Fields of Rye

The fields are alive with rye coming up through the snow.

 

I am hoping to visit the farm in the next week or so.  I will be excited to see how much the tomato plants in the green house have grown.  And I am wondering if those rabbits ever got names?  Or will I find empty cages?  Or even new rabbits?

A Little Bit More About The Farm

John and Anna are building a pond.  This pond will have several uses.  It will be a swimming hole, and ice skating rink, a fishing hole, and a source for water for the plants on the farm.  This spring the hogs will do their thing by rooting and packing down the bottom so the water will hold.  I'm not sure how technically that works but that is how the Amish build a pond.

The big red barn on the hill.

Meet Ruby.  She is a Morgan horse and she is used to pull the buggy.  I guess you could call her the fancy horse.

This is Blondie (she can with her name).  She is one of two of the draft horses on the farm.

And Blondie's sidekick is named Barbie.  I know those names just don't sound like Amish names.  And they aren't.  It would be a hard thing to change their names now that they have known them all their lives.  So John has decided to just keep the names the same.

If I remember right, this is Rover.  Sweet, sweet dog.  He reminds me  a lot of our beagle, Ella Bella

And then I find the rabbits.  I know that the black and white on is a Rex.  I'm not sure about the black one.  And the bad thing is...they don't have names.  I told the boys that they will have to name them before I come back.  I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means.  Poor bunnies!

And with all those kids, you just have to have a milk cow.  Didn't catch her name.

I found a swing in the barn.  What a great place to play.  Lots of things to climb on jump off of.  Who needs a playground in the park?

The one room schoolhouse is really close to the house.  So close that the kids sometimes run home for lunch.  I ran home for lunch when I was in grade school.  I guess it was about a mile for me.

Look at all that wood.  Hope it is enough to keep them warm all this winter because I don't think the Amish get Snow Days.  Their are nine students and a teacher.  Locust Knoll is it's name.  Sounds like something that you would hear about on Little House on the Prairie.

While I was in the barn meeting all the animals, Anna sent up some sausage that they got from one of Andy's pigs right before they moved to MO.  I don't know if I will ever eat it all.  Still hanging on to pieces of the Andy's as long as I can.  After visiting with John and Anna I ran over to Sugartree Grass Feed.  They are a hersdshare.  We are a delivery location for them.  Sugartree and Cedarmore share the same drivers.  It was the first time I had met Scott and his family.  They are Hoover Mennonites.  They have 'a more simple life' than the Swartzentruber Amish.  They cut wood in a mill by using the power the horses from walking on a treadmill.  You have to see it to believe it!  I came home from there with some homemade noodles, some jam and warm wheat bread right out of the oven.  Lovely family!  I think I might get to know them better over the summer.

 

Meet The John Zook's

Last Saturday I headed to Pigeon Roost Road in Hillsboro to talk with John and meet Anna and the kids. I needed to get a look at what was going on at Cedarmore and meet my new Amish family.  For some this may be a little confusing so I will try to explain.

 

John and Anna (Andy Hershberger's twin sister) Zook and their seven children will be taking over the Cedarmore CSA at their farm formally known as Hickory Haven.  Their farm on Pigeon Ridge Road is now Cedarmore CSA.

 

My GPS found it with no problem and I don't think it will take me anytime at all to remember how to get there...not too many turns.  You can see it from the main road before you turn on Pigeon Ridge Road.

It had snowed in Hillsboro the night before so I really wasn't sure where the driveway was so I just pulled in and parked.  John was on the front porch sweeping in his sock feet.  Anna had already done laundry.

I always like going into an Amish home because it always is so warm, smells so good, and is filled with kids.  The house is almost laid out like The Andy's...just a bit bigger. Same white walls with blue trim and dark blue curtains.  It felt familiar.  And I was glad for that.  And then there were the kids!  All seven of them gathered around the table to look at this crazy English woman that had come to visit.  I had Anna write down all the names and birthdays...sorta like a little cheat sheet for me and a way for me to learn their names quickly.

 

Ivy who just turned 11 on Monday of this week

Andrew (called Andy) who will be 10 this year in September.

Leah will be 8 in June.

Henry turns a big 7 in October.

Enos (He could be Dennis's twin) will celebrate 5 years on the earth.

Rachel (the shy one) will be three at the end of November this year.

Rhonda will be celebrating her first birthday in mid December this year.

John and Anna are in their mid 30's.

This is one fancy outhouse.  Haven't had the opportunity to visit yet but I am sure the chance will arise during one of my visits when it get warmer outside.  (Too cold for this Englisher)

  

I was able to get a little information from John and Anna about their background. They moved to Hillsboro from Wayne County about two years ago in April.  They own about 30 acres that includes  6 acres of woods and the rest is pasture and farming.  About 20acres of it could be used for farming but for now not all of that will be used.  John says for as long as he can remember he has been a farmer.  There was a little bit of time that he was away from farming but he came back and has been at it ever since.

 

We had a nice visit and I got to walk the farm and see the livestock, the greenhouses, the new pond, and again I came away knowing more that I did when I came.  Which is always a good thing.  I'm looking forward to going back soon.