I spent the day yesterday in Torun, home of Polish astronomer Nicolas Copernicus.  Poles come out strong for their national heroes and even after 500 years there is definitely a lot of local pride for this medieval mold-breaker, with statues, museums, and the university named for the famed herald of heliocentrism.  Torun, I have to [...]

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The ten largest Amish settlements, by number of church districts, as of 2009: 10. Allen County, Indiana (Founded 1852; 19 church districts).  This Amish settlement located to the north of Fort Wayne is a Swiss-ethnicity community.  Open buggies are driven here;  the construction trade is popular.  Allen County Amish homes are often built of red [...]

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Smyrna, Maine Amish photo: localism.com Maine is a state that has never had a significant Amish presence.  Maine currently has 3 settlements of one church district each.  Bangor Daily News features an article today about a new Maine Amish community, recently formed by Amish from Kentucky, Missouri, and a settlement in Smyrna in the northern [...]

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Most Amish homes have a sizable basement.  The basement is an important part of the typical Amish home for a number of reasons.  The basement of course makes a good storage area.   Amish families often keep their stores of canned goods in the basement. The basement also offers living space.  Amish in warmer climes may [...]

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Success Made Simple is the first practical business guide based on Amish ideas. 9,000 Amish businesses thrive throughout North America.  This book examines why, and what lessons they can offer modern business owners. It reads a bit like this blog does, chock full of anecdotes, stories, and 16 sidebars covering everything from the ‘Amish miracle [...]

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Ohio Amish bishop David Kline is an interesting person.  I’ve known David for a couple of years and fondly recall my last visit to his Ohio farm, and specifically some warm muffins and warmer companionship at the kitchen table.  David is also unusual as an Amish person in that he is a twice-published author. David’s [...]

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Thanks to all who participated in the Amish Peace book giveaway contest.  The contest got a nice response and I hope that if you are not a winner this time, that you’ll check out the book anyway.                                                                                                                                                                                                So, with no further ado, the winner of contest 1 is Jennifer H (congrats!), and contest 2–Robin [...]

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A Joyful Chaos is a blog written by a formerly Amish mother of three.  This is her photo above, which she has shared on her blog, along with some other family photos from her time as a part of the Somerset County, Pennsylvania Amish community. The author discusses the Amish approach to photography and growing [...]

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Contest results soon!

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Lined up in a bicycle rack in front of a barn at an Amish farm is a row of scooters in various sizes and colors–red, blue, and green.  Around four o’clock in the afternoon, Simon Bontrager went looking for his five-year-old son, Reuben, finding him high up in a tree house perched over a stream.  [...]

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