I sat on
the hill overlooking the prairie to west, watching the sun slip behind a bank
of dark clouds. The days are already
noticeable shorter as darkness slowly spreads.
It is a quiet evening—no bird sound, no coyotes yapping, no mourning
dove calling in the distance. No flutter
of pine needles from the nearby white pines.
Dry
weather at Roshara and rain is badly needed.
The lawn grass has quit growing; the neighbor’s cornfields are
suffering. The prairie grass and wildflowers
are on hold. All waiting for much needed
rain on this sandy land.
On
evenings like this, when I was a kid, I remember standing with my dad back of
the barn looking to the west, looking for a sign of rain. Pa was usually right with what he saw, “Nope,
no rain yet” or an optimistic, “Rain by tomorrow evening.”
He never
said what he saw, or felt, or heard. I’m
guessing it was a combination of cloud formation and wind direction—but it was
more, too. A feeling he had perhaps.
So on
this quiet evening I saw a bank of clouds.
But no lightning, no thunder.
Just clouds. I’d seen clouds like
this before, but by morning they had disappeared.
The
clouds were still there the following morning, and when I walked out to check
on my garden, I felt the first drops of rain. And while eating breakfast I
heard the low growl of thunder as the rain now fell steadily. It rained all morning, slow and easy. More
than an inch by noon. So much
needed. So much appreciated.
THE OLD
TIMER SAYS: Celebrate the rain.
BOOK OF THE WEEK:
I am recommending
the same book I suggested last week, as it seems appropriate for the topic.
WEATHER
WISDOM by Albert Lee. (Double Day and Company, 1976). Most of us remember, “Red sky in the morning,
sailors take warning,” and “Red sky at night, sailors delight.” Here is a book full of these weather sayings.
Such quaint ones as “When the ditch and pond affect the nose, then look out for
rain and storm blows.” Or, “Ants that
move their eggs and climb, rain is coming anytime.”
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 signed copies of
Jerry’s DVDs, Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter
with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps A Farm
Story.
Also available are several of Jerry’s signed books
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). Also
available is Jerry’s new novel, The Great
Sand Fracas of Ames County.
Contact the library for prices and special package
deals.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 12, 6:00 p.m., Westfield Library. Whispers and Shadows
August 26, 9:30 a.m. Farm Technology Days, Sun
Prairie. Farm Stories.
August 30, 1-4 p.m., Book World, West Bend. Book signing.
September 3, Noon.
Old World Wisconsin, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History (New book)
September 3, 7 p.m. Books and Company
bookstore, Oconomowoc, Whispers and Shadows.
September 12, West Madison Agriculture Research
Station, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.
Time to be announced.
September 17, 11:-a.m. St. Luke’s Church, Middleton, WI Stories
From the Land
September 19 , 12:30 and 2:30 Stonefield Village,
Cassville. Whispers and Shadows.
September 23, Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose.
Wisconsin Agriculture: A History
.
September 26, 10:30 -2:00, Dregni’s, Westby, Book
signing.
October 4, 1-3 p.m.
Readers Realm bookstore, Montello. Ag. History
October 7, 6:30 p.m. Reedsburg Library, Whispers and
Shadows
October 11, Old World Wisconsin
October 15, Prairie du Sac Library, Whispers and
Shadows
October 17, 9-4 Teaching writing workshop at The
Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI
October 17, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The Clearing. Book signing, Whispers and Shadows, Wisconsin
Agriculture: A History.
October 29, Brown County Library. Premier of TV Documentary,” The Land With
Jerry Apps. “ Book signing, Whispers and Shadows.
November 5, 7:00 p.m. Baraboo Library, Whispers and
Shadows.
November 7, Edgerton Book Festival, The Land (TV
documentary) and Whispers and Shadows
November 10, Wausau Public Library. Ag. History.
November 14, 9:30 -11:30 a.m. Sheboygan County
Historical Research Center. Wisconsin
Agriculture: A History.
November 15, 9:15 Midvale Lutheran Church, The Land
(TV documentary) plus discussion of
Whispers and Shadows
November 18, Preview of TV Documentary, “The Land with
Jerry Apps” Wild Rose High School Auditorium.
Whispers and Shadows book signing. (Time to be announced)
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