Sin and the Twinkle of Spring

Posted by Feb 16 2012, 4:49 am

The crocuses are blooming.

About three miles down the crooked, one-lane road from me, an Amish family built a house just last year. 

There are lots of Amish people around here.  But this Amish family is different. 

The Amish folks around here are known for the cedar lawn furniture they build, their fabulous sourdough bread, and the produce they sell during the spring, summer and fall.

I used to carry mail, and I had several Amish, and some Mennonite, families on my rural mail route.  I came to know and respect them, understand some of the differences in their faiths, and understand their ways of life.  And I came to realize that I am grateful I was not born an Amish woman.  Hard life, that.

For you who don’t know, Amish people are the ones who ride in horse-drawn buggies, don’t drive cars, have no electricity in their houses, and have, at least in the home, no modern conveniences that most of us think are essential. 

I think it varies by region, but around here, Amish folks are different from Mennonites.  Mennonites in this region also eschew stylish clothing, their women wear only dresses, and also wear head coverings.  But the Mennonites drive cars.  Many of them work in trades like masonry and carpentry, and those Mennonites often drive a Mercedes or a BMW. Not second hand ones, either. They earn good livings, use high-end power equipment, and have indoor plumbing and electricity.

A Mennonite woman wears only dresses, and a little white cap, with her hair twisted up underneath it. She can wear almost any color dress, although, come to think of it, I’ve never seen a Mennonite woman wear red.

Hmmm…must be the color of sin or something.

But no large prints.   No matter the color, the dress is always very plain, with long sleeves, and always one solid color or a very small, discrete print.  Mennonite men…well, they look pretty much like any other man, usually, though most have beards and they do not wear printed fabric either. 

Amish women, on the other hand—they wear dresses made of cotton or wool, and always blue or black.  Around here, they wear no other colors.  They wear heavy bonnets, so none of their hair shows. Amish men wear wide-brimmed, roundish hats of straw or felt, have raggedy untrimmed beards, no moustache, and somber black pants with blue shirts. 

And they never smile. Never.  Even if their eyes smile, their faces remain somber when they speak with you.   They will speak when necessary to conduct business, but they do not wish to be social with those who are not like them–who do not believe as they do.

  Oh, and if the men are around, the Amish women don’t smile either.  If the men are not around, the Amish women will often smile and wave at passersby, then glance around as thought they might get caught failing to “come ye out and be separate” from all of us heathen folk and our worldly ways.

And that’s how this new Amish family is different.

What does that have to do with crocuses blooming?  Hold on.  I’ll get to that.

This Amish family down the road…they built their house last spring, moved in, promptly began work on a new barn, and…the thing I was waiting for….they planted a garden.

About the first of May last year, they hung out a sign by the road.  It was made of wood and painted white, and had two little hooks on the bottom, and depending on the day, other little signs would be linked up to it, one hanging just below the other in a string of offerings lettered in coarse black hand. 

Sweet Corn.

Tomatoes.  This one hanging just below the one for corn.  Each vegetable had its own set of little hooks, you see.

Cabbage.

Squash.

Grean Beans.  Yep, that’s the way it was spelled. Whatever they had available on a given day, they could add that particular sign. 

So when the sign for tomatoes appeared, I stopped.

I drove my shiny, inferno-red van into their gravel driveway, easing through a flock of chickens, and pulled over to the side. I sat there for a minute in my cushy leather seat before I shut off the radio and the air conditioner, then dug into my Fossil bag for my Fossil wallet, stalling a bit so I could look around. 

Several strapping young Amish men, all dressed exactly alike, used a team of horses to haul loads of dirt across the lot in the back, building a steep ramp up to the fabulous new two-story barn.  I saw them all pause and glance my way as I got out of the van, clad in tight jeans and a tank top with skinny straps.  More exposed female skin than they’d see in a lifetime of sneaking around to peep in the windows at the Amish girls.

The boy handling the team of four big Belgians looked to be about 12, and clearly knew what he was doing.  The barn, incidentally, was more solidly constructed than my house. 

I pushed the button to roll down the power windows and stood by my gleaming, hot-red sin machine, scoping out the lay of the land. I shut the van door and headed toward the house. The front porch was veggie central, lined with tables, and there was a big, white baby scale front and center. Non-digital, of course.

A turkey gobbled in the barnyard as I walked across the driveway.  No sign of the farmer or his wife.  Two steps up, and I was on the porch.  I peered through the screen door at the dark, cool front room.  Four straight chairs sat facing the center of the room, one roughly in each corner.  One small table held an oil lamp.  No rugs.  None of what I would call necessary comforts. Simple and clean.

 I started picking out tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. I’d filled a plastic sack with produce when around the corner walked the proprietor.

And that’s when I knew he was different.

He smiled at me.  A full, broad, welcoming smile.  A genuine, glad-to-meet-you smile. As though I had not just arrived borne on the inferno-red wings of motorized iniquity, and were not dressed like the harlot Jezebel, poised to betray any available saint into the bowels of hell.

He might, I thought, even be glad I was there, and not just for the money in my wallet.  

His hair and beard were white, but his skin was flush and ruddy.  He was slender and spry. His eyes were pale, pale blue.  And he twinkled at me.   

Had there been a chimney, and had he been more round, I’d have expected him to lay his finger aside of his nose. I admit that I glanced around, just to be sure there were no reindeer.  The twinkle was that pronounced.

It’s an Amish elf, I thought.

He introduced himself as John, and told me about his wife, Rebekkah, for whom he was building a set of shelves.  They’d moved from Pennsylvania to be near their sons, who’d all married girls from a local Amish family.  I knew that family—they were from my old mail route.  Those girls used to sneak smiles at me when the men were not looking.

Maybe those girls were lucky enough to marry pale-eyed Amish boys who would twinkle at them, and smile at strangers.  Even worldly female strangers in flashy red vans.   

We chatted for a bit, the Amish Elf John and I, I paid for my produce, and then I climbed back into my blasphemous chariot of debauchery, pushed the button to roll up the windows, and drove out the other side of the gravel circle, dodging geese, turkeys and a guinea or three.  I waved at the young Amish men working on the new barn.  They all nodded somberly in my general direction, made no eye contact, and did not smile.

Three weeks ago—about the last week of January, I was driving down that one-lane road again.  It was a warm day for January.  And still, the land was depressing.  Shades of murky brown and gray. 

The fields have lain fallow since late summer, and though it hasn’t been so cold this year, and we’ve had almost no snow, even the stubble of corn and wheat has been worn down by the relentless, wet, winter blah.

I crossed the small creek, rounded the steep curve and climbed the rise.

And there was John, the Amish elf.

I didn’t see his face.  His wide-brimmed straw hat was low over his forehead and eyes.  The kind of hat the Amish usually wear in summer.

I recognized him by his posture, more than anything.  He walked through the field that had been his garden. He strode across the ground, focused on it as though he were measuring it with his steps.  I slowed as he paused to look up at the sky. I thought about honking my horn at him, but in the end I didn’t do it.  He seemed a man alone with the land and with his God, and my noise had no place in it.

Two days ago I drove by again, and the ground was broken.  Turned over in perfect red-brown rows of piled earth, ready to be worked and planted.  No sign of John, but my heart beat faster, seeing that earth, turned by a plow dragged by a team of Belgian horses and a man with a twinkle in his eye. Soon there will be a garden there again, God willing.

This morning I got up, dragged myself to the kitchen and poured the Cup of Life from my fancy stainless steel Cuisinart thermal carafe—the one that had brewed itself on a timed schedule I programmed in last night– after I ground the beans in the fancy electric grinder and set the timer.  The timer I’ve come to need as I’ve become dependent on technology for comfort.

I stood at the window and gazed out at my back yard. It’s still half mud, and half dead, smooshed grass.  I watched the endless gray drizzle fall from the winter sky.

And that’s when I saw it. 

Just a small, tight yellow clump beside the gray stones in the flower bed outside my kitchen window.  Crocuses. I stared, almost breathing them in, as though if I took them into my body I could hasten the coming of spring. 

Even as I was drinking in the color, my central heating unit kicked on to drive away the chill of 40 degrees outside. Yup, it’s still winter.

But spring is coming.  I know because the days are getting longer.  The flowers are poking their heads out of the ground.

And John, the Amish elf, has broken his ground for this year’s garden.  Maybe he’s standing by the warmth of the wood-burning cook stove in his kitchen, with his wife Rebekkah bustling about.  Maybe he’s sipping his  cup of coffee brewed in an old-fashioned coffee pot, gazing out at his fields and seeing the first signs of spring. 

I think we are not so different, he and I.  John in his plain clothes and straw hat, walking his ground and oiling his harness.  Me in my jeans and baggy sweatshirt, slaving away at my computer and driving the roads in my comfortable red  machine. 

Both looking up at the sky, waiting for spring.  He may not have yellow crocuses blooming, but I bet he’s smiling, just like I am.

What about you, Bandits and Buddies? 

Are there Amish people who live near you?  And if so, have they broken their gardens for the season?  Do you know them?

Any signs of spring where you are? (Or fall, for our friends Down Under). 

What do you wait for, to signal the changing of the seasons?

Has it been a long winter for you?  Has it been a hard one, or like us, have you had an easy winter so far? (I am crossing my fingers and toes that we don’t have a late winter here.)

Do you see any flowers blooming?  If your seasons are opposite, are the leaves turning colors yet?

What is your signal to start thinking about spring?  Easter?  April Fool’s Day? What is your end-of summer holiday if your season is opposite mine?

Do you have any early spring traditions you keep?  When does spring cleaning happen for you?

Are you like me…hankering for balmy breezes and flowers bustin’ out everywhere?

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86 Comments

Comments

86 thoughts on “Sin and the Twinkle of Spring”

  1. 1
    Helen says:
    February 16, 2012 at 5:04 am

    Is he coming to my place

    Have Fun
    Helen

  2. 2
    Cassondra Murray says:
    February 16, 2012 at 5:14 am

    It’s 4 in the morning my time, and I’m going to bed to get some sleep. Helen, when you get back, tell Sven to get the bar going, will you? Oh and coffee. I’m gonna need plenty of it when I get up. Strong and with lots of cream.

    • 2.1
      Helen says:
      February 16, 2012 at 5:27 am

      Cassondra
      It is 9-30pm here in Sydney and I am just about to go to bed and read I am sure Sven will have lots of coffee and the bar going for us all

      Have Fun
      Helen

  3. 3
    Helen says:
    February 16, 2012 at 5:19 am

    Cassondra

    I do so love your posts such a great story.
    Here in Oz we have had a very mild summer and a few days that we have had to have the air con on and I must say it has been nice with very few yucky hot sleepless nights,but we have had lots of rain although today was nice and reached about 29c comfortable,but when I got up this morning it was almost like you could smell autumn in the air and this does not happen in February LOL. Autumn starts March 1st here although it really doesn’t hit till about April and I love seeing the leaves start to change colour and that nip in the air of a morning and the days getting a bit shorter bring on autumn I say.
    We don’t have any Amish people around here at all I don’t know how they live without the mod cons but anytime I have seen documentaries on TV about them they seem content.

    Have Fun
    Helen

    • 3.1
      Jeanne Adams says:
      February 16, 2012 at 11:49 am

      Doesn’t she write the best posts? Love Cassondra’s posts.

      Helen, you’ve picked the best word for it. The Amish DO seem content, most of them, with their chosen lives. :>

      I’m content with my “mod cons” as you termed it, so all is well in both our little worlds. Grins. Wouldn’t mind having a buggy though.

      • 3.1.1
        Cassondra says:
        February 16, 2012 at 2:38 pm

        Yes, Helen nailed it.

        Content.

        At least most of them. Although the ones around here use power tools for their work in their shops–run by propane generators–but will not have electricity in their homes. I sometimes think it must take a lot of twisting about to be okay with the logic of that.

    • 3.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 1:45 pm

      Aw, thanks Helen!

      I used to love that nip of autumn in the air as well. I haven’t enjoyed that for a bit now, as I posted in January, because I think I need a wood stove to feel safe in the winter. I am bound and determined to remedy that this year.
      It’s interesting how my heart always beats a little faster at the change of seasons, no matter which season it is, but especially spring and fall. I started feeling this just about the last day of January.

      • 3.2.1
        Helen says:
        February 16, 2012 at 2:08 pm

        The seasons just don’t seem to be the same these days maybe it has something to do with global warming, but yes I always look forward to the seasons changing a frest start maybe or just a change who knows but I do prefer autumn and spring as well

        Have Fun
        Helen

        • 3.2.1.1
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 2:39 pm

          Yes exactly! It’s kind of like a fresh start. It’s always felt more natural to make my fresh starts on those days rather than on the New Year.

  4. 4
    Dianna aka Hrdwrkdmom says:
    February 16, 2012 at 5:44 am

    We haven’t really had a winter to speak of and I swear I heard a bird twittering outside yesterday morning. Hearing the birds sings and looking for daffodils in my back yard is how I know spring is near.

    • 4.1
      Nancy Northcott says:
      February 16, 2012 at 8:56 am

      Dianna, the winter has been fairly mild here, too. We haven’t had even a hint of snow. Of course, there was a year, when the boy was small, we had snow every Wednesday in March, so you never know.

      • 4.1.1
        Jeanne Adams says:
        February 16, 2012 at 11:51 am

        I KNOW ya’ll are going to throw things at me, and my DH will absolutely tear out what hair he has, but I’d LOVE to have snow in March. Even if it’s just a couple of days.

        We’ve only had a dusting here in DC. Just enought to put a faint white haze on the grass, then gone.

        Weird year. It’s been mild all this week, so…

        • 4.1.1.1
          Dianna aka Hrdwrkdmom says:
          February 16, 2012 at 1:28 pm

          I agree with you Jeanne, I can handle the cold way better than the heat. We have had a couple of little snows but not anything to get excited about.

          • 4.1.1.1.1
            Cassondra says:
            February 16, 2012 at 2:41 pm

            Well I don’t mind having a decent snow at least, because it’s so pretty, but NO! Not this year.

            It’s too late.

            That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. *grin*

    • 4.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      Yup, the birds are singing here too, Dianna. But the early part of this week has been cold for us. Down in the teens at night. Today it’s supposed to warm up a bit again. I’m ready for it to warm up.

      Lotsa work to do in my yard this spring, before I host a big event here in June.

      LOTS of work. ;0/ I need every available warm weekend.

  5. 5
    Anna Sugden says:
    February 16, 2012 at 5:46 am

    We really enjoyed our visit to Amish country, a few years ago. One of my prize possessions is a handmade Amish quilt, which is in pride of place on our bed.

    We’ve had a very mild winter here – only a couple of really sub-zero days with a couple of inches of snow. The plants are all confused – some cherry blossoms are already out! I saw our first snowdrop in the garden this morning. I love snowdrops – to me they are a sign of hope, and always make me smile.

    • 5.1
      Nancy Northcott says:
      February 16, 2012 at 8:53 am

      Anna, your quilt sounds wonderful. I love the look of quilts, but we let the dog on the bed. That’s not good for handmade bedding, so no quilt for us.

      • 5.1.1
        Anna Sugden says:
        February 16, 2012 at 9:38 am

        LOL The cats particularly enjoy the quilt! Of course, that’s not the same as a large dog.

      • 5.1.2
        Jeanne Adams says:
        February 16, 2012 at 11:53 am

        Nancy, our dogs have been easier on the quilts ’round here than the kids have. I believe this is because the dogs just want to sleep on them. The kids utilize them as Jedi cloaks, cloaking devices, forts, munitions slings, enemy targets and so on.

        Of course my quilts are family things not Amish things. I’d love to go to the Amish country in PA and get some quilts. Do love me a good quilt and I don’t have the patience for it myself. My step-sister does. She makes GORGEOUS quilts!!

        We do have Amish here, and mennonites too. :>

    • 5.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 1:54 pm

      Oh, I LOVE quilts!

      I did not get a hand made quilt from my grandmother. They were all gone by the time I got there to choose something from her home when they were about to sell it.
      We have a quilt STeve’s grandmother made, though, and it’s gorgeous. It’s put away right now because I’m having to wash linens so often because one of our kitties is having some health issues.

      Perhaps this new Amish family will be quilt makers. I think they tend to be rather spendy though.

      There is a quilting shop with prize quilts hanging in the window in the little town just down from us. It totally makes me want to quilt. But I probably never will do it. It’s the tedium I can’t take. Love designing, don’t even mind sewing. Just…the tedium.

      Bleh.

      • 5.2.1
        Jeanne Adams says:
        February 16, 2012 at 5:04 pm

        There’s that Evil Twin thing again Cassondra. Don’t mind the designing or the piecing, but the quilting….urgh. Tee-dee-ous.

        Death to the tedium!

  6. 6
    Deb says:
    February 16, 2012 at 7:54 am

    Hi, Cassondra. Great post!

    We have two prominent Amish settlements here in Iowa about 30 miles and 60 miles away from me. The one is Kalona, famous for cheese, and fairly commercial. The other settlement is Hazelton and, even though, “the Englishers” flock to their stores on baked goods days (Fridays and Saturdays), it is not commercialized. My dad likes to go up to Hazelton to buy his Redwing work boots.

    There is also a Mennonite settlement nearby in Wellman. The differences are just as you say. Did you know, though, that only married Amish men grow beards?

    I had the fortunate opportunity to visity a one-room Amish schoolhouse several years ago. The teacher was non-Amish and the children were kindergarten through 8th grade. The girls did find my earrings fascinating. The kindergarteners were just learning English since only Pennsylvania Dutch/German is spoken in the homes.

    We have a spring tradition in our family that began 22 years ago when my niece was only a year old. After Easter dinner and The Easter Egg Hunt, we fly kites out in the field at my parents’ farm. The men enjoy it the most, I think! We’ve had an unusually mild winter, so there is a little bit of green popping up here and there. No crocuses yet. (I used to have pretty purple ones, but a pesky ground squirrel at the bulbs as well as my tulip bulbs!)

    • 6.1
      Nancy Northcott says:
      February 16, 2012 at 8:51 am

      What a fun tradition, Deb! We used to have crocuses, too, in purple and yellow. I think ours, like yours, fell prey to hungry squirrels.

      • 6.1.1
        Deb says:
        February 16, 2012 at 8:57 am

        Excuse all my typos today.
        Nancy, I dug up the flower bed and found bites out of every single bulb. How irritating to have to pitch 60 tulip bulbs after having had planted them..

        • 6.1.1.1
          Nancy Northcott says:
          February 16, 2012 at 9:36 am

          Yes, very irritating! Our hyacinths are very scraggly, which is not surprising when you consider we planted them more than 20 years ago. We may get around to replacing them this fall. We haven’t dug up the bed, but it’ll be interesting to see what we find.

        • 6.1.1.2
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 2:43 pm

          Deb, do you know that you can roll the bulbs up in a roll of chicken wire, and that will keep the moles and chipmunks away? If you have a large population, it’s about the only way to keep bulbs from being lunch.

      • 6.1.2
        Jeanne Adams says:
        February 16, 2012 at 11:56 am

        I’ve been lucky with my bulbs the last few years, despite the fact that squirrels run in large packs around here. My hyacinths are poking up though, and my daffs are about to bloom in sunny spots. My neighbor’s house is showing snowdrops and crocuses, though mine are in shade and will probably come up later. They’re always later than some of my neighbors, but even mine will be early this year if the warm keeps up.

        • 6.1.2.1
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 2:44 pm

          The daffodils and the snowdrops–those can take snow as long as it doesn’t get uber-cold. But the hyacinths…those are a little more tender here.

          I don’t want to miss that heavenly scent. Can’t wait.

    • 6.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm

      Hi Deb,

      Yes, I did know about the no-beard for non-married guys. I think that’s odd…that must take its root in the old testament, I’m guessing.

      Also, one interesting difference is that the young women who are not of age to marry (which I’m guessing means haven’t hit puberty–or perhaps it’s a certain physical age) wear their clothes pinned together with clothes pins instead of buttons. I’ve always wondered about that…maybe it’s a symbol of “unavailability” or something.

  7. 7
    Nancy Northcott says:
    February 16, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Spring cleaning? What’s that? Around here, we do Company cleaning. If company is coming, we clean. Otherwise, we’re sporadic about it. Seasons have nothing to do with it.

    Interesting post, Cassondra, as usual. We have no Amish in this area. Of course, I live in a city. There could be some in our vanishing-beneath-urban-sprawl countryside. Many of the farms from my high school years have vanished under subdivisions, but there’re some farms in the county.

    I recently read Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder mysteries, which are set in Ohio’s Amish country. Kate is the local sheriff. She was born Amish but left the faith. The clash of cultures is a strong motif, treated with deftness and respect. There’s a romance subplot involving Kate and a State Bureau of Investigation agent. The first book is Sworn to Silence.

    Yes, flowers are blooming here, which I’m sorry to see because another frost will kill them. We have hyacinths, camellias, and those flowers that are shaped like daffodils but have cream-colored outer petals around a center cup that’s faintly orangish and smaller than a daffodil’s cup. Obviously, I forget what they’re called. You would know.

    • 7.1
      Anna Sugden says:
      February 16, 2012 at 9:39 am

      Ah yes, we’re great proponents of company cleaning in this house too, Nancy.

    • 7.2
      Jeanne Adams says:
      February 16, 2012 at 12:01 pm

      LOL! We do some of that too, Nancy, but I do try to do an actual overhaul, Spring Cleaning in March every year. Grins.

      The flowers you describe are another type of narcissis, like the yellow Daffs, but a different variety I think. :>

    • 7.3
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:04 pm

      Nancy, emergency “company-coming” cleaning is all I’ve done for about four years now. But I have a goal of a deep cleaning of the house this spring. Which of course, will lead to repairs of things that need repairing, etc etc.

      I dunno whether we’ll make that goal or not, but I’ve set it for as soon as I get back from my next trip–which will be week after next.

      Yes, we are losing our farms to sprawl as well, though our city is not nearly the size of yours. Still, the powers that be said, a few years ago, that our town “will be the next Atlanta.” I thought, “You effing idiot. If I wanted to live in Atlanta, I damn well could move there.”

      Yes, I feel rather strongly about planned sprawl.

      What are we going to eat when subdivisions are sitting on all of our tillable land?

      • 7.3.1
        Cassondra says:
        February 16, 2012 at 2:06 pm

        Oh, shoot. I got completely distracted by the urban sprawl thing.

        Those flowers sound like just another variety of narcissus–what most people call daffodils. They come in lots of color combinations and sizes, and a few (the small ones with many tiny blooms) are a different actual species, but they are all mostly the just narcissus…in the yellow, peach, blush pink, and orange families. And yes, if the bloom is out of the tight bud stage, a hard freeze will get them. If the bud is still tight, usually they’re okay.

    • 7.4
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      Oh, Crud…keep forgetting to add things.

      That series sounds WONDERFUL.

      Madelyn Alt’s Bewitching Myseries series is set in rural Indiana, and there is an Amish community near the small town, and that Amish community plays a big role in her books, with one of the main secondary characters being an Amish man.

      In one of the early books in the series, an Amish man is a murder victim. It’s one of the more chilling of the series actually, and one of my favorites.

  8. 8
    CateS says:
    February 16, 2012 at 9:23 am

    We have a lot of Amish and other kinds of ‘plain’ people in the area… Berne, IN is well known for the Amish.. mostly because of a syndicated column..
    http://www.oasisnewsfeatures.com/
    We’re not quite done with our mild winter… but green shoots are up all over.. Yea! Spring!

    • 8.1
      Nancy Northcott says:
      February 16, 2012 at 9:42 am

      Interesting column, Cate. I’ve seen those heaters advertised.

      Winter has been mild here, too, but we had a couple of days in the 40s this week.

    • 8.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:13 pm

      What an interesting website!

      I just don’t believe we are out of the woods for freezes and snow yet. That’s what I’m dreading. It will be a very bland spring if all the flowers get bitten. :0(

  9. 9
    Rebekah E. says:
    February 16, 2012 at 9:57 am

    Thanks for the great story. It really makes me miss Pennsylvania and the farmers markets that the Amish would sell there stuff at.

    • 9.1
      Jeanne Adams says:
      February 16, 2012 at 12:03 pm

      Rebekah, there’s one near me in the DC area and I love, love, love going there! Some of the Amish also come to the regionalized Farmers Markets that run here spring through fall. Yum!

    • 9.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      One thing I wish I could assist with bring about…more established farmer’s markets in our area. There ARE farmer’s markets around here, but they’re kind of catch-as-catch can. The Amish here all tend to operate their own roadside stands,or just sell off of their front porches as John and Rebekkah did last summer. Most Amish do not participate in the farmer’s markets here because it’s just a long way to travel by buggy to get there every day that it’s open.

  10. 10
    Anna Campbell says:
    February 16, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Cassondra, what a beautiful post. It was like a mini short story! And your Amish elf sounds like such a lovely man! I had to laugh. We’re still sweltering in summer down here and I’m desperately looking forward to the start of the cool weather (we’ve probably got about a month of hot weather left to go). But of course, that’s kinda sad too because around Easter, it gets a bit cold to swim and I love floating around in the water on a really hot day.

    • 10.1
      Jeanne Adams says:
      February 16, 2012 at 12:04 pm

      I do so envy you that poll, Anna! Grins. It’s always so odd to me that we’re opposite in season. Is it weird to come here for conference and have it be so warm in July?

      • 10.1.1
        Anna Campbell says:
        February 16, 2012 at 12:54 pm

        Jeanne, last winter, I nearly froze here (and believe me, it’s not a place that gets THAT cold in winter). But then I realized I’d been away for most of winter for the last few years at RWA and this year, I didn’t travel so I got the full three months of cold weather. Brrrrr!

        • 10.1.1.1
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 2:20 pm

          Ah! I was right in my thinking..you don’t normally get a lot of cold and snow. And yes, once you get used to a bit warmer–even just a bit–it’s even colder when you get a bad one.

          We had several years here of very, VERY mild winters. Hardly any snow and temps that just bobbed about from down in the 30s to back in the 70s and hanging out a lot in the 50s. Then two years ago it turned cold and stayed cold for four months. COLD.

          I nearly froze my tushie off.

    • 10.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:18 pm

      You know, I have never had a deep desire for a pool. I love love LOVE the beach, but a pool always just seemed a lot of trouble. But here, we’d get to use it only for a couple of seasons a year.

      I am ALL about a hot tub though. Do WANT!

      Do I remember right in thinking that you don’t have much of a severe winter down there? I seem to recall you saying that in past posts.

  11. 11
    pjpuppymom says:
    February 16, 2012 at 11:14 am

    Wonderful post as always, Cassondra! You have such a talent for painting lovely pictures with your words.

    We don’t have any Amish where I live but we do have several Mennonite communities.

    Spring is trying to awaken here in SC. Daffodils are in bloom while trees and other plants are loaded with buds. That’s kind of scary this early. It’s been a mild winter which means we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t get hit with a late freeze like we had a couple years ago. That one pretty much wiped out the state’s entire peach crop. Not a good thing!

    • 11.1
      Jeanne Adams says:
      February 16, 2012 at 12:05 pm

      Okay, while I want snow HERE, I do not want snow THERE. I adore SC peaches. YUM, yum, yum~!!!!

      Here’s hoping it’s allll warm for ya’ll from here on out…

    • 11.2
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you PJ!

      And OH MY! Another thing to pray for. God, please save the peaches! Amen.

      It is not summer without peaches. Not.

      Buds on trees. No, we don’t need that here for almost two more months at least.

  12. 12
    SandyG265 says:
    February 16, 2012 at 11:37 am

    We don’t have any Amish people where I live.

    So far it’s been a mild winter. Some of our crocuses and snowdrops are blooming already.

    • 12.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm

      I have never planted snowdrops. I mean to do so every darn fall, and I always somehow miss the good season to get the bulbs!

      Rats.

      I love snowdrops.

      • 12.1.1
        Jeanne Adams says:
        February 16, 2012 at 5:09 pm

        Funny you should say that Twin. I just put on my calendar in September to “Order Snowdrops and Crocus” because I don’t have any.

        And I need some. Grins.

        • 12.1.1.1
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 5:19 pm

          Yup. For people with nature-dependent psyches like ours, those first harbingers of warmer weather are absolutely necessary. I know you hate the heat, but I know you love the flowers.

          It’s how I stay in touch with the natural cycles of the planet, honestly.

  13. 13
    Trish Milburn says:
    February 16, 2012 at 11:42 am

    There are a significant number of Amish in the county where I grew up in Kentucky. I still see them almost every time I go visit my mom. In the summer, they have a little farmer’s market on a vacant lot in town. I don’t know about the ones who live near you, but the Amish families who live in my home county will ride in other people’s cars. They don’t have their own, but a lot of them will work for other people, usually doing building, and will ride with their employers. Some run a store and a sawmill down near the Ohio River.

    Though I know the bugs will be horrible this year, I am glad for a mild winter. Though last night, I dreamed we were about to have a blizzard. Ugh. My daffodils have been out of the ground since December, though not bloomed. I can see the buds though, and I think if we have a really warm, sunny day, they’ll pop out. I did see some already bloomed a couple of weeks ago on my way to get my hair cut.

    • 13.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:25 pm

      Trish, yes, our Amish folks will ride with other people, but only when necessary. Only for work or emergencies, not for pleasure of any kind. The tobacco store, however, is considered necessary, just FYI.

      My daffs have been up since December too, but only popped out blooms a few days ago. And I’m worried that because they’re stealing a few blooms along through the colder days, we’re not going to get a full show.

      I WAIT for that full show every year. My yard explodes with color. I say it saves my sanity once a year, and that’s not too far off the truth.

  14. 14
    Virgina says:
    February 16, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    I am so ready for spring! I think we mostly have Mennonites around here. We bought our storage building from the many years ago. In some areas they still use the horse and buggy so maybe part of them are Amish people.

    • 14.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:30 pm

      *High Five Virginia* on being ready for spring.

      I’ve met a fair number of Amish and Mennonites now, and it seems every little division of them…even just across town from one another…have slightly different “rules” for what they can and cannot do.

      And there’s a church near me that is called an “Amish Mennonite Church” But it’s a Mennonite church. No Amish people go there.

      Still, clearly they all must share some ties to original roots. It gets confusing.

      As I was looking for pics for the blog last night, I came upon pics of all combinations. I saw some “Amish-looking” women, dressed in all black, but with only the little white hats on their heads. No bonnets. I wondered if our Amish people would think those women were loose. *grin*

  15. 15
    catslady says:
    February 16, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    I enjoyed your post. We have distant relations on my husband’s side who are Mennonites and I only had a short visit once with our Uncle to one of their horse farms. They have percherons and at the time one that was the largest in the U.S. I’ve never known any Amish other than visting some small towns. Personally I think people shouldn’t isolate themselves but to each their own. I do think the women get the worse of it sometimes. As to weather, I can’t figure it out this year. I have some plants that never stopped growing. I live in PA and we’ve had a few snowstorms but nothing like usual. I keep thinking we’ll be getting snow in May lol.

    • 15.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:33 pm

      Catslady, that’s interesting about the Percherons. Those are gorgeous horses.

      And yes, the women do absolutely get the worst of it. At least, from what I see.

      The weather is scaring me a little. I keep waiting for the proverbial “ax” to fall…for a blizzard to rage across the country and bury us in snow.

  16. 16
    Gail Nichols says:
    February 16, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    Here in Texas the trees start to bud and flowers start to bloom and we get to open up our windows for fresh air

    • 16.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:34 pm

      Gail, I can almost smell the fresh air wafting through with the spring breezes.

      Ahhhhhh… I can’t wait.

  17. 17
    Pissenlit says:
    February 16, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Fresh produce! How lovely!

    Nope, there are no Amish people around here. I’ve a backyard but no garden of any sort so there’s not going to be any flowers busting out of the ground at any point. The only sign of Spring-ishness I’ve seen are that the squirrels are all very active now, running around with large somethings in their mouths. It looks a bit like wizened fruit.

    The first signal I wait for is for the snow to all melt…and stay away. It’s been a fairly easy Winter over here. It almost feels like we haven’t even had one yet, which is so incredibly abnormal that I don’t feel comfortable being glad that it’s been this mild.

    I can’t wait till it really is Spring when we can shut off the heat and throw open all the windows. I miss the tinkling of my wind chimes.

    • 17.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 2:36 pm

      PIssenlit, my windchimes are in serious need of repair. They stay out all year because I can’t bear to bring them in and be without the tinkle all year— and are just falling apart. They all need new string.

      My yard is just so…gray.. I’m ready for green and color!

  18. 18
    Kate Carlisle says:
    February 16, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Lovely inspiring post, Cassondra! Your Amish neighbors sound wonderful! I hope you’re all enjoying spring flowers and vegetables soon.

    In Southern California, we had some rain yesterday and today we have a chilly, blustery wind. That’s our version of winter–although the temperature is in the 60′s. Sigh. I’m really not complaining, although it would be nice to have some “weather” once in a while.

    But even without clear, outward signs of the seasons changing, I always know when it’s spring. I get antsy and usually go on a diet. And in fall, I get nostalgic and start buying sweaters. Yes, even though I rarely wear them. It’s so bizarre–and so ME! :-)

    • 18.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 3:29 pm

      I LOVE that..you buy sweaters in the fall because you’re nostalgic? What do sweaters do for your sense of nostalgia? Is that what your family did in fall when you were a kid?

      OH…HUGE congratulations for your amazing placement on the NYT Bestseller list!!!!!!

  19. 19
    Cassondra says:
    February 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Everbody, our Kate hit the New York Times Bestseller List with her latest Bibliophile Mystery!

    WOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!!!

  20. 20
    Pat Cochran says:
    February 16, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    Hi, Cassondra,

    1. No Amish in our area that I know of .

    2. Last week Neighbor and I were looking at
    the tiny new leaves in our trees.

    3. Our weather was crazy this year, it couldn’t
    decide whether to Winter or not!

    4. One of my rose bushes is in it’s second go
    round of new blooms.

    5. We know Spring is coming when the blue-
    bonnets begin returning.

    6. Traditionally we all trek up to East Texas
    to see the bluebonnets. If we miss them, we
    bemoan that mistake all year long!

    7. Bite your tongue for mentioning Spring
    Cleaning! I put it off as long as possible!

    Pat C.

    • 20.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 5:16 pm

      Pat, what part of Texas are you in? I know you’ve probably told me before, but I can’t seem to pull that out of my memory. Do you get snow and ice at all?

      And you have a rose bush in its SECOND bloom????

      You haven’t had a winter this year, have you.

      I am yearning for a deep cleaning. I always feel cleansed at the soul level when I do that, and I haven’t done it in a long time. This house NEEDS it!

      • 20.1.1
        Pat Cochran says:
        February 16, 2012 at 6:03 pm

        I’m from Houston, born and bred!! We rarely
        get snow or ice in our part of the world. One
        year not too long ago, I wore my heavy coat
        two days during what passes for winter for us.
        My sweet baby girl, Ashley, goes to college
        in Indiana. She has seen more winter in 3
        years than I have seen in my lifetime!

        Pat C.

        • 20.1.1.1
          Cassondra says:
          February 16, 2012 at 6:35 pm

          Yaknow, Pat, the older I get, the more I don’t mind having ZERO winter.

          However, I would not like the enormous bugs that come with no freezing temperatures. The bugs and the gators are what keep me out of Florida, and I’m thinking the bugs and the fire ants would keep me out of Texas!

  21. 21
    Jacinta says:
    February 16, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Well those in Australia could be fooled into thinking summer never came. I live in Canberra the capital and we were lucky to break the 30celcius mark for maybe two days this summer. Put into perspective for you all it usually gets up to about 40! My doona stayed on teh bed and the fan stayed off, very depressing really. But i saw one tree turn its leaves last week so it looks like we are in for an early autumn with no summer to work up the tan in the middle :(

    I do envy your neighbours though, we dont have amish in Australia. The closest we get are hippies :) I find the amish culture facinating, maybe a trip to America should be on the cards.

    • 21.1
      Cassondra says:
      February 16, 2012 at 7:31 pm

      Aw, I’m sorry you got no tan this time. If you’re going to have summer, it really should be SUMMER.

      And Jacinta, you should absolutely come for a visit. I think if you want to experience the oldest and most well-known Amish culture you should go to the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. It’s also the origin of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, crafts, and if I’m not mistaken, there is still a bit of the Pow Wow culture practiced up there as well. I’ve never been there, but I want to go.

      But..what is a doona?

      • 21.1.1
        Helen says:
        February 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm

        A big feather or wool quilt that is normally plain white and you put colourful covers on I have a pure wool one very nice

        Have Fu
        Helen

  22. 22
    EC Spurlock says:
    February 16, 2012 at 11:12 pm

    Thanks for this wonderful, poetic post, Cassondra! I’ve always admired the Amish for their dedication to their way of life. They are such strong people, both morally and physically, to handle that life. When I lived up north I used to love going to Lancaster Pennsylvania, one of the most beautiful spots in the US IMHO, where there are a lot of Amish and Mennonites. Here in Georgia we are getting a lot of Amish settlements up in the northern mountains, where they make furniture and raise chickens; but there are none this close to Atlanta. BTW I’ve been told that they are not allowed to use buttons or snaps on their clothing, it is all held together with straight pins. I would think that the children’s clothes were held with clothespins to gather in the fabric of hand-me-downs to make them fit, and then let the fabric out as the child grew.

    We’ve had an unusually mild winter here, with lots of rain and temperatures mostly staying in the 50s and 60s. This is making us very nervous as it usually means a lot of tornados in spring and summer. My crocuses came and went about a week ago and now the daffodils are coming out. There’s an office park across the street that I pass on my way to and from work; it used to be someone’s homestead back in the day and wild daffodils have naturalized all over the hill leading up to it. I love to see them carpeting that whole hill, blooming for all they’re worth; there’s usually enough of them that the display lasts several weeks. My own daffodils have a tendency to fall over so often that I’ve taken to referring to them as my face plants. We had a heavy rain yesterday that knocked them all down again, so I gave up and cut them all and now have a lovely bouquet on my table.

  23. 23
    Mary Preston says:
    February 17, 2012 at 3:06 am

    Since I live in Australia, if there are any Amish around here they are mighty lost. I do love to read stories based around the Amish though.

    Instead of flowers coming in to bloom, we are beginning to have the odd coolish morning.

    

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