Lehman’s Country Life

Click the photo above to see a full sized image you can read more easily.

Nothing makes my day more than a nice thank-you note from a customer! Here is one that came in last week’s mail.

In case you can’t read the image of it above, here’s the full text:

Dear Mr. Lehman,

Unfortunately, two freight items I had ordered sustained damage during shipping. I contacted Julie in regard to the damaged items. She arranged to have the
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Mary's photo of Lehman's entrance.

Click here to see the full article: Mary’s Treasured Memories: A fun trip to Lehmans

Thanks, Mary!

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Two weeks ago I blogged about how we should be prepared for more bad economic news. My bottom line that day was that we should be more self reliant. I called for us to be responsible, ready and re-energized. I said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” (Click here to see the article.)

One of my friends, Clayton Steiner, reminded me, “I thought in this economic time, it’s time to talk about community, sharing, watching out for each other, helping our neighbor, simple living … and good old fashioned Mennonite theology.”

So, what’s Clayton’s hang up with “Mennonite theology?” What you may not
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Last week I took my son out to college. In the back seat of the car, we had three suitcases, a rug and a garden.

Yes, a garden. The sofa, refrigerator, loft and other essentials of college life were already at the school, since it was his second year.

But, he wanted a garden.
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Many say things are as bad now as they’ve been any time since the Great Depression. Bad times change people.

On my Facebook page, I’ve been posting economic benchmarks and leading indicators. Many are obscure things you won’t see in the mainstream press. Most, sadly, predict an extended economic struggle. In response, one of my Facebook friends commented that all the bad news made her feel like giving up.

It’s true that there may be more bad times ahead. We cannot keep our environment today from changing us. But giving up is not the answer. I want to go on record, clearly and forcibly that this is the time when we must take the challenges we face prayfully and purposefully into our own hands.

It’s time to return to the long-standing American concept of self-reliance.

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The weight started coming off when I stopped eating cereal every morning and switched to a healthy breakfast. I’ve kept it off for about 18 months now.

I figured out that a serious breakfast makes your whole day go better. It eliminates hunger pains and gives you the energy to face the problems that will inevitably hit at the worst possible times.
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Last week, I blogged about why some people would like to join the Amish. This week, I will admit that I might be one of those people!

Years ago, I worked as a sponsor for our church’s high school youth group. Upon discovering that I knew how to milk goats, build a fence, use an oil lamp and other homesteading skills, the kids took to calling me “Amish-like.”

I was proud of that nickname. I figured it meant that I was fitting in. After all, I had my own street name just like they did.

Years later, my own children brought me back to earth by explaining to me that I was actually being made fun of. To this day, however, I take “Amish-like” as a title of honor.

Last week, I said that people became Amish because of faith or because of culture. There is possibly another reason. Someone recently told me that some
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This week a friend and I were talking about why people choose to be Amish. This is a complicated question. But, if you simplify it down to the broadest possible terms, there are mainly two reasons.

Our non-Amish friend, Twila, wanted to remember her Amish ancestors by buying this dress. She also owns a digital camera, allowing us to take this photo. It's an ironic image. Many Amish frown on photographs because of Biblical prohibitions against graven images and vanity.

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Last week I did one of the toughest things I have to do all year. I pulled perfectly good fruit from most of my nine fruit trees and threw it out.

The tiny fruits, which are about 1/4 to 1/3 their final size, held the promise of future goodness. Even though they were still small, hard and sour, my mouth watered as I handled each one.

So, why would I do such a hard-hearted, mean-spirited and cruel thing?
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There is a big sign in the entrance of our Kidron store with a picture of my dad. It says, in part, “We believe in offering products made in the United States wherever possible. When we offer imported items, we choose the best quality we can find.”

This is not just something we say to sound good. We spend time every day, sometimes hours every day, hunting down USA-made products.

I will make this claim and stand by it with confidence: We have more USA
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