Winter Arrives

                In the morning, the land was a collage of browns, tans, and grays—the last remnants of fall that had most of the color drained from it as the countryside quietly waited for the return of winter.  The sky was heavily overcast, the wind was down—and the feeling was that something was going to happen, something important.

                At noon it began, a few tiny flakes of snow, light and fluffy but persistent.  And then more and still more as the snow accumulated, stuck to the roads and walkways, and turned boring browns and tans to a wonder world of white. 

                On the farm, winter does not arrive according to the calendar.  It arrives with the first serious snowfall.  So winter is now officially here, with all of its beauty and challenges, its inconveniences and its joys.

                “A Farm Winter” the hour-documentary that public TV did with me (based on my new book THE QUIET SEASON) couldn't have been aired at a more appropriate time as the snow fell over much of Wisconsin.  A big thank you to all who viewed the show and told me they appreciated it.  If you've not yet seen the program, you can watch it online by going to http://video.wpt.org/video/2365119687/

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Better to watch the weather than the calendar for the changing seasons.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

December 14, Fireside Books, West Bend, 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.  Presentation and book signing.

January 8, Downtown Madison Rotary, Noon.  Limping Through Life.

January 15-16.  La Crosse Farm Show, Convention Center. Winter on the Farm.  Speaking each day at 11:00 and 1:00.