Smicksburg Tales 1,2 & 3 (Amish Knitting Circle, Amish Friends Knitting Circle & Amish Knit Lit Cirlce ~ Complete Series: 888 pages for Granny Weaver Lovers and 30+ Amish Recipes

by Karen Anna Vogel

  Ruth took the pattern and stared at it. “So many abbreviations I don’t understand.”

  She passed it to Lavina. “Me neither, but if you can give us a sheet, telling us what the letters mean, I’m sure it can’t be that hard.” She narrowed her eyes. “Some I can guess at, but what’s BO?”

  Colleen, Janice, and Marge snickered.

  Suzy cleared her throat. “Bind Off, what else could it mean?”

  “What’s DC?” Lavina asked.

  Marge jumped out of her seat. “Double crochet! Ha, I beat you Suzy, since I crochet.”

  Suzy rolled her eyes. “DK is what you’ll need to know. It means double knit.”

  Marge sat down and turned to Lavina.. “If you ever want to crochet, I’ll teach.”

  Janice glared at Marge, and quickly nodded toward Mollie lying on her bed. “We all want to knit though, Marge. It’s good for the nerves, like Suzy said.”

  “You right,” Marge admitted. “And no one teaches better than Suzy.”

  Suzy put both hands up. “Don’t pacify me. I have lots of students.” She looked at Janice fondly. “But thanks for caring. The whole church has been so supportive. Did you know Jerry called me this morning, wondering how Mollie was fairing?”

  Janice looked up from her knitting. “No, I didn’t. He makes lots of calls in the morning…”

  “And he counseled me this morning, too, before we went to Emma’s,” Colleen said. “He really listens…”

  Janice bit her lower lip. “Then why doesn’t he listen to me? It always seems like his mind is elsewhere.”

  “Jeb gets like that when he’s real tired. Can you lighten his load?” Granny glanced at the paper Fannie passed to her. “Ach, we can learn this easily.”

  “Lighten Jerry’s load? Can’t see how. He spends so much time studying for his doctorate.”

  “Well, then learn to live in the season. It won’t last forever, him studying all the time,” Granny said.

  “But I feel, I don’t know. Rejected somehow. Seems like he enjoys studying more than being with me.”

  Ruth knit slower. “God sees the broken heart of a woman and fills the cracks with his love.”

  “Is that an Amish proverb?” Marge asked. “I like that.”

  Ruth smiled at Granny. “Nee, it’s something Granny made up.”

  Granny swatted at the air. “Not me. My mamm told me that long ago.” She slowly stood up when she saw Joe’s truck coming down the driveway. When she saw Jeb inside, she exclaimed, “Praise be!”

  Fannie stood by Granny. “Fear never did any goot, jah?”

  Granny saw Jeb wave at her with a huge grin as the car drove past the porch, down to the barn past Roman’s house. “What on earth?”

  Marge stood up, grinning. “Okay, Deborah. This is where I come in. I need to blindfold you.”

  “What?”

  “Jeb has a surprise. Joe told me all about it.”

  “I’ll just close my eyes.”

  “Promise not to peek?” Marge asked. “Jeb went to a lot of trouble.”

  “I promise.”

  The circle of women put down their yarn and led Granny down to the barn. So touched that Jeb went to so much trouble, and it wasn’t even her birthday, made her want to cry. The girls told her to take tiny steps so she wouldn’t fall, so she leaned on the arms around her. Leaning posts, she mused. And I have so many. As they led her along, she was tempted to peek, but locked her eyes tighter.

  Granny felt Jeb’s hand on hers. “I’ll take her from here. It’s private-like. But yinz can come in in a few minutes.”

  “How romantic,” Janice said, putting her hand on her heart.

  Colleen leaned toward Lavina. “I want a man like Jeb.”

  “Me too…if there are any.” Lavina shielded her eyes from the setting sun.

  Granny let Jeb lead her into the barn and she soon saw two sheep, both black and white, like the ones she saw in Troutville. Overwhelmed, she let the tears flow. “Jeb, danki.”

  Jeb cradled her head against his chest. “I know you’ve been having lots of fear lately, about the future. Faith is a bridge over which we can cross all the unknown waters of tomorrow… but sometimes we need our animal friends to cross that bridge with us, jah?”

  Granny looked up at her beloved husband, went on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly. “What did I do to deserve such a man?”

  “Now, I just don’t know,” Jeb said, with a wink. He bent down to kiss her. “I’m never going to even hint at any displeasure concerning your spinning and knitting. I know you need it.”

  Granny grabbed his middle and felt she could live in his arms. “Danki, so much.”

  As Jeb rubbed her back, she heard sobbing. Granny turned toward the barn door but didn’t see anyone. Then she looked out the window and saw the faces of her friends, all crying. “What on earth?”

  She motioned for them to come in and they did. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s so romantic,” Lavina said, wiping at her tears. “And at your ages.”

  Jeb chuckled. “We’re not old in here.” He pointed to his heart. “And I’m not the only romantic.”

  He looked over at Joe, whose face was increasingly becoming the color of beets. “Marge, honey. This one’s for you.” He pointed to one of the sheep. “Jeb and I bought a pair. Can’t afford an alpaca but…”

  Marge rushed at Joe and kissed him on the lips. “Oh, Pooh Bear. I love you so much.”

  “Pooh Bear?” Jeb asked. “What’s that?”

  Joe eyed Marge. “Tell them why you just called me that…”

  Marge hugged Joe again. “Winnie the Pooh’s full of honey. He’s sweet. So is Joe, when he shows it. So I call Joe my ‘Pooh Bear’.”

  “What’s a Winnie?” Granny asked.

  “I’ll bring the book over,” Marge said. “When you read it, you’ll be calling Jeb your Pooh Bear, too.”

  I doubt it, Granny thought with a chuckle.

  “And what else do you have to tell Marge?” Jeb urged.

  “Now, that’s something I want to tell her in private…”

  ~*~

  That night Granny sat on an old chair in the barn, stroking her new lamb. How blessed she was to have a husband who cared about her fears of the future. Having animals around her was one thing she did have control over, and maybe they would be good company to cross all the bridges in the future…uncertain bridges. Along with a lot of faith in God, she’ll make it through. The Lord was ever at her side; the one she really needed. But like Jeb said, animals are mighty comforting.

  She looked around the barn. Roman’s absence was too apparent. Did he have the same heart condition that took her daed? She hugged the lamb around the neck. And she tried to think of others to pray for, but being a mamm, it kept going back to Roman. So she closed her eyes and prayed:

  Lord,

  You know I have a mamm’s heart. And a mamm’s heart can be troubled, even when they’re grown. When I think of Roman falling because of a dizzy spell, I think of my own daed, and fear just consumes me. I’m sorry I don’t trust you like I should, and I’m thankful you know I’m made from the dust.

  Lord, I cast Roman on you. He is yours, not mine. You created him, and have had your eye on him over his thirty-four years. You see a sparrow fall, and you saw Roman fall. I give him to you, but need your grace to not keep taking him back.

  And Lord, danki for Jeb. Bless him for being so thoughtful, giving me this here sheep.

  In Jesus’ name,

  Amen

  Dear Readers,

  Thank you for following Amish Friends Knitting Circle. In this episode a song was sung by Mike Lee (Mike Yee in real life) Mike wrote When Your Heart if Far Away and sung it for prisoners in a maximum security prison, receiving a standing ovation. Remember, you’re never too far gone to have a relationship with Jesus.

  Granny served sherbet, and I leave her recipe with you. Enjoy!

  Homemade Sherbet

  2 c. boiling water
>
  ¾ c. sugar

  1 small package Jell-O, any flavor

  5 c. milk

  Mix sugar and boiling water. Pour over Jell-O and let it cool slightly. Add milk and put in cake pan to freeze. Thaw until it can be beaten. Beat until smooth, and then return to freezer. Freeze again. Enjoy!

  Episode 6

  Putting Up

  Granny wiped the sweat beads above her lip. A sudden urge to take the buggy to Suzy’s yarn shop overcame her. Air conditioning… her egg timer let her know it was time to take the green beans out of the boiling water. Quickly lifting the metal strainer full of beans from the steaming stock pot, she plunged them into the bowl of ice water.

  “Mamm, you need to sit down. Have some ice water,” Lizzie insisted. “Lavina and I can blanch the next few batches. Still don’t know why you just don’t can all the beans. Why dry them?”

  “Don’t lose as many nutrients, and takes less space to store.” Granny sat at the table and reached for her Back to Eden book. “I’ve been reading this book and planning all summer.” She turned to Jenny, Millie and Tillie, who were all breaking beans into halves. “Can you girls go and pick Oma all the dill and sage in my herb garden?”

  Millie clapped her hands. “I love hanging the herbs in the attic. It’s my favorite part of putting up.”

  Granny remembered helping her own oma tend her herb garden at Millie’s age, the smell of sage being her favorite. Fond memories of her mamm and oma tying strings around herb stems to hang upside down to dry overwhelmed her. Long term memory increased with aging, she mused.

  Jeb came in the side door, exhaustion etched on his face. “Lots of wild leeks this year, that’s for sure. How about you girls help Opa pick more?” Jeb put the basket of leeks on the counter.

  Jenny’s shoulders slumped. “Oma wants us to pick herbs.”

  “You girls go along and help pick leeks,” Granny said. “Says here in this book they’re part of the garlic family. Wouldn’t you rather drink leek tea than garlic tea, come winter?”

  Tillie wrinkled her nose. “Garlic tea’s awful.”

  “Jah, it sure is,” Jeb said. “I say if Oma will let us drink leek tea when sick, we best be finding a lot more.” He put his hand on Jenny’s shoulders. “Can you spare them, Deborah?”

  “Jah, sure. But the beans need tended to when you get back. Will you help the girls put them on the drying racks?”

  Jeb nodded. “Where’s Colleen? She’s here on Wednesday to learn Amish ways.”

  “Has a cold. Most likely allergies. I’m taking her over some leek tea tonight.”

  “You’ll be too tired,” Lizzie protested. “I’m sure the English have their own remedies.”

  “I have to leave at noon and help Maryann,” Lavina said. “Could drop it over on my way.”

  “Danki,” Granny said. “Could you take some iced tea out to the men in the rocker shop?”

  Lavina’s eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips. “You mean take Nathan some iced tea?”

  Granny rolled her eyes. “You can’t ignore him forever.”

  “Jeb said to guard my heart. Doesn’t want to see me hurt.”

  Granny couldn’t figure out why on earth Nathan had chosen Sarah, who was such a fickle Amish girl. What if Sarah left the faith again, after her sudden baptism? She’d be shunned, and Nathan would still be bound to her. No, Lavina had shown she was Amish in her heart of hearts, and she was surely the one for her grandson. “I’ll take them the iced tea…”

  “Ach, Granny, now I feel awful. Didn’t mean to snap, either.” She took a paper towel and wiped her brow. “I just don’t want to talk to Nathan.”

  Lizzie put up a hand. “I need to check on Roman. See how his corn grinding’s coming along. It was so clever of Jeb to make a foot pedaled grinder.”

  Granny grinned. “When he brought home that English exercise bike from a garage sale, I just shook my head, but it really works.”

  “Well, it makes Roman feel useful. Sure do wish he could make something for my daed to use…to feel useful…”

  ~*~

  Lizzie tried not to laugh when she saw Roman pedaling, his face contorted as if in pain. She knew his arm wasn’t in pain as much as his pride. “So, looks like it’s working fine.”

  Roman looked over at her as she entered the barn. “Goot to see you. Gets lonesome in here.”

  She looked at the belt that Jeb attached to the bike’s wheel that worked as a pulley to turn the grain grinder. The feed sack was on a table higher than the funnel of the grinder. All Roman had to do was push dried corn into the funnel with his left arm, sit on the bike, and pedal. The coarsely ground corn would provide cornmeal for bread all winter.

  “Just think of how much cornbread I can make this winter. Fried mush, too.”

  Roman moaned. “I should be out there with the horses, bringing in the wheat.”

  “Well, Nathan’s here now, and we have help from the Gmay. How many times have you helped others?” Lizzie dug her toes into the dirt floor of the barn. “Did you take your medicine?”

  “Nee. Took herbs.”

  Lizzie felt light-headed, and had to remind herself to breath evenly. “Roman, you promised me you’d take the medicine for your heart. You could have another spell, or worse.”

  Roman stopped pedaling and soon the only thing heard in the barn was the clucking of chickens and the baaing of sheep. “It’s too expensive.”

  “We have the money. We paid for my daed’s medicine…” As soon as Lizzie said this, she realized what Roman was saying. He’d been pouring over the checkbook all morning, and chose to put her daed’s MS medicine before his own needs. She ran over and hugged Roman around the neck. “I can make a quilt in my spare time.”

  “What spare time?”

  She kissed his cheek and cradled his head against her chest. “Roman, we make time for what’s important. There isn’t anything more important to me than you.” Lizzie leaned her head on his, and to her surprise, he pulled away from her. Now all she could see was the back of his head. “Roman, I know you’re a proud man, but there’s lots of ways to make money. Are you forgetting how my daed is getting paid for Amish Camp?”

  Roman was still silent.

  “Janice is bringing a group of children from the city to see Amish folk, and daed’s going to tell them stories. The Baptists insist on paying him, and it covers your medicine.”

  Roman looked down and Lizzie heard a sob. She slowly put her hands on his shoulders. “Roman, it’s alright, really.”

  He turned to her, eyes fixed on hers. “I can beat this on my own.”

  Lizzie put her hands on her hips and groaned. “So you can make your heart beat regularly? Sounds like something only God can do.”

  “I don’t like medicine. You know I only take herbs.”

  Lizzie pounded her foot a little too hard on the ground, and pain shot up her leg. “Roman Weaver. You’re as stubborn as a mule. We went over this, and you promised to take medicine. I’m holding you to your word, understand?”

  ~*~

  Lavina plopped herself on Granny’s porch swing, on the far side of the wraparound porch, and opened Mansfield Park to the dog-eared page. Going into the world of Fannie Price, a girl so poor she had to live with rich relatives, helped her feel more at home living with Maryann and her family. But she missed her mamm and sisters, just like Fannie Price, too. As she read this new Jane Austen novel Granny lent her, she let the emotions surface and cast them on God, and was finding healing, along with the “Secret Garden” she and Colleen made in the woods. Warmth filled her heart. Colleen was becoming like a sister as they sat in the garden and shared their hearts. But she’d seen a man’s footprints around the garden, and maybe she needed to tell Colleen why they should go there together. Knowing what happened to Lizzie, she knew the woods weren’t always safe, even in the country.

  Lavina looked down at the page she was on, and her eyes fell on, I hope... I hope you know how much... how much I shall... wri
te to you. Lavina wanted to shout at Fannie, Tell Edmund how you feel! I want you to know how much I love you! The suspense of not knowing if Fannie would end up with the one she truly loved made her read this book more than she should, it being putting up time. Granny assured her it had a happy ending.

  She heard footsteps and soon Nathan appeared around the side of the house. Had he followed her? This side of the porch she savored as no one could see it from the ever growing population on the farm. She looked evenly at Nathan. “Do you need anything? I’m busy.”

  Nathan sat in a rocker near the swing. “Miss our talks….Miss you.”

  Lavina thought of the flirty Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park. Was Nathan really like him? Jeb told her to guard her heart… “Nathan, I don’t mean to be blunt, but I guess I have to be. There’s someone else in my heart. He’s all I need right now.”

  She noticed Nathan’s forehead redden and his jaw shifted to one side. “Who is he?”

  “Never you mind. You have Sarah, and I chose to lean on someone else.”

  “It’s Hezekiah, isn’t it? All the single women folk love him. And now that he’s buying a farm he –”

  “It’s none of your business, Nathan. But it’s not Hezekiah. He has his attentions elsewhere.”

  Nathan leaned back on the rocker with a humph. “He’s Amish, jah? I see you talking to Clark a lot.”

  “Clark works here, remember? And I’m here a lot helping Granny. She’s like a real oma to me, so let’s just look at each other as cousins, okay?”

  He looked at her in the most unusual way, a mixture of regret, admiration, and sorrow. She looked down at her book. “I need a break before I go in and help again. If you don’t mind, I’d like to read.”

  ~*~

  Nathan got up and slowly walked away, but Lavina’s eyes haunted him every time he looked into them. A rare color, sometimes hazel, sometimes green or brown. But it seemed when she was saddest, they appeared green. Or was it the blue dress she wore that made her eyes look green? When she wore a brown dress, her eyes looked darker. Why did he care? He’d already given his heart to Sarah…