Amish Church/ Autumn

A perfect fall day for Amish Church.

My wife and I were on our way to our non-denominational church for Sunday services when we passed this picturesque Amish farm. Their service had already started and the farm appeared quiet and still. There were horses standing tied in a long line with their tails swinging.

The horses can almost be seen in this pic. They were close to the white shed, which happens to be where the Amish church service was being held. If a person listened carefully, you could hear the slow, scooping Amish-style singing filling the air.

Slow-moving vehicle signs seemed to match the autumn leaves perfectly.

 Here is another angle of the iconic Amish farm dressed in Sunday's best autumn attire.

This scene reminded me of a chapter in English River: Book III of my Amish Horses Series. In this novel, Lenny and Leah, attend a fall wedding on an Amish farm. The bride's dress matched the leaves. Amish do not use white material for a dress, including wedding dresses.

If you are ever visiting an Amish community on a Sunday morning. Drive along the country roads until you see a yard full of buggies. It is a delightful surprise.

Late Fall

It's time to pick the last few rows of corn, clear off the garden and brace ourselves for an icy blast.

Early fall is bright and cheery with colorful leaves and pumpkins. Late fall has another type of beauty.

Iowa turns various shades of browns and tans during this season. Some call those "earth tones." There is a certain beauty in it.

Amish children romp and play outside in all weather.

Amish horses get a long break during winter months. There isn't as much fieldwork to do. Although, during winter months manure hauling gets into full swing.

With crops out of the fields, it's time to pour on nature's best fertilizer. Not to mention, the barn is full of livestock keeping warm and dry. That means more manure needs to be hauled out.

Amish like to quote this verse:

"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." Proverbs 14:4

The idea is that life might seem simple if you don't have to clean out the barn. But, life is more productive if you are willing to put in the work.

Fall is also Pie Season! Pick up the last of the apples that fell because you couldn't reach the highest bow. If they are too bruised for pie, toss them to the hogs or horses.

What could be more pleasant than stepping out of blustery cold winds into a warm kitchen with pies sizzling in the oven? Cinnamon sugary filling oozing out of the edges and wafting out their perfect aroma.

Another pleasant treat is stepping inside a warm barn to be greeted by livestock. They nicker or bawl for their evening meal.

I do have two books with fall settings on the Amish farm. English River and a collection book titled Love's Thankful Heart.

English River is the third book in the Amish Horses Series but is full of fall scenes.

Love's Thankful Heart is a collection book. Laura V. Hilton, Rachel J. Good, and I collaborated, each writing a short story about Thanksgiving with an Amish setting.

If you are interested in reading these you can find them on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as eBooks and paperbacks. 

Here is the Amazon link: Thomas Nye on Amazon

Or, to order a paperback copy directly from me: Order a Book

Amish Farm Fall Tour

Who doesn't enjoy Fall? 

Let's take a tour through Amish farm country as the season and leaves turn.

Horses under brightly colored trees.

 Sunlight breaking through the leaves in heavenly rays.

You can almost smell the apples!

Above: a horse rests while at a hitching rack. 

Above: A young Amish woman heads into Kalona, Iowa. She gave me a friendly wave just before I snapped this pic. It's common for Amish in Iowa to wave to all who are friendly enough to greet them.

Above: Crisp fall air, drying clothes on a line. Amish families often use a pulley system to hang clothes on a line. If you look closely, you can see the pulley on a pole near the windmill. This way the person hanging out the wash can stand in one spot and move the line forward as they hang the laundry.

Above: an Amish woman rides her bike along a crackling crisp field of corn.

The leaves began to fall away as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

Horses stand in what little shade is left. A few weeks from now they'll be standing under the sunshine trying to soak it in.

Children from a plain Mennonite group play on a playground. Light jackets are all they need.

Interested in reading about Thanksgiving on an Amish farm. My story, The Thanksgiving Frolic is the third novella in "Love's Thankful Heart"

Click on this link:
LOVE'S THANKFUL HEART

The Rhythm of Life

        Stepping outside on a cool fall morning, you draw in a breath of soft farm air. Horses and cattle are stirring, waiting for someone to open the pasture gate or toss them a flake of hay. By this part of November, most birds have headed south for warmer nesting grounds. Those left behind are clamoring together in empty cornfields, pecking at kernels of corn missed by combines as they roared through the area. A gentle breeze and those remaining flocks take wing.

         The rhythms of life are ever present on an Amish farm. Autumn is the final stage of gathering in summer's produce before winter blows snowdrifts against barn doors and feed bunks. Grandpa still lives in a little house next door, even though Grandma passed away a few months ago. He rides along in the family buggy when everyone goes to a fall wedding. He smiles as the newly married couple stand for their vows, it only seems a few days ago he and Grandma had made that promise. Next spring life will blossom anew. Sheep will lay down in soft grasses next to baby lambs. Plowed fields will mellow and dirt clods break up as horses pull disc and harrow over the face of the earth. Tiny shoots of green will peek out to feel warm rays of sun after a refreshing drink of rain. Life goes on.

Amish Autumn

       During the next number of days, even birds seemed to be restless; change was happening everywhere. Small birds crowded into branches overhead, fluttering, chirping, and then took flight, bursting out through leaves in small groups. After the little flocks circled around, they came clamoring back into the same boughs they had just left. A full blown argument ensued in tree limbs above Lenny’s head. Part of the troubles seemed to be that whole flocks had moved in from more northern lands, crowding out those that had lived on Noey’s farm all summer. Lenny’s horses noticed the bird troubles too, shaking their manes at all the commotion.
 Around the same time birds began to be disturbed, soybean fields began to show yellow patches. Those lighter colored areas spread out further and further until everything turned a brilliant gold. Every breath of air drew crisp. Canada Geese flew back and forth across the sky in partially formed V’s, not always south, but in every direction. It was clear that it wasn’t time for them to leave, yet change was coming.
       Lenny sat behind a team of horses, with an unsettled feeling in his heart, watching the whole thing unfold before him. He told his horses, “Living the Amish lifestyle in autumn is a new experience for me, and winter sounds like a nightmare. Grandpa already told me how brisk weather affects horses, making you all flighty and frisky. Maybe Amish young men look forward to their horses being more lively and willing to move quickly without being coaxed, but for a guy like me it’s downright scary.”
       Lenny wondered out loud, “Why couldn’t summer last forever?”  Misty nodded her head up and down, possibly in an effort to stretch out driving lines that held her bit too tight. Lenny chose to see her head shaking as an agreement with his comment. “I was dreading fall. Now that I told Noey I would help with harvest and give him an answer before winter, I hope autumn lasts forever.” He clucked and his horses stepped off quickly. Lenny and his team finished feeding cattle. He tossed off hay as the horses circled through the herd.

You have been reading an excerpt from English River, Amish Horses Series book III

English River is an Autumn story. Let Lenny and his horses take you away... out into Amish farm fields during the harvest season.

Amish Fall

 I am sharing a selection of fall photos here. They are pictures that I took with my cell-phone this year and last year during October.

There could be so many more Amish pictures if I wasn't trying hard to not offend my Amish friends and neighbors.  I try to photograph barns, fields, livestock, and of course horses.

I took this picture of Karm and Coke (below) yesterday

 These corn shocks (below) were in an Amish field in Wisconsin. My wife and I took a little get-a-way there last week and, as usual, I drove through an Amish area. (ask my wife about that)

Amish buggy heading up a beautiful road in Wisconsin

My wife's dad lived up this farm lane when he was about 12. He grew up and still is a Mennonite, but back in those days the difference was small.

 I already shared this picture (above) on another blog post. However, it's one of my favorites and a great Amish fall pic!

 This Amish school house was in session when I drove past. Look at the children running through the yard during recess. Amish are less opposed to photos of children. In fact, they enjoy discovering their children in a photograph that comes out in the paper. (They would never admit that but I've seen them smiling and showing each other.)

These calves (below) were enjoying the last green grass of the season, on an Amish farm.

 This Amish farm (above) is where one of Amish friends grew up. He is still Amish but now lives in Ohio. We went to a visitation at this place when his dad passed away.

These calves (below) are in front of another Amish farmstead. Right before I took this pic, I passed an elderly Amish woman walking on the road. She had several cats that were following her and I slowed way down. She called as I passed by, "Thank you for not running over my cats!"