In early July, Amish farmers take in the wheat, and this
photograph is typical of what we are seeing on nearly every farm in Holmes County, Ohio. This field has been cut, bundled, and
shocked, the whole family working slowly along, after the mower had passed
through. We might see as many as a dozen
people out in a field, from the grandfathers and grandmothers, down to even the
younger children.
It is quiet work, and folk put in a long day. So do the livestock, since all of the machinery
is horse-drawn. You can park and watch
the harvest, and my best advice is to turn off the engine and the radios, cell
phones, pads, and tablets. Listen instead
to the soft, dry rustle of fertility.
Compared to the mechanized growl of heavy machinery, it is a beautiful
sound.
Labels: Amish, Amish Culture, Amish-Country Mysteries, Holmes County, P. L. Gaus
