An interesting piece just out from Lovina Eicher, an Amish mother of eight who writes the Lovina’s Amish Kitchen column. This week, Lovina shares an hour-by-hour account of a typical day: 3:00 a.m. Alarm rings—time to get up and pack husband Joe’s lunch, fill his water jug with ice and water, make a pot of coffee, etc. 3:45 a.m. Joe’s ride is here to go work in…
This is a story about Dinky’s Auction House in the Amish settlement in Daviess County, Indiana. It contains an intriguing detail which goes largely unexplained. There is a photo showing a buggy described as the “First Air Conditioned Top Buggy” (below). So this is something I’ve never heard of before. We’ve discussed heating in buggies. We have seen solar-powered buggies. But the air-conditioned buggy is…
NBC Left Field has produced a video report on the Amish relationship with technology. They interview Sherry Gore as the main contributor to the piece. You might remember Sherry as the author of Taste of Pinecraft among other publications. She is a member of an Amish Mennonite church, and lives part-time in the Pinecraft Amish & Mennonite community of Sarasota, Florida. In the clip below, Sherry…
Mark Louden is a linguist, educator, and author of Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language. Mark recently answered some questions on Pennsylvania Dutch. We’ve got that interview for you today, plus a chance to win a copy of his book (the contest has now ended – you can find the winner here). If you’ve ever wondered about things like how close PA Dutch is…
Last month we explored 5 common features of the most conservative Amish communities. Today let’s have a look at 5 things found in the more progressive Amish communities. The term “progressive” comes with a caveat, as the word can refer to different things. For instance this could mean materially progressive – meaning allowing higher levels of technology, or, we could mean progressive in a religious sense….
How do Amish keep their homes warm? How do they dry laundry in winter? What kinds of cold weather activities are popular? And what’s the hardest thing about Amish life when the mercury drops? In today’s Q-and-A, Marie Graber, raised Amish in the Jamesport, Missouri community, answers these and other questions. Don Burke interviews Marie, and contributes some great photos taken in several settlements including…
TIME Magazine has an article called “Amish People Stay Healthy in Old Age. Here’s Their Secret.” It starts with some interesting info I’d never seen before: The average American life expectancy is currently just under 79 years. Back in 1900, it was only 47, but for early–20th century Amish it was already greater than 70. I don’t know the source of this, but let’s take…
Lancaster County now has its first two Pennsylvania Dutch medical interpreters. They are Amish-raised Crist Beiler, an RN at Lancaster General Hospital, and Lydia Nolt, a medical liaison and member of an Old Order Mennonite church. Both were recently certified by their institutions. A big part of their work is reducing anxiety, especially in children (Amish children below school age typically have varying degrees of English…
With Amish found in over 500 locations across North America, you have a decent chance of stumbling across a community while on the road (assuming you stay off the interstate). Don Burke had this happen on a recent road trip when he came upon an unexpected settlement in northeastern Ohio. He shares his passing visit to the Andover settlement, along with some photos in today’s…
To me, the Harvey hurricane and flooding disaster feels like it was ages ago, but it’s only been about five months. Of course, for those still dealing with the aftermath, the hurricane’s catastrophic effects are clear and present every day. Harvey displaced over 30,000 people and left $125 billion in damage, a figure comparable to the 2005 Katrina storm. Thankfully, material support has poured in…