In our latest video, Marlene Lehman of Plain & Simple shares a collection of homemade crafts. And, she explains how two of them are made. The first one, “seed bombs”, I had never heard of before. But what a neat, simple idea. I like the idea of sending these organic gifts in letters. I also ask Marlene to explain how long it takes to make…
In this video Ben answers two viewer/reader questions – on why Amish don’t fly in planes, and on Amish in Florida. We also touch on why Amish in his community (Lancaster County) mostly use only scooters – but not bicycles. This puzzles people especially since Amish in Lancaster County generally are among the most progressive when it comes to technology. While Amish in other major…
Stories of Amish and Mennonite people doing outreach projects pop up often in the news. This one caught my eye for a couple of reasons. One is the place where they did the work. But the main reason has to do with how they commemorated the experience. Fixing up a “Deaf Camp” The Amish and Mennonites in this story helped repair what’s called in the…
That’s a scary-looking photo above. Luckily, all made it out okay – including the horse. The Conway, Missouri Volunteer Fire Department rescued a buggy full of Amish Sunday when their vehicle was engulfed by a flood. The Conway area is home to a small Amish settlement. Here is the report via ky3.com: According to the Conway Volunteer Fire Department, they had two water rescues this…
The past several weeks have seen a rash of burglaries targeting Amish stores, as well as non-Amish churches in western Pennsylvania. This is one in Mercer County, one of the “Amish supercounties“, having a half-dozen separate settlements. The community is apparently the one at Jackson Center, a settlement of about 800 Amish people. The Sharon Herald reports on what has been going on: From mid-May…
A landmark Lancaster County hotel destroyed in a gas explosion in December is making a comeback. Lancaster Online reports that the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn has “raised the roof” on its new building: Bird-in-Hand Family Inn began a “barn raising” Tuesday to rebuild hotel rooms and an office damaged in a Dec. 18 explosion. Weather permitting, workers from Upper Leacock Township-based Beechdale Builders will finish framing…
Here’s a home from the Amish community in Vevay, down in southern Indiana on the Kentucky border. There are actually two Amish settlements in the vicinity of Vevay, but this is the Swiss Amish one. Swiss Amish can vary in how conservative they are, with some that are very plain, and some that don’t appear that plain at all, but retain plain elements like outhouses….
After our look at an Amish buggy which sold for $18,400 at an auction in Gratz, PA, Jerry is back with a second buggy from the same event – this one for “only” $15,000. What makes this one different, and almost 20% cheaper? Jerry explains: “The second buggy sold was a step down in components. It featured a drum braking system and “rubber O” suspension.”…
This sad news arrived several days ago. Via cleveland19.com: ROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) – An 18-month-old Amish girl drowned in a pond on her family’s Rome Township property, the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The girl’s mother found her in the Dodgeville Road pond after she went missing for about 15 minutes, ACSO said. ACSO stated lifesaving measures were performed after she was taken out…
In our latest conversation, I spoke with Marlene Lehman about her favorite Amish-style dishes. She named several that I’d never heard of before, including: 1. Salad Dressing Cake Salad Dressing Cake uses Miracle Whip. And that’s how it gets its odd name. I admit when I heard “salad dressing cake” I first thought of Ranch or Vinagrette or Thousand Island dressing…not exactly my idea of…