Jenn and I went to breakfast at our favorite little place near the house, which uses random coffee mugs from around the country. I noticed some strange things on my "Amish Country" mug that shed some light on the Amish culture. Or more confusion.First of all the front of the mug features 5 idyllic Amish scenes, captioned with "The Five B's of AMISH COUNTRY":

 

 

Bare Feet
Bonnets
Buggies
Barns
Bridges



That's all fine and dandy, just what I expected from Amish Country.

 

 

 

It was the back of the mug that really threw me for a loop:

 

 

 

 

 

The flipside of the mug featured a crossword puzzle populated with other words often associated with Amish Country.

"HORSE". Duh, how else do they pull their "BUGGY". This is the standard mode of transportation in the next word, good old "AMISH COUNTRY". Next on the list: "VIRGINVILLE". What? Is this a common outsider term for an Amish colony? Perhaps a real name of an Amish town? Then, bam, came this one: "INTERCOURSE". Say what? Is this describing the excessive amounts or lack of in Amish Country? Next, on to "BIRD IN HAND". I suppose this is either something related to the old proverb, or its something very dirty. My mind still reels from the previous word. Thankfully, my thoughts are restored with "BARN" and "PARADISE". No doubt the site of a good old barn raising is paradise to the Amish. But once again, the Amish Country crossword throws another enigmatic clue my way, "BLUE BALL". My mind wants to believe that this is the name of some sort of native prarie flower in Amish Country, but I am more apt to believe its due to a lack of INTERCOURSE in VIRGINVILLE, AMISH COUNTRY. I am wishing that this was another 2 of the "Five B's of Amish Country" that was illustrated on the front of the mug to ease my mind. In true Amish country style, I'm let go with a feeling of peace, with the final word of "BONNET". I can't think of too many dirty things to do with a that.