Hog Farm

        In the good old days Iowa was covered with scenes like this one. Hog sheds were everywhere and big sows could be seen rooting in fields with a litter of baby pigs nearby. Now, this type of view is about non-existent.

I was born in Iowa but we moved to Michigan in 1965. I moved back to Iowa in 1980 and clearly remember seeing hogs in fields all over. From 83 to 88, I worked in a hog confinement operation with close to a thousand sows in house.  That type of operation has taken over the industry and today very few small farmers can compete with those mega farms.

 I miss the old style hog farm!

Whenever I pass by this farm I slow down and look in, remembering how things used to be.  We can't go back in time or even make time stand still, but we can take time to look around and appreciate what is around us.  We never know what changes will take place.

I have to remind myself that the present is tomorrow's good old days.

The Heavens

 My novel, Under the Heavens, is due out in December.

One focus of the book is skies.  About the experience of being on a farm for the first time and realizing how vast the heavens are. It changes your perspective.

 These pictures were taken on two separate occasions.  The first and third were in the morning when doing my chores.  The others were taken in the evening, when the sky didn't seem real.

You can see my horses have their morning hay dangling from their mouths.

Hues of purple mixed in with these blues add a water color feel to a photograph.  I am not a photographer, just a guy with a cell phone that loves a beautiful view.  My favorite photographs are those that look like a painting, rather than a photo.

Someday, when I retire from the Post Office, I will get a good camera.

If you like these pictures, check out Amish Horses Facebook, and "like" it!  There are several albums with this type of pictures on that site.
                                                            Click on this link:   https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses

My Time Machine~

        In my short story, Back in Time, I refer to my S-10 pickup as my little time machine, and myself as a time traveler.  I have also mentioned my time machine in a few of my blog posts; so, I thought I would clear up any confusion.
       If you read about my time machine, I am talking about my S-10 pickup!
 
       You may doubt that I am a time traveler.  If you saw were I work, delivering mail in Iowa City, Ia. (aka: Little New York) and where I travel, rural Kalona, you would believe me.

     

        When I leave Iowa City, Big 10 football game-day, tailgate crowds of tattooed, skimpily dressed, modern people, it's only minutes until I'm taking these cell pics of another world.  Iowa City was named number one party school recently by the Princeton Review, mentioned in USA Today.
       Driving past Amish farms, I feel as though I've slipped back into another century.  Even on my neighbors Mennonite farms, it seems I've gone back a few decades in time.
       This picture to my right was taken on my Mennonite neighbors farm. I was buying some hay and his dog jumped on board.  Dan is having a little conversation with his pooch about getting back off before the Time Machine leaves.

        Most of my cell phone pictures are cropped before you see them.  I try to take out incidental rear view mirror, side mirror and dash board sightings.  I looked through my reject pictures for a couple examples for this blog.

       I want to encourage you, my readers, to use your vehicles as time machines.  Next Saturday, or whenever you get a chance, head to the nearest Amish community; pull in a drive where a sign advertises goods for sale.

        As I have suggested before, go buy some brown eggs, sweetcorn, pumpkins, flowers or anything that is offered for sale.  Even if you don't need what your buying, the experience will be worth far more than the small price you will pay for these goods!
        When you get there, think about what decade it was, the last time someone in your family lived as these Amish do.

Mail Order Barn

        I got up early this morning and drove about 30 miles to my friend Kenny's place, where I buy most of my hay.  My trusty little time-machine S-10 pickup has 26 bales on it.  I drive this far because Kenny always sells me top quality grass hay, cheaper than I can find it anywhere close to home, and he is a great guy too!

        This time I took some pictures of his barn and asked him some questions about it.  He told me that his wife's Grandpa built this barn from a kit, he thinks was ordered out of a Sears catalog.  I have never heard of that!  He didn't know when it was built but guessed in the 20s or 30s.  He told me that each board came with a stamped number on it, so that a person could follow pre-printed directions.  Kenny has been told that four other barns just like this one were built nearby and this is the only one of those four left.  It seems that the arched roof was a weakness, that is until Kenny's grandpa-in-law took matters into his own hands and reinforced the rafters as seen below.  He also added these dormers which also was part of a plan to strengthen the structure.  That old guy is a man to be proud of!  People like him are what this country was built on.

       This beautiful old building and many like it across America need to be protected, they are irreplaceable.  Much of the hay stored in this mow (or loft) will come home to my place for Karm and Coke's winter chow.

       For more old barn photos check out my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses 

      Click on this link and look for my photo album "Barns" don't forget to "Like" my page while there!

  

Barn on Wheels

        The other day, I was finishing my chores when I noticed our local electric company, Farmers Co-op, was pulling in our drive.  They told me they were shutting our power down for a few hours, I didn't ask why. My elderly neighbor, Leo, stopped in on his daily walk by our place and told me that our Amish neighbor, a mile and half down the road east of us, was having a corn crib moved from a few miles west of our place.

A little bit later buggies started coming past our place, I snapped a few pictures out our front window.

I headed outside with my cell phone and got some pictures of the corn crib going past our place.

 It looked like everyone was having a great time when the buggies all came back past.  There was a buggy with a whole group of young boys and another with a lot of little girls, pictured above.  One had a three teenage girls in it, also pictured above.

About an hour later, my wife and I were on our way to town and passed by the place the corn crib was moved to.  Here are pictures below of its final resting place!

My Neighbor's Barn

            I saw my neighbor pushing his bike down the road about ten miles from our place.  He had a flat tire, so we threw his bicycle in the bed of my faithful little S-10 pickup and hauled it home.  When I pulled in his drive and saw his barn up close, all I could say was, "Wow, can I take some pictures?"
          I am a big fan of old barns!  I love to look inside and imagine what life was like back in the old days.
          That is what I like about having Amish around... the old days are still alive and well on their farms!

           A lot of time was put into building these old structures.  Look at that foundation!  Most old barns in Iowa were built with native oak lumber; such hard wood you can't drive a nail in the beams.
(At least I can't)
           If you click on these pictures you will get a closer view.

           I love barns with a ramp access to the mow. Just imagine how many loads of hay were pulled up that ramp by teams of horses over the years.

           Back in the good old days this barn would have been hopping with activity around chore time. People and livestock probably hurried inside during cold winter snowstorms, or walked out of its doors at the perfect time of evening to see a beautiful sunset.  I bet this old barn could tell some great stories and a few romantic tales too.

    Check out my Facebook page,    https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses   Look at my photo album named "Barns."

Fun on the Farm

 My Grandchildren love Karm and Coke!  Whenever they come out to the farm they always ask, "Can we feed the horses?"  Of course there is nothing that makes this old Grandpa happier than his grandchildren wanting to see the horses.  They aren't afraid of Karm and Coke which is great, but I want them to have a healthy respect of how big these horses are.  Both are gentle, friendly horses, but their shear size makes them dangerous if a person isn't cautious.  For example, don't let them accidentally step on your foot!  My oldest grandson Alex and I took a ride in the wagon last Sunday evening.
           Lyla was born a horse girl, she is pictured below riding our out-door rocking pony, blowing on dandelion seeds and taking a ride on Coke.

           Karm and Coke out in the pasture, you can see my manure spreader in the background.

Amish Acres in Nappanee,Indiana

Amish Acres Round Barn

          After I left Shipshewanna I drove toward Goshen because I knew there would be Amish and Mennonites all the way down to Nappanee.  I got a chance to see some beautiful farms and horses along the way but didn't know I was in for a nice surprise.  

          When I arrived in Nappanee I discovered a place called Amish Acres and they just happened to be having an Arts and Crafts Festival.  I snapped a few pics of the old home place with my trusty cell phone, so I could share them with you.  Down below I will show a few pics of the festival.  As peaceful as this acreage looks, there is a huge crowd on the other side of the barn!

          It is so relaxing to sit on a porch in the evening after a long day of hard work.  The sights and smells of a farm leave a lasting impression on a young child's memory.

           When I was a boy my Grandpa and Grandma didn't have indoor plumbing, it was all part of a fun adventure for me.











           A farm with a variety of livestock and poultry feels so full of life and character. Now days most farms are specialized, raising only one type of livestock, and those hidden away in long enclosed buildings.  I miss driving through the countryside and seeing hogs rooting in a field or chickens scratching and pecking in a yard.

          Horses have so much more personality than a car or a tractor, they can make life more complicated but always more interesting.
          That's what I like about Amish farms... they take you back to the good old days!

          The Arts and Crafts Festival was huge!  I couldn't believe how many booths were there and what a large variety of goods available.

          Food wasn't in short supply either!  I highly recommend bringing the family out to Amish Acres for a day trip.  Even more fun if you happen to get there during the Craft show.

Check out this link for more pictures    https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses