Look Out, Lancaster County

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “You could do that after we get home from town.”

  “I’d rather play in the snow than shop.”

  “Very well.” Mom smiled. “Grandpa and Jacob are staying home, so if you need anything while we’re gone, you can ask them.”

  “Where will Henry be?” Rachel questioned. “Is he going shopping with you?”

  “Henry left awhile ago,” Mom said. “He went to see his aldi [girlfriend], Nancy.”

  Rachel wrinkled her nose. “I hope Henry doesn’t get married and leave us, the way Esther did last fall.”

  Mom shook her head. “Henry’s only seventeen—too young for marriage. Besides, it’s not like we never see Esther. She and Rudy only live a few miles away.”

  “Jah, I know.”

  “I’d better get outside. I’m sure your daed has the horse and buggy ready to go by now.” Mom opened the back door. “Be good while we’re gone, Rachel.”

  “I will.” Rachel closed the door behind her mother and hurried to the utility room to put on her boots. She could hardly wait to get outside!

  “Would you like to help me build a snowman?” Rachel called to Jacob when she stepped outside and saw him walking toward the barn.

  “Maybe later. I’m going to train Buddy right now. I want to try the whistle I bought him the other day.”

  “Okay, but please don’t let him out of the barn,” Rachel hollered. “I don’t want that mutt running all over the place. He might wreck my snowman.”

  “What snowman? I don’t see a snowman.” Jacob cupped his hands around his eyes, like he was looking through binoculars. “But I do see a Schneeballe [snowball] coming.” He scooped up a handful of snow and flung it at Rachel.

  Whizz!—the white sphere hit Rachel’s arm with a splat!

  Jacob leaned his head back and laughed.

  “Very funny!” Rachel grabbed some snow. She packed it into a snowball, and was ready to hurl it at Jacob, when he disappeared into the barn.

  “That figures,” Rachel mumbled as she squatted, ready to make the lower half of her snowman.

  By the time Rachel had made a good-sized snowball and rolled it big enough for the bottom of the snowman’s body, she was out of breath. “Whew! This is hard work,” she panted. “I wish someone would help me.”

  Rachel thought about asking Grandpa, but knew he was taking a nap. Besides, the cold air would probably bother his arthritis.

  She stood there until her toes throbbed. “I’d better keep moving,” she told herself.

  Rachel grabbed a wad of snow in her hands. Even through her woolen gloves, she could feel the biting cold as she packed it into a ball. Push. Roll. Push. Roll. Rachel pushed and rolled the snowball around the yard until it was the size she needed.

  “Umph!” Rachel grunted as she tried to lift the snowball and set it on the lower half of the body. She’d made it too big. Now she couldn’t even pick it up.

  “Now what?” Rachel glanced at the barn. No sign of Jacob. He must still be trying to train that troublesome dog. Guess I’ll have to go ask him to help me.

  Rachel trudged through the snow, opened the barn door, and called, “Jacob, where are you?”

  “I’m in here, working with Buddy,” he said from the empty stall.

  When Rachel stepped into the stall, she found Jacob kneeling on the floor beside Buddy. “How’s it going?”

  He shook his head. “Not so good. Look what happens when I blow on the whistle.” Jacob led Buddy to one side of the barn, and then he went to the other side and blew the whistle. “Come, Buddy, come!”

  Buddy didn’t budge. He tipped his head back and howled. Aw-oo-oo!

  “I didn’t think a silly old whistle would make Buddy listen,” Rachel said.

  “He needs more time.” Jacob held up the whistle. “This probably has a different sound than the whistle Orlie gave me. I’m sure sooner or later Buddy will get used to it and do what he’s supposed to do.”

  “It will probably be later,” Rachel muttered.

  “Why did you come to the barn?” Jacob asked. “Did you give up on your snowman?”

  “No, but I need your help putting the middle section of the snowman in place.”

  “Can’t you do it?”

  She shook her head. “I made it too big, and it’s too heavy for me to pick up.”

  “Don’t go anywhere, Buddy; I’ll be right back.” Jacob patted Buddy’s head and stood. “Let’s go, Rachel.”

  Soon Rachel and Jacob had the body of the snowman set in place. “Now I only need to make the head,” she said.

  “The head won’t need to be as big, so you won’t need help for that,” Jacob said. “I have to finish training Buddy.”

  Rachel smiled. “Danki for your help.”

  “Gern gschehne. [You are welcome.]” He trudged through the snowy path toward the barn.

  Rachel’s excitement mounted as she rolled the ball that would become the snowman’s head.

  Finally, Rachel had the snowman’s head just the right size. She grunted as she lifted it and stood on her tiptoes to set it in place. She couldn’t reach. She’d made the snowman’s body too tall!

  Rachel plodded back to the barn. “Jacob, I need your help again!”

  “What now, Rachel?”

  “My snowman’s body is too tall. I can’t reach high enough to set the head in place. Can you help me?”

  Jacob groaned. “Can’t you see that I’m busy? If you don’t stop bothering me, I’ll never finish training Buddy.”

  “Please, Jacob,” Rachel pleaded. “I really do need your help.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done.”

  “Danki.”

  Rachel left the barn and returned to her unfinished snowman. Her nose and toes grew colder as she waited…waited…waited. The longer she waited, the more impatient she became. With an exasperated sigh, she finally headed for the house. She returned a few minutes later carrying a small wooden stool. Lifting the snowman’s head into her arms, she climbed onto the stool. Then she raised her arms, and—oof!—the head slipped out of her hands, landed in the snow, and rolled away.

  Rachel hopped off the stool and tromped after the rolling snowball. But it was too late—it had rolled to the edge of the hill behind the house—and down it went!

  “My snowman’s head!” Rachel shrieked.

  Rachel slipped and slid down the snowy hill. When she reached the bottom, she was relieved that the snowman’s head hadn’t broken. But it had rolled through so much snow it was twice as big as before!

  Rachel knew she would never be able to carry the snowman’s head back up the hill. Maybe she could roll it.

  She groaned. “But if I roll it up the hill, it will make the head grow larger.”

  “Hey, little bensel! What are you doing down there?”

  Rachel looked up. Jacob stood at the top of the hill, staring at her.

  “When I tried to put the snowman’s head on its body, it slipped off and rolled down the hill,” she hollered at him. “Now the head’s so big I can’t get it back up the hill.”

  Jacob slid down the hill until he stood beside Rachel. “I said I would help you when I finished working with Buddy. Why didn’t you wait?”

  “I got tired of waiting,” she replied. “You took too long.”

  Jacob nudged Rachel with his elbow. “You’re just an ungeduldich [impatient] little bensel.”

  “I’m not impatient.”

  “Jah, you’re impatient, and you try to control everything.”

  “I do not!”

  Jacob nodded. “Want me to give you some examples?”

  Rachel shook her head. Then she crouched down and started rolling the snowman’s head in the snow.

  “What are you doing?” Jacob questioned.

  “I’ve decided to turn the snowman’s head into a snowman’s body here. When I’m done making this snowman, I’ll make another head for the snowman in our yard.”

  “Do you want some help?”

&nbs
p; “Jah, sure, but what about Buddy?”

  Jacob chuckled. “I don’t think he wants to help us build a snowman.”

  Rachel groaned and rolled her eyes. “I meant, don’t you need to keep working with him?”

  “Nope. I’ve given up for the day.” Jacob scooped up some snow and started rolling it into a ball. He glanced over his shoulder. “Well, don’t just stand there, Rachel. Get another snowball going!”

  Rachel was on the verge of telling Jacob that he wasn’t her boss, but she decided to keep quiet. If she said anything, they’d end up arguing, and then Jacob would walk away and leave her to build the snowmen by herself.

  Rachel worked silently with Jacob as they made a plump snowman at the bottom of the hill. By the time they were finished, her nose and toes were so cold she could barely feel them.

  “It looks pretty good, don’t you think?” Jacob folded his arms and stared at the snowman. “All it needs now is a mouth, nose, and eyes.”

  “And d–don’t forget a h–hat.” Rachel shivered. She was so cold she was sure her lips were blue.

  “You look cold. Should we finish the other snowman tomorrow?” Jacob asked.

  “No, I’ll be f–fine.” Rachel plodded up the hill behind Jacob, huffing and puffing.

  “Why don’t you go in the house and get carrots for our snowmen’s noses?” Jacob suggested. “While you’re doing that, I’ll make the second snowman’s head.”

  Rachel nodded and hurried to the house. If she stood by the woodstove in the kitchen a few minutes, she might warm up enough to help Jacob finish their snowmen.

  She went to the refrigerator and took out two long, skinny carrots. Next, she removed four black buttons from Mom’s sewing basket and placed them on the table. Then she removed her gloves and scurried to the woodstove. “Ah, that feels better,” she said, holding her hands out to the warmth. She was tempted to take off her boots and thaw out her toes but figured that would take too much time.

  Once the numbness in Rachel’s fingers went away, she slipped on her gloves and headed for the door. On her way out, she grabbed two straw hats. One was Henry’s and one was Pap’s. Since it was winter, and the men wouldn’t wear their straw hats until spring, Rachel thought it would be okay to use them for the snowmen.

  “What took you so long?” Jacob asked when Rachel returned.

  “I had to gather things we needed, and I stood by the stove a few minutes.”

  “Figured as much.” He motioned to the snowman. “I put the head on while you were gone, so now we only need to give the icy fellow a face.”

  Rachel handed Jacob one of the carrots, two buttons, and Pap’s straw hat. “Why don’t you do the snowman at the bottom of the hill, and I’ll do the one here in the yard?”

  Jacob squinted at her. “Who put you in charge?”

  “No one, but it was my idea to build the snowmen, so—”

  “Never mind,” he interrupted. “Let’s just get this job done before we both freeze.” He took the carrot, buttons, and hat from Rachel, and then disappeared over the hill.

  Rachel faced the snowman. With the head in place it was taller than she was, but if she used the stool she’d brought out earlier she should be able to reach high enough.

  Soon Rachel had the buttons in place for the snowman’s eyes, and the carrot for its nose. Then she plunked the straw hat on its head. She climbed down from the stool and stepped back to admire her work. It looked good, but something was missing. The snowman needed a mouth!

  Rachel glanced around the yard, wondering what she could use. Maybe a small branch from a tree would work. She reached up to grab a smaller one, but her fingers were too cold to break it.

  “What’s the matter? Do you have a problem?”

  Rachel whirled around at the sound of Jacob’s voice. “Don’t scare me like that! I thought you were still at the bottom of the hill.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. That snowman’s done. I’m ready to go inside and warm up. How about you?”

  “I’ll be ready as soon as I give my snowman a mouth.” She tugged on the tree branch and frowned. “If I can ever break it, that is.”

  “Step aside and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Rachel did as Jacob said, and with one quick snap, he broke off a small piece of the branch. “Here you go,” he said, handing it to Rachel.

  Rachel smiled as she put the snowman’s mouth in place. “Danki for your help, Jacob.”

  “Sure, no problem,” he said with a nod. “Are you ready to go inside now?”

  “I’m more than ready.”

  When Rachel and Jacob stepped into the house, they hung their coats, gloves, and hats on a wall peg then slipped out of their boots. Rachel was glad her long stockings had stayed dry, but her feet felt so cold she could barely walk.

  She plodded to the warm kitchen and sat at the table. “That feels so good,” she said as she rested her feet on the chair closest to the woodstove. “Should we have some hot chocolate and cookies?”

  Jacob nodded, rubbing his hands briskly together. “Jah, sure. Hot chocolate sounds wunderbaar!”

  “Good. Why don’t you fix the hot chocolate? I’ll get out the cookies as soon as my toes thaw out.”

  “All right, little bensel,” Jacob said, scrunching up his nose, “but I’m only doing it because I’m such a nice bruder [brother].”

  Rachel was tempted to remind Jacob that he wasn’t always nice, but he had helped her build the two snowmen, so she decided to keep quiet.

  Soon the two sat across from each other enjoying steaming mugs of hot chocolate and some of Mom’s fresh ginger cookies. Rachel listened to the steady tick-tick-tick of the kitchen clock. “I wonder what I can do until Mom and Pap get home from town.”

  “Maybe you should take a nap like Grandpa’s doing,” Jacob suggested.

  She shook her head. “That wouldn’t be any fun.”

  “Maybe you’d like to sit in front of the window and look out at our big, fat snowman.”

  “That might be fun, but it would soon become boring.”

  Jacob snapped his fingers. “I know … you could go out to the barn and play with your cat.” Before Rachel could response, he added, “Oh, you’d better not. Buddy’s in the barn, and if he sees you, he’ll jump up and lick your face.”

  Rachel wrinkled her nose. “I hate it when Buddy does that.”

  “I’ve told you, he only does it because he likes you.”

  “Jah, well, I don’t care much for him, and I’m not going to the barn right now,” Rachel said with a shake of her head. “I’m staying in here where it’s warm.”

  Jacob pushed away from the table and stood. “I think I’ll go back to the barn and work with Buddy some more.”

  After Jacob left the house, Rachel sat there, staring at her empty cup. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “I’ll paint a ladybug rock to replace the one I gave Orlie last week!” A few days earlier, Esther had given Rachel some paint, so all Rachel needed was a flat, round rock.

  She hurried to her room and searched through the box of rocks in her closet. Sure enough, one was shaped exactly right for a ladybug.

  Rachel picked up the paint, a brush, and the rock; then she returned to the kitchen. She covered the table with some old newspapers she’d found in the utility room and removed the lids from the paint jars. She dipped her brush into the jar of black paint and painted the entire rock. While the paint dried, Rachel washed the brush and ate a few more ginger cookies. Now it was time to paint the ladybug’s eyes and antenna.

  Rachel picked up the jar of white paint, dipped the brush in, and painted a small circle for the first eye. She was about to dip the brush in again, to do the second eye, when—blurp!—she hiccupped. A blob of white paint shot up and landed on the front of her dress.

  “Oh no!” Rachel jumped up and raced to the sink. She grabbed the wet sponge and blotted the white splotch on her dress, but that only smeared the paint.

  “I’d better wash this dress bef
ore Mom gets home.” Rachel scurried up the stairs to her room, changed into a clean dress, and rushed back to the kitchen. Then she ran warm water into the sink, added some detergent, and dropped the dress in.

  Swish! Swish! Swish!—she dipped the dress up and down and swirled it around in the soapy water.

  When she was sure the paint was out, she drained the soapy water and ran cold water into the sink. Swish! Swish! Swish!—she dipped the dress up and down then wrung it out. She carried it across the room and hung it over the back of a chair to dry by the stove.

  Rachel glanced at the clock. Mom had said she and Pap should be home in time for lunch and it was eleven thirty. If the dress wasn’t dry when they got home, Mom would know Rachel had slopped paint on her dress.

  “I’ve got to think of something.” Rachel scratched the side of her head. “I need to figure out how to dry my dress quickly.”

  Another idea popped into Rachel’s head. I know! I’ll iron the water out of my dress!

  Rachel hurried to the utility closet and removed the ironing board. She knew it would be too dangerous for her to use the small propane torch to light the wick on the bottom of the iron Mom normally used, so she decided to heat Mom’s old flat iron on the stove.

  Rachel turned on the gas, and set the iron on the front burner. While the iron heated, she ate another cookie and drank a glass of milk. Then she peeked out the kitchen window. No sign of Pap’s buggy. That was good. She glanced down the hall and saw that Grandpa’s bedroom door was still closed. He must still be asleep.

  Rachel removed the dress from the chair and placed it over the ironing board. When she lifted the iron from the stove and placed it on the dress, it sizzled.

  “It’s working!” she exclaimed. Rachel held the iron there until the spot was dry. She smiled. “At this rate the dress will be dry in no time at all.”

  Thump! Thump! Rachel tipped her head and listened. It sounded like someone was tromping down the stairs. But that was impossible. Mom, Pap, and Henry weren’t home; Grandpa was asleep in his room; and Jacob was in the barn.

  Thump! Thump! Thump! There it was again.

  Rachel let go of the iron, raced into the hallway, and screeched to a halt. Thump-thumpety-thump—Rachel’s cat was dragging a shoe down the stairs.