Windy Day in Fall

The wind came up in the night. Strong. Cold. The dead leaves of autumn fly ahead of it. The bare branches of the willows and the maples and the aspens protest it. The temperature drops all day, pushing toward the single digits.

I walk in the wind, smelling fall, but tasting winter as well. And I'm reminded of the old Irish blessing: "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be ever at your back."

The Old Timer Says: "There is no need to fear the wind if your haystack is tied down."


Don't forget the Pickle Party December 1, 1:00 pm at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, WI. I'll be sharing some pickle stories.

Home Made Pumpkin Pie

We grow pumpkins in the farm garden, enough so the grandkids have jack-O-lanterns and we have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Real pumpkin pie.

Here's the recipe Ruth uses:
2 eggs--beaten
Add the following ingredients to the beaten eggs, combine:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon

Now add and blend thoroughly:
2 cups pumpkin pulp
1 cup milk

Put mixture into a single pie crust.

Bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes
Then 350 degrees until done (about 30-40 minutes)

The pie is done when the top surface is set and not sticky.

Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Old Timer Says: "You don't learn patience by hurrying."

When Better Trumps Bigger

"Bigger is Better." It's a cliche. We've heard it for years. Bigger this, that and the other thing--and if it's bigger it's got to be better.

Not always so. Especially not with cucumbers. It's the little ones, the number ones, the gherkins that bring the most money to the grower. The big ones, those honkers that remind you of a green football turning yellow, well, we sometimes left them in the field. Didn't even haul them to the pickle station because nobody wanted a big, old yellow cucumber.

Learn more about these important matters at the big Pickle Party at the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, WI, December 1, starting around 1:00 p.m. That's a Saturday.

The Old Timer says: "If bigger is better, why is a dime worth more than a nickel?"

Gherkins and Such

What's a gherkin? You don't know? If you grew up picking cucumbers you remember people talking about gherkins--they are the little ones. The number "ones" that fall through the pickle sorter first and command the highest price.

One reference I checked said the word, "gherkin" originated with the Persians, and eventually came to us from the Dutch. It literally means "a small cucumber."

Oh, bet you didn't know that Thomas Jefferson favored pickled gherkins, and they became a popular product in France as early as the 1820s.

Learn more about gherkins and other important cucumber information at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose,Saturday December 1, 1:00 p.m. Come early and look at the pickle exhibits.

And learn about my new book IN A PICKLE: A FAMILY FARM STORY.

The Old Timer says: A pocketful of common sense is worth a wagon-load of learning.

Pickle Party at Wild Rose

Mark your calendar! We are having a big pickle party at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.

We'll talk about pickle days in Wild Rose's history, the pickle stations that operated there, and reminisce about the little "pickle patches" found on about every farm at one time.

And I'll read a little from IN A PICKLE:A FAMILY FARM STORY. Here's a chance to learn the story behind the story--who was Andy Meyer? And that preacher, was there a preacher like that in Wild Rose in the mid-1950s.

It's a fund raiser for the library; I'll be signing books with proceeds going to the Patterson Memorial Library.

The Old Timer says: "There are no shortcuts to important places."

Falling Leaves

A brisk northwest wind comes up in the night and the colorful leaves of autumn tumble to the ground. A new season has arrived, with no turning back, with nothing but memories remaining. Like so much of life itself, as each of us turns a new page and looks ahead with anticipation of what is next.

The Old Timer says: "As in cards, we must play the hand dealt us in life. Winning isn't as important as playing a poor hand well."

For those interested in my "Writing From Your Life" writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County, the 2008 dates are: August 3-9.

Wood Stove Chili

Ruth cooked up a pot of chili on our wood burning cook stove on Saturday. Took me right back to my growing up years on the farm when Ma cooked everything on such a stove. Something about the smell of chili simmering mixing in with the hint of wood smoke that makes the experience special.

Ruth used my mother's recipe, which is found in my LIVING A COUNTRY YEAR book.

Here's the recipe:

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion
1 cup macaroni
1 quart V-8 vegetable juice
1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (could use more)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain excess fat.
Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water for about 8 minutes.
Drain. Place V-8 juice in large kettle.
Add beans, meat, onion, and cooked macaroni.
Stir in spices and sugar and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add a little water if too thick.
Serves four people.

Goes especially well with a thick slice of home-made bread, buttered.



The Old Timer says: "Whether climbing up a ladder or coming down, it is equally frightening."

Making Wood

Steve and I spent two days last week "making wood" at the farm. We heat our cabin with two wood stoves, including a wood-burning cook stove we use for some of our cooking when we are there. Nothing beats bacon and eggs sizzling in a cast iron skillet heated by a wood stove.

I mentioned our "making wood" project to someone the other day who promptly corrected me. She said, "Trees make wood; people chop wood." I didn't argue with her. Never thought of it before, but"making wood" is likely country talk in the same category as "making hay."

The old timer says: "Those who heat with wood stoves are twice warmed."

Wisconsin Book Festival-2007

Sat in on Michael Perry's delightful performance at Border's Madison West last Thursday evening (Oct. 11) as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival. And what a crowd turned out. Learn more about Mike's work by going to www.sneezingcow.com. He's a "comer" in the writing business, no doubt about it.

I read a little from my novel, IN A PICKLE, at a Book Festival offering called "Renewing the Countryside and Celebrating Wisconsin" at Madison's main library on Saturday afternoon.

I shared the podium with Jan Joannides from Minneapolis, who, along with Jerry Hembd and Jody Padgham edited an informative and beautifully illustrated book, RENEWING THE COUNTRYSIDE OF WISCONSIN. The book is available from The University of Wisconsin Press.

Michelle Miller from the University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems moderated the program. Check out the group, they are doing interesting work. www.cias.wisc.edu.

Following our presentations, we had an interesting discussion with many questions from the substantial audience.

Interest in rural life and examining ways of preserving it appears on the increase.


The Old Timer Says: "Do nothing in haste, except running away from an angry dog."

Old and New

Too often these days, in our haste to embrace what is new, whether it be a new building, a new piece of technology, or a new approach to doing things, we fail to recall what of the old should be retained--an old building refurbished, an old idea revisited, a long standing set of values maintained.

When decisions are made about change, in my humble judgment, we should slow down and ask: What of the old is worth keeping, what of the new should be rejected?


The Old Timer says: "The land not only nourishes our bodies, but feeds our souls."

Any and all comments welcome.

Disappearing Family Farms

IN A PICKLE presentations and book signings going well. This week at Cobb, WI and New Berlin, WI public libraries.

Questions about the family farm, what it was like, what it meant to rural America. Discussion moved around to what of the old is worthy of keeping and what of the new should be avoided.

What beliefs and values emerged from these small family farms that we ought to hold onto today, as change engulfs society? Preserving the land. Pride in workmanship. Love for family. Maintaining neighborhoods. Understanding the importance of community.

The Old Timer says: "Hard to know where you're headed unless you know where you've been."

Upcoming Events:

Midwest Booksellers Association, Oct 6, Minneapolis Convention Center.

Westfield, WI Historical Society, Oct 8, 6:30 p.m.

Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Bayshore (Milwaukee), Oct 9, 7:00 p.m.

Sheboygan Falls Public Library, Oct 13, 9:30 a.m.

Wisconsin Book Festival, Madison Public Library, Oct 13, 2:00 p.m.

Garden Season Over

I put my vegetable garden to bed for the winter. This meant I dug the potatoes (good crop this year), forked out the rutabagas, rounded up the scattered gourds, chopped the dried sweet corn stalks, cut the remaining heads of red cabbage (it had done well this year), pulled the tomato vines and took down my deer fence. Then I hooked my tractor to the disc and turned over the soil. Finally, I planted the entire garden to winter wheat, which I will plow down next spring.

I have followed this same ritual for many years. Putting the garden to bed is in the same category as geese flying south for the winter, and sandhill cranes migrating--a sign of the winter to come.

The Old Timer says: "Some of us have a terrible time stepping out from behind ourselves."

Officially launch of IN A PICKLE: A FAMILY FARM STORY last week. More than a hundred people turned out at Barnes & Noble West in Madison. Watch for upcoming IN A PICKLE events.

Potato Picking

It's time to dig my potatoes--the four long rows I have in my garden. I remember when I was a kid we had 20 acres of spuds on the home farm. Pa dug them with a six-tine fork and my brothers, Don and Darrel and I picked them by hand. It would take us most of two weeks to do the task.

In those days, our country school in Waushara County Wisconsin had a two-week "potato vacation" so all the kids could pick potatoes. Some vacation.


The Old Timer says: "When the horse dies, it's time to climb off."

Coming events:

Cobb Public Library, Oct 2, 6:00 p.m.
New Berlin Public Library, Oct 3, 6:30
Midwest Booksellers , Minneapolis, Oct. 6
Westfield Historical Society, Oct. 8, 6:30
Barnes and Noble, Bayshore (Milwaukee) Oct. 9, 6:30

Slowing Down

Fall is creeping up, and what a beautiful time it is. The trees are beginning to turn color--the maples are some of the first to showoff. The woodbine is a brilliant red--it's an all but invisible vine that crawls up trees in summer, and in fall shouts its presence. The pungent, earthy smells of fall surround us we walk in the woods. And soon, very soon, we'll hear the call of wild geese winging high overhead, on their way south for the winter.

Remember, the songbirds are beginning to migrate. Keep your bird feeder filled.

It's a time to slow down and listen, look, smell, feel, and taste too, as you sink your teeth into a a freshly picked apple.

The Old Timer says: "Take time to: watch the sunset, find humor when nothing seems funny, do something extra for the special person in your life, walk in the rain, and occasionally do nothing--and enjoy it."

Reminder: The launch for my new novel, IN A PICKLE, is Thursday Sept. 27, 7:00 p.m. at Barnes and Noble West in Madison. We're planning a pickle counting contest, pickle pins for all, pickle snacks--and a reading.

Telling Our Stories

We each have a story to tell. And the obligation to tell it. If we don't tell our stories, no one else will. It's never too late to start. Write about your growing-up years. About your school memories, first job, first love, and people who made a difference in your life. Tell about where you lived when you were ten years old, your special toy (mine was a home-made Teddy bear), your favorite aunt (assuming you had one).

If writing is not your thing, tape record your stories. Give the stories to your children and grandchildren for Christmas presents. They will be forever grateful to you.

The Old Timer Says: "Hey, sit down and rest for a minute, I've got a story to tell you."

Cool, Clear Days of Early Fall

Those wonderful cool, clear days of fall have returned. It's time to look for the sweaters and jackets, harvest the squash and dig the potatoes.

The cucumbers having given up for the year, as have the green beans, and zucchini--yes even the over productive zucchini are calling it quits for another season.


The Old Timer says: "Doin' something that is especially hard gets a lot harder if you do too much thinkin' about it."

Boundary Waters Canoe Area

My son, Steve and I just returned from a week in Northern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Wilderness camping, paddling, fishing--and doing a little writing with loon music in the background. And lots of reading, too.

Survived a 4-5 inch rain with loud thunder and lightning. Never quite so close to nature than sleeping in a tent with rain beating on the canvas.


The Old Timer says:

"Slow down on dark, rainy days. Dawdle over a second cup of coffee. Read parts of the newspaper you usually skip. Listen to classical music on the public radio station. A rainy morning is nature's way of interrupting the headlong rush that seems to be the fate for most of us."

In a Pickle Appearances

Scratch down the following dates on your calendar, if you would like to hear me (I hope you would) talk about, cucumber growing, small family farms, and my new book, IN A PICKLE: A FAMILY FARM STORY.

September 13: Apple Blossom Books, Oshkosh. 11:30-2:00 p.m.

September 27: Barnes and Noble West, Madison. 7:00 p.m.

I'll share more dates and places as they come a bit closer.

The Old Timer says: "Watch out for them fellas that use a lot of big words. Like as not if they knew what they were talkin' about, they wouldn't do that."

Remembering the Pickle Patch

Back when I was a kid on a farm near Wild Rose, Wisconsin, by now in the season our pickle patch was beginning to look a little ragged from the twice a week pickings since July. By Labor Day the pickle picking season was about over. If the season had been good, my brothers Donald and Darrel and I had new bib overalls and new shoes for school, and maybe even a new Daisy BB gun or a shiny new hunting knife we'd eyed in the Sears Catalog for weeks.


The Old Timers says:

"Knew this blind fellow once. He could see more than most of us."

In a Pickle on WI Public Radio

Tune in Wisconsin Public Radio on 11:45 Thursday, August 30 when host Larry Meiller and I will discuss my new novel, IN A PICKLE. Be prepared to call in and share your pickle picking stories.


Thoughts from the Old Timer:

"Patience is something you just can't have too much of. Most things don't happen near as fast as we'd like them to."