# Amos Stoll > Farm to Table: Amish Boy Becomes Neurosurgeon Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. Use `/llms-full.txt` for consolidated page and post context. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages - [Biography](https://www.amosstoll.com/bio.md) - Amos Stoll was born into an Old Order Amish family in Michigan, and at age 6 his family moved to a farm in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas. Life with his 7 brothers and 3 sisters was never dull--working on their farm, plowing the fields with a team of horses, cutting hay, and each fall harvesting c… - [Memoir Synopsis](https://www.amosstoll.com/memoirsynopsis.md) - When my education ended with grade school in my large Amish family, my two brothers and I immersed ourselves in self-help books and paperbacks on science and even met in a secret cave with our best friends, where we gave lectures to each other to educate ourselves. We thrived in the outdoors, sleep… ## Posts - [My memoir is published!](https://www.amosstoll.com/my-memoir-is-published.md) - Order Farm to Table here! In the first half of my book I write about growing up in an Amish family on a farm in northern Arkansas. My parents lived in a traditional Old Order Amish community in Daviess County, Indiana, but they did not approve of some customs of the Old Order Amish. Along with a fe… - [Blog No 39 Man Attempts Suicide with Nail Gun](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-39-man-attempts-suicide-with-staple-gun.md) - In January 2010, I gave a talk to the Caducean Society of Greater Ft Lauderdale (made up of physicians who give a 3-minute presentation about something of interest in their specialty) about a patient I had treated who had shot himself in his head with an industrial nail gun, intending to commit sui… - [Blog No 38 Islands Draped in Pink](https://www.amosstoll.com/islands-draped-in-pink.md) - In 1983, two years after we had moved to Ft Lauderdale from Portland, Oregon, Michele and I were enamored by seeing the Surrounded Islands, an unique artistic exhibition that could be found about 30 miles south of us in Biscayne Bay. Miami was still in the throes of the partisan division caused by… - [Blog No 37 The White Tern in Hawaii](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-37-the-white-tern-in-hawaii.md) - When Michele and I recently visited our friend, Wayne, who lives near Diamond Head, we took early morning walks along Diamond Head road next to the extinct volcano. Tropical Storm Fausto had just passed by northern island chain and we observed a large number of surfers riding the waves toward the b… - [Blog No 36 A Memoir by Ira Wagler](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-36-a-memoir-by-ira-wagler.md) - My first cousin, Ira Wagler, published a New York Times best-selling memoir titled, Growing up Amish (2010) that tells the story of leaving his Old Order Amish family and church at age twenty-six. Ira was torn by family ties and the attachment to his church so that in the following years he returne… - [Blog No 35 Copy of My Memoir](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-35-copy-of-my-memoir.md) - While writing my memoir I was often asked when my book would be completed and become available. I now have good news--an actual copy of my book is in my hand and is called a proof. (It was formerly called a galley proof that referred to a long tray into which metal letters were placed for the print… - [Blog No 34 California Condor Saved from Extinction](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-34-california-condor-saved-fromhtml.md) - My first condor The Passenger Pigeon was our largest and most colorful wild pigeon but became extinct when the last pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. It was once the most abundant bird in North America. After the Civil War, these pigeons were observed migrating in gigantic flocks, numberin… - [Blog No 33 Military Aircraft over Washington DC](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-33-military-aircraft-overhtml.md) - While growing up during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s my brothers and I often saw B-52 bombers flying over the Ozark skies. The plane had a distinctive appearance but we usually identified the airplane before we saw it because of its unique sound. I have some familiarity with commercial passe… - [Blog No 32 A Brief History of Fireworks](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-32-brief-history-of-fireworkshtml.md) - July 4, 2023 The earliest firecrackers date back to China in the 2nd century BCE when bamboo stalks were placed on a fire to keep evil spirits away. The heated stalks exploded with a popping sound and led to the development of firecrackers. During the Tang Dynasty, 600-900 CE, Chinese alchemists di… - [Blog No 31 Bible Translations](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-31-bible-translationshtml.md) - Michele and I recently visited the Congressional Library in Washington DC, the largest such library in the world, housing 2.9 million documents. It prominently displays the Gutenberg Bible (one of 21 copies still in existence) produced by Johann Guntenberg in Mainz, Germany in 1455, based on the te… - [Blog No 30 Niagara Falls](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-30-niagara-fallshtml.md) - Approaching the American Falls As the last scheduled event for the Center for Inquiry conference that I attended recently in Buffalo, NY, a group of us participants piled into two buses and made the forty-minute ride to the Niagara Falls. Enroute, our guide quizzed us with obscure facts about water… - [Blog No 29 The Catacombs of Paris](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-29-catacombs-of-parishtml.md) - Tunnel at the beginning At the end of our 17-day tour of the northwest African coastal region, Michele and I flew from Marrakesh, Morocco to Paris for the last leg of our trip. Both Michele and Megan urged me to visit the Paris Catacombs, something I had missed on my previous visits. I walked from… - [Blog No 28 Goats and the Argan Tree](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-28-goats-and-argan-treehtml.md) - During a week-long cruise along the northwest African coast, Michele and I joined a day excursion from the port city of Agadir, Morocco (founded by the Portuguese in 1505) on a bus that traveled inland through the arid countryside with fields and olive trees. We passed villages, some in the distanc… - [Blog No 27 Jardin Majorelle](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-27-jardin-majorellehtml.md) - Mexican tree cacti Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962), was born to a famous Art Nouveau furniture designer in Nancy, France, who wanted him to study architecture, but Jacques chose to study art at the Académie Julian in Paris. During his formative years, he lived in Egypt for a few years where he had go… - [Blog No 26. The Desert Snake-the World's Longest Train](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-25html.md) - Blog No 26. The Desert Snake--the World's Longest Train Michele and I returned from a 22-day journey to northwest Africa with a stopover in Paris. The highlight was a week voyage on the Swan Hellenic Diana, a 5-star polar ship (a class of its own) that was now traveling north from Antarctica. Our s… - [Blog No 25 Essentials of Back Surgery](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-25-essentials-of-back-surgeryhtml.md) - Large synovial cyst at L4-L5 Soon after I began practicing neurosurgery, I wrote, “Why Back Surgery Has a Bad Name,” that was published in my local medical society’s periodical. Essentially, nothing has changed. The main reason for “failed back surgery” is because the patient was not a suitable can… - [Blog No 24 Backpacking in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-24-backpacking-in-wichitahtml.md) - In 2018, my brothers Alvin, Garner, and I, with a few close friends, camped in this wildlife refuge southwest of Oklahoma City at the beginning of April. Fortunately, our friend Jack T had just acquired a huge shelter that along with a fire, shielded us from a cold front that barreled in with howli… - [Blog No 23 Birding on Cape Cod](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-23-birding-on-cape-codhtml.md) - In December 2015, my brother Alvin, our nephew Ruben and I spent a week birding at Cape Cod and the surrounding area. Ruben and his brother Victor, recognized as champion birders, won the Big Year Lower 48 in 2022, shattering the previous record by some by 24 species. Thankfully, our pace was consi… - [Blog No 22 The Iguazu Falls](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-22-iguazu-fallshtml.md) - Michele, Megan, Alec and I departed Miami's international airport shortly before midnight in the summer of 2005, bound for Buenos Aires, and arrived at the capital of Argentina in the middle of winter. We did the usual tourist routine, visiting the soccer stadium outside the city, marveled at the s… - [Blog No 21 The Screech Owls vs Honey Bees](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-21-screech-owls-vs-honey-beeshtml.md) - About 10 years ago I attached a birdhouse made for screech owls to the trunk of our large gumbo limbo tree in our front yard as I knew we had Eastern Screech owls living in our area. These owls as well as hawks and crows now live in cities as few people shoot them any longer as they did in the old… - [Blog No 20 Bald Eagle as our National Bird](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-20-bald-eagle-as-our-nationalhtml.md) - Immediately after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a committee was appointed to design a seal for the new nation of the United States. After six years of work by the committee, the Great Seal of the United States was adopted by the Continental Congre… - [Blog No 19 The Ancient Greek Monasteries of Meteora](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-19-ancient-greek-monasteries-ofhtml.md) - Michele and I visited Greece in 2009 and enjoyed seeing important historical sites as well as staying several nights on the exquisite island of Santorini. But nothing satisfied me more than a short side trip we took by bus, traveling from Athens to Thessaly into north central Greece to visit Meteor… - [Blog No 18 Boiling Lake of Dominica](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-18-boiling-lake-of-dominicahtml.md) - In October 2013, Michele and I traveled to the tropical island of Dominica and stayed at Rosalie Bay Resort on the east side of the island. It was wonderful way to rejuvenate from work as well as to escape the spectacle of the major news outlets having a fit because the Obamacare website wasn’t wor… - [Blog No 17 Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-17-aurora-borealis-northernhtml.md) - The Milky Way on a moonless night devoid of light pollution or a ferocious thunderstorm with lightning and thunder should inspire awe in the most jaded mind, but the two natural phenomena that represent the best that Nature has to offer is a total eclipse of the Sun and a dazzling display of the au… - [Blog No 16 Pozzo di San Patrizio (St. Patrick's Well)](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-16-pozzo-di-san-patrizio-sthtml.md) - Hill City of Orvieto Windows along stairway While visiting Italy and Austria in October and November 2025, Michele and I visited the hill city of Orvieto in the province of Umbria. One of the mandatory sights is to visit St Patrick's Well and it's useful to know a bit of Renaissance history to appr… - [Blog No 15 Plants From the Age of the Dinosaurs](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-15-plants-from-age-of-dinosaurshtml.md) - The cycads are an ancient group of plants that have survived to modern times. The oldest fossil evidence of cycads dates back to the Permian period, but it wasn't until the Triassic and Jurassic periods (200-65 million years ago) that these plants became the predominant flora on Earth and flourishe… - [Blog No 14 The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-14-three-gorges-of-yangtze-riverhtml.md) - During 1990’s I was saddened when I read about the impending flooding of the Three Gorges on the Yangtse River in China, and resolved to see them before they were inundated. A massive new hydroelectric dam was under construction by the Chinese government, and the resulting reservoir would spoil for… - [Blog No 13 Lore of the Appalachian Trail](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-13-lore-of-appalachian-trailhtml.md) - The Appalachian Trail (AT) was first envisioned by the forester and planner, Benton MacKaye and his proposal was published in the Journal of American Institute of Architects in 1921. After 16 years of trail construction, the AT was declared completed in 1937. Since then a rich lore of traditions ha… - [Blog No 12 Inaugural Hike on the Appalachian Trail](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-12-inaugural-hike-onhtml.md) - I went on my first backpacking trip in the Pecos Wilderness near Taos, New Mexico, while a senior medical student. Years later, when driving through North Carolina, I crossed the Appalachian Trail and pulled over to inspect the trailhead. I felt a strong attraction and vowed that someday I would hi… - [Blog No 11 Trephination: Most Ancient Operation](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-11-trephination-most-ancienthtml.md) - Over the centuries, humans have had an astonishing proclivity to cut holes in their heads. Known as trephination, it is the oldest operation we know about and was widely practiced by ancient surgeons. Other surgeries may have been performed but since soft tissues decay, the knowledge of such operat… - [Blog No 10 Flying June Bug Kites](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-10-flying-june-bug-kiteshtml.md) - When the weather warmed up during the months of May and June at our homestead in Arkansas, swarms of June bugs would emerge from the ground, and take to flight, buzzing like a bumblebee. These beetles circled around the trees in our yard, careened wildly and glanced off objects, and somehow kept fl… - [Blog No 9 Birding in the Tropics](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-9-birding-in-the-tropics.md) - I was taught to identify birds from the paintings of the ornithologist, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, by my older brothers when I was 4 or five 5 years old. My oldest brother, Victor, was fanatically devoted to Purple Martins and claimed to have the largest colony of these swallows in the US (one year he… - [Blog No 8 Ghost Orchid](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no.md) - Florida’s ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) is found only in Florida and Cuba where it requires a highly specialized microclimate to grow and reproduce. When my daughter, Megan, first mentioned a mysterious ghost orchid found in the Florida swamps I had no clue what she was talking about. Due to… - [Blog No 7 Diet and Health](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-7-diet-and-health.md) - The diet in my Amish household in the Ozarks had many of the attributes that are now considered to be a healthy diet. We ate fresh vegetables and fruits in the summer and in the winter we relied heavily on large quantities of canned vegetables and fruit in Mason jars that were stored in our cellar.… - [Blog No 6 Languages Spoken by the Amish](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-6-languages-spoken-by-the-amish.md) - During their childhood Amish children learn to speak three languages―at least in some measure. Their primary language is Pennsylvania German that originated in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany and was the language the Amish immigrants brought with them when the earliest settlers arrive… - [Blog No 5 What Makes America Great](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-5-what-makes-america-great.md) - My wife, Michele, and I returned from an extended trip to Italy and Vienna where we experienced art and history to the degree not possible in our country, whether seeing an opera in the venerated Teatro de Scala in Milan, the magnificent St. Stephen’s Cathedral from our hotel window in Vienna, or h… - [Blog No 4 Treehouse and Tower](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-4-treehouse-and-tower.md) - My dad hired a man with a bulldozer to clear land on our 400-acre farm in the Ozarks. When the highest hill on our land was being cleared, dad asked the bulldozer man to spare a red oak tree that stood at the highest point, and that must have given us the idea. On June 20, 1958, when I was 13, I ma… - [Blog No 3 Cotton Patch](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-3-cotton-patch.md) - In the early 1950’s my parents, Old Order Amish, moved from southern Michigan to the Ozarks of northern Arkansas. They had found common ground with two other self-exiled families, the Rudy Wickey family from Ohio, also Amish, and the John Martin family from Pennsylvania, Old Order Mennonites. All m… - [Blog No 2 Bus Travel](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-2-bus-travel.md) - When I first became friends with non-Amish people while working at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, I learned that most people detested travel by bus and avoided it at all costs. As an Amish boy, traveling by bus was exciting, we were introduced to big cities such St. Louis and Indianapolis,… - [Blog No 1 Introduction to my Memoir](https://www.amosstoll.com/blog-no-1-introduction-to-my-memoir.md) - Diary and Journals I grew up in an Amish family on a farm in the Ozarks where we attended school in a one-room school house. My two younger brothers and I and were called the “three little boys.” When I was nine, a teacher gave me a small five-year diary, with four lines for each year on the same p… ## Optional - [RSS Feed](https://www.amosstoll.com/rss/) - [Sitemap](https://www.amosstoll.com/sitemap.xml) - [Full content of pages and posts](https://www.amosstoll.com/llms-full.txt)