Mennonite Wife

My wife and I,
at Oak Alley Plantation

My wife's home frozen applesauce

Shari's home canned peaches

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, get a Mennonite girl for a wife.

I didn't grow up Mennonite but my wife did. I don't have pictures to show you everything my wife cooks and bakes, but my five children and five grandchildren can vouch for me, she's the best!  Her homemade pies and cinnamon rolls are ridiculously amazing.  These canned peaches have ruined store bought peaches for me. I will never be able to eat store bought again.

Shari also makes homemade applesauce.  She only will use Yellow Transparent apples for her applesauce, which are hard to find. I've tried applesauce made from other varieties and she is right, they don't compare.  Homemade Bread, crescent rolls, kolaches, homemade caramels and chocolates at Christmastime, "perfect" chocolate cake for birthdays, and numerous other delightful goodies.

Home canned pizza sauce is a family favorite, on her made-from-scratch pizza dough.

You younger fellas should take note, Amish and Mennonite girls know how to bake and cook!

These cinnamon rolls, pictured below, melt in your mouth. They are best eaten right after they come out of the oven.  Just pour a glass of milk or a cup of hot coffee to go with them and you are in paradise!

Pumpkin pies for our family's Thanksgiving dessert
(note the tiny clothesline my daughter painted on our pantry wall)

My wife Shari, preparing cheesy potatoes, yum!

 Grandma cut balogna and cheese with a cookie cutter, in the shape of horses.

How clever is that? (Specially made, for our horse loving granddaughter.)

Our grandchildren often have tea parties and also get to play with this homemade play-dough.

So from my personal point of view... get a Mennonite girl to marry you!

Gift Idea

 Are you looking for a gift for Grandpa or Grandma?  Here's an idea!
Anyone who is interested in the Amish will enjoy this visit to an Amish farm.

This book is 6"x 9"

A book is the perfect gift, because a person can never own too many of them.

Under the Heavens is a story of city boy visiting his Amish relatives on the farm.

Grandpa and Grandma will enjoy a trip down memory lane, and others will enjoy visiting an old-fashioned farm for the first time.

Perfect for horse lovers.

Under the Heavens is about twice the size of old paperbacks and all double-spaced.


Click on the words below to read reviews of Under the Heavens.

Amazon Link and reviews




Or, send a $20 check or money order to:
Amish Horses
P.O. Box 495
Kalona, Iowa 52247   (This offer only valid within the U.S.A)

If you live outside the U.S.A. and want a copy; or for any other questions.
 Email:  amishhorses@outlook.com

We will send you an autographed copy.  In fact, the author Thomas Nye would be happy to personalize your gift.  Just include a the name of your loved one, and something about them and/or what you would like the message to say. Thomas Nye will hand write a personal note on the title page!
Be sure to also include a clearly marked name and address of where the book should be sent, if other than the person to receive the gift.

Horse Pull in Photos

A team of Belgian Pulling Horses, take a rest.

   I like how these two pictures (above and below) show the same horses, with opposite focus.  The top picture shows both horses heads clearly.  Below, everything but the heads are clear. This may be because these horses are completely synchronized; their heads bob together as they stride, and hold still as they push.  Notice how many concrete blocks are on the sled.

This older puller does a great job.  I was visiting with a young Amishman, who was watching the pull beside me.  We liked how this man got his horses to stand quietly and get even before asking them to pull. Then, both horses leaned into their harness gently.  The young Amishman said, "That's the way you want a team to work on the farm."

In my novel, Under the Heavens, I describe a man at a horse pull as a "kind old cowboy."  It so happens, that this is the guy I had in mind while writing.  I've watched him pull horses for years.














Pictured below, is my other favorite horseman at the pull.  This older gentleman sold his team the next day at the Kalona Draft Horse Sale.  Whoever bought them will never regret it.  His horses were not old, but perfectly trained, and showed a lot of heart.  They were the only team at this horse pull not wearing pulling shoes.  Horse Pullers put shoes with cleats on their horses much like a football player might wear, to enable them to get good traction. This old fella isn't a "puller" but a man who uses his horses for a variety of things on the farm, and because they are trained right, they will also pull a big load if asked.  His horses really got in there and dug, pulling as much weight as the others even without cleats.  They pulled all the way through on the second to last pull, after which he very wisely chose to not ask them to pull the final load.  Only one team was able to pull the final load 18 feet. It reminded me of the horse pull in Under the Heavens, Lenny's horses didn't have pulling shoes on either.

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Above and Below, an Amish girl stands near a big team.

The top picture is better of the girl and the bottom of the horses, so I included both.

 

This young Amish girl swung the gate open as teams entered the ring.

She had a smile on her face the whole pull.

Kalona Amish do not attend this horse pull, but Amish who are in town for the Draft Horse Sale often stay for it.  I'm not sure if their home communities are not against horse pulls, or if they are able to take in new sights while on a trip, that seems to be common among Amish.

From Timbuktu to Kalamazoo

A few weeks ago I went from Timbuktu (or should I say, Kalona, Iowa) to Kalamazoo!

That is a saying, right?  Well, my sister lives near Kalamazoo, Michigan and runs a beautiful antique shop named Shiloh Farm. Her store was the first stop on an western Michigan "Arts and Eats" tour.  She asked me to come over and do a book signing that weekend, which I was more than happy to do.

I love to visit my sister anyway, not to mention, staying in her beautiful home and hanging out in her awesome shop.  When I woke up on Sunday morning and looked out the window this what I saw.

She had to unlock her alarm system for me, so I could run out and take more pictures while the sun was just breaking through golden leaves.

If you are ever in the Kalamazoo area, you really should stop by Shiloh Farm ARTiques.   Her store is a mini-museum and she always has copies of my books for sale too!

I just couldn't resist sharing all of these sights with you.  All of these pics were taken on Shiloh Farm.

I realize that she is not Amish, and she doesn't own horses... but I love her anyway.

What a place!

This is a fireplace in my sisters home, she built it herself. Incredible huh? 

I had fun with her grandchildren, seriously... they started it! They were throwing leaves on me, so, turnabout is fair play, right?

Yes, I'm that balding guy, and my sister is standing next to me in a picture below.  We both read dozens of books about Native Americans, without knowing the other was doing the same thing.  Now we pass books back and forth.  It so happens that she was one of the first to read my novel, Under the Heavens, and the first to read book II of the Amish Horses Series, that will be coming out soon.  Watch for the title, Catbird Singing.  She looks for errors and things that may be confusing in my books, her only problem is that she's a little too nice!

My sis, Twila, waves good-bye as I head off from Kalamazoo toward home.