We were turning out of our parking lot of our motel, in Lawrencburg, TN, when all of the sudden a black carriage, pulled by a horse rode by in the middle of the road, just in front of us. It was like a Twilight Zone time warp moment.
Across the street we pulled into a strip mall parking lot. Two more horse and buggies were tied up to the green painted posts meant for just that purpose judging from piles of horse poo right there. A woman dressed in black, with a black scarf or hat and black simple wire framed dark glasses - sort of like John Lennon, sat in one of the carriages. She must have been waiting for the mister to buy something in the Tractor store. Although the Amish do not use tractors, they may have been buying some tools.
Five miles down the road, we found ourselves in a horse and buggy tour - led by Jerry, a non Amish farmer with a thick, slow Southern drawl. He lives adjacent to the Amish and from his country store on his farm, offers horse drawn buggy tours. But his buggy had thick rubber tires and cushioned benches in the back of the wagon.
Jerry was a wealth of information about the Amish lifestyle.
We passed a few of their one room school houses. There is no jungle gym, no library, school cafeteria, blacktop. No computer lab, theater, or gymnasium. At one school we must have been passing at recess. Kids were running around on the grass. Looked like tag. They were all dressed the same in black and dark blue. Girl's heads covered in scarves, boys wearing straw hats. We waved to them and they waved back smiling.
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| Amish school. The building that looks like a house is the school and the 2 little white structures are the bathrooms, one for girls and one for boys. |
Jerry, our guide told us that the Amish children all learn Pennsylvania Dutch and German first. They start school at 6 years old and that is when they start learning English. The kids finish school at fourteen and then begin working full time farming, making furniture, sawing logs, raising livestock, weaving baskets, etc.
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| Amish house and farm. The parents, and grandparents, and at times great grandparents live adjacent to one another. Literally, their homes are in some cases connected. Amish people do not have their own money until they are 21. Anything they earn before that, goes to the parents. And they get money from their parents. Even if they are married. |
It was yet another slice of the American Pie we were fortunate enough to be exposed to on the road.
We stopped and bought different homemade things from a few of the families. a loaf of white bread, a loaf of pumpkin bread, molasses cookies, chocolate covered nuts, rocky road type candy, a simple wood toy, a handwoven basket.
I was debating on buying a large jar of homemade strawberry and a jar of raspberry jam. Which would be a welcome change from the jelly packets we have been using. I am cringing but I actually said what popped into my mind first,"But I don't have a refrigerator" (being on the road) does this need to be refrigerated?" The bearded Amish man, in his black trousers, suspenders, straw hat said, "We don't have refrigerators"
Then I stumbled over my words trying to recover from the lamest thing I've ever said by saying something about assuming they had ice and do they have to keep the jam cold on ice after they open it.
He said no. (dang it!)
I felt like a refrigerator apologist and did the only thing left I could think of since shutting up hadn't occurred to me. Blame my mom. "Growing up my mom was always saying, that things have to be refrigerated after you open them. They brainwash us into thinking everything has to be refrigerated."
(Was this really coming out of my mouth!!!!!)
I now have two jars of opened and unrefrigerated jam. PB&J for lunch today.
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