Thriving

 When a horse and handler connect, they thrive together.

Horses have an amazing ability to form bonds with humans, much like that between a dog and a person. Dogs, horses, and people flourish when we feel loved and cared for.


One subject I dwell on in my novel Under the Heavens is the way horses reflect their human counterpart. If a rider is calm and confident, their mount will be relaxed and bold. When the one holding the lines is skittish or tense, the horse will show it.



Angel, this young horse, was born a few years ago on Annie's home farm. Since then, the two of them have become best friends. These photos were taken at Angels very first horse show. They entered eleven classes and won eight ribbons!

This young horse and rider can do it all. They showed in bareback, English, open driving, and much more. Angel enjoys a trail ride as much as pulling a cart down the road. No doubt, this is one special young mare. However, Annie's horse skills and good nature are clearly reflected by the way Angel is thriving.

In the photo below, Annie's husband and sisters give her help and support. Her sister, tagged 298, also entered a "pairs" class with Annie and they won ribbons in that event.


Note: All Amish districts have their own unique set of rules. Some will and some won't allow pictures or horse shows.

 At the end of the day...

We all flourish if we feel valued.

Cowboys and Amish Girls

What happens when a rodeo cowboy crosses paths with an Amish girl in a runaway buggy?

Truman (the cowboy) is trying to figure out what went wrong between him and his cowgirl, and how he can win her back.

Charity (the Amish girl) is wondering why she isn't like most Amish girls.

When Truman and Charity began to offer each other advice, sparks fly, and it turns into a comedy!




Charity's dad says, "Cowboys and Amish girls are like vinegar and oil, they don't mix!"

Truman tries his cowboy tricks on Charity's ornery horse. Charity's brothers pull a few tricks on their cowboy visitor.

Join this vinegar and oil duo on an unexpected adventure, in Cowboys and Amish Girls.

Rodeo cowboy, Truman Gunderson, had never met an Amish girl. Amish sisters, Faith, Hope, and Charity had yet to lay eyes on a real, live cowboy. That is until Truman’s galloping horse crosses paths with Charity’s runaway buggy. Truman is not the type to shy away from any challenge, but after he learns something about Faith, Hope, and especially Charity, he realizes that he has met his match.

Cowboys and Amish Girls, one of three fun stories in...
Springs of Love

Dreaming of Spring

 Spring is my favorite time of year. The whole world is resurrected with a burst of new life after laying dormant through long winter months.

When spring arrives little Amish girls will run and play barefoot in Mommy's garden, pick raspberries and climb fences.

In Pennsylvania, little Amish girls don't wear coverings but usually have tight braids wound in coils behind their ears or tied together at the base of their neck.

Over the rest of Amish America, girls wear coverings from infancy. When working or playing on the farm they are often seen with headscarves. Don't rule out the possibility of seeing a little Amish girl with braids running around the yard. But rest assured, Mommy will tie on a scarf or pin on a covering before they leave the lane to go somewhere.

 These little girls are searching Grandma's raspberry bush for early fruit and helping themselves to a snack.

Just looking at these pics, taken two springs ago, makes me start dreaming of spring, again.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, garden tea, bees buzzing, baby lambs, and even dandelions seem welcome at this point.

(By the way, these are pictures of my own granddaughters, Lyla and Kinley, and were photographed with permission from their mommy) They were in these Amish made dresses for the purpose of a cover photo. If you want to see the finished product of the photo shoot, click on the link below.

Cover Photo Link

Amish Women

Amish Women are an impressive lot.

On my Monday morning drive into work, I pass by a number of Amish farms. Quite often, I see a frozen clothesline hanging full by 7:00 am. Do you know what that means? They have been up washing clothes with a wringer washer, that is no easy job, and have already gone outside in freezing temperatures and pinned clothes on the line.

Meanwhile, they no doubt hurried back inside to set breakfast on the table before everyone comes back in from chores. I may mention that they very likely did all of this with a few toddlers around their feet and one on the way. Later in the day, clothes frozen stiff and looking like colored boards, come back in the house and thaw out enough to be folded and put away.

True, they do have help from older daughters, which is also a testament to their impressive nature. If you have raised any children of your own, you know how hard it is to keep adolescents and teenagers on task. The Amish women I know have well-ordered homes with polite children. One Amish family that I am good friends with have 9 children and the oldest is eleven-years-old. About 7 of them gather around my pickup truck whenever I pull into their drive and stand in a circle around me listening to what their dad and I have to say. If Dad isn't around, the oldest child present usually does the talking. If that older child goes to find Dad for me, the next oldest takes over telling me stories about interesting things that happened on the farm since I was last there. If Mom steps outside, she usually speaks something in dutch and one of the children runs to accomplish whatever mission she called on them to do. Probably running inside to bring out the produce she knows I'm there to pick up.

The other day I was driving home from Kalona and passed several buggies with women driving. I turned onto a gravel road and saw an Amish farmyard littered with buggies. Women of all ages were loading children into buggies and leaving a gathering of some kind. It would be safe to guess that it was a quilting. Nevermind the freezing temperatures and snow covered roads. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that these are some pretty tough mamas.

Quiet Moment in the Garden

Is this a painting?

 Nope, I snapped it with my iPhone. I'm trying to imagine what they are talking about. More than likely speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch, and discussing the layout of their garden while their sister finishes up a row. What do you suppose girls their age are doing in the big city at this same moment? (I took the photo on a Saturday evening)

This picture could have been taken when my grandma was a teenage woman in the early 1900s, except they didn't have iPhones back then. This is why I write Amish novels: Amish farms are glorious settings for a story, that could've taken place last week, or last century... like this photo.