22 August

Riding Out The Storm On The Back Porch. How Were Our Amish Neighbors?

by Jon Katz

So far, the weather channel was quite off for us.

We are not in the hurricane cone, have had less than an inch of rain, and the wind is a gentle breeze. Albany is getting hammered by heavy rains to the west of us, and so are the Berkshires to the Southeast.

We seem to have slipped between the cracks, at least so far.

We are getting some rain, it is soft and gentle, and I would be surprised if we lost power unless the hurricane is crawling around waiting to spring on us. The sheep are out grazing, which suggests they are not sensing trouble.

My daughter lives in Brooklyn; she says it has been pouring for two days. Sue Silverstein lives in Albany; she says the same thing.

I wondered this morning if I should go up and see Moise and warn them about the storm and offer to help. Then I laughed myself into common sense. If anyone needed help, it would be me asking them.

During the height of the wind, several buggies went by, and I remembered this is Sunday, a holy day for them, no work. I stay away. When I thought about it, I realized that the Hurricane wouldn’t affect them in any way.

They have no electric power, so there is nothing to go off. They build their barns and houses well and well away from trees, so there is little chance of damage, and their roofs are very secure.

They eat the food they grow fresh daily, so there is no refrigeration to worry about. And they rarely see doctors, so there is no medicine to worry about staying cold.

The only thing they don’t have today is the ice cubes I bring daily, and sometimes, ice cream. But I brought three bags of ice yesterday, so I believe they have enough for their cooler until Monday. I don’t ever disturb them on Sunday.

They have a huge, well-designed barn for their horses and goats, and their pigs already have a sheltered pen. All the animals will be dry and secure.

They have fresh and clean running water from a full stream out in the woods. They use outhouses; they have no toilets to flush.

The only thing I don’t know is how they will dry all their clothes on Monday, laundry day if it is still raining. I’m sure they have thought of something, probably hanging clothes around their big kitchen ovens.

I will check in on them in the morning to see if there is any help they need. I can’t think of what it might be.

Their live independent and self-sustaining lives. They don’t need to call for help when hurricanes help. They don’t do emergencies; they don’t watch hysterical cable news channels.

In fact, I remember Moise telling me that if I needed help in a storm, don’t hesitate to ask them.

I decided to take some photos and focus on the hens and the way they deal with storms. I had fun doing that. They are fun to watch.

I miss my new Leica; I’m getting a new one, this one malfunctioned, and the B&H photo said I had a 30-day window to return the camera for every reason and get a refund or a new one.

I chose a new one, I love my Leica and am just learning how to use it, but I agreed with B&H customer service. I should not have had any problem with a brand new camera I’ve had for two weeks, they insisted on sending me a new one.

I sent mine off last week, and the new one should come shortly. Monday afternoon, I’m consulting an Apple computer consultant who lives and works in Vermont and is available to work for hire, helping me organize my computer and bookmarks and switch my browser to Safari, the apple browser.

He charges per half hour. He is a Godsend. And he enters my computer and works from his office. I am a computer slob, just like I am an office and study slob. I need help.

In the meantime, I had fun watching our hens deal with the storm. I went out looking for Maria in the rain and found her sitting on the back porch in the rain and wind, hanging out with her chickens and barn cats.

Minnie was asleep in her box, Flo was asleep on the fiber chair Maria wove two winters ago. I dashed out in the rain to get a photo and then sat with Maria for an hour watching the rain come rushing up the valley.

We held hands and sat quietly for a while; the hens kept coming up to us and pecking at our feet and shoes. I got them some puffed oats and spread them on the ground. It was fun watching them.

I can’t quite imagine what is happening tomorrow with the storm; it’s supposed to come racing towards us, wreaking havoc. I don’t feel it happening.

The weather channel might do nice job monitoring cities like Albany, but we don’t seem to be on their radar. That is not true of the National Weather Service, which is free, calm, and accurate. They said from the first we wouldn’t get much rain where the farm is, and little wind.

They say we will get 1-2 inches tomorrow—a big nothing burger.

I see other people in the area – especially along the coasts –  have not been so fortunate, I wish them pace and whatever assistance they need.

P.S. I get my sleep lab results in a week or so. I wish all of you good fortune, whether you are dealing with fires, floods, droughts, heat, or hurricanes.

2 Comments

  1. I lived in Ireland for 4 years in the early 70s. We had a wringer washing machine and no dryer, no one had a dryer. It rains lot there, laundry got hung up inside and eventually dried. We also did not have central heating

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