Plenty of homemade ice cream was also made by the gallon. A big ice cream freezer was run by a gas-powered motor. It looked funny because a wooden man was attached to it making it look like he was cranking all the ice cream by hand. Joe’s aunt and family did a lot of work to get ready for the reunion. The reunion was bigger than a lot of weddings. But I am not sure how many people were there. There were a lot of buggies and some buses that had brought in people from out of town. We knew Verena might have one of her post-concussions out there but Joe was eager to go since they don’t have one of these reunions often. We decided to try attending and left Saturday morning and with all 8 of our children and Elizabeth’s special friend Tim.
We were out there for just a little awhile before Verena started with one of her episodes. We went to a motel which our good friends are the owners. Jean, one of the owners, was there and she was good to us and understanding about the situation. They prepared a room for us to take Verena to so she could have some quiet time. This episode lasted only two hours but we were still afraid that we were going to be too late to go to the reunion. But it worked out OK , everyone was still eating when we got there.
Verena was OK for the rest of our stay in Berne. We had plenty of family and friends that would have gladly let us stay at their house Saturday evening but we decided to go to the motel since Verena recovers quicker from these episodes if she stays calm and away from too many people. Se also tells us to keep her away from others as she knows she has no control over her actions and words in times like those. It can be embarrassing to her afterwards. She is still able to walk during her episodes, which is an improvement, and they have only been lasting 2 to 4 hours, which is also better.
Brother Amos and Nancy invited us to their house Saturday evening for a good outdoor supper. They served us grilled hot wings, stuffed mushrooms and French fries deep fried over the open fire.
The children enjoyed swimming in the pool at the motel. I think being in the water relaxed Verena as she slept most of the way home. We made a short stop at sister Liz and Levi’s on the way home to Michigan. We arrived home around 5 pm. And it was good to be back home again.
A reader gave me this recipe or green tomato pie which is a great way to use up tomatoes that haven’t yet ripened. Give it a try!
Green Tomato Pie
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 to 5 medium sized green tomatoes
1 9-inch pie shell
Thinly slice firm, green tomatoes into mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine all ingredients thoroughly and then pour over tomatoes, stir until all are coated. Pour into 9 inch pie tin. Place top crust on top Puncture top crust for steam vents Bake at 400 degrees until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes.
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