The Mennobrarian

Thoughts on our time away

11:02, Wednesday, August 27, 2008 .. Posted in Travel .. 3 comments .. Link

It's strange how when it's time to go on vacation, you have to practically force me from the house, and all of the fears that things will go undone are foremost in my mind as I pack my bags. Then, when it's time to come home, you practically have to drag me kicking and screaming to return home to a thirsty, weedy garden and the mountain of laundry that we have created while away. The first evening back I feel like a stranger in my own home, someone returning to a forgotten life. My husband sorts through a week's worth of mail, while I struggle to find room in our already cramped quarters for the newfound treasures we brought home with us. But yes, we had a wonderful time, and enjoyed both visiting places we've never gone before and returning to one or two favorites.

I love the background beyond the buggy parking in this picture, because it more closely resembles what this part of PA looked like thirty years ago.

These cute little Wenger boys look like miniature old men as they contemplate this antique engine. (Wenger = horse and buggy Mennonite)

In the Kitchen: We had a wonderful time walking through many antique/flea markets, and on our first day I managed to find several good deals on things I need for the kitchen, including a double boiler and some cooking utensils. My favorite was a melon baller- it was labeled "thing. nice shape. $3" I guess the man selling it didn't know what it was. He gave it to me for free. It's amazing what passes for an "antique" nowadays. Attention fellow children of the seventies: Anything you ever saw, touched, or ate off of at Grandma's house as a child is now a valuable heirloom!

On the Table: We enjoyed some nice meals out, including ones at a Mexican and a Japanese restaurant. My favorites were the old stand-by Dutch buffets with endless helpings of fried chicken, buttered noodles, chow chow, and dozens of other choices. We brought home a few staples from the farmer's markets, too, especially spices that you can buy wholesale there. And cheese and meat, too.

Around the Home: Yes, we toured a few homes, including a Moravian one, President Buchanan's estate, and this one:

You would have worshiped in this house if you were a Mennonite about three hundred years ago. It is the oldest Mennonite meeting house that is still in existence, and it was also a house. It smells as old as it looks, and the inside is somewhat crude, but it sure is sturdy. The tour guide is a direct descendant who remembers playing in the building as a little girl, before it was a historical landmark.

For our home, I found a nice bundle of antique linens for just a few dollars. They were in excellent condition, and I can't wait to wash them and put them to use. At the farmer's market, I noticed just a couple of the young girls standing on market were using old doilies as head coverings. Well, why not? It used to be that in the County you could tell exactly what church someone belonged to by their headcovering, but it's getting harder to do that as the churches split and multiply.

In the Garden: Well, the tomatoes were waiting for us when we returned home (was there ever any doubt?) but while we were away I optimistically planned for next year by picking up some heirloom seeds. The Landis Valley Museum has a nice heirloom seed project where they grow some specific PA Dutch varieties of vegetables and sell the seeds. Interestingly enough, they also have some cows that are heirloom too...

This black cow with a white stripe down the back (like a skunk) fell out of favor to the more milkable varieties.

On the Nightstand: Baer's Agricultural Almanac & Gardening Guide for 2009, which made this declaration back in 1859:

"None of our excellent girls are fit to be married until they are thoroughly educated in the deep and profound mysteries of the kitchen."

Profound, indeed.

Just for Laughs: About halfway home in the car a sweet smell seemed to come out of nowhere. We looked around for a bakery and didn't see one. The car swelled with an odor a lot like vanilla, but I hadn't bought any vanilla and couldn't think what it might be. Then, my mind wandered back to that afternoon at the market...a tempting gallon jug of homemade root beer caught my eye. After paying for it, the Amish vendor told me that the cap wasn't real tight on bottle. Noting that all of the jugs were reused and that probably none of them had a true cap, it wasn't a big deal. Until ...the jug had tipped over and leaked half of the root beer all over the car floor! My husband claims the car "wreaks" of root beer, but I can't smell it and don't regret buying it!

And now, I'm going to spend the rest of my birthday trying to get things back in order around here...

A side trip to Philadelphia

02:25, Friday, July 11, 2008 .. Posted in Travel .. 4 comments .. Link

For the past few days we have had company, and it has been a wonderful blessing as we got to know a distant cousin. A lady, who, up until now, had always just been some lovely bride in a photo on my Grandmother's dresser. Now, she is so much more.

When company comes to town, it sometimes forces you to be a tourist in your own backyard. You strive to come up with interesting day trips, and you try to convince one another that there is plenty to do around here.
"I know! We could go for a walk down by the river and then go shopping in the historic district!"
"No, there's nothing there."
Sigh.

We took our cousin to Philadelphia for a day of sight-seeing. Despite it's drivable proximity and geographic closeness, one never thinks to go to Philadelphia unless you need to drive over it via I-95 to get to the airport. Or maybe you would go there if there is a special museum you want to visit. Philadelphia is unkind to anyone with a car, and there is scant public transportation, yet practically no parking either. That is just my opinion. Yet, we braved the traffic and smog and the very visible soot to see the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, and to take a historic tour of the city. Many times, when I drove by tourists walking along Independence Mall, I wondered to myself, "Just what are they looking at?"
Now, I know.

We took a "duck tour" in one of those old retired military vehicles that can go from land to water in the flip of a switch. Completely gimmicky, terribly fun. It took us around the colonial part of the city and into the Delaware River.

All the times I've passively driven by Washington Square, I never knew that buried beneath it were the graves of 11,000 people who had died in the yellow fever epidemic.

The liberty bell. Heavy, and heavily guarded.

Betsy Ross' house...another lady who liked to sew. Not a great picture- the vehicle was moving. Like a lot of the buildings, it is made out of a brick technique that is resistant to musket fire.

And so while the past few days were a joyous time to spend with family, it is now time to get back into the routine of things. There are weeds to pull, peppers to pick, grass to mow, meals to make, and so much organizing to be done. See you back in the garden!

Our Day at the Fair

11:18, Tuesday, July 1, 2008 .. Posted in Travel .. 10 comments .. Link

Every year we look forward to attending the annual Pennsylvania-German festival in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It is a lot of fun, the people are very nice, and it's a wonderful celebration of our PA Dutch culture. The vendors at the event sell delicious, authentic food, and the festival is home to the largest quilt sale in the country. All the quilts are certified as made locally, and are displayed in an enormous barn. It is fun just to look!

We have come to recognize our favorite crafts people who sell their wares, and our favorite destinations at the fair, such as the farmer's market and the antique market. My husband likes the old steam engines and farm machinery, while I like to shop the antique linens and try to catch snippets of people speaking the PA dutch language (which I understand far better than actually speak, nowadays).

It is always a very hot day, and a good excuse to drink all of the homemade root beer, birch beer, and lemonade that is available.

I always enjoy the petting zoo...

This llama didn't care for me too much.

At the antique market, my husband found an old carpentry book that he will actually use, and I found some old feed sack cloth.

These were too pretty to have once held chicken feed! I don't have any specific plans for them yet, but I know they will become something special. Seeing how cute the patterns are, it doesn't make you feel bad for people who complained that their mother made clothing from it.

On the Table: Delicious food from the fair: Lebanon bologna, swiss cheese, pickled cabbage, chow chow, kettle corn, and fudge.

In the Garden: We picked our first green bell pepper over the weekend, and put in some mature cayenne pepper plants. Also, some silver queen corn seedlings as an experiment. We are fast running out of space in the garden plot, so we may be container gardening from here on out. My front porch is littered with peppers in pots, cucumbers, and even one last tomato plant.

On the Nightstand: Sundays in America: A Year Long Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith, by Suzanne Shea.

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Thoughts on our time away

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Our Day at the Fair

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