You Have Got To Love Adalheida Wasser: Nurse Hal Among The Amish, #12

By Fay Risner

Joy Petermeyer took to the Amish wise woman, Adalheida Wasser, right off. When the elderly woman wasn't feeling well Joy volunteered to do her chores which consisted of a menagerie of wild animals and four expecting quarter horses. When it looked like her health might not improve Adalheida was adamant that she make Joy her hired hand and pay her. At home, Aunt Tootie is in a dither again. A woman she's known for years comes to visit from Titonka, Iowa. Bernice Wittstone is bossy and particular. She's also nosy. Wait until you see the fuss she causes at Stella Strutt's quilting bee. Deacon Yutzy owns land next to Adalheida and rents her farm. The land-hungry Deacon wants to buy her land. She isn't about to sell. The man would clear out timber where her beloved wild animals live and turn the land into crop ground. The deacon becomes impatient with Adalheida and has her served with papers for an incompetency hearing. It's up to wise woman's friends, Joy and a neighboring farmer/lawyer to save Adalheida from the nursing home. Those who know her will tell you that You Have Got To Love Adalheida Wasser.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Booksbyfay Publisher
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201814069

Fay Risner

Fay Risner lives with her husband on a central Iowa acreage along with their chickens, rabbits, goats and cats. A retired Certified Nurse Aide, she now divides her time between writing books, livestock chores, working in her flower beds, the garden and going fishing with her husband. In the winter, she makes quilts. Fay writes books in various genre and languages. Historical mystery series like Stringbean westerns and Amazing Gracie Mysteries, Nurse Hal's Amish series set in southern Iowa and books for Caregivers about Alzheimer's. She uses 12 font print in her books and 14 font print in her novellas to make them reader friendly. Now her books are in Large Print. Her books have a mid western Iowa and small town flavor. She pulls the readers into her stories, making it hard for them to put a book down until the reader sees how the story ends. Readers say the characters are fun to get to know and often humorous enough to cause the readers to laugh out loud. The books leave readers wanting a sequel or a series so they can read about the characters again. Enjoy Fay Risner's books and please leave a review to make others familiar with her work.

Book preview

You Have Got To Love Adalheida Wasser

Nurse Hal Among The Amish

Book Twelve

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Fay Risner

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Cover Art 2019

Picture courtesy of Pat Brigode

All Rights Reserved by Author Fay Risner

Copyright (c) 2019

All rights reserved

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This is a work of Amish fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to the actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locals are entirely coincidental. It would be impossible to be completely accurate in Amish details and descriptions since each Amish community differs. Any inaccuracies in the Amish lifestyle portrayed in this book are completely due to fictional license. Excerpts from this book cannot be used without written permission from the author.

Booksbyfay Publisher

Author Fay Risner

Editor Gail Lavender

Dedication

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This Amish book is dedicated to the people who help me make my books better than I can do by myself.  I'm an independent author, trying to do all the jobs from publisher to author. I sometimes have to pinch myself and wonder how I have been so lucky to have their help and long-distance friendships.

My book covers have become more interesting, brighter and natural looking with the help of Patricia Brigode. She takes fantastic pictures of Amish scenery which she emails me to do with as I want. As I peruse those pictures many times, my imagination goes into overdrive. I come up with stories to match her pictures instead of the other way around. This makes me very appreciative of her pictures for story ideas as well as great covers.

Editing a book is work. I have found that out over the years. Though I have several computer editing programs I use which take away some of my mistakes, it is also true that I cannot see all the editing errors because I wrote the stories. For me, it is like the old saying. I don't see a certain tree for the forest of words. I am truly grateful Gail Lavender has been my editor who finds the mistakes I missed and makes my Amish books perfect inside.

The readers and fans keep me writing this series. I enjoy feedback from everyone about the Amish characters and their problems. It's so special to see readers get familiar with the characters and feel as if they know the Wickenburg, Iowa Amish. The feedback I have gotten has helped me to improve the characters and add events that I might not have thought of  otherwise, so keep your comments coming.

Adalheida Wasser

Blessed is the woman who has

A sparkle in her eyes,

A song on her lips,

A spring to her step,

A warmth to her beauty,

A purpose to her life,

Joy on her face

And a love in her heart.

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Dear Readers,

Just a note here to let you know that sometimes finding some problem for Nurse Hal to have on the farm isn't that hard to come up with. All along I have added events that happen to Nurse Hal because they were real instances that happened to me. So if you go back to some of the other books when Hallie Lapp is trapping a skunk or gets her foot hurt trying to pen up her milk goat, those were my experiences.

In this story, the problem with the rat in the Lapp basement happened to me last spring. I kept updating my progress about trying to catch the elusive rat on Facebook and had many suggestions and comments from my Facebook friends. I saved them all and gave my problem to Nurse Hal.

Last fall, we brought home a new billy named Oliver. The problem the billy caused Nurse Hal in the story is what happened to my husband and me in January this year on a 50 below zero day. Only it was a water tank in the barn that Oliver took out.

I had an experience with a mouse this winter that is going to wind up literally in Aunt Tootie's lap in the next book, so watch for that book to be out next year and find out what I'm talking about.

I'm so glad you enjoy my books.

Fay Risner

Chapter One

Ach! This is awful, Hallie Lapp grumbled to herself. She placed her hands on her hips and stared into the sweet potato bin in the basement. Not believing what she saw, she picked up one of the large sweet potatoes and examined the gnawed hole in the middle of the potato. She fingered several more in the bin that looked just like the one in her hand, missing a good-sized chunk out of them. What could have happened to ruin these nice sweet potatoes? She stared at the one in her hand. Maybe I should show this one to John. He might know.

Hal hurried up the basement stairs, out the mudroom door and around the side of the house. Usually when she stepped outside, she'd have stopped to enjoy the country sounds; her rooster crowing, and the baas, moos, and neighs coming from the pasture. Usually, Hal liked to take a moment to listen to the trill of the red-wing blackbird, the coo of mourning doves and the croaking of pheasants.

Right now she wasn't in any mood to take pleasure in anything. She needed to find her husband. Last she knew, John was going to repair the pig pen fence. From the agitated sounds of squealing pigs, she figured he was still at it. She yelled, John, John, where are you?

The black-haired, bearded man raised his head above the wooden boards on the pig pen fence he was repairing. Over here. He one-fingered the brim of his straw hat off his forehead and held onto his hammer with the other hand. With his elbows on the top board, he leaned against the fence, waiting for Hal to get to him.

Hal was in such a rush she had to hold her slipping prayer cap on top her carrot red curls. Their young children, Redbird, Beth and Johnnie, stopped a game of tag and came running to find out what was happening. Their mother seemed really worked up. Hal thrust the sweet potato out for John to see. What could have made this big hole?

John took the damaged potato and inspected it. Looks fresh. This looks like a rat ate on it to me, sure enough. Where did you have this sweet potato?

In the basement with the rest of what's left of the crop we raised last summer. I went down to get a few to fix for lunch and found three with holes in them just like this one. What John said finally sunk in. Hal moaned. Surely, we don't have a rat in the basement?

The children looked at each other. Redbird and Beth's faces expressed fright. Johnnie grinned.

John's tone was unruffled. Jah, looks like we do. Rats love sweet potatoes for sure and certain.

We can't let all those good sweet potatoes get wasted by a rat. What can we do? Hal asked desperately.

John climbed over the fence, dropped his hammer in the grass, and handed the potato back to his wife. I have a live trap in the tool shed. You can set it in the sweet potato bin. Move the rest of the sweet potatoes upstairs to the mudroom until you catch the rat.

Hal trailed along behind John, wondering how it had become her problem to catch the destructive rodent. The children followed behind them to find out about the live trap.

John went into the tool shed and came out with a small trap just big enough to hold a full-grown rat. He showed Hal how to hold the door open while she pulled out the trigger hooked to the flap at the back of the cage and slipped it under the door. Toss a small chunk of sweet potato to the back of the trap for bait. When the rat goes in for the bait, he will step on the flap, and the trap door snaps shut.

All recht, I will give this trap a try, Hal grumbled, taking the trap by the handle.

Johnnie, the image of his big brother, Daniel, reached for her free hand and focused his dark brown eyes on his father. The girls and I can help Mama.

That would be really great. Denki, Johnnie, Hal declared.

The three children followed Hal down the basement steps, searching the basement floor for movement. The girls voiced to their mother that they hoped they wouldn't run into the rat. Johnnie silently hoped he'd at least get a glimpse of the speedy creature. It wouldn't do to say so out loud with his mother in such a state.

Once Hal had the trap set, she asked the children to carry the remaining sweet potatoes upstairs and lay them in a cardboard box in the mudroom. While the children helped her by doing that, Hal started lunch.

After the children rescued the sweet potatoes, timid Beth set the table. Redbird peeled the damaged sweet potatoes to boiled for lunch. Now that he wasn't needed, Johnnie went outside to see if he could help his father.

The next morning, Hal eased down the basement steps to check the trap. In the loud voice she used to talk to elderly Abel Keffhoppre at church, she called repeatedly, Rat, I'm coming. If you're still in here get out of my sight. Please do that for me.

Before she reached the bottom step, she heard faint fast-moving, skittering noises travel across the basement floor. The noises ended behind a row of canned peaches on one of the shelves across the room. She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her lips together to keep from screaming until the noises ceased. Don't get too comfortable, Rat. I aim to get rid of you.

After the room had been quiet a few seconds, Hal opened her eyes and searched the dimly lit basement, listening intently. She sighed, wishing the basement had lights. She shook her head, knowing electricity was not permitted. Face it, Hallie, the small basement windows have worked for what I've done until now. She'd never had to worry about dodging out of the way of a rat before. No amount of light would be enough if she came face-to-face with that rat.

The rat's hiding place was behind the jars. She knew that. We aren't going to eat another jar of canned peaches until the rat is out of here.

She edged slowly closer to the sweet potato bin and peered in. The trap was still set but without some of the bait. The piece of sweet potato was missing except for a scattering of peeling crumbs. What irked Hal was the square of stale cornbread was still in the trap. The rat didn't touch it. She couldn't understand why the rat didn't like her cornbread. He shouldn't be so particular.

Hal went back upstairs. She picked up a small sweet potato tuber from the box and cut it in half. She laid one half in the refrigerator for later bait and silently prayed she wouldn't need it.

With the chunk in hand, Hal eased back down the steps, her voice raised to get the rat's attention. I am coming, Rat. Get out of my sight fast. Please!

Though the basement was eerily quiet, she took little comfort in that fact. Even though the rat stayed hidden, she was still in the same space as a nasty destructive rodent. To her way of thinking the basement room was still way too small for her comfort. Hal threw the chunk inside the trap, aiming for it to land at the back beside the stale cornbread. The chunk landed on the flap and threw the trap shut with a loud clunk.

At least now I know the trap works. Hal took hold of the trap and lifted the front up so the bait rolled to the back behind the flap and reset the trigger.

Now that was done. No way was she going to wait to see what happened next. She didn't want to be anywhere near when the hungry rat came back to see what was for dinner. She hurried up the steps and made sure the basement door shut tightly.

A morning later, Hal made her way to the basement to make the daily check of the live trap. She conversed with the unseen rat on the way down. Here I come, Rat. I'm coming down the steps right now. Stay hid.

Instead of skittering sounds, she heard strange clicking noises coming from the sweet potato bin. She froze halfway down and tried to make sense out of what she heard. Hal decided there was no way to know until she looked at the trap. She clamped her right hand over her mouth as she eased over to the bin and peered in. A healthy, beady-eyed rat, the size of a small kitten, repeatedly bit the metal cage bars with his sharp teeth. He took one look at her and went ballistic. He tramped over the piece of stale cornbread which he still refused to eat and rushed back and forth. The rodent hesitated just long enough to bite cage bars as he raced.

Hal cringed as she stared at the panicked rat. Now what am I supposed to do? John's busy cleaning out the hay mow for haying season. Johnnie is too little to carry the cage up the stairs with that strong rat bouncing around in it. The girls would refuse if I asked them to help me. I can't say I blame them.

She didn't want to get close enough to the cage to carry it, either, but she didn't have a choice. She caught the nasty creature so she had to get him out of the basement. She assumed that was what John would say if she asked him to come get the trap. One thing was for sure and certain. If John had any other ideas regarding the rat, she wasn't going to be the one to kill it.

Hal picked the cage up by the handle and held it away from her, afraid the rat might bite her through the bars if she let the cage brush against her skirt. She hustled back to the stairs, wanting to get the rat out of the house as fast as she could.

It was unnerving how the rat squealed as loud as a mad sow, trying to say, Let me out of here. A step at a time, Hal eased up the open steps, balancing the trap on each step as the rat made his laps back and forth. The rat could