Amish Country Journal

Reports and musings from Indiantree Farm, in Holmes County, Ohio -- the largest Amish community in the world. See more about author Larry D. Miller and Amish Country at www.IndiantreeFarm.com

Thursday, November 28, 2013

White Silence and Bovine Wrestling

          We're all familiar with the term "white noise" but today, on the farm, we're in the middle of white silence.
          Some six-to-eight inches of snow greeted us yesterday morning and today we're feeling thankful – among so many other things - for the calm serenity that a heavy snowfall brings.
          Jonas didn't see so much serenity in the early snowfall.  He started off  yesterday by trying to wrestle a stubborn cow into a stall she didn't want any part of.  He's about 180 pounds and the cow's about 1200 pounds.
          Moral of the story:  Brute force doesn't always work with a critter six times your weight.  She elevated him and dropped him twice and he got the message; out-think 'em, don't out-muscle 'em.
          The downside takeaway, a couple of body slams didn't do his oft-hammered spine a bit of good. 
          So, after, "slippin' and slidin' most of the morning, pushing snow so the milkman could get up the lane," he had further irritated his back, to the point that a quick trip to visit Christina was in order.
          Christina is a chiropractor, a highly-favored healing practitioner in the Amish community.
          "I spent about an hour up by Christina and now my back feels some better but my muscles are so sore from all her pushing and adjusting that I need maybe a day or so to heal up," he said.
          So, his driveway is open, his cow is gloating in the loafing shed and the Genzabottom is growing quiet.
          Not as quiet as the white silence up here on Indiantree Hill, but quiet-er, nonetheless.
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