Happy Autumn! Here’s a collage of summer and fall highlights— my friend Arlene’s wedding, a poetry reading in an off-the-grid farmhouse, and making balloon animals at the New Holland Fair.
Bridesmaid Duty VI
On July 29, a dear long-time friend, Arlene, got married! Her husband, Erny, celebrated the occasion by blowing the shofar horn he bought in Israel, the same horn he blew at a New Year Eve’s party, at the start of 2020. I don’t think he and Arlene had even met back then.
Arlene and Erny kept their wedding relaxed and simple. The ceremony and reception were at Ridgeview Mennonite Church; Erny’s friend from West Virginia officiated the service. My parents and some of Arlene’s other friends’ parents cooked the meal. Arlene’s aunts baked cupcakes for the guests and her sister Joanne made a cake for the bridal table.
All wedding photos are from Andrea Sensenig Photo. You can visit her website here. Another friend from youth group, Jewel, arranged the flowers, some of which she grew herself.
Poetry Reading in an Off-the-Grid Farmhouse
When my friend Kelly invited me to accompany her to a poetry reading in an off-the-grid farmhouse in Mifflin County, how could I refuse?
The party’s organizers envisioned an outdoor event, but because of heavy rain, we stayed inside, standing or sitting wherever we found room. The host turned on two lightbulbs, powered by solar panels in the backyard, but since the sun hadn’t shone much all day, the electricity didn’t last long and we had to use our phone flashlights. The bathroom had a composting toilet and two doors without locks, so Kelly and I stood guard for each other. A black cat roamed back and forth between the house and porch.
We arrived at 4 p.m. and the poetry reading (lots of free verse) was first, followed by supper. Since a campfire wasn’t possible, we cooked our soup (everyone was asked to bring one herb or root of their choice to contribute) on a gas burner on the porch. Besides parsnips for the soup, I also brought stuffed jalapenos which I cooked in the woodstove instead of roasting them over the fire. One poet brought mouthwatering Concord grape pies that his mother had made.
“Look, Susan,” whispered Kelly to me after dinner. The cat was on the counter, helping itself to leftovers.
Robert Frost said free verse poetry is like “playing tennis with the net down”. But the 90% hipster Mennonite crowd included gifted singers and musicians, and we sang late into the evening.
Making Balloon Animals at the New Holland Fair
“I’m not sure why I signed up for this,” I complained to my brother Andrew a few days before the fair. Our church planned to have a stand for the first time, and I had volunteered to make balloon animals.
“We’ll come!” Andrew said cheerfully. “And I’ll ask for a double-headed dragon balloon.”
Andrew and his family weren’t able to come. But my sister Brenda and her younger children came and helped me and my friends Kristen and Kelly crank out dozens of balloon dogs to give out free to any child who wanted one. We also gave out cups of cider, and other free gifts including paperback ESV Bibles.
We were there Wednesday, the same evening as the big parade. Once that started, the demand for balloons dried up, so I sat with my sister and her children and watched the parade. Then we tried to leave and sort of joined the parade on our way of out New Holland, but that was the parade’s organizers’ fault for leaving such big gaps between the floats that we didn’t know when the parade ended.
I took on some freelance writing this year (for a print magazine called PCBE) and that’s gobbled up a lot of my time, but with the slower pace of winter, I’m hoping to spend more time writing my blog.
Blessings on your day! Love, Susan
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