When my dad
reached age 90, I asked him, “If you had to do it over again what you do
differently?”
Without
a moment’s hesitation he answered, “I’d have gone fishing more often.”
It’s
good advice. Steve, my brother Don, and
I went fishing last Friday afternoon.
The weather was cool, the breezes were slight, and it was an all-around
good day for fishing—but as my dad also often said, “Every day is a good day
for fishing.”
We
fished off the dam at the old Wild Rose Mill—doing it the lazy way as we sat on
folding chairs, and as the old timers of my generation would said, “Shot the
breeze” as we watched bobbers dance on slight ripple in the pond.
Donald
almost immediately caught an undersized small-mouth bass that put up a
considerable fight with its splashing and thrashing. He returned it to the water. Now I’m not one to give extra powers to such
creatures as fish, but I think this is what happened.
That
little small- mouth bass, with a sore mouth from the hook that had been
removed, quickly spread the word among the other bass, perch, bluegills, and the occasionally trout that
they should avoid what appeared to be a free lunch dangling over them and was
there for the taking.
The
message must have spread quickly, for the rest of the afternoon we got not one
more fish, indeed not one more bite.
THE OLD
TIMER SAYS: Don’t confuse fishing with catching fish. Fishing is always good; catching fish can be a
problem.
BOOK OF
THE WEEK: Want to learn more about one-room country schools that many of us
attended when we were kids? Check out my
daughter’s book, ONE ROOM SCHOOLS: STORIES FROM THE DAYS OF 1 ROOM, 1 TEACHER,
8 GRADES by Susan Apps-Bodilly. (Wisconsin Historical Society Press) Sue writes
about student experiences, the role of the teacher, and what life was like in
these little buildings sprinkled across Wisconsin, and in many parts of the
country.
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:
September
16, 11:00-11:45. Larry Meiller Show,
Wisconsin Public Radio. Wisconsin
agricultural history.
September
17, 11:-a.m. St. Luke’s Church, Middleton,
WI Limping Through Life
September
19, Stonefield Village, Cassville. Wisconsin agricultural history (11:30), Whispers
and Shadows (2:30)
September
23, 6:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Wisconsin Agriculture: A
History.
September
26, 10:30 -2:00, Dregne’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, 10-12:00 a,m. Heartland Forum,
Chicago.
October
11, 3:00 p.m. Old World Wisconsin-Wisconsin Ag. History
October
12, 6:00 p.m. Coloma Historical Society.
Limping Through Life
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
23, 10-11:00 a.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum (on the square). Whispers
and Shadows. Wisconsin Book Festival.
October
23, 3:30 p.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium (On UW Campus) Wisconsin
Agriculture: A History. Wisconsin Book
Festival.
October
25, 2:00 p.m. Schlitz Nature Center, Milwaukee with Boswell Books. Whispers and Shadows.
October
29, Brown County Library. Premier of TV
Documentary,” The Land With Jerry Apps. “ Book signing, Whispers and Shadows.
November
1, 2:00 p.m. Gard Theater, Spring Green. Ag History and Wisconsin Place Names
(a Robert Gard book).
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, 6:00 p.m. Wausau Public Library, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.
November
12, 7:00 p.m. Bellville High School Auditorium with Bellville Public
Library. Wisconsin Agriculture: A
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
17, 7:00 p.m. Hotel Red (1501 Monroe Street- corner of Regent and Monroe,
Madison.) “Wisconsin Agriculture: A
History, a discussion with Doug Moe. Sponsored by Mystery to me Bookstore. Book signing to follow.
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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