by Price, Sarah
It was right gut to visit with my family for Thanksgiving a few weeks back. Got caught up with my bruders and schwesters. So many nieces and nephews were there that I could all but remember their names! Ruth gave me a small dishtowel that she had just crocheted. That was very thoughtful of her and I will be reluctant to use it the first time.
We shall see everyone at the barn raising. May God bless each and every one of you as we prepare to start the holy season of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
Lovina and James
It was as good as expected: The early morning weather hinted that the day was going to fully cooperate with the barn raising. Mary Ruth was already hustling in the kitchen, preparing coffee and baking fresh muffins by the dozens in order to greet the first round of men that would arrive shortly, right after their morning chores were finished. Menno was already over at the neighbors, milking his herd of cows for what they all hoped would be the last time. By the end of the day, a new barn would be standing in the yard and Menno planned on being able to bring his herd back to his own property. While it would take time to finish the inside of the barn, at least the cows would have shelter and a place for him to milk them.
Already the new milk containment system awaited the return of the cows, the shiny metal covered by a makeshift lean-to that Menno had built earlier last week. Mary Ruth knew that it would take a family effort to milk the cows by hand morning and evening but she was ready to help her husband alongside his kinner each and every day, as necessary. Our kinner, she corrected herself.
She was surprised to hear two sets of footsteps coming from the porch. Glancing at the clock, she was even more taken aback by the fact that it was half an hour earlier than usual for Menno’s return. How unusual! She reckoned. Wiping her hands on a towel hanging next to the sink, she turned to watch the door, wondering who was accompanying her husband.
Melvin!
Mary Ruth lifted an inquisitive eyebrow and glanced at Menno’s proud face as he walked into the room behind his son. He responded with a simple lifting of his shoulders and the hint of a smile on his lips. Without saying a word, Mary Ruth knew exactly what had happened: Melvin had arisen early to help his daed with the milking at the neighbors…without being asked.
“Are those fresh muffins baking, then?” Menno asked with a wink as he walked into the kitchen and headed to the sink to wash his hands. “Sure smells like the place to be, ja?”
Mary Ruth loved how the final words of his sentence lifted, a singsong manner of speaking that was typical of the Amish, but even more special when it came from his mouth. She nodded her head and hurried to the oven, opening it just a few inches to peek inside. “Another ten minutes and they’ll become muffins, I reckon,” she answered, laughing at his enthusiasm. One thing she had perfected in the past few weeks was learning which foods Menno enjoyed the most. Baked goods were at the top of the list.
“I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
Menno shut off the water faucet and shook his hands before reaching for a towel to dry them. “Had some extra help this morning,” he went on, the pride more than apparent in his tone of voice. “Melvin was waiting for me to join me.”
Mary Ruth looked over at Melvin. “Is that so?”
The young boy tried to not look too pleased with the discussion, but his eyes sparkled as he hurried to the sink to imitate his daed by washing his hands. “I woke up early,” Melvin admitted as a nonchalant way of explanation; but both Mary Ruth and Menno knew what was really happening. They tried to contain their smiles but they both looked at each other over his head and Menno gave her a complicit wink.
The table was already set for an early morning breakfast so that everything could be cleared, cleaned, and set up for the barn raising that was taking place today. It was almost seven and people would begin to arrive shortly. It would be a long day with activity, noise, fellowship, and, as expected, plenty of good food to share. It was a day to work together and build something for the Yoder family. Out of the ashes of the burnt barn would rise a brand new one, one that would not just house the Yoder’s dairy herd but also encompass all that the Amish community stood for: Caring for one another, working in unison and fulfilling their commitment under the Creator. The barn would be a permanent reminder of the joy in giving as opposed to the joy in receiving.
It was only ten minutes after the breakfast dishes had been put away that the buggies began pulling into the driveway. Some of the closer neighbors walked over, while those that lived further away drove their buggies. Also expected were family members from far away communities that would arrive by car, having hired Mennonite drivers to make the longer journey in order to be able to help. Mary Ruth already had enough coffee on the stove to accommodate the earlier arrivals and was getting ready to brew a new batch when the first people would arrive: Her sisters, Leah and Rachel and their husbands.
Rachel helped Elijah into the kitchen and, without further delay, assisted him to the chair by the window. While too weak to actually help with the barn raising, Elijah could watch from the window without risk of getting cold, his presence offered as a gesture of concern and solidarity. Mary Ruth hurried over to help tuck a blanket around his legs.
“Right gut to see you, Elijah,” she said, smiling in greeting.
“Ja,” he managed to respond, his lips dry and cracked.
Mary Ruth glanced at Rachel who merely looked away. Not having visited with Elijah in a long while, it was shocking to Mary Ruth to see the frail man sitting before her. Pale, bald, and barely able to talk, Elijah was but a fraction of the big strong man that Mary Ruth remembered. “You let me know if you need anything, Elijah,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be here in the kitchen all day.”
Elijah nodded in appreciation but kept his eyes on the window, watching as more buggies were pulling in. Soon the men began strapping on their worn leather work belts before convening in groups to discuss the strategy for the day. Mary Ruth hurried back into the main part of the kitchen in order to greet the other women who were about to enter.
Mimi and Steve came in, along with Anna, Isaac, Katie, Miriam and Elias. Mary Ruth had barely gotten through greeting them when a van pulled into the driveway and Lovina and James emerged, together with three young men that Mary Ruth did not recognize. It was not uncommon for strangers to come and assist with the barn raisings out of solidarity. Their help was always appreciated and they were made to feel welcomed.
Sylvia and Lizzie were the last of the sisters to arrive, having the furthest distance to travel. Upon their arrival, close to one hundred people were already at the Yoder farm; almost three-quarters were men and busy working on raising the walls to the barn. Some younger children were there as well, helping to pick up dropped endings of sawed wood or crooked nails. Finally, there were the women who hustled about the kitchen, preparing the food for the noon dinner and taking turns bringing warm coffee to the men throughout the colder morning hours.
Mary Ruth smiled at her sister, Rachel, as they unfolded a borrowed table and set it in a corner of the kitchen. As usual, Lizzie began to take charge, bustling about the room, directing the other women to put the dessert pies on the new table and calling out for someone to get another folding table from the front porch. Before too much time had passed, the kitchen was in order and the women were able to take a break and admire the ongoing progress of the barn raising.
Sensitive to the crisp morning chill, Mary Ruth wrapped her shawl around her shoulders as she slipped through the door and walked across the porch to stand with her sisters. “Oh my,” she whispered at what she saw.
On the foundation of the former barn, the men had already hoisted the framework of the lower outer walls and were in the process of lifting the beams to the center of the structure in order to build the second story. Older men were working at ground level, while the younger ones scaled the framework and worked higher up from the ground. The sound of several hammers hitting nails into fresh woo
d, almost in unison, reverberated throughout the area in invigorating sounds that held the promise of a timely outcome to the day’s assignment. There was also a lot of laughing from the men on the ground as they talked in between shouting out advice and commands to their fellow workers laboring above them.
Mary Ruth tried to locate her husband among the workers. There he was, helping to attach the thick floor beams to a rented crane that then lifted them into the air and swung them into place for the men to secure. She was surprised to see Melvin helping to carry lumber, shadowed by Katie who, despite being a young girl, possessed a mind of her own when it came to gender roles and responsibilities. She was, indeed, helping with the barn building proper.
“Oh Anna,” Mary Ruth exclaimed, reaching her hand out to touch her sister-in-law’s arm. “Did you see…?”
Anna nodded, resting her hand on her enlarged stomach. As was typical for Anna, she laughed and waved off Mary Ruth. “She’s fine,” Anna said quietly. “She had asked her daed if she could help a spell. Isaac agreed she could.”
Mary Ruth turned her attention back toward the barn raising, holding her shawl closed before her chest. It wasn’t too cold by now, thank the good Lord, she thought, but she wondered if the men might want some more coffee.
“Come inside and sit for a spell,” she heard her mamm say into her ear. “You’ve done what you can for now and you can sit and visit while Leah and Mimi slice tomatoes for lunch, ja?”
It was at that moment that Mary Ruth realized how exhausted she was. Not just tired, but bone weary. The preparations for the barn raising, combined with everything that had happened in the past few weeks, had wiped out the greater part of her energy supply. Indeed, she could only nod and let her mamm lead her back inside, to sit down for a spell.
Rachel was fussing over Elijah, keeping him company and pointing out where their sons were working, on the frame of the barn. He seemed to be watching the activity on the other side of the window, but Mary Ruth saw no life in his eyes. She glanced at her mamm, surprised to see that no one else seemed to be paying any attention to Elijah and Rachel.
“Now Leah,” a loud voice said behind Mary Ruth. “I know Mamm taught you how to slice tomatoes! You’re using the wrong kind of knife and making them too squishy!”
Mary Ruth glanced over her shoulder. “Knives are in that drawer to the left of the sink,” she offered.
Her older sister Lizzie scowled at Leah, always the critic of her sister’s inability to cook or houseclean. “I already told her that!”
Without saying a word, Mimi shifted her hips and opened the drawer, pulling out a better knife for the task and silently slid it across the counter toward her sister-in-law. Leah exhaled loudly and took the new knife, tossing the other one into the sink.
“I was getting on just fine, Lizzie,” Leah said defensively.
“Girls!”
The quarrel quickly ended at Miriam’s single word. No one was going to continue an argument once she was involved. They all knew that Mamm’s take on it would be: arguing is not cooperation and not to be tolerated among her kinner. Throughout their youth, the Fisher dochders had learned that the hard way, especially Lizzie and Leah.
Sylvia hustled about the kitchen; setting out bread and butter on a table, ready to be carried into the fellowship room. There was a large empty room behind the kitchen, reserved strictly for church service and fellowship meals. Mary Ruth had cleaned that room just a few days prior to the barn raising, knowing that the church benches would be set up in there for the noon meal. It was also the first time the room would be used since their wedding. Since cleanliness of home reflected on the family, Mary Ruth wanted everything perfect.
Mary Ruth accepted the cup of coffee that Lovina had brought over to her and smiled her appreciation. “Danke,” she thanked her as she lifted the cup to her mouth, the steam warming her upper lip. “How are you doing, Lovina? Haven’t heard much from you and James of late!”
A dark cloud passed over Lovina’s eyes and she glanced away, not meeting Mary Ruth’s friendly gaze. “Everything’s right gut,” she mumbled, but without any conviction to her words.
The memory of Lovina’s treatment toward Eleanor Haile when she had visited at the Fisher farm flashed through Mary Ruth’s memory. She wondered if that uncomfortable scene at her mamm’s house had anything to do with Lovina’s present mood. After all, Lovina knew that Mary Ruth was friends with Eleanor. Between that knowledge and the fact that she was still not expecting a baby, Lovina might still be harboring ill feelings toward the Englische woman.
“Ja vell,” Mary Ruth said lightly, attempting to switch the mood. “Sure is gut news to hear that.”
The clock in the sitting room next to where Elijah was sitting chimed eleven times, not even eliciting any reaction from him. The men would soon be coming into the house for the mid-day dinner, Mary Ruth thought. Glancing around, she was surprised to see that, between her sisters and the neighbor women, the kitchen and fellowship room were now ready and waiting for the men. Indeed, she thought, Mamm was correct. The community sure knew how to pull together to help one another in a time of need.
From behind her, she heard Lizzie call out in her typical take-charge, boisterous voice: “You need anything, Elijah? Some water, mayhaps?”
Mary Ruth couldn’t hear the response but, a few moments later, she heard Lizzie walking over toward him. He must have acknowledged her request, she thought. It warmed her heart to know that, despite his ailing health, the rest of the family still remembered to include him and take care of him during such a busy day.
Steve and James were busy working on the beams that would support the second floor. After lunch, the younger men would nail the floorboards into these beams so that hay could be stacked there right away. It would become a hayloft, accessible by a ladder from the main floor. Later, Menno would install a pulley that would either raise or lower the hay bales as needed. Alternatively, he would be able to just dump the hay down the opening for the ladder.
Taking his hat off his head, Steve wiped his brow with the back of his arm, not caring that the sleeve of his black work jacket was covered with dirt. He glanced at the sky and turned toward his brother. “Almost time for dinner, ja?” he said casually. “And quitting time for me to go milk those cows.”
James paused from his work for just a minute to look at his brother. “Midday?”
“Midday,” Steve affirmed. He paused and glanced down at the women milling about the porch, watching the men. He caught sight of Mimi standing with two of his sisters, out on the porch. “It’s not so bad once you get used to the schedule,” he affirmed, more to himself than to James.
“Aw, I’d never get used to that schedule,” James laughed. “No routine, here!”
“Ain’t so!” Steve shot back, with a good-natured tone, to defend his choice of a milking schedule. “It’s just a two day routine instead of daily, is all.” He grinned and winked at his brother. “And I’m getting more milk and making more money from it. Can’t argue with that, brother, can you?”
“Reckon I can’t…” James sighed. “Lovina would have no part of that schedule, though.”
At the mention of James’ wife, Steve became serious. Lovina’s rude behavior toward Eleanor at the Fisher farm had been whispered among the family members over the past few weeks. What’s more, Steve had heard a rumbling or two that there had been issues between James and Lovina on account of this. He didn’t want to pry, that being private business and all, but he sensed that his younger brother wanted to talk about it, especially given that James himself had brought up the subject matter.
“Been a bit tough for Mimi to adjust,” Steve admitted slowly, hoping to ease into the conversation. “How are things with Lovina, anyway?”
James shrugged and remained silent for a few long seconds. For a moment, Steve thought that his younger brother was not going to respond. Just as he was about to turn his attention back to the beams, however, his brother spoke up.
“Situation?”
James nodded, a forlorn expression on his face. “She just can’t let go, that I still may have feelings for Eleanor. Claims that I will leave her for the Englische woman in order to have a boppli!”
Such a heavy burden to bear, Steve thought. He felt sorry for the two of them, knowing that both James and Lovina wanted babies. For Lovina, to not have become pregnant as of yet was certainly a hardship, but to accuse James of thinking of deserting her? That was certainly neither God’s Will nor the Amish way. “That’s downright ridiculous,” he mumbled.
“I tell her that,” James replied. “She just has that silly notion in her head and it’s eating her alive.”
“Been to doctors, then?” Steve asked cautiously.
“Ja, plenty,” James admitted. “They suggested some medicines but she refuses to take them. Says it’s unnatural to conceive boppli using medicine.”
James didn’t need to say any more. Steve knew that the Amish community tended to be split down the middle regarding the use of Englische medicine in such a manner. Even Rachel’s husband, Elijah, had needed cajoling to finally agree to chemotherapy in order to combat his cancer. From the looks of it, Steve admitted that it did not seem to be working. He had arrived just after Rachel and Elijah, pulling into the barnyard as two men had helped Elijah to the front door of the Yoders’ house. It had shocked Steve to see the wisp of a once hefty man, leaning heavily on his wife for support as they passed over the threshold and disappeared through the doorway.
“God’s Will,” James added before returning his attention to the beam. He hammered a nail at an angle so that the beam would stay in place. “Just wish she’d get that silly notion out of her head about Eleanor.”