When I scheduled this field trip, one of the first things she said to me was NO PHOTOS. NOT something I wanted to hear!!! Anyways, I went ahead with the trip.
We toured Dardanelle Lock & Dam! We had an awesome tour guide and she explained so much to us. Some things that I would have never thought of.
We actually got to walk out on to the Lock and even though there were not any boats to lock through, they still lowered it to the level of the river & then refilled it while we were standing on top of it. After we got across, they opened the gates and showed us how that worked - how the boats would enter, lower or raise and then exit onto their way. We were able to walk out onto the dam and while we were there, they opened up one of the gates and let the water flow through while we were standing on it.
I learned that even the general public can lock through. Rog and the kiddos and I will be coming back to do that - well, he actually said we would just go and lock through at the Murray Lock in Little Rock.
After the tour, we had picnic lunch with some friends and chatted while the kiddos played on the playground.
Since we were so close we went up to the top of Mt. Nebo. It was such a nice day and it was so pretty up there. The kiddos were wanting to take a hike, but we had to get home to get dinner and head to the Girl Scout meeting...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Dr.Update...
Had a visit with my rheumetologist today and I got to visit with him & the Nurse Practitioner. She seemed as interested and concerned as Dr. Chi is. They were both very frustrated that there was a message from me and neither of them got the message to call me. They were also not happy with the fact that I was basically ignored by the pulmanologist. He went ahead and gave me a script for prednisone and wants me to see yet another pulmanologist. Hopefully 3rd times a charm!
On a side note- my chest is not hurting to bad - I am not sure if it is the updraft, inhaler, Celebrex or the natural pleurisy root that I have been taking.
I guess my next step is to wait for the pulmanologist to call me back. I do feel good knowing that both the doc and the NP said that I better call until I talk to them next time...
On a side note- my chest is not hurting to bad - I am not sure if it is the updraft, inhaler, Celebrex or the natural pleurisy root that I have been taking.
I guess my next step is to wait for the pulmanologist to call me back. I do feel good knowing that both the doc and the NP said that I better call until I talk to them next time...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
What did I sign up for??
Saturday morning started off pretty good. I helped out at a Parent Interest Meeting for Girl Scouts and we actually had a good turn out, and a couple of momma's that seemed interested in leading a troop!
I left the meeting and met my sister at the grocery store and grabbed a handful of groceries- both personal & Girl Scouts - because- are you ready - they are staying at my house tonight!
They pitched a tent -in the dark; started a fire- in the dark & had dinner - in the dark! But that didn't slow them down any... they had a great time - we planned our own Astronomy CampOut (there was one offered by the council, but it was full, so the girls suggested we do our own). We had a scavenger hunt, had some discussion & were able to find the moon in the telescope. I think the girls had a ton of fun - they will all be going to church with us in the morning!
I left the meeting and met my sister at the grocery store and grabbed a handful of groceries- both personal & Girl Scouts - because- are you ready - they are staying at my house tonight!
They pitched a tent -in the dark; started a fire- in the dark & had dinner - in the dark! But that didn't slow them down any... they had a great time - we planned our own Astronomy CampOut (there was one offered by the council, but it was full, so the girls suggested we do our own). We had a scavenger hunt, had some discussion & were able to find the moon in the telescope. I think the girls had a ton of fun - they will all be going to church with us in the morning!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Another chance to win a Kindle!
It's a Giveaway Extravaganza! Kindle Giveaway, Facebook Party and Book Bomb - OH MY!
Visit the Roaring 20’s with Julie Lessman in the Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway! Julie’s latest series has just ‘shimmied’ it’s way onto the scene with book 1 in The Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted!
Visit the Roaring 20’s with Julie Lessman in the Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway! Julie’s latest series has just ‘shimmied’ it’s way onto the scene with book 1 in The Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted!
Find out more about the book, Julie here.
Enter The Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway!
One Grand Prize winner will receive a KINDLE preloaded with Julie Lessman's latest title. The Prize Pack (valued at over $150.00) includes:
* A brand new KINDLE, with Wi-Fi
* A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman
To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form and be sure to tell your friends about the contest.Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on October 7th.
Not only is Julie hosting the fabulous KINDLE giveaway, but also a FACEBOOK PARTY and a BOOK BOMB!!!
Are you ready for PRIZES GALORE??? Then come to the Facebook Party!
How does a gift certificate and a signed book given away EVERY 10 minutes during an hour-long Facebook party sound? (Yeah, we think it sounds pretty great too!) On October 7th at 5pm PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST, & 8:00 EST) Julie is inviting you to attend the A Hope Undaunted Facebook Party! She'll announce the winner of the KINDLE and in addition to the prizes every 10 minutes, she'll also be giving away great prize baskets filled with even more Romance and Technology (Netflix, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Champagne body Lotion, Pearls, & more!)!
BUT WAIT … there’s more (and no, this is not an infomercial … it’s WAY better!). If you participate in the Book Bomb on October 7th you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. All you need to do to participate is buy a copy of A Hope Undaunted on October 7th and send your receipt (just transaction number from store, store name & date) to amy@litfusegroup.com! Each book purchased equals one entry, buy 10 books get 10 entries!
All this fun begins with Revell’s blog tour SEPTEMBER 19-25, when 122 blogger/reviewers will post reviews about A Hope Undaunted, followed by the Book Bomb and Facebook Party!
So mark your calendars with these important dates:
September 19-25: A Hope Undaunted will be making an appearance on blogs across the country (and beyond!) in Revell's blog tour!
September 20th: The Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway launches (contest runs 9/20 - 10/6)
October 7th: Book Bomb Day (where everyone is encouraged to buy the book online at the same time!) and Facebook Party - meet and chat with Julie, win some great prizes & find out who won the KINDLE!
Want to help us spread the word about all this fun and be entered to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate?
Once you've tweeted, posted on Facebok or added the button to your blog/website - simple email Amy and let her know you helped spread the word. Easy.
Here is a sample post for both Twitter/Facebook:
Tweet This: @JulieLessman is giving away a KINDLE and tons more during her giveaway extravaganza! Details here: http://ow.ly/2Czbn Pls RT
Share on Facebook: Julie Lessman is celebrating her new release, A Hope Undaunted by giving away a KINDLE, having a Book Bomb and a Facebook Party! Prizes Galore - don't miss the fun! http://ow.ly/2Czbn
Or add this button to your blog or website! Simply copy and paste the code in the box into the HTML screen of your blog or website. Then email Amy and let her know you did!
WIN A KINDLE!! A Friend in the Storm
, Zondervan’s latest innovative gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry that leads to lasting hope!Since this book covers matters of the heart, Cheryl wants to hear from YOUR heart! In the midst of any type of loss, grief or crisis, A Friend in the Storm
takes you on a healing journey where you experience Christ’s love in a fresh, memorable way. Now she invites you to submit an original poem, story or snippet about a time when someone was a friend in your storm… and she's giving you the opportunity to win a KINDLE to do it!Head on over to her Contest Page on her website to find out how to enter!
On October 3rd, she will randomly select one winner to receive a brand-new KINDLE! She's also choosing 5 more names at random to receive a signed copy of A Friend in the Storm
! The winners will be announced at her Facebook Party on October 4th. The party will take place on Cheryl's Facebook "A Friend in the Storm" Page - go here for all the details.
The Facebook Party will be a blast! Not only will she be announcing the Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway winners, but she'll also be chatting with party goers, hosting fun trivia contests, and giving away even more prizes every 10 minutes – including signed copies of A Friend in the Storm, and gift certificates to Amazon.com and Starbucks.com!
Oh, and check this out - Cheryl is also giving away a $50 Amazon gift certificate! Simply help her spread the word about the contest; Facebook Party. Interested? It’s easy to enter! Here’s how:
Share this on FACEBOOK: Want to help someone who’s hurting? “A Friend in the Storm,” Zondervan’s latest gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry, is helping thousands find lasting Hope! Go here http://ow.ly/2BYiN to enter to win a KINDLE!
Post this on TWITTER: A Friend in the Storm by @cherylricker heals hearts in tough times. Enter 2 win a KINDLE http://ow.ly/2BYiN here! #litfuse (You must use hashtag #litfuse to be entered.)
Share this as many times as you like – just email amy@litfusegroup.com by October 4th and let her know how many times you tweeted/shared on Facebook, twittered or blogged about the contest. Each ‘sharing’ represents one entry into the contest.
Another way to ‘share’ the contest is to add this button to your blog or website. Adding the button is worth ten entries into the contest!
Simply copy and paste the code in the text box below into the html screen of your blog/website, then send Amy an email letting her know that you added it along with your URL and she’ll toss your extra entries into the pot.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Shooting Sports
Samantha and Riley are finally old enough for 4H shooting sports! The first practice was today - only bad thing is the distance from the house to the field...
They both seem to be interested in the archery part of the sports and not so much in the rifle part. I think they are really going to enjoy it. They will both have to go through the Hunter's Ed course again because in order to compete in the spring, they have to have their card.
We left shooting sports a few minutes early in order to be at scouts on time - and we were still late due to a wreck on the way. Riley did manage to get there in time to go door knocking with his troop selling popcorn!
They both seem to be interested in the archery part of the sports and not so much in the rifle part. I think they are really going to enjoy it. They will both have to go through the Hunter's Ed course again because in order to compete in the spring, they have to have their card.
We left shooting sports a few minutes early in order to be at scouts on time - and we were still late due to a wreck on the way. Riley did manage to get there in time to go door knocking with his troop selling popcorn!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Camping weekend...
After our BUSY day Saturday, we left out and headed to Crystal Springs to camp. We loaded the boat and headed out onto the lake for a couple of nights out. It was the four of us and a friend from the fire department. We had a great time - lots of laughs and lots of memories made!Here is a glimpse of what we woke up to each morning. We also found a genuine *ole swimmin hole* complete with a rope swing! Samantha wouldn't give it a try, but Riley didn't waste any time swinging off of it!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Saturday- CRaMMeD PaCK!!
OK, here is a run down of our day... Samantha had a friend spend the night with us last night and we had to be at the church at 8am for clean-up. The girls and I left there early to go to a purse swap at the local library.. we all walked away with a cute new bag! We meet another scout for lunch - nice time- then the girls went to a program called Block Kids. It was put on by the Association of Women Architects - they learned a lot about what an architect does and they all got a bag of legos and were instructed to build something... it ended up being a contest and one of my scouts won first place!!
This was the first place - it is a teepee - not sure how they judged - they asked the girls many questions about their design! YAY E!!
Destination Disney: Food & Drinks
This is the third week of our “back to basics” theme. We are discussing the nitty gritty of Disney vacation planning. This week, we’d like to chat with you about eating and drinking at Disney. The Disney Dining Plan is a great way to save on food costs while visiting the Disney parks. We previously discussed the Dining Plan here.
Here are some specific questions for you this week:
- What are ways you have found to cut the cost of staying fed and hydrated? Frozen water bottles … make nice cold water when they thaw!
- Where are your favorite places to eat when on a Disney Vacation? Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney
- Are there some restaurants you would like to try?
Be sure to visit Heidi @ Reviews & Reflections to play along!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Tennessee for the Walk-A-Thon
Roger, Gramma, the kiddos and I all headed out early Friday morning headed to TN. This weekend was the Annual MultiCounty Cancer Support Network Walk-A-Thon. It is something that Rog's Papa Vern has been involved in since the beginning. Since this was the first year that Gramma Jean was going through it without Papa Vern, we decided to surprise her...and surprise her we did! She was so excited to see all of us... it was a tough weekend, but we got through it.
We went with plans to camp, but it was storming, so we rented a cabin... Gramma Jean, Aunt Sandy and Rog's cousin Zack came out and stayed with us the second night - after we had a cookout and played in the pool! Great weekend - here are some of our memories...
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Destination Disney: Lodging
Continuing with our “back to basics” theme for September, this week, we’d like to talk to you about Lodging.
Have you been to Disney World? yes If so,where is your favorite place to lodge? last time we stayed at Shades of Green
Do you prefer to stay on property? we enjoyed staying on property If so,what are the benefits and what are the downfalls?benefits were the transportation of course - downfalls to this particular property - we were there under my father-in-laws name and couldn't get back on the property without him - since it was a military resort. If not, where do you stay, and why? I don't remember the other place we stayed. It was just right off property - less than a mile to the gate and it was very nice as well. Be sure to include pictures in your post!
Do you prefer to stay on property? we enjoyed staying on property If so,what are the benefits and what are the downfalls?benefits were the transportation of course - downfalls to this particular property - we were there under my father-in-laws name and couldn't get back on the property without him - since it was a military resort. If not, where do you stay, and why? I don't remember the other place we stayed. It was just right off property - less than a mile to the gate and it was very nice as well. Be sure to include pictures in your post!
If you are in the dreaming stage or planning stage, where do you hope to stay? Is this your first choice? What influences your choice?
Post about your Disney lodging choices on your blog, then head over to Heidi's blog and link up! Those planning Disney vacations will benefit from the advice of our seasoned Disney guests (while we will all enjoy reading about each others’ experiences).
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
FIRST: A Hope for Hannah by Jerry Eicher
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
Harvest House Publishers (June 1, 2010)
***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As a boy, Jerry Eicher spent eight years in Honduras where his grandfather helped found an Amish community outreach. As an adult, Jerry taught for two terms in parochial Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. He has been involved in church renewal for 14 years and has preached in churches and conducted weekend meetings of in-depth Bible teaching. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, and their four children in Virginia.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $11.99
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (June 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736930442
ISBN-13: 978-0736930444
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Hannah Byler awoke with a start. She sat up in bed and listened. The wind outside the small cabin stirred in the pine trees. The moon, already high in the sky when she and Jake went to bed, shone brightly through the log cabin window.
Beside her she heard Jake’s deep, even breathing. She had grown accustomed to the comforting sound in the few short months since they’d been married. She laid back down on the pillow. Perhaps it was just her imagination. There was no sound—nothing to indicate something might be wrong.
But her heart beat faster—and fearfully. Something was wrong—but what?
“Jake,” she whispered, her hand gently shaking his shoulder. “Jake, vagh uff.”
“What is it?” he asked groggily. He spoke louder than she wished he would at the moment.
“I don’t know,” she whispered again and hoped he would get the hint. “I think there’s something outside.”
Jake listened and sat up in bed with his arms braced on the mattress.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said, a little quieter this time. “There are all kinds of noises in the mountains at night.”
“I think something is outside,” she insisted.
They both were silent a moment, waiting and listening. Hannah half expected Jake to lower his head back to his pillow, tell her the fears were a bad dream, and go back to sleep. Instead he pushed back the covers and set his feet on the floor.
Just then a loud snuff outside the log wall stopped him. They both froze. Hannah didn’t recognize the sound. No animal she knew ever made such a noise.
“It sounds like a pig,” Jake said, his voice low. “What are pigs doing out here at nighttime?”
“It’s not a pig,” Hannah whispered back. No stray pig, even in the nighttime, could create such tension. “It’s something else.”
“But what?” Jake asked, the sound coming again, seemingly right against the log wall.
Hannah lay rigid, filled with an overpowering sense that something large and fierce stood outside.
“I’m going to go see what’s out there.” Jake had made up his mind, and Hannah made no objection.
Jake felt under the bed for his flashlight and then moved toward the door. Somehow Hannah found the courage to follow but stayed close to Jake.
Their steps made the wooden floor creak, the only sound to be heard.
Jake slowly pulled open the wooden front door, his flashlight piercing the darkness as he moved it slowly left and then right.
“Nothing here,” he said quietly and then stepped outside.
Hannah looked around Jake toward the edge of the porch. “It was around the corner,” she whispered.
Jake walked slowly toward the corner of the house, but Hannah stayed on the porch near the front door.
Jake stopped momentarily and then stepped around the corner of the house. Hannah could only see a low glow from the flashlight. In the distance by the light of the moon, the misty line of the Cabinet Mountains accented the utter ruggedness of this country. During the day, the sight still thrilled her, but now that same view loomed dangerously.
For the first time since they’d moved into the cabin after their wedding, Hannah wondered whether this place was a little too much for the two of them. Was a remote cabin, a mile off the main road and up this dirt path into the foothills of the Cabinet Mountains, really what she wanted?
“It’s a bear!” Jake’s voice came from around the corner. “Come take a look—quick—before it’s gone.”
“Gone,” she whispered.
“Come see!” Jake’s urgent voice came again.
Again Hannah found courage from somewhere. She stepped around the corner of the house and let her gaze follow the beam of Jake’s flashlight, which now pierced the edge of the clearing around their cabin. At the end of the beam, a furry long-haired bear—as large as the one she’d seen once at the zoo—stood looking back at them, its head raised and sniffing the air.
“It’s a grizzly,” Jake said, excitement in his voice. “See its hump?”
“Then why are we out here?” Hannah asked, nearly overcome with the urge to run and desperate for solid walls between her and this huge creature.
“The men at the lumberyard said there aren’t many around,” Jake said in her ear. “Mostly black bears down in this area.”
“Shouldn’t we be inside?” she asked the question another way, pulling on his arm. “It’s not going away.”
“It will leave sooner if we stay in sight rather than go inside,” he told her, his light playing on the creature whose head was still in the air and turned in their direction.
“Well, I’m going inside,” she said, her courage now wholly depleted.
“It’s going,” Jake announced, and so she paused. They watched, fascinated, as the great creature bobbed its head and disappeared into the woods.
“It’s gone,” Jake said, a bit disappointed. “That was a grizzly.”
They turned back to the cabin, Hannah following Jake’s lead. As they stepped onto the porch, Hannah considered their front door. Suddenly the solid slat door—so bulky before—now looked thin, an unlikely protection against the hulk that had just disappeared into the dark tree line.
“What if it comes back?” she asked.
“It won’t. It’s just passing through,” he assured her. “They don’t like humans. They’re wanderers anyway. It’ll probably not come this way again—ever.”
Not reassured, Hannah shut the door tightly behind them and pushed the latch firmly into place.
“Bears hang around,” she told him. “This one could come back.”
“Then we’ll deal with it. Maybe the game warden can help. I doubt it will return, though.” Jake was fast losing interest and ready for his bed again.
Jake snuggled under the covers, pulling them tight up to his chin. “These are cold nights,” he commented. “Winter’s just around the corner. I have to get some sleep.”
Hannah agreed and pulled her own covers up tight. Jake’s job on the logging crew involved hard manual labor that required a good night’s sleep. She didn’t begrudge him his desire for sleep.
“I sure hope it doesn’t come back,” she said finally.
“I doubt it will,” he muttered, but Hannah could tell he was already nearly asleep.
To the sounds of Jake’s breathing, she lay awake and unable to stop her thoughts. Home, where she had grown up in Indiana, now seemed far away, a hazy blur against the fast pace of the past few months.
What is Mom doing? she wondered. No doubt she’s comfortably asleep in their white two-story home, secure another night just like the night before and ready to face another day just like the day before.
Thoughts of her earlier summers in Montana—tending to Aunt Betty’s riding stable—pushed into her mind. This country had seemed so glorious then, and she had dreamed of her return.
The wedding had come first. She smiled in the darkness while she remembered the special day. After a flurry of letters and Jake’s visits as often as he could, Betty got her wish for a wedding in Montana. Hannah’s mother realized it was for the best. Because the plans for Hannah’s wedding to Sam Knepp ended in a disaster back home in Indiana, Roy and Kathy decided they couldn’t have the wedding there and possibly face that embarrassment again. Even Jake was in favor of the wedding in Montana—here where they had met.
Their hearts were in Montana now—close to the land and the small Amish community in the shadow of the Cabinet Mountains. But lately Hannah asked herself if living out here in the middle of nowhere was really for their best. Then she was thankful that at least she was with Jake—better here with Jake than anywhere else without him.
But as she lay in the darkness unable to sleep, she found herself wishing for close neighbors. She wished she could get up now and walk to the front door, knowing that someone else lived within calling distance—or at least within running distance if it came to that. Now, with a bear around, a night wanderer with mischief on his mind, there was nowhere to go. She shuddered.
She wondered if she could outrun a bear and reach a neighbor’s house. She pictured herself lifting her skirt for greater speed. How fast can bears run? Can they see well at night to scout out their prey?
Hannah shivered in the darkness and listened to Jake’s even breathing, wondering how he could sleep after what they had just seen. A grizzly! Jake had been sure it was a grizzly they’d heard sniffing around their cabin just outside their bedroom wall. Why was Jake not more alarmed? He had even seemed fascinated, as if it didn’t bother him at all.
She had always thought she was the courageous one, the one who wanted adventure. After all, she had come out to Montana on her own that first summer. The mountains had fascinated her, drawn her in, and given her strength. But tonight those same mountains had turned on her and given her a bear for a gift—a grizzly. Even the stately pine trees, with their whispers that soothed her before, now seemed to talk of dark things she knew nothing about, things too awful to say out loud.
She turned in the bed, hoping she wouldn’t disturb Jake. She thought of his job on the logging crew, really a job of last resort. Yes, at first it was a blessing because they needed the income, but now it had become more and more of a burden. Jake didn’t complain, but the burden was apparent in the stoop of his shoulders when he came home at night. It revealed itself in his descriptions of how he operated the cutter, navigated the steep slopes, and worked with logs that rolled down the sides of the mountains. She also heard it in his descriptions of Mr. Wesley, his boss. She had met Mr. Wesley once when he had stopped by the house to interview Jake for the job. He operated the largest timber company in Libby, and his huge, burly form matched his position, nearly filling their cabin door that day. She had been too glad Jake had gotten the job to worry much about Mr. Wesley, but after he left she was glad she wouldn’t see him every day.
Hannah shivered again, feeling the sharp chill that seeped into the log house—the same one that seemed so wonderful in summer. Winter would come soon to this strange land, and neither she nor Jake had ever been through one here.
Hannah willed herself to stop thinking. Now she knew for certain. There had been something she wanted to tell Jake but had wanted to wait until she was sure. Now on this night—the night the bear came—she was certain. The strangeness puzzled her. How could a bear’s unexpected visit and this wonderful news have anything to do with each other?
Beside her she heard Jake’s deep, even breathing. She had grown accustomed to the comforting sound in the few short months since they’d been married. She laid back down on the pillow. Perhaps it was just her imagination. There was no sound—nothing to indicate something might be wrong.
But her heart beat faster—and fearfully. Something was wrong—but what?
“Jake,” she whispered, her hand gently shaking his shoulder. “Jake, vagh uff.”
“What is it?” he asked groggily. He spoke louder than she wished he would at the moment.
“I don’t know,” she whispered again and hoped he would get the hint. “I think there’s something outside.”
Jake listened and sat up in bed with his arms braced on the mattress.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said, a little quieter this time. “There are all kinds of noises in the mountains at night.”
“I think something is outside,” she insisted.
They both were silent a moment, waiting and listening. Hannah half expected Jake to lower his head back to his pillow, tell her the fears were a bad dream, and go back to sleep. Instead he pushed back the covers and set his feet on the floor.
Just then a loud snuff outside the log wall stopped him. They both froze. Hannah didn’t recognize the sound. No animal she knew ever made such a noise.
“It sounds like a pig,” Jake said, his voice low. “What are pigs doing out here at nighttime?”
“It’s not a pig,” Hannah whispered back. No stray pig, even in the nighttime, could create such tension. “It’s something else.”
“But what?” Jake asked, the sound coming again, seemingly right against the log wall.
Hannah lay rigid, filled with an overpowering sense that something large and fierce stood outside.
“I’m going to go see what’s out there.” Jake had made up his mind, and Hannah made no objection.
Jake felt under the bed for his flashlight and then moved toward the door. Somehow Hannah found the courage to follow but stayed close to Jake.
Their steps made the wooden floor creak, the only sound to be heard.
Jake slowly pulled open the wooden front door, his flashlight piercing the darkness as he moved it slowly left and then right.
“Nothing here,” he said quietly and then stepped outside.
Hannah looked around Jake toward the edge of the porch. “It was around the corner,” she whispered.
Jake walked slowly toward the corner of the house, but Hannah stayed on the porch near the front door.
Jake stopped momentarily and then stepped around the corner of the house. Hannah could only see a low glow from the flashlight. In the distance by the light of the moon, the misty line of the Cabinet Mountains accented the utter ruggedness of this country. During the day, the sight still thrilled her, but now that same view loomed dangerously.
For the first time since they’d moved into the cabin after their wedding, Hannah wondered whether this place was a little too much for the two of them. Was a remote cabin, a mile off the main road and up this dirt path into the foothills of the Cabinet Mountains, really what she wanted?
“It’s a bear!” Jake’s voice came from around the corner. “Come take a look—quick—before it’s gone.”
“Gone,” she whispered.
“Come see!” Jake’s urgent voice came again.
Again Hannah found courage from somewhere. She stepped around the corner of the house and let her gaze follow the beam of Jake’s flashlight, which now pierced the edge of the clearing around their cabin. At the end of the beam, a furry long-haired bear—as large as the one she’d seen once at the zoo—stood looking back at them, its head raised and sniffing the air.
“It’s a grizzly,” Jake said, excitement in his voice. “See its hump?”
“Then why are we out here?” Hannah asked, nearly overcome with the urge to run and desperate for solid walls between her and this huge creature.
“The men at the lumberyard said there aren’t many around,” Jake said in her ear. “Mostly black bears down in this area.”
“Shouldn’t we be inside?” she asked the question another way, pulling on his arm. “It’s not going away.”
“It will leave sooner if we stay in sight rather than go inside,” he told her, his light playing on the creature whose head was still in the air and turned in their direction.
“Well, I’m going inside,” she said, her courage now wholly depleted.
“It’s going,” Jake announced, and so she paused. They watched, fascinated, as the great creature bobbed its head and disappeared into the woods.
“It’s gone,” Jake said, a bit disappointed. “That was a grizzly.”
They turned back to the cabin, Hannah following Jake’s lead. As they stepped onto the porch, Hannah considered their front door. Suddenly the solid slat door—so bulky before—now looked thin, an unlikely protection against the hulk that had just disappeared into the dark tree line.
“What if it comes back?” she asked.
“It won’t. It’s just passing through,” he assured her. “They don’t like humans. They’re wanderers anyway. It’ll probably not come this way again—ever.”
Not reassured, Hannah shut the door tightly behind them and pushed the latch firmly into place.
“Bears hang around,” she told him. “This one could come back.”
“Then we’ll deal with it. Maybe the game warden can help. I doubt it will return, though.” Jake was fast losing interest and ready for his bed again.
Jake snuggled under the covers, pulling them tight up to his chin. “These are cold nights,” he commented. “Winter’s just around the corner. I have to get some sleep.”
Hannah agreed and pulled her own covers up tight. Jake’s job on the logging crew involved hard manual labor that required a good night’s sleep. She didn’t begrudge him his desire for sleep.
“I sure hope it doesn’t come back,” she said finally.
“I doubt it will,” he muttered, but Hannah could tell he was already nearly asleep.
To the sounds of Jake’s breathing, she lay awake and unable to stop her thoughts. Home, where she had grown up in Indiana, now seemed far away, a hazy blur against the fast pace of the past few months.
What is Mom doing? she wondered. No doubt she’s comfortably asleep in their white two-story home, secure another night just like the night before and ready to face another day just like the day before.
Thoughts of her earlier summers in Montana—tending to Aunt Betty’s riding stable—pushed into her mind. This country had seemed so glorious then, and she had dreamed of her return.
The wedding had come first. She smiled in the darkness while she remembered the special day. After a flurry of letters and Jake’s visits as often as he could, Betty got her wish for a wedding in Montana. Hannah’s mother realized it was for the best. Because the plans for Hannah’s wedding to Sam Knepp ended in a disaster back home in Indiana, Roy and Kathy decided they couldn’t have the wedding there and possibly face that embarrassment again. Even Jake was in favor of the wedding in Montana—here where they had met.
Their hearts were in Montana now—close to the land and the small Amish community in the shadow of the Cabinet Mountains. But lately Hannah asked herself if living out here in the middle of nowhere was really for their best. Then she was thankful that at least she was with Jake—better here with Jake than anywhere else without him.
But as she lay in the darkness unable to sleep, she found herself wishing for close neighbors. She wished she could get up now and walk to the front door, knowing that someone else lived within calling distance—or at least within running distance if it came to that. Now, with a bear around, a night wanderer with mischief on his mind, there was nowhere to go. She shuddered.
She wondered if she could outrun a bear and reach a neighbor’s house. She pictured herself lifting her skirt for greater speed. How fast can bears run? Can they see well at night to scout out their prey?
Hannah shivered in the darkness and listened to Jake’s even breathing, wondering how he could sleep after what they had just seen. A grizzly! Jake had been sure it was a grizzly they’d heard sniffing around their cabin just outside their bedroom wall. Why was Jake not more alarmed? He had even seemed fascinated, as if it didn’t bother him at all.
She had always thought she was the courageous one, the one who wanted adventure. After all, she had come out to Montana on her own that first summer. The mountains had fascinated her, drawn her in, and given her strength. But tonight those same mountains had turned on her and given her a bear for a gift—a grizzly. Even the stately pine trees, with their whispers that soothed her before, now seemed to talk of dark things she knew nothing about, things too awful to say out loud.
She turned in the bed, hoping she wouldn’t disturb Jake. She thought of his job on the logging crew, really a job of last resort. Yes, at first it was a blessing because they needed the income, but now it had become more and more of a burden. Jake didn’t complain, but the burden was apparent in the stoop of his shoulders when he came home at night. It revealed itself in his descriptions of how he operated the cutter, navigated the steep slopes, and worked with logs that rolled down the sides of the mountains. She also heard it in his descriptions of Mr. Wesley, his boss. She had met Mr. Wesley once when he had stopped by the house to interview Jake for the job. He operated the largest timber company in Libby, and his huge, burly form matched his position, nearly filling their cabin door that day. She had been too glad Jake had gotten the job to worry much about Mr. Wesley, but after he left she was glad she wouldn’t see him every day.
Hannah shivered again, feeling the sharp chill that seeped into the log house—the same one that seemed so wonderful in summer. Winter would come soon to this strange land, and neither she nor Jake had ever been through one here.
Hannah willed herself to stop thinking. Now she knew for certain. There had been something she wanted to tell Jake but had wanted to wait until she was sure. Now on this night—the night the bear came—she was certain. The strangeness puzzled her. How could a bear’s unexpected visit and this wonderful news have anything to do with each other?
Amish Proverb Winner
Sorry it has taken so long.
From a RaNdOm DrAwInG ~ Judy @ Beachbirdtoblogger is the winner of my giveaway!
Send me your mailing address so I can get the book in the mail!!
(christadarr@att.net)
From a RaNdOm DrAwInG ~ Judy @ Beachbirdtoblogger is the winner of my giveaway!
Send me your mailing address so I can get the book in the mail!!
(christadarr@att.net)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
FIRST: A Dream for Hannah by Jerry Eicher
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
Harvest House Publishers (June 1, 2010)
***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As a boy, Jerry Eicher spent eight years in Honduras where his grandfather helped found an Amish community outreach. As an adult, Jerry taught for two terms in parochial Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. He has been involved in church renewal for 14 years and has preached in churches and conducted weekend meetings of in-depth Bible teaching. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, and their four children in Virginia.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $11.99
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (June 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736930450
ISBN-13: 978-0736930451
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Outside Hannah Miller’s upstairs window, springtime had come. The earth was finally awakening from what had been a worse than normal northern Indiana winter.
Breakfast was finished, and her mother would soon call from downstairs for help. Her cousins were coming to visit this evening, and there was a lot of work to do.
As she secured her dark hair beneath the head covering she wore for work, Hannah glanced down at the paper on which she had scribbled the words of the poem. Surely she had time for another quick read, and that would have to do. Her almost seventeen-year-old hands trembled as she held the writing in front of her.
The words of the poem by E.S. White, written in 1908, gripped her again.
A Ballad of Spring
It’s Spring, my Love.
Bowed down with care,
Your branches are stripped and bare.
Old Winter’s past.
Its snow and cold
Have melted long and lost their hold.
The earth it waited
With bated breath for something more,
For life renewed called from its core.
It opens wide its arms.
For strength, for vigor, for its best,
It stirs its creatures to their nests.
All around it lies the warmth
Because the sun has drawn near,
Touching, caressing, there and here.
Arise, it calls.
The pomegranates bloom.
They yell that life has room.
Will you come, my Dear,
Hold my hand, touch what I bring?
Because, my Love, it’s Spring.
Hannah paused as thoughts raced through her head. Can this be true? Is there really such a feeling? Is this something I could really feel…this thing called love?
Then, from downstairs she heard the urgent sound of her mother’s voice, “Hannah, time to start the day.”
“Yes, I’m coming,” she called as she quickly placed the poem on the dresser, smoothed the last wrinkles out of the bed covers, and then rushed out of her room and down the stairs.
“The wash needs to be started right away,” her mom said as she busied herself with the dishes in the kitchen sink.
“Yes, right away,” Hannah said. After making one last check for dirty clothes in the bedrooms, she made her way down to the basement. The sparse room seemed dingy and damp, in stark contrast to the fresh spring day she had seen from her upstairs window. She’d much rather be outside, but the laundry must be done.
Hannah ran the water into the tub from the attached hose. When the water reached the fill line, she turned off the water and tossed in the first load of dirty clothes. With a jerk on the starter rope, the old tub started vibrating. The motor changed its speed and sound as the center tumbler turned, dragging the load of pants and shirts through the water.
As Hannah reached inside the washer to check the progress, the memory of the poem returned to her. Then she thought of James back in seventh grade. His grin had been lopsided but cute. He was a sweet boy—his eyes always lit up whenever Hannah looked at him. Was that the first stirrings of whatever this thing called “love” was?
Surely not. Such ideas! If someone could read my thoughts… “A dumm-kopf, that’s what they’d say,” she spoke aloud, smiling at her youthful memory.
Her hand dodged the tumbler’s wrath, but still the tumbler caught a piece of cloth and whipped water in her direction.
Then her memory moved up to eighth grade. Sam Knepp. A thirteen-year-old girl just had to have someone to like. The other girls would have thought her a true dummkopf if she had no one. And so she had picked Sam at random. What other choice had there been? Sam sat across the aisle from her. He was sort of cute. He had freckles, red hair, and a good smile. But there was that horrible habit he had of opening his mouth when he was puzzled or surprised.
When Hannah told the other girls she liked Sam, they reacted with admiration. So she had made the right choice. Maybe she was not a dummkopf. Her friend Mary stuck up for her choice. Mary was blonde and sweet on Laverne, who was truly a wonder in the world of Amish eighth graders. He was easily the best-looking boy in the district. In fact Hannah would have picked Laverne had he not already been taken by Mary. For some reason, it didn’t bother her that Annie, who was in the sixth grade, had her attention on Sam; blushing every time he walked by, but saying nothing.
No, Hannah decided, Sam didn’t fit for her. Not really. Maybe Laverne would have been a good choice, but not as long as he was Mary’s choice. Hannah supposed even now that Laverne and Mary would soon be dating.
“Hannah,” her mother called from upstairs, “are you done yet?”
“Coming,” Hannah called out. “This old washer is going as fast as it can.”
“Well, hurry up. The clothing needs to be on the line soon. The sun is already well up.”
“Yes,” Hannah called out again, “I’ll get it out as soon as I can.”
Minutes later the cycle was finished, and Hannah quickly loaded the basket with the heavy wet laundry and made her way up the steps and out to the clothesline.
Outside, the glorious spring day greeted her brightly. Hannah turned her face skyward and almost lost her grip on the basket as she soaked in the warm sunshine. What a glorious spring it was going to be! It felt so good to be young and alive.
Hannah began pinning the wet clothes onto the line till they stretched out, heavy in the still morning air. Later the breeze would pick up and dry the clothes as they flapped in the wind. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Hannah hoped the wind would stay gentle until the last piece was fully dry, but with spring days, one was never sure. The wind could have a mind of its own.
She stood back and watched with approval the first of the wash begin to move slightly in the breeze. Yes, this is going to be a wonderful spring, she decided as she picked up the basket and turned to go back inside.
The sun was still out when the first buggies arrived for the evening’s family gathering. Two buggies came in, one right after the other, and then two more arrived fifteen minutes later. Among the guests were Ben and Susan Yoder—Susan was Hannah’s mom’s cousin. Also in attendance were Leroy and John, brothers on her dad’s side, and Mose, Leroy’s brother-in-law. Other people who were in some way connected to the Millers had also been invited. Having a few outside guests allowed for some spontaneity while maintaining some of the structures formed by the natural family. Sam Knepp came that night because one of the cousins had taken the notion to invite him.
It amused Hannah to see Sam again, having just thought of him that morning. She noticed that he still had that habit of occasionally allowing his mouth to drop open almost randomly.
After a hearty supper, all the young people went outside to play. Since so many younger children were involved, they had to choose a simple game. The game they chose was Wolf, which caused Hannah to consider whether or not she might be too old to join in. The game involved races run at full speed in the darkness. When all of the cousins and Sam announced they would play, Hannah decided to join in. After all, Sam and she were the same age. If he could play, so could she.
With that decided, the game was called to order, and the first “wolf”—her cousin Micah—was chosen. He picked the big tree beside the house for his home base, hollered loudly that the game had begun, and began to count. The children scattered to find hiding places before he counted to one hundred. Hannah decided to try to bluff the wolf by hiding just around the corner of the house.
At the count of a hundred, the wolf silently moved to the edge of the house, stuck his head around the corner, spotted Hannah, and howled with glee. He easily beat her back to the tree trunk.
“That was stupid of me,” Hannah muttered as she joined Micah at the tree.
“They try that on me all the time,” the wolf crowed in triumph. “Now let’s get the rest of them. You go around the house that way, and I’ll take the side you hid on.”
Hannah imitated the wolf’s trick, now that she was one herself, but the corner of the house produced no hidden sheep. The moon had already set by now, and the only light came from the stars. This corner of the house was particularly dark, absent of any light beams from the gas lanterns in the living room and kitchen.
Hannah felt her way along the house and, hearing a noise, she turned toward the front porch where she flushed someone out of the bush and found herself in a race back to the tree trunk. Hannah wasn’t sure who she was chasing, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was who got to the tree first.
Just as she passed the corner of the house, Hannah’s world exploded into a deeper darkness than the evening around her. Sam, the one she had flushed from the bush, somehow collided with Hannah. He flew backward, and Hannah flew off into complete darkness in the other direction. Two other racers just missed her fallen body and dodged Sam who had now crawled slowly to a sitting position.
Young cousin Jonas, one of the children who had to jump to avoid Hannah’s body, immediately ran to the kitchen door, stuck his head in, and yelled in his loudest little-boy voice, “Someone bring a light! There’s been a hurt!”
Roy Miller, Hannah’s father, reacted first. He grabbed the kitchen lantern from its hook and ran outside.
“What’s going on?” he called from the porch, holding his lantern aloft, the light reaching out in a great circle.
“She’s hurt! Over here!” Sam called. He now rested on his left elbow and pointed toward Hannah’s still body.
As Roy approached, Sam slowly huddled closer to Hannah, both hands wrapped around his head. “Hannah,” he whispered, “are you hurt?”
By the light of Roy’s approaching lantern, Sam saw that Hannah was not moving. He took his hands off his head and gently pushed her arm but got no response. “You okay?” he asked again, tilting his head sideways to look down at her.
“Oh no, I hurt her!” Sam yelled as he jumped to his feet. He then stood speechless, his mouth wide open.
With the lantern in hand, Roy was now standing over the two young people. Glancing briefly at Sam, Roy reached for Hannah’s hand and then focused his attention on Hannah’s head, which had obviously taken the brunt of the hit as evidenced by a deep gash and wound to her left eye. Roy gently gathered Hannah in his arms and spoke to his brother, Leroy, standing beside him.
“Better take a look at Sam,” Roy said with a motion of his head toward the boy, and then he headed to the kitchen with Hannah.
Hannah’s mom met them at the door. “How bad is she hurt?” she asked, holding the kitchen door open.
“I don’t know,” Roy told her. “Let’s get her to the couch.”
Roy placed Hannah down gently and then stepped aside as Kathy got her first good look at Hannah’s head.
“We have to take her to the doctor—now,” Kathy said. “This looks serious.”
“Are you sure?” Roy said. “Is it that bad?”
“Roy, just look at her eye and that cut on her head!”
Roy, for the first time, carefully studied his daughter’s injury and then nodded. “Can someone run down to Mr. Bowen’s place and call for a driver?” he asked.
“I’ll go,” Ben said as he headed for the door.
Hannah had become alert enough to barely moan but nothing more.
Ben returned minutes later, a little breathless but with news. “Mr. Bowen said it wasn’t necessary to call for a ride. He’ll take her himself.”
“Da Hah be praised,” Roy said, worried about his daughter.
Old Mr. Bowen drove his car up to the front porch. Roy helped the groggy Hannah into the backseat.
“Why don’t you ride in the back with her?” Roy suggested to Kathy.
Kathy nodded, slid in next to Hannah, and held her upright against her own shoulder. With Roy in the front seat, Mr. Bowen pulled out of the driveway.
“Is she hurt badly?” Mr. Bowen asked.
“I can’t tell,” Roy said. “Her head seems to have…quite a gash in it. And her left eye doesn’t look normal.”
“I’ll get you there as fast as I can.” Mr. Bowen accelerated slowly on the gravel road and hung tightly onto the steering wheel. Once they reached the blacktop, he sped up considerably.
They reached Elkhart without incident, and Mr. Bowen pulled into the hospital parking lot. Roy quickly got out, opened the back door, and helped Hannah out of the car. He and Kathy took Hannah’s arms and made their way into the emergency room reception area.
The attending nurse took one look at Hannah, brought a wheelchair for her, and then took her to an examining room to wait for the doctor.
An hour later Roy and Kathy were seated in the waiting room.
“Did they say how bad she is?” Roy asked again.
“The nurse said she’ll be fine. That’s all she said,” Kathy repeated.
“Will she lose the eye?”
“No, surely not,” Kathy said, though with some uncertainty.
“We’ll just have to trust,” he said, attempting a smile and squeezing her hand.
“I’ll wait for you folks. Whatever time this takes,” Mr. Bowen assured them.
“That awful nice of you,” Kathy said. “We can call when we’re done. This could take much of the night.”
“The Mrs. understands,” Mr. Bowen said. “I don’t need much sleep myself anyway.”
“It’s still nice of you,” Kathy said with a smile as she took a seat beside Roy.
A few minutes later, the attending doctor walked into the waiting room and motioned for Hannah’s parents to follow him.
“I’m Dr. Benson,” he announced to the couple as they walked down the hall. “Your daughter is resting now. There isn’t much more we can do other than keep her under observation. We can’t let her sleep for a while, of course.”
“What happened?” Kathy asked.
“A bad concussion, that’s all, from what I can tell. The bone structure of her skull has actually been damaged where the impact occurred. That’s also what caused her left eye to protrude. We patched her up as best we could. Now nature will have to take its course. The eye, I believe, will return to normal now that we have taken the worst of the pressure off. We’d like to keep her here under observation for a day or two just to be sure.”
“Yes, of course,” Roy said. “I appreciate the prompt attention. She had us really worried. Will we be able to see her now?”
“Yes, the nurse will take you back. Do you have any questions?”
Roy and Kathy looked at each other, and Kathy said, “No, doctor, I don’t think so. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
The couple then followed the nurse into the elevator and two floors up.
Hannah lay in the bed, covered with white sheets and kept awake by a watchful nurse. The bed beside Hannah was occupied by another girl whose face was turned away from them. She moved slightly when they walked in but didn’t turn in their direction.
“You’re in good hands,” Kathy whispered and squeezed Hannah’s hand.
Hannah blinked slowly but made no other response.
“A little groggy,” the nurse said and smiled. “We gave her something for the pain.”
“We’d better leave, then, I suppose,” Kathy whispered. “They’ll take good care of you, Hannah. I’ll come back tomorrow first thing.”
Hannah nodded, and Kathy brushed her hand across her cheek.
At the doorway, Kathy glanced back quickly before she followed Roy out.
“She looked okay,” Roy assured her.
“But here—all night by herself.”
“They’ll watch her. You can come back in the morning. Half the night’s gone already the way it is.”
“I suppose so,” Kathy agreed.
Roy pushed the elevator button. They stepped inside when the doors opened and arrived at the waiting room to find Mr. Bowen had nodded off, his chin on his chest.
“We’re back,” Roy whispered into his ear.
He awoke with a start, grinned, and promptly bounced to his feet.
“How is she?” he asked as they walked outside.
“She’ll be okay,” Roy said, “but she’s staying for a day or two.”
“Sounds good for how she looked,” Mr. Bowen commented. “So let me get you folks home. I suppose you’re ready?”
“That we are,” Roy agreed.
Mr. Bowen drove slowly on the way home, taking his time around the curves. When he pulled into the Miller’s graveled driveway, he turned to Kathy in the backseat. “What’s your driver situation for tomorrow?”
“I have no one,” Kathy said, “and I have to go first thing in the morning, but I’ll call around from the pay phone.”
“No, just count on me as your driver until this is over,” Mr. Bowen said.
“That’s awfully nice of you,” Kathy said, “but we don’t to want to take advantage.”
“Think nothing of it,” Mr. Bowen assured her. “I’m more than glad to help out.”
Breakfast was finished, and her mother would soon call from downstairs for help. Her cousins were coming to visit this evening, and there was a lot of work to do.
As she secured her dark hair beneath the head covering she wore for work, Hannah glanced down at the paper on which she had scribbled the words of the poem. Surely she had time for another quick read, and that would have to do. Her almost seventeen-year-old hands trembled as she held the writing in front of her.
The words of the poem by E.S. White, written in 1908, gripped her again.
A Ballad of Spring
It’s Spring, my Love.
Bowed down with care,
Your branches are stripped and bare.
Old Winter’s past.
Its snow and cold
Have melted long and lost their hold.
The earth it waited
With bated breath for something more,
For life renewed called from its core.
It opens wide its arms.
For strength, for vigor, for its best,
It stirs its creatures to their nests.
All around it lies the warmth
Because the sun has drawn near,
Touching, caressing, there and here.
Arise, it calls.
The pomegranates bloom.
They yell that life has room.
Will you come, my Dear,
Hold my hand, touch what I bring?
Because, my Love, it’s Spring.
Hannah paused as thoughts raced through her head. Can this be true? Is there really such a feeling? Is this something I could really feel…this thing called love?
Then, from downstairs she heard the urgent sound of her mother’s voice, “Hannah, time to start the day.”
“Yes, I’m coming,” she called as she quickly placed the poem on the dresser, smoothed the last wrinkles out of the bed covers, and then rushed out of her room and down the stairs.
“The wash needs to be started right away,” her mom said as she busied herself with the dishes in the kitchen sink.
“Yes, right away,” Hannah said. After making one last check for dirty clothes in the bedrooms, she made her way down to the basement. The sparse room seemed dingy and damp, in stark contrast to the fresh spring day she had seen from her upstairs window. She’d much rather be outside, but the laundry must be done.
Hannah ran the water into the tub from the attached hose. When the water reached the fill line, she turned off the water and tossed in the first load of dirty clothes. With a jerk on the starter rope, the old tub started vibrating. The motor changed its speed and sound as the center tumbler turned, dragging the load of pants and shirts through the water.
As Hannah reached inside the washer to check the progress, the memory of the poem returned to her. Then she thought of James back in seventh grade. His grin had been lopsided but cute. He was a sweet boy—his eyes always lit up whenever Hannah looked at him. Was that the first stirrings of whatever this thing called “love” was?
Surely not. Such ideas! If someone could read my thoughts… “A dumm-kopf, that’s what they’d say,” she spoke aloud, smiling at her youthful memory.
Her hand dodged the tumbler’s wrath, but still the tumbler caught a piece of cloth and whipped water in her direction.
Then her memory moved up to eighth grade. Sam Knepp. A thirteen-year-old girl just had to have someone to like. The other girls would have thought her a true dummkopf if she had no one. And so she had picked Sam at random. What other choice had there been? Sam sat across the aisle from her. He was sort of cute. He had freckles, red hair, and a good smile. But there was that horrible habit he had of opening his mouth when he was puzzled or surprised.
When Hannah told the other girls she liked Sam, they reacted with admiration. So she had made the right choice. Maybe she was not a dummkopf. Her friend Mary stuck up for her choice. Mary was blonde and sweet on Laverne, who was truly a wonder in the world of Amish eighth graders. He was easily the best-looking boy in the district. In fact Hannah would have picked Laverne had he not already been taken by Mary. For some reason, it didn’t bother her that Annie, who was in the sixth grade, had her attention on Sam; blushing every time he walked by, but saying nothing.
No, Hannah decided, Sam didn’t fit for her. Not really. Maybe Laverne would have been a good choice, but not as long as he was Mary’s choice. Hannah supposed even now that Laverne and Mary would soon be dating.
“Hannah,” her mother called from upstairs, “are you done yet?”
“Coming,” Hannah called out. “This old washer is going as fast as it can.”
“Well, hurry up. The clothing needs to be on the line soon. The sun is already well up.”
“Yes,” Hannah called out again, “I’ll get it out as soon as I can.”
Minutes later the cycle was finished, and Hannah quickly loaded the basket with the heavy wet laundry and made her way up the steps and out to the clothesline.
Outside, the glorious spring day greeted her brightly. Hannah turned her face skyward and almost lost her grip on the basket as she soaked in the warm sunshine. What a glorious spring it was going to be! It felt so good to be young and alive.
Hannah began pinning the wet clothes onto the line till they stretched out, heavy in the still morning air. Later the breeze would pick up and dry the clothes as they flapped in the wind. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Hannah hoped the wind would stay gentle until the last piece was fully dry, but with spring days, one was never sure. The wind could have a mind of its own.
She stood back and watched with approval the first of the wash begin to move slightly in the breeze. Yes, this is going to be a wonderful spring, she decided as she picked up the basket and turned to go back inside.
The sun was still out when the first buggies arrived for the evening’s family gathering. Two buggies came in, one right after the other, and then two more arrived fifteen minutes later. Among the guests were Ben and Susan Yoder—Susan was Hannah’s mom’s cousin. Also in attendance were Leroy and John, brothers on her dad’s side, and Mose, Leroy’s brother-in-law. Other people who were in some way connected to the Millers had also been invited. Having a few outside guests allowed for some spontaneity while maintaining some of the structures formed by the natural family. Sam Knepp came that night because one of the cousins had taken the notion to invite him.
It amused Hannah to see Sam again, having just thought of him that morning. She noticed that he still had that habit of occasionally allowing his mouth to drop open almost randomly.
After a hearty supper, all the young people went outside to play. Since so many younger children were involved, they had to choose a simple game. The game they chose was Wolf, which caused Hannah to consider whether or not she might be too old to join in. The game involved races run at full speed in the darkness. When all of the cousins and Sam announced they would play, Hannah decided to join in. After all, Sam and she were the same age. If he could play, so could she.
With that decided, the game was called to order, and the first “wolf”—her cousin Micah—was chosen. He picked the big tree beside the house for his home base, hollered loudly that the game had begun, and began to count. The children scattered to find hiding places before he counted to one hundred. Hannah decided to try to bluff the wolf by hiding just around the corner of the house.
At the count of a hundred, the wolf silently moved to the edge of the house, stuck his head around the corner, spotted Hannah, and howled with glee. He easily beat her back to the tree trunk.
“That was stupid of me,” Hannah muttered as she joined Micah at the tree.
“They try that on me all the time,” the wolf crowed in triumph. “Now let’s get the rest of them. You go around the house that way, and I’ll take the side you hid on.”
Hannah imitated the wolf’s trick, now that she was one herself, but the corner of the house produced no hidden sheep. The moon had already set by now, and the only light came from the stars. This corner of the house was particularly dark, absent of any light beams from the gas lanterns in the living room and kitchen.
Hannah felt her way along the house and, hearing a noise, she turned toward the front porch where she flushed someone out of the bush and found herself in a race back to the tree trunk. Hannah wasn’t sure who she was chasing, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was who got to the tree first.
Just as she passed the corner of the house, Hannah’s world exploded into a deeper darkness than the evening around her. Sam, the one she had flushed from the bush, somehow collided with Hannah. He flew backward, and Hannah flew off into complete darkness in the other direction. Two other racers just missed her fallen body and dodged Sam who had now crawled slowly to a sitting position.
Young cousin Jonas, one of the children who had to jump to avoid Hannah’s body, immediately ran to the kitchen door, stuck his head in, and yelled in his loudest little-boy voice, “Someone bring a light! There’s been a hurt!”
Roy Miller, Hannah’s father, reacted first. He grabbed the kitchen lantern from its hook and ran outside.
“What’s going on?” he called from the porch, holding his lantern aloft, the light reaching out in a great circle.
“She’s hurt! Over here!” Sam called. He now rested on his left elbow and pointed toward Hannah’s still body.
As Roy approached, Sam slowly huddled closer to Hannah, both hands wrapped around his head. “Hannah,” he whispered, “are you hurt?”
By the light of Roy’s approaching lantern, Sam saw that Hannah was not moving. He took his hands off his head and gently pushed her arm but got no response. “You okay?” he asked again, tilting his head sideways to look down at her.
“Oh no, I hurt her!” Sam yelled as he jumped to his feet. He then stood speechless, his mouth wide open.
With the lantern in hand, Roy was now standing over the two young people. Glancing briefly at Sam, Roy reached for Hannah’s hand and then focused his attention on Hannah’s head, which had obviously taken the brunt of the hit as evidenced by a deep gash and wound to her left eye. Roy gently gathered Hannah in his arms and spoke to his brother, Leroy, standing beside him.
“Better take a look at Sam,” Roy said with a motion of his head toward the boy, and then he headed to the kitchen with Hannah.
Hannah’s mom met them at the door. “How bad is she hurt?” she asked, holding the kitchen door open.
“I don’t know,” Roy told her. “Let’s get her to the couch.”
Roy placed Hannah down gently and then stepped aside as Kathy got her first good look at Hannah’s head.
“We have to take her to the doctor—now,” Kathy said. “This looks serious.”
“Are you sure?” Roy said. “Is it that bad?”
“Roy, just look at her eye and that cut on her head!”
Roy, for the first time, carefully studied his daughter’s injury and then nodded. “Can someone run down to Mr. Bowen’s place and call for a driver?” he asked.
“I’ll go,” Ben said as he headed for the door.
Hannah had become alert enough to barely moan but nothing more.
Ben returned minutes later, a little breathless but with news. “Mr. Bowen said it wasn’t necessary to call for a ride. He’ll take her himself.”
“Da Hah be praised,” Roy said, worried about his daughter.
Old Mr. Bowen drove his car up to the front porch. Roy helped the groggy Hannah into the backseat.
“Why don’t you ride in the back with her?” Roy suggested to Kathy.
Kathy nodded, slid in next to Hannah, and held her upright against her own shoulder. With Roy in the front seat, Mr. Bowen pulled out of the driveway.
“Is she hurt badly?” Mr. Bowen asked.
“I can’t tell,” Roy said. “Her head seems to have…quite a gash in it. And her left eye doesn’t look normal.”
“I’ll get you there as fast as I can.” Mr. Bowen accelerated slowly on the gravel road and hung tightly onto the steering wheel. Once they reached the blacktop, he sped up considerably.
They reached Elkhart without incident, and Mr. Bowen pulled into the hospital parking lot. Roy quickly got out, opened the back door, and helped Hannah out of the car. He and Kathy took Hannah’s arms and made their way into the emergency room reception area.
The attending nurse took one look at Hannah, brought a wheelchair for her, and then took her to an examining room to wait for the doctor.
An hour later Roy and Kathy were seated in the waiting room.
“Did they say how bad she is?” Roy asked again.
“The nurse said she’ll be fine. That’s all she said,” Kathy repeated.
“Will she lose the eye?”
“No, surely not,” Kathy said, though with some uncertainty.
“We’ll just have to trust,” he said, attempting a smile and squeezing her hand.
“I’ll wait for you folks. Whatever time this takes,” Mr. Bowen assured them.
“That awful nice of you,” Kathy said. “We can call when we’re done. This could take much of the night.”
“The Mrs. understands,” Mr. Bowen said. “I don’t need much sleep myself anyway.”
“It’s still nice of you,” Kathy said with a smile as she took a seat beside Roy.
A few minutes later, the attending doctor walked into the waiting room and motioned for Hannah’s parents to follow him.
“I’m Dr. Benson,” he announced to the couple as they walked down the hall. “Your daughter is resting now. There isn’t much more we can do other than keep her under observation. We can’t let her sleep for a while, of course.”
“What happened?” Kathy asked.
“A bad concussion, that’s all, from what I can tell. The bone structure of her skull has actually been damaged where the impact occurred. That’s also what caused her left eye to protrude. We patched her up as best we could. Now nature will have to take its course. The eye, I believe, will return to normal now that we have taken the worst of the pressure off. We’d like to keep her here under observation for a day or two just to be sure.”
“Yes, of course,” Roy said. “I appreciate the prompt attention. She had us really worried. Will we be able to see her now?”
“Yes, the nurse will take you back. Do you have any questions?”
Roy and Kathy looked at each other, and Kathy said, “No, doctor, I don’t think so. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
The couple then followed the nurse into the elevator and two floors up.
Hannah lay in the bed, covered with white sheets and kept awake by a watchful nurse. The bed beside Hannah was occupied by another girl whose face was turned away from them. She moved slightly when they walked in but didn’t turn in their direction.
“You’re in good hands,” Kathy whispered and squeezed Hannah’s hand.
Hannah blinked slowly but made no other response.
“A little groggy,” the nurse said and smiled. “We gave her something for the pain.”
“We’d better leave, then, I suppose,” Kathy whispered. “They’ll take good care of you, Hannah. I’ll come back tomorrow first thing.”
Hannah nodded, and Kathy brushed her hand across her cheek.
At the doorway, Kathy glanced back quickly before she followed Roy out.
“She looked okay,” Roy assured her.
“But here—all night by herself.”
“They’ll watch her. You can come back in the morning. Half the night’s gone already the way it is.”
“I suppose so,” Kathy agreed.
Roy pushed the elevator button. They stepped inside when the doors opened and arrived at the waiting room to find Mr. Bowen had nodded off, his chin on his chest.
“We’re back,” Roy whispered into his ear.
He awoke with a start, grinned, and promptly bounced to his feet.
“How is she?” he asked as they walked outside.
“She’ll be okay,” Roy said, “but she’s staying for a day or two.”
“Sounds good for how she looked,” Mr. Bowen commented. “So let me get you folks home. I suppose you’re ready?”
“That we are,” Roy agreed.
Mr. Bowen drove slowly on the way home, taking his time around the curves. When he pulled into the Miller’s graveled driveway, he turned to Kathy in the backseat. “What’s your driver situation for tomorrow?”
“I have no one,” Kathy said, “and I have to go first thing in the morning, but I’ll call around from the pay phone.”
“No, just count on me as your driver until this is over,” Mr. Bowen said.
“That’s awfully nice of you,” Kathy said, “but we don’t to want to take advantage.”
“Think nothing of it,” Mr. Bowen assured her. “I’m more than glad to help out.”
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Frustrated *AGAIN* with doctors!!
WEDNESDAY: So, after not hearing back from either of my doctors (Rheumetologist OR Pulmanologist) I call them. Rheumey is still out of the office - I guess he is on vacation...I see him the end of the month, so I have given up on getting in touch with him... I will just wait. The nurse at the pulmanologist says that he is back on rounds this week, that he was in the office last week. (Which means they didn't talk to him nor did they call me back and let me know anything). She pulled my chart and read what the doctor said...CT scan looks good - consistent with pass scans, no reason to biopsy now, put on call back for 6 months. SO, even though I am still hurting and I cannot breathe without pain, he thinks I am fine to wait six months.
After researching and thinking that I may have pleurisy, I decide to call my pcp and I get an appt. for Thursday morning. Meanwhile, I go to Ann's Health Food Store and have a nice long talk with her... She gave me a couple of books to read and make copies of and she talked with me and gave me some ideas and some encouragement. I am starting with Melatonin - to help me sleep- hoping that sleeping better will help a lot of things. While I am working on making sure that is going to work and seeing how I need to take it, I am going to be doing some research on other options...
THURSDAY: Primary care doc seems to agree that it is pleurisy, and is concerned about the long term, since it is Lupus related. He doesn't want me back in the office every three months when the steroids wear off. He also made me do a breathing test. The results from this test were apparently different from others I have taken with other doctors. This test shows that I have severe airway obstruction and am high risk for COPD - both of which the other two docs have said was not a worry. He put me on some steroids and an antiinflamitory to clear up the pleurisy for the time and he also put me on 2 different inhalers - never had them before....
So, we shall see how things go from here... curious as to what the doctor will say when I see him this month...
After researching and thinking that I may have pleurisy, I decide to call my pcp and I get an appt. for Thursday morning. Meanwhile, I go to Ann's Health Food Store and have a nice long talk with her... She gave me a couple of books to read and make copies of and she talked with me and gave me some ideas and some encouragement. I am starting with Melatonin - to help me sleep- hoping that sleeping better will help a lot of things. While I am working on making sure that is going to work and seeing how I need to take it, I am going to be doing some research on other options...
THURSDAY: Primary care doc seems to agree that it is pleurisy, and is concerned about the long term, since it is Lupus related. He doesn't want me back in the office every three months when the steroids wear off. He also made me do a breathing test. The results from this test were apparently different from others I have taken with other doctors. This test shows that I have severe airway obstruction and am high risk for COPD - both of which the other two docs have said was not a worry. He put me on some steroids and an antiinflamitory to clear up the pleurisy for the time and he also put me on 2 different inhalers - never had them before....
So, we shall see how things go from here... curious as to what the doctor will say when I see him this month...
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Destination Disney: Celebrate Today!
We’re also “getting back to basics”. The goal is to help you plan your next Disney vacation – whether you’ve already got it on the calendar or you’re just in the “dreaming of Disney” stage. So look for our September topics to be pretty basic – yet fun!
This year’s theme at Disney is Celebrate Today! So, we’d like to start out by asking you a few questions about celebrating --- let's discuss why we would plan a trip to Disney.
- What will you Celebrate? Hmm, maybe a birthday? Kiddos will turn 13 the same year I turn 40... maybe a good reason to celebrate?
- If you are a seasoned guest, what have you celebrated at Disney? Include pictures! We have gone several times, but there was no celebrations - just a family trip!
- If a Disney vacation is just a dream, what would you like to celebrate at Disney and why? I think the big year for us will be their 13th birthday... I just now figured out that we will be hitting significant birthdays together... may look in to planning something big!
Share your Celebration ideas on your blog, and then come back here and link up! (If you need a little bit of inspiration, check out the Disney website. You’re sure to get ideas there!) We can’t wait to see what YOU are celebrating! Be sure to stop by Heidi's Blog and let her know what you are celebrating!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday's Fave Five #104
(so, I've missed a few...)
Hosted by Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story
It's Friday so that means it's time to look over the last week and look for those things that were blessings in our lives. Whether it was a great week or not, it's a good thing to look for those little things that brought some sunshine into our daily lives. If you need details you can go here first and then just join in!
1. The commitment on my part, as well as my mother and my sister, to begin taking dinner to my grandparent each week. Monday's are my days and we started last week. We decided this because Meme has been dealing with dementia and it just keeps getting worse and Pepaw has enough stress on him worrying about taking care of her. Since we just decided to do this this week, I wasn't very prepared, so I ran to the store and bought them a rotisserie chicken and some veggies for the sides. From now on, I will be better prepared! Either way, I know it is a blessing for them... it was for me this last week!
2. The Boy Scout Pack we are part of. Our planning meeting was this week and I am so excited about our new year!!
3. The Girl Scout Troop. We actually had our first meeting this past week and the girls were full of ideas for the year! I am equally excited about our Girl Scout year!
4. Friends I have made because of Scouting... oh, and friends my kiddos have made through scouts as well! I cannot express the great friendships that all of us have now that we wouldn't have if it weren't for scouting!
5. My Great Uncle Millard. I was his 50th birthday present and we have always had a special bond because of that. Even though he lives about an hour away, we still manage to see each other several times a year. I have other *great* relatives, but he is heavy on my heart this week, as he was discharged on Thursday from a week in the hospital with congestive heart failure, almost complete kidney failure and fluid built up on his lungs. He didn't feel as though he was going to make it through the night some nights, and he insisted on going home to his house... sadly, we all know why.
This was my first time to participate in this, and it really made me stop and think about all of the blessings that surround us!
It's Friday so that means it's time to look over the last week and look for those things that were blessings in our lives. Whether it was a great week or not, it's a good thing to look for those little things that brought some sunshine into our daily lives. If you need details you can go here first and then just join in!
1. The commitment on my part, as well as my mother and my sister, to begin taking dinner to my grandparent each week. Monday's are my days and we started last week. We decided this because Meme has been dealing with dementia and it just keeps getting worse and Pepaw has enough stress on him worrying about taking care of her. Since we just decided to do this this week, I wasn't very prepared, so I ran to the store and bought them a rotisserie chicken and some veggies for the sides. From now on, I will be better prepared! Either way, I know it is a blessing for them... it was for me this last week!
2. The Boy Scout Pack we are part of. Our planning meeting was this week and I am so excited about our new year!!
3. The Girl Scout Troop. We actually had our first meeting this past week and the girls were full of ideas for the year! I am equally excited about our Girl Scout year!
4. Friends I have made because of Scouting... oh, and friends my kiddos have made through scouts as well! I cannot express the great friendships that all of us have now that we wouldn't have if it weren't for scouting!
5. My Great Uncle Millard. I was his 50th birthday present and we have always had a special bond because of that. Even though he lives about an hour away, we still manage to see each other several times a year. I have other *great* relatives, but he is heavy on my heart this week, as he was discharged on Thursday from a week in the hospital with congestive heart failure, almost complete kidney failure and fluid built up on his lungs. He didn't feel as though he was going to make it through the night some nights, and he insisted on going home to his house... sadly, we all know why.
This was my first time to participate in this, and it really made me stop and think about all of the blessings that surround us!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Link-Up: History
Link up your History! Share your post when did you 1st hear about homeschooling and what was your reaction? Did you have a mentor to help you get started?
** please keep in mind - this is not a why homeschooling debate but rather a when you came across homeschooling post!! We are an uplifting community who desires to encourage others. Please do not use this opportunity to bash the public school system, teachers, and/or students. Thank You!! Guidelines are available and highly encouraged!
If you have an older post that shares the when you "met" homeschooling - feel free to link to it on the Homeschool Village's page.
When did I first hear about homechooling and what was my reaction? WoW, I don't even remember. I ran a childcare center before my children were born and continued there with them at my side until they were three...but, sometime before that, we knew that I was going to quit work when they were old enough and we were keeping them home. I assume that my reaction was probably something along the lines of *Oh, I wanna do that!* but I honestly don't remember my first introduction to homeschooling!
Did you have a mentor to help you get started? Not so much a mentor, but I did speak for a really long time one day to a wonderful lady that had homeschooled her children. She was a blessing to me that day and continues to be in my life, but we really don't talk homeschool much!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday Grammar
As you may have guessed by now, Wednesday's are our *out* days. Samantha has speech, piano and voice and Riley has guitar - all on Wednesday. I take this time to run all of my errands, do any grocery shopping and anything else that I need to do out of the house. This saves on gas and sanity! We do pretty good about staying home the rest of the week. Usually the only exception is doctor appts, field trips and the occasional family visit. So, since we are in the car... I try to plan things that they can do while we are riding. For grammar - we take a Mad Libs book with us and we reinforce parts of speech! Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they make no sense and sometimes, I think they were a waste of time! Anyways, today, they did come up with a funny one and I thought we would share.
PROPER CARE OF THE SCALP
Don't neglect your scalp! Even though you don't know it, your scalp may be wet. This can cause your hair to turn handsome and funky. A 500 scalp is due to over activity on the part of the jupiter gland and to excessive production of the baskets normally present in the skin. For a healthy scalp wash your head lovingly every night in turquoise water and then take a hot Genesis shampoo. Then massage your crayon for five minutes with a sharp peanut. If you suffer from friendly hair, soak your toilet regularly in a car of vinegar. Good Luck!
PROPER CARE OF THE SCALP
Don't neglect your scalp! Even though you don't know it, your scalp may be wet. This can cause your hair to turn handsome and funky. A 500 scalp is due to over activity on the part of the jupiter gland and to excessive production of the baskets normally present in the skin. For a healthy scalp wash your head lovingly every night in turquoise water and then take a hot Genesis shampoo. Then massage your crayon for five minutes with a sharp peanut. If you suffer from friendly hair, soak your toilet regularly in a car of vinegar. Good Luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
