A delightful fun historical novel of a Pa. Dutch family living in Berks Co., Pa. "Sit yoahself down an havea cup'a coffee once't, an a piece a shoofly pie." Meet Arsenic and Peach Schlank and their family and a whole host of endearing "Dutchies." "Life really ain't so simple foah us nomoah, ain't?" says Arsenic to his wife, Peach, as they meet the new challenges of aging "on the other side of the middle." The story is set in 1983 on the Schlank farm near Reading, Pennsylvania, with family members experiencing sudden health problems, sharing and caring as family members adjust, a grandson running away from home, a daughter falling in love with a hospice volunteer, cooking Pa. Dutch foods familiar only to southeastern Pennsylvania, hay-making, ice skating, and fishing. The sequel Further From the Middle (#3326) is available for $12.95. (242pp. Author, 2005.)