Never Thought This Day Would Come

Andy, Lizzie, and I have talked about them coming for a visit for a few years now.  And with them busy with the CSA and getting ready to move to MO, this was the only time they could come. I cleaned and got things ready...removing electronics, covering mirrors with books so the kids wouldn't freak out when they saw their reflections, moved the 'cage'...the plantation bed...into the train room, and made sure NottLotta Farm looked the best it could.  I talked to the chickens and told them to strut their stuff because they were about to have some very special company.

 

Andy and Lizzie stayed in Michael's room.  Thursday after school and late into the evening, Michael, Mark and I, moved his furniture and did a good bit of cleaning.  He rearranged his room.  He decorated it with some of the things that my dad had given him...an ax, a bow and arrows...you know boy stuff and things he thought Andy would like.  He even displayed his Boy Scout hatchet.  He moved every piece of electronics from his room...even his alarm clock. He didn't care to give up his room for the night.  That meant he could move to the basement and have a TV and his electronics all night long...his little tween cave.

 

It takes quite a bit of arranging for the Amish to make a trip like this.  One old green hard sided suitcase was packed.  One large thermos of well water. And something for Anna to have on her lap because she gets extremely!!! car sick.  They hired a driver to take them from the farm to the Go Bus stop in Peebles.  Then the rode to Batavia and arrived at 8:30PM.  I picked them up after freaking that I might not be at the right bus stop.  Thank heavens Rue (The English man down the road) came to the rescue.  I had called Rue late in the afternoon and explained to he about the dream I had...that I didn't show up at the right bus stop and the Andy's were left out in the freezing cold with no way to get in touch with anyone.  (Rue is the mastermind all of  the correspondence between the farm and the CSA customers because the Amish don't have electricity/computers/all the things we don't give a second thought about unless the power is out.)  Rue and Susan made sure that they knew I would be there and made doubly sure that I knew exactly where the bus stop was.  I had the right address but had no clue where it was.  Ended up being at the UC East campus on Rt 32 where the old Ford plant was.  Let me just say that it is not marked very well at all.  Two small GO bus signs is all I found while traveling all the parking lots.  Once I was sure I was in the right place, two big buses came full of college students.  I mean full...like to overflowing.  I kept watching kids get off but no Amish family.  Bus two, same thing!  Now I am starting to really get worried.  As I get back in my van I see across the wide parking lot, a field of weeds, and three lanes of traffic, on the roadway a big green GO bus!  And it is coming my way.  It pulls in and I am at the door.  First one off is a very sleep Moses.  I just stuck out my arms and he fell into them.  Then came Andy literally holding Dennis up in the air by one arm and the water cooler in the other.  Lizzie leads Anna with her head in her 'puke bucket' with Viney in her arms.  They made it.  And I can not contain myself.  As we are walking across the parking lot to the van, Dennis loses hi hat and it tumbles across the campus with Moses in hot pursuit.  Everyone gets in the van and everyone gets in a car seat or seat belt.  That was a feat in and of itself.  They don't have seat belts in Amish buggies.  We took the long straight way home so Anna wouldn't get sick anymore.  Didn't matter.

 

Once we got home the kids woke up and were exploring and looking at everything.  It was fun to watch them look.  Not once did I see them touch a thing.  Andy did mention that I had lots of stuff.  And he couldn't understand why in the world I had windows hanging on the wall that you could not see out of.  We talked and talked and he made fun of me more than a few times. I loved every second of it.  We put the kids to be and then talked more.  Andy read himself to sleep while Lizzie and I kept the lights burning way into the night.

Everyone but Andy and Lizzie were up bright and early.  Emmy and I fixed waffles and fruit.  We have figured out that our supply of strawberry jam and maple syrup will come to a halt once Andy and Lizzie move.  Again, we are not happy!  (Andy said he could send me some but he doesn't know if he even has enough maple trees to make syrup next fall.)  Andy and Lizzie finally came down just as the kids were finishing up.  He was amazed with the coffee pot and Lizzie couldn't get over the electric waffle iron that beeps when the waffles are ready.  Andy ended up putting peanut butter and caramel sauce on his.  They were so funny asking about different things around the house.  The kids all went downstairs to play with the toys.  Just a little bit after they went down, Anna came up an asked Emmy to come down and how them how to play with the toys.  Anna in the old child that speaks English.  The others won't learn it until the go to school.  While I was cleaning I looked down the stairs to find kids surrounded in cars, trucks, and Lego's...one male type with purple fairy wings on.  Priceless!  Andy then wanted to go out and see 'my farm'...and that's what he called it...a little farm.  I was puffed up like a big mother hen and I started strutting my stuff.  We started with the raised beds.  I told him about all they vegetables that we had grown and he seemed impressed.  I have some old rakes and such in the beds getting ready to make a cool trellis for the peas next spring.  He asked me if I actually knew how to use them all.  He really made a big deal about it.  We feed the rabbits and I explained how I used the poop for fertilizer in the vegetable beds.  Again, he was impressed.  We moved on around to all the flower beds and then we got to the chickens.  I let them out to show them how they would follow me and how they knew some tricks.  They just laugh and shook their heads.  He was impressed with the coops and runs how nice they were and how clean they were.  He said he could tell that I liked them and that they were not just regular chickens.  Seems I have miss names two...the Dixie rainbow is actually a golden comet and the comet is the Dixie rainbow.  Now I know the difference but the names will not be switched.  You realize how long it took me to remember all those names!  The kids ran around the yard and ran across the balance beam.  We all took turns jumping on the hopscotch.  He loved the fence.  I think he was impressed with our little farm.  Then out came the chalk and the masterpieces started flowing.  Even Andy drew as he told a story about a chicken.

 

We loaded up and headed for the Nature Center which isn't far but on a windy road...so you can guess what happened.  I feel so had for her!  She just thinks about riding in anything other than a buggy and gets sick.  Once we started walking and she could breathe fresh air she seemed to be fine.  First stop at the Nature Center was a talk with the naturalist (too  bad my friend Lester wasn't there) about spiders.  Andy found out that MO has the largest population of brown recluse spiders in the US.  He says that he is going to be doing some research on that before they go.

 

I had gathered a handful of quarter so we could by food to feed the fish and turtles.  Once we all had our hand full of pellets we headed for the lake.  The first one the fish were a little active but nothing like I had hoped they would be.  So we headed to Matt's Pond where I knew the fish would be waiting.

 

I thought Andy was going to go crazy.  He kept saying that he wish he had his fishing pole because these fish were good size fish.  Seems like such a waste to him...all those good fish and no one eating them.  He also said that if they get more fish in the pond the newer fish won't be as big.  That they needed to cull it out a bit.  I could just see the wheels turning.

 

Lizzie like the log cabin...almost as much as I do I think.  She told Andy that he need to build her a wrap around porch like that one.  He just laughed.  The kids ran around a bit more but we needed to head for home.  Emmy was fixing lunch and we had to be at the bus stop at 1:40pm at the latest.

 

Lunch was ready.  More fresh fruit, grilled cheese sandwiches and corn and roasted pepper soup.  Delicious, all of it.  While we were eating lunch Anna must have started thinking about getting in the van and then the rides ahead of her.  She started getting sick.

 

All loaded in and strapped in and off we go.  We are running late and Andy is in a tizzy because he knows that we are going to be late.  I had a Plan B...just drive them to Peebles where the hired driver would be waiting.  We had to go the shortest and quickest route.  Unfortunately it is all so the curviest.  I went about 15-20 miles an hour with cars backing up behind me and being rude with their honking.  She threw up three times and we finally had to pull over so she could get out and get cleaned up.  The walking and cold air seemed to help.  I felt so bad for her.  It was going to be a long afternoon for her.

 

We made it to the bus a few minutes early...miracle upon miracles!  The bus driver was very nice and helped Andy with his case.  Lizzie and the girls got on first.  Then Andy and the boys got on.  No real good-byes and definitely no hugs except the one Viney gave me.  And that was probably a good thing if you know me.  I still had to pull myself together in the van before driving back home.

 

Plan is to visit at least three more times before the pack it all up and move.  I will be driving them to the bus station in Dayton.  I hope we can do it! 

Well, I should probably say I hope I can do it without getting too emotional.