Letter From Helen J. Moser to Alfred L. Shoemaker, April 12, 1957

Authors

Helen Moser

Document Type

Correspondence

Files

Date

4-12-1957

Keywords

Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, creameries, cows, milk, dandelion, fuchsia, rhyme

Description

A handwritten letter from Helen J. Moser addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated April 12, 1957. Within, Moser provides some Pennsylvania Dutch dialect stories about creameries as well as a rhyme and information about plants.

Sender

Helen J. Moser

Recipient

Alfred L. Shoemaker

Corresponds to:

Packet 410-54 to 410-55

City

Bally, Pennsylvania

Transcription

April 12th 1957

Bally Pa.

Dear Sir,

The other Sunday you told a story about a good cow having a turnip in her throat maybe it was a true happening too. The following are three happenings not to far from around here.

One farmer used to water the milk so one day he said to his hired help you give the best cow more bran then the others so they poured ½ lb. bran in the top of the wooden pump. Another farmer also watered the milk so much so one evening the stone sitters made out they would play a trick on this farmer so they went to his house and stuffed some rags in the spout of the pump then they called him out of bed “di beshde ku hut de ferstupping” so he got up and went out in the stable looked at all the cows but could not find anything wrong so he went in and before he went in the house he went to the pump for a drink and found that to be his best cow.

Now this one I think is the best one, one night we had a nice warm rain then in the morning when my father came to the creamery there was a team before him unloading the milk it was one of this farmers sons so when he drove away my father pulled up to unload just then the man at the creamery who took in the milk reached in the vat with his hand and then reached it out to my father and said “will gook a mol do” and he had a hand full of rain worms. I don’t believe he strained the milk from the last cow this happened about 30 years ago such were the happenings in the days of the creameries as one creamery man said who took the milk in for years. Yes on Monday morning you find anything in the milk except no kee ditz.

So much for that you asked for the name for the flowers called “ora ring” that is what we called the fushia it is a house plant.

Some one once said dandelion is good for you it cleans your gall.

If someone walks behind you and kicks against your heel you ask “gree ich now en par nia shoe mile do mear se an gemessa husht.”

A rhyme

Ich bin boss un do bisht knecht.

Ich chade deer don arsch un sell is recht.

Thats all for this time.

So-long Your Friend

Helen J. Moser

Bally Pa.

Language

English and Pennsylvania German

Rights Statement

This item is available courtesy of the Ursinus College Library Special Collections Department. It is not to be copied or distributed for commercial use. For permissions which fall outside of educational use, please contact the Special Collections Department.

Recommended Citation

Moser, Helen, "Letter From Helen J. Moser to Alfred L. Shoemaker, April 12, 1957" (1957). Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents. 266.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/shoemaker_documents/266