Lehman’s Country Life

By Allison Ervin, writer, age 10

So you’re in Amish country, looking for something fun to do. Here are some of the great things that I enjoyed when I visited Wayne and Holmes County recently. A good way to start your day in Amish country is by visiting the store Lehman’s, in Kidron. There’s lots of unique and fun things you can buy there that are sure to brighten up any day. If you are a child, or have children with you, there’s a huge toy selection and there are toys you can play with. Lots of their products are non-electric and eco-friendly like their wood burning stoves. The store is very big, which means there is a lot you can look at. You will see many things you thought weren’t made any more.

After you leave Lehman’s, head up the road to the store P. Graham Dunn in Dalton, where they make
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As promised, here are several of our favorite responses to last month’s query, “What are YOU Growing?” …

I am a 66 year old disabled woman. I have loved gardening all my life. Every place I lived I was able to find a way to garden. I am now unable to work and I am still determined to garden. I live in an apartment in a large Federal style house. The owners have generously allowed me to do my gardening in their yard. I have been here three years and each year I have extended my gardens. I have a huge vegetable garden and two herb beds and three flowerbeds. I do all of the work from a lawn chair.
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On Tuesday, April 21st, Lehman’s founder Jay Lehman turns the big 8-0!

Jay Lehman

To celebrate, we’ve got lots of unexpected goodies in store (including a free product giveaway this Tuesday …

Little-known facts about Jay:

• He has many names! According to daughter Glenda, family legend says the name on Jay’s birth certificate was supposed to read, “Ezra Lehman, Jr.” but was reversed to be “Jr. Ezra Lehman.” Because of this he was always known as Junior, or J.E. Lehman. These days he simply goes by “Jay.”
• He has traveled to 72 different countries, including a long-term missions assignment in Africa in the early 1960s.

Jay - a few years ago

• He has planted tens of thousands of trees in his lifetime (so far).
• He is an avid (and very good) tennis player.
• He has an affinity for old cars - and owns one: a 1923 Ford Model T.

Jay and his 1923 Model T

If you’re in the northeast Ohio area this Tuesday (April 21st), stop by Lehman’s in Kidron to enjoy some special festivities in honor of Jay’s birthday. There will be free cake and balloons, 10% off all private-labeled, Lehman’s exclusive products, and each hour a drawing for an $80 gift certificate! Stop in and celebrate with us.

Watch the Lehman’s store walk-through video here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAY!

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This Saturday, March 28th, millions of people around the world will turn out their lights for one hour to draw awareness to global warming. Now, I’m not going to get political, environmental or any other “al” about the whole thing (to each his own, I always say), but it does seem like a rather simple, and dare I say, pleasant thing to do. Just turn things OFF - the lights, the tv, the radio, computer, etc., etc., etc. -  and have a little quiet time with those vaguely familiar humans who inhabit our houses  (our families).

As purveyors of hundreds of non-electric products and the publisher (for over a quarter century) of the Non-Electric Catalog, one hour without power sounds pretty easy, and even somewhat amusing to us. After all, many of our loyal customers live this way the majority of the time…

There are myriad activities one could enjoy with the lights (and other appliances) off, but here are a few suggestions that spring to mind.

Light an oil lamp and open a good book

Light a candle and pray, meditate or just think

Sit in the dark and tell stories, reminisce or have a family planning or brainstorming session

And, if none of those are appealing, why not go to bed early and get some (probably much-needed) extra shuteye?

Are any of you planning to participate this Saturday? If so, please comment and let us know what you did and how it went. We await your responses!

For more information, visit www.earthhour.org.

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Our illustrious founder, Jay Lehman, was at it again today, planting trees right outside our office window. This time Jay was riding in the planter on the back, and another gentleman drove the tractor. Just another cool scene we see out our windows on a random Thursday, and one of the many reasons I  enjoy working here. At what other place of employment do you see top executives planting trees?!

Planting trees next to the parking lot north of warehouse

Jay gets a short ride up and over the driveway!

...and the planting continues.

Click here to read about Jay’s tree planting last April (more photos, too).

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By Francis Woodruff, Editor and Publisher, The Dalton Gazette & The Kidron News

Reprinted with Permission

When temperatures drop below zero in the wintertime, there are few outside activities that many of us can do. But for several Amish families this weather presents the perfect conditions to cut, pack, and store ice in their ice houses for the coming summer months. The Amish, who live without electricity, use the ice for food refrigeration.

Recently, Joe Miller watched as his son David J. Miller and his family slid the heavy blocks of ice down a wooden plank board into a room designed for ice storage. “This is perfect weather for cutting ice,” Joe Miller said. “The colder the better.” He explained the colder it is when the ice goes into the storage room the better, because it stays colder longer. In addition to refrigeration, the room can also be used to freeze other foods, he said - like a giant freezer.
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Since my last post featured one of my dad’s signature recipes, I thought I would share one of my mom’s this time. There’s almost nothing that sticks with you better for breakfast than a bowl of  granola. This is an easy recipe and makes a crunchy, hearty, not-too-sweet breakfast treat. It’s delicious with milk or yogurt, by itself or with other cereal.  I like to sprinkle it liberally on my bowl of Cheerios. Try it - I bet you’ll love it!
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Late winter is usually  a time when I gaze around the rooms of my home and notice how DUSTY everything has gotten. It’s been several weeks since the Christmas decorations were put away, and the obligatory cleaning done after. Although I dutifully clean the house each week (did I say week? I meant, er, month), it seems the dust piles up so quickly this time of year, when everyone is cooped up inside, the windows can’t be opened due to the cold and the pale winter sun shines in at odd angles, making tiny dust particles dance in the light whenever something is moved.
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He used to make it only when the snow was flying, usually on his days off from his job as a registered nurse.

My sister Becca and I knew Dad had baked bread as soon as we hit the door, just off the schoolbus. Our little house would be filled with a welcoming, unmistakable aroma, and big, crusty loaves of his signature whole-wheat bread (”Daddy Bread” to us) would be cooling on dishtowels on the counter.  We’d eat some hot right then (if he’d let us), and multiple pieces of “Daddy toast” were often breakfast each morning before school. It was best with just a bit of butter - no jelly to overtake the nice, yeasty flavor.
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That’s how we felt on Sunday evening. And we were powerless (as in, electricity-free), for about 15 hours, as the remains of “Ike” careened through Ohio. We’re a lot luckier than some! Everyone here at Lehman’s has a story to tell - some are still without power, schools are closed and there is ample firewood to be had just about everywhere. (The photos here are of my own yard - blessedly, we had no damage to our house).

After the power went out about 5pm, we lit every scented candle we had and dug around in dark drawers and closets for batteries, then ended up removing half-dead ones from our remote controls to place in flashlights and a small pink lantern that belongs to my 2-year-old. All those batteries were dead in about 2 hours and we had headaches from the very disturbing mixture of midnight jasmine/french vanilla/springtime dreams/pine needle candles. Caught unprepared? You BET we were!
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