…is the title of the hymn we sang the other morning after breakfast at Abe’s. Abe and his wife Sarah like to sing a song and read a chapter from the Bible before starting the day. The Amish enjoy music. Last Wednesday, Daniel was out late at a singing at a neighbor’s. Amish men get together, usually once a week, to practice the high German…
Amish school gets the job done. At the same time, the kids have a blast. After hearing about some of the stuff they get to do, I think I’m ready to re-enroll in fifth grade. On Friday Daniel and Mary’s kids had a spelling quiz (not fun), and made gingerbread houses (fun and tasty). An excited Lizzie described an unfortunate scooter collision on the way…
Well, despite the inclement weather, I managed to get up to Lancaster County and to my friends ‘Daniel’ and ‘Mary’, where I’ll be staying the next few days. The last hour-and-a-half or so, from the PA line onward, was pretty hairy, as snow and ice accumulation made driving tricky. I pulled in late Tuesday night to Daniel’s, happy and relieved to see the kitchen gas-lamp…
I just cracked into my mail (I often get my US mail at my parents’ address, and collect it when I visit), and found a Christmas card from ‘Jake’ and ‘Suvilla’, Amish friends in Ohio. Jake included a two-page letter to get me up to date with what’s been going on since my last visit. In true Amish-letter fashion, he starts out with a fairly…
The ubiquitous Amish phone box (also known as the “phone shanty” or “phone shack”) can be found on patches of Amish-owned land in settlements across the country. These first two particular crude-looking versions are from the New Wilmington, Pennsylvania settlement, and look to be coin-operated. This is the Amish phone booth, so to speak. Other Amish employ a more sophisticated system where each user has…
One thing that I admire about the Amish is the value they place in maintaining a spirit of humility. When the idea comes up in conversation that the Amish are getting something right—for example, by the way that they live or the values they profess and adhere to–they are usually quick to deflect attention, reminding that ‘human nature is universal’, or that ‘we’re human too.’ …
People often assume that the Amish, whom we think of as a people ‘in tune with nature’ and ‘close to the earth’ (which to some degree may be true, whatever those phrases actually mean) are strictly all-natural when it comes to the food they raise. In fact, on most Amish farms pesticides are put to use. Organic farming is something that is catching on in…
I quite liked this story on a Sugarcreek, Ohio man who was raised Amish and is now planning to attend medical school at Ohio State (no longer online). Obviously, it’s not typical for someone who only went through eight grades to have such high educational goals. In fact, Andy Yoder completed his GED and is now finishing his final semester at Goshen College in Indiana….
Some Amish dairymen still use the old-style milk containers to transport their milk, as seen in this photo taken in Swartzentruber Amish country in Ohio. Lancaster Amish are allowed to use mechanical milkers, which has helped to allow that particular community to retain a relatively high percentage of functioning dairies. Amish barns will have a special tank to store the milk, and to cool and…
A little piece of an interview with an Ohio Old Order Amish friend, ‘Leon’, speaking back in September of sports, cars and other matters adolescent: ‘When we first started we were 18-and-under’ Leon explains, talking about his softball team, ‘and we won the state of Ohio tournament, went down to Texas, and won the world tournament–Amish guys, Amish boys, 18-and-under.’ ‘I think I was 22…