Seven Villages

Once upon a time, a group of people with strong religious convictions left their homeland of Germany and transplanted themselves onto American soil.

They first began a community in New York state and later purchased a large tract of land in central Iowa. They surrendered themselves to a communal lifestyle and shared all their worldly goods. Families stayed intact, but they shared large communal homes and dining halls. 

Pictured on the left is the smokestack of the Amana Woolen Mill. The stream is manmade, designed to power the mill and as an avenue to float goods through the center of Amana's 26,000-acre farm. The Amana Society constructed six villages and later purchased the nearby hamlet of Homestead, Ia. Nowadays, seven beautiful villages are standing as relics of bygone days. There are numerous shops, restaurants, wineries, handcrafted furniture venues, butcher shops, museums, and more.

My middle daughter and I love the "family style" breakfast served in Amana restaurants. Grandson Parker slept right through the meal, but I'm pretty sure his day of feasting with Grandpa is coming soon.

My grandparents took my mother and father to the Amana Colonies for a family-style meal on their wedding day in June 1951, and my wife and I honeymooned here in January 1981.

There are many amazing sights, scents, and tastes in the colonies. 

Many large homes, dining halls, churches, and factories were constructed of sandstone, brick, and wood. They are beautiful in structure and create a lovely ambiance. (I enjoy riding my bicycle throughout the seven colonies. Pictured above.)

These seven villages have been an integral part of my life here in Iowa. My love of Early American History draws my heart to Amish farms and the Amana Colonies. Those sentiments are the inspiration for my Amish novels and soon-to-be-released Amana novel.

(Above) I'm standing in front of the Amana church in a village called "Main Amana." If you are ever passing through Iowa on Interstate 80, take a break, stretch your legs with a scenic walk, sit down to a scrumptious meal, and enjoy browsing through a few shops. You will want to make this the destination instead of a stopping point on your next vacation. 

I'll keep you posted as my Amana novel nears publication.

 Be sure to follow this blog and/or my Facebook author page. Thomas Nye on Facebook

For a list of books written by Thomas Nye, check out my Amazon Page.

Thomas Nye on Amazon

Or, more information through a tab in this blog.

Books by Thomas Nye

Where Donkeys Rule

There is a place in America where donkeys rule.

In Cripple Creek, Colorado donkeys are free to roam the streets at their leisure, and they do. My wife and I recently spent a week in the mountains near Cripple Creek. We took a drive through the little mountain town and came across a herd of donkeys roaming the streets. My first thought was to let someone know their donkeys were out. I checked in with a local business person and she explained the phenomenon.  

Cripple Creek is an old mining town. Donkeys were an integral part of life here during the birth of this community and they remain a permanent fixture. In honor of all the donkeys who carried loaded packs, or worked in the mines, these donkeys are treated like royalty. 

The donkeys have a support team known as the Two Mile High Club. The elevation of Cripple Creek is 9,495 feet above sea level, which is almost two miles up. I had to gasp for air when I strolled from shop to shop. Lol, not quite that bad, but it gave me an excuse to sit on a bench and take in the views. 

I purchased this hat as a memento and to help support the donkeys. Local stores carry Two Mile High Club merchandise and a portion of the sales are used to maintain the donkey herd. There is a Facebook page and a website for these donkeys. You can click on the links at the bottom of this post and join the support team. 

We were lucky enough to take in the annual rodeo while we were in Cripple Creek. It is touted as the world's highest rodeo. I had to wonder if the horses noticed the low oxygen content of the mountain air.

The locals seem to embrace these little darlings and allow them free access to roam, sit, eat, and poop wherever they so desire.

Everyone loves to stop and feed and/or pet these "rulers of the mountains" but be sure to check about what food is acceptable before you toss them a treat. We want to keep these gentle spirits safe and honor the legacy of those valiant ancestors who faithfully served humankind. 

I took the photo below when I first witnessed a herd of donkeys roaming the streets.

This was my first view of Cripple Creek (below) as my wife and I crossed the mountain pass heading into town. It was love at first sight for me, and I didn't even know about the Two Mile High Club yet. 

 Be sure to notice the white-capped mountains off in the distance lining the horizon. 

Here are the links I promised:

Cripple Creek Donkeys on Facebook

cripplecreekdonkeys.com

First Horse Sale

Grandpa (Thomas Nye) and Grandma took our little  2-year-old Ruby to her first draft horse sale a few weeks ago. First, you need to understand, Ruby is horse-crazy just like her grandpa. When we stepped out onto this catwalk she literally shook with excitement. See how she is pointing in the photo below? She pointed at every horse in sight and squealed, "Horsey!"

 

We went down among the horses. Ruby made a special point of saying a friendly, "Hello" to anyone who happened to be on horseback. She ignored people on foot. LOL

When we headed outside she enjoyed watching buggies and horse-drawn wagons rolling past.

We ate in the Sale Barn diner where the cooks and waitresses are Amish or Plain Mennonite. Ruby smiled at everyone and cleaned up everything on her plate!

We watched horses sell to the relaxing rhythmic sounds of an auctioneer. Horses are super pricy right now. A horse that would have sold for a thousand dollars five years ago would sell for three times that amount today.

Horse sales are a place where the Amish and non-Amish worlds come together. It probably feels to them like a day in the modern world. And to us, as if we stepped into the past.

 If you love horses, the good-old-days, or if you're intrigued by Amish culture...

You need to give one of my novels a try. Click here for the list Amish Novels

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.

Amish Christmas Collection

How about some Christmas stories?

The men of Amish fiction would love to take you on a Christmas adventure.

My own horses have a set of Christmas lights on their barn.

Thomas Nye's Christmas story takes place on a farm like this one. The Holiday Harness Shop shares the happenings in an Amish harness shop during the week leading up to Christmas.

Winter in Amish country is picturesque. 

Action and adventure on an Amish farm don't slow down because of a little snow or cold.

Cozy up with a cup of cocoa, a blanket, and an Amish Christmas Collection this holiday season.

Amazon Link

 

Or, to order directly from the author with a check

Ordering Instructions

 

The Continuing Saga of Karla and Mushka

 

Hello Friends-

If you follow this blog, you are probably wondering how Karla and Mushka are getting along.

We had the normal issues horses have with deciding dominance. It should not be understood the same way as humans working out a relationship. Horses have their own way. It involves a pecking order that must be established.

Once this is decided (Karla is one up in the order) they then have to decide if they like each other. Karla and Mushka are getting along great.

I let this play out before I even tried hitching them up. Many a "Cowboy" or Amish person would have hitched them the first day. I'm not that brave.

My personal strategy is to do like the horses and work out my place as a kind leader. If you work with horses they should see you as someone they can trust and turn to for leadership.

After we established Tom as a friend and leader, we moved to getting harnessed up and finally hitched.

Mushka pushed her head through the collar when I held it in front of her, revealing she was not afraid of it and in fact, extremely comfortable with a collar.

We had a few snags along the way. The first struggle is that I know nothing about Mushka and her past experience. She seems kind and calm. I found out she hates to have fly spray near her head. Unfortunately, I got brave because she didn't seem to mind being spayed until I got near her head and she went ballistic. She hauled back and tried to break free of her tie rope. This is not a good sign! This caused me to lose confidence in her. What if she tries to haul back while in the harness with Karla?

In the end, everything has gone smoothly. Mushka does seem a little prone to haul back on her halter. This is an extremely bad habit for a horse and can be quite dangerous. When we were finally hitched to my flat sled, everything seemed calm. I will say, Mushka acted a little confused. My guess is that her experience is as a single horse pulling a cart. She did not panic or resist being hitched at all, but she did not seem comfortable with a wagon tongue. She did not show fear, just a little confused by it.

All in all, I'm satisfied. It's not the same without Karma, but we will have a lot of fun with Mushka.

Mushka

Meet Mushka.

If you have been following the Amish Horses Blog, you know I lost my horse named Karma a few months ago. Karma's full-sister Karla grazed our pasture alone most of the summer. I visited quite a few Amish farms in my area looking for a new horse, but it wasn't meant to be. My Amish neighbors let me know that good horses are in short supply at this time.

I don't know much about this beautiful white horse. The man who brought her from Wisconsin to the Kalona Sale Barn gave some vague information about her. First of all, when I asked about her name, he just said, "I call her Girl or Babe, whatever is easiest." Apparently, she has had a number of homes and her name got lost along the way.

He mentioned that she spent some of her fifteen years on an Amish farm, and had been used as a "Produce Horse." He asked, "Do you know what that means?" He then explained that Amish girls had used her to pull a walking plow in their large garden. He also thought that on some occasions one sister would ride the horse holding a bag while another handed produce up.

You can see ears pinned back. Horses communicate with body language. Karla is making sure this new horse knows that she owns the barn. They are warming up to each other slowly. 

Whenever a horse comes through a sale barn without much history it makes the buyer wonder why. Maybe someone reading this blog will recognize her and contact me with more information. In the meantime, I chose to buy her because she seemed absolutely gentle and friendly. 

We decided to give her the name Mushka. (Pronounced with a moo) We have a family friend from Bosnia with that name and we always thought it sounded beautiful. Our friend spells her name Musca but I felt people would likely mispronounce it. My little granddaughter approves of Mushka. She has enjoyed petting her many times already.

 Mushka photographs well. I was looking for a black horse to match Karla, but when I met this white beauty I couldn't resist bringing her home. I personally feel they look attractive together.

At one time, I calculated how many horses I've owned in my lifetime, I need to do it again. I think Mushka is number 35.