Plain Columns, Week of 11-20-2020

MILLIE OTTO: Millie is an Amish woman who lives near Arthur, Illinois. She writes a weekly newspaper column for a handful of Illinois papers. This week she shares a recipe for an upside-apple pancake, which sounds interesting. Here is an excerpt from this week's column:

What a beautiful November afternoon. It is chilly, but still I actually had my inside door open, not because it is was so warm outside but because it was inside. I was cooking canned stew meat and it did get steamy.

I kind of wished I had leaves to rake so I could work outside. It is just so nice.

Actually, I wish I had a bagger for the lawn mower so I could mow the yard and gather up the corn husks that are blown all over. Well now, I guess I could rake those, but it would more enjoyable to use the mower.

Click here to check out Millie's full column and recipe this week.

OLD ORDER MENNONITE MEMOIRS: I love this column from an Old Order Mennonite woman in Pennsylvania. She’s a superb writer, with great descriptive and poetic skills.  Plus, we get a window into the OOM church, which is a little different than the Amish.  Read part of her ode to October here:

Some of your sunshine saw me blow bubbles for Bella, age 2, and play ball in my backyard with three of my grandchildren. It saw me sow lettuce in my garden even as I moved plants into my greenhouse. With my daughter I dug peony roots and planted bulbs while my husband picked corn.

But even your cloudy days were brilliant because you colored your leaves with splendor. I biked through the color on paths with my sister to visit my daughter and the beauty begged us to scale mountain heights with beloved family. Still your radiance lingered on. Still the work to gather the harvest continued. Over our fields on one of your cloudy days a helicopter carried the president of United States of America.

When you began your days, you were only a few days away from the equinox but as you grew old, your days brought us closer to the winter solstice with longer evenings...........to play in the attic with grandchildren, to read good books, to sew, to memorize a song, to write.

Click here to read her whole column.

SARA MILLER'S AMISH CORNER: Sara gives a very traditional glipmse of Amish life in Geauga County, Ohio. Here is an excerpt:

Ladies are winding up canning until apples come in for sauce and pie filling. Then, it is time for fall cleaning. Moving from a big five bedroom house to a smaller one bedroom home seems more doable. But, I still have too much stuff.

Plans were made for sisters Clara and Eli Kauffman and Sylvia and Albert Miller, of Mio, Mich., to leave for Jasper, N.Y. They want to visit sister Emma and Andy Weaver and widow sister-in-law Melvin Hershberger Mattie. The real reason for the trip is to bring back a load of grapes for their community. They planned to leave the morning of Sept. 28 and return Sept. 30.

Leaves are changing to their beautiful fall colors and also dropping on the ground. Pumpkins are seen on piles being sold and fresh apple cider is being enjoyed.

Click here to read all of Sara's column