Adventures in Amish Country

A normal Saturday.

Daughter Delaney is a dedicated musician. We received a call that her flute is fixed.

Last week I delivered Delaney's flute to Mr. Bone. Mr. Bone is a fine artist, an expert flute specialist. I would insult him to call him a "repairman".

Mr. Bone was educated as a woodwind flute major. He is a professional woodwind performer. He taught music at the high school level for twenty years before he became interested in the craft of fine instruments. Mr. Bone received a diploma in handmade flute building in Vermont. He then traveled to Europe where he furthered his repair studies in Oslo, Norway, on Saxophone and clarinet. He then went to the Schreiber bassoon factory in Germany to become proficient in bassoon repairs. He became an authorized Straubinger Pad technician.

My daughter's private flute instructor recommended Mr. Bone. He is an amazing, passionate and dedicated individual who lives in the middle of nowhere.

Last week I entered Mr. Bone's address into "Irma" our lovely GPS machine. Mr. Bone told us that he lived in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County.

Mr. Bone in fact lives about fifteen miles outside of Elizabethtown proper in between two Amish farms. Irma flawlessly directed us there.

Mr. Bone "fixed" the flute. Why is it that the dedicated professionals charge less than the major stores. I find it hard to say goodbye.

Delaney wants to go to lunch. She wants to ask Irma. We found the Black Gryphon in E-town. Several places in Hershey. Could it be that we are only 2.5 miles from Hershey?

I suggest Mount Joy. She finds a place named the "Creekside Cafe".

She says "cafes are usually nice". The optimistic daughter thinking "sidewalk cafe". I tell her it might be a divey bar.

We set "Go" on the GPS. I become a little concerned as we leave Mount Joy proper to follow a windy creekside road.

The establishment is to our left, marked with a checkered flag by Irma. I remember long ago hearing that it is not wise to venture into a bar without windows.

Delaney learns that "cafes" can mean a lot of things.

I pushed the "home" button. We had lunch at the John Wright Restaurant overlooking the Susquehanna river. The food was terrible but the view was amazing.

The seagulls were floating backwards down the river.

Delaney's flute is ready for the musical next weekend.

Slosh

Nothing new to report. February thaw melted 99% of the snow. We were close to 70 degrees F yesterday. The cruel reality of wind returned to central Pennsylvania on time for the weekend with 50 mph gusts. I had to drive across the Susquehanna River and held on to my steering wheel for dear life.

My cousin Paul from California called last night to tell me he was driving through PA on a big rig. I arranged to see him for about ten minutes. The kids got to tour his tractor cab. I was not going to let him escape.

Freja (the intellectually challenged golden retriever) jumped into the partially frozen pond, fell through the ice. I was roused by a panicky daughter crying" Freja fell through the ice and cannot get out" I ran to the pond to find that our little 12 year old visitor "rescued" Freja by climbing onto the ice. She said that she felt the presence of God. I told her that I was glad she didn't meet him in person. How stupid to climb onto the breaking ice!

Freja, upon her rescue immediately rolled in groundhog poop. Renee praised the lord for her "unworldly strength". I am thankful that her father did not sue me and am now drinking my Saturday night wine.

Under the Weather

I've been "under the weather" both literally and figuratively for the last couple of weeks. Thinking about this phrase, I conducted a Google search. The Google search took me to sites such as Idioms.com, common idioms, etc. While I could find nothing absolutely conclusive, the most believable origin seems to be a sailing term. Two sources suggested that sailors would climb underneath the deck when the weather got stormy. This made sense. Another source suggested "ill, not well, unhealthy...", yet another suggested "hungover".

Well, whether it's weather or wine or whatever, I've been under it. The air has been absolutely frigid since early December. We've had snow, sleet, ice, rain and WIND. The upper respiratory symptoms started almost two weeks ago. I went to school against my better judgment, supervised the concession stand at the student council Dodgeball tournament on a Saturday and kept going and going....

Now the damned respiratory crap has gone to the chest. I have a lovely cough minus the deep sexy voice.

The sun came out for a bit on Sunday so I attempted to take a walk, to soak in a few rays. It was nice until the six remaining inches of crunchy snow soaked through my boots (sigh).

This winter just seems longer and colder and more miserable than it should be. If you don't hear from me for a while, check under the deck... or better yet the comforter.

I should be out and about in a few weeks.