Mary Swander"s Buggy Land

Mary Swander interviews Iowa City landscape painter Marcia Wegman who captures the subtle beauty of the Midwestern farming landscape. Descriptions of realistic and abstract paintings emphasizing the contours of the land, the changing light and seasons, textures of the vegetation, and the wonders of the sky.

Rural churches get creative during the pandemic with drive-in-church services. "Angel Band" by Banjoy with Bob and Christy Black. Mary Swander delivers a monologue about local Amish, Catholic, Mennonite and Methodist church communities.

Mary Swander explains how she came to live among the Amish and the many gifts her neighbors have given her—including bear meat. She talks about Amish teenagers hunting bear in Colorado and plays The Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase on her banjo. Farmer Carlos Williams tells about hunting lightning bugs in a corn field. Swander’s perusal of Plain Interests focuses on the healthy benefits of good soil.

This episode focuses on selling livestock. From her book Out of this World: A Woman’s Life among the Amish.  Mary Swander reads of taking her sheep to the butcher in the back of her neighbor Donna’s car. Musician farmer Paul Roberts and the Great Blue Grass Herons sing Selling Hogs.  Swander tells of encountering a cattle drive while she is standing naked in the prairie. Finally, Swander peruses Plain Interests with stories of raising turkeys.

Mary Swander explains how she developed her online implement dealership among her Amish neighbors. Monroe Ropp uses one of those implements–his manure tank-­­­- to put out a house fire, and Paul Roberts and the Great Blue Grass Herons sing The Ballad of Monroe Ropp.  Swander reads excerpts from her drama Farmscape and peruses the Amish newspaper Plain Interests.