Sunday, July 28, 2013

Tasting Summer

I suppose you could say I’m old fashioned.  Probably very old-fashioned.  But when it comes to vegetables, well there is simply nothing fresher or tastier than what I harvest from my garden.  That’s especially true if I’m eating  green beans an hour after I picked them, eating early potatoes an hour after I dug them, or chomping on leaf lettuce (I guess cows chomp) but it still fits what I do when I fill my mouth with lettuce that’s not been away from the garden for more than an hour.

            So this is my feasting time of the year—cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, broccoli (I know President Bush—the first the first one didn't like it, but I do); zucchini, and soon sweet corn.  And the most wonderful feast of all—a red, garden ripened tomato from a plant that I started from seed and watched grow from a scrawny little thing that looked like it might die any day to one providing me with fresh tomatoes.  I picked the first one last weekend.

            Some will remember that I wrote that to taste a fresh radish is to taste spring.  Well, to taste the first tomato, you are tasting summer in all its glory.  Nothing speaks summer louder than a home grown tomato—well maybe sweet corn for some people.  For me sweet corn comes in second, a close second, but still second.

            So welcome to the taste of summer.  And enjoy those first tomatoes of the season. 

THE OLD TIMER SAW THIS THE OTHER DAY: Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.
August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse
August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.
August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)
September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story
September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)
September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld
September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.
 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.




Sunday, July 21, 2013

Great Writing Place

I’ve just returned from another great writing week at Rhinelander, the land of lakes and loons and north woods aplenty.   My wife and I, and for many years the entire family, have been trekking to Rhinelander since 1971, when I began teaching writing at the School of the Arts.  I stopped teaching in 2003; 32 years seemed a goodly number.  But we still go there, to a cabin on Lake George, where I write every morning and have fun with the grandkids who come from near and far (three from Colorado), (and a great grandchild from Minneapolis) to swim, boat and enjoy the sunshine in the afternoon.

I’m often asked where I write—well in the past I have written in airports, coffee shops, many hotel rooms and even dentist offices.  But my preference is a quiet place that is special—a cabin on Lake George near Rhinelander, a condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, a campsite deep in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota, and of course my farm where I can watch deer and wild turkeys and sand hill cranes and where there is no TV, or telephone, or internet to interfere with my writing.

My first book was published in 1970 (43 years ago), and I’ve been writing fulltime since 1993—twenty years.  Although I can still write almost anywhere, the creative juices seem to flow best when it is quiet, the disturbances are few, the view is great, and I have several days in a row to mull over what I am thinking and writing about.

So last week was a great week. 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: About the only way to get some writing done, is to sit down and do it.


UPCOMING EVENTS:
 August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.
August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse
August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.
August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)
September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story
September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)
September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld
September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.
 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.




Thursday, July 11, 2013

Three Sisters Garden

Here’s an update on my current adventure with a three sisters garden.  But first some background.  Three sisters gardening originates with Native American gardening practice.  The Indians planted three crops together, corn, beans, and squash with the idea was that these three crops would benefit from growing close to each other.

To make a three sisters garden, form a mound of dirt about eight inches high and about two-feet wide on the top.   Plant several corn (maize) seeds close together in the center of the mound.   When the corn is about six inches tall, plant several beans (climbing variety) and squash around the corn, alternating the beans and squash.

Here’s how it’s supposed to work.  The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb—thus no pole is needed.  The beans provide some nitrogen to the soil that the corn and squash use.  The squash spreads on the ground, blocking the sunlight, eliminating the weeds, and helping to retain soil moisture.  The squash leaves are also a little prickly and deter pests (some of them anyway).

Two years ago I tried a three sisters garden and the three sisters fought with each other and the experiment failed—miserably.  This time I did things differently.  I bought heritage seeds.  I didn’t use fancy hybrid varieties that simply didn’t know how to get along with each other.

Last time I planted all three sisters at the same time.  Didn’t work.  The corn has to have a head start or it becomes overwhelmed with a tangle of bean tendrils and squash vines.  This time I waited to plant squash and beans until the corn was about six inches tall.  To date all is well.  The sisters have become good buddies—so far at least.  We’ll keep you informed as the season progresses.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: It’s always fun to try something new—even when it doesn’t always work.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.
August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.
August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse
August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.
August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)
September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story
September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)
September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld
September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.

 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.





Monday, July 08, 2013

Garden Update

For those vegetable gardeners who want to do some comparing, here is how my garden is doing as of July 8.  As per usual, some vegetables are doing well, some so-so and a few vegetables are down right miserable, struggling to stay alive.  In our neck of the woods it’s difficult to blame the weather, beyond the slow, cool, spring.  We've had ample rain, and the last couple of weeks have provided warm, sunny days.  Great growing weather.  Here’s the rundown:

Pumpkins—Doing well, just beginning to vine.

Early sweet corn—hip high, good color, lots of promise.

Spinach—failure.  Germination poor and that which did grow is sad, sad.

Radishes—best crop in years.  No worms, sweet, well-shaped.

Carrots—doing well now that radishes are harvested (I plant carrots and
            radishes together.)

Peas—looking good.  Pods developing. Harvest this coming weekend?

Early potatoes—very average.  Don’t know why they aren't better.

Onions—excellent.  We've harvested some and they are great.

Leaf lettuce—doing well.  We've already had several cuttings.

Beets—coming right along.  Probably need a little thinning.

Late potatoes—best crop in several years.  Vines are thick, knee high, covering the
rows.

Tomatoes—almost all varieties in some stage of flowering.  A few plants with    little green tomatoes.  Thinking of how good they will taste when they ripen.

Cabbage—excellent.  Best in several years. 

Green Beans—merely okay.  Germination could have been better.  Not enough
 plants.

Green peppers—awful.  Plants look like they will die any day now.  Don’t have a clue what is bothering them.

Zucchini—Coming along just fine.  A few blossoms.  Look out.

Cucumbers—Beginning to vine.  Thriving.

Winter squash—Same as the cucumbers.

Late sweet corn—mostly knee high, some shorter, some taller.

Gourds—who can’t grow gourds?

Sunflowers—about four feet tall and growing like everything.

Three Sisters Garden—Full report later.  But so far doing much better than my
 attempt a couple years ago.


THE OLD TIMER SAYS:   When you garden, you are never short of surprises.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.
August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.
August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

 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.





Monday, July 01, 2013

Chicago Library Confab

My son, Steve and I just returned from Chicago where we attended the American Library Association’s annual convention at the McCormick Center.  I had an opportunity to talk a bit about my book. LETTERS FROM HILLSIDE FARM (Fulcrum Press), and sign a bunch of books, and see more librarians in one place than I've ever seen before.  Some 17,000 people were preregistered for the conference, coming from all over North America and from many other places in the world as well.  The conference began on June 28 and winds up on July 2.

            I hadn't attended an event at McCormick Place for more than ten years, and had forgotten what a huge, sprawling, walk-requiring, escalator-taking place it is.  Good to be back home.

            Two events we missed.  On Saturday afternoon, bookmobiles from near and far paraded around downtown Chicago—something like a parade of tractors at an old tractor show I would guess.  And on July 1, I especially would have enjoyed seeing, and this is a direct quotation from the show’s daily newspaper of happenings, “10:00 a.m. -2 p.m. Authors will be rotating while reading poems of their choice.”  It would be a sight to see—poets turning in tight little circles while reading some of their favorite poems.  But why should I be surprised, poets have been long known for doing unusual things.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:   I should try doing a bit more rotating.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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.

 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.