· Final Episode (#16) · Deputy Tom Jennings and Yackel, his K-9 patrol dog, pulled into Adam and Rosannah Yoder’s driveway with the latest news. The German sheperd was in the backseat with the rear windows slightly down, his nose pressed to the vented window. Yackel von Baerenzwinger either recognized the farmstead or a familiar scent. Two children playing in front of the house spotted the patrol car and ran inside to safety. Seconds later, their father, Adam, opened the front door as he … [Read more...] about Deputy Jennings Tells a Story
Deputy Tom Jennings
Road and Bridge Department
· Episode 4 · In an earlier episode, Deputy Tom Jennings was assigned to investigate a theft of soil from a county ditch. The call to 911 had come from a Road and Bridge employee. Upon the deputy’s arrival, he discovered it was only an Amish women recovering her eroded garden soil after a heavy rain. Even though Jennings considered the theft call ridiculous, he questioned the woman and collected information for a case. He decided to make a report so that the facts would speak for … [Read more...] about Road and Bridge Department
Deputy Jennings Apologizes
· Episode 3 · Previously, in Episode 2 (Deputy Jennings and the Black Buggies), Jennings worried if the Old Order Amish were upset with him for his response to a 911 call. * Rosannah knew everyone, even the babies. She watched as the familiar buggies moved up the driveway and parked by the barn. Tractors stopped on the shoulder of the road as if they were prepared to participate in a farm auction. Like marching soldiers, a few teenage boys carried rakes and shovels over their … [Read more...] about Deputy Jennings Apologizes
Deputy Jennings and the Black Buggies
· Episode 2 · Previously, in Episode 1 (Topsoil, the Story: Deputy Tom Jennings Meets Rosannah Yoder), Deputy Tom Jennings responded to a 911 call to investigate theft of soil from a county ditch. Upon arrival, he met resident Rosannah Borntrager Yoder. * Driving his horse and buggy, Jacob Yoder arrived at the scene of the so-called crime. He and his wife, Anna, carried a buggy-full of grandchildren—five of them belonging to Rosannah and Adam. Anna held the youngest in her arms. All … [Read more...] about Deputy Jennings and the Black Buggies
Topsoil, the Story
· Introduction to Topsoil · A friend of mine shared one of her concerns by posting it on Facebook. Here’s a portion of that post: “The ditches are being dug out along the county road by our house, and I’m seeing many truckloads of soil being trucked away to who-knows-where. Things like this should probably not bother me, but I feel sorry for the farmers of the adjacent fields who lost all that topsoil and will never see it again.” After additional interactive posts by other people on the … [Read more...] about Topsoil, the Story
Cottonwood County, Kansas
Let Them Eat Cake Tom Jennings was all riled up. Against his doctor’s advice, he continued to watch the news, search for news, and read the newspaper. His blood pressure spiked at each sitting. News! The doctor had also told him to lose weight, cut down on fatty food, and to exercise. Until then, as long as the national news was so confrontational, so divisive, he should just read a good nonpolitical book or listen to elevator music. As usual, Tom did what he wanted—selective listening. … [Read more...] about Cottonwood County, Kansas
