Do Amish ever live in town? Which musical instruments do Amish play? How old do you have to be to become a bishop? Do Amish ever accept government aid? When do Amish grow a beard? Do Amish ever drive cars? When and why do Amish make exceptions to the Ordnung? How are store-bought Amish quilts different from those in Amish homes? Do Amish ever adopt?…
Vital on-board gear for the open carriage: the heavy-duty umbrella. Handy in shine, or rain. Reader Ed, who took these, says the next two were shot in Smoketown, Pennsylvania, during a, ahem, driving rainstorm: Thanks to Ed for the photos, and the pun. And aren’t you glad your vehicle has a roof?
Last week the Budget was covered in an article in the Wall Street Journal, not the first time the Ohio newspaper has received attention from conventional media. The Journal’s writer explores its folksy appeal, quoting publisher Keith Rathbun, who describes the paper as “like someone talking over the back fence to a neighbor.” Also mentioned in the WSJ piece is one competing publication, Die Botschaft,…
A few weeks ago we passed 30,000 comments on this website. I appreciate all of them (well, almost all of them 🙂 ) and just want to thank each of you who takes the time to share your thoughts with the rest of us. I’m not always able to write a personal response, but nonetheless the comments section remains one of my favorite parts of…
Today we have the conclusion of an Amish father’s talk to a group of youth and parents. In continuing the theme of facing temptation, in this section he examines the importance of church community. You can read the previous parts here: Part 1: Pop Music Part 2: Cell phones & the Internet Part 3: Temptation & Character — In the Rules of a Godly Life…
A reader shares photos today from a festive occasion in northern Indiana. There’s nothing especially Amish about this, except that this park is in a heavily-Amish area of the county, and that Amish attend the event (and by the looks of it, make up a large portion of attendees). I remember passing this park numerous times in my Indiana bookselling days in 2006. I never…
Suzanne Woods Fisher shares a guest post today in promotion of her new book The Letters. As Suzanne explains below, for this book she drew on the story of Monroe Beachy, an Ohio Amish investment manager who pleaded guilty to mail fraud and is currently serving six and a half years in federal prison. This reminded me of another recent, related news item. It’s kind…
From an Associated Press report: An Ohio hospital is fighting to force a 10-year-old Amish girl with leukemia to resume chemotherapy after her parents decided to stop the treatments. Akron Children’s Hospital is appealing a judge’s decision that blocked an attorney who’s also a registered nurse from taking over limited guardianship and making medical decisions for the girl. The hospital believes the girl will die without chemotherapy…
Do you can? Can, you do? Well, Amish certainly do. A little story of last week’s Lancaster trip: We arrived at my friends’ farm home as the sun was going down, right in the middle of a full-bore canning operation. I could tell they had been busy that day. Dozens of jars filled with chopped chicken occupied the kitchen table, while the canner hummed away…
I have been in Lancaster County for the past week, one reason posting has been light lately. This is my third visit this summer; somehow, some way I keep finding reasons to come to Pennsylvania. Unlike previous visits, this one is little work, mostly pleasure. A couple of highlights so far: Historic Zook House Yesterday I took a car full of Zooks and non-Zooks to…