Jack-O'-Lanterns

 

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               Jerry Apps Photo

               Come Halloween each year, Pa would help my brothers and me pick out just the right pumpkins for Jack-O’-Lanterns from our pumpkin patch.   Not too big.  Not too small.  Just the right size so we would could get our hands inside to clean out the seeds and find a place to put a candle.  We’d cut a face in the pumpkin. Sometimes smiling, sometimes sad, sometimes scary.  When finished, for Halloween night we put our pumpkins on the back porch, light the candles and look at our work.  I doubt anyone else saw them as there was no such thing as kids going from house to house in search of some free candy.  Farms were a half mile and more about—too much walking.

               Remembering these early jack-O’-lanterns the other day, I wondered how did all of this begin? After some reading, I discovered that the name, Jack-0’-lantern, traces back to the 17^th century in Britain.   According to what I read, at the time if you didn’t know a man’s name, you called him Jack.  So, an unknown man carrying a lantern was sometimes referred to as “Jack with the lantern,” or “Jack of the lantern.”  That is apparently is the root of the name jack-O’-lantern.  Less clear is how the name became associated with a hollowed-out pumpkin.

               One theory suggests that a carved-out pumpkin with a candle inside was used as a prank to scare people at night.  Another theory suggested that a carved-out pumpkin with a scary face and a candle inside was a way of warding off evil spirits.  These traditions came along with the immigrants from Europe to this country.  Less clear is how the name Jack-O’-Lantern became a common name for these hollowed-out pumpkins.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is still some mystery surrounding the early beginnings of Jack-O’-Lanterns.      

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

It’s not too early for Christmas shopping.  Books make great gifts.  You can buy my books at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books. Order a book from them by calling 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.

Memories of the One-Room Country School

 

                              Chain O’ Lake School, 1956. Jerry Apps Photo

               The Chain O’ Lake one-room country school that I attended for eight years closed in 1955.  I have fond memories of that little school that provided me with an excellent education and much more. In July 1956.    I was in the audience when the  families  in the Chain O’ Lake school district gathered to hear a researcher from Madison  to explain that all the students in the district—all farm kids—would benefit when they attended the consolidated school in Wild Rose.  He was there to convince the group that voting to close the country school was the right thing to do.

               He explained how kids attending the larger, consolidated school had higher test scores in reading, writing and arithmetic compared to the country school kids. Someone in the audience should have told him that there was more to an education than test scores. His research didn’t turn up the fact that each of us, through eight years of Christmas programs, had learned how to stand up in front of an audience and say our piece.  His research didn’t show how upper grade students helped lower grade students with their lessons.  He didn’t mention how we, with different ethnic backgrounds and religions, had learned how to get along with each other.

`His research obviously didn’t look into such things as how the country school gave rural communities an identity, and how the school provided a social center for the community.

He also said something that I never forgot, “I’m sorry to have to tell you folks, but your kids who have attended a one-rom country school will likely grow up to be social misfits because they are so isolated from other people.”  He obviously didn’t check on these “social misfits” who grew up to be successful farmers, lawyers, professors, doctors and community leaders.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: The one-room country school gone but not forgotten

              

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

For more about one room country schools, look o my daughter, Susan Apps-Bodilly’s book, One Room Schools: Stories of 1 Room, 1 Teacher, 8 grades, and my book, One Room Country Schools: History and Recollections.  You can buy them at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones. Call them to order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.

Paul and the Climbing Beans

 

Jerry Apps Photo

I am still smarting from the bunny damage to the bean patch in our farm garden.  For more than 50 years of gardening, have I never seen such hungry bunnies.  They obviously preferred my green beans to several acres of prairie grass that they could have eaten, and have generally enjoyed over the years.

There is a bright spot in this story of bunny destruction, least you believe Ruth and I have gone the summer without our favorite, fresh green beans from the garden.   The answer: my little four by eight kitchen garden that grows just a few feet from the garage door.  My son-in-law, Paul, has been largely responsible for building this little garden, which, by the way, is enclosed with a bunny-proof fence.

Back in May, I planted five pole bean seeds.  Along with a few climbing cucumbers, some lettuce and three tomato plants.  In a few days the bean plants poked out of the ground, and soon began climbing.  In just a few weeks they had grown to the top of the bunny fence and were sending their tendrils in the air, searching for more climbing space.  Paul to the rescue.  He added a few more feet to the top of the fence, and the beans kept climbing.

And then the green beans began appearing, not one or two, but handfuls of them every week.  And tasty, right up there with the bush beans from the farm that we didn’t have this year. The beans continued to climb all through August, right through September, and on into October.  Now in mid-October, I picked a small bucket full of them, enough for Ruth to make a bean casserole. As long as frost holds off, we’ll continue to have beans.  One of the bright spots in our garden season.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: What a surprise. So many beans from so few plants.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

My newest novel for young adults, The Wild Oak.  You can buy it at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones. Call them to order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.

 

 

Scarecrows and Autumn

 

Jerry Apps Photo

    My wife, Ruth, is a great fan of decorative scarecrows.  She stores them in our basement and when September rolls around each year, the scarecrows once more appear.   I see them everywhere.  They range in height from maybe six inches to some that that are about two feet tall.  They sit on chairs in the living room.  A couple guard the bookshelf.  Several are found nestled in the family room plants, peaking around the corner of the leaves.  One sits in the center of the dining room table.  They are all smiling—a cheerful bunch they are.  Helping us celebrate the coming of autumn.

     Always curious, I wondered how long scarecrows have been around.  To my surprise, the Egyptians are credited with using scarecrows to scare away the birds from their wheat fields along the Nile River 3,000 years ago.  Some 2,500 years ago, the Greeks were using scarecrows to scare the birds away from their vineyards.  About that same time, Japanese farmers were using scarecrows to protect their rice fields.  In Germany, farmers created scarecrows to resemble witches, made out of sacks stuffed with straw and heads made from painted gourds.  In this country, scarecrows were often used to frighten birds away from home gardens There is no evidence to suggest how many birds, especially crows, were scared away with their presence.

      Today, scarecrows are mostly used as decorations in the fall.  Some are supposedly

men, some women, some children, but each one makes me smile when I look at it.  When I’m eating breakfast each morning, I look around and several of them are watching me, cheering me on as I face a  new day.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: On a dreary fall day, scarecrows can make us smile.

 

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

My newest novel is Settlers Valley.  You can buy it at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones. Call them to order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.

 

 

Woodbine Announces Coming of Fall

 

               Photo by Steve Apps

 Walking near my pond in summer, I see various vines crawling up the trunks of the many trees that grow there.  Wild grape vines are the most prominent.  They are everywhere, sometimes growing to the very tops of trees.  I often overlook another vine that competes with the grapes.  I seldom notice it until mid-September.  It’s called woodbine, and it is the first to announce the coming of fall as it turns a brilliant red.

Woodbine should not be confused with poison ivy.  Poison ivy has three leaflets in a cluster. Woodbine has five.  Woodbine is a native plant found across North America and southern Canada. It is not found in southeastern United States.  Woodbine is widely distributed in Wisconsin, preferring wet soil, but it can also be found along fence rows, and even sometimes found in old farm fields with heavier soils.  Woodbine will tolerate shady places, but for it to develop its brilliant fall color, the vine needs full sun. The color of woodbine, in fall, goes from shiny green to yellow, orange and then brilliant red.

 Historically, woodbine leaves have been used to treat skin sores, cuts, and itching.  Some people have also used the leaves to treat fever and kidney disease.  One source of information stated “Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness” of woodbine for these maladies.  I take from this—best to enjoy what the woodbine does well—announce the coming of fall with its brilliant display of red leaves.

 As the beauty of fall spreads across Wisconsin from north to south, as the maples turn red and yellow, and later come the browns and tans of the oaks, we remember that it was the woodbine that was in the lead for this colorful annual display of nature's beauty.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  The woodbine reminds us that fall is here.

 

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

My newest novel is Settlers Valley.  You can buy it at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones, or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.