When the going gets tough, sometimes low-tech saves high-tech. The video below was shot last week during heavy snows near Ottawa, Pennsylvania. I doubt either of these guys imagined they’d be doing this when they woke up that morning. Â Hope they ate their Wheaties, but looks like the horses certainly did: (video no longer available) Did you catch the field mouse running for his life…
Did you know that Amish have light switches in their homes? Neither did I. Well, I should say some Amish do have switches that don’t turn anything on. Â For instance, when they buy a home that was previously English-owned, then tear out the electricity, as they’d be expected to do. Â The wall switches remain. Not those. Â I mean a light switch that actually brings light…
One of the highlights of President Obama’s State of the Union speech last night was a call for clean energy. The president put forth a goal: “by 2035, 80% of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.” Â “Clean energy” in this case means “wind and solar…nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas”. To me, that sounds a bit ambitious. Â Solar currently accounts for less than…
The story in the Kalona community is told of the young Old Order Amish woman who was talking to her bishop about the use of the cell phone. The bishop was denouncing its usage, saying it was not in compliance with the rules of the church. As the young lady was expressing her agreement with the bishop’s remarks, her purse rang. — Like most Americans, I have a cell…
A grab-bag of thoughts and stories for the weekend.  Enjoy! Rhymemaster B “Full of action, traction and a lot of satisfaction.”  So replied Amishman “Rhymie Aaron” when asked how he was feeling.  “Rhymie Aaron” was the nickname of Aaron Beiler, who lived most his life in Lancaster County before passing away in 1964.  I recently came across an article about him dating to last year.  Sounds…
Today we have a winner for the New York Amish book contest, and a short excerpt from the book. Thanks to all that participated.  Before announcing the winner I just wanted to let you know about our next giveaway. Amish Grace authors Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher have written a new book called The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World. The…
Amish use banks, checking accounts, and in some cases, credit cards. The drive-thru window comes in handy too. More on the Amish and banks. (photo: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep)
The New Order Amish in Amish society What distinguishes New Order Amish from Old Order Amish? New Order Amish make up only a small percentage of the total Amish population–roughly 3%. New Order Amish live in a number of states, with the largest group found in the Holmes County, Ohio settlement (around 18 church districts, or about 2,400 individuals). Visually, New Order Amish can often…
The usual summer gas hikes have yet to materialize this year. But when they do, we’ll all be thinking how good the Amish must have it, right? This shot from the Ethridge, Tennessee community is a little reminder that Amish use fossil fuels too. It’s been a little light on blogging lately because I have been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work on the blog….
At a talk I gave in Holmes County, at one point one of the Amish entrepreneurs on the 5-man panel expressed concerns over technology. Paraphrasing, he spoke of worries over “kids having the PSP and the Game Boy and half of the boys having cars”.  Having been to a few Amish homes, I can say this is not far off in some communities, where both…