Winter's Short Days

 
Winter in the Midwest can be brutal. Amish families endure the elements in a way most modern Americans don't have to. Can you imagine hitching up a horse after dark on a cold winter's night just to go to your children's school function? How about when the temperatures are below zero, there is ice on the road, and you have no heater or defroster in your vehicle. Don't forget there won't be electricity in the barn or any turning on the lights quickly so you can see what you're doing while you hitch up the horse.

Horses, however, are tough creatures. They, like buffalo, can calmly nibble at grasses on a snowy field when the temperature is below zero. They willingly pull a buggy through a curtain of snow. The picture above was snapped during a moment when the wind chill was negative 20 degrees. If you pass a row of buggy horses waiting at the hitching rack they all have a nice warm blanket wrapped around them. No kidding, Amish folks are quite devoted to their horses' well-being. 

Amish Children find fun games to play outside during cold weather. This hand-held game connects the players, unlike most hand-held devices children are connected to these days.

My wife and I enjoyed some hand-held outdoor fun a few weeks ago as we walked from shop to shop in the Amana Colonies to complete our Christmas shopping.

Winter days are short but the season can seem long while we wait for spring to bring new life to our fields and gardens. May I suggest a great pastime for those long winter evenings by the fire?

Why not curl up with a good book and a hot cup of something delicious to drink.

Here are some links to learn more about my Amish novels:

Books by Thomas Nye

Thomas Nye on Amazon

Barnes & Noble Thomas Nye page

Cold Cold Cold

Unbelievable cold gripped the U.S.A.

Nobody felt it more than livestock and Amish farm families.

Life must go on.

Jobs are to be done. Cattle and horses need to be fed. School continues. 

Laundry washed and dried.

Even fun and games and building snowmen are part of winter life.

Some people love the cold... especially snowmen!

Windmills use sub-zero breezes the same as any other.

Errands must be run. The only heat in a buggy is body heat or a heated brick underfoot, or a potato in the pocket. 

 Spring will come. Hopefully, soon!

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.

Amish Ice Hockey

Last Monday, March 4th, I drove to Kalona, heading to the horse sale. Kalona Sale Barn has a horse sale on the first Monday of every month.

My 10-mile drive to town takes me through as many miles of Amish-farm country. I passed by several Amish schools and noted that the children were all having fun with an outdoor recess. Keep in mind, the temps were in single digits and there happen to be a cold wind.

These Amish children were blessed with a naturally formed hockey rink. Our Iowa winter has been brutal this year, with lots of freezing rain followed by extremely cold temps. When life gives you lemons... make lemonade! When winter gives you icy fields... play ice hockey!
Amish children love to sled and ice skate. The temperature doesn't seem to keep them inside. The other morning, I passed by an Amish farm on my way to work at 7:00 am and noticed some Amish boys getting in a little sledding before they had to head to school.

I'll share a picture taken at the horse sale. These teenage Amish girls seemed to be enjoying a relaxing afternoon watching horses pass through the sale-ring. Amish children only go to school through 8th grade.

Shades of Blue

How about a few winter scenes from Amish country?


This horse is enjoying the power of solar heat on a chilly morning.


Note: people often panic about how cold horses must be. Keep in mind that they, like deer, buffalo, cattle, moose and other creatures, have built-in defenses for all weather conditions.
Fortunately, horses and cattle have people providing them with food, open water, and shelter. Deer, buffalo and other wild animals have to fend for themselves.

 Snow and cold make farm life difficult. Amish people don't let it keep them from doing what must be done.

 Many hands make light work.

 Dashing through the snow.

 Winter shades of blue and gray with a hint of fire!

 Horses know how to stay out of the wind and how to use solar power.

 Sometimes you have to shovel around a gate to get the thing open!

Horses on Ice

 Horses are amazing creatures. I always thought of them as my fair weather friends until I moved into an Amish community.

It is so easy and fun to play around with horses on a fair summer day. Horses are built to live outside 365 days a year. Many people imagine how they would feel to live outside and think that horses should be brought into the living room. Not only are horses able to live comfortably outdoors, they are also able to work the whole winter through.

 My Amish neighbors depend on horses and their horses thrive in all conditions. In fact, my own horses began to have hoof troubles and my vet and my Amish neighbors concluded the same thing: "They need more exercise."

It's really tough for me to get my horses hitched up during the winter months. I work in town, delivering mail and don't get home until after dark. My Amish neighbor agreed to take my horses over the winter and keep them in healthy condition. So far no hoof problems... amazing.

 Last Monday we had a big ice storm here in Iowa. I had a tax appointment in Kalona and braved the bad conditions to get to town. I drove slowly down an ice-covered road in my big four-wheel-drive truck. As I drew close to my Amish neighbor's place, I saw their young sons heading out of their lane in an open cart, on their way to school. (I would have taken a picture but I needed both of my white-knuckle-hands on the wheel) Their horse was trotting at full speed. Amish have a special horseshoe they put on their horses in the winter with carbide pieces. Those horses can literally run on ice without slipping.

 As I came into Kalona I notice there were fewer cars than usual, but the normal amount of buggies heading into town.