Dialing long distance
Giving new meaning to the term? From the Lagrange County IN Amish settlement. More on the Amish phone.
Amish Culture
Amish Shoe Repair
I have a favorite pair of shoes. They’re cold-weather hikers, originally waterproof but after a few years of use, not so much anymore. That’s not the problem, though, as apparently a tiny hole has appeared, somewhere, in the sole (where exactly, I haven’t been able to determine). Â However it lets enough water in that walking around on a rainy day or on wettish pavement soon…
Bridging an Arkansas Amish community
Here’s a neat story I missed during Christmas, worth taking a look back at. A couple reasons why–one, it’s about an Arkansas Amish community–and you don’t hear too much about Amish in Arkansas, owing to the small size and remoteness of the Natural State Amish population.  Two, it ties in with an issue we discussed earlier this week–challenges created by obstacles like busy roads running through Amish…
Do Amish people ever remarry?
Mona asks: How do the older people date/marry after a spouse dies? Or even the younger spouses who may lose a spouse to an accident, etc.? Divorce is taboo in the Amish church, but Amish people do fairly often remarry after a spouse dies. If you look through an Amish publication like The Diary for instance, you can find a monthly record of marriages, with several…
Amish and electric washers
I recently heard that a number of Amish in the Lancaster County community have begun using regular electric washers (like any English home might have, except powered by the diesel generator). With the widely-used wringer washers (ie, the old Maytag style), the clothes are still pretty wet when you finish. Â Using a regular washer, the spin cycle forces a lot of that extra water out,…
When was the last time you used a pay phone?
This photo was taken in the New Wilmington PA Amish settlement. I’ve mentioned before how I’m no big fan of cell phones. Â That said, they sure are handy to have on hand when you actually need to talk to someone. The pay phone is one of those things, like the roadside diner and the family radio, that seem destined to become a quaint relic of…
Modesty Appreciated
A sign you often see outside Amish shops. This one is from the North Carolina Amish community at Union Grove. Are Plain businesses the only places where “modesty is appreciated” anymore? Asheville, NC Amish Furniture
NY Amish barn raising
Reader Roberta shares a photo of a barn raising she attended a couple weeks ago in a New York Amish community: This took place in the vicinity of Newport, which is in Herkimer County.  Roberta adds: They started on Wednesday morning. There are about a hundred men involved. Most came in buggies but a few got rides. Since they don’t want their pictures taken, we…
Amish Making Apple Butter
The picture above was taken at an Amish farm in Hardin County, Ohio (we’ve mentioned this settlement already this summer, see the unusual buggy post). Can you guess what’s happening here? The family only does this once a  year.  Luckily, that was the day I stopped by! UPDATE: if you guessed apple butter, well done! See below in the comments for a bit more background…
How do Amish women put up their hair?
Amish Workshops has posted a great look at the process Amish women go through to pin up their hair.  The article features over 2 dozen photos illustrating the procedure. Amish women don’t display their hair for Biblically-based reasons. They also do not cut their hair, pinning it all up underneath a kapp, or prayer covering. When I posted this article on the Amish America Facebook…