What the Amish do in winter, spring, summer, and fall. The farm year cycle.
March. Ground thawed. Horses pull the plow. Start of a new year.
April. Seedlings on windowsills. Lunar calendar. Mom's science.
March-April. Sheep give birth. Children don't sleep. Life begins.
April. Entire house. Every corner. Wash, whitewash, repair.
February-March. Night freeze, day thaw. Sap flows.
June. Waist-high grass. Cut, dry, store. Three days without rain.
July. Tomatoes ripen. Canning begins.
Saturday. Buggy loaded with vegetables. English in line.
August. Heat. Kids in the creek. No swimsuits — in clothes.
Tornadoes, hail, lightning. No weather radar — just sky and experience.
September. Corn, pumpkins, apples. The fullest month.
November. First frost. Pig = winter meat.
October. 7 cords for winter. Whole family saws, splits, stacks.
October. Harvest in. Women gather at the frame.
Not like the English. Quieter, simpler, no football. But the food — same.
December. Fields sleep. Workshop runs. Furniture, harness, baskets.
Long evenings. Bible, Martyrs Mirror, The Budget. No internet.
January-February. Buggies in snow. Family, neighbors, food, talk.
January. Pond frozen. Saw blocks. Icehouse until August.
No tree, no lights, no shopping. One gift. Family. Silence.