Amish Life

Why do some Amish use scooters, but not bikes? It’s a common question. I’ve never really come across a definitive answer, though have hit upon a theory or two after looking into it. Today at Lancaster Online, Steve Nolt provides an answer. It includes a couple of elements I did not expect. First, some brief […]

Continue Reading Why Do Some Amish Ride Scooters (But Not Bicycles)?

In tragic instances dating back to at least 2004, otherwise healthy Amish boys and girls have died suddenly while playing, with no clear explanation as to why. These cases occurred not in one community, but in multiple states including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, and Iowa. Now, this mystery spanning 15+ years has been solved. Research looking […]

Continue Reading Mystery Of Sudden Cardiac Death In Amish Children Solved

Millie Otto is an Amish woman living in the Arthur, Illinois settlement. I’ve mentioned her here before, including in the “3 Amish Columnists You Might Enjoy” post. From time to time I read her column, which is carried in several news outlets, including the Champaign, IL News-Gazette. She is one of several Amish columnists printed […]

Continue Reading 3 Things I Like About Millie Otto’s Weekly Column

One of the more memorable experiences of my Holmes County visit was an early-morning stop at Indian Trail Harness Shop. Rich Stevick and I were out for a day of visiting. This was our first stop of the day, and a random one (sometimes those are the best). We noticed the place traveling up from […]

Continue Reading Saw Blade Art by Edna Troyer

I’m back now from my multi-week Amish journey, spanning five states. This trip took in everything from palm trees and short sleeves in Florida to a layer of snow on the ground yesterday morning in Pennsylvania. After logging around 3000 road miles, I am ready to kick my feet up for a bit! I planned […]

Continue Reading 8 Snapshots From My Lancaster County Visit

Yesterday in Holmes County, my friend Myron shared the following poem with Rich Stevick and me. Later in the day we shared it with a few more Amish friends, who seemed to like it. I hope you do too. Happy Thanksgiving. I Am Thankful – Poem Of Thanksgiving I am thankful: For the wife Who […]

Continue Reading “I Am Thankful”

We’ve got a winner today of the book Our Amish Values: Who We Are and What We Believe by Lester Beachy. Before we jump to that, I wanted to share one section from the book. If you didn’t catch the original post, it’s a concise book, with great photos of Amish life, in which Beachy […]

Continue Reading Our Amish Values Winner (Plus Section Z on “Zeal”)

A storm struck Monday in Webster County, Missouri, destroying three structures and damaging the home of one Amish family in the community. This would be the Seymour settlement, which is the state’s largest. Predictably, local Amish came together to get the family back on their feet. From ozarksfirst.com: In the barn, according to the homeowner, […]

Continue Reading 100+ Amish Rebuild After Storm Destroys Homestead (Video)

It’s been a little over 2 weeks since the crash that claimed the lives of siblings Caleb, Fannie Mae, and Elizabeth Miller. Last week, Ronald Ramsey, who was driving the vehicle that struck the children’s buggy in Eaton County, Michigan, spoke to media. I can’t help but feel great sympathy for this man. He explains […]

Continue Reading Driver In Michigan Buggy Crash Speaks

In a post last month, I wondered if recently-legalized industrial hemp would become a new Amish cash crop – perhaps replacing controversial tobacco, most often seen grown by farmers in the Lancaster County Amish community. Another article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has shed more light on Amish involvement in hemp cultivation, now essentially in its […]

Continue Reading More On The Amish & Hemp Farming