[ALMOST] OLDER THAN DIRT

Ed at 95

Well, Ed Swartzendruber really isn't older than dirt, but having been born in 1916, he is older than a lot of things in today's world, some of which are in a PowerPoint at the end of this post.  Not too many folks are 65, have a sibling who is 5 years older, and have two active parents who are 93 and 95 - so I am quite privileged to be such a person.  I am in Indiana at my parents home in Goshen, and today we had a lunchtime birthday celebration at EDDS Supplies in Shipshewana; EDDS is an agricultural fertilizer company that Ed founded along with a couple of other of his friends, most notably the late Ellsworth Fanning.  

After lunch, I asked Ed some questions about his younger years - here are some of the highlights:

Grandparents:  Solomon and Katie Swartzendruber Swartzendruber

                         Daniel and Lydia Hostetler Shetler

Parents:            Joseph and Emma Shetler Swartzendruber

Siblings:           Walter [deceased]

                        Omar [deceased]

                       {Edward Glen}

                        Bill [deceased]

                        Alma

                        Paul [deceased]

                        Bess

                        Claude

Ed was born at home on the farm near Bayport, Michigan.  One of his early memories of Grandma Swartzendruber was going up to her to find the mints that she would wrap up in her apron.  Most of the mints were white and it was very special to get pink one.  Another early memory is of Dan's barn - it had a funnel mounted in the corner with a drain through the wall to the outside - for peeing!  Ed attended Snell school for grades one through eight, and the Kilmanagh school for grades 9 and 10.  He walked to Snell and got a bike to ride to Kilmanagh.  Both schools were two rooms with 'outdoor plumbing.'  He likes to say that he was the top student in his class, and then adds that there were only four in his class.  He took grades 4 and 5 during one year, and thus when he had to quit school after the 10th grade, he was only 14.  The reason for quitting - Joe said "You need to be a farmer."  Ed has a real talent in mathematics and had dreams of perhaps being a physician, but a farmer he became.

Joe and Emma moved from Iowa to the Michigan Thumb as did Dan and Lydia and Solomon and Katie Sol was a Bishop and Dan was a Deacon at the Pigeon River Conservative Mennonite Church, but Ed and the family left that church when Ed was about 9 and joined the more 'liberal' Berne Mennonite Church.  One of the reasons was probably the tent revival meetings of S.G. Shetler who drew up a blackboard chart for the children to show who would be going to heaven and who would be going to hell.  And for the boys, the hell-bound were those who wore neckties, wore white socks, and had long hair, and for the girls it was short hair and sleeves that didn't cover your elbows that would buy you a ticket to eternal damnation.  At the urging of Joe, Ed joined the Berne church at 13, which he still believes is too young to make such a decision - a good Anabaptist perspective!

Ed and his brother worked mightily to make their 125 acre farm productive.  They raised wheat, oats, corn, beans, sugar beets and hay, and they had a pasture for the milk cows and steers, plus space for their hogs and chickens.  The garden would also produce potatoes, beans, and many other vittles.  After working hard on the farm, Ed went to work at the Maust Market as a butcher.  In 1939, Ed married Mary Aschliman, and they started the marriage journey that now is in its 73rd year.  Due to the onset of WWII, Ed left the butcher shop and returned to farming.

In 1943, Joe decided to leave the Thumb for Goshen.  He bought the Byler farm south of Goshen and a home north of Goshen, and Ed, Mary and 3-year-old Kay followed in 1944.  They drove a car and pulled a 4-wheeled farm wagon loaded with all of their belongings - slow going!  Eds bought a farm on US 33 southeast of Goshen, which is where I spent my first few years.  In 1950, they sold the farm, and Ed and some colleagues started EZ Gas.  We moved into New Paris, to a home that was owned by my mother's parents, Sam and Anna Plank Aschliman.  Soon thereafter, Ed bought Joe's Byler farm at CR 27 and 40, and would farm there for over 50 years.  

There are many more stories to tell, but they will have to wait for another time.  Here are some of the things that Ed is Older Than [a document prepared by Ed's grandson Douglas Aaron Swartzendruber - sorry DA - a lot of the graphics/text did not make the conversion].  An intact version can be found here.

SUNDAY SONG

My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging,
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?

CAIRNS

Everyone needs cairns to guide their paths, both literally and figuratively.  Many cairns can be found along hiking trails high in the Rocky Mountains.  One of my favorite set of cairns marks the path up the back side of Pikes Peak.  The trail starts from the Crags, and once above timberline, there are a series of cairns that guide you to the Eyebrow where the trail then heads over to the Devil's Playground and on up to the Summit.

Pikes Peak Cairns

Cairns can also be a playful display of talent and artistic ability:

Boulder Creek Cairns

Cairns can also be used to mark special places:

The Wiz At His Favorite Spot Along Barr Trail

There are many figurative cairns - family, friends, colleagues, nature, faith, reason - what are your cairns?

AIKIN BANZO

One way to sustain our memories of relatives and friends who have passed away is to retell the stories that they shared with us.  This is among my favorites, as told by one of my best of friends Ron Wisner.

"After graduating from college, I joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Niger.  Although my French was pretty good, I had to work hard on my Hausa.  Because I love to run, I of course took along my running shoes and appropriate attire.  Soon after arriving in the country, I hopped the fence and headed down a country road for a long run.  I passed many folks - workers in fields, folks tending livestock and people carrying various things on their way to and from the village.  Several times I heard people call out what sounded like a friendly greeting - "aikin banzo." So when I returned to my home-away-from-home, I mentioned to one of my native co-workers that several folks had greeted me with a salutatory "aikin banzo" that I had taken as a Hausa "hello."  My friend smiled and held back a chuckle.  He informed me that it was not a greeting but rather a commentary on my running - "aikin banzo" translates as 'worthless work'."

So, whenever I encounter chores that seem like worthless work, I invoke Ron's story about aikin banzo.

CHEMICALS ALL RUSHING THROUGH MY BLOODSTREAM

Busy Brain raises an interesting point in his comment re David Gray's lyrics, particularly the line in this post's title from Babylon.  [Hey BB - the song is about modern Babylon!!].  Admittedly, the thoughts conjured by "chemicals rushing through my bloodstream" are disconcerting. However, I have to think about Gray's reference versus the general status of chemicals in the blood stream.  Of course all of us depend on the natural chemicals in our bloodstream that sustain life, so we will not dwell on that.  What I am thinking of is myriad chemicals that  many US folks put into themselves on a regular basis, and I will start with me:

Generic naproxin for minor knee and elbow pain;
Generic aspirin which supposedly helps the circulatory system and other biological processes;
Caffeine that helps the wake up call and may have other beneficial effects;
Ethanol that in moderation is supposedly good for you!

Now - what about other things that folks have rushing through their bloodstreams?

Too much sugar - just look at the epidemics of obesity and diabetes rampant in the US;
Too much alcohol - destroys the liver and kills innocent people;
Nicotine and dozens of other chemicals, most of which have serious adverse biological effects;
Viagra and other such chemicals - nearly 100% needless;
Lipotor and related chemicals - making drug companies rich without having much effect on health;
THC, meth, cocaine and countless other illegal drugs with serious negative effects;
Countless drugs intended to relieve the signs and symptoms of decades of bad habits.

And the list goes on - I think you get the picture.

DAVID GRAY

Wednesday evening was quite memorable.  I caught the BX to Denver and got to the 16th Street Mall at about 5:30.  Nick and I met up there and went to the new Tap House Grill on the Mall for dinner and of course a couple of brewski's [Wyncoop's pale ale].  But the real reason for our meeting up was to go to a David Gray concert at the Ellie Caulkin's Opera House. We noted that the crowd appeared to be a mixture of young hipsters, urban sophisticates, and old foggies like me.  There was a dearth of tatted up and pierced folks.

The concert was scheduled for 7:30, but as per usual, there was an opening artist Lisa O'Neill who played for about 20 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes to prepare for the main event. David and his band started playing shortly before 8:30. And they played straight through with minimal chit-chat until about 10:30.  David did not introduce the band members until the end in a quick nearly inaudible fashion, but this is the probable lineup:

Rob Malone - Bass guitar, double bass and other strings and vocals
Neill MacColl - Guitar, mouth organ, mandolin and vocals
Keith Pryor - Drums and other percussion and vocals
James Hallaway - Keyboards and vocals
Unknown Female - Cello, viola, percussion and vocals

While all of these folks are highly talented musicians, clearly David Gray is the well-deserved focus of the group.  His musical skills on keyboard and guitar, song-writing abilities and truly amazing vocals make him most worthy of being a star.  I am not sure how he sustains such a high-energy performance for two hours without a break and only a swig or two of water.  He is a unique talent.  I could not find a playlist for his Denver concert, but here is what Nick remembers:  

Alibi, Babylon, Davey Jones' Locker, Flame Turns Blue,
Forgetting, Foundling, From Here You Can Almost See the Sea, Fugitive,
Holding On, Kathleen, Lately, My Oh My, Nemesis, Only the Wine, Sail
Away, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Shine, The One I Love, and This Year'sLove.  

Some of my most favorite tunes were from his White Ladder album, which is near the top of the list of my all-time favorite albums, including My Oh My,  This Year's Love, Sail Away, Say Hello Wave Goodbye [in the encore] and Babylon, a song that goes back to his roots.

Friday night I'm going nowhere
All the lights are changing green to red
Turning over TV stations
Situations running through my head
Looking back through time
You know it's clear that I've been blind
I've been a fool
To open up my heart
To all that jealousy, that bitterness, that ridicule

Saturday I'm running wild
And all the lights are changing red to green
Moving through the crowd I'm pushing
Chemicals all rushing through my bloodstream
Only wish that you were here
You know I'm seeing it so clear
I've been afraid
To show you how I really feel
Admit to some of those bad mistakes I've made

If you want it
Come and get it
Crying out loud
The love that I was
Giving you was
Never in doubt
Let go your heart
Let go your head
And feel it now
Let go of your heart
Let go of your head
And feel it now
Babylon, Babylon, Babylon

Sunday all the lights of London
Shining , Sky is fading red to blue
Kicking through the Autumn leaves
And wondering where it is you might be going to
Turning back for home
You know I'm feeling so alone
I can't believe
Climbing on the stair
I turn around to see you smiling there
In front of me

And if you want it
Come and get it
Crying out loud
The love that I was
Giving you was
Never in doubt
Let go of your heart
Let go of your head
And feel it now
Let go of your heart
Let go of your head
And feel it now
Let go of your heart
Let go of your head
And feel it now
Let go of your heart
Let go of your head
And feel it now

Babylon, Babylon, Babylon

And Rachel, David did sing your favorite - The One I Love



Gonna close my eyes
Gonna watch you go.
Running through this life, darling
Like a field of snow.
As the tracer glides in its graceful arc,
Send a little prayer up to you
cross the falling dark.

Tell the repo man, and the stars above.
That you're the one I love. Yeah.

Perfect summer's night
not a windy breeze.
Just the bullets whispering gentle
amongst the new green leaves.
These things I might have said
only wish I could
Now I'm leaking life faster
than I'm leaking blood.

Tell the repo man, and the stars above.
That you're the one I love, you're the one I love, the one I love.

Don't see elysium
Don't see no fiery hell.
Just the lights all bright baby in the big hotel.
Next wave coming in, like an ocean rock.
Won't you take my hand darling
on that old dance floor?

We can twist and shout,
do the turtle dove,
and the you're the one I love. You're the one I love, the one I love.

And Nick's favorite - From Here You Can Almost See The Sea 

Come the weekend
And well long gone baby
Just like the old days
Lettin' the world flow through me
 
Just a parasite in the line
I'm smokin' killin' the time
How longs a piece of a twine?
What use is sympathy?
 
From here you can almost see the sea
 
If you would hold still
Could make a clean incision
We could sit back
And watch the demolition
 
Little puppy dog in a box
Somebodys pickin' the locks
Must want the darn from the socks
Here comes the cavalry
 
From here you can almost see the sea
Just another fool in a line
 
I dream of high clouds
Flushed with the light of daybreak
I'm gonna dive in to a water so cold
It makes your bones ache
 
Fingers knees and knuckles scraped
All of the rubbish heaped
A piece of cardboard taped
Up where the bedroom window pane used to be
 
From here you can almost
From here you can almost see the sea
Just another fool in a line
Just another fool in a line
 
I saw a film once
Where all the air holes froze up
A killer whale swam
Under the blue ice 'til her heart stopped

Thanks Nick for thinking of me when you spotted that David Gray was coming to Denver - special.