Spring break is over and the children are all back to school.
It sure seems quiet this morning after a week of a lot of activity going on. There are only seven more weeks of school left for this term and the children are counting down the time until summer vacation.
We had a mixture of weather on their spring break, from 70 degrees to rain and then even snow flurries. We got a lot of raking done, but we still have more yard left to do. The work went faster with the whole family out there pitching in to help.
One day of their spring break I took all eight children into town with the horse and buggy to get groceries, go to the dentist and then to get their eyeglasses adjusted. Six of our children have eyeglasses, so it took quite awhile for them to get all the glasses adjusted. As a treat for going on all these errands, I took them to McDonald's and they were thrilled to do that. They hardly ever get McDonald's, so this was a real treat.
I told them ahead of time that I'd take them to McDonald's after all the errands. They were so excited that they were counting down the days until it was time to go into town.
I took our horse Diamond. He is very safe around traffic and on busy roads, the big trucks don't bother him at all.
As I write this, Kevin is slowly eating his breakfast and Lovina is still sleeping. They are tired from a long day yesterday. We had all-day church services in preparation for Communion in two weeks.
The great news was to see Jacob and Emma's 8-month-old Steven back in church. I think Emma and Steven have only attended church once this year. It was nice to see them there again. Steven doesn't need his feeding tube anymore, which makes it so much nicer.
My daughter Elizabeth had lunch with a friend she used to go to school with on Friday. They spent the afternoon visiting and they both enjoyed it.
My husband Joe is working only four days a week at the factory and they will be off all week the last week in April. On Joe's day off, the boys were helping him haul manure out from the barn. Now when it dries off a little more, Joe wants to spread it out in the fields.
Spring brings a lot of work, but I enjoy the outdoor activity after a long winter spent inside. We are hoping the garden will be dried off enough the week Joe is home so we can get the early seeds planted.
Early garden goodies includes potatoes, peas, lettuce, radishes and onions. If it stays warm enough, I'll do the green beans and red beet right away too, and probably some corn. I usually wait to do the plants -- tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, cabbage and others -- until the second week in May. All danger of frost should be gone by then.
For instance, this morning it is sunny outside, but we had a chilly 30 degrees. Cold, but it looks promising for a nice laundry day.
I have been getting a lot of sewing done before it gets too busy outside. Meanwhile I am keeping an eye open for the dandelion greens. I have seen quite a few but they are very small yet. Hopefully by the end of the week I can find enough to make dandelion salad along with cooked potatoes and bacon. Yum!
My sister Susan fixed these bars for us this week. They were very tasty. Here is the recipe:
Cherry Bars
1 c. margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 3 /4 c. flour
1 1/ 2 t. baking powder
1 /2 t. salt
21 oz. can of cherry pie filling or equivalent homemade amount
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix until well-blended. Spread two-thirds of batter into a 10-by-15-inch pan. Pour pie filling over. Drop rest of batter on top and spread. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool and then cut into one-inch square bars.
Lovina Eicher is Old Order Amish. She hand-writes this column from her home in southern Michigan. Anyone with cultural or cooking questions can send them to: Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042. Read all of her columns online at www.record-eagle.com/amishcook.
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