Thursday, October 2, 2014

Good Fences, Amish Farms


Because we were in the Westby area in September, I wanted to get these photos posted before the snow flies and the scenery changes drastically. I especially loved getting the pic of that young boy mowing the field. It was taken from a distance, and apparently the rule of thumb is, at least among this group of Amish, that photos are permissible among friends, as long as you don't photograph faces. I didn't think I had even gotten the boy in the frame, so was surprised (and delighted) when I uploaded the photo to the computer.



I did work at getting a few fences into the post (no pun intended), for Teresa's Good Fences meme, and I think I have enough to qualify, but you kinda have to hunt for them.

I wanted to get these two photos in because they represent the typical Amish barn and typical Amish house. Did I tell you that the silos must have pointed tops? If an Amish man buys a farm that already has a silo and it has a dome top, that's acceptable. But if they are building a silo, it must have a pointed top. Not sure why. And maybe it's just a rule of this particular group.





Walking home from church

Or riding home from church

Oops! Nope, not on an Amish farm.
I doubt they have much to do with Snow White or Rose Red
or anything frivolous, like that big blue ball.

View across the valleys 

How I'd love to be there in about 2 weeks when their trees should be at the peak of color. The field in the foreground is the one the young boy was mowing.

I'm trying to use up my September Amish pictures, but I won't make any guarantees that you won't see a stray one here and there in the future. :-)

Question:

So thinking about that kid in the first photo, think back to your own childhood. Did you have chores at home? Do you remember what they were? Did you get an allowance?  


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This post is linked to the following Linky Parties:

Good Fences  and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Saturday's Critters

56 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful post, I love the shot of the boy doing the mowing! It is a pretty farm, the windmill is cool! And the view is beautiful! Great shots, enjoy your day!

Anonymous said...

Very clear color. I did spy a fence or two around the silo photo. :) Your question reminded me of our neighbors who had like a half manual lawn mower that the kids used to edge the trees, before weed eaters. They earned a nickel a tree to edge for their dad.

Anonymous said...

I love the Amish photos. As a culture, the Amish fascinate me.

Tanya Breese said...

i love these! we used to see amish when we lived in missouri. i laughed at the one that snuck in with the snow white and the blue ball..i was thinking, wow, i didn't know they had these kinds of things in their yards lol...have a great day :)

FAB said...

A fascinating culture and beautiful images.

Ileana said...

I love first photo! It is beautiful!

EG CameraGirl said...

Amazing how the first photo speaks of today as well as of times gone by. Really nice photo! Amish farms look a tad different here in Canada. Truth be told, I have never noticed the shape of the silo roofs, though. I need to pay better attention!

Arlene G said...

So pretty...love seeing all the Amish folks out and about. We have a big Mennonite community near us and they have a bakery that is out of this world!!

Roan said...

Wonderful shots and love that first one. Yes, we had chores. We had to pull weeds around the house with our hands. My most hated job. Too many spiders! We also had to work in the garden.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh I LOVE your photos and the information about the silo top I did not know.
When I was a child I was the oldest of ten so yes lots of chores and no allowance:) Hug B

Linda Kay said...

My job as a kid was tending to the chickens, my brother had the pigs. I did get an allowance, in fact my dad opened a checking account when I was in high school, put in a certain amount, and I had to live with it. I got pretty frugal. Love your Amish photos, and the fantasy garden is lovely as well.

Lynne said...

Loved your photos and seeing/hearing about the Amish ways of this colony.

As a child my responsibilities were to keep my bedroom clean, make my bed daily, dry the dishes after the evening meal. No allowance.

I also remember when I reached baby sitting age that I received a quarter an hour . . . and how thrilled I was when I received a raise . . . 35 cents.

Hootin Anni said...

Lovin' this Judy!!!

MadSnapper said...

I love the Amish photos, they tell a story and they are awesome shots also... no allowance, did not have chores, but worked my butt off doing what needed to be done from ironing and hanging wash and dishes and helping with canning... we got paid by having a place to live and food to eat.
i am off the air, pulled my post flooded bathroom and waiting for plumber.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous farm. i love the style of how the Amish arrange the farm & home. i wonder if their ladies look at one another & are jealous of their dress, etc? i tend to interact with Mennonites more than the Amish. they are more around this area.

as a kid - i did the dishes, laundry, cleaning ...and anything that my Mom needed help with. but when i look back i feel i should have done more, because my Mom worked so hard, i just never realized it before i became a wife. it is funny how your perspective changes. or can change. she worked at home, cooked & outside the home as a librarian at a several schools throughout her career. ( :

TexWisGirl said...

chores. no allowance. we got food and a bed. :)

love the farms - and very interesting on the silo tops! great hay wagon, but i'd hate to mow a field that way. :)

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed these photographs! I'm fascinated by the Amish and their way of life.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, love those pictures. What a nice surprise discovering the boy in the photo! Re allowances: My parents never thought to give us allowances, but when I learned of such a thing I asked my mother to give me an allowance. I soon realized I was much better off LOL without it!

Diane said...

Love the draft horses, of course! Yes, had chores and a meager allowance. Stuff like set the table, help wash dishes, feed the dog...

Donna said...

I love the Amish farms, so it was a treat to see your photos. I didn't know that about the silos!

Yes, I had chores as a child. And no, there was no allowance because there were no pennies to spare. As soon as I came of working age (15), I was told by my parents to get a job and pay them room and board. So I did. The money I contributed paid the mortgage. Needless to say, I left as soon as I was 18 and they couldn't stop me!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

So interesting! Gorgeous photos! xoxo

Debby Ray said...

Such lovely images of the Amish countryside...I can almost smell the wonderful aromas wafting out the windows of that big white house!

21 Wits said...

Thank you for such a lovely tour. I'd really enjoy having that Snow White statue in my garden!

Primitive Stars said...

Morning, beautiful scenery, looks so pretty around there. Blessings Francine.

Primitive Stars said...

Morning, beautiful scenery, looks so pretty around there. Blessings Francine.

Stephanie said...

A lovely post, Judy. I love seeing what you're able to capture with your camera - you have an eye for detail :)

Enjoy your day, sweet lady!

Stephanie said...

A lovely post, Judy. I love seeing what you're able to capture with your camera - you have an eye for detail :)

Enjoy your day, sweet lady!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What beautiful photos. I love the blue and black that they wear and seeing their big home and farm. I hate to say this...but no, I didn't have chores to do or get an allowance. I raised my boys in a whole different way though. They learned to work! AND they got rewards. Sweet hugs, Diane

podso said...

I got a small allowance, unconnected to the chores we had to do. We were not paid for our work around the house--dusting, doing the dishes every night, mowing the lawn, etc. Your pics are great. Do you think the silos are similar to steeples in their way of faith?

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos. It's great to see a different way of life.

bj said...

I've always wanted to go to Amish Country...maybe...someday.
I love all your photos..so pretty.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

That 1st shot is wonderful and yes I did see your fences (had to look for them but that's OK) Love the Amish culture. Chores, not reugular one but when my Dad hovered the house from top to bottom, if anything was on our bedroom flour, he warned us, it would be in the bin. That 's were the things were the first time he did this and we never ever let that happen again. I got pocket money every week and was taught to save.

Ida said...

Wonderful post. What a treat to capture the boy plowing in the field. Amish are very interesting people. I'm curious now about the "pointed" silo thing. Great shot to of them walking/riding home from church and yes I bet those trees are going to be awesome when they change colors.
My chore as a kid was to set the table every night.

Latane Barton said...

I grew up in a household of adults so I was 'encouraged' to go play. I didn't contribute so I didn't learn. Imagine what a trial that was when I got married. I couldn't cook, didn't know the proper way to make a bed or mop the floor. But, I learned in a hurry.

SImple and Serene Living said...

Wonderful photos. I had cores and an allowance :)

Heide at ApronHistory said...

We got an allowance because Dad said we needed to learn how to handle money. Ten cents for every year we were! Very exciting to reach 10 years! For chores we did what Mom told us to do. My favorite was folding clothes as we would have races to see who was the fastest and washing dishes as we got to play in the water.

A Colorful World said...

I was such a lazy kid! (Sorry Mom) I do remember being made to clean up after the two "little ones" which we called my brother and sister who were toddlers and 13 months apart. I resented it terribly! :-) I remember standing at the stove to stir the pudding while it thickened. I did dishes sometimes. But there are a lot of things I could have done to help out, and didn't.

LOVE your wonderful photos! How nice to see an Amish farm. It's such a beautiful place! On a farm there is always work for everyone, I think, because there is so much that has to be done.

NanaDiana said...

Those are ALL really great pictures, Judy. You do a great job with all your shots- or at least the ones you show us.
I did have chores as a kid. I grew up on a working dairy farm so I always had something to do...and it got more involved when my father started showing more severe symptoms of Parkinson's Disease when I was 11.
I don't think I ever got an allowance but my Dad would give me a bit of money here and there for stuff.
Great post- xo Diana

Cranberry Morning said...

Dotsie asked, 'Do you think the silos are similar to steeples in their way of faith?' I asked my source who is a close friend of the Amish and he said, 'No. It's just a rule. Nobody knows why.' He did say that maybe if we were able to research way, way back into Ohio or Pennsylvania or wherever, we might find a reason - or not. Why do they have to wear a particular type of black boot? It's just a rule, another means of ensuring uniformity.


L. D. said...

I really like seeing all the Amish photos. The boy mowing is a special one as he is young or small and he is doing valuable work for his family. The horses are big and he still has control of them. It is a way of life that is interesting to see.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love everything about this post. The first picture is outstanding! The shine on the horse's coats, their short wavy tails, the boy...it is just perfect. Another favorite is walking home from church. I am Mennonite and we live with Amish all around. Yet none of my pictures have been as good as these. The Amish are way too entrenched in rules and legalism for my taste.

Maude Lynn said...

I grew up on a farm and always had chores. As for an allowance, if I did my chores I was "allowed" to keep living there!

Rose said...

Oh, I enjoyed these...yep, I had chores. Lots of them. I don't know when I started doing dishes, but along about 8 o 10 yrs old. I always did the supper dishes, we did the noon dishes together and my mom did the breakfast dishes I think. I know for sure I always did supper dishes.

Also, depending on the time of year, I had a cow to milk in summer, pigs to feed, sometimes something to do for the other cows, an old horse that got his own special sweet feed...gardening, planting, hoeing, topping tobacco, etc. No allowance, but up after I got so old, I had a cow and got to sell her calf at the end of the year.

Stephanie said...

Wonderful images from your world. Lovely colors and fences. My two sisters and I each took turns to wash the dishes after supper.

Ruth Kelly said...

I do enjoy your Amish photos.

Carla from The River said...

Hello Dear Judy,
I love these photos and you can post as many as you like, even in January. :-)
I grew up on a dairy farm, so yes,I was a busy girl with my sister with lots of chores. But some of our work did not seem like work, more like fun. I actually loved to make hay, we got to ride on the very top bale on the wagon on the ride home.
:-)

Carola Bartz said...

These are such beautiful images of a simple life. It reminds me a lot of PA's Lancaster County which I visited a few years back - and Lancaster County reminded me of my native country, Germany.

This N That said...

I live in Pennsylvania so I'm very familiar with the Amish. The countryside looks the same. Interesting.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

A different way of life for sure.
I had chores around the house and received a small allowance but went out to work part time at15 and contributed part of my wages to the house.

Eileen H said...

I do like these photos.
I don't remember having to do chores apart from running errands to the shop. I used to get pocket money on a Thursday when Dad got paid, just enough to buy a slab of toffee from the sweet shop which Dad would smash into pieces for us to share, either with a toffee hammer or the handle end of the poker :)

carol l mckenna said...

Beautiful shots of Amish and their team of horses!

Happy Weekend
artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

eileeninmd said...

Hello Judy, just stopping back to say thanks for linking up your post with my critter party. Enjoy your weekend!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

That farm is gorgeous......

Hannah said...

Maybe most modern children would rather mow if they could drive some horses to do it. Cool shots of the Amish houses and lifestyle. I would like to live where there is a sense of community, modern living is so isolated. My mother taught school, so she cooked dinner but the 5 kids washed the dishes, one to wash and one to dry. And on Saturday we each cleaned a room of the house for our 50 cent allowance. I saved most of mine.

J_on_tour said...

I often wondered how the Amish perceived themselves in photos, they must feel at times that they are in a kind of goldfish bowl. That's a great overall shot of the barn.The pointy tops of the silos is interesting.

Michelle said...

I remember when I was real young my chore was to help my sister with the dishes.
As I got older I mowed the grass, took out the trash, washed the dishes....all for an allowance.
I don't recall ever giving our boys an allowance.

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