffle Board court can wait,the rain won’t.I  needed a camera then,for sure.

We met so many interesting folks.Some we knew before and some we didn’t.We met one older widow I hadn’t seen in over 40 years.I remembered that her husband,now dead 18 years, was a really hard worker,so I remarked to her.

”Joe really worked a lot when he was alive,didn’t he?”To which she replied .”Yes,and I did too”.And she was right.

Most younger folk know little about this today,where farmers and their families worked almost around the clock,especially in summer.I remember of it,and not too fondly.

We also met the interesting Katie Troyer,who formerly lived in Aylmer,who now lives down there.

If you meet someone,you may as well say what you need to say right then,They or you may be leaving tomorrow.I suppose that would be good to do anywhere,not just in Florida.

A good segment ,maybe half of the all Amish are not allowed to winter in Florida at all,and certainly not to ride bikes,or even go outside without hats.All the above mentioned things would be punishable offences.The ones that do go  there would then be considered the more tolerant  , of that way of life.I think all their houses there have electric and telephones,so Pinecraft must indeed be a special case thing.

On Tuesday P.M. Our Replacements arrived,Niece Laura with her husband Raymond Eicher & 2 small boys,from Aylmer Ont Canada.They traveled by train through New York city,and were pleased by the pretty weather they found in Florida.We stayed until Wed. at noon when we left for home.On Tues evening We met Raymond’s brother Lloyd Eicher,Who seems a nice energetic young man of 24 who has lived in Sarasota for 3 years and has a pool care business.I never met or knew of him before,but we both share an experience in common,we both escaped the ‘Bear’s Den’,Aylmer ,in lets just say extraordinary ways.A full generation apart.We never talked about that but wish I had that opportunity.I guess I didn’t follow my own advice about visiting when you can.

The 3 things I would like to impart first to myself and other folk,who have come out of all the ‘Bears Dens’ in the country is.

1.Always Honor & respect your parents,and that’s for life. 2.Find a caring Church & Pastor who will help guide you through getting rid of a lot of your Spiritual Baggage. 3.Never,never look back ,as in blaming anyone.Or the terrible bitterness will get you down.The blame game is popular even in our own Mennonite counseling circles.I’ve never seen that part of it work,even once.Christ is the only answer there is.

We left for home,up I-75 to lake City.Then we cut across South Georgia,on Hwys 221 & 1.That country is just real Nice and interesting.At one point towards dark a large dark car ,all chrome hubcaps and tinted windows,flashed by us a high speeds,The girls admired the speed of the car,but I remarked that that car ”Will come to no good end”.An hour later,after our supper stop.and after dark,the same vehicle speed past us again.It finally got past the Tractor-trailer ahead of us,on a double line on a split curve,a very unsafe maneuver.It seemed then like all the Blue lights in the county came on ,on the State patrol vehicle directly behind us.in the dark.We passed the ‘Traffic stop” a bit later,The lone Trooper was about 20 feet from the car shining his big flash light into it in that diagonal way troopers do.It was obvious he was hesitant about going closer at that point.

And so ,our stay in Sarasota ends for now.Will we visit there again? sure ,we hope so.Will we stay all winter ? Probably not.My Grandpa John L Yoder from Daviss Co. Ind. went there about every year from the late 40′s through the mid 70′s.Uncle Ben Yoder is a regular there,now.

If the Housing prices get right ,who knows ? A lot more people may see the sunshine in Pinecraft then.Florida has always gone through boom & bust cycles in real estate,and we would think that will happen again. The End.