Sunday, September 11, 2016

amish country and the rest of the weekend

Hello friends ~ sorry it's been awhile since my last blog post. Life's been really busy and with all that's been going on, just not in the mood to blog. Thanks to those who emailed to check in on me.

 My latest happening is that I probably have a meniscus tear in my left knee. I'm having a MRI tomorrow morning. This will be my 6th MRI (I've had them on my back, uterus/ovaries, shoulder and twice on my brain) so I'm an old pro with these. However, still not something pleasant. I've learned to close my eyes before going into the machine and I do my best to take deep breaths. To take my mind off the fact that I'm in a coffin-like space and the noise around me is like jackhammers, I totally remodel my house in my mind. Whatever it takes, right?  

Our 32nd wedding anniversary is this Thursday, but we celebrated a little bit early this weekend by taking an overnight trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. Every year for our anniversary we take an overnight trip, and this year we wanted to go somewhere we'd never been before, but within a three hour drive. We had to drive through downtown Chicago on our way to Shipshewana. It was overcast and this photo was taken through the car windshield so it's blurry, but I always get a little thrill when I see the Willis Tower Sears Tower. (It will always be the Sears Tower to me!) 


In case you're not familiar with Shipshewana, it's a small Amish and Mennonite community. We'd never been to one of these communities, so we were fascinated with seeing the horse-drawn buggies everywhere. The rhythmic  clip-clop of the horse's hooves on the pavement was beautiful and serene.



I managed to get a close-up of a horse and buggy when the owner was in a store. I felt a little sorry for the horse. She was clearly agitated...tossing her head and stomping her feet. I saw she left a "gift" for her owner, too. These "gifts" were also all along the roadsides where the horse and buggies travel. I wonder who's responsible for cleaning it all up?


 This is the kind of horse my hubby was comfortable with. ;-)


We spent the day walking around to a bunch of shops, but were disappointed to find that most of them were all the same: gift and home decor shops, but nothing unique. Basically the cheap made-in-China stuff that you can find anywhere. There were a couple of Amish stores where they sold bulk dry goods and quality meats and cheese, so we came home with homemade noodles, 7-grain hot cereal, a block of raw, organic cheese, grass-fed beef, and fresh, nitrate-free peppered bacon. Oh - we did find a Lang store and I found a 2017 planner that I really liked.


I especially liked this one because it's filled with cheerful coloring pages. 


And then today was one of those picture-perfect days...the rain cleared out, the sun was shining brightly, and temps were in the 70's. In the afternoon, we walked down to the lake to our little town's car show. There were about 200 cars - not too shabby for a small town!


Our friend's '55 Chevy...


 Hope you had a lovely weekend ~ thanks for your visit!



14 comments:

  1. I'm really sorry about your meniscus tear, Mel. I think I asked on IG or FB if you had an accident or if this was something from over time. The being your sixth MRI is incredible. Hopefully you are seeing a new physician. Good luck and prayers.

    We go to Shipshewana (or Shipsey as we call it) a few times a year as it's only about 30 minutes from our lakehouse. I recognized the place where Brian was hanging out with the horse. That's a newer area and I know the town is trying to expand for business. The Amish work the stores for the most part. Not sure if you hit the main streets. They have some great antique shops, mom and pop restaurants (lots of German food) and a great ice cream shop.

    We take a rural route that has many, many horse and buggies carrying the Amish hither and yon. I feel almost embarrassed to look out the window as if they are some sort of spectacle. I know they need the income they earn in Shipsey yet I feel we intrude on the simple life they live. As far as the horse poop... that's just a fact of life for them.

    Love that you still call W..... Tower, Sears!!! Like a true Chicagoan. Can't even say the name!!! And Macy's at State and Washington will always be Field's!!

    Happy Anniversary to you both!



    Jane

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    1. This isn't my 6th MRI on my knee...I meant just in general! This is the first knee MRI. I will go back and edit my post. Sorry for the confusion.

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  2. Hope your knee is better. Love that planner, so cute and you can color it!!
    hugs!

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  3. Happy 32nd anniversary!!!

    What a nice little get-away you had.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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  4. I am wishing you the best results ever on that MRI.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  5. Sorry to hear about your knee, as you can imagine! Not all meniscus tears need treatment, sometimes you can just live with it. Sometimes people think that they always need to be scoped, etc, but not necessarily, so make sure you ask. I had mine scoped and cleaned up, the doctor warned me that it might not help. He was right, it did nothing because my knee was already so damaged. But Brian had his tear scoped, and it never bothered him again. Go figure.

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  6. "So sorry about your knee problem. I've had the meniscus tear surgery and it really helped my knee cause it was very painful. Sending healing thoughts your way. Funny you should mention about picking up after horses. In my town you must pick up after your dog so I carry bags everywhere so why don't horse owners have to pick up after their horses? THAT would be a big job! "

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  7. What a beautiful get-away time you had...your husband and the horse HE is comfortable with had me laughing.

    Oh so sorry about the knee; hope it's all going to be ok!

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  8. Happy anniversary to both of you! Your trip looks so nice. I used to enjoy visiting Amish country in Pennsylvania when I lived in New York. I particularly enjoyed going to the quilt shops. They do such beautiful work. I remember going to a couple of different family-style restaurants too, where they bring out huge bowls and platters of food and you eat at a long table with other patrons. I remember doing this when I was about 11 years old and there was a couple who were talking about the town they came from in Massachusetts. I forgot all about them until I went to college in MA and realized that the next town over was the town they came from. I remembered the name because it was pronounced a little off from how it was spelled. Just one of those small-world experiences. I'm sorry to hear about your meniscus. I hope it hadn't been too painful. I've never had an MRI but my son has had one, and I really think my husband ought to have one on his knees, which give him a lot of trouble. I'm sure my time will come eventually too. Take care and good luck with it.

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  9. I went to an Amish town when I was little and it was super charming. Of course, that was back in the early 70's. I am sure things have changed...good luck on your MRI. I am not a fan either...keep us posted.

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  10. I sure would love to ride in one of those buggies! Happy Tuesday ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

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  11. My husband and I visited Pennsylvania Dutch country for our anniversary in the Fall many years ago. We visited several towns, including Hershey, and very much enjoyed the trip. A couple of our days were spent driving to and from. Definitely a long drive from S.C. Your pictures are gorgeous. I love the way the rain makes things glisten. The pictures of the cars remind me of my older brother. I dearly miss him. He owned a 56 Chevy that was baby blue and white. He loved that car! It has been difficult for me to get into blogging for months now, as well. Hoping to get out of this slump I've been in soon. I hope your knee problems will be resolved and that all will go well for you!

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  12. Good morning Mel... so sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. I know how hard it is to live with pain. Writing or blogging becomes impossible then. I hope you feel better soon. Be blessed and feel better soon.

    Cielo

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  13. I do hope your knee feels better. We have a few horse riders in my village... and the poop is natural and just cleans itself after a rainy day... It's more visible but less dirty than what cars leave in the air!

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