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“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” – Philippians 4: 4, 5, 6, 7, 23

We are blessed with a gorgeous fall day. Matter of fact, it feels like mid-summer. I mean, 115 degree heat index, that’s summer. But I’m fine with it. Of course, I’m not out in the heat, doing some strenuous labor.

Nevertheless, I do enjoy it. I am so not looking forward to winter. Seriously. How could I get over this, this phobia, or whatever it is that I deal with.

Anyway, this is a beautiful time of the year.

One of Erwin’s co-workers commented on how fast September is going. And I agree, it is, but at times it seems slow, all because I have almost a constant toothache and my appointment isn’t until the last of October.

We had a Rudy Otto Family reunion Sunday afternoon and evening. It was held at Otto Center. So Elva and Rosemary Otto so graciously got the soft serve ice cream machine going. Yummy! I love soft serve ice cream, especially in cones. I could eat those ‘till the cows come home!

It was enjoyable to reconnect with family you don’t see very often.

In the course of conversation with niece Lucille Schrock (Mrs. Eli) I asked about the donkey, Buddy.

Many years ago, back in the 1900s, we had Buddy, raised him, actually. But after his mom moved on and he was by himself with our horses, he caused a ruckus on our farmette.

I say this with tongue-in-cheek, those of you who know…sigh…but anyway, I decided he had to go. I don’t remember, did we give him away or maybe sold him for $10, whatever. At any rate, he had a couple of new homes, ending up living on the Eli Schrock farm for many years.

He even got to play “Donkey Basketball,” but…sniff…he died of old age. Should we have a moment of silence in respect of his passing?

Oh yes, I must correct my mistake from last week’s column. That pumpkin dessert, by the way, it is delicious. I made it for the reunion.

I had, in the recipe for the crust, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. It was supposed to be 1/2 cup butter, melted. I apologize for any inconvenience. I jazzed it up a bit by putting chopped pecans, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate Heath bits on the crust and also on the top Cool Whip layer.

Also, I didn’t put the sugar in with the graham crackers. And if I would use sugar, I would only use one Tblsp.

Talk about the month going fast, I think the clock gallops on Tuesday afternoons. I thought I had plenty of time to write.

I did my laundry this morning, then, when we got home at noon, I brought it in. It is still “curing” in the baskets. My counter was cluttered with coffee mugs, iced tea glasses and other paraphernalia. I figured I could concentrate better if I cleared my counter.

It helps, but now the afternoon is far gone and soon I’ll have to make something for supper. Groan! How about grilled cheese with a slice of tomato and a piece of cherry pie with a dip of ice cream?

Those red-streaked yellow tomatoes, they are non-acid, but they are actually good. Better than those other yellow, almost orange, non acid tomatoes. I have so many and I don’t want to can them, I can’t get them eaten. Maybe I just have to pull out the plants so they quit bearing. I could leave one plant so I’d still have a tomato or two to eat.

In closing: The glory of each morning is that it offers us all a chance of a new beginning. God is good!

How about this apple crisp recipe? You probably have dozens but this one is really simple.

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart apples

Vanilla ice cream or whipped topping, optional

Combine apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer to an 11-inch by 7-inch baking dish; coat with butter.

For topping, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg in another bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg just until moistened; sprinkle over filling. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping if desired. Yield: Nine servings.

1965: The school is housed in the former Humble Oil Co. building on Route 45 on the south side of Mattoon. 

1950: Proof that flash photography has become a national hobby is the Mattoon plant of the General Electric Co. which manufactures flash bulbs almost exclusively. A few incandescent or regular light bulbs in larger wattages are made here also. 

1989: Pat and Rodney Williamson are ready to dine. Owner Leonard Losch looks on at Ellen Kay's. 

1992: A bicyclist pedals along East Rudy Street where a row of new duplexes were built, next to a subsidized housing project. 

1992: A group of children wait in line to challenge the winner to a game of tether ball at the E. Rudy Street housing project. 

1985: aerial view of downtown Mattoon. 

1977: Acquisition of the Douglas Nursing Center will complete another phase in Wesley Tower's total care package. 

1991: The CTA office is carpeted, air conditioned, well-lit and features work stations designed around employee needs. Telemarketers generated $435 billion in sales last year. For each customer who says yes, 99 say no. 

1959: The Eastern Division of the CIPS is completing a move into the new building in Mattoon. The structure has 36 offices and 23,000 square feet of office space. 

1988: Burtschi is the first store in Illinois south of Springfield to offer Hummel figurines. 

1963: A new line of paving equipment is exhibited by the Mattoon Blaw Knox plant at the Construction Equipment Exposition and Road Show, Chicago.

1959: In an effort to better serve the growing needs of the Midwest, Southwest and Far West market for flexible metal hose and tubing the American Brass Co. built its American Metal Hose Division plant in Mattoon.

Millie Otto of Arthur is a member of the Old Order Amish. Contact her by writing to 1584 CR 2000N, Arthur, IL 61911.

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See what's going on in Millie Otto's world in this week's My Amish Home column.

See what's going on in Millie Otto's world in this week's My Amish Home column.

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