June Ninth-Saturday
Mein Buch,
Herr Dokder Stoltzfus' teas seem to have done the ailing members of my family pretty well; today Levi, Mamm, Abram, Andrew, und Jeremiah have all gotten well enough to help out with all the chores today. The other girls and Sameul are still laid up in bed with stomach aches. I wonder why the Lord God saw it fit to keep me from falling sick? I was the only girl in the entire family who didn't have a single feeling of ill. I'm certainly not complaining, but I find it odd since we all eat the same things and we all do mostly the same chores.
Well, I really should be getting out to the garden; it's time to put some more compost on and get some water from the well and bring it to the plants. Sometimes I wish we were Mennonites so I could use a hose in the dark instead of having to run back to the well every time. Ach, well, just a fancy thought
It's beginning to get dark outside, so I must hurry. Then I need to shut the chicken coop so that no foxes get it. That happened last year. We had to buy eggs from the market just like the Englischers.
Später: (later)
Ach, you will never guess what happened! Samuel Lapp, the boy next door just asked me to go to the hymnsing tomorrow night. Not exactly an out-and-out courtship, but pretty darn close. If he takes me home in the open-air courting buggy, then it will certainly be official! I'm right excited…Samuel is a very sweet young man. He's lived next door to us since I was five; his parents moved to Paradise from Geauga County, Ohio. Secretly, I've been hoping he'd ask me; Dat says he'd make a fine husband. His father owns the harness shop in town. Ach, I'm gliding on wings!
Gut Nacht! Bis Morgen,
Annie Stoltzfus
June Tenth-Sunday
Mein Buch,
Ach, today was perfect in every way. It was a quiet Sunday, being the Lord's Day and all. We played a bit of volleyball with my cousins the Yoders. They came in from five miles away to visit us since it's an off-Sunday. We had a picnic lunch out on the porch and watched as little Mary Yoder and our Samuel played a quiet game of catch on the lawn. Dat only had to come out once and tell Samuel and Mary to keep it quiet since it's a Sunday. Then Samuel had to go inside because he's still sick. We girls sat under the big dogwood tree in the yard, stitching handkerchiefs. Cousin Lizzie made a very pretty one with a sleeping cat on it; she gave it to Mamm as a gift, who was delighted with it. Rachel wasn't feeling very well at all again, and she went in to go and lay down. After about a two-hour nap, she came down again and said she felt much better, even though she still looked a bit pale. I think the sunlight did her good though because she seemed to look a lot better after the afternoon in the shade. She declined my offer to ride with us in the buggy, even though she's courting Samuel Lapp's younger brother, saying she'd like to stay home and regain her strength. She rushed us out the door though when it was time to go, slipping us some new handkerchiefs to put into our sleeves. She lent me her cape since my fer-gut capes were still wet in the wash bucket. She waved goodbye-to us as Sugar pulled the buggy down the drive, her shoulders covered up by the biggest quilt on her bed. Leah and I made it there right quick; Sugar is a pretty highly spirited horse.
We were behind the Fisher boys all the way there, and behind us, Samuel's big horse was trotting. He was pretty close; if the horse had wanted to, he could have stretched out and nibbled on the orange triangle that adorns the back of our buggy, and so many others around here.
When we arrived, Samuel pulled me toward the couples bench, something completely unexpected since he only asked me yesterday. I was so lightheaded with happiness. There we sat, singing out our favorite hymns just like in church, but together. During the refreshment period, we went outside and had ourselves a right nice walk. Since it is June, the weather was still warm enough to wear just a cape and dress, but I took along my shawl so as to be proper. We walked along the bank of the Yoder's creek, something I've enjoyed doing since I was a child. Then we heard the toll of the bell at the Yoder's signaling the end of the break. We enjoyed another hour or so of singing and then everyone began to disperse. Samuel took hold of my hand, a smile on his face and in his eyes, and pulled me to his buggy. By then it was about 10:30, or eleven so we lit a lantern in the back of the buggy and hung it from the side nail. Then we headed back to my house, where he dropped me off. Before he left though, he squeezed my arm and said that he hoped we could go steady if it was alright with me. I, of course, said I'd like nothing else and just like that I was his Aldi.
Just like Rachel and Elijah, Leah and John, and Jeremiah and Esther.
Guten Morgen (it's 2:03 in the morning!)
Annie Stoltzfus (Will I be Annie Lapp by next November?)
June Eleventh-Monday
Mein Buch,
Another Monday. It rained a bit last night after we returned from the singing, but I managed to get some laundry done. It won't dry as fast because the air is wet with the humidity from the rain and the heat, which is still around, makes the air sticky but it was good to get the washing done. If we were Mennonites, we could have one of those fancy drying machines. Some new orders of our faith are allowed them, but not our district. Our Bishop is far too strict for that. Bishop Bonträger grew up Schwartzentrüber Amish but left that sect of the church (it is the strictest in all the faith) and came to the Old Order, bringing some of his upbringing with him. He and Dat gave Jeremiah the 6-week Bann for lip-kissing with his girlfriend. I didn't really think that was fair, though I never would have done it myself since I'd like to save my first lip-kiss for my husband, since a lot of other folks do much worse before marriage and they never got the Bann. Well, he'll only have to miss church three times, since every other Sunday in our district is off.
Mamm pulled out the folding table from the basement yesterday for him and Esther, should they desire to eat with us. Usually Jeremiah just sits on the stairs with his plate though, much to Mamm's dismay. Esther sat at the table after everyone was done. It was right uncomfortable; I wish they hadn't done it only so they wouldn't have to suffer so. However, Herr Dokder Stoltzfus' favorite saying always comes to mind. "The way you make your bed in the morning is the way you'll sleep in it at night."
Samuel was up and about for the second time in the last week practically. Poor thing; his cheeks are still rosy from the fever he had there for a while, and his voice is practically gone. He just kind of walks around slowly about the house, stopping every so often to curl up with a quilt on a chair or something. He slept in my bed last night because I got my window to open; our windows seem to be sticky this summer though because no one else could get theirs to go up. Course, it did help that Dat brought in the back of the pickax and pried it open for me. Rachel and Leah brought in the folding mattress and Samuel slept with me, so it was a regular party in there, least until Samuel fell asleep. We whispered quietly, then Mamm came in and told us to blow out the candles and get some sleep. Since Samuel was curled up next to me, Rachel blew them out. As always, the smoke made me cough, what with my asthma and all, but after a few moments, it dissipated and we slept. It was fun, having all those people in my room; it's uncommon for friends to spend the night in our faith; it would only happen if there was some kind of family emergency or a birth. It certainly wouldn't happen very often.
Even though they were just my sisters and Samuel, it was right fancy of us.
Well, Samuel is in my bed again, with the coal pan presumably. As I write this, I'm watching him. He's asking me what I'm doing, to which I reply, "Writing down what happened today." Dear, sweet little boy. I'll write out our speakings.
"Warum?" –Why?
"Weil ich möchte diese Tage weissen wann ich bin alt." Because I'd like to remember these days when I'm old-
"Aber du bist nicht alt jezt." But you aren't old right now.
"Das ist warum ich schreibe diese Geschichten. Da hast du mir gefragt, ain't so?" That's why I'm writing these histories. That's what you asked, aint's so?
"Ja." Yes-
"Willst du diese mit du wann du von house nehmen gehen?" –Will you take these with you when you leave the house? (He means when I marry and go to live with my husband except he doesn't know who I'm going to marry so he doesn't say it outright)
"Shh…es ist sehr spät. Mach schlaffen. Ich will dieses machen auch." – Shh, it's late. Go to sleep. I'll do the same.
I must blow out the candle or he will go on forever.
Gut Nacht,
Annie Stoltzfus