Returning to Everyday Life

Note: Trying the 6th time to get the following posted. This was written before midnight last night right on the Wednesday schedule. Although blogger says it is published, it does not show up on Woodsong Notes. I hope it does this time.

Monday Gerald had to make-up the income tax appointment he missed last week with Doug Hileman. Between the time change making him lose track of time and the appointment taking longer than he expected, he didn’t make it home in time to go to Geri Ann’s volleyball game with me. Since he couldn’t make the game and he was already in Union County, he ran by Keith and Barbara’s. Yesterday he ran by Opal’s, and in the afternoon he attended the Johnston City softball game against my alma mater Anna-Jonesboro. This time I couldn’t go because I was giving the devotional at our class meeting at Sharon Odom’s at 6:30.

Today he and Keith went to Amish country across the Ohio River near Marion, Kentucky. It is a good thing they went today because the river is rising again, and the ferry is expected to close.

Keith has a beef ready for us to butcher, and they were looking for the man who had butchered for us years ago. We have been buying beef from the grocery store for a number of years now, so it will be good to have the freezer full again. While they were there, they ran by the farms of friends John and Barbara Beachey and Lester Stutzman.

They were impressed with young Ben Beachey’s harness making, and Gerald just had to have one of the belts he makes. Back at Woodsong, Gerald proudly placed a jar of freshly made maple syrup that John gave him and a jar of sugar-free blackberry jam that he said the school teacher made. I need to ask him more about that tomorrow.

Before supper, he already had a photo developed of a farmer with his plow pulled by three sturdy work horses. After supper, I watched a slide show of the river, an eagle’s nest with a eagle head poking out of it, a horse-drawn buggy, and of course a rerun of pictures of the grandchildren and family gatherings.

Sympathy cards line the fireplace mantel, and the remaining siblings are keeping in touch by phone as they resume a new phase of life without their brother.