Amish Cats

My husband and I recently returned from a gloriously successful performance tour to Ohio.  On a free day between practice and performances, we made a trek to the Ohio countryside to visit a farm in the largest Amish settlement in the USA.  Set in the picturesque rolling hills of Ohio, this working farm welcomed tourists eager to learn of the Amish lifestyle. 

Arriving at this lovely farmstead, I was greeted by kittens and cats of all colors and stripe from black with white paws and grey striped to calicos with white faces, black paws, and orange-brown tails.  Kittens and cats, especially calicos are hard for me to resist so these happy little cats got a lot of attention from me.

I took the tour through the homes and barn being followed by friendly kittens at every turn, asked questions, and learned so much about this fascinating group of people doing their best to live their unique lifestyle in the midst of 21^st-century technology and demands.

One thing I learned was that the girls and women of the community wear dresses of many colors – blues, browns, reds, and purples – with white aprons and black or white caps.Now it made sense why there were so many calico cats on this farm – they were all little Amish “girls” showing off their tri-colored outfits.