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Why Couldn’t It Have Been Something Useful?
In my childhood home, there needed to be a utilitarian reason for everything I did. When I walked two, three, or five miles on a Sunday morning, it was a means of transportation to a church service. Then on Sunday afternoons it was necessary to walk the same distance to return home. On weekdays I’d…
Read MoreAmish Genetics
Many people have asked me what I see as the challenges for cultural survival of the Amish. Most people first think about technology creeping into their culture as being a major threat. While that is undoubtedly one of the challenges they face, I believe their concentrated gene pool poses a greater threat to their cultural…
Read MoreNew Amish Settlements in Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, Canada
The Amish tend to migrate to new areas when their “mother” settlements become overcrowded (the Amish definition of this is different from what most consider overcrowded). Normally “scouts” (men from the mother community) go looking for suitable farmland in new places. Eventually they will settle down in an area, and hope other Amish will follow.…
Read MoreWhen Amish Horse and Buggies Share the Road with Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Sometimes we discover something just at the right time to give us that “AHA!” moment. This happened the day after I wrote that last blog post. I was reading the book Nature and the Environment in Amish Life by David McConnell and Marilyn Loveless. I’ve mentioned their study in an earlier post. I will be…
Read MoreWhen Cars and Buggies Share the Road
I have set up Google so that it alerts me to anything in the news that comes up with the word “Amish” in it. I cringe at how many news stories are about vehicular accidents involving Amish buggies. The latest one I read about happened in Minnesota last Friday. Before that there was a hit…
Read MoreAn Amish Homespun Art
I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. My prayers are with those holiday travelers who may be experiencing inclement weather. David and I had a quiet and reflective Thanksgiving between the two of us. We look forward to Christmas when our sons will both be joining us for the holiday, along with Tim’s girlfriend,…
Read MoreAmish Views of Nature and the Environment
The pastoral image of Amish communities living simply and in touch with the land strikes a deep chord with many Americans. Environmentalists have lauded the Amish as iconic models for a way of life that is local, self-sufficient, and in harmony with nature. But the Amish themselves do not always embrace their ecological reputation,…
Read MoreWriting About Amish
In order to be truly free, I eventually discovered, I needed to belong once again — but this time to a way of life I had chosen for myself, one that enabled me to find meaning and joy, in the here and now. ~ Galen Guengerich, Author of God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in…
Read MoreA Soul-Restoring Trip to the Smoky Mountains
I have always wanted to visit The Smokies, ever since I was an Amish teenager. For some reason or another, it never quite worked out for me to visit these ancient mountains until this past weekend. David and I headed off to Asheville, North Carolina without planning what we were going to do during our…
Read MoreWhen Creativity Takes a Sharp Turn
Today it is two months (even though it feels longer) since we had our furniture moved from the condo. David finished putting up the wallhangings today. He is almost done organizing his shop and putting up shelves. He’s done a lot of gardening, which is something he loves to do. He’s also been applying for…
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