Wednesday, June 06, 2012

A-Mish Upon A Star

As I mentioned last night Saturday we went to the Amish Country. Just inside Eldridge Tn. you can pick up a map at the local gas station which gives a list of all the local families, directions on how to find them, and what they sell.

To say that it's a different world there in the sprawling fields that lie between Highway 242 & 43 would be an understatement. It was my first introduction to true Amish culture and I was amazed. There are of course the obvious things that pop into your mind; no electricity, no air conditioning, no Internet, television, or radio. As you make your way from family to family though it really starts to sink in.

Handmade soap, blankets, furniture all made on the family land. Cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, and onions grown just a few feet from the front porch. Children that do not speak unless spoken too and little in response at that. In some ways it's a simple lifestyle in others it seems at least from the outside to be a harsh existence filled with toiling away in the hot sun from sun up to sun down with little in the way of luxury. Still though I can help but view the Amish countryside with a bit of whimsy similar to that of the beach. A place where the world has never been more quiet, the sky more clear, and the people more full of life

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