What it's like Having Amish Neighbors

I bet most people can't say they have Amish neighbors. They can't say that the neighbor's vehicle of choice is a horse and buggy. They can't say their neighbor's have no electric, telephone, computer, etc...

They probably can say their neighbor's are interesting folks, and nice to talk to. They can say that if you needed someone to give you a hand, they would be right there. They can also say if their neighbor's had extra vegetables in their garden, they would share.

For over 30 years, our property abutted up to the Wengerd's corn field. We can easily say they were the hardest working folks we knew. It was always amazing that despite the weather, and we mean it could be 95 degrees and no air moving, they were out weeding their extensive gardens. The only thing we could do to be a bit helpful was to offer a large cold drink to them as they got close to our yard. And believe us when we say it was never refused. Another thing was their style of dress, even in the garden was the long dresses and heavy tie work shoes, despite dreadful temperatures.

The sameness they experience are things such as differences between their teenage children and them. Sometimes resulting in the teenage child moving out and living on another Amish farm. The sadness is there for the mom just as it would be for anyone else. They experience hard times and money issues just as we do. If they are dependent on a summer crop to bring in extra money and the crop is not productive, then they too find themselves in a bind like the rest of us. They may not experience car trouble, but they do have health issues with their driving horses and they also experience behavior problems in the animals from time to time.