SSDreamin Blessings and curses

[FarmerJamie]

the amish stores here are very nice to people in general. and they are VERY nice to you if you ask about something non-electric, kinda like you are similar to them. and there are a few that will talk you to death when they find out you bake your own bread and noodles. some of the very old order amish are a little more wery of giving out info.

we have had a few ask us how the internet works and what we can find. they were very suprised when i typed in amish on my smart phone and showed them what all came up.
(does that count as corupting the amish?)

Nope, you'd be surprised at what all some of them do. I know someone that lives in Lancaster County, PA and knows several of the Amish in her area. She's told me that they have their ways around their rules and regulations. You'll even have those w/internet, cell phones, etc.

Yes, they do. And generators, air compressors, power tools, etc.....a large community lives just north of here, more "English" habits in play than people realize.

 

[TanksHill]

The store sounds really neat. I say frequent it as often as you can buying small amounts. Their attitude will change if your a regular customer.

As for the wheat.... from what I have experienced and heard lots of places don't have any left for the season. So the prices don't surprise me.

I'm curious about the sugar. Here a big box store sells 25lbs for just over 11 dollars.

g

 

[Wannabefree]

I have to pay $30 for 50 pounds of sugar here, and that's Sam's club price! Wish I could get it $11 for 25 pounds!

 

[SSDreamin]

Our last trip to Sam's, it cost $12.76 for 25# of sugar (that was in January). The Amish store's sugar was $38 for 25# It was a name brand, but so is the sugar at Sam's.
There is an Amish lady who writes a column for the newspaper here (very interesting and some really good recipes). In her last article, she said most of the Amish here bake with maple syrup/sugar, since it's readily available and they have several 'community sugar shacks' that boil down sap for their needs. Maybe, sugar is high at the store because they don't sell much and can't buy it in volume.
DH thinks that the 'new' store is mainly for the Amish, and I agree. They had quite a large selection of Amish bibles and such (this store is also off the beaten path, well into the 'community'). The other Amish store is on a main road, and seems to carry more 'English oriented' items (frozen pizzas, scratch and dent food, candy, etc. No strictly Amish type items). I think I'll just make a loop from now on, and visit them both, but am aware that they don't much care for my 'kind' A young girl at the 'old' store was talking to me once, very cheerful and friendly. An older woman said something in (German? I know it's not true German, since DH can't understand a word of it and he speaks German) and the girl spun around and took off! I guess, around here, they just aren't very sociable! Plus, they speak that to each other constantly while your in the store, and I always feel like they're talking bad about me! Probably just told the girl to get back to work, and are talking about store business and I'm just paranoid

 

[SSDreamin]

the amish stores here are very nice to people in general. and they are VERY nice to you if you ask about something non-electric, kinda like you are similar to them. and there are a few that will talk you to death when they find out you bake your own bread and noodles. some of the very old order amish are a little more wery of giving out info.

we have had a few ask us how the internet works and what we can find. they were very suprised when i typed in amish on my smart phone and showed them what all came up.
(does that count as corupting the amish?)

Nope, you'd be surprised at what all some of them do. I know someone that lives in Lancaster County, PA and knows several of the Amish in her area. She's told me that they have their ways around their rules and regulations. You'll even have those w/internet, cell phones, etc.

Yes, they do. And generators, air compressors, power tools, etc.....a large community lives just north of here, more "English" habits in play than people realize.

Here, everything runs off propane. They have generators for their wells, and shops, but the must run off propane Gasoline is a HUGE no-no, but propane is OK?!?! My brother works at the main propane company in the area, and says some of their set ups are mind blowing! (Some of them just blow - we've had a couple house explosions at Amish farms in the area too )

 

[FarmerJamie]

Crazy world, isn't it?

 

[SSDreamin]

I just thought of something....and yes, it hurt to think I hear people around these parts all the time say we should 'look to the Amish' if we want to be self sufficient. In this area at least, there isn't a single Amish farm that DOESN'T rely on propane which, if bad things happen, would be hard to come by. I'll grant that their adjustment would be by far less of a shock than some of us English, but they are tethered to the outside world, at least in this regard. From comments here, some seem may be even more tethered than others

 

[FarmerJamie]

I just thought of something....and yes, it hurt to think I hear people around these parts all the time say we should 'look to the Amish' if we want to be self sufficient. In this area at least, there isn't a single Amish farm that DOESN'T rely on propane which, if bad things happen, would be hard to come by. I'll grant that their adjustment would be by far less of a shock than some of us English, but they are tethered to the outside world, at least in this regard. From comments here, some seem may be even more tethered than others

You are absolutely correct. They are people, just like us, many positives, many negatives. Nothing magical about them, really, IMHO. There are *bad* Amish carpenters/woodworkers out there, but they don't stay in business long. My family and I always got on well with them.

Different sects live in different areas with different "rules".

Walmart on a Friday night will not see carts filled up with generic bags of cooking staples, lots of luxuries, too.

 

[SSDreamin]

Here, the ladies 'hide' the stuff under their cape thingies until they get up to the register - I figured it was lady stuff, but nope, candy and junk!

 

[Wannabefree]

The language is Pennsylvania Dutch, and I am learning it, among other languages at the moment. It does have a very Germanic sound to it, but a lot of the words are different.

They ARE just like us, flesh and bone. Their lifestyle isn't all that different. Some families are very different, but it depends on who is in charge. One old man will talk my ear off, and another won't hardly look at me. Several have been out to my place, others wouldn't be caught dead here. As far as I can tell, it's about the same concept of certain people with money think they are "better" than those who don't have as much, and others couldn't give a flip less if we have a pot to pee in or not, they come around anyway. People are people are people no matter where/who they are. I go to one house wayyyyyyyyy back off down a wagon trail into the backside of two wood lots, with 8 kids, and the husband is almost never there. Those folks are some of the nicest I have met and were suprise to see me pull in their front yard because it's so obscure. I think they like that I DON'T treat them differently than anyone else, and they reciprocate I haven't found one yet I don't get along with, even the one who hardly speaks to me. I think his parents were just more strict, and you will run into that in the community here and there.