Amish Winter Wonderland

 An Amish buggy sloshes through the falling snow. I love seeing horse hoofprints between buggy tracks.

These pictures were taken over the past few years. I live near Kalona, Iowa and Amish farm country.

 Winter skies have a unique "blueness" that accents snowy scenes perfectly.

White Amish barns and houses are beautiful with a blanket of snow.

 Though everything looks cold... there is nothing quite as inviting as stepping into a straw-filled stall near a team of workhorses. Draft horses weigh about a ton each and you can only imagine how much body heat they emanate. 

 It is quite common for Amish to heat their homes with wood. Nothing can be as cozy as the crackling of firewood, and that sweet scent of smoke...add that aroma to freshly baked bread and/or cinnamon rolls...perfection!

 Hanging wash on a clothesline during the winter months would be the downside of Amish life.

 Keeping livestock fed and watered during winter months can be a full-time job.

 Fences and leafless trees line snow-covered farm fields.

 Horses wait for their humans to begin morning chores. They often whinny when they see someone step out of the house and head toward the barn.

 Days are short this time of year. Every drop of sunlight is appreciated.

 Gardens lay dormant, the ground is frozen solid.

 Silos are full of chopped cornstalks that were cut while still a little green. 

 Amish teens love to play ice-hockey. Amish children break out their sleds at the first snowfall and don't seem to notice the cold.

 Amish horses keep clip-clopping year-round. It's fun to see puffs of breath billowing out as horses trot down the road.