Writing From Your Life

Just back from The Clearing in Door County where I taught a WRITING FROM YOUR LIFE workshop.  Nineteen people from near and far gathered to share their stories, write them down, and have a great time doing it.  Stories of joy and sorrow.  Hilariously funny stories—and everything in between.           

            One participant, a retired farmer, said that when his wife died several years ago, he sold  his cows, waited until the cat died, watched the house plants dry out—and decided he wanted to do something different—something he had read about and decided unless he did it soon, he would never do it.  He asked one of his children, he has five, all adults now, to drive him to Delaware.  Then he started West, on foot, walking.  He walked across the United States from the East coast to the West coast.  Along the way he met loads of wonderful people—he has all their names and their addresses, and their stories that he blends in with his.

            Not all the stories were about walking, or doing other heroic acts, but all were special, whether they were about a first job in a hospital cafeteria, or about a 4-H calf led into the farm house kitchen—much to dismay of the  person’s mother.

            The workshop is a joy for a teacher, for all want to be there, all want to learn.  All want to share their stories.

            For those interested, I will do it all over again on Saturday November 2. 

Contact The Clearing for further information.  This is a link to their website. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Everybody has a story to tell—and should find the time to tell it.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place. Presentation, American Library Association Convention.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Kansas Public TV, Kansas City. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Talk About Apps

            Back in the late 1960s the Apps clan decided to hold a family reunion each year.  Last Saturday we held our 45^th consecutive gathering of the descendants of my Grandfather, George Apps who arrived in Wisconsin from England after the Civil War.

            It is always a grand and glorious affair, held at Bird Creek Park in Wautoma, WI with a tremendous potluck meal, lots of talking and catching up and a short planned program.

            When the noon meal was finished, the president of the group, now 91 years old called the group to order and we heard a reading of the minutes of the last reunion, and were brought up-to-date on the financial situation of the group.  This year the treasurer announced that we were in the black to the tune of $2.54.  Someone suggested we should file for nonprofit status, but rather than doing that we passed the hat with everyone throwing in a dollar or two and we are, at least for the coming year, in good financial standing.

            Then on to the program, which consisted of a variety of competitions.  Who traveled the farthest—this year someone from Washington, D. C. Who prepared the best casserole (we vote)—winner received a box of “Roadkill Hamburger Helper”, the best dessert, the best salad—close votes on all.  Then on to which woman had the shortest hair, which man had the longest hair, which person had the smallest foot size, which had the largest (size 13 won this year). Who had the oldest coin in their pocket—a 1965 nickle.  A prize was given to the Apps who had his or her picture in the Waushara Argus most often in the past year—Ruth clipped all the photos and makes a poster of them.  Some 35 Apps photos were in the local paper last year.

           

            The most prestigious award of all is the “Apps Knows” award.  The Apps men, not the women, are noted for their very prominent noses—they are, to be right up front,  uncommonly long.  Rather than calling the award the “Apps Nose” award, we hide what we are really doing with a word that sounds the same but has a considerably different meaning.  In fact, a person reading in the paper about the Apps Knows Award one time said to me that he’d never met an Apps who seemed to know much of anything.

            The award can only be won once and the winner receives a traveling trophy that he can display on his wall indicating the he has won the most prestigious award of all, the “Apps Knows Award.”

            A year from now we’ll do it all over again.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You can tell who is an Apps, but you can’t tell them much.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Book Signing at The Clearing (Jens Jensen Center) from 4-6, Saturday June 22 (following my writing workshop on that day).  Public is invited.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life.

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 22, 4-6.  Book Signing.  The Clearing Ellison Bay, WI.  The public is invited.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place. Presentation, American Library Association Convention.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Kansas Public TV, Kansas City. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

June Garden Report

            Lots of rain.  Many cloudy days.  Cool.  Great grass growing weather.  Great weather for weeds, as well.

            Except for a short row of spinach that decided not to grow, the garden is looking great.  Last night we ate our first radishes, sweet and mild, not like the radishes later in the season that may be large and beautiful but bite your tongue.

            Many of the tomato plants I started from seed back in April and set out on Memorial Day were wee little things, puny, fragile and not offering much hope.   Except for my new heirloom tomatoes from the Isle of Man.  I don’t think I lost one of them—I have a long row, maybe 25 plants of this experimental (for me) tomato that is supposed to have a special flavor and grow strong and yield well.  So far so good.  They are standing upright and growing, and competing well with Big Boy, Better Boy, Early Girl and a couple of other hybrid varieties.  The cool, wet weather made the transplanting easier on the plants.

            What great weather for potatoes.  My ten rows are thriving—well ahead of where they were last year at this time, and I planted them two weeks later.  Go figure.  Kennebec is the variety I favor, which generally does well on my sandy soil, tastes great, and lasts well into late winter.

            And cabbage, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, etc.—growing like crazy as they love this cool, damp weather.  The snap beans are coming up—but they like it warmer.  The cucumbers, winter squash, pumpkins, and zucchini are up as is the sweet corn.  But these vegetables prefer more sunshine and warmth.  The sweet corn is a rather yellowish green, which means more sunshine needed.

            The three sisters—well this year I’m following the instructions.  I planted the three sisters' corn on Memorial Day—it’s two or three inches tall.  Next week I will plant the Rattlesnake Beans and the pumpkins, the other two sisters.  And then I will sit back and watch how they get along with each other.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Want something to talk about?  Grow a vegetable garden.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Interested in learning how to write your own stories?  Sign up for one of my upcoming one-day workshops that I am teaching at The Clearing in Door County.

Saturday, June 22, 9-4 (A few openings still left)

Saturday, November 3, 9-4

Contact The Clearing for further information and/or to sign up (www.theclearing.org).

(There will be a book signing at The Clearing on each of these Saturdays from 4-6:00 p.m. The public is invited.)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 13, Writing Workshop, Fulcrum Publishing offices, Golden, CO.

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 22, 4-6.  Book Signing.  The Clearing Ellison Bay, WI.  The public is invited.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place.  American Library Association Convention.  Letters From Hillside Farm.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Three Sisters--One More Time

A couple years ago I tried growing a Native-American three sister’s garden.  Those following these ramblings then remembered that the three sisters did not get along and they mostly did each other in—in other words my little experiment was a failure.

The failure was mostly my fault.  I used modern day sweet corn, squash, and bean varieties, not the old-fashioned varieties the Native-Americans would have used.  Modern varieties, it seems, are too competitive, each wants its own place in the sun and does not want to cooperate with its siblings.

I also planted the three types of seeds all at the same time.  A mistake.  Big sister corn is supposed to be planted first, and not until it is six inches tall should the beans and squash/ pumpkins be planted.

I have been encouraged to try the experiment again.  On the internet, I found at “Renee’s Garden” a Native American Three Sisters garden seed packet consisting of  “Earth-Tone Dent Corn,” “Rattlesnake Beans” and “Sugar Pie Pumpkins.”

According to the instructions, I created a mound of soil in my garden with an 18 inch flattened top.  Last week I planted six corn seeds in the mound.  Now I’m waiting before I plant the Rattlesnake Beans and Sugar Pie Pumpkins for big sister corn to become established.

The theory of the three sister’s garden is this.  The corn provides a natural pole for the beans to climb.  The pumpkins are supposed to shade out the weeds and prevent moisture loss.

I’ll keep you posted on how these sisters get along.  With names like Rattlesnake, Sugar Pie, and Earth-Tone, it sounds hopeful.  Who’d want to mess with a sister named Rattlesnake, especially if you were known as Sugar Pie or Earth-Tone?

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Why can’t sisters just get along.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Interested in learning how to write your own stories?  Sign up for one of my upcoming one-day workshops that I am teaching at The Clearing in Door County.

Saturday, June 22, 9-4 (A few openings still left)

Saturday, November 3, 9-4

Contact The Clearing for further information and/or to sign up (www.theclearing.org).

(There will be a book signing at The Clearing on each of these Saturdays from 4-6:00 p.m. The public is invited.)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 4, Noon. Milwaukee Rotary Club. War Memorial Building. Limping Through Life.

June 6, 7:00 p.m. Dane County Genealogy. One Room Country Schools.

June 7, 6:30 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Launch of LETTERS FROM HILLSIDE FARM and LIMPING THROUGH LIFE.

June 8, 11:00 -3:00 Book signing, Tri-County Thresheree, Plainfield

June 13, Writing Workshop, Fulcrum Publishing offices, Golden, CO.

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place.  American Library Association Convention.  Letters From Hillside Farm.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.