Trip to East Coast, Amish Friends & Pigs

The Red Eye to New York, renting a car at JFK and the drive to our friends, Don and Lorrie Kane in Pennsylvania, was good.

My mind still thinks I am a youngster of maybe 25 but my body say "No, no, no, you are older and must rest more!"

So, Lorrie suggested nap time until Don got back home from a trade show that he was working in Maryland.

We had a great dinner and turned in early as we had made a date to visit Susann, Sam and Nancy Kinsinger in Gordenville, PA the next morning. It is about a 45 minute drive to Susann's home from the Kane's home.

We slept well, got up around 7:00 PM and had a nice breakfast with Don and Lorrie, then off to Amish country.

We feel privileged to visit the Kinsingers as they always welcome us into their home even though we're not Amish. The reason we're welcomed is my Mother provided transportation for Andrew Kinsinger, their Father, for about nine years.

Before he passed, Andrew was the spokesman for the Old Order of the Amish to the rest of the world.

We met Susann at the print shop. This print shop prints many of the books that are used in the Amish schools. The printing presses run without electricity. They are power by hydraulics.

We spent some time at Susann's home bringing each other up to date as we had not seen each other in several years.

We then went over to Sam and Nancy's home to pick them up. We took a little tour of the deer raising property and finally found the peacock that we had sent them last winter.

Sending them a peacock was a fun event last winter. After reading Susann's Christmas News letter, that came in her hand made Christmas card, telling us that Sam's peacock was run over in the road I got an idea.

I went on the Internet and found a peacock breeder in Pennsylvania that had a male India Peacock. We shipped it by mail and they were very surprised.

Sam's hog farm has about 4,000 pigs. That is a lot of bacon! When I ask him how many pigs does he have he always jokes by saying he has 400 sows and pigs. When it is spoken it sounds like four hundred thousand pigs. We always laugh together about it.

We had lunch at a local restaurant and talked about the price of pork and what the swine flu, along with the economy, had done to the pork farmers and the price of pork.

We also talked about the new law in California regarding how the pigs are penned. They must be able to stand up and turn around. Sam said that is a good thing as the pigs do better that way except right before and after they give birth. During that time they need to be held stationary so the piglets are not crushed by the sow.

The swine flu did not come from pigs but a few people that worked at hog farms came down with this flu. Then a few more of the workers got sick and everyone started talking about how the pigs caused it.

If you would like more information regarding the swine flu just CLICK HERE.

We said good-bye and hoped to see them again soon.

Every time I visit the Amish I realize the the simpler way is the best way.

We drove back to our friends and had nice evening together.

Tomorrow we are on our way to visit my sister and family on top of the mountain in upstate New York.