Amish and the Coronavirus

The Amish and the whole world stand by, watching to see how the Covid-19 pandemic will play out. This might be the first time in history when the entire globe is unified as we confront a common enemy.

I had a long visit with my good friend (who happens to be Amish ) on Friday. We began talking about our favorite topic, horses. However, all conversations at this moment lead to Coronavirus.
My Amish friend gave me reason to pause and rethink a few things.

I thought: I will be a valuable source of information for him. After all, I'm privileged to have access to all forms of enlightenment through my phone, radio, TV, and computer.

As I began sharing what "I knew" he started to chuckle. I thought: oh no- my poor friend is doubting what I know to be fact.

As we talked, I tried to convince him of "my truth." I slowly realized that he didn't see me as a source of information at all. Not because he didn't trust me but because I got my information from through media he didn't trust.

Isn't this is a huge problem for us all? Our political leaders, and the president himself, have convinced Americans that we can't trust our news sources.

My Amish friend and I began to discuss "social distancing." It quickly became clear to me that we who are not Amish have already become "socially distant." We are very comfortable sitting in front of our TV to fulfill our need for human interaction. If that isn't enough- we text, zoom, skype, facetime, marco-polo, or whatever.

Amish people, by and large, do all of their communicating face-to-face.

This is not to mention, Amish live with extended family. Restrictions about not meeting in groups of ten or more would rule out most Amish families having supper together.

I am very concerned about my Amish friend and for all Amish everywhere. They might live on farms that are spread out over the countryside, but they are extremely socially interconnected. Amish have a strong tradition of keeping their elderly in their homes.

Modern Americans (westerners) have become obsessed with germs. Amish people have not. If you have spent any amount of time with Amish families, you know that they pass around cups to share a drink of water without a thought.

My conversation with my Amish friend ended with him giving me advice. 

"We all need to pray. Only God can deliver us."

As you do your praying... please pray for our Amish friends.

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 Farm Fall Tour

Who doesn't enjoy Fall? 

Let's take a tour through Amish farm country as the season and leaves turn.

Horses under brightly colored trees.

 Sunlight breaking through the leaves in heavenly rays.

You can almost smell the apples!

Above: a horse rests while at a hitching rack. 

Above: A young Amish woman heads into Kalona, Iowa. She gave me a friendly wave just before I snapped this pic. It's common for Amish in Iowa to wave to all who are friendly enough to greet them.

Above: Crisp fall air, drying clothes on a line. Amish families often use a pulley system to hang clothes on a line. If you look closely, you can see the pulley on a pole near the windmill. This way the person hanging out the wash can stand in one spot and move the line forward as they hang the laundry.

Above: an Amish woman rides her bike along a crackling crisp field of corn.

The leaves began to fall away as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

Horses stand in what little shade is left. A few weeks from now they'll be standing under the sunshine trying to soak it in.

Children from a plain Mennonite group play on a playground. Light jackets are all they need.

Interested in reading about Thanksgiving on an Amish farm. My story, The Thanksgiving Frolic is the third novella in "Love's Thankful Heart"

Click on this link:
LOVE'S THANKFUL HEART

Author Thomas Nye on RFD TV

RFD TV will take you inside the barn with Thomas Nye and His Amish Horses.

Joe Mischka of Rural Heritage (Magazine and TV Series) interviews author Thomas Nye about his experience of buying a team of horses from an Amish friend. And how that adventure led him to write The Amish Horses Series.

They begin their conversation at the kitchen table and move outdoors to harness and hitch his team of Percheron draft horses.

Set your DVR and/or mark the date on your calendar.

A 30-minute program on Saturday, Nov. 9th will air nationwide at 2:30 Central Time as Rural Heritage presents Amish Horses in Print.

Rural Heritage airs each Tuesday at 3:30 pm and the show repeats Saturday at 2:30 pm Central Time on channel 239 on Mediacom Cable, Channel 345 on Direct TV, Channel 231 on DISH Network.

This show is a repeat that originally aired in October of 2018

Click here for show schedule: Rural Heritage on RFD TV

Click here to find RFD TV in your area

Click here to see the Thomas Nye author page on Amazon: Author Thomas Nye



The program is also available on Youtube. Click on the link to watch.Amish Horses in Print on Youtube.

Sunset / Sunrise Tour

 My last few blog posts have been tours... let's keep it going. These sunset and sunrise photos were all taken with my cellphone over the past two months. Believe it or not, I didn't touch the color or use any filters on any of them. Those are my horses, Karla and Karma, grazing as the sun comes up.

Karla heads for greener grass as the skies light up. It just so happens that we've had some incredible clouds at dusk and dawn leading to some photogenic moments.

This Amish phone booth serves the family that lives in the farmstead in the background. They can't just pick up the phone on a whim. You may recognize some of these pictures if you follow my Amish Horses Facebook page.

I snapped this beaut as I headed out to do morning chores. I couldn't believe the colors.

 This picture is of the same Amish farm as the phone booth photo. I travel this road to work every morning, therefore it's often a subject for my phone camera art.

 This photo has an interesting twist... it was taken early in the morning, but we are looking due west! Our bright sunrise lit up the entire sky... even the western view. The Amish buggy horses contrast the sky perfectly.

 Another Amish farm waking up under a glorious sunrise. It may look quiet here, but I guarantee that the family has been up for a while when I drive past at 7:00 am. In fact, chores are almost done and breakfast is on the table.

 A white draft horse highlighted in the morning light. Anyone that drives highway 1 between Kalona and Iowa City should recognize this Amish farm and white Percheron.

Open fields under the heavens.

 Another early-morning walk out to my barn.

Sunset silhouettes fences and horses.

 The sky glowed as orange as a pumpkin this evening. Click on each photo and take a closer look.

Amish Horses Tour (Part 2)

Climb back up on the horse-draw wagon, and we'll take another jaunt through the Amish countryside. This first picture is of a Percheron mare. Her foal is hiding behind her. You will get to see the baby in a picture further down in this series of pics. Don't you just love the white fences, barns, and buildings on Amish farms? If you read any of my books, you know that I often refer to that "Look" as I describe the setting.

Tranquillity: That is a single word that sums up the vistas in Amish country.

Indiana Amish farmers seem to be partial to Belgian draft horses. They are what you see pictured above and below. Belgian horses vary in color from what they call, "Blond" to a dark sorrel that I would call, "Brick red."

You will also see buggy horses in among the draft breeds. Workhorses are rarely used to pull a buggy, they are for the heavy lifting such as pulling a plow. In the picture above, you can see the two styles side-by-side. Draft horses are often taller, have more muscle, and can look almost fat. The tall, thin, dark horses used to pull buggies (or "Carriages" as they are known by Amish folks in Pennslyvania.) Most buggy horses are of the Standardbred breed. Although, you will find Morgans, Dutch Cross, and Friesians, or some mixture of two or more of those listed.

It is quite evident that these horses are well fed and cared for.

Most Amish farms are well maintained and picturesque, although that may not always be the case. Before you jump to conclusions and judge a family when you see an unpainted barn or a skinny horse, take a moment to consider that we live in a real-world and things happen. Have you ever had a headlight or muffler go out on a car you were driving? Sometimes horses get ill, lose a shoe, hurt a leg, or anyone of countless misfortunate things that can happen. If a person loves their horse, they will try to nurse it back to health. Anyone that has spent time on a farm knows that sick or injured animals are inevitable. I've noticed that people are way too quick to judge before they take the time to understand the whole story. This happens more on the internet than anywhere! Please don't be, "That person."

If you enjoy these photos, you need to visit an Amish community. Ask around and find one near you. There are Amish communities in almost every state. I've visited the big three: Lancaster County, Pennslyvania, Holmes County, Ohio, and these pictures were taken in LaGrange and Elkhart Counties in Northern Indiana. I've also driven by Amish farms in Ontario Canada and many of the United States; including Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Colorado, New York State, and of course my home state Iowa. I need to travel more! There is so much more to see.

Above: Here is the picture I promised of the Percheron mare and her foal.

At the end of the day, I don't mind coming home because of these girls in the photo above. My own place has a little of the Amish flare thanks to my own Amish Horses, Karma and Karla.

If you want to look at Amish Horses Tour part 1, all you need to do is scroll to the top of the page and click on "Home." After doing that, you can scroll back down and beyond these pictures to find my last blog.