Sunday Drive / Amish Farmlands

         I remember, when I was a boy in the early 1960s, Sunday afternoons were so quiet and peaceful. Almost everyone in our little town of Midland, Michigan were church going people.

         Nowadays, we have shaken ourselves free of "rules" about not working on Sundays, but I feel the pendulum swung a little too far.

         Our Amish neighbors teach us something about what we used to have... and were SO happy to leave behind. Life was "going to be" so much better when we didn't have to hang laundry out on a clothesline day after day. When we got bigger tractors, faster vehicles, electric kitchen devices, (ie: can openers, toasters, coffee makers, and finally microwave ovens) and a whole plethora of modern conveniences.

          Okay, I'll admit we have a cushy lifestyle in 2016. However, have we taken the freedom to do a load of laundry (in our set of electric machines) and let it become a burden of seven equally non-restful days.
          I've never stopped in at any of my Amish neighbors and found them too busy to talk. In fact, I'm the one that has only a few minutes. I even hesitate to stop my Amish friends homes for fear that I won't be able to "get away" soon enough. Whole families gather around and listen to what their dad and an older neighbor man are talking about.

          TV, movies, video games, music devices, cell-phones, computers, and what all else has crept in and crowded out our lives from simple pleasure and natural beauty. I wonder how many "English" homes I could stop in and have the entire family gather around to listen to me and their dad talk... all with smiles on their faces. Good luck getting the earbuds out of their ears.

         My wife and I stopped in the "Mall" last Sunday. Almost every person seemed glued to their hand-held communication device. Storefronts advertise with huge photos of scantily dressed women. The place was filled with the hustle/bustle of buying and selling.

         Then, we took an evening drive though Amish country and reveled in the tranquility. I stopped at a stop sign behind these middle-school-aged Amish children. I know they didn't hear my truck. He was feeding his sister a piece of apple or something while she drove the horse. They turned around in surprise when they realized someone was behind them.

I invite you to take a drive though Amish farmlands on a Sunday afternoon,

and see for yourself what we left behind.

My novels are all about these contrasts, and lessons learned by observing Amish neighbors.

Out of the Wind

 My horses, Karm and Coke were standing on the west side of our corncrib/horse-barn this morning. Winds are from the east. They have many windbreak options including going inside.

Some folks think I should pen them inside and force them to stay warm... I disagree. They are sixteen and thirteen, fully grown and mature, and know where they are most comfortable. I believe they should be free to decide.

Some folks don't have options, they have to keep their horses in a stall most of the time. Others don't have a barn and their horses have to make do with a wind break, like wild horses. I guess if I'm gonna force them to do what seems comfortable to a human... then I should trap our squirrels and pen them in the barn too!

  I had to lure them inside with grain and hay... as soon as they are done eating they will most likely head back outside where they love to stand.

Winter Scenes on the Amish Farm

There is something cozy about Amish farms during the holiday season, don't you agree?

I think it's that old-time, down on the farm quality of life that we all miss. We long for it all year, but the holiday season brings it out more than ever.

We long for the sweet, simple life. A time when people knew and cared about their neighbors.

A time when we knew the names of horses and cows instead of "cell phone aps." A place in history where little boys and girls ran and played in the snow, and also knew how to do chores.

 I love visiting Amish farms because all of this is still happening at this very moment... just as it did when my grandpa was a boy.

A few simple toys at Christmas were enough. They were toys that we enjoyed but didn't get "addicted" to. Instead of staring at a "little screen," or a "huge screen" all Christmas day, people sat and visited with each other.

Just as they still do on Amish farms.

Amish Farm Tour

Amish farms are peaceful. (near Shipshewanna, Indiana)

Gardens, livestock, and families working together. (northern Indiana)

Clothes on the wash-line in almost any weather. (Iowa)

Buggies, wagons. (Iowa)

Draft horses work and relax in green pastures. (Near Shipshewanna, Indiana)

Extended families live in close proximity with each other. 

Big barns, small sheds, pole buildings, and chicken houses.

Fences, fields, and wild flowers.

White farmhouses.

Ponds, windmills, martin houses. (Odom, southern Indiana)

Hay-fields (southern Illinois)

Silos. (near Arthur, Illinois)

Big houses with lots of children, and big barns with lots of horses. (near Nappanee, Indiana)

Peaceful  (Wisconsin)

Fall in Soybean Country

 Iowa farm fields are mostly covered with cornstalks, but soybeans are a close second! Many farmers, my brother-in-law included, rotate those two crops 50/50 because that is best for the soil. This farmland you see beyond my horses has been in our family for 97 years, and will be a "century farm" in 2018.

 When my wife's grandparents moved here, everyone in this area was still farming with horses, Amish or otherwise. Soybeans didn't become a cash crop until many years later. Back in those days farmers rotated corn with hay and oats. All of the field edges and rough areas were used as pasture in the summer, and cornstalks for winter grazing.

 I was laying on the ground to capture the photo you see above. My wife looked out of the kitchen window and, for a moment, wondered if I had been kicked by one of my horses.

That wouldn't be impossible, but these horses are about as gentle as can be. I trust them completely.

I added a photo of horses grazing near cornstalks on an Amish farm. This is a typical fall view in our part of the country as well.

If you enjoy my blog, consider reading one of my books.

(click on the link below)

Amish Horses Book Series

The Old Tire Swing

A rope and an old tire can entertain children for hours

         My little granddaughters came over for a photo shoot the other evening. We took pictures of them sitting on my team of draft horses for the cover of my upcoming Amish novella. These two girls love my horses and it's obviously mutual, Karm and Coke love it when they visit. They know that the little girls feed them hay, carrots, and apples, as well as giving them many a gentle pat on the nose.

     

         It wasn't a big stretch to get these little girls to be willing to sit on my horses, they beg to sit on them every time they come to my house. Karm and Coke know the drill!

         After the photo shoot, my wife and daughters went into the house to get supper on the table, and I followed the little girls as they romped around the yard. It didn't take long before they had gravitated toward the tire swing. They climbed up there by themselves and I just took a few pics with my cell phone.

         I think they are absolutely adorable, but grandpa's are very bias. They are really cute though, aren't they?

They did really good about taking turns, as long as I told them to switch places often. As you can see below, the little one was sad when it was her older sister's turn. Big sister didn't mind as much when it was sissy's turn because she is old enough to push, which is also fun.

Patience is a virtue, but we all struggle with it at times.

Make sure and click "Follow" on the side menu... you will want to see the cover on this new book.

I will post it on here and on Amish Horses Facebook Page

There is nothing cuter than little girls sitting on a team of draft horses!

Two Days as an Amishman

I recently spent two days at the annual Horse Progress Days, an event that rotates locations. This was my first experience with Horse Progress Days, but certainly not my last, Lord willing. ("Lord willing" is a common Amish statement made after declaring the intention to do something. This is taken from a Scripture verse. Jame 4:13-15)

I would like to have captured every moment for you in pictures, but I know that is not what Amish want. Much like everything about the Amish lifestyle, there are Biblical principals that are the basis for what they do, and don't do. If I were a photographer by trade, I would have had a major struggle at this event, because there were a million photo opportunities. As an author, I took it all home in my heart, soon to be shared with any who desire to read about this blessed lifestyle.

I lived without electricity for several days and my phone went dead. That kept me from being tempted to take pictures the first day. I found a place to charge my phone before the second day and took some pictures that I hope are respectful of my Amish friend's values. 

        Not only did I live without electricity, but also had no phone, computer, TV, air-conditioning or other modern conveniences for a few days. This was only part of my two-day experience. I also found myself surrounded by a crowd of people that left an indelible impression on my heart. When have you ever been in a group of thousands and heard no sharp words, foul language or lewd comments. For two days I was in the midst of large families, and yet, I cannot remember hearing one child throw a tantrum or pout because they couldn't have what they wanted. Yes, I did hear infants cry. However, I witnessed their parents gently rock, coo, and comfort them. I did not witness one child being spanked or scolded loudly. The children were very meek and polite, yet emanated a confidence in who they were. This was very evident in their handling of horses and ponies.

        How do they do it? I'm really not sure.

         I sold copies of my Amish novels at this booth. If you notice, the sign says, "City boy spends a summer on an Amish farm, he learns to farm with draft horses." My goal was to give folks a quick burb that would let them know what my books were about. I was surprised and pleased at how well I was received, though I was a minority (non-Amish) at this event, for sure!

         I can't tell you how many Amish folks asked me if I was that city boy, and if my books were based on a true story. The first day I told them that the experiences were mine, however the book is a novel and about a fictitious character. By the second day, I was telling them that the difference between my fiction character and me, is that he has an Amish grandpa... and that, "I wish I had an Amish grandpa." They seemed to enjoy my honesty and many bought my books.

        My grandpa was born in 1909 and raised on a farm, living almost the exact lifestyle these Amish live. However, if my grandpa had been Amish, I might be living the lifestyle I witnessed this past weekend. I have to tell you, my Amish hosts warmed my heart by their words, actions and kindness. After the second day, I still looked like an "English" outsider, with my goatee and modern clothes. Yet, inside, I myself felt so submerged in my surroundings that I left the event feeling as if I had literally become Amish for a few days. I will always treasure that experience.

Horse Progress?

My book signing booth

 Have you heard about Horse Progress Days?

I'm super excited about my upcoming trip to southern Indiana for this event! Horse Progress Days is the Amish equivalent to the Farm Progress Show, a national event for farmers to learn about the most up-to-date farm equipment and practices.

I will be there with my books, which happen to be about farming with horses.



Obviously, farming with horses does not qualify as "the most up-to-date" farming practice. However, farming with horses is an extremely "Green" style of agriculture that should be embraced by the most forward thinking people.

If you are going to be at the 2015 Horse Progress Days, look for my booth, stop in and say, "Hello!"

If you can't make it to this year's event, visit the website and start planning for next year.

In the meantime, order a copy of Under the Heavens and start reading about farming with draft horses. Under the Heavens is a "Huck Finn style" Amish adventure-novel about a boy that spends a summer on his grandpa's Amish farm.