Monthly Archives: May 2006

 We had a call last week from our friends in New York City, wanting to come down for a short visit.  They had a special relationship with Daddy, and, in fact, had come down on impulse to see him and Mama in December, not knowing that the very next day would be Daddy’s Homegoing Day.  Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many happy times together, and it was another delightful time.

Here are Daniel and June Pollard and their boys: Asim (He is 6’6″) Isaiah and Joziah

Eldest Daughter and Daniel Pollard have always enjoyed a great deal of verbal sparring.  And they can both dish it out.  This was one of those definative moments.

We had thought to have a little cookout on Monday afternoon.  Mama was coming and Chris and Jess, of course. 

Mama, June, and Joziah

But as the day wore on, we added some more people on the spur of the moment, and it was a nice time.  There were hamburgers and hotdogs and various and sundry things that people produced on the spur of the moment.

 Abby and Amy and June and Deborah                           Donna and Laura and Dale and Isaiah 

 Mama made her famous chocolate sheet cake, and we needed ice cream to go with that, so we churned two freezers full.  It was way too much, but leftover ice cream is good. 

Joziah takes a turn at cranking the ice cream, and Raph, who missed getting any ice cream at the REACH cookout said that he was going to help turn the ice cream so he would be sure to get some this time.  Joel had the enviable job of holding down the freezer.

“Is that ice cream ever going to be done?  How hard is the crank turning?  Maybe the first tub is done. . .”

Yippee!!!  It is done!  Certain Man dips it out, and the tasting begins

Gentle Giant Asim gets some ice cream and little brother Joziah wonders when his turn will be.

A good-natured basket ball game followed the ice cream, and it was Daniel P. and Youngest Daughter against Isaiah and Amy.  It wasn’t really too fair.  Daniel and Youngest Daughter pretty much won.

All too soon, it was time for them to leave.   Not as early as hoped, but still in a fairly reasonable time.  And now the laundry waits and there is lots to catch up on, but we have memories of time shared, games played, prayers offered, comfort given, and it was a good, good time.

God Bless You, Dear Friends! 

“Our” Graduate RN

Last week was Cheryl’s graduation from Beebe School of Nursing.  The course is demanding at the very least and almost impossible some days.  Cheryl has endeared herself to our family because, first of all, she loves Jeremy.  And he is ours, so that is half the story right there.  But beyond that, we Yoders tend to be scary, and Cheryl loves us anyhow.  (At least, she makes us feel like she loves us anyhow!!!  There could be a difference.)
 

  Cheryl with her Grandmother Heatwole in the background

 Cheryl with Jeremy’s Grandma Yoder

This is Cheryl with her proud Dad.  (I missed getting a picture of her pretty Mom– Sorry Marj!) 

 Cheryl and her man.  I love this picture of the two of them. 
And in September, Lord willing,
They will be three!

Congratulations!

       No pictures today, just a posting.  My two home girlies are in Virginia, with the youth girls, with plans to return on Sunday.  Youngest Son is still in Florida with his team, and Eldest Son is seldom home these days.  I need to do some important house keeping things, as we are getting out of state company on Sunday.  Tomorrow will be a day to stay home all day and do some catch up work as the family van went to Virginia with the girls so I don’t have transportation that is agreeable to me..
       Tonight, Eldest Daughter and Beloved Son in Law came up with some fresh strawberries and warm strawberry short cake.  Certain Man was fighting with the air conditioner but took time out to sit a spell and eat some cake.  The month has been so pleasant as far as temperature, but tonight it feels like it will make up for it with hot temperatures.  Of course, Shady Acres has big old lard bucket roasters almost ready to go out and a fogger pump that wants to misbehave.  But all of this is in our Heavenly Father’s hands.
        The Master of the strawberries and pretty gardens and full moons is the Blessed Controller of all things!

. . . and I will praise
His Holy Name!

   A few months ago, our church basement was flooded when our water heater sprung a leak, and our sump pump didn’t work.  One of our young men came up to church on Saturday afternoon and found eight inches of warmish water in the basement.  We lost our kitchen, and the whole basement has to be redone.  The first thing they did was to tear up the carpet, but that left a residue on the floor that needed to be ground off.  Tonight was the night when our church was called together for a work night to work on it.  We ladies washed off chairs, and even cleaned some of the classrooms upstairs in preparation for Bible School in a few weeks.  The men, with the help of a rented surface grinder, worked at the basement floor.  It was a royal mess!

Some of the area had to be done by hand.  Robert works at a patch to see how effective a scraper is (L) and J.R.
and Joel converse in the middle of a very wet floor.

This is how the operation of the scraper pretty much went.  Someone had to dampen the floor ahead of the person who was running the machine.  Here Dale makes the floor wet while Caleb runs the unwieldy beast.

 
John Ivan and Certain Man discuss the dilemma while Amy looks on.  Henry takes a break to handle some phone calls, but most of the evening, he was in the basement helping to keep things going.

There were times when we were all rather discouraged, and there were times when all the males found it necessary to discuss the possibility that maybe we were not going to finish tonight.

Gary was terribly tired tonight, and Certain Man had a viewing that he attended and then came back to work, but they stuck at it even when they didn’t feel like it.  Here, they’re working on the ceiling.

Most of the men there took their turns at running this floor scraper thing-a-ma-jig, and I got different pictures of them, but these two were the clearest pictures.

This was the set up outside where the many chairs were wiped off.  Chris and Loretta and Ilva did most of that work while Raymond, Matthew and Amy helped to carry chairs.  And there were some snacks available, but most of the work was done before anyone stopped for food.

When the guys were working at getting the basement ready for remodeling, they realized that the stairway leading down to the basement was in grave need of help.  So they tore it out, only to find that apparently, the only things that has been holding that stairway up while they carried some of our older members up and down in their wheelchairs were the hands of angels!  There were places that were actually rotted through and there is no earthly explanation for the safety we have enjoyed going up and down these steps.  This is what it looks like now.  Thankfully, we have another stairway into the basement.  We would not have had much fun lugging everything up and down this dirt pile!

Looking over these pictures later, I realize that somehow, Pete escaped from every picture I took.  This is sad, indeed, since he and Caleb and Joel were the ones who stayed until the bitter end to make sure the job got done.  Sorry, Pete.  I’ll be more careful the next time!

And that’s it for tonight, Folks!  Maybe I can post some pictures of our progress eventually.

Oh, and just so you know, they DID get done with the floor scraper tonight, and it can go back to the rental place tomorrow!  For this, we thank God!

I’ve had numerous requests for the recipe for the potato salad.  This is not the recipe we use, but it is the recipe that tastes the closest to that recipe that I have “Measured Amounts” for (and “rights” to, as well.)  This is my family’s favorite, and with summer and cookouts coming, your family might enjoy it, too.

Potato Salad

In a large bowl, put the following:

12 eggs, hard cooked and shredded

½ cup onion, chopped

12 cups potatoes, cooked and shredded – Actually, this is 5 pounds.

(I scrub raw potatoes, then cook them with their peelings on. I try to not cook them too long, just until they are soft. Then I cool them and pull off the peelings. Then I grate them on a potato grater.)

Mix in separate bowl the following dressing:

2 cups finely chopped celery

3 cups salad dressing (I always use Miracle Whip)

3 Tablespoons mustard

1/4 cup vinegar (scant)

2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons salt

½ cup evaporated milk

Pour dressing over potato mixture and stir gently.

If the potato salad is too “stiff” add more evaporated milk. If it seems too runny, just wait. It always thickens up over night. Of course, the flavors go through it better if it is left over night, but I like the texture better right after it is made.

This recipe is easily reduced by half to make a smaller amount. The larger recipe easily serves 20 or more. It usually will make over a gallon.

 The great Potato Salad Adventure, 2006

The great Potato Salad Adventure went very smoothly today.  Somewhere between 50 and 60 gallons were made.  And we were done with everything, including the cleaning up, by 2:15.  For the uninformed, it is a yearly ritual that the Yoder families participate in.  The potato salad is for the Central Christian School Festival that is always held on the third Saturday of May.  If you want more information, you need to go to
The Roblog
(And you will find out all you need to know and maybe a little bit more!)
 It was a splendid day, but wowser!  Am I tired tonight.  I didn’t feel it too much until I got home, but I have a feeling that I wasn’t the only one!

Aunt Gladys with part of the pile of potatoes before anyone else really got started.
Favorite saying:  “I wonder if we have as many potatoes this year as we did the other years”
(WE DID, Aunt Gladys, WE DID!!!)

This is our youngest cousin on the Yoder side of the family, Naomi.  She was there from the beginning until maybe five minutes before the last dish was dried.  She brought delectable garden tea, and we drank volumes of it.  She went home to make 15 pie crusts for Strawberry pies, some regular pies and to mix up the batter for the funnel cakes.  Ah, Naomi-girl.  I am sincerely hoping that the fact that you have your youth on your side is helpful to you tonight, but I don’t envy you one bit. I am hoping that someone comes to help you! 
In the background is Uncle Jesse with Son in law, Maynard.  Uncle Jesse did the work of two men today, running and fetching and unloading and loading, taking the lunch order to the sub shop, then going back to get it when it was ready, filling in wherever a helping hand was needed.  He didn’t frown or fuss (too much) and when he prayed at lunch time, I could hear my Daddy’s voice.  Thank you, Uncle Jesse!!! It was good to have you there.

This is “THE POTATO SALAD CREW, 2006”
Front row, left to right is Shirley, Aunt Gladys, Mama, Me. 
Back row is Andrea, Naomi, Sarah, Alma, Rachel and Deborah.
~~And of course, there are those who don’t begin to know who belongs to whom.  So, Shirley and Naomi are Aunt Gladys’s daughters, and Andrea is Shirley’s only daughter (with six older brothers!) and Naomi has only sons.  (Five of them, in fact.).  Alma and Sarah are my sisters, and their daughters couldn’t make it today.  Rachel and Deborah are mine and Certain Man’s daughters.  Eldest Daughter is still in Florida, and couldn’t be here, though she dearly loves to participate in these things. We usually have a few others who help out who weren’t able to be there, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  (In case you didn’t know, we missed you.)

This is another view of the crew, with a slight change.  Shirley has her eyes open, and that is good. And if you are wondering about the look on Sarah’s face and the holding up of the hand, well, She just had carpel tunnel surgery and we had to keep her under control today.  She still did more than she should have.  We needed to document the bandage for posterity. 

I have dragged my daughters to this event for over a decade now, I think.  And they have gone from grudging presence to not wanting to miss it.  Youngest Daughter actually took a free day from school today so she could help.  Middle Daughter, shown here, is helping me to shred potatoes.  We needed every hand we had today, and I am so thankful for Andrea, Deborah and Rachel and the help they gave us.
A bunch of old ladies~making potato salad like there IS a tomorrow.
Festival, Festival, here it comes!

My Sweet Mama, Alene Yoder

Yesterday, we (my sister, Sarah, two of her children, Maria and Elmer, and a friend, Lori) helped to plant some things at Mama’s house.  I thought that Mama was exceptionally perky yesterday, looking so good, and helping to plant.  This picture was one I took in front of her house with the planter in front that was a gift from a good friend.

                  This week is almost over.  And, since it was Mother’s Day, the younger generation cleaned up lunch for me, and I got a NAP.  It was most welcome, and it was wonderful!!!  And now, since no one else is needing the computer, I decided to post a tour of :

THE COOKOUT

Since the cookout really was for the team, I decided to put some of their pictures first.  The first picture is of Michelle, looking over her shoulder, then Nicole in the navy and Keith in the Coca-Cola shirt.  On the right is Youngest Son’s girl Jess, Michele, and my nephew, Josh, and on this end of the bench on the right side of the picture is Nicole and Keith again.
  

In the picture on the left, you have Jeremy and Sarah, fearless team leaders.  Middle Daughter, Deborah, is talking to two ex-reachers Normie and Kanina.  On the right is Youngest Son, Lem with his Girl Jess.

And there were lots of children.  On the left is Carson, chugging a ride on the ever popular train.  On the right is Caleb, having a good time on the swings.

Here is Nevin in his stroller, who doesn’t look too enthused about life, but he is still one of our most favorite
people.  On the right is the gal we know as Gokum, holding GraceGiven’s little one, Victoria, who really
would have rather been home, from the looks of things.

And this is Ethan, making friends with the dog, and on the right is Danielle, finding some dessert.

In addition to the small fry, there were some of the older ones.  On the left, Certain Man and I
are working at getting out the ice cream.  On the right, friend Josie, who prays for Youngest Son
every day, enjoys a laugh with CMW’s Sweet Mama, who has been mercifully cropped out of
the picture.  I knew she would not approve of her appearance on this picture, but she was present!

Friend John tries the homemade some ice cream and Principal Larry is finishing his supper.

It was a chilly evening, and Gokum was glad for her blanket.  On the right, Friend John
eats ice cream with a spoon that means business while Brother in law, Jerrel,
looks on. 

There were many friends of the Team who came to share the evening.  Cousin Tim and Friend Jesse join the fun at the supper table, and a good game of Dutch Blitz occupies Youngest Daughter, Friend Caitlyn and Cousin Carmen.

Michelle gets some food while Stephanie supervises the other side of the table (probably a erstwhile son over there) and Gracegiven looks on.  Laura and Joanna spend a thoughtful moment on the porch swing.

The younger set gets their chance at the potluch food table, and on the right, Eldest Son joins a table of some of the older set.  This isn’t the most charming picture of him, but, hey, he isn’t on many of the other pictures.

There was much mingling of the different generations.  Friend Joyce watches while Youngest Sister attacks the job of cutting the peanut better bars that she brought.  Later, around the table, Friends Peggy and Elvida chat with Youngest Sister.

Youngest Son sits in the middle of Girl Jess’s family.  Her Mom, Lynn, is barely visible all the way to the left of the picture.  (She’s busy talking to a friend).  Next is Girl Jess’s smiley Dad with the shades and then Youngest Son and Girl Jess.  On the right, neighbor Sabrina chats with her Dad, Larry, while Friend Joyce looks on.  That pretty hair that you see in the forefront is Neighbor Lillian.

Almost Son Kent tries out the bull horn.  (He’s Gracegiven’s hubby).  Three generations in the next picture discuss what to put on Caleb’s plate while his Mom looks on and his Grandpa helps him decide.  That is Almost Son Ken digging in the potato chips.  (V.I.P status, two pictures, side by side, Kent!)

These two pictures caught the deck at one of its quiet moments (most of the time there was a gaggle of girls there, solving the world’s problems).  On the left, if you look carefully enough, you will see some fellows at the horseshoe pit.  I am sorry that I never got a close picture.  Maybe some of the team will have some on their sites, because it was the most popular game of the evening, and much friendly competition was endured . . .  er, enjoyed.  The right was just a peaceful look out over the other side of the deck.

And the big thing of the evening was making homemade ice cream.  Keith from the REACH team helped my mix up the custard for the freezers, and there were many helping hands to turn the cranks until the ice cream was done.  In the first picture, Friend John is holding down the freezer and providing the man-power.  In the same picture, Caleb, Amy, Youngest Daughter and Niece Edie supervise another freezer.  On the right, Nephew Josh and his little sister, Niece Edie are almost done with the third batch.  We made almost six gallons and it got all entirely too fast.  We should have made at least another 2-gallon freezer full.  We’ll know better next time.

And that was the story in pictures and  words of the cookout for the REACH team.  We miss you all already!

The music on this site was a Mother’s Day gift from Eldest Daughter. 
If I was writing this song, I could have had at least a dozen more verses! 
I love you, Christina!!!

H-m-m-m-m-m-m-m!!!

        There was a time when Certain Man tended to ignore Mother’s Day. 
        “You’re not my mother,” he would say with a hint of defiance. 
        It should not have mattered.  He brought flowers for Valentine’s Day, Anniversary, Birthday and even if he just thought that I was having a bad day.  But when Mother’s day came around, it was always the same story.
       “You’re not my mother!” 
        Of course, I knew that.  We have never called each other “Daddy” or “Mama” unless we were talking to our offspringin’s.  (As in, “What does Daddy say?”  or, “If Mama says you may, then you may, but otherwise, ‘NO!'”)  So, perhaps there were things that fed into to his decision.  
        But yesterday, Certain Man brought me flowers. 
        Says I to Certain Man, “For Me?  For What?” 
        Says Certain Man with a deprecatory shrug, “Mother’s Day!”  
        “Really???  Remember, I’m not your mother?”  
        “I know, but you are the mother of my children!!!”  
        You know what? 
        HE GOT IT RIGHT!!!

Team USA and Supper at Suicide Bridge
May 9, 2006

 
We had seats just inside the window overlooking the water.  The sun was going down, and it was beautifully calm.

I hate it that this picture is so dark, but this was one side of the table at supper with the team.  From left to right, it is  Nicole, Michelle, Keith, Sarah, Jeremy, Oldest Daughter and Beloved Son in Law.  (No, he wasn’t sleeping or being a spoil sport. The camera just caught him off guard)   There were 14 of us there.  It was so very special.  The only ones who had ever been there before are Youngest Son and his girl, so it was quite an experience for our family and the team. The seafood is absolutely delectable.  And expensive, too, I should add.  (Don’t anybody panic– All the money for the supper was donated!

The other side of the table, which is our family without Jesse and Christina.  Certain Man, Certain Man’s Wife, Youngest Daughter, Youngest Son, YS’s Girl Jess, Eldest Son, Middle daughter.

 I cannot seem to get these two pictures to do what I want them to do.  On the left is Youngest Son with his girl, Jess.  On the right is Certain Man.  He is the one who keeps us all sane.  He is taking off tomorrow to get ready for the cook-out that we are planning for Lem and his team.  I hope to see a whole lot of you there!

Saturday evening, 4 pm ~ Dark 

Jeremy and Sarah — the team leaders.  We’ve always loved them, but even more since we have had a chance to be around them a bit more.  Isn’t Sarah just so cute? 

Somewhere in Kansas, there is a Mama who loves this young man.  She has every right to be proud of him.  MamaJoye, this one is especially for you!     

Eldest Daughter and Beloved Son in Law have been hosting the girls and Keith this week that the team is here.  Even though they are getting ready for a trip to the Caribbean, they have been enthusiastic and unselfish helpers to Daniel and I and the team.  It has been such a blessing to have a place that isn’t too far away for the team to readily commute back and forth.  
And it has been such a blessing to have these enthusiastic young people here.  The program last night at Cannon was inspirational, and for those of you who really wanted to hear a program, they will give it one more time at Maranatha (in Dover) on Sunday Morning.  The plans had been for them to be at our church, Laws Mennonite, for Sunday Morning worship.  (Not to give a program, but just to worship with us and to do one of their skits).  So many of the plans fell through this week for other activities and programs, and then they received the invitation to Maranatha, and it was decided that they should take the opportunity.  If plans carry, they will perform the skit sometime during the cookout on Saturday evening, so those of you who can, BE THERE. 
And now, I am making more mistakes than I can keep track of, so it is time to STOP
~  Blessings to all  ~ 

One more thing — If you want to come to the cookout and you didn’t get the particulars,
call us! 
Anyone who has supported or prayed for this team is welcome.