Amish, at least the ones I run into, always seem to like sharing. Besides the stick-to-your-ribs meals and cool drinks of water, I always seem to be getting takeaways from Amish friends–homemade wine, books,gourds, inspirational CDs for the car. Yesterday’s haul comes in the middle of canning season, following a bumper crop of tomatoes–a jar each of homemade ketchup and salsa. ‘Ervin’, my friend and…
My two-month excursion in Lancaster County is over. I’m back in Ohio now. Lancaster was a fantastic experience but now that I’m back here, I’m reminding myself why Holmes County is perhaps my favorite of all Amish settlements. Holmes County is more diverse, (much) more rural, arguably a smidgen more beautiful, and I guess I just have known more people here for longer so that…
Lancaster County has some amazing stone barns. Many of these barns are owned by Amish. One of my customers let me take a few shots of his. I love the scents and sights and the whole feeling of being inside one of these old barns. The pungent hay strewn across the floor; mustiness countered by fresh breeze blowing in through open barn doors. The nooks…
I was invited by one of my customers to attend Amish church tomorrow. We’re going to meet at the farm and buggy over to the neighbor’s where it’s being held this week. Church is consistently held at 8, standard time, which these days means 9 am. I’m looking forward to the fellowship and food. I asked what to wear–‘Amos’ suggested regular Sunday attire. ‘Unless you…
Selling books to the Amish is a pretty cool job. I’m doing my deliveries now. I had about 270 Amish families get books from me this summer. So it’s been a busy week. As I was leaving one family earlier today, the dad looked at me and said ‘we’re going to think about you when we read them’. And I think that hearing that is…
‘A hog farmer and a teacher!!’ Hog farms are few and far between in Lancaster dairyland, and hog farmers who deal with Amish ‘ninth-graders’ on a regular basis even fewer. Perhaps that’s why ‘Ephraim’ nearly shouted at me in glee when describing his odd occupational mix. He’s been handling vocational school duties for his area for twenty years now. You can tell he enjoys it….
This one goes back a couple years, but really surprised me when i first found it. An English-language Polish weekly, the Warsaw Voice, reported back in 2000 that a few families, apparently of an Amish or Mennonite persuasion, had settled in a village not far from the capital. The arrival of the families apparently caused quite a stir: one villager ‘ran from house to house…
This week while selling books in Lancaster County, I met ‘Abe’ and ‘Anna Ruth’, an excommunicated Amish couple, kicked out, they said, for promoting the idea of assurance of salvation. While they still attended their local church services, lived and dressed ‘Amish’, they had lost full membership and were presumably under the Bann. Amish believe that all we can do is do our best to…
Lancaster County is home to many covered bridges. Around 1500 were built in Pennsylvania during the 19th century. Over 200 remain, more than in any other state. Lancaster has the most of any county in the state. Why the cover? A handy spot to park your buggy during a rainstorm? Sure, but apparently the main purpose is to protect the structure of the bridge and…
I always seem to have neat things happen to me during the week as I’m working. I try to make a note of them for posts like this one. Last week I was treated to a rendition of the Noah’s Ark song (sung to the tune of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, by five sisters, ages fifteen to two. I’d heard the Amish sing from…