A stiff
east wind with a temperature in the high 30s greeted this year’s tree planters
at Roshara. Two teams braved the cold
and wind and the occasional spit of rain mixed with ice pellets—Steve and
Natasha, and Paul and Sue. I drove the
tractor with the plow, making furrows through the thick sod to make planting a
bit easier, but not more comfortable.
We had
but 300 little Norway Pines to plant, trees to replace those that died in the
drought from a few years ago. Those that
survived the dry weather are now four feet tall, some even taller. If the rains continue, these newly planted
ones will do well in the bottom of the furrow away from the competition of
grass.
The
cold wind seemed even colder as we worked on top of a sandy, gravely hill—but there
was no complaining as we all knew the weather forecast of heavy rains coming
for the afternoon. Planting trees in a
downpour of cold rain, although good for the trees, challenges even the most
committed tree planters. By noon 300
trees were in the ground, and an hour later the skies opened and the rain fell
in buckets—a perfect situation for newly planted trees.
The tree planters ate lunch around the old
wood burning cook stove in the cabin, watching the rain splash against the
cabin windows, and thankful for their good luck.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: One is never
too old to plant a tree.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 29, Noon Luncheon, Historical Society
Foundation. By invitation.
May 3, Wisconsin Dells. District Rotary meeting.
May 6, Noon. Retired UW-Madison Retirement
Association
May 10, Noon. Madison Area Polio Survivors. Monona Garden Family Restaurant
May 14, Young Writers Awards Meeting, UW-Madison.
May 17, Dregne’s Gift Shop, Westby. Book signing.
June 21, Writing Workshop, The Clearing, Door County
9-4.
Purchase
Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose,
Wisconsin (a fund raiser for them):
The library now has available both of Jerry’s DVDs, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps a Farm Story.
Also available are several of Jerry’s book including
The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm, which are related to the DVD Jerry Apps a Farm Story.
Contact the library for prices and special package
deals.
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