A gathering at the neighbors farm
A gathering at the neighbors farm
Summertime is a time of a quiet life for everyone. To the Amish, who live much closer to the land and the seasons that guide it, summer is a time to enjoy the simple beauty that their lives revolve around. It is also a time to plan and look ahead to the future, with minds clear and hopeful from the summer sun.
Once the crops are in the ground, the hard work of spring is behind them. There is always hay to cut, and many Amish families have a lot of dairy cows to milk twice a day. In fact, a lot of the Amish families live in southern Minnesota because there is a nearby canned milk facility, so their milk doesn't require pasteurization. But the largest crop for many of them, field corn for cattle feed, is in the ground and awaiting a fall harvest.
In the heat of the summer, a picnic can make a good retreat from a hot kitchen. But for the Amish, a lot of picnics are events for the whole community. They get together and maybe get up a quick game of baseball - but music is not considered acceptable. It's also a chance to exchange any bits of news and talk about how the farm and workshop are doing.
There is also other business to tend to as well. Amish families typical make more crafts furniture during the "shut in" months of the winter. They often arrange among an entire community how to divide up some of the labor, tools, and market so that they can communally work more efficiently. The quiet months of the summer are the perfect time to get these projects lined up and the roles for each of the many families in the community selected.
For the unmarried Amish, the summer can be a time of courting. Just before the harvest in the fall is the traditional wedding time, so if you are going to get "hitched" this year, you need to meet your partner at summer socials. It isn't as pressing as you might think, as men are often not married until they are in their late 20's, but it is serious business in a community where divorce is strictly prohibited. And just like everyone else, it is much easier to get out and meet each other when the days are long.
But in the summer, there is much less to worry about overall. Everything will happen in the fall, right on schedule. Right now, all there is to do is to wait and see how it all goes. And while they are waiting, the Amish enjoy the gentle fruits of their simple and quiet life.
Written and published by Harmony Cedar, all rights reserved.