MILLIE OTTO For the JG-TC
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us for the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he adopted us in his beloved.” – Ephesians 1:3, 4, 5, 6
Has anyone had a problem staying warm in the last two days? Furious! Better to stay cool, right? I think I’ll invest in some fans. But still, I take this over cold, frigid weather. But really, every season has its own beauty. It’s just winter, I guess that’s my least favorite.
I do find as I get older though, I’m in my 70’s now you know (a few days!) that the heat tolerance isn’t what it used to be.
I am glad that there is no need to mow the yard. And you know, I don’t think I’ll mow again until it rains properly.
Although the white clover seems to be talking. Dry weather does that I think.
Now that church is over things seem a little more relaxed. Or at least I am. I still have a lot to do, it just doesn’t seem so urgent.
On Saturday things went kind of haywire. In the afternoons I did laundry between cleaning jobs.
When I went to my second cleaning job, I have to say I was a little, or maybe more than, well… between a little and a lot, dismayed.
I went upstairs to the dining room. These men have a free-standing air conditioner that is dripping water.
Last summer they used a five gallon bucket to catch that water. When I got there on Saturday afternoon, the thing was still running and dripping. And they had stopped at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. They had this tiny, barely two gallon container to hold the water and a huge puddle (lake? river?) whatever, it was a big mess for me to clean up. Grrr!
MY AMISH HOME: You can’t line up your ducks until you find them first
Well, it could have been worse. I cleaned it up. Granddaughter Andrea came over to brighten the day.
So we sat there and talked. Aha! I was so glad to get off my feet. And so were they!
Anyway, sometime later my mother comes over and wants me to help her with her arm.
She had fallen earlier and scraped her arm and it was bleeding again.
I didn’t have the first aid kit I needed. I couldn’t put tape around her arm. Her skin is 94 years old and too thin to take duct tape.
I called Barb but she couldn’t come out right away. So I did emergency aid until she could bring me things.
Mama had stripped her bed to wash the sheets on Saturday morning and hadn’t put them back on again. I told her she had to let me do it. After the dust settled and the fuss about tending her arm, it was about 5:30pm, I still had to do the laundry, do chores, put a horse in its trough to feed and hay to throw out, a lot exhausting and time-consuming-smile! Anyway, I also had to wash my husband’s hair and then eat dinner.
What kept me going was the thought that tomorrow is Sunday. I can sleep later and don’t have to work. Praise God for blessing us with Sundays! Aha! Sweet rest!
Oh, by the way, Mom’s arm is healing well. For a 94-year-old, she has a strong constitution.
MY AMISH HOME: The third strawberry basket is never in vain
I said it’s a little more relaxed. Well, I just realized today that I’ve overbooked again. Well, it’s not really serious.
I’ve told daughter Jane I’ll come over in the morning and help her with strawberries until it’s time to go get Erwin. I forgot I got two gallons of tart cherries today.
Well, it’s really no big deal…just kind of a pit lane, pardon the pun. Moan!
Sometimes I wonder if this heat affects me more than I realize. As I was heading home to cool off today, I ran cold water over the insides of my wrists and elbows and washed my face. Oops! Washing your face with glasses doesn’t work that well!
Finally: optimist or pessimist? Do you call traffic lights Go traffic lights?
Since I have cherries, I thought I’d make cherry pie. Maybe you want that too.
sour cherry pie
1 quart tart cherries, pitted
A little red food coloring, optional
Bring to a boil, then thicken with the following:
4 heaped tbsp. clear jelly
Mix with about 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir until smooth. Pour into the boiling mixture. When cooked, about a minute or so, add 1 box of small cherry jello and 1 tbsp. Butter. Cool before baking.
PHOTOS: A look back at Mattoon’s businesses over the years
Mattoon Area Educational Extension Center
1965: The school occupies the former Humble Oil Co. building on Route 45 on the south side of Mattoon.
file photo
General Electric Co.
1950: Evidence that flash photography has become a national hobby is General Electric Co.’s Mattoon Plant, which manufactures almost exclusively flashbulbs. Some light bulbs or normal light bulbs with larger wattages are also made here.
file photo
Ellen Kays
1989: Pat and Rodney Williamson are ready to eat. Owner Leonard Losch drops by Ellen Kay.
file photo
East Rudy Square
1992: A cyclist pedals down East Rudy Street where a number of new semi-detached houses have been built alongside a subsidized housing project.
file photo
E. Rudy Place
1992: A group of children wait in line to challenge the winner to a tether ball game at the E. Rudy Street housing project.
file photo
downtown antenna
1985: Aerial view of downtown Mattoon.
file photo
Douglas care center
1977: The acquisition of the Douglas Nursing Center will complete another phase in Wesley Tower’s overall care package.
file photo
Consolidated Telemarketing Association (CTA)
1991: The CTA office is carpeted, air-conditioned, well-lit, and has workstations designed to accommodate employee needs. Telemarketers generated $435 billion in revenue last year. For every customer who says yes, 99 say no.
file photo
Central Illinois Civil Service (CIPS)
1959: CIPS Eastern Division completes move to new building in Mattoon. The structure has 36 offices and 23,000 square meters of office space.
file photo
Burtschi
1988: Burtschi is the first store in Illinois south of Springfield to offer Hummel figurines.
file photo
Blaw Knox
1963: The Mattoon Blaw Knox plant exhibits a new line of paving machines at the Construction Equipment Exposition and Road Show in Chicago.
file photo
anaconda
1959: In an effort to better serve the growing needs of the Midwest, Southwest and Far West for flexible metal hose and tubing, the American Brass Co. built its American Metal Hose Division plant in Mattoon.
file photo
Millie Otto von Arthur is a member of the Old Order Amish. Contact them by writing to 1584 CR 2000N, Arthur, IL 61911.
.