A reviewer for my new novel, Blue Shadows Farm, wrote, “When a family lives on a place for a hundred years that place becomes a part of the family.” How true it is. Place becomes integral to the people who live there, it provides security, offers peace and contentment—place becomes home.
For several decades the citizens of the U.S. were viewed as a nomadic people. This is not as true anymore. An October19th NEWSWEEK article titled “There’s no place like home” makes the point. Less people are moving these days. More are staying put, living out their lives in their home communities.
The article points out that retired people are choosing to stay close to family, churches, friends and familiar surroundings rather than pack up and move to the sunbelt. And those in the corporate world often chose family over another move up the corporate ladder, which usually requires changing locations. For an increasing number of workers, family nearby is more important than a promotion. Of course technology and the ability to work at home have made it easier for some people to keep their jobs and not move.
Is this a new trend? Staying at home? Developing a love for place?
Place has always been important in my family. The longer we’ve lived at a place and the more we know about its history and stories, the more likely we are to appreciate and take care of it. It seems many others are thinking the same way.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Be careful of the past, it always looks better than it was.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Featuring Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
December 12, 10 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Fireside Books, West Bend, WI. Book signing. Presentation at 10:30 a.m. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Story Writing Workshop
They came from Rice Lake and West Bend, from Prairie du Sac and Green Bay, from Westby and Bailey’s Harbor, from Baraboo and McFarland, from Sturgeon Bay and Niles, Illinois. They traveled to The Clearing in Door County, to a place where nature was showing off its autumn finery—crimson red maples, strikingly yellow birches, and a sky bluer than the waters of Green Bay. Seventeen people.
They attended a Saturday workshop to write their stories, to scribble down their memories to be shared with loved ones, with children and grandchildren, with spouses, siblings and cousins, with those interested in another view of history, a personal view.
They wrote their stories, as many as one could in the few available hours, and they shared them with each other. At times laughter filled the room. And then quiet, as sad stories were shared, heart wrenching stories of an earlier day, but still vivid in memories.
Their common bond: the importance of the story. A way to share what being human means. A way to have fun, a way to pass on history, a way to tie generations together. A way to remember that through story we remember who we are.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Each of us has a responsibility to share a bit of our life story with those who follow.
MAJOR EVENTS TO NOTE:
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
NEW REVIEW FOR BLUE SHADOWS FARM:
An intriguing and entertaining tale, October 15, 2009
By: Midwest Book Review
When a family stays in one place for a century, that place becomes a member of the family. "Blue Shadows Farm" is a novel taking place over a century as three generations of Starkweathers care for a farm and face their own challenges. A small area in Wisconsin, Silas comes to found the farm in the mid nineteenth century. His son Abe finds himself bootlegging to keep the bills paid during prohibition, and Abe's daughter is challenged with its sale. Bouncing between the perspectives of the three protagonists, "Blue Shadows Farm" paints a vivid picture of the history of rural America, making for one intriguing and entertaining tale.
ADDITIONAL COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Featuring Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
They attended a Saturday workshop to write their stories, to scribble down their memories to be shared with loved ones, with children and grandchildren, with spouses, siblings and cousins, with those interested in another view of history, a personal view.
They wrote their stories, as many as one could in the few available hours, and they shared them with each other. At times laughter filled the room. And then quiet, as sad stories were shared, heart wrenching stories of an earlier day, but still vivid in memories.
Their common bond: the importance of the story. A way to share what being human means. A way to have fun, a way to pass on history, a way to tie generations together. A way to remember that through story we remember who we are.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Each of us has a responsibility to share a bit of our life story with those who follow.
MAJOR EVENTS TO NOTE:
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
NEW REVIEW FOR BLUE SHADOWS FARM:
An intriguing and entertaining tale, October 15, 2009
By: Midwest Book Review
When a family stays in one place for a century, that place becomes a member of the family. "Blue Shadows Farm" is a novel taking place over a century as three generations of Starkweathers care for a farm and face their own challenges. A small area in Wisconsin, Silas comes to found the farm in the mid nineteenth century. His son Abe finds himself bootlegging to keep the bills paid during prohibition, and Abe's daughter is challenged with its sale. Bouncing between the perspectives of the three protagonists, "Blue Shadows Farm" paints a vivid picture of the history of rural America, making for one intriguing and entertaining tale.
ADDITIONAL COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Featuring Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Killing Frost
The hand of winter came down from the north and snuffed the life out of all susceptible plants this past week. The first killing frost arrived in southern Wisconsin. And right on time, too. In southern Wisconsin, over the past years, the first killing frost is expected during the week of October 4-10. It’s a two to three weeks earlier in the north and central parts of the state.
The first killing frost marks the end of the growing seasons, a true marker for the beginning of fall. For those of us who grow things, it is a time to reflect on the harvest, to think about what crops did well and which didn’t. And to make a note or two about what we should do differently next year—which vegetable varieties to avoid, what new arrangement of crops in the garden should we consider, and which problems we faced that we can solve better next year (the invasion of bunnies in the bean patch).
Fall is a time for celebration. Even the trees in my woodlot are celebrating with color everywhere—greens, deep reds, yellows, browns, and tans.
And fall is a time for slowing down.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Take time to dream. Dream about what might be, what will never be, and what shouldn’t be. Too much doing with too little dreaming leads to boredom.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website, www.jerryapps.com, for further information.
In Blue Shadows Farm, “You learn about threshing before combines dominated the activity. You learn about small town life from 1860-2000—the taverns, the churches, the mercantile, the dance pavilion, the gossips, the hired man, the intrusion of folks from the Big City who try to impose their wishes on the localities that time forgot—the Big Cities too often win.” Dave Woods. Review in the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Red Wing, Minnesota.
Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
The first killing frost marks the end of the growing seasons, a true marker for the beginning of fall. For those of us who grow things, it is a time to reflect on the harvest, to think about what crops did well and which didn’t. And to make a note or two about what we should do differently next year—which vegetable varieties to avoid, what new arrangement of crops in the garden should we consider, and which problems we faced that we can solve better next year (the invasion of bunnies in the bean patch).
Fall is a time for celebration. Even the trees in my woodlot are celebrating with color everywhere—greens, deep reds, yellows, browns, and tans.
And fall is a time for slowing down.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Take time to dream. Dream about what might be, what will never be, and what shouldn’t be. Too much doing with too little dreaming leads to boredom.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website, www.jerryapps.com, for further information.
In Blue Shadows Farm, “You learn about threshing before combines dominated the activity. You learn about small town life from 1860-2000—the taverns, the churches, the mercantile, the dance pavilion, the gossips, the hired man, the intrusion of folks from the Big City who try to impose their wishes on the localities that time forgot—the Big Cities too often win.” Dave Woods. Review in the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Red Wing, Minnesota.
Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Story-Telling
We all have stories to tell. Of our childhood years, first jobs, military service, life changing events and never told secrets. But often we don’t take time to record them, to share them with our children and grandchildren, to recall for ourselves what we have done and what we have left undone.
A few years ago I attended a workshop in New York City and had an opportunity to speak to United Nations delegates about the importance of stories in the lives of people.When I finished, several African delegates spoke to me. One woman said, “We know the importance of stories in our culture and in our country.”
I replied that I was well aware of that, for I had long known about countries where story-telling is embedded in their culture. But then she said something I’ve never forgotten. With a quiet voice she said, “In your country, you have allowed others to tell your stories for you.” She was referring to movies and television.
No one can tell your story for you. You must do it yourself, and it’s important that you do. So take a few minutes now and again, and write down some of your memories. Get down your stories for your own sake and for the sake of those who follow you.
On Tuesday, October 6, 11:00 a.m. I will be discussing story-telling on Wisconsin Public Radio—the Larry Meiller show.
On Saturday, October 17, (9-4:00) I am teaching a one-day workshop on story-writing at The Clearing in Door County. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When we forget our stories, we forget who we are.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
A few years ago I attended a workshop in New York City and had an opportunity to speak to United Nations delegates about the importance of stories in the lives of people.When I finished, several African delegates spoke to me. One woman said, “We know the importance of stories in our culture and in our country.”
I replied that I was well aware of that, for I had long known about countries where story-telling is embedded in their culture. But then she said something I’ve never forgotten. With a quiet voice she said, “In your country, you have allowed others to tell your stories for you.” She was referring to movies and television.
No one can tell your story for you. You must do it yourself, and it’s important that you do. So take a few minutes now and again, and write down some of your memories. Get down your stories for your own sake and for the sake of those who follow you.
On Tuesday, October 6, 11:00 a.m. I will be discussing story-telling on Wisconsin Public Radio—the Larry Meiller show.
On Saturday, October 17, (9-4:00) I am teaching a one-day workshop on story-writing at The Clearing in Door County. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When we forget our stories, we forget who we are.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
November 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls Library. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Garden Harvest
I put my garden to bed for the winter this past week. I dug the potatoes, carrots, beets, onions and rutabagas. I gathered up the remaining pumpkins and squash. I picked the ornamental corn and cut the tops from the broom corn and the sorghum. I cut a plump head of red cabbage, picked several zucchini and a couple stalks of Brussels sprouts. I picked another half bushel of tomatoes, the last of a slow tomato season. And finally, I harvested my several rows of navy beans. In spite of the bunny problems in early season, the beans did well.
As I do every fall, I thought about my garden successes and failures. A good pumpkin year, an average potato crop, a poor crop of squash, an excellent sweet corn harvest, an average pea harvest, a good zucchini crop and outstanding carrots. But alas, the beets and the rutabagas were near crop failures.
Gardening is a lot like life, each year is filled with surprises, some successes, some failures but always different. What will next year bring? In a few months I’ll be making plans.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: In any journey, it’s important to stop from time to time and be thankful for the distance you’ve covered.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
As I do every fall, I thought about my garden successes and failures. A good pumpkin year, an average potato crop, a poor crop of squash, an excellent sweet corn harvest, an average pea harvest, a good zucchini crop and outstanding carrots. But alas, the beets and the rutabagas were near crop failures.
Gardening is a lot like life, each year is filled with surprises, some successes, some failures but always different. What will next year bring? In a few months I’ll be making plans.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: In any journey, it’s important to stop from time to time and be thankful for the distance you’ve covered.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Pumpkins Big and Little
This was the year of the pumpkin in my garden. Big ones and little ones, both kinds perfectly formed. The little ones not much larger than a chicken egg. The big ones—well two of them made a wheelbarrow load.
The two varieties grew in the same row; the big ones didn’t bother the little ones or try to do them in. The little ones didn’t seem to mind that they were little. Big and little growing side by side, each doing the best it could. And each succeeding. A lesson here for the rest of us?
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Bigger is not better. Nor is little better. There should be room for us all.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
Reviewer Christine Eirschele wrote: “A thread of determination is spun throughout the story of Blue Shadow Farms. While this tale begins with Silas, it is the women that emerge as the toughest characters, beginning with Sophia Reinert and ending with Emma Starkweather. It is not until 2000, when Emma uses Silas’s plan to ensure the survival of the farm, continuing the real importance Silas learned so long ago, saving the land.” See entire review at Suite 101.com.
COMING EVENTS:
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Ames County Novels presentation
Sept. 24-25, Midwest Book Sellers Convention, St. Paul, MN.
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
The two varieties grew in the same row; the big ones didn’t bother the little ones or try to do them in. The little ones didn’t seem to mind that they were little. Big and little growing side by side, each doing the best it could. And each succeeding. A lesson here for the rest of us?
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Bigger is not better. Nor is little better. There should be room for us all.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
Reviewer Christine Eirschele wrote: “A thread of determination is spun throughout the story of Blue Shadow Farms. While this tale begins with Silas, it is the women that emerge as the toughest characters, beginning with Sophia Reinert and ending with Emma Starkweather. It is not until 2000, when Emma uses Silas’s plan to ensure the survival of the farm, continuing the real importance Silas learned so long ago, saving the land.” See entire review at Suite 101.com.
COMING EVENTS:
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Ames County Novels presentation
Sept. 24-25, Midwest Book Sellers Convention, St. Paul, MN.
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Grape Jelly
I have a grape arbor in my front yard. More truthfully, I have one lone Concord grape vine that tangles around my split rail fence out by the sidewalk. Except for some heavy pruning in early spring, which means I cut it back so there is only a couple feet of vine remaining, I do nothing with it. Absolutely nothing. No watering, no fertilizing, no spraying. I just watch it grow, and it grows and grows and seems to grow more each year. It’s probably 20 years old now, no longer a teenager and coming into its own.
This week I picked about a half bushel of beautiful deep purple, plump grapes, many with just a blush of gray on them to set off the purple.
And Ruth made jelly, and more jelly, and still more jelly—six batches in all for a total of 42 jars of tasty, downright pretty jelly. Christmas presents, birthday presents—get on Ruth’s good side and she might give you a jar. But then again, she may not. Much of it is already spoken for. Sue, Paul and the boys want some. Steve and Natasha already have their order in. Jeff, Sandy and their family claim nothing is better on toast.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is something about the taste of what’s made in your own kitchen that surpasses anything you buy in a store, no matter how fancy the store, or how plain your kitchen.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
DESCRIPTION: Follow the Starkweather family through three generations as they try to make a living on a farm near Link Lake, Ames County, Wisconsin. Through the story of the Starkweather family’s changing fortunes, and each family’s very different relationship to the land, BLUE SHADOWS FARM is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land.
SCHEDULE OF APPEARANCES:
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm
Sept. 19, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Morgan Horse Field Day, Schuster Farm, Deerfield, WI. (Book signing and Presentation on history of farming with horses)
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Ames County Novels presentation
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
This week I picked about a half bushel of beautiful deep purple, plump grapes, many with just a blush of gray on them to set off the purple.
And Ruth made jelly, and more jelly, and still more jelly—six batches in all for a total of 42 jars of tasty, downright pretty jelly. Christmas presents, birthday presents—get on Ruth’s good side and she might give you a jar. But then again, she may not. Much of it is already spoken for. Sue, Paul and the boys want some. Steve and Natasha already have their order in. Jeff, Sandy and their family claim nothing is better on toast.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is something about the taste of what’s made in your own kitchen that surpasses anything you buy in a store, no matter how fancy the store, or how plain your kitchen.
NEW NOVEL, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, NOW AVAILABLE: Check my website for further information. Check my schedule below for book signings and presentations.
DESCRIPTION: Follow the Starkweather family through three generations as they try to make a living on a farm near Link Lake, Ames County, Wisconsin. Through the story of the Starkweather family’s changing fortunes, and each family’s very different relationship to the land, BLUE SHADOWS FARM is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land.
SCHEDULE OF APPEARANCES:
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm
Sept. 19, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Morgan Horse Field Day, Schuster Farm, Deerfield, WI. (Book signing and Presentation on history of farming with horses)
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Ames County Novels presentation
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participants. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Nov 6-8: National Farm Toy Show, Dyersville, Iowa. Book signing: Blue Shadows Farm and other titles
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Boundary Waters
This past week Steve and I canoed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area located within the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. At one point we were less than a mile from Canada. It is a land of birch trees and stately white pines, of balsam fir and white cedar. It is the land of moose and wolves, black bear and beaver, bald eagles and white-tailed deer—and pesky red squirrels that wait for campers’ handouts.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is more than one-million acres of lakes, portages, wild animals and birds, rocks, hills, dense forest—and quiet. Oh, how quiet with no background noise of traffic. No cell phone service, no internet, no radio, no TV.
It is the land of loons, those beautiful big black and white water birds whose calls mystify and delight. A loon swam but a few yards off the portage from Hungry Jack Lake to Bearskin Lake when we put in our canoe. It looked us over, checked us out, and then called lustily to its mate somewhere off in the distance. The return call echoed across the still waters of Bearskin Lake. The call of the loon brings us back each year to this special place, a sacred place for many.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If everyone is thinking the same way, then no one is thinking at all.
BLUE SHADOWS FARM: Now Available. Someone asked me what my newest book is about. A WISCONSIN TRAILS reviewer wrote: Uncover the changing face of a Wisconsin farm . . . . Recall bygone days and gain an appreciation for the difficult challenges farmers face as committed stewards of the land.
UPCOMING EVENTS.
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Country Living and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is more than one-million acres of lakes, portages, wild animals and birds, rocks, hills, dense forest—and quiet. Oh, how quiet with no background noise of traffic. No cell phone service, no internet, no radio, no TV.
It is the land of loons, those beautiful big black and white water birds whose calls mystify and delight. A loon swam but a few yards off the portage from Hungry Jack Lake to Bearskin Lake when we put in our canoe. It looked us over, checked us out, and then called lustily to its mate somewhere off in the distance. The return call echoed across the still waters of Bearskin Lake. The call of the loon brings us back each year to this special place, a sacred place for many.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If everyone is thinking the same way, then no one is thinking at all.
BLUE SHADOWS FARM: Now Available. Someone asked me what my newest book is about. A WISCONSIN TRAILS reviewer wrote: Uncover the changing face of a Wisconsin farm . . . . Recall bygone days and gain an appreciation for the difficult challenges farmers face as committed stewards of the land.
UPCOMING EVENTS.
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Country Living and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Bee Sting
A hornet stung me last Saturday when I was mowing lawn. The last bee sting I remember was when I was mowing a field at the farm with my John Deere tractor and apparently cut through a yellow jacket nest. Before you could say, jump off the tractor and run like the dickens, a swarm of very mad and quite vicious yellow jackets drilled into my neck at least three times. I did stop the tractor and run waving my hat and arms like a crazy person. My neck was sore for a couple days, but nothing serious.
This time, as I mowed my lawn with thoughts on everything but bees, I felt something crawling on my bare hand. I brushed the hornet off, not thinking anything about it, but soon felt the telltale stinging sensation that got increasing worse. I stopped the mower, looked closely and spotted the stinger still stuck in my hide. I pulled it out and continued mowing.
An hour later my hand was the size of a softball; I couldn’t close my fingers and the pain and itching became quite uncomfortable. Out came the ice pack. Ruth suggested some Benadryl and I found some anti-itch lotion. By the following morning the swelling had subsided; but now, a week later, my hand is still sore. But no swelling. And my fingers work.
I did a little reading on bee stings. Be careful. Every year several people die from bee stings. Make sure symptoms such as difficult breathing don’t appear. See the doctor immediately if this happens.
BLUE SHADOWS FARM (My new novel, which is out this week). Someone asked me what the book is about. A WISCONSIN TRAILS reviewer wrote: Uncover the changing face of a Wisconsin farm . . . . Recall bygone days and gain an appreciation for the difficult challenges farmers face as committed stewards of the land.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
UPCOMING EVENTS.
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
This time, as I mowed my lawn with thoughts on everything but bees, I felt something crawling on my bare hand. I brushed the hornet off, not thinking anything about it, but soon felt the telltale stinging sensation that got increasing worse. I stopped the mower, looked closely and spotted the stinger still stuck in my hide. I pulled it out and continued mowing.
An hour later my hand was the size of a softball; I couldn’t close my fingers and the pain and itching became quite uncomfortable. Out came the ice pack. Ruth suggested some Benadryl and I found some anti-itch lotion. By the following morning the swelling had subsided; but now, a week later, my hand is still sore. But no swelling. And my fingers work.
I did a little reading on bee stings. Be careful. Every year several people die from bee stings. Make sure symptoms such as difficult breathing don’t appear. See the doctor immediately if this happens.
BLUE SHADOWS FARM (My new novel, which is out this week). Someone asked me what the book is about. A WISCONSIN TRAILS reviewer wrote: Uncover the changing face of a Wisconsin farm . . . . Recall bygone days and gain an appreciation for the difficult challenges farmers face as committed stewards of the land.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
UPCOMING EVENTS.
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tomato Days
I picked my first basket of tomatoes this week. I don’t want to badmouth the tomato growers in California and Florida, but a home grown tomato puts those shiny red tomato impostors to shame. Those out of state models may look like tomatoes, and have a hint of tomato taste, but the juicy tomatoes I pick in my garden and eat a few minutes later, with a little pepper and salt, outshine any import.
You recall that last week I gushed on about sweet corn. Tomatoes are in a class by themselves: for taste, for nutrition (did you know that one medium size tomato provides forty percent of a person’s daily vitamin C requirement as well as 20 percent of the vitamin A requirement) and a cancer preventer because they contain Lycopene.
Tomatoes have an interesting history. At one time, many Europeans considered them poisonous. As the story goes, rich folks ate their food off of pewter dishes, which have a high lead content. When they put a sliced tomato on a pewter plate, the tomatoes, high in acid, leeched the lead out into the food. And people died of lead poisoning. They of course blamed the tomato.
Poor people ate their food from wooden plates and had no problems when they ate tomatoes. As a result, tomatoes didn’t become popular until the 1800s because of the perceived poison problem.
Today, people know that tomatoes are not poisonous, but indeed are one of our most healthful foods.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every path has a few puddles.
(My new novel, the third in my Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM.)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Morgan Horse-Powered Field Day, Schuster's Playtime Farm, Deerfield, WI. Stories From the Land.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
You recall that last week I gushed on about sweet corn. Tomatoes are in a class by themselves: for taste, for nutrition (did you know that one medium size tomato provides forty percent of a person’s daily vitamin C requirement as well as 20 percent of the vitamin A requirement) and a cancer preventer because they contain Lycopene.
Tomatoes have an interesting history. At one time, many Europeans considered them poisonous. As the story goes, rich folks ate their food off of pewter dishes, which have a high lead content. When they put a sliced tomato on a pewter plate, the tomatoes, high in acid, leeched the lead out into the food. And people died of lead poisoning. They of course blamed the tomato.
Poor people ate their food from wooden plates and had no problems when they ate tomatoes. As a result, tomatoes didn’t become popular until the 1800s because of the perceived poison problem.
Today, people know that tomatoes are not poisonous, but indeed are one of our most healthful foods.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every path has a few puddles.
(My new novel, the third in my Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM.)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 16, 12 Noon. UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement. LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Life after Academe.
Sept. 17, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show. Wisconsin Public Radio. Blue Shadows Farm.
Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Morgan Horse-Powered Field Day, Schuster's Playtime Farm, Deerfield, WI. Stories From the Land.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Corn-on-the-Cob
Okay, so an ear of sweet corn is not as nutritious as say broccoli or tomato. And sweet corn does contain substantial calories (they fatten pigs with corn after all).
But tell me. What vegetable is tastier on a hot mid-summer day than corn-on-the- cob? Especially when you snap off a few ears from the garden late in the afternoon, pull off the husks and pop the ears right into a kettle of boiling water with hardily any waiting between picking and eating.
And, corn-on-the cob is the one vegetable you can eat with your fingers and not draw the wrath of your spouse and assorted in-laws. You can even buy special little thingamajigs to stick into each end of an ear to make the job easier and avoid having hot fingers.
Eating corn-on-the cob assumes that you’ve gotten to the sweet corn patch before the raccoons. Those masked bandits also know the special taste of fresh sweet corn. This year I beat those raiders, by gum. You can tell by the smile on my face.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
(My new novel, the third in my Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM.)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 20, Afternoon. Writing From Your Life Workshop. Sheboygan Public Library. (Filled)
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
October 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
But tell me. What vegetable is tastier on a hot mid-summer day than corn-on-the- cob? Especially when you snap off a few ears from the garden late in the afternoon, pull off the husks and pop the ears right into a kettle of boiling water with hardily any waiting between picking and eating.
And, corn-on-the cob is the one vegetable you can eat with your fingers and not draw the wrath of your spouse and assorted in-laws. You can even buy special little thingamajigs to stick into each end of an ear to make the job easier and avoid having hot fingers.
Eating corn-on-the cob assumes that you’ve gotten to the sweet corn patch before the raccoons. Those masked bandits also know the special taste of fresh sweet corn. This year I beat those raiders, by gum. You can tell by the smile on my face.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
(My new novel, the third in my Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM.)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 20, Afternoon. Writing From Your Life Workshop. Sheboygan Public Library. (Filled)
Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. Whitewater Library. Old Farm and other stories.
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
October 17, (9 to 4) Writing From Your Life Workshop. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. (Still room for additional participations. Contact http://www.theclearing.org.)
Oct 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 24, 1:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Six-Word Story
At my writing workshop last week (at The Clearing in Door County), I gave the students an assignment to write a story from their life in six words. It sounds like an easy assignment. It is not. Those reading this may want to try it. With the student’s permission, here are samples of six-word life stories. There were many more.
Love and life with sweet Charlie. Jean Sweet, Wisconsin.
First born. First gone. Too soon. Dixie Dickert, Wisconsin
High grassy hill. Wind. Heat. Breathless. Tom Lerczak, Illinois
Crazy Idea. Seafood. Restaurant. Success. Retirement. Ann Walter, Florida
Contented survivor. Babies. Divorce. Remarriage. Grandchildren. Sharon Galloway, Iowa.
Independent woman. Often alone. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Dianne Lueder, Wisconsin
Small, but powerful. Aged, but alive! Joan Zimmerman, Wisconsin.
For those interested in writing stories from their lives, six words and longer, I am teaching a one-day workshop at The Clearing, Saturday, October 17th. Go to http://www.theclearing.org/ and click on Workshops for further information.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Surprising how much you can say with few words.
My new novel, the third in the Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM. A rural Wisconsin history mystery.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville. Old Farm
August 20. Writing From Your Life Workshop. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m. (Filled)
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
October 17, (9 to 4)Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17, a.m.. & p.m.
Oct 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 24, 7:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Love and life with sweet Charlie. Jean Sweet, Wisconsin.
First born. First gone. Too soon. Dixie Dickert, Wisconsin
High grassy hill. Wind. Heat. Breathless. Tom Lerczak, Illinois
Crazy Idea. Seafood. Restaurant. Success. Retirement. Ann Walter, Florida
Contented survivor. Babies. Divorce. Remarriage. Grandchildren. Sharon Galloway, Iowa.
Independent woman. Often alone. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Dianne Lueder, Wisconsin
Small, but powerful. Aged, but alive! Joan Zimmerman, Wisconsin.
For those interested in writing stories from their lives, six words and longer, I am teaching a one-day workshop at The Clearing, Saturday, October 17th. Go to http://www.theclearing.org/ and click on Workshops for further information.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Surprising how much you can say with few words.
My new novel, the third in the Ames County Series, comes out in September, Its title: BLUE SHADOWS FARM. A rural Wisconsin history mystery.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville. Old Farm
August 20. Writing From Your Life Workshop. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m. (Filled)
Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. Sequoya Library, Madison. Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 1, 7:00 p.m. Chippewa Falls Library, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 4, 1:30 p.m. Monona Historical Society, Monona, Iowa, The Lighter Side of Country Living, including Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 15, 7:00 p.m. Reader’s Loft, Green Bay, Blue Shadows Farm
October 17, (9 to 4)Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17, a.m.. & p.m.
Oct 20, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, Madison West. Official Book Launch, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 24, 7:00 p.m. Wild Rose Library. Book Launch, Central Wisconsin, Blue Shadows Farm
Oct 28, 6:30 p.m. Elkhorn Library. Blue Shadows Farm
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Grandson Fishing
My grandson, Nick and his dad, Jeff, and I went fishing the other day in Lake George near Rhinelander. In a row boat. The fish had not been biting the several days we were there, so no promises for Nick.
Jeff rowed toward a patch of lily pads near shore and I told Nick he should toss his line in that direction. We watched his little red and white bobber bounce as a bright July sun crawled over the treetops to our east.
For a nine year old, Nick is patient. Much more so than his dad at that age. But Nick wanted to catch a fish, it didn’t matter how large or want kind. A fish. Any fish. Finally, the bobber dipped and Nick reeled in a small bluegill, about the size of his hand. Not very big, Nick said. Already he knew about bragging rights for big fish caught.
We removed the fish from his line and returned it to the water. He tossed his line in again, and again, and again, and nothing. No more bluegill bites. Then, as he was slowly retrieving his hook hanging full of nightcrawler, a fish struck it hard. Nick jumped. I told him to keep the line tight. The fish leaped out of the water a foot or so and with a great splash returned. Nick kept reeling, his eyes as big as the bluegill he released a short time earlier. Soon, Nick had the fish alongside the boat—a smallmouth bass about a foot long.
The fish was hooked on the lower lip, and its mouth was wide open as we lifted it into the boat. You caught a smallmouth bass, I told Nick. Nick, all excited, said, Grandpa, that fish has a big mouth not a little one.
For the next couple days when I asked Nick to tell us the length of his fish, his hands were a bit further apart each time. He is learning how to tell a fish story.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Fishing is always good. Catching something can be a challenge.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Jeff rowed toward a patch of lily pads near shore and I told Nick he should toss his line in that direction. We watched his little red and white bobber bounce as a bright July sun crawled over the treetops to our east.
For a nine year old, Nick is patient. Much more so than his dad at that age. But Nick wanted to catch a fish, it didn’t matter how large or want kind. A fish. Any fish. Finally, the bobber dipped and Nick reeled in a small bluegill, about the size of his hand. Not very big, Nick said. Already he knew about bragging rights for big fish caught.
We removed the fish from his line and returned it to the water. He tossed his line in again, and again, and again, and nothing. No more bluegill bites. Then, as he was slowly retrieving his hook hanging full of nightcrawler, a fish struck it hard. Nick jumped. I told him to keep the line tight. The fish leaped out of the water a foot or so and with a great splash returned. Nick kept reeling, his eyes as big as the bluegill he released a short time earlier. Soon, Nick had the fish alongside the boat—a smallmouth bass about a foot long.
The fish was hooked on the lower lip, and its mouth was wide open as we lifted it into the boat. You caught a smallmouth bass, I told Nick. Nick, all excited, said, Grandpa, that fish has a big mouth not a little one.
For the next couple days when I asked Nick to tell us the length of his fish, his hands were a bit further apart each time. He is learning how to tell a fish story.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Fishing is always good. Catching something can be a challenge.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thunderstorm
It came out of the northwest, growling and grumbling and flashing across the northern Wisconsin evening sky like Fourth of July fireworks. We sat watching the storm build over Lake George just east of Rhinelander—the grandkids, my kids, Ruth and I.
An impressive storm, no doubt about it. I have seen many thunderstorms over the years and this one was seeking some kind of top of the heap ranking. Maybe because it was so easy to watch over the mirror smooth waters of the lake. Maybe because the thunder echoed and seemed to roll across the water, bouncing against the shore.
The storm slowly eased in our direction. The sky grew darker and the first scattered drops of rain began falling, huge raindrops, the kind that strike the ground and send up a little splatter of mud in their wake.
Looking out our cabin window, we watched the rain fall so hard we couldn’t see the cabin across the way. The lightning flashes and thunder grew closer together. And then, a tremendous roar, a brilliant flash of light, a shower of sparks and total darkness as all electricity went out. Lightning had struck a tall pine tree about fifty yards from the cabin, tearing out a slice of its top.
The younger grandkids had not experienced such a storm as they helped us light candles and find flashlights. We spent the evening telling stories, enjoying the adventure, and realizing that nature is still a powerful force.
THE OLD TIMER ASKS: When does old begin? He had a recent birthday and is wondering.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
An impressive storm, no doubt about it. I have seen many thunderstorms over the years and this one was seeking some kind of top of the heap ranking. Maybe because it was so easy to watch over the mirror smooth waters of the lake. Maybe because the thunder echoed and seemed to roll across the water, bouncing against the shore.
The storm slowly eased in our direction. The sky grew darker and the first scattered drops of rain began falling, huge raindrops, the kind that strike the ground and send up a little splatter of mud in their wake.
Looking out our cabin window, we watched the rain fall so hard we couldn’t see the cabin across the way. The lightning flashes and thunder grew closer together. And then, a tremendous roar, a brilliant flash of light, a shower of sparks and total darkness as all electricity went out. Lightning had struck a tall pine tree about fifty yards from the cabin, tearing out a slice of its top.
The younger grandkids had not experienced such a storm as they helped us light candles and find flashlights. We spent the evening telling stories, enjoying the adventure, and realizing that nature is still a powerful force.
THE OLD TIMER ASKS: When does old begin? He had a recent birthday and is wondering.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Beans and Bunnies
A couple weeks ago I reported on bunnies in my bean patch, and a broken agreement I had with the cottontail population concerning staying away from my garden.
After a flood of requests to find out what happened, well okay, a trickle of questions, I report the following.
A truce with the bunnies has been negotiated, encouraged to be sure by the smell of bunny repellent that I liberally sprayed on the injured bean plants. The beans are recovering, slowly. The rabbits are keeping their distance. And life goes on. Now I am crossing my fingers for no frost until about Thanksgiving, as it will take that long for my struggling beans to regain enough strength to produce something.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Two times of day are special. Sunrise and sunset. Take time to notice one or both. It’s good for the soul.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
After a flood of requests to find out what happened, well okay, a trickle of questions, I report the following.
A truce with the bunnies has been negotiated, encouraged to be sure by the smell of bunny repellent that I liberally sprayed on the injured bean plants. The beans are recovering, slowly. The rabbits are keeping their distance. And life goes on. Now I am crossing my fingers for no frost until about Thanksgiving, as it will take that long for my struggling beans to regain enough strength to produce something.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Two times of day are special. Sunrise and sunset. Take time to notice one or both. It’s good for the soul.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Blue Shadows Farm
I have a new novel coming out from the University of Wisconsin Press in September, which is described as follows:
Silas Starkweather, a Civil War veteran, is drawn to Wisconsin and homesteads 160 acres in Ames County, where he is known as the mysterious farmer forever digging holes. After years of hardship and toil, however, Silas develops a commitment to farming his land and respect for his new community.
When Silas’s son,Abe, inherits Blue Shadows Farm he chooses to keep the land out of reluctant necessity, distilling and distributing “purified corn water” throughout Prohibition and the Great Depression in order to stay solvent. Abe’s daughter, Emma, willingly takes over the farm after her mother’s death. Emma’s love for this place inspires her to open the farm to school-children and families who share her respect for it.
As she considers selling the land, Emma is confronted with a difficult question—who, through thick and thin, will care for Blue Shadows Farm as her family has done for over a century? In the midst of a controversy that disrupts the entire community, Emma looks into her family’s past to help her make crucial decisions about the future of its land.
Through the story of the Starkweather family’s changing fortunes, and each generation’s very different relationship with the farm and the land, Blue Shadows Farm is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land.
Blue Shadows Farm is the third in my Ames County Series. Fictional Ames County is located in central Wisconsin. Its primary towns are Link Lake and Willow River. The first book in the series, The Travels of Increase Joseph, describes the settling of Link Lake. The second book in the series, In a Pickle: a Family Farm Story takes place in 1955, when small family farms were still prominent in Wisconsin. Link Lake is loosely based on Wild Rose and the area around it. See my website, www.jerryapps.com for detailed descriptions and reviews of these books.
To preorder BLUE SHADOWS FARM, go to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.
The Madison launch of the book is scheduled for Barnes and Noble West, 7:00 p.m. on October 20. The Wild Rose launch of the book will take place at the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose on October 24, 1:00 p.m.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: July is a good time to sit under a shade tree, sipping lemonade, and remembering what the weather was like just six months ago.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, a.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Silas Starkweather, a Civil War veteran, is drawn to Wisconsin and homesteads 160 acres in Ames County, where he is known as the mysterious farmer forever digging holes. After years of hardship and toil, however, Silas develops a commitment to farming his land and respect for his new community.
When Silas’s son,Abe, inherits Blue Shadows Farm he chooses to keep the land out of reluctant necessity, distilling and distributing “purified corn water” throughout Prohibition and the Great Depression in order to stay solvent. Abe’s daughter, Emma, willingly takes over the farm after her mother’s death. Emma’s love for this place inspires her to open the farm to school-children and families who share her respect for it.
As she considers selling the land, Emma is confronted with a difficult question—who, through thick and thin, will care for Blue Shadows Farm as her family has done for over a century? In the midst of a controversy that disrupts the entire community, Emma looks into her family’s past to help her make crucial decisions about the future of its land.
Through the story of the Starkweather family’s changing fortunes, and each generation’s very different relationship with the farm and the land, Blue Shadows Farm is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land.
Blue Shadows Farm is the third in my Ames County Series. Fictional Ames County is located in central Wisconsin. Its primary towns are Link Lake and Willow River. The first book in the series, The Travels of Increase Joseph, describes the settling of Link Lake. The second book in the series, In a Pickle: a Family Farm Story takes place in 1955, when small family farms were still prominent in Wisconsin. Link Lake is loosely based on Wild Rose and the area around it. See my website, www.jerryapps.com for detailed descriptions and reviews of these books.
To preorder BLUE SHADOWS FARM, go to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.
The Madison launch of the book is scheduled for Barnes and Noble West, 7:00 p.m. on October 20. The Wild Rose launch of the book will take place at the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose on October 24, 1:00 p.m.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: July is a good time to sit under a shade tree, sipping lemonade, and remembering what the weather was like just six months ago.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, a.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Rabbit War
I thought we had an agreement. Twenty years ago when I moved my garden to its present location the rabbits and I worked out an accommodation. At least I thought we had. I would leave wild and untouched an area just west of the cabin where the bunnies had a stone pile for security and easy access to a two-acre grassy field for their grazing.
In return the rabbits would forever leave my garden alone. No chewing on my fresh lettuce, my cabbages and all the other rabbit-tasty vegetables.
But last week the bunnies broke the agreement. They chewed off four rows of beans. Almost to the ground. The hungry little buggers feasted on my hoped for winter bean supply.
Broken agreements lead to war. And war it was. I drove to Waupaca and bought a spray bottle of “Liquid Fence.” A rotten egg smelling deer and rabbit repellent with a 100 percent money back guarantee, although I’d rather have my beans back.
I sprayed my badly injured little bean plants, holding my nose for the smell was as advertised. I am waiting for the lead rabbit negotiator to contact me and see if a cease fire is in order, or if I must look for further attacks. In this gardening business, if it isn’t one thing it’s another. I’m getting a little long in the tooth to be fighting a war.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you make an agreement, best to have it in writing.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, a.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 p.m. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 p.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
In return the rabbits would forever leave my garden alone. No chewing on my fresh lettuce, my cabbages and all the other rabbit-tasty vegetables.
But last week the bunnies broke the agreement. They chewed off four rows of beans. Almost to the ground. The hungry little buggers feasted on my hoped for winter bean supply.
Broken agreements lead to war. And war it was. I drove to Waupaca and bought a spray bottle of “Liquid Fence.” A rotten egg smelling deer and rabbit repellent with a 100 percent money back guarantee, although I’d rather have my beans back.
I sprayed my badly injured little bean plants, holding my nose for the smell was as advertised. I am waiting for the lead rabbit negotiator to contact me and see if a cease fire is in order, or if I must look for further attacks. In this gardening business, if it isn’t one thing it’s another. I’m getting a little long in the tooth to be fighting a war.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you make an agreement, best to have it in writing.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, a.m.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 p.m. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 p.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Five Strawberry Plants
I have five strawberry plants in my front yard, in the flowerbed. My brother-in-law, Clarence gave them to me a couple years ago when he had some extras.
I expected little from them, perhaps a handful or so of berries in June to put on my morning cereal. Or maybe fewer than that, for after all it was a flowerbed with mums and day lilies and roses all clamoring for attention and their share of sunlight.
Cabot is the strawberry variety. According to the Jung’s seed catalog: The ideal strawberry for northern gardeners who want huge strawberries with great flavor. Yeah, right, I usually say when I read such hyperbole.
The strawberry season has a week or two to run its course. I have so far picked six quarts of strawberries from my five plants. I must eat my skeptical words as I enjoy my sweet, juicy strawberries.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Expect little and then be pleased when you receive more.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville. Old Farm and more.
I expected little from them, perhaps a handful or so of berries in June to put on my morning cereal. Or maybe fewer than that, for after all it was a flowerbed with mums and day lilies and roses all clamoring for attention and their share of sunlight.
Cabot is the strawberry variety. According to the Jung’s seed catalog: The ideal strawberry for northern gardeners who want huge strawberries with great flavor. Yeah, right, I usually say when I read such hyperbole.
The strawberry season has a week or two to run its course. I have so far picked six quarts of strawberries from my five plants. I must eat my skeptical words as I enjoy my sweet, juicy strawberries.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Expect little and then be pleased when you receive more.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville. Old Farm and more.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
potato bugs
The potato bugs are back. Colorado potato beetles to be more exact. Leptinotarsa decemlineata. In case you haven’t encountered them, I can’t image any gardener raising potatoes who has not, they have bright yellow/orange bodies with five brown stripes, and are about the size of a fingernail.
They are a menace to potato growers, whether you have a few plants in your backyard, eight long rows in your garden as I do, or several hundred acres, true of many Wisconsin potato growers. Given an opportunity, these hungry buggers will eat every last potato leaf leaving behind a few naked stems and no hope of a potato crop.
What to do? Well, when I was a kid, we’d walk the potato rows and pick off the adult potato bugs one by one and drop them into a little can with a couple of inches of kerosene on the bottom. Does in the little potato-eaters real well. Sort of labor intensive though if you have five acres or more of potatoes, as we did.
I still walk my potato rows, twice a day this time of a year, if I can. Today, I wear gloves and when I spot a potato bug, I give it a gentle squeeze and drop it to the ground. Well maybe not so gentle as I have no love for potato bugs.
All kinds of sprays, dusts and other potato beetle killers have come on the market. The result: some of the toughest, most resistant potato bugs on the planet.
Some years ago I remember seeing a potato bug killer advertised in a magazine. Guaranteed to work it said, or your money back. Send five dollars. Someone I know sent in the money. In a few days the bug killer arrived. It consisted of two small blocks of wood. The instructions said, place the potato bug on block number one. Strike block number one with block number two. By golly, it worked. Every time. But you had to work quickly because potato bugs have a tendency to not stay put on a block of wood.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice: not likely.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
They are a menace to potato growers, whether you have a few plants in your backyard, eight long rows in your garden as I do, or several hundred acres, true of many Wisconsin potato growers. Given an opportunity, these hungry buggers will eat every last potato leaf leaving behind a few naked stems and no hope of a potato crop.
What to do? Well, when I was a kid, we’d walk the potato rows and pick off the adult potato bugs one by one and drop them into a little can with a couple of inches of kerosene on the bottom. Does in the little potato-eaters real well. Sort of labor intensive though if you have five acres or more of potatoes, as we did.
I still walk my potato rows, twice a day this time of a year, if I can. Today, I wear gloves and when I spot a potato bug, I give it a gentle squeeze and drop it to the ground. Well maybe not so gentle as I have no love for potato bugs.
All kinds of sprays, dusts and other potato beetle killers have come on the market. The result: some of the toughest, most resistant potato bugs on the planet.
Some years ago I remember seeing a potato bug killer advertised in a magazine. Guaranteed to work it said, or your money back. Send five dollars. Someone I know sent in the money. In a few days the bug killer arrived. It consisted of two small blocks of wood. The instructions said, place the potato bug on block number one. Strike block number one with block number two. By golly, it worked. Every time. But you had to work quickly because potato bugs have a tendency to not stay put on a block of wood.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice: not likely.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Country School Visit
My brother Don and I visited our country school, Chain O Lake, west of Wild Rose, on Saturday. The woman who had made the old school her home had a moving sale, an excuse for us to stop by and look around. On the outside the school building was much as we remembered it. And some of the inside was familiar, too. The entryway was the same. The place where we left our muddy boots, and stored our lard pail lunch buckets on shelves. It seemed a little smaller. But I was a little smaller then, too.
We could see where the woodstove had stood, the source of the heat for the drafty building. I saw the back corner where our meager school library took up a few book shelves. And in the opposite corner a Red Wing water cooler once stood that provided us drinking water. We had to carry water from the outside pump.
Back outside we examined our softball diamond. I spotted what had been third base, a white oak tree in my memory, a scraggly, skinny, white oak. Now, 63 years later, it is a magnificent stately tree.
It was here under the tutelage of a string of teachers, starting with Teresa Piechowski my first grade teacher and ending with Faith Jenks, my eighth grade teacher that I learned how to read and write, and do my numbers. Eight years in that building, no electricity the first years, never indoor plumbing, no central heating, one teacher for eight grades where I and many other kids gained a solid foundation for future learning.
Today, the old school building stands on the corner of County Highway A and 15th Road. A building filled with stories and memories.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You are never too old to learn. And remember, what you learn will forever be yours to keep.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
July 19-24. School of the Arts, Rhinelander.
August 2-8. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
August 20. Sheboygan Public Library. Writing Workshop, P.M.s
We could see where the woodstove had stood, the source of the heat for the drafty building. I saw the back corner where our meager school library took up a few book shelves. And in the opposite corner a Red Wing water cooler once stood that provided us drinking water. We had to carry water from the outside pump.
Back outside we examined our softball diamond. I spotted what had been third base, a white oak tree in my memory, a scraggly, skinny, white oak. Now, 63 years later, it is a magnificent stately tree.
It was here under the tutelage of a string of teachers, starting with Teresa Piechowski my first grade teacher and ending with Faith Jenks, my eighth grade teacher that I learned how to read and write, and do my numbers. Eight years in that building, no electricity the first years, never indoor plumbing, no central heating, one teacher for eight grades where I and many other kids gained a solid foundation for future learning.
Today, the old school building stands on the corner of County Highway A and 15th Road. A building filled with stories and memories.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You are never too old to learn. And remember, what you learn will forever be yours to keep.
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.
Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, P.M.
Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. A.M. & P.M.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30, 7:00 P.M. Prairie du Sac Library. Old Farm.
July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.
July 19-24. School of the Arts, Rhinelander.
August 2-8. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.
August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.
August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.
August 20. Sheboygan Public Library. Writing Workshop, P.M.s
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)