S'mamish

I am fascinated by Amish people. PTB laughs at this and playfully slows the car when we pass by their houses so I can peep in their windows and stare at them in their fields. It's really embarrassing when he does that because they stare right back and I'm sure they find me just as peculiar as I find them. Nonetheless, I am still very interested in Amish people. I really always have been.

I grew up just south of many Amish settlements. Trips to places such as Canadaigua, Palmyra, and Rochester often allowed for a glimpse of a horse-drawn buggy, or a long line of plain clothes drying between a home and a far off post, or even sometimes, if I was really lucky, some real, live Amish people.

When I was young, my family took a vacation in Lancaster Co., PA. There I followed my mom, weaving in and out of shops filled with pies and breads, quilts, handmade furniture, jars of jam and vegetables. We climbed into a tall, black carriage. We saw real Amish running their shops. The trip left me evermore curious about these curious people.

My National Geographic collecting husband had an issue featuring an article about the Amish in PA. When i discovered it, I gobbled up the information like it was a great feast and I'd never had a true meal. So many questions found answers, yet new information only prompted more questions. I was as fascinated as ever.

And then we moved to the country, right north of where I grew up, right in the middle of the Amish. I think my curiosity is finally satisfied, but I still find them quite fascinating. I really like them.
"Why?" PTB asked once as I expressed my admiration for the plain folk.
"Maybe because they're quiet and hardworking."
"You mean, because they're like you."
I laughed at him, but maybe I like them not because they are like me, but because I want to be like them. They live simply, care for their families, have a strong sense of community, are self sufficient, usually have a handful of children playing in their front yards, aren't interested in the enticements of the world, spend a lot of time outdoors, take life season by season. And yeah, they're quiet -- except for Sundays when their carts rumble down our road, one after another-- then those Amish sound like thunder.