Saturday, March 7, 2026
Home Blog Page 709

More Birthday Wishes from Lovina’s Children

By
Guest Columnist
-
0

To mark Lovina’s 52nd birthday on May 22, each of her children have contributed these short reflections in her honor. Last week we shared the first half of them, and this week we’re sharing the second half.

Benjamin, 23

As a young boy, I would scare Mom a lot and find it funny. I would crawl out the upstairs window onto the roof and run around until Mom would see me. She would be relieved once she had me inside the window. I didn’t realize the danger back then. Mom was worried I would hurt myself. Our pony Stormy was a real calm pony, and I would climb on his back with just a halter on and tie baler twine to the halter for lines. It scared Mom every time.

Mom makes sure to stay up until all her children are home safely. She has done a lot for me in my life. Mom doesn’t have much gray hair, but I’m sure I caused a lot of what she does have. I’m blessed to have her as my mom. Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Loretta, 22    

I’m going to write to honor my mom’s 52nd birthday. I just hope I look as good as her at that age. 

I thank God that he blessed me with an encouraging, supportive mom. One thing I know I miss since leaving home is her garden meals, especially waking up on a Saturday smelling bacon—just a great way to wake up. I know her cooking is one thing I try to copy, but it just doesn’t seem to taste like Mom’s. And it isn’t as good if I have to make it. Haha! I know when I was a little girl, I would stand behind Mom’s office chair while she would write her columns or whatever she was writing at the time and pick on a small birth mark on her neck.  I would ask her why it doesn’t come off. There were times us children took turns massaging Mom and Dad’s feet. Mom and Dad would bribe us with a dollar if we did, and I tried to get enough so I could buy something at the store. 

One thing I always remember is the first time Mom found out we had muscular dystrophy. Mom cried when the doctors told her—that’s something a mother doesn’t want to hear, but she never gives up on us children. I’d say she was the reason I didn’t give up. Now I’m married with an amazing husband and baby boy. I’m so proud to have a mother like her to show me the steps in life, and I’d say she did really good because I like to think I’m pretty cool. Haha! I have to brag on myself sometimes because nobody else does. Haha, just kidding.

Happy 52nd birthday, Mom. I love you so much.

Joseph, 20

When we all still lived under the same roof and before anyone was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, I remember Dad and Mom playing kickball with all of us children. Mom would have a team and Dad would have a team. 

I always look forward to suppers because Mom always makes a good meal. It is a treat to have after a hard day of work. I always enjoy it even more through the summer because Mom makes some fresh meals out of the garden. 

Mom will always pack my lunch, although I tell her I can pack my lunch myself. I like how she doesn’t let me go to work on an empty stomach. I don’t think anyone could make a better Saturday morning breakfast than Mom. 

She is a good reader and has a great way of explaining the Bible to us. She always teaches us how to keep everything organized and clean. Mom is always really energetic, and she is the best mom. She has a sense of humor that a lot of people don’t see. Playing games is much more fun with Mom playing—she likes to try to add rules to the game to help her team win. She is very competitive in a game, which makes it more fun. Happy Birthday, Mom! Love you!

Lovina, 19

One of the funniest things that I remember Mom always doing when we were younger is answering her own questions. “Lovina, are the windows open?” And before I even get a chance to answer, “Yeah, they are,” she’d ask me, “Hey what time is it?” Meanwhile she’s looking at the clock, and then she’d say, “Quarter after 5,” and go back to whatever she was doing.
I think I was just there for support. 

I love how Mom pushes me to be the better version of myself. She taught me how to be organized, how to save money, how to sew my own dresses, how to cook and can. How to be respectful, how to turn to God. 

Although being named after Mom was Dad’s idea and not hers, I’m glad I got the name I did. Sharing her name is one of the things I’m proud of, even though we both answer when someone says, “Lovina.” I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her, and I’m so thankful to have a mom like her. Happy Birthday, Mom! Hope you have a great one! Love you always!

Kevin, 17

I want to thank my mom for being there for me and helping me out with my disability. I appreciate her support. 

Mom makes the best food, and I’m always glad when Joseph doesn’t eat all the food Mom packs in his lunch because I’m more than willing to eat it.  Playing marble chase is one of our favorite games to play. Mom never likes sitting beside me in the game because I always send her marbles home. I am probably the hardest of her children to wake up in the mornings. So Mom, thanks for always putting up with me. I will always love you!

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

The Vegetarian’s Survival Kit

By
Lee Pitts
-
0
lee pitts

Now, from the same people who brought you the I Hate Chicken Cookbook comes the ‘Vegetarian’s Survival Kit’. This kit is for you vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, vegans and other lost souls who go through life on an empty stomach. Here is what you will get for only $99.95:

Tic Tac Breath Mints

A Gallon of Putrid, Stagnant, Insipid and Brackish Water

Wizard Pine Scented Air Freshener

A Can of Alpo Dog Food

Four Quarts Of Blood From A Celibate Person You Know Very Well

A Ribeye Steak

You will need the dog food to feed your dog. Although you may think it is okay to live on a diet of fruits, nuts and berries your dog will go blind or run away from home if you inflict a vegetarian diet on it.

You will need a dog because more than likely it will be the only friend you’ll have. Vegetarian inclined people are usually unmarried and dead “beets.” This is because they have no social life to speak of. Oh sure, you might get invited to the occasional vegetarian potluck but never anyplace fun like barbecues and baseball games where you can dine on hotdogs. Vegetarians seldom go out to eat at a restaurant because there is nothing on the menu for you to eat. (It is considered uncouth to eat the fresh flowers on the table). If vegetarians have any friends at all they tend to be very boring.

The law compels me to state that ‘The Vegetarians Survival Kit’ cannot be sold to people with a stable and clear intellect or to one arm people. You see, vegetarians tend to eat food that would make a sword swallower gag; things like tomato and cucumber salads, raisin bread, and grapefruit pudding. It requires people with two hands to be vegetarians so they can eat with one hand and hold their nose with the other. Speaking of the olfactory senses… if you insist on eating a diet of legumes and roquefort cheese and still desire to be an active member of our society you will need the Tic Tacs and the Wizard room deodorizer.

As a vegetarian you probably don’t want to eat anything that was ever alive. Thus you will be forced to give up three things… breakfast, lunch and dinner. About the only thing you can digest that wasn’t alive at one time is water and in Los Angeles and Cleveland even the water is full of animals. About the only water you can drink without murdering organisms is brackish, insipid water in which no animal could live. Here’s mud in your eye.

According to my research, vegetarians tend to be permanently stunted, have children with impaired brain development and are usually anemic. So you will need periodic blood transfusions. Because they also tend to have a low resistance to disease you will want to get your blood from a clean source, if you know what I mean.

I realize that you vegetarians contend that a life sentence of eating vegetables, nuts and berries stabilizes and clears the intellect and enables you to live a longer but wimpier life. But someday you veg heads are going to feel real stupid dying of nothing.

For your last meal why not have a steak and put a little excitement into your otherwise boring life?

Digital Edition 05.31.23

By
Guest Columnist
-
0
digital edition

Digital Edition 05.31.23

Wounds In Horse’s Hoofs Demand Immediate Attention

By
Frank Buchman
-
0
Frank J Buchman
Frank Buchman

Puncture wounds of the sole and frog by nails, screws, or other sharp objects are common hoof injuries in horses.
The penetrating object might be contaminated with soil, manure, or rust, which can lead to infection, said veterinarian Nolton Pattio.
Clinically, puncture wounds can be misleading because they can appear small and insignificant. Aggressive medical therapy or appropriate surgical treatment might be delayed until signs of infection or lameness occur.
Depending on the depth and location of the puncture wound, several hoof structures can be affected.
Puncture wounds are critical injuries if the coffin bone, coffin joint, digital cushion, flexor tendon, or navicular bone are involved.
“Deep puncture wounds of the sole and middle third of the frog are emergencies,” Pattio said. “They should be treated aggressively to prevent infection of bones, joints, and soft tissue structures in the hoof.
“These cases are challenging to treat and should be referred to an equine hospital for surgical treatment, if needed,” Pattio added.
Wound management and treatment options are based on the location, depth, and direction of the penetrating wound.
Minimally invasive penetrating sole and frog injuries can be managed conservatively with broad-spectrum antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, hoof soaking, and bandaging.
If the injury penetrates deeper hoof structures, the horse should be referred to an equine hospital for more aggressive treatment.
The “street nail” surgical procedure is used to create a surgical window between the frog surface and navicular bursa.
That promotes adequate wound drainage and allows for subsequent treatment of the affected area.
Surgical management can also involve supportive care, anti-inflammatory treatments, bandage changes, and a medicine plate shoe to promote healing.
Ongoing clinical evaluation is needed to direct patient management decisions in adjusting use of antibiotics, wound care options, and bandaging.
Some hoof puncture wounds complications, lameness, swelling, heat, and infection occur when the surface seals over restricting drainage. Therefore, veterinary care is needed for ongoing supervision and intervention.
“The prognosis for penetrating wounds of the hoof sole and frog is guarded,” Pattio said. “But generally, those horses that have fewer deep structures involved and receive timely and appropriate treatment experience more favorable outcomes.”
+++30+++

Farmer’s Wife Gives Advice

By
Frank Buchman
-
0

“It’s a whole lot easier to get breakfast from a chicken than a pig.”
Several times in recent months, advice from some farmer’s wife came up unsolicited on the computer. It must be a sign to share that wisdom with others.
Whenever you return a borrowed pie pan, make sure it’s got a warm pie in it.
Make home a happy place for the children. Everybody returns to their happy place.
Always keep a small light on in the kitchen window at night.
Always pat the chickens when you take their eggs.
Biscuits brown better with a little butter brushed on ’em.
Check your shoelaces before runnin’ to help somebody.
Homemade is always better’n store bought.
A tongue’s like a knife. The sharper it is the deeper it cuts.
It’s easy to clean an empty house, but hard to live in one.
Enjoy doing your children’s laundry. Someday they’ll be gone.
All children spill milk. Learn to smile and wipe it up.
There’s no such thing as woman’s work on a farm. There’s just work.
Invite lots of folks to supper. You can always add more water to the soup.
A good neighbor always knows when to visit and when to leave.
A city dog wants to run out the door, but a country dog stays on the porch ’cause he’s not fenced in.
Always light birthday candles from the middle outward.
Nothin’ gets the frustrations out better’n splittn’ wood.
You’ll never catch a runnin’ chicken, but if you throw seed around the back door, you’ll have a skillet full by supper.
Visit old people who can’t get out. Someday you’ll be one.
The softer you talk; the closer folks’ll listen.
The colder the outhouse, the warmer the bed.
Reminded of Psalm 32:8; “Let me give you some good advice; I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVII–23–6-4-2-23

1...708709710...4,811Page 709 of 4,811

Kansas News, Auctions & Classifieds

Trending

Categories

© Rural Messenger