July 1 (yesterday) was daughter Loretta’s 24th birthday. I wish her many more happy, healthy years ahead. Her two little boys keep her busy. Denzel will be 2 years old July 10, and Byron will be 1 on Aug. 7. On Sunday, Joe and I drove with Dustin and Loretta and the boys to the park. Byron was sitting with Loretta and me in the back, and he wouldn’t quit fussing until he could sit up front with Joe, Dustin and Denzel. Then, he would look back at Loretta and me with a grin on his face as if saying, “Ha ha, I like it better up here.” He enjoys watching the horse run. Denzel will hold the lines to drive their horse, Spirit. Spirit is a calm horse and travels along safely. Of course, Dustin makes sure to keep a watch on the road for traffic.

Our family gathered at the park for a picnic lunch Sunday in honor of daughter Verena’s special friend, Daniel’s, birthday, which was June 29. It was enjoyable, with some taking hikes on the walking trails and some of us just relaxing and visiting.

Daughter Lovina and Daniel joined us at the park. They just arrived home from their honeymoon. They spent a week at a cabin by a lake after the wedding. They are enjoying being newlyweds.

Last night, they came to get another load of their belongings and their wedding gifts. Thank you to all of you who sent a gift, card, etc. to help them start their life together. They greatly appreciated it. Lovina made a vegetable soup here, and they ate supper with us. I always have a hard time when another of our children leaves the house. My mother heart just doesn’t like change. I am happy for them, but having one less person in the house makes for an empty spot.

At least it’s not like losing a loved one. Sarah Irene (sister-in-law) attended the wedding along with some of her family. Brother Albert was missed so much. She did a great job in hiding her sorrow and helping make it a cheerful day for the newlyweds. I know her heart was hurting, and she misses her dear husband. Her 59th birthday was June 28—the first birthday without her dear husband by her side.

Daniel and Lovina had a nice day for their wedding, although it was a very hot week. Temperatures reached the 90s. The cooks did a great job in the heat to prepare all the food.

Our sons-in-law, Daniel’s brothers, and sister Emma’s sons-in-law and son started grilling chicken at about 5 a.m. They grilled 300 pounds for the noon meal and another 100 pounds in the afternoon for the evening meals. We had 480 pounds of chicken here but only grilled 400 pounds. We had plenty left over. They did a great job on the chicken, and it tasted really good. They had nine or 10 grills going and were done by the time the wedding services started at 9 a.m. That was also a hot job on a 90-degree day.

On the menu for the wedding meals were bread; strawberry butter; mashed potatoes; gravy; buttered noodles; dressing; barbecued chicken; mixed vegetables; lettuce salad; pecan, rhubarb custard and strawberry pies; caramel pudding; fresh fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes); and coffee. The cake was cut at the 7 p.m. meal. It was decorated by the bride and groom.

Daniel and Verena and Dustin and Loretta were their witnesses. They had 14 couples for table servers and 12 special helpers (they pass out the guest book, gifts, etc.). The rest of their nieces and nephews who were too young to help — those ages 3 and younger — were called Day Brighteners. The girls wore yellow dresses, and the boys wore gray pants with yellow shirts. The special helpers wore light green. The table servers wore coral, the cooks wore burgundy, the family wore green, and the mothers wore a dark green. The bride wore a dark teal, and her witnesses wore light teal. Lovina had someone make a wall hanging with all her colors she chose. It looks really nice.

I chose sister Emma and niece Elizabeth to be my head cooks at the wedding. They once again did a great job in keeping everything running smoothly.

Wednesday and Thursday before the wedding were busy days, with more than 20 women coming each day to bake more than 80 pies and 30 loaves of bread; dice carrots, celery and onions; wash and slice strawberries for pie; cut up rhubarb for pie, etc. We had good help on those two days, and all was done by lunch time. Casseroles, salads and desserts were brought in each day by the women who came to help. For the wedding Friday, we had more than 50 cooks to help make the food. Their help is greatly appreciated. Also, an extra thank you to the cooks who spent an extra day preparing ahead and took their time out of two days to help. They are truly a blessing. And a special thank you to sisters Emma, niece Elizabeth and my friend, Ruth, who were here through it all. Sister Verena also came every day with Emma. Ruth furnished the transportation for them to and from here. If we missed something, it was Ruth who had to go get it. God bless you.

Pie Dough

Makes 6 9-inch pie crusts

6 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups lard

2 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons vinegar

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add lard to flour mixture, and make crumbs. It’s best if crumbs are quite moist — a little more lard can be added for that. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, water and vinegar together and pour over crumbs. Mix with a fork until right consistency. Don’t overmix.

Divide dough into six equal parts and form each part into a ball. Press each ball into a disk, and roll it onto a floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges. For a prebaked crust, bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.