the Amish are coming! The Amish are coming!

[Jens]

Spent the second half of yesterday halping with a barn raising.  One of the local farmers brought a bunch of Amish up.  Got to layout and cut the mortise and tenons.  Lots of fun.  The head Amish guy looked at my joint and said, "its a good thing you didn't see our joints, nice job."  My wife took some photos, I will post them soon.  I might go back up today.  It wasn't quite as cool as I always thought it would be...mostly because too many power tools were being used.

[glenn kangiser]

That's cool.  I've heard thay have certain ways that its OK if they use power tools etc.  If the phone is on the pole on the street corner it's ok but not in the house.

[MikeT]

With respect to the Amish and power tools, many people think they eschew things like power tools, but that wasn't the case at all when I worked in northern Indiana almost twenty years ago.  They power their tools using generators.  They just do not want to be dependent upon the grid and its implications.  Also each bishop in an Amish group determines the acceptability of an element of lifestyle.  This was one of the reasons there were phone booths in the middle of country roads in Indiana's Amish country--the bishops were not opposed to use of the phone, rather having one (a phone) in the house was "verboten."

In all the Amish woodworking shops like Borkholders Fine Furniture, they used power tools to make their gorgeous furniture, but the shops were powered by big, diesel-powered generators.  I can imagine nowadays they are even less dependent upon outsiders because they can easily make and utilize biodiesel.

Many people mistakenly believe the Amish live a "backwards" lifestyle, but I really respect the Amish and think they have it right--buy and make locally, live simply and sustainably and independently.

mt

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the insight, Mike.

I think they have many good ideas there.  

City stores only have enough food for 3 days - or less in a panic.  They call it just in time delivery.

The Amish will carry on as usual.  I assume they are also against the use of foreign oil paid for with the lives of U.S. sons and daughters and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, hence the use of bio-diesel.  Makes sense to me. :-/

[JRR]

The Lancaster, PA Amish country has always been a great area to visit.  Fantastic food and farming country charm.  

Unattended roadside shops at some farms with garden produce and  kitchen products for sale.  Each item reasonably priced.  Just drop your money in the designated pail ... which already has some money inside for making change.

They demonstrate their faith in every thing.  No tragedy too large to be handled with quiet resolve.

[MikeT]

Lancaster, PA is a great example of the tourism industry promoting something to death and letting uncontrolled development spoil much of an area.  The things like "Dutch Wonderland" sit in such a stark contrast to the authentic and indigenous lifestyles of the Amish, that one really has to go off the main drag and into the country to see what JRR is talking about.  Ephrata, Bird in Hand, and other places are so much more interesting than Lancaster proper.

In my earlier days, I used to work with the Amish and local officials on how to deal with tourism in a way that does not destroy local culture.  I gradually became disillusioned by the continuously parasitic nature of tourism.  It takes, takes, and takes and really gives very little back.  With the Amish, they are the "attraction", yet the majority of the money goes to hotels, gas stations, restaurants, etc.  Then you get the rampant, uncontrolled billboards that advertise the businesses yet destroy the bucolic landscape they are supposedly promoting.

Ooops, I seem to have drifted.  I must be a real member of this discussion group!  

mt

[John Raabe]

Reminds me of a Joni Mitchell song:

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

[FrankInWI]

Oh John.... Quoting Joni Mitchell music.... oh gosh I got that album at home.  It's lovely.  Takes me back, way back.  How did I get to be almost 60?

[glenn kangiser]

Big Yellow Taxi from Ladies of The Canyon if i recall correctly.

I owned the vinyl so figured it was legit for me to download the MP3.

[Jens]

farmer, farmer put away your DDT, I don't care about spots on my apples.

These Amish are from Lancaster, and through my talks with them, I have definately learned that they are not much different than the rest of the world.  I don't think its backwards at all, just different.  My wife is going to be homeschooling the kids next year, we have chickens (layers, and meat birds, just butchered our first two meat birds), live on 4 acres (though we don't own them), have a garden, no TV stations, no microwave, don't buy useless crap all the time just to be shopping.  A lot of people would say that we are living backwards, let them say it.  This group of Amish live in Ronks, PA, which I guess is one of those touristy areas, according to a quick web search.  Still, they all seem so filled with a general sort of calm and peace, that the community must be doing something right.  We are only 10 hours away from there, and may make a homeschooling field trip to visit them, and see first hand what their life is like.  

Worked with them again today.  We got the rest of the bents up.  Two days, and the two story frame is up.  Now they are on to the rafters, and purlins, as well as the studs in the walls for the siding to nail to.  I am back to my regular job though, the one that pays the bills.  Wish I could just afford to do all of this for free, it would be so much more fun.

[glenn kangiser]

but leave me the birds and the bees, pleeeeease.

Really sounds great, Jens.  I like to do different things like that sometimes for next to nothing just for the experience also,  but if there is a way to get paid for it that's even better.

I may have one coming up - no for sure yet but if so will post it.

[Jared Drake]

 My wife is going to be homeschooling the kids next year, we have chickens (layers, and meat birds, just butchered our first two meat birds), live on 4 acres (though we don't own them), have a garden, no TV stations, no microwave, don't buy useless crap all the time just to be shopping.  A lot of people would say that we are living backwards, let them say it.


I thought I was the only one on this forum that wanted to live this way. I don't yet, but I want to. Every time someone posts a house they're building, they tell that they're engineers and architects and whatnot. I really began to wonder if I was the only average person here who worked in a factory. Ever since that Amish school kid killing I've admired their lifestyle. Too bad it took a tragedy to expose me to something new.
Jared

[sherab]

It also surprises folks to learn that there are actually Amish millionaires! An awful lot of people love going to  Amish stores to buy their furniture.  

My friend Steven Newman wrote a great book called "Worldwalk" that chronicled his 4 year walk around the world. It was released about 20 years ago and even today he makes a great living speaking to the Amish and other folks about his adventure. People would listen to his lecture and say "What a great story, where can I buy your book?".  Steven would have to say "Sorry but it's out of print".

After a lot of legal checking Steven learned he could reprint it on his own.

We worked on creating the text files and then trying to find a publisher and we discovered an Amish publisher that created a beautiful book.  It was a state of the art facility and the book was better than we could have imagined.

Of course this post wouldn't be complete if I  didn't mention that you can  get the book here....
http://www.theworldwalker.com/site/store.htm (It really is a great story, but you can read the letters he sent back home just by going to the site though).

I'm sure there are exceptions but I have always admired Amish quality from what I've seen.
Julian

[Jens]

The timberframe joints that they were making weren't bad, but nothing to write home about either.  I have a tendency to treat a lot of things like furniture though.  Yes Jared, my wife already knows which animals she wants, and how she would like to have the farm laid out.  I am neither an architect, nor an engineer, I am a builder.  Of course, you end up being both architect, and engineer sooner or later, ain't that right PEG?  Unfortunately, I can't stamp the plans and have the building officials simply pass over them.

[glen]

Yea its my First Post..
 Well i was rasied in the Amish-Mennonite community, Dad being Quaker, grand mom & dad being Amish.
just about every thing you are saying is true, some use electricty usualy by genrator. Some are rich some are poor and some use tourism for profit. It all goes back to the bishops and what the community deems approprite. As my dad says simplistic living isnt simple, and we're simple not stupid!  :DI was rasied in southern lancaster co., but im now in NewMexico due to my job.

[MountainDon]

Hey there, welcome glen. Where abouts in NM are you? I'm in Rio Rancho with property in the Jemez.

[glenn kangiser]

Welcome to the forum glen.  

Glad to have you on board.

Seems the Amish are well regarded everywhere.

In Ciudad Cuauhtémoc in Chihuahua,  Mexico there is a settlement of Menonites famous for their cheese.  I assume they are similar to the US Amish - in fact they were displaced from the US.

[StinkerBell]

Funny thing is the past few months I have been reading on the Amish and the Mennonites. Their history and philosophy.