A Walk in the Rain

I walked in the rain yesterday, the quarter mile down the hill from my cabin to the pond, just before dark.  I wore my knee high rubber boots, a decent rain coat, and my old Filson hat.  Soon water dripped from it, and the sound of the rain drops on that old hat reminded me of the many nights I spent in a tent, with raindrops drumming on the canvas.

As I walked through the falling rain I spotted woodbine, a brilliant red vine that had crawled all the way to the top of several trees along the wet trail, a reminder of the many fall colors to come.

When I arrived at the little field just west of the pond, I spotted a flock of turkeys, a half-dozen or so.   Mama turkey and this year’s brood ran like racehorses through the wet grass when they spotted me, into the dense brush near the pond, and disappeared, one by one.

A few of the aspen leaves showed yellow, and a scattering fluttered to the ground around me, dislodged by the rain.  They added to the smells of fall that I so much enjoy.

Arriving at the pond, I watched the raindrops on the pond’s surface, each one made a subtle little tinkling sound, and each one created a little circle that widened and then disappeared.  One circle after the other, appearing and disappearing; nature’s magical artistry.

And through the mists I spotted a maple tree on the far side of the pond, in full fall splendor—a brilliant red among mostly green leaves.  Turning red early this maple, avoiding the competition from all the other maples in my woodlot that will soon follow with brilliant yellows and reds. Showing off.

A glorious walk in the rain, when the landscape offered a special set of sights, sounds, and smells.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Take a walk in the rain; you won’t melt

UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 1, 6:00 p.m. UW Memorial Library, Room 460, Wis Public TV “A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps.” Book signing, A Quiet Season. Free and open to the public. Parking in Lake St. Ramp.

October 4-5, Heartland Fall Forum (Book Festival), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Chicago. O’Hare.

October 13, 1-4 P.M. August Derleth Celebration, Circus World Museum, Baraboo.

October 17, 5:30, Park Falls Library, Park Falls.

October 20, Noon. Rib River Ballroom, Marathon City. German-American Group. Limping Through Life.

October 22, 3:00 p.m. Brillion Library. Limping Through Life

October 23, 2:45-3:30, Wisconsin Library Association, Green Bay. Letters from Hillside Farm

October 26, 10:00-2:00 Grafton Book Festival, Liberty Memorial Library, Grafton.

November 2, 9:00-4:00 The Clearing, Door County. Writing From Your Life Workshop

November 6, 3:30 UW PLATO group, Oakwood West, Madison.  Quiet Season.

November 7, 7:00 p.m. Baraboo Public Library. Ringlingville U.S.A.

November 9, 9:30, Sheboygan County Research Center, Plymouth, Limping Through Life.

November 10: 2:00 p.m. Books and Company bookstore, Oconomowoc, The Quiet Season.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “A FARM STORY WITH JERRY APPS” 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.