The old saying, “Many hands make light work,” is certainly true among the Amish. At work frolics and barn raisings there’s always more than enough help to get the job done. Even for things like preparing meals, cleaning the house, and doing outside chores, everyone chips in. Try getting together with some of your friends or family to do yard or household chores. It will get done much faster, and you’ll enjoy the fellowship that comes with working together.

I have certainly appreciated the help I’ve received from my own family while I am healing from a painful broken arm. What was the last thing you and your family did to help one another?

When my husband and I visit Amish country, I’m always amazed when I see my Amish friend’s vegetable gardens. Besides the abundant crops that will help feed their family, their gardens are virtually weed-free.

This summer my husband and I decided to plant most of our garden in raised-beds, which has worked out quite nicely. So far we have harvested several cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, and a few tomatoes. We are still waiting for our onions, peppers, beets, carrots, and spaghetti squash to be ready for picking. In our larger garden area, which is entirely fenced in and covered with netting to keep the birds out, we’ve had a bumper crop of blueberries, most of which are in the freezer now. These, we will enjoy this winter.

One way to live more simply is to grow a garden. If you don’t have room in your yard, you might consider planting vegetables in pots. Nothing tastes so good as freshly picked homegrown produce.

Do you enjoy gardening? If you have a garden of your own, what have you harvested so far?

One thing I’ve noticed about most of my Amish friends is that they like to read—both fiction and real-life stories. Many have said that they enjoy reading because it takes them to places they’ve never been able to visit. Reading is also a good way to relax.

I have enjoyed reading ever since I was a child, and now, as an author, I love writing as much as reading. It’s fun to immerse myself into each storyline and become, for a little while, whichever character I’m writing or reading about.

I hope that when you read one of my novels, you will allow yourself to be drawn into the lives of my Amish characters and the Plain communities each of the books are set in. Since I have Amish friends in every community I write about it, I do my best to make sure that my facts are as accurate as possible.

Do you like to read for the enjoyment of learning about new things? Or is reading a way to help you relax and leave your own world behind as you get to know the characters in a book?