Amish Autumn Photo Mash-Up

It's the time of year for pumpkins and squash and raking leaves and hot chocolate.  In Amish country life takes on a more frenzied pitch as there are preparations that need to be made for the long winter ahead.  Heating oil and coal need to be stocked up on.  The last of the garden goodies need to be canned and put up for the winter.  Firewood needs to be stacked and sheltered.   The garden needs to be cleared and perhaps a final mowing of the grass for the season and straw needs to be in place for animal warmth in the winter.  Every last temperate day is used from sunrise to sunset to prepare for the arrival of what will be months of cold, ice, and darkness.  This is a photo I like to post each year about this time, a buggy in Belle Center, Ohio full of bright orange plump pumpkins.

Other scenes in this "mash up" a buggy pulls some supplies in Holmes County, as outdoor projects are rushed to completion.   And a gorgeous panorama of the Holmes County hills bare of leaves (this shot was from a previous year, so head out there this weekend to enjoy gorgeous leaves!) soaks up the sun on a final fall day.   Amish use pedal power to get around here, something the soon-to-arrive snows will put a stop to soon.  And flowers enjoy a final burst in the garden of an Amish home in St. Ignatius, Montana where winter will soon arrive with full fury. nd