neighbor's house demolition begins

Sharp at 7 this morning the crew took power saws, crow bars, and hammers to the neighbor's house.  They had already moved into the new house behind the old one.

an amish moment

Tuesday, our neighbor's daughter got married in the farmhouse.  The week before, her mother offered to send out a serving of supper if we liked.  Yes, we like!

It came in colorful styrofoam cups and pint containers.  From the point of the napkin:  lemon chiffon pie, fruit salad, salad and dressing behind, small filled doughnut, apricot-toned fluffy tapioca.  On the plate:  ham with a great sauce, baked corn, boiled potatoes smothered in browned butter, and the salad.

They will get a big thank-you, and the couple a congratulations!

a Monterey moment

Saturday, November 10, 2012, was the day the most defining building in Monterey was put on the auction block. That building is what has recently been known as Diane's Deli and, when I was young, Hartman's Store. "Store" because besides groceries, one could get hardware, thread, and most items in between. I believe I started working there in 1957--a few evenings and Saturday. Pay was 35 cents an hour (my parents got two-thirds) plus a bonus of one candy bar or bottle of soft drink. Hen Hartman was the proprietor along with his mother, Ma Hartman, and two children, Ken and Gwen, not twins, despite their names. Ken, middle in photo, was two years younger than me. The man on left told me that he is the oldest man living in Monterey. With all my memories of childhood, I figured the sale would start at 200 thousand and go up. Actually, the auctioneer started at 200 and had to go down to 50 until he got a bid. Bidding stopped at 140, but the sellers would not accept that. Porch extends the whole length of the building.  At other end is the store.  Photo by Dennis Yates.

then put in windows and siding

neighbor breaks ground

Today, President's Day, my neighbor broke ground for a new house.

big trucks, tight corners

Add to that sloppy driving and you have tire marks on the lawn and a fallen corner post. The farmer who lives back the lane beside our house put the post back in place. I thanked him and found out the truck has been leaving marks on his lawn, too. With his consent, I reported to the trucking company.

snowplow scares horse

This neighbor's horse shied away from the township snowplow and got stuck in the ditch. Makes a nice neighborhood story when Montereyans converge and save horse, buggy and passengers. The plow driver even finally got involved when they pulled the buggy out of the ditch.

pews delivered

As I had camera in hand to shoot the clematis, the pew wagon rumbled by. I waved to the driver and snapped this when he was past. Inside this wagon are the benches and hymnals for church. Meetings rotate among the families.

wedding today

Approach Monterey from the north and here's your first sight on the left. Amish revival meeting in a tent? No. Well, kind of.

It's revival. It's conversion. It's sweaty palms and nervous teens. It's till-death serious. It's not under the tent. It's a wedding today at the neighbor's place. The bride and groom are in the two-story shop between the tent and the house. The horses have run of the tent. Well, tethered run.

make hay today

On Saturday while I was seeking relief from the heat my neighbor was making hay behind our house. Six horses pull the baler and hay wagon.

the team

Another look at the team pulling those wheels. They look like Percherons to me. Belgiums are similar but tan. I think Percherons are the largest draft horse. The grandfather of the youth driving the team was killed by a horse kick. You have to watch the kick, but horses are vegetarians and will never eat you.

what I do--Monday

Let go of that stress. Borrow the neighbor's rototiller and do the garden. Call my son. He bikes by and we have an ancestral-agricultural moment. Photo by Joel.

wi-fi lights the night

Thanks to a slow laptop on loan from my work and wi-fi in our house thanks to the ingenuity of Joel, well, work can go on and on.

While some neighbors debate the salvific nature of buggy whips, we're wildly embracing wi-fi.

While some neighbors are reading the Sugar Creek Budget by kerosene lamp, here's Dorcas working on a seminary course on biblical interpretation by the glow of pixels.