Amos Hertzler is a one-year-old Amish boy who was born with a rare esophageal condition. His story came to public attention last October as his parents were having difficulties raising the funds for the expensive procedure Amos needed. Thankfully, Amos has since had his surgery and now the family is trying to pay off the remaining $60,000 in debt (having already covered $175,000). Last Saturday…
Well overdue, here is our second batch of Amish questions-and-answers. I meant to get to more of these, faster, but as they say “circumstances intervened” 🙂 Thanks for your patience. SharonR: Since the Amish farmers and their neighbors mostly eat farm fresh products, are they generally healthier than the “Englishers”, or have they also fallen to eating “junk” like so many of us Englishers have,…
Now that we’re finally on the right side of the Spring Equinox many of us have our minds on warmer topics. But let’s pause for a moment before diving into spring to think about a technology we often take for granted – refrigeration. Most Amish do use some variety of refrigerator. Amish who don’t typically rely on ice for cooling. Today Tom offers us some…
I often take along my running shoes when I travel to Amish communities. When you’re in the car for long hours and saddled up next to the table for many more, hitting the pavement for a jog becomes a basic necessity. The scenic roads of Lancaster County are popular among recreational athletes. In parts of the County there is almost a steady stream of runners…
Hostetler’s Quilt & Gift Shop Cattaraugus County (Southwestern NY) West off Route 83 between Cherry Creek and Conewango NY on Hunt Road. The shop is on the left side of the road at the top of the hill. Tom shares photos from Hostetler’s Quilt and Gift Shop in the Conewango Valley NY Amish settlement: Says Tom: “Maddy has a bed to display her quilts…
So far: Seeing the Christian Aid meatpacking operation in action. A mobile canning station in a converted tractor trailer travels across North America (13 states and 2 provinces, I was told) stopping in communities (often Plain) where volunteers contribute labor and supplies to prepare and can meat for humanitarian aid purposes. The program has heavy Amish involvement in places like Lancaster and Holmes Counties. Yesterday…
The horse and buggy is the obvious transportation icon of the Amish but the scooter must be the runner up. Though not all Amish use them they are the classic horseless vehicle among the Amish in Lancaster County (where bikes are not really seen) and a number of other communities. Scooters were big a few years back when a scootering craze seemed to hit English…
We have a guest post today from Emma Miller. Though most people raised Amish end up joining an Amish church, a certain percentage for one reason or another do not. Here’s Emma writing about a new organization she’s started for former Amish: I grew up Amish in a small town in Missouri, the 6th child out of 12. I have many fond memories of summer…
Amish are known to be avid birders. As an outdoors activity you can do with family, I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise. This might be the wrong analogy, but I’ve always imagined it as hunting without the guns. I don’t have any statistics but it seems like it is particularly popular among Amish in Ohio. There is even an Amish Bird Symposium next…
Tom continues his New York Amish coverage with some photos of an Amish maple syrup operation in the Randolph, NY area (Conewango Valley Amish community). Says Tom: “I have been in the sugar shack when Eli’s kids and grands are watching and the women are making pancakes and drawing hot syrup out of the pan to pour on the pancakes. The hard work does…