Early Impressions

Plastic farm animals are awesome!

Some of my first memories are of setting up elaborate scenes with plastic farm toys. The natural next step was to encourage my children and grandchildren to do the same.

Grandma (my wife) and I found these wooden barn, corrals, and fences at our local favorite Amish store. Golden Delight Bakery will blow you away with the best baked goods you've ever tasted. They also sell these barns and fences, and plastic farm animals.

Amish parents are very selective about what toys are allowed in their homes. Amish children love playing farm. There is something wholesome about this kind of play... instead of robotic super heroes with mega weapons of mass destruction. My grandsons and I spent hours setting up our display and having our human figurines do chores and move animals through shoots and into new lots. 

We had to keep the peace at times because some of the bulls got into fights and some horses kicked each other.

Things were going along smoothly until Isaac (the older of these brothers) noticed a huge storm brewing off in the distance. Leo (younger brother) suggested we get all the livestock inside the big barn for safety.

Our plastic livestock cooperated for the most part and they were quickly rushed inside and jammed together in close quarters as the storm approached.

You can only imagine the chaos of nervous farm animals riding out a storm inside a barn. A little Noah's Arkish. 

This brought back a fun memory of mine. I was at a Farm Progress event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Hundreds if not thousands of Amish folks were at the event. A big storm came up and everyone ran for shelter. People around me were crowding into some tents but I thought they didn't look too secure. I ran for a huge barn about a football field away. The storm broke before I got there and I was soaked when I rushed inside. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness I realized I was the lone English (Non-Amish) person inside a barn packed with Amish men, women, and children. They were all silent and facing the doorway I just ran through. We all stood and watched a fierce wind blast across the fields before us. When the thunder, wind, and rain subsided, they we all ventured out together and friendly conversations resumed. 

I was surprised at the creativity my grandsons showed when they came up with this reenactment of such a realistic and traumatic event. This type of play can help children work through their fears and work out  solutions to lifelike problems.

When the drama ended we decided it was an easy conclusion to our playtime because the animals all belonged inside the big barn for storage anyway. We picked up our fences and put everything away.

My little granddaughter (Ruby) is finding herself nurtured by grandpa in the same way.

 

When the toys are all cleaned up they love to go outside and see the real deal. There is nothing more therapeutic than connecting with a living, breathing, massive draft horse.

This Crazy Weather

 My wife and I took a trip to the Iowa/Missouri border last Friday, May 24th. We were headed to an Amish community near Bloomfield, Iowa. We enjoyed the day, and I'll share some pics on my Amish Horses Facebook page. However, something bigger than our day-trip held my attention.

Iowa and more of the mid-west is in a terrible way with our weather.

We had tickets to a play in the Amana Colonies that evening and got back home just in time to change clothes. Our iPhones shouted alerts at us about a funnel cloud approaching our location. When I looked out the window, this is what I saw!

    We were quite relieved when that funnel cloud passed by and we headed outside to go to the play. I looked to our East and LO there I could see that a tornado had touched the earth.

I zoomed my pic so you can see the funnel on the ground.

    We quickly started calling and texting friends and family to check on everyone. Our good friends, Church and small group buddies, and neighbors of four miles (that's close neighbors in our rural mindset) sustained severe damage to their business Frytown Trailers. Please pray for them as they lost many and it's quite a challenge to regroup, repair, and replace what was damaged.

 Tornados are awful and fearful. However, what might be more damaging than those powerful winds are tiny droplets of rain. We have had so many multiple billion droplets, and they haven't stopped falling!

Every field is a muddy mess. This gate entrance at my place is not usually a marsh!

My horses are glistening wet after another downpour.

The clouds in this first pic are awe-inspiring, but what you might not have noticed is the water laying on the land below. Farmers have been forced out of the fields, and time is ticking. The window of opportunity for spring planting is closing soon. Pray for our farmers!

To Build a Fence

It's time for a new fence at the Nye home-place.

Karm and Karla were called on to help get the job done. I hitched the team and put them on my little hitch-cart. I bought this two-wheeled vehicle at an Amish farm sale when I got my first team of work horses. That was in 1993. It was old then, and it looks just the same as it did the day I brought it home 25 years ago.
I hooked onto a wooden sled (also known as a stone boat) rolled my logs on, and the horses pulled them.

 Karm and Karla hauled the logs and braces out to the corners of their pasture. I rented a post-hole-digger from a local rental place and made some deep holes for my large corner posts.

In the photo below, you can see my old electric fence, Karla grazing, my pickup truck, and the post-hole-digger.

Once we got our equipment in place, the horses were sent out to pasture, and I put a gas engine to work.

I now have my corner post set. If it ever quits raining, I'll get back on this project and share some finished product photos.

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.

Organic Farm

Aunt Bethany holding Isaac. Big sisters Lyla and Kinley close by.

Just down the road from the home-place, our Mennonite neighbor has an organic farm. He puts a lot of effort into raising livestock in a healthy, natural way.

My 2nd daughter recently had her 4th child, a new baby boy. My 3rd daughter gave a helping hand by taking her nieces and nephew on a field trip to the organic farm. Aunt Bethany asked if I wanted to come along.

Grandpa and the new baby boy, Leo. (middle name, Thomas)

Our neighbor raises a type of sheep that shed their own wool. They are a meat type and don't need to be sheered like most sheep. He also raises cattle and chickens.

 Yes, there is a lama in with the sheep. Lamas are very aggressive and are often kept with sheep as a "watch dog." They will chase off coyotes and dogs that may otherwise chase or kill sheep.

 In the picture below you can see a portable chicken shed. If you look really close you can see free range chickens near their portable home.

 We had fun visiting our neighbor's organic farm and bought a few frozen chickens and a couple of steaks. My grandchildren said good-bye to the cattle and we headed to a nearby Amish farm to pick up more fresh farm products. My grandchildren enjoyed talking with the Amish children. However, out of respect for Amish beliefs, we didn't take any pictures there. I stopped near the barn, where my Amish friend was milking a goat. We had a short chat while his children crowded around, visiting with Aunt Bethany and my grandchildren. This Amish family has a Chihuahua farm dog that was holding the other goats at bay, while one was being milked. He seemed so bold and confidant for his size. My Amish buddy finished milking and we were heading over toward the children, but we heard a terrible, "Yelp!" My friend said, "Oops, our little dog got too close to the geese!" I looked back just in time to see the poor little Chihuahua running away from a flock of geese.

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.

Amish Bookends

 Sunrise and Sundown are bookends to everyday life on an Amish farm.

Waking up to the sound of a rooster crowing and birds singing, is a beautiful and refreshing way to start your day. Head out and cows bawl for you to feed them.

Each evening, chore time closes the day as the sun goes down. Heading into a farmhouse knowing that your livestock is fed and bedded down is a relaxing feeling.

 Every morning The Lord paints a new mural on His massive canvas 

 Every evening God's watercolors lightly touch the clouds

The Moon hangs over this Amish farm as chores are being done

Even stormy weather has a certain beauty in Amish country

Many chapters, in my novels, begin with a descriptive sunrise on an Amish farm.

And chapters often end with a moonlit scene.

Thomas Nye on Amazon

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)