The Amish people who live around Charm, Ohio are hard working God fearing folks who live a very disciplined way of life and at the same time are spared from having to worry about all of the world’s events that occupy a great deal of our time.
We first stopped at Hershberger’s Market Farms. The petting zoo and market farm where we visited were operated by the children who take care of the animals and the sales, and by the women who do the raising and preserving of the vegetables and fruits from the family harvest for the market farm. We bought some Amish fry pies for our dinner that night. A delightful treat!
The land is very hilly around Charm, Ohio and is not at all lendable to the use of tractors as they would tip over on the side of a hill. They use horses to work the land, to pull the wagons, and for their own personal transportation. Their religious customs vary as you will see a curious mix of electric lines along the road, gas engines operating farm machinery, generators making electricity for their farms or places of business. Most oppose using electricity brought into their homes on wires.
While in Charm we visited Keim Lumber – a large woodworker’s supply store. I noted the young people who were sitting at their desks (probably responding to on-line catalog sales) – were using computers. I would guess that it won’t be too long before most Amish folks will get connected, maybe not by wires but eventually by the bits and bytes which occupy the space all around us!
James R. Bupp