As we close the books on the last day of 2015, it’s always nice to take a look back at the previous 365. Every year has its ups and downs. I hope yours was overall a good one, and that 2016 is only better. Here on the blog, I’ve collected some favorite posts from the previous year. In this case “favorite” means either highly-viewed, highly-commented, or simply ones…
On several previous occasions we’ve looked at photos taken in Amish homes, including an Ohio home as well as a farmhouse in New York state. But we haven’t seen a lot of video footage from inside Amish homes. However I recently came across the below video taken in what appears to be a Lancaster County Amish home. In this two-and-a-half minute video, the Amishman who…
Reader Frank shares a few photos from a recent visit to Holmes County, Ohio. No snow in these shots, but lots of nice views. Frank also passes along two anecdotes demonstrating the friendly community feel of the area. If you’ve ever spent time in Holmes County, home to over 30,000 Amish people, you won’t be surprised: While shopping at Hershberger’s Store outside Berlin, an elderly gentleman explained to…
With December 25th around the corner, it’s the perfect time to look at how Amish observe Christmas. Contributor Rebecca Miller, member of an Ohio Amish church, shares with us five ways her own family celebrates Christ’s birth (the ways Amish people observe the season may vary). How Do The Amish Celebrate Christmas? I have been asked this question numerous times, and as with any other…
It’s been over five years since my Amish business book (Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive) was released, and it’s neat to still bump into people who’ve read it or at least heard of it 🙂 I recently met someone in the latter group from Portugal, of all places. In a nutshell, I interviewed 60 Amish entrepreneurs and then distilled their wisdom…
Do young Amish men drive motor vehicles? For most non-Amish adolescents, acquiring a license at age 16 or thereabouts–usually followed by a beater of a car–is an assumed rite of passage. For Amish youth–many of whom enjoy freedoms similar to that of non-Amish during their “running around” years–the choice is not so obvious. While it’s safe to say the majority do not, more than a few…
This story at pennlive.com is a couple of weeks old, but since we’ve covered the Amish and exercise before, it’s worth circling back to. Leroy Stoltzfus is a 22-year-old Amish man who did something remarkable–ran a marathon in an impressive 3 hours and 5 minutes–dressed in full Amish garb. I am an amateur runner, and this sounds completely miserable to me. Running long distances is hard…
What happens in an Amish community at Thanksgiving? Today Don Burke takes us through the Amish community at Clark, Missouri to give us an outside visitor’s perspective. These photos were actually taken over Thanksgiving in 2014 (see Don’s full sets here and here). I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Day from a Passerby’s Perspective It is an autumn day, late in the…
Most Amish speak a dialect known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch as their primary language. It’s generally not used as a written tongue, though that doesn’t mean it’s not written, in one form or another, from time to time. And so today we have a list of terms for you to guess (or if you know PA Dutch already, this should be pretty easy). Ohio…
News came last week of another financial scandal involving Amish investors as victims. According to the federal lawsuit, Earl D. Miller began recruiting investors in 2008 to join a number of investment vehicles, despite having no experience in fund management. The Goshen, Indiana resident is accused of “misrepresentations that Miller raised at least $3.9 million from at least 70 investors, but repeatedly lied to prospective investors.” According…