Spring Fever

Now I know why I am seeing more and more of these so-called Amish Barn Stars: It's mating season.

These two were caught in the act this morning . Well, it is spring.

Seeing Stars

Something strange is happening around my little town. These things have been popping up all over the community in recent months. In varying sizes and colors, they are affixed to houses, generally in an upper gable and sometimes near a door. They are multiplying; when one appears on a block, two or three others follow close by.

They remind me of hex signs seen on barns in Pennsylvania Dutch country, but these are simpler, have only five-point tips, and aren't nearly as artistically interesting. If they are hex signs, I want to know the reason the first homeowner installed it, and if the subsequent ones were put up as a defense against the first.

Some companies selling them call these "Amish Barn Stars", but I wonder how accurate that description really is. Are they "Amish" because they are made by Amish, do the Amish actually have these simple stars on their barns, or is the name a marketing ploy to add a bit of perceived value and sentiment to a piece of tin or wood?

I think they're most likely just the latest primitive decor craze - probably featured on Oprah or HGTV, and now everyone who wants to be part of the in-crowd has to have one. After all, I did notice that The Biggest Loser house has 6-8 of them affixed to an exterior wall.