My Great Grandma

My Great Grandma was a midwife. She delivered babies in her home and took care of the new mothers until they were ready to return home. It's interesting because some of the Amish midwives use this model too. They set up a kind of birthing suite in their homes and the moms come to them and they get rest and TLC following the birth.

I wished I had talked to my Great Grandma about her experiences. It wasn't until after her death that I discovered she had been a midwife. I think my love for birth (that is, helping at births) is in my blood.

She was a character...full of life and adventure! She married her 3rd husband when they were in their 80's. They were so in love with each other! She outlived all 3 husbands! I believe that she lived to be 96.

Here's a photo of her (in her 80's, I think) on a horse in Cody, Wyoming at a family reunion.

Book

The book I'm reading right now is called Better Off. It is a book that was recommended to me by my friend, Sophia. Wow! I'm already wishing I was in this couple's shoes who rented a house from the Amish and lived next to them . The house came complete with a vegetable garden planted by the Amish family.

I can't give a complete review because I'm only on page 23 but I think it's going to be good. A Catholic couple living amongst the Amish. The photo was taken in Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania when Michael and I visited last March.

Here's a review of the book that I found online:

What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate Eric Brende flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or "hooked to the grid," and spent eighteen months living in a remote Amish community.

Better Off is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.