Counting the Seasons

    Fall officially arrived this week. I remember reading in a book years ago that "they didn't count the months, only the seasons." I thought that was strange but now I understand. The older I get the faster time flies and the seasons seem much shorter than they used to be.

    This is the season to clean up the debris of summer and begin to withdraw to the indoors. Crops are being harvested and a few leaves in a hurry to color dot the woods. The mums are blooming and pumpkins adorn every roadside produce market. Summer is the peak of the year but the heat and humidity drains the energy out of a body. Cooler fall temperatures are invigorating and nature puts on a colorful show before it goes to sleep for the winter.

   As usual, in the fall I start thinking about the projects I want to complete this winter. There is a quilt top ready to quilt, a historical article I started and shoved to the back burner, other ideas for short stories also simmer in the background, puzzles waiting to be put together, and another set of 40 baby caps to crochet for the layette bundles at sewing circle. I'm sure other things will pop up as we go along and there are all the usual housekeeping and volunteer jobs to do.

  I often get calls from people asking genealogy or history questions that distract me. Someone stopped in this week with a question I could quickly answer. The one that came up last week took some work. There were two Henry Mussers in Lancaster County that were the same age and being confused. The children of the Henry buried in Brecknock Township in 1805 were assigned to the Henry in Leacock Township who also died in 1805. It took some sleuthing to untangle them and get the children with the correct father. That's more fun than housekeeping and my favorite type of puzzle.

   I am ready for a change of seasons and activities. Fall will flash by so fast there will not be time to count the months.

   

The Golden Hour

 Remember your Creator

   in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

    and the years approach when you will say,

    “I find no pleasure in them”—

 

before the sun and the light

    and the moon and the stars grow dark,

and the clouds return after the rain;

when the keepers of the house tremble,

    and the strong men stoop,

when the grinders cease because they are few,

    and those looking through the windows grow dim; 

 

when the doors to the street are closed

    and the sound of grinding fades;

when people rise up at the sound of birds,

    but all their songs grow faint;

 

when people are afraid of heights

    and of dangers in the streets;

when the almond tree blossoms

    and the grasshopper drags itself along

    and desire no longer is stirred.

Then people go to their eternal home

    and mourners go about the streets.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 NIV

   This passage from Ecclesiastes is addressed to young people but the description of old age sure fits us today. I wouldn't say we have no pleasure in life, but there are times that old age isn't fun. For example, spending the night in the ER because you did something that scared your children and they called 911.

   Just when you think you are finished with all your doctor appointments, something else pops up. (The clouds return after the rain.)  Hands get shaky (keepers of the house tremble), backs become stooped, teeth need to be pulled (grinders are few), vision grows dim, hearing fades, sleep patterns are disturbed, it isn't safe to go up a roof or ladder (afraid of heights) or drive far at night (dangers in the streets), and hormones no longer stir desire. All these are signs the body is wearing out and life on earth is drawing to a close.

   We have had a lot of good years but in the last year the slide downhill has picked up speed. The list of imperfections in our bodies has grown longer. Between us, we've got all of them listed above. But that has not stopped us from enjoying the days we have left. We like to sit on the patio in the evening and watch the sun go down. We enjoy walks down our country road, talking to our children and grandchildren, reading the Bible through every year, and many other pleasures.

   Old age has its benefits and limits. The key to enjoying old age is to focus on the benefits and accept the limitations without dwelling on them or rehearsing them at every opportunity.  The hectic days of driving children to school, canning hundreds of quarts of fruit, and being on call day and night seven days a week are over. There is time to volunteer with organizations that help the poor and lost, give a helping hand to a young mother, weep with those who weep, and move at a slower pace doing what needs to be done instead of just what is most urgent at the moment. 

    Old age is the golden hour. We can look back on a long list of answered prayers and years of spiritual growth. We no longer care if we aren't up-to-date with the fads or trends. We are satisfied with what we have and don't need any more stuff. There is a contented glow at the end of life as we anticipate the glory of our eternal Home beyond the sunset.

    

   

August Days

  The weather this week has been amazing for  the first full week of August.  We turned off the AC and let the windows open day and night. I have lived enough summers to know the hints of fall when I see them. Warm days, sunny blue skies, low humidity, and cool nights. I know what nature is up to. It's beginning the work of painting the leaves for the next season. 

   Of course, it won't stay this way the rest of the month and another heat wave is in the cards. But there is no denying summer is winding down. Corn, peaches and tomatoes are in season. Back to school sales are doing a brisk business. The seasons change so gently they begin as a mixture of seasons.

The last of summer and the first of fall

Together they stand in August Days.

The garden is bright with summer bloom,

And yet there creeps up that autumn haze.

You can look forward or look backwards

To a lovely summer you would recall,

But the changing of the season has come -

The last of summer and the first of fall.

Lenore Hetrick

Earn Your Salt

    I did a post in June last year about the PA Dutch words we mix in with our English speaking. But a lot of our English words either come from or are rooted in other languages.  Language changes constantly. Today's English does not look or sound anything like it did in the eleventh century. At various points in history, German, French, Latin, and Greek languages influenced the development of English to produce the Modern English we speak today. 

   Some of the words we think are English are actually Latin. Some examples are campus, extra, focus, habitat, labor, and major, to name a few. Some words that are rooted in Latin include maternal from maternus, mode from modus, number from numerus, tremble from tremere, and a host of others.

   Here is one I learned recently. The Latin word for salt is sal; the plural form is salium. In ancient times, salt was a valuable resource. With no refrigeration or freezers, salt was used to preserve meat, fish, and other foods. Salt was so valuable it could be used as cash to purchase things. Sometimes taxes were required to be paid in salt rather than money. From salium we get the English word salary. 

    That reminds me of what my mother used to tell me when I was being lazy. "You didn't earn your salt today." I thought she was saying I didn't work enough to earn the cheapest thing on the table, but it came from salt being the most valuable thing and meant I hadn't earned a salary.

   There are many other sayings rooted in history. For example: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." If someone was given a horse, it was rude to look in the horse's mouth to examine the health of the animal. The saying means be grateful for a gift and don't find fault with it.

    "Burning the candle at both ends" implies working hard late at night. It comes from the days when candles were the primary source of light. 

     In 1947 when engineers working on an early computer found a moth causing an electrical fault that disrupted the hardware. One of the scientists popularized the term "computer bug" by taping the moth in the log book with a note, "First actual case of a bug being found."

    Language will continue to change. Some of the old sayings will continue to be passed on long after they have lost their meaning with the change of culture. In the meantime, earn your salt.

Fifty-eight Years

   Today we are celebrating 58 years of marriage. When I look at our wedding picture I see a blissfully ignorant 19-year-old bride who didn't know as much as she thought she did. Thankfully, the groom was 23 and had a little more sense than the bride.

   I also see a bride who sweated her way through a hot summer day with no AC in a long-sleeved dress made of lace over taffeta that did not breathe. In those days, skirts were knee length. Floor-length wedding dresses were considered worldly and forbidden. I made my dress about mid-calf which was about as long as I dared. I'm glad I did that because now it would be embarrassing to have a skirt on my wedding picture as short as I normally wore them. Underneath the skirt was a half slip made of stiff netting to make the skirt stand out. That fashion was going out of style but a wedding dress still needed a stiff slip. Today, women in our church wear long skirts every day with the approval of the church, and I appreciate the modesty.

   Flowers were also not allowed in weddings in the 1960s. Brides usually carried a Bible with a normal black cover or a lacy hankie. I wanted a white Bible but that was considered extravagant since it would only be used for the wedding. I got permission from the bishop to cover my Bible with the same fabric as my dress and have two white ribbons trailing from it. There were red roses and ivy scattered on the tables at the reception. After the meal I picked up a bouquet which I carried the rest of the day.

   We left that evening for the West Coast and traveled as far as Chambersburg before we got a motel. The next morning we attended the service at the Chambersburg Mennonite Church where one of my friends was a member. Our route the next couple weeks took us south to Mississippi, Texas, just across the border into Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, and then east through the Midwest. We came home to settle into a rented house while we built a new house. We moved into the new house with our first child in the fifteenth month of our marriage and still live there.

   

   Many things have changed in 58 years. Life itself is a series of changes. One thing that has not changed is our commitment to each other. We went into it fully intending to stay the course. There have been ups and downs, but that is to be expected. The longer it goes the more I treasure each day. I know our time on earth is running out and I am very grateful God has granted us 58 years together.

Canassatego's Arrows

This is shared from a website called Uncharted Lancaster. I learned something from it. When you reach the end, get out a $1 bill and look at it.

From Lancaster to the Constitution: How a 1744 Native American Speech Shaped a Nation

In the sweltering summer of 1744, the streets of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, were alive with unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. Hundreds of Native Americans from the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy had traveled by foot and canoe to this bustling colonial town to participate in what would become one of the most significant diplomatic gatherings in early American history. Known today as the Treaty of Lancaster (1744), the two-week conference not only reshaped colonial land claims but planted the seeds of American democracy through the powerful words of an Iroquois leader: Canassatego.

Setting the Stage

At the time, the Iroquois Confederacy was a formidable political and military force, stretching across what is now New York and parts of Pennsylvania. With tensions rising between British colonies and French forces in the Ohio Valley, the colonies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia saw an opportunity: secure Iroquois neutrality—or better yet, alliance—while also acquiring Native land.

The setting for the negotiations was Lancaster’s original courthouse, located in the heart of town where today the Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands in Penn Square. From June 22 to July 4, colonial commissioners and Iroquois leaders gathered daily inside the courthouse to talk, debate, and drink—a lot. Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania’s trusted interpreter, served as the go-between, translating long speeches delivered in rich metaphor and oral tradition. Each speech concluded with the dramatic presentation of wampum belts, thunderous applause, and hearty cries of “Yo-hah!” from the Iroquois.Negotiations between colonist leaders and the Six Nations

Outside the courthouse, Lancaster was transformed. Hundreds of wigwams sprang up on the edge of town, their fires sending up steady plumes of smoke scented with bear grease and venison stew. Native families mingled with the 1,500 residents of Lancaster, shopping in the market, inspecting colonial goods, and prompting mutual curiosity. Townspeople hung out of windows to catch a glimpse of the painted delegates. Many were shocked to see the visitors eating with their hands.

The Goals of the Treaty

Colonial leaders had two key objectives: first, to extinguish Iroquois land claims in Maryland and Virginia to clear the way for westward expansion; and second, to ensure the Iroquois would remain neutral, or even supportive, in the looming conflict with France. In return, the Iroquois received gunpowder, blankets, metal tools, trade goods, and a generous supply of rum. By the end of the conference, land claims were signed away, alliances were confirmed, and symbolic gifts were exchanged: a scarlet coat for Chief Canassatego from the Virginians and a bold-laced hat for Chief Gachadow from the Maryland delegation.

But the most enduring gift of the Treaty of Lancaster came not in the form of rum or rifles. It came in the form of a speech.

Canassatego: The Smartest Man in the Room

The clear voice of reason during the negotiations belonged to Canassatego, an Onondaga chief and a leading spokesman for the Iroquois Confederacy. Described as tall and powerfully built, with a full chest, brawny arms, a good-natured smile, and an electrifying presence, Canassatego commanded attention every time he spoke.Canassatego speaks to the assembly.

Born in the late 1600s or early 1700s, Canassatego rose to prominence as a diplomat during a turbulent period in the relations between the Iroquois and the colonists. By 1744, he had already participated in several key negotiations and had proven himself a savvy leader who understood both Native and European politics. Though he could not read or write, his command of logic, metaphor, and oratory made him one of the most influential Indigenous leaders of the 18th century. His final speech at the Treaty of Lancaster would become legendary.

 A Bundle of Arrows and a Lesson in Unity

On the final day of the conference, Canassatego rose before a packed room of colonial officials and Native delegates. In his booming voice, he urged the colonies to consider the Iroquois model of government: a confederacy bound together by shared purpose, mutual respect, and coordinated action.

“We heartily recommend union and a good agreement between you, our brethren,” he said. “Never disagree, but preserve a strict friendship for one another and thereby, you, as well as we, will become the stronger.”

Then, in a striking moment of symbolism, he reached into his quiver. He pulled out a single arrow and broke it easily across his knee. Then he pulled out six arrows—one for each of the Iroquois nations—and bound them together. This time, no matter how hard he tried, he could not break them. The message was clear: united, the colonies would be unbreakable.Canassatego holding six arrows representing the Six Nations.

Canassatego concluded with the wisdom of his ancestors: “Our wise forefathers established union and amity between the Five Nations. This has made us formidable. This has given us great weight and authority with our neighboring nations. We are a powerful confederacy, and by your observing the same methods… you will acquire fresh strength and power.”

Franklin, the Founders, and the Constitution

Canassatego’s words did not disappear into the summer air. They were recorded, published, and widely circulated in colonial newspapers, most notably by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin, who had long admired the Iroquois League’s political system, was deeply inspired by the speech. Ten years later, at the Albany Congress in 1754, he would reference Canassatego’s advice in his push for colonial unity.

Some historians now recognize Canassatego’s speech as a foundational moment in American political thought. His call for unity influenced not only Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union but also—decades later—the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution itself.

Though Canassatego was assassinated in 1750 by pro-French Native factions, his vision outlived him. Today, his speech is considered one of the earliest Indigenous contributions to the philosophy of American governance.

A Legacy in the Great Seal

The influence of Canassatego and the Iroquois model of confederacy is not just a historical footnote—it’s woven into the very fabric of American symbolism. On the back of every one-dollar bill, in the left talon of the eagle, you’ll find a bundle of 13 arrows. It’s a direct echo of Canassatego’s bundle of six: strength through unity.

This iconography, part of the Great Seal of the United States, was designed to represent the 13 original colonies standing together. It is a powerful visual legacy of the advice delivered in a Lancaster courthouse nearly 300 years ago.

Canassatego and the Great Seal of the United States.

Epilogue: Two Weeks That Changed a Nation

When the Treaty of Lancaster finally concluded, the Native families packed up their wigwams, loaded their horses and dogs, and departed the town. The smell of bear grease slowly faded. But something profound had taken root in the minds of the colonists, especially in men like Franklin.

The treaty may have settled land disputes and secured short-term alliances, but its true significance lies in the philosophical bridge it built between two worlds. Canassatego’s counsel didn’t just help shape a confederacy of Native nations. It helped shape the birth of a new one.

Father's Day 2025

    Father's Day this year was very special. First of all, we were glad Leroy survived his open heart surgery and is healing rapidly. Second, with a daughter living out of state it is nigh impossible for all our children to be with their dad on Father's Day. As far as I can recall that has not happened since 1991 when she got married. But this year our annual family cabin weekend happened to fall on Father's Day.

    The cabin we had been going to for many years was sold so this year we tried a different cabin. It was a rainy weekend so the children couldn't be outside much but everyone seemed to be enjoying the weekend.

   On Saturday morning we discovered that without preplanning most of the younger grandchildren were wearing yellow. One of the two girls in pink and the smallest boy with a yellow shirt are great-grandchildren. The 1-year old held by his sister are grandchildren. 

   We filled two tables at meal time.

   There were crafts for the small fry,

   games for the older ones,

   a puzzle for the adults

  and relaxation for young and old.

  Everyone attended the church of their choice Sunday morning and regrouped at the cabin for lunch. With Father's Day in mind, our daughter provided some of Leroy's favorite foods---shrimp and a cherry cheese pie. We froze the historic moment of father and children all together on Father's Day. (Two deceased children will always be missing.)

 Before anyone left we preserved another moment of all of us with the 1967 Chevelle we drove for many years. They lined up by age behind the car. The oldest was 15 when the youngest was born. We had that car crammed full with six children for one year until the oldest could drive. That would not be possible today but car seats were not required in 1983 when the youngest was born. 

   The weekend passed by much too fast but the memories will keep us smiling.