Hi there, This morning at the Bible Study at the Antioch Church of the Brethren here near Woodstock our homework was to tell about folks who were our strongest Christian influences. The first one that came to mind was my Aunt Isabel Ritenour, one of my mom's older sisters. I mentioned her earlier in my "Fort Valley Baking Memories" and about her being like a grandmother to me. She and Uncle Clyde had two sons who were older than I was. Uncle Clyde worked evenings and nights at the Shenandoah Publishing House in Strasburg leaving my aunt alone in the evenings. I was the nearest she had to a daughter. I would go with Aunt Izzie in the winter evenings when she lit her lantern and went out to the barn to milk her Holstein cow. Sometimes, she called the cow, "Daisy", and sometimes, "Betsy". Don't ask me why........maybe the cow was schizophrenic?!? LOL At least she gave good milk. Aunt Izzie had tons of cow and chicken feed in the pretty print feedsacks. She had a chicken yard and so many interesting things. The horehound plants grew there, and she knew a lot about nature. She loved to garden and grow flowers. She had tons of houseplants, too, like I do. Aunt Izzie did other interesting things. She was an educator and the principal at the Fort Valley Elementary School. I didn't attend her school because I had to ride old Bus #35 out of the Fort to Strasburg because we lived in the lower end, and that's the way things were. However, Aunt Izze included me often, and she would take me to PTA meetings or whatever was going on at the little school in the Fort in the evenings. She also took me along to VBS at her church. It was the Trinity Brethren Church there at Dry Run which was very near the Seven Fountains. It was a bit more progressive than the Oak Hill Church of the Brethren where I attended on Sundays with my folks. We didn't have VBS there. Aunt Izzy directed the Bible School at Trinity. She lined us kids up outside, and we marched inside the church singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" while my cousin, Rosalie Clem, played the piano. There was a pump organ there, too, and Aunt Isa played it. Since VBS was in the summertime we played outside around the church, too. Some of us kids would go to the little bridge there over Dry Run and look for crayfish, minnows, and snakes. Those are some of my happiest memories. I got a feel for crafts there, too, as we made little name tags out of wood and used plastic wood to hold the safety pins on the back. Then we would go over to Wes Ritenour's store and eat Popsicles. I spent a lot of time at my aunt's house and she always said that she was "piddlin". I love to "piddle" with her!!! Sometimes, she sewed with her pretty print feedsacks, or would sit there and crochet while I played on the floor going through her button box. She had chicken rings in there, and I would wear them for rings on my fingers. She had a wonderful organ room where I could play around and "piddle" with the organ. The sofa and chair in there were burgundy in color, and I still savor that color using it in my home a bit. She always had lots of neat things sitting around in there and on the walls. She would buy things from salesmen who came around. I loved the pretty blue signs with the silver writing on. One said, "JESUS NEVER FAILS". Later, Aunt Izzie taught at the Sandy Hook School in Strasburg when it first opened. Upon retiring she taught Weekday Religious Education in the Shenandoah County Schools before it was "outlawed". What an inspiration she was!!! She had electric lights on her Christmas tree, too. We couldn't have them at home. Mom said that we would burn the house down!!!! Goodnight and GOD Bless. Nancy December 19, 2007 "Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life......." Phil 2:15, 16 NIV