Coming in 2019

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Coming in 2019
         A new novel by Thomas Nye
            Samson and Amish Delilah

A cover "reveal" and "back of the book" info to follow!

Amish Thanksgiving

If you know anything about the Amish, you've learned that they have their own set of holidays.

You won't find Christmas trees or colored lights flashing on an Amish farm.

Many Amish families choose to celebrate "Old Christmas" on January 6th instead of modern America's December 25th.
It's unlikely that you'd see anyone Amish at a 4th-of-July parade or trick-or-treating at Halloween. Instead, Ascension Day and Good Friday are major Amish holidays, something the rest of us Americans almost overlook.

When Celebrate Lit Publishing asked if I'd be interested in writing an Amish Thanksgiving short story for a collection, I began to wonder what Amish do on Thanksgiving.

 I asked a number of Amish and formerly Amish friends how they celebrate Thanksgiving and found that, for the most part, they take time to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal with family. It turns out, this is one American holiday the Amish share with the rest of us. Minus- the after-the-meal football and setting up of a Christmas tree.
Amish families might not spend time watching Christmas movies or football during the "Holiday Season" but they love a good sale as much as anyone! You may notice a few Amish shoppers in an aisle near you this Friday.

Here are a few lines from Love's Thankful Heart  a book with three Amish Thanksgiving stories.

On sale now. .99 cents for an eBook copy.

Thomas Nye's story: Thanksgiving Frolic

Finally, Esther called everyone to the table for the late afternoon meal. The whole family chatted and laughed as they gathered around, squeezing together closely in an effort to fit every member in. When they were finally seated, the talking hushed until the room became filled with silence. Even the smallest children sensed that it was time for prayer.

Instead of saying let's pray, as he usually did, Joe cleared his voice and began to speak. "You know, this accident of mine has proven to be one of the best things that ever happened to me." A tear rolled down his cheek as he spoke. "I lost track of what is most important in life." He took a moment to compose himself, then continued. "At first, I was actually angry with God. I thought, why would God allow me to suffer an injury that will keep me from being a good steward of the possessions He has entrusted to me? I didn't understand that I was failing to be a good steward of something more important than possessions. I was failing to be a good steward of the relationships God has given me..."

 Everyone around the table sniffled, and Esther passed around napkins for them to wipe their eyes and blow their noses. The children watched in amazement at the unusual display of emotion. 

 I

Amazon Link

click here: Love's Thankful Heart

Amish Harness Shop

 There are at least three Amish harness shops within 15 miles of my home.
I've done business with all three and enjoy stopping in at each of them as often as possible.
This picture (on the left) I snapped a few weeks ago. The harness maker is leading his horse away from a buggy. That's my hand in the foreground.
Everyone I know calls this harness maker, Davey Dutch. Mennonites and Amish are big on nicknames, partly because so many people have the same name

 Our little dog, Wesley, keeps breaking those little nylon collars we buy at Walmart, so I used an old piece of horse harness as a collar.

My wife said that my old harness part looked nasty and I should stop in at my Amish friend's shop and have him make a new one.
I took her advice.
Davey Dutch spent 15-20 minutes cutting a piece of leather, punching holes and crimping the ends. I stood and watched, listening to a crackling fire in his wood-burning stove.

When he finished his work, Davey handed me the new collar and said, "That must be a small dog you have."
The little collar did seem tiny.
He headed to the cash register and said, "I'll call that scrap leather. You can give me $2.00.

Granddaughter Lyla and Wesley

Amish harness shops are amazing!

Who wouldn't rather have a custom Amish-made leather collar than an el-cheapo nylon one that costs 4times more?

The Big Stage

My wife and I took a day-trip to the Percheron World Congress in DesMoines, Iowa this past week.

That's the "Big Stage" for Percheron horses.


I took some pics and videos of the Six-horse gelding hitches.

This picture above was shot a few seconds before the one below.













It kind of gives a time-lapse effect. You can see that I got as close to the action as possible.

The view from up high is better for the overall picture... but I like to be right there to feel the thunder of all those huge hooves.

 The photo above shows a few of the six-horse hitches being looked over by the judge. Three to four teams came in the area at a time. There were seventeen six-horse hitches in this gelding division. In the photo below you will see the top four teams. At one point they brought all seventeen hitches into the arena for the final awards. That is a whole lot of horsepower all standing in close proximity. It may look simple to an outsider, but if just one horse blows up things could get wild in a hurry.

My two favorite hitches came in 1st and 3rd. I really loved these six geldings in the video below. They were perfectly matched and super calm.

 

 I told my wife during the competition that the Young Living Hitch was going to win. That's the horses in the video below. She can verify that I called it!!! LOL. The Young Living Hitch did not make one mistake that I could see, and they were so powerful and lively. They won, and totally deserve to be World Champs!

By the way, a group of around fifteen-or-so Amish folks was sitting behind us. The Amish in my area would not take in such an event but other Amish groups are more lenient. I'm gonna guess that those Amish either had relatives showing horses or had raised some of the horses in the show.

Horsing Around

 For this blog post, I decided to share a few pictures of people enjoying their horses! You will see a mixture of pics with Amish and non-Amish folks "Horsing Around."
This man seems pleased to give us a look at his amazing stallion.

 If you want to enjoy a buggy ride, head to Shipshewana, Indiana. The price might have gone up since I took this pic about 3 years ago. At the time, an Amish man gave the tours and I believe he still the one taxying people around.

 These horses are showing off their raw power. At least one Amish man is taking in the sight.

 The Budweiser Hitch is a joyful sight to behold.

 These young folks are having fun getting horses ready for a show.

 This is a fun pic... but actually, the gal is a horse chiropractor and busy doing her job.

 This little girl is as cute as her pony. She is bathing it at the Iowa State Fair.

 These Amish sisters are enjoying some horseback riding.

 If you have a team, it's fun to hitch them up and drive around the farm.

 My little granddaughters love sitting on my draft horses.

 These Amish sisters love taking their ponies over some jumps.

 Amish folks enjoy seeing beautiful horses in action. They seem to love horses as much or more than anyone. Like cowboys, Amish people work with horses almost every day. People that do, seem to develop a deep connection and understanding with them. I know some people are bent on showing Amish as harsh with horses. I can't defend the whole group any more than they should condemn all. Almost all of the Amish I know personally (and I know many) treat their horses with deep respect and are amazing horse handlers. 

 This pic was taken during a photo session for a book cover.
 (Yep, that's me, my daughter, and my horses)

To see the results, click on this link: Catbird Singing

 This Amish gal trained her horse to lay down.

 I love this pic of my three grandchildren sitting on my sweet, old mare, Karma.

 A very old pic of my daughter sitting on one of my other favorite mares, Sal.

(Yes, that's me holding the lead rope.)
Many of these pics have appeared in other posts on the Amish Horses Blog. They all seem to fit together under the heading of, Horsing Around.

Sweet eyes!

Amish Getaway

My wife and I recently enjoyed a wonderful Amish getaway!

I can't offer you a whole week on an Amish farm like the Heller family experiences in my novella Amish Park, but I have a great suggestion.

We spent a weekend in Shipshewana, Indiana. Let me tell you what to look for and offer ideas about where to stay, shop, and eat.

We stayed just a mile or two north a Shipshewana in one of these little log cabins.

Shipshewana North Park Campground

They were about the same price as an average hotel room and so cute!

The sound of horses pulling buggies can be heard as you sit on the front porch.

I have no connection with this campground and I'm not getting anything for suggesting it... I just want to help you enjoy a fun Amish getaway.

After waking up and savoring a cup of coffee on the porch swing, head on into Shipshewana for a family style meal.


We love the Blue Gate Restaurant located at the only stoplight in downtown Shipshewana.





Be sure to try the Amish peanut butter on homemade rolls. I promise you it is authentic and exactly what you would have if you visited an Amish (on the farm) church service. Some of the cooks and servers are actually Amish.

For entertainment: There are usually plays depicting Amish life on stage at the Blue Gate Theater

Downtown Shipshewana has several shopping malls and a plethora of gift shops to stroll through.

You will see Amish buggies clip-clopping past as you walk. Not to mention Amish families shopping alongside you.

This display (these are dolls about two-foot tall) of Amish girls playing volleyball is in a front yard between the campground and the restaurant. Amish young people LOVE volleyball and they are good at it! (Notice the girl rising above the net to spike the ball.) Almost every one of my books mentions Amish teens playing volleyball because it is a huge part of Amish teenage life. Check out my books. They are authentic, based on my nearly forty years of experience in an Amish community.  Author Thomas Nye

My favorite thing to do while visiting Shipshewana is driving around the countryside.

You will find scores of Amish owned stores that welcome the public. These businesses are scattered around the area on Amish farms.






Take time to drink in the beauty of Amish farms in the area. (And they are BEAUTIFUL.) Listen to the wonderful melody of horse hooves and the rumbling of buggy wheels. It has to be about my favorite sound in the world. If you are interested in Amish life, I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Amish (Horses) Paradise

 If you love horses... you need to visit Shipshewana and the surrounding area.

My wife and I visited Middlebury and Shipshewana last weekend and for me, it's an Amish Paradise!

Draft horses are everywhere! I saw a few Percherons but for the most part, the Amish here use Belgians.

 My wife is not horse crazy like me. However, she enjoyed our drive that lasted for hours... I mean hours! There are miles and miles of Amish farms. Gardens with vegetables and flowers. Hundreds of shops to visit in town and on Amish farms. Buggies coming and going to and fro. Amish people on bikes. Little children driving ponies. Yes, I kid you not, it IS an Amish Paradise!

 Pastures were lush and green.

 White houses and barns set off the green fields.

 Fences and horses are close to the road in areas.

Streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes make everything even more heavenly. This is the area that inspired my novella, Amish Park. A story about one modern family's experiences as they vacation on an Amish farm. This part of Indiana is an Amish (Horses) Paradise!