Return to the Land of the Limberlost

Yesterday, Isaac got to go for a three hour get away. This is the first time in 14 months that he has been more than 30 minutes away from the hospital. After hearing of my story from the Amish country the other day, he decided he wanted to go there. So we did. We went back to the Land of the Limberlost. We rode around for a few hours just checking out the Amish area. We saw a one room Amish school with about 30 kids playing outside. It looked like something right out of Little House on the Prairie.(Not that I watched that show when I was a kid. Well maybe a few times. I didn't really like Nelly though, she was pretty much spoiled. Half Pint, now she was my favorite. I liked Mr. Olsen too. He was too hen pecked though. He really should have stood up for himself more. Anyway back to my story..) We stopped at a McDonalds in the town of Berne and behind the restaurant was a line of hitching posts where the Amish would park their buggies while they ate their Mickey D's. Who'd of thunk it? Amish eating with Ronald.(I took pictures I will post tommorrow but I am at the hospital with Isaac and don't have my camera.) We stopped in several Amish stores along the roadside. It was a step back in time. No lights, no electricity, no electric heat. They used natural light and wood burning stoves for their stores. We visited the horseshoe putter on person. Not really sure what you call him. We were at the Amish hardware store and a couple pulled up in their buggy to get a new wagon wheel. Pretty cool to see. We stopped at the Amish bakery and the food was delicious.

Two things that really struck me about the Amish: 1. They probably were the nicest people that I have ever met. 2. They displayed a level of humility that I don't believe I have ever seen before. I would like to be like that.

Some interesting facts about the Amish
1. When a couple gets married, they spend their honeymoon night at the home of the bride's parents so that they can get up at dawn to help with the morning chores. And yes the brides parents stay at the house also. Not more to say here.
2. An Amish young man keeps his face clean shaven until he is married and then he will grow out his beard but never a mustache. Mustaches are forbidden.
3. The largest population of Amish is in Ohio and not in Lancaster,PA as many people believe.
4. Their church services meet every other week in one of the family homes. But when they do meet their service starts at 9:00 a.m. and lasts til noon.
5. They have nothing inscribed on their grave stones but rather they have a map that is passed down from generation to generation telling who is buried where.
6. And last... this is my favorite.... On the morning of a wedding, several ladies arrive at the family home just after dawn and begin food preparation which usually consists of 250-300 pounds of chicken. Now that is one meal I want to go to.