This afternoon, we set out together to locate our new Amish neighbors, some friends told us where they were – about five or six miles south of us on the other side of town.

We spotted the horses and carriages, all parked out back behind the big old barn, the family lived in a beautiful old brick house, and there was a stand out front stocked with pies and soap and cookies.

Susie, a young girl in a dark skirt and head covering came out to say hi.

I believed she was one of the young women I’ve seen in silhouette riding back and forth in their carriage.

She was courteous and shy, and I recognized her right away as the girl who stopped by our farmhouse to visit our Free Little Library.

It is a small world and a small town.

She remembered the farm and the donkeys in the backyard. It was easy talking with her.

She and her family moved her from Northernmost New York State, a few hours away. She said several other families are looking for property to buy and plan to move here as well.

I asked her if she found a book in our library, and she said she did, it was a book about Amish girls. I asked her if she would like more of those, and she nodded eagerly and I’ve tracked a series down online and will order some books and bring them to her.

She asked our names and we asked  hers – it’s Susie. We bought three bars of soap for the bathroom and a dozen cookies for the Mansion aides.

On the way home, we passed another horse and carriage headed out of town, driven by two boys and loaded with six round bales. The two boys waved to me as I helped up the camera and pointed to it. They nodded yes and waved again.

We knew they were headed to Argyle, the other Amish family we know of. That’s about 20 miles away. I admired those horses, pulling that cart over hills and dirt roads.

I had the sense we were very welcome at the farm and we enjoyed talking to Susie. I think she’ll be a regular stop at our Free Little Library, I plan on stocking it with books she might like and can read.

I didn’t want to take her photo. It was lovely to meet her.

We told her how much we love the sound of those horse-drawn carriages going back and forth, they are a great gift to our community.

The peanut cookies were good, the apple pies looked wonderful and we are eager to have a new soap source.

Community lives.