Raindrops on the windows this dark and dreary morning. Raindrops drumming on the roof. Sounds of April. Sounds of spring. Much needed rain for the gardens and fields, for the animals and birds, for the little trees I planted a couple weeks ago that desperately need water to survive.
Growing up on a sandy farm I learned to never ever say a bad word about rain. No matter if it interrupted spring planting, or challenged a daughter’s wedding party. Like the land itself, rain was, is and forever will be a necessity of life.
So on a rainy day like this one, put on your old ratty Filson hat, your well worn raincoat and hike in the rain like you did when you were a kid. Walking in the rain is special.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A rainy day is a glorious day.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
May 3, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Local History Expo, Sheboygan County Area Historical Community, Range Line Inn, 170 Range Line Road, Kohler. (6:00 p.m. presentation, Old Farm a History.)
May 16, 1:00 p.m. Glenwood City Historical Society, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 615 Maple Street, Glenwood City. Call 715-796-560 for further details. (Old Farm: A History)
May 20, 11:00 a.m., Southern Lakes Retired Teachers, 616 Droster Avenue, Burlington. (One-Room Schools)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Early Garden Planting
We planted our early garden crops last week. Potatoes, both white and red, radishes, carrots, peas, and a long row of onions. I’ll plant more early crops next week, lettuce and beets, but will hold off with the tender crops, the tomatoes and peppers, until the end of May. Too often I’ve been fooled by the warm days of early spring when I set out my tomatoes early and saw them die with a late spring frost.
I have planted a vegetable garden at Roshara every year since 1967. Each gardening year has its mysteries and challenges, its joys and disappointments. Gardening seems a lot like life in those respects.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You can bury a lot of troubles digging in your garden.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room Schools)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
May 3, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Local History Expo, Sheboygan County Area Historical Community, Range Line Inn, 170 Range Line Road, Kohler. (6:00 p.m. presentation, Old Farm a History.)
May 16, 1:00 p.m. Glenwood City Historical Society, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 615 Maple Street, Glenwood City. Call 715-796-560 for further details. (Old Farm: A History)
May 20, 11:00 a.m., Southern Lakes Retired Teachers, 616 Droster Avenue, Burlington. (One-Room Schools)
I have planted a vegetable garden at Roshara every year since 1967. Each gardening year has its mysteries and challenges, its joys and disappointments. Gardening seems a lot like life in those respects.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You can bury a lot of troubles digging in your garden.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room Schools)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
May 3, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Local History Expo, Sheboygan County Area Historical Community, Range Line Inn, 170 Range Line Road, Kohler. (6:00 p.m. presentation, Old Farm a History.)
May 16, 1:00 p.m. Glenwood City Historical Society, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 615 Maple Street, Glenwood City. Call 715-796-560 for further details. (Old Farm: A History)
May 20, 11:00 a.m., Southern Lakes Retired Teachers, 616 Droster Avenue, Burlington. (One-Room Schools)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tree Planting at Roshara
We planted trees at the farm this weekend. Two-hundred of them. All Red Pine, six to 12 inches tall. We’ve planted trees every spring as long as we’ve owned Roshara, so we have trees now more than 40 years old, and that tall, too. Beautiful trees that sway in the wind and remind me of when we planted them--Ruth, our three toddlers and me. Doing the work by hand. With a shovel to cut a slit in our sandy soil.
We planted trees by hand this weekend, too: Paul, Steve, Natasha, Kristin and me. Mostly easy work for this energetic crew that enjoyed a sunny day, a cool breeze, and the wonderful smell of pine trees.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Planting a tree is planning for a future.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 13, 7:00 p.m. Menasha Public Library, Fox Cities Book Festival (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 14, 1:00 p.m. Hatch Public Library, Mauston. 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall, Nature Book Bash (Old Farm).
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room Schools)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
We planted trees by hand this weekend, too: Paul, Steve, Natasha, Kristin and me. Mostly easy work for this energetic crew that enjoyed a sunny day, a cool breeze, and the wonderful smell of pine trees.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Planting a tree is planning for a future.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 13, 7:00 p.m. Menasha Public Library, Fox Cities Book Festival (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 14, 1:00 p.m. Hatch Public Library, Mauston. 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall, Nature Book Bash (Old Farm).
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room Schools)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Spring Charges In
Spring came charging in on a southwest wind this past week, sending winter sulking away to the north to lick its melting ice and disappearing snow. Eighty degrees my thermometer at the farm said as I cut black locust brush that tries to smother out the pines I planted two years ago. I worked and rested, drank water and worked some more. But so much more to do—and, I learned yesterday that my new replacement trees are ready for planting.
Like it was when I was growing up the farm, after weeks of anticipation, of waiting and hoping, spring, arrives. And the work comes all at once. But, as my dad said, work is good for you. And I must say, I do enjoy stretching my muscles and swinging my brushcutter, even though, at day’s end my back, shoulders, and arms tell me to take it easy, that I’m not a kid anymore.
THE OLDTIMER SAYS: Never have any problems raising your kids provided there is plenty of work for them. A tired kid is a good kid.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 6, 3:00 p.m. Oakwood Retirement Center. Madison, April 6 (The Good Old Days?)
April 13, 7:00 p.m. Menasha Public Library, Fox Cities Book Festival (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 14, 1:00 p.m. Hatch Public Library, Mauston. 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall, Nature Book Bash (Old Farm.
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room School)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
Like it was when I was growing up the farm, after weeks of anticipation, of waiting and hoping, spring, arrives. And the work comes all at once. But, as my dad said, work is good for you. And I must say, I do enjoy stretching my muscles and swinging my brushcutter, even though, at day’s end my back, shoulders, and arms tell me to take it easy, that I’m not a kid anymore.
THE OLDTIMER SAYS: Never have any problems raising your kids provided there is plenty of work for them. A tired kid is a good kid.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
August 8-14. My week-long workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” Contact www.theclearing.org or call 877-854-3225 for registration information.
October 30. Day-long writing workshop at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 6, 3:00 p.m. Oakwood Retirement Center. Madison, April 6 (The Good Old Days?)
April 13, 7:00 p.m. Menasha Public Library, Fox Cities Book Festival (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 14, 1:00 p.m. Hatch Public Library, Mauston. 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall, Nature Book Bash (Old Farm.
April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth-Big Foot Historical Society Banquet. (One-Room School)
April 23, 3:00 p.m. UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit. Memorial Union. (A brief look at history of Agriculture in Wisconsin)
April 28, 7:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels.)
April 30, 10:45 & 1:10, WEAC Retired, Sheraton Madison Hotel (Stories from the land)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Brother's Walk
My brother, Don, who lives near Wild Rose, wrote this after his morning walk last week.
Here’s what is happening on the farm: I saw about 30 swans flying and honking, saw lots of geese,too.
Two tom turkeys gobbled to my new crow call. Snow is about gone. Saw lots of deer tracks, one big one.
The pond is still frozen but the edges are open. I think the beavers are still there. I saw two huge snapping turtles. Sandhills are bugling everywhere.
Is spring early this year?
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Cherish the memories of yesterday. Dream big dreams about tomorrow. Live happily today.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14. Call 877-854-3225. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30 at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.(Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth. Place to be announced. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
Here’s what is happening on the farm: I saw about 30 swans flying and honking, saw lots of geese,too.
Two tom turkeys gobbled to my new crow call. Snow is about gone. Saw lots of deer tracks, one big one.
The pond is still frozen but the edges are open. I think the beavers are still there. I saw two huge snapping turtles. Sandhills are bugling everywhere.
Is spring early this year?
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Cherish the memories of yesterday. Dream big dreams about tomorrow. Live happily today.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14. Call 877-854-3225. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30 at The Clearing.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.(Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth. Place to be announced. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Writing Your Story
For those who tuned in my program on Wisconsin Public Radio last week (Larry Meiller Show at 11:00 a.m.), I promised to share some storytelling tips. Program host Jim Packard’s asked: “What are the elements of a good story.”
--People
--Action
--Conflict
--Suspense
--A sense of time and place
--A beginning, middle and an end.
Everyone has a story to tell of childhood years, first jobs, military service, life-changing events and never told secrets. These are the stories that your children and grandchildren will cherish, and additionally will add a special addition to the history of your community when you file your stories at your library or local historical society. Oh, if you’re wondering. It’s never too late to begin writing your stories.
First day of spring! Says so right on the calendar. But I when I look outside this morning, my daffodils and tulips are but little green spears poking through two inches of snow. Mother Nature obviously doesn’t read the calendar. Patience. Patience. It’s still March.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: In spring we shake loose the shackles of winter and make big plans and think big thoughts. We celebrate what has passed and look forward to the future with joy and hope.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30.
Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm))
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.(Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m., Village Supper Club, Delevan Lake, Delevan. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
--People
--Action
--Conflict
--Suspense
--A sense of time and place
--A beginning, middle and an end.
Everyone has a story to tell of childhood years, first jobs, military service, life-changing events and never told secrets. These are the stories that your children and grandchildren will cherish, and additionally will add a special addition to the history of your community when you file your stories at your library or local historical society. Oh, if you’re wondering. It’s never too late to begin writing your stories.
First day of spring! Says so right on the calendar. But I when I look outside this morning, my daffodils and tulips are but little green spears poking through two inches of snow. Mother Nature obviously doesn’t read the calendar. Patience. Patience. It’s still March.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: In spring we shake loose the shackles of winter and make big plans and think big thoughts. We celebrate what has passed and look forward to the future with joy and hope.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30.
Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm))
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.(Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m., Village Supper Club, Delevan Lake, Delevan. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Feet Touching The Ground
When I was still teaching, we interviewed a young man from Florida for a position in our department. We talked to him in January when we had a couple feet of snow on the ground, and after spending a day with him, I asked him if would like to come work for us in Wisconsin. I’d noticed he seemed uncomfortable all the time he was here, and I couldn’t put my finger on his concern.
His answer told all. He said, “I don’t think I could work in a place where my feet wouldn’t touch the ground for three months of the year.” He was referring to our snow-covered landscape.
My feet touched the ground this week as our snow has mostly disappeared. Can there be a surer sign of spring? Several readers responded to my request for signs of spring. Here are a couple of them.
“We saw our first robin last week and our tulips and daffodils on the south side of the house are about three inches up. Always love your observations about nature and the seasons. I can tell that like me, you are longing for spring. I look forward to hearing the birds start singing at four in the morning, from the comfort of my bed of course.” Sharon of Plymouth
“A recent morning as I was getting into my car, a cardinal was carrying on nearby with such jubilation I had to smile! In spite of the chilly wind, his frisky notes held such positive hope of the nearly spring. I couldn't help but grin to myself. We in the Midwest don't appreciate the cardinals’ cheery songs. I've heard people in Texas express such joy when they've seen or heard a rare cardinal!” Kay Moore
Interested in a good story? Tune in Wisconsin Public Radio next Thursday, March 18 at 11:00. Larry Meiller and I will be doing another session on Wisconsin stories and story-telling. Got a story to share? Call in.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: The coming of spring, so much like all of life, is two steps forward and one step back.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30.
Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:00 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm))
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m., Village Supper Club, Delevan Lake. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
His answer told all. He said, “I don’t think I could work in a place where my feet wouldn’t touch the ground for three months of the year.” He was referring to our snow-covered landscape.
My feet touched the ground this week as our snow has mostly disappeared. Can there be a surer sign of spring? Several readers responded to my request for signs of spring. Here are a couple of them.
“We saw our first robin last week and our tulips and daffodils on the south side of the house are about three inches up. Always love your observations about nature and the seasons. I can tell that like me, you are longing for spring. I look forward to hearing the birds start singing at four in the morning, from the comfort of my bed of course.” Sharon of Plymouth
“A recent morning as I was getting into my car, a cardinal was carrying on nearby with such jubilation I had to smile! In spite of the chilly wind, his frisky notes held such positive hope of the nearly spring. I couldn't help but grin to myself. We in the Midwest don't appreciate the cardinals’ cheery songs. I've heard people in Texas express such joy when they've seen or heard a rare cardinal!” Kay Moore
Interested in a good story? Tune in Wisconsin Public Radio next Thursday, March 18 at 11:00. Larry Meiller and I will be doing another session on Wisconsin stories and story-telling. Got a story to share? Call in.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: The coming of spring, so much like all of life, is two steps forward and one step back.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
My week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County for 2010 is set for
August 8-14.
A one-day, Saturday writing workshop is scheduled for October 30.
Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:00 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm))
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m., Village Supper Club, Delevan Lake. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Aldo Leopold Celebration
Last Saturday I had the privilege of speaking at the Lake Geneva Library’s Aldo Leopold Celebration. Leopold, who died April 21, 1948, is best known for his book, A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC, published after his death in 1949. The library looked out on the lake, a special place for the celebration.
I have an original edition of A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC and read from it often. Fitting for the season, Leopold wrote this about spring: “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.”
With Leopold, I look forward each spring to the geese flying high overhead in long V’s as they wing their way to their summer nesting grounds. I enjoy seeing them in the daytime, listening to their calls as their flocks sometimes spread from horizon to horizon. I especially enjoy hearing them on a still spring night, confidently moving north, announcing spring. Sometimes, if the moon is full and the sky is clear, I will see them flying in the moonlight. What a treat it is.
What are your first signs of spring? The return of the sandhill cranes? Bird song in the morning? The blush on a weeping willow tree? Pussy willows in the marshes? Click on comment and let us know.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: To value the land and the natural world demands an appreciation that goes deeper than knowing, deeper even than understanding—to the level that involves not only the head but also the heart.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth. Place to be announced. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
I have an original edition of A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC and read from it often. Fitting for the season, Leopold wrote this about spring: “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.”
With Leopold, I look forward each spring to the geese flying high overhead in long V’s as they wing their way to their summer nesting grounds. I enjoy seeing them in the daytime, listening to their calls as their flocks sometimes spread from horizon to horizon. I especially enjoy hearing them on a still spring night, confidently moving north, announcing spring. Sometimes, if the moon is full and the sky is clear, I will see them flying in the moonlight. What a treat it is.
What are your first signs of spring? The return of the sandhill cranes? Bird song in the morning? The blush on a weeping willow tree? Pussy willows in the marshes? Click on comment and let us know.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: To value the land and the natural world demands an appreciation that goes deeper than knowing, deeper even than understanding—to the level that involves not only the head but also the heart.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Oakwood Retirement Center, Madison, April 6, 3:00 p.m. (The Good Old Days?)
Fox Cities Book Festival, April 13, 7:00 p.m., Menasha Public Library. (Blue Shadows Farm and Ames County Novels)
Hatch Public Library, Mauston, April 14, 1:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
Nature Book Bash, Saturday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater at Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids. (Old Farm)
Walworth-Big Foot Prairie Historical Society, banquet, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Walworth. Place to be announced. (One-Room Country Schools)
UW-Madison, Day on Campus: Food Summit, April 23, 2010. Memorial Union. Keynote speaker: 11:00 a.m. George McGovern. 3:00 p.m. A Brief Look at Wisconsin’s Agricultural History (Apps)
Kiel Public Library, April 28, 7:00 p.m. (Ames County Novels, featuring Blue Shadows Farm)
WEAC-Retired, April 30, 10:45-11:45 & 1:10-2:10. Sheraton Madison Hotel. (Stories From the Land)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Discover Wisconsin: March 6-7
On a warm day last November, a production crew from the TV-Series, “Discover Wisconsin” stopped by my farm for a few hours. They asked me to be part of a program they planned called “Booked into Wisconsin.” (The program will air March 6 & 7 on TV stations throughout the upper Midwest. See the station listing at the end of this blog.)
Program host, Stephanie Klett interviewed me about my Ames County Novels, a series of historical fiction books I have written about the history of agriculture in central Wisconsin. Four novels so far comprise the series, “The Travels of Increase Joseph,” “In a Pickle,” “Blue Shadows Farm,” and soon to be published, “Cranberry Red.” All are published by University of Wisconsin Press and are or will be available in book stores and can be ordered directly from my website.
Here is a brief rundown of each novel:
1. The Travels of Increase Joseph (Time Period: 1850-1900) Published in 2003 & 2010.
The Travels of Increase Joseph tells of the first settlers coming to central Wisconsin in 1852, settling Ames County and naming their village Link Lake. These settlers followed an unusual preacher, Increase Joseph Link, from New York State to Wisconsin. Increase Joseph, tossed out of Harvard College for his liberal thinking, preaches, “The land comes first.” The novel emphasizes the environmental challenges of the time, with many applications to today’s situation.
2. In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story (Time Period: 1955) Published in 2007.
This novel takes place in Ames County in 1955, when nearly every small farmer in the western part of the county grew a small patch of cucumbers. The book focuses on the forces that caused many small family farmers to leave the land.
3. Blue Shadows Farm (Time Period: 1866-present time) Published in 2009.
Blue Shadows Farm follows three generations of the Starkweather family as they try to make a living on a farm in the Link Lake Community of Ames County. It is about connecting to the land both past and present. A contemporary sub-plot concerns environmental education in the schools and the importance of children having first hand contact with nature and the out-of-doors.
4. Cranberry Red (Time Period: the present.) Publication date: Fall 2010.
Isaac Osborne University (a for-profit institution) discovers a new chemical called “Cranberry Red” that promises to drastically improve cranberry growth. It also claims that consuming these treated cranberries will prevent heart disease, reduce brain damage from strokes, and ward off Alzheimer’s. Ben Wesley, the Research Application Specialist for Osborne University, must sell the new substance to cranberry growers in Ames County and other Wisconsin Counties. However, the chemical has not been tested adequately, and Wesley remains apprehensive about promoting the substance since research results seem limited and overstated. While the chemical does all that the University claims it will do, it also creates some disturbing side-affects,
The story focuses on the push and pull of big businesses’ need for fast profit, a community’s need for safety, and how people can be caught in the debate of balancing efficiency with morality.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Great truths are often revealed in fiction.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:00 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
DISCOVER WISCONSIN SCHEDULE: MARCH 6-7
The Discover Wisconsin – America's Dairyland "Booked Into Wisconsin" episode will air throughout the upper Midwest on the following stations during the times noted below:
Wausau WAOW TV 9 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Wisconsin (Statewide) FSN - Wisconsin
Saturdays 10:00 a.m. Outdoor Block
Baraboo WRPQ TV 43
Saturdays 1:30 PM & Mondays 10:00 PM
Cedar Rapids/Dubuque IA KFXA 28 (FOX)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Chicago Comcast SportsNet
Saturdays 10:00 a.m.
Eagle River WYOW TV 34 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Eau Claire WQOW TV 18 (ABC)
Sundays 5:00 p.m.
Green Bay WFRV Ch 5 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:00 p.m
Hibbing, MN WIRT TV 13 (ABC)
Sundays 5:30 p.m.
La Crosse WXOW TV 19 (ABC)
Sundays 5:00 p.m.
Madison WKOW TV 27 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Milwaukee WITI TV 6 (FOX)
Sundays 9:00 a.m.
Minneapolis/MN FSN - North
Saturdays 10:00 a.m. Outdoor Block
Rochester/Austin FSN - North
Saturdays 10:00 a.m
Rockford WIFR TV 23 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Superior/Duluth WDIO TV 10 (ABC)
Sundays 5:30 p.m.
Tomah, WI WIBU - TV
Mondays 5:00 p.m
Upper Michigan - Escanaba, MI WJMN Ch 3 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:00 CST/7:00 EST
Program host, Stephanie Klett interviewed me about my Ames County Novels, a series of historical fiction books I have written about the history of agriculture in central Wisconsin. Four novels so far comprise the series, “The Travels of Increase Joseph,” “In a Pickle,” “Blue Shadows Farm,” and soon to be published, “Cranberry Red.” All are published by University of Wisconsin Press and are or will be available in book stores and can be ordered directly from my website.
Here is a brief rundown of each novel:
1. The Travels of Increase Joseph (Time Period: 1850-1900) Published in 2003 & 2010.
The Travels of Increase Joseph tells of the first settlers coming to central Wisconsin in 1852, settling Ames County and naming their village Link Lake. These settlers followed an unusual preacher, Increase Joseph Link, from New York State to Wisconsin. Increase Joseph, tossed out of Harvard College for his liberal thinking, preaches, “The land comes first.” The novel emphasizes the environmental challenges of the time, with many applications to today’s situation.
2. In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story (Time Period: 1955) Published in 2007.
This novel takes place in Ames County in 1955, when nearly every small farmer in the western part of the county grew a small patch of cucumbers. The book focuses on the forces that caused many small family farmers to leave the land.
3. Blue Shadows Farm (Time Period: 1866-present time) Published in 2009.
Blue Shadows Farm follows three generations of the Starkweather family as they try to make a living on a farm in the Link Lake Community of Ames County. It is about connecting to the land both past and present. A contemporary sub-plot concerns environmental education in the schools and the importance of children having first hand contact with nature and the out-of-doors.
4. Cranberry Red (Time Period: the present.) Publication date: Fall 2010.
Isaac Osborne University (a for-profit institution) discovers a new chemical called “Cranberry Red” that promises to drastically improve cranberry growth. It also claims that consuming these treated cranberries will prevent heart disease, reduce brain damage from strokes, and ward off Alzheimer’s. Ben Wesley, the Research Application Specialist for Osborne University, must sell the new substance to cranberry growers in Ames County and other Wisconsin Counties. However, the chemical has not been tested adequately, and Wesley remains apprehensive about promoting the substance since research results seem limited and overstated. While the chemical does all that the University claims it will do, it also creates some disturbing side-affects,
The story focuses on the push and pull of big businesses’ need for fast profit, a community’s need for safety, and how people can be caught in the debate of balancing efficiency with morality.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Great truths are often revealed in fiction.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:00 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
DISCOVER WISCONSIN SCHEDULE: MARCH 6-7
The Discover Wisconsin – America's Dairyland "Booked Into Wisconsin" episode will air throughout the upper Midwest on the following stations during the times noted below:
Wausau WAOW TV 9 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Wisconsin (Statewide) FSN - Wisconsin
Saturdays 10:00 a.m. Outdoor Block
Baraboo WRPQ TV 43
Saturdays 1:30 PM & Mondays 10:00 PM
Cedar Rapids/Dubuque IA KFXA 28 (FOX)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Chicago Comcast SportsNet
Saturdays 10:00 a.m.
Eagle River WYOW TV 34 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Eau Claire WQOW TV 18 (ABC)
Sundays 5:00 p.m.
Green Bay WFRV Ch 5 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:00 p.m
Hibbing, MN WIRT TV 13 (ABC)
Sundays 5:30 p.m.
La Crosse WXOW TV 19 (ABC)
Sundays 5:00 p.m.
Madison WKOW TV 27 (ABC)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Milwaukee WITI TV 6 (FOX)
Sundays 9:00 a.m.
Minneapolis/MN FSN - North
Saturdays 10:00 a.m. Outdoor Block
Rochester/Austin FSN - North
Saturdays 10:00 a.m
Rockford WIFR TV 23 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:30 p.m.
Superior/Duluth WDIO TV 10 (ABC)
Sundays 5:30 p.m.
Tomah, WI WIBU - TV
Mondays 5:00 p.m
Upper Michigan - Escanaba, MI WJMN Ch 3 (CBS)
Saturdays 6:00 CST/7:00 EST
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Spring in the Air
I’m sitting by my wood stove, looking out over my snow covered fields and enjoying a cup of coffee. I’ve finished plowing my driveway—it has taken me an hour. The sun is bright, the outside temperature is warm (in the mid-thirties) and the snow is piled high, higher than I remember for most winters. It’s a fine winter day.
But I’ve had enough. I’m ready for spring. I thought I could feel spring in the air while I plowed, maybe I did. But spring is a fickle season. A teasing hussy. One moment she shows a little of herself, then runs away to hide while old man winter once more huffs and puffs and continues to show who is in charge.
I watch a doe deer walk down the hill just beyond the cabin. She appears to have wintered well, so far anyway. She looks toward the cabin, her head high and ears flicking. I’ll bet she’s also looking forward to spring.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Learn how to leave some things alone.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
But I’ve had enough. I’m ready for spring. I thought I could feel spring in the air while I plowed, maybe I did. But spring is a fickle season. A teasing hussy. One moment she shows a little of herself, then runs away to hide while old man winter once more huffs and puffs and continues to show who is in charge.
I watch a doe deer walk down the hill just beyond the cabin. She appears to have wintered well, so far anyway. She looks toward the cabin, her head high and ears flicking. I’ll bet she’s also looking forward to spring.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Learn how to leave some things alone.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Cardinal Song
I heard a cardinal call this morning. The sun was but a hint of red in the east, the wind was down and the temperature hung at zero. The male cardinal sang his song of love on this cold Valentine’s day.
I wait for the cardinal’s song each year, for when I hear it I know we’ve turned the corner on winter and spring hides just around the corner. Well maybe not quite that close.
We’ve had as many as five cardinal pairs at our feeder all winter. Splashes of red against a landscape of white. Now in mid-February, they and I patiently wait for spring. These red birds feel the seasonal change coming and announce it boldly with their calls. Scientists tell us increasing daylight triggers their calling. No matter what causes it, at this time in winter I welcome any hint of spring.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Life is like a river. There are twists and turns, quiet spots and rapids, deep pools and shallow flats. But a river is always moving. Always the same but always different. Like life itself.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
I wait for the cardinal’s song each year, for when I hear it I know we’ve turned the corner on winter and spring hides just around the corner. Well maybe not quite that close.
We’ve had as many as five cardinal pairs at our feeder all winter. Splashes of red against a landscape of white. Now in mid-February, they and I patiently wait for spring. These red birds feel the seasonal change coming and announce it boldly with their calls. Scientists tell us increasing daylight triggers their calling. No matter what causes it, at this time in winter I welcome any hint of spring.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Life is like a river. There are twists and turns, quiet spots and rapids, deep pools and shallow flats. But a river is always moving. Always the same but always different. Like life itself.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Warm Weather Search
We went looking for warmer weather last week. First stop, Tampa, Florida. No warm weather there—temperature barely made it to 50 degrees. Next to Key West, Florida. Fifties there as well. Person at the museum in Key West said it was one of the coldest winters on record. Cold killed many tropical plants.
Next stop Belize—getting warmer. In the 70s. Then to Honduras. Down right hot and muggy. Mid 80s. And finally to Costa Maya, Mexico. High 80s, humidity in the 90s. A reminder of Wisconsin in July. Way too hot.
Back home. Snowing. Twenty-six degrees. Beautiful winter day. At heart we are winter people, although it was fun to walk around with sleeves rolled up and the sun shining hot on our backs for a few days.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Stand in a snowstorm and watch snowflakes accumulate on your sleeve. Each snowflake is different, each one special—a reminder of nature’s creative magnificence.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Next stop Belize—getting warmer. In the 70s. Then to Honduras. Down right hot and muggy. Mid 80s. And finally to Costa Maya, Mexico. High 80s, humidity in the 90s. A reminder of Wisconsin in July. Way too hot.
Back home. Snowing. Twenty-six degrees. Beautiful winter day. At heart we are winter people, although it was fun to walk around with sleeves rolled up and the sun shining hot on our backs for a few days.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Stand in a snowstorm and watch snowflakes accumulate on your sleeve. Each snowflake is different, each one special—a reminder of nature’s creative magnificence.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wood Burning Cook Stove
At my cabin, I cook and heat the place with a wood burning cook stove. It’s a fine old stove, a Home Comfort made by the Wrought Iron Range Company of St. Louis, Missouri. The company made cook stoves from 1864 to 1940. Salesmen sold them all over the country, especially in the Midwest.
I bought the stove in 1970, used of course. Let’s say it was one of the last stoves the company made, in 1940. The stove was but a youngster in 1970, a scant 30 years old. Today, 40 years later, the old stove is a senior citizen. But like a bunch of other 70 year olds I know, it’s going strong. It’s a little rusty here and there—but the grates are fine, the oven works and it burns wood today as well as it ever did.
And what a wonderful heat it provides. Sure, if you are in a hurry to cook something my old stove would probably send you to McDonald’s. But hurry is not what my cabin is about. My cabin is about slowing down—doing slow cooking, sometimes very slow cooking. But I must say, and I know it’s my opinion, homemade soup cooked on a wood burning stove is just about the best thing you could ever put on the table when the snow is piled high and temperature hangs down there around zero. I can smell it now.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Watch the sun set when the temperature is below freezing. The sky is steel blue that turns black as the sun sinks away and the thermometer plummets.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
I bought the stove in 1970, used of course. Let’s say it was one of the last stoves the company made, in 1940. The stove was but a youngster in 1970, a scant 30 years old. Today, 40 years later, the old stove is a senior citizen. But like a bunch of other 70 year olds I know, it’s going strong. It’s a little rusty here and there—but the grates are fine, the oven works and it burns wood today as well as it ever did.
And what a wonderful heat it provides. Sure, if you are in a hurry to cook something my old stove would probably send you to McDonald’s. But hurry is not what my cabin is about. My cabin is about slowing down—doing slow cooking, sometimes very slow cooking. But I must say, and I know it’s my opinion, homemade soup cooked on a wood burning stove is just about the best thing you could ever put on the table when the snow is piled high and temperature hangs down there around zero. I can smell it now.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Watch the sun set when the temperature is below freezing. The sky is steel blue that turns black as the sun sinks away and the thermometer plummets.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6, 10:30 a.m. (Old Farm and Ames County novels.)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Walden
In mid-winter, during a string of cloudy, dreary days, with the snow piled high and the cold lingering on, I like to catch up on my reading. I often turn to the classics that I read many years ago. Henry David Thoreau’s, WALDEN is one of them.
Though his writing is sometimes difficult to grasp, Thoreau’s words, written in 1854, continue to resonate with me: “In Wilderness is the preservation of the world,” he wrote. Those words were important in Thoreau’s day; they are even more important today.
Thoreau lived for a time in a cabin in the woods on Walden Pond and wrote: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
So I sit and read and ponder the layers of meaning in Thoreau’s writing, and their application to today’s frantic world.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Listen to the views of others, but trust your own as well.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6 (time to be announced). (Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Though his writing is sometimes difficult to grasp, Thoreau’s words, written in 1854, continue to resonate with me: “In Wilderness is the preservation of the world,” he wrote. Those words were important in Thoreau’s day; they are even more important today.
Thoreau lived for a time in a cabin in the woods on Walden Pond and wrote: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
So I sit and read and ponder the layers of meaning in Thoreau’s writing, and their application to today’s frantic world.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Listen to the views of others, but trust your own as well.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oakwood East Community Center, Madison. Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6 (time to be announced). (Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old
Farm)
UW-Baraboo, “Add Learning to Your Life” workshop for those 55 and older. March 25, 11:30 a.m. (Stories From the Land) Call 608-355-5234 for further information.
Westfield Public Library. March 31, 12:45-1:30. (Ames County Novels)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Ice Skating
It warmed up this past week. A January thaw. When I was a kid, a January thaw meant ponds forming in the hollows at the farm, places for ice skating.
My two brothers and I each had a pair of clamp-on skates, the kind that you fastened to the bottom of your shoes. We bought them at Hotz Hardware in Wild Rose—50 cents a pair. Only problem with the clamp-on skates—they pulled the heels from your shoes. But that was a small price to pay for the fun we had.
I was not much of an ice-skater. My brother Don got quite good at it. But his twin brother Darrel, well he was a whiz of a skater. He skated forward, he could cross step, he skated backwards, he cross stepped backward. He skated circles around his twin and me.
We skated every day, after we got home from school and finished our chores. We skated until either another big snow buried our ponds, or spring finally arrived and they disappeared. In those days, winter was a time for fun. It still is.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A good story, even if lacking in facts, can help us to see the truth.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) January 19, noon, Blackhawk Country Club, Madison. (Telling Stories: Why and How?)
Radio interview, January 21, Public Radio, KBRW, Barrow, Alaska. (Story telling)
Oakwood East Community Center, Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Three chapters of Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6 (time to be announced). (Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old Farm)
My two brothers and I each had a pair of clamp-on skates, the kind that you fastened to the bottom of your shoes. We bought them at Hotz Hardware in Wild Rose—50 cents a pair. Only problem with the clamp-on skates—they pulled the heels from your shoes. But that was a small price to pay for the fun we had.
I was not much of an ice-skater. My brother Don got quite good at it. But his twin brother Darrel, well he was a whiz of a skater. He skated forward, he could cross step, he skated backwards, he cross stepped backward. He skated circles around his twin and me.
We skated every day, after we got home from school and finished our chores. We skated until either another big snow buried our ponds, or spring finally arrived and they disappeared. In those days, winter was a time for fun. It still is.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A good story, even if lacking in facts, can help us to see the truth.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) January 19, noon, Blackhawk Country Club, Madison. (Telling Stories: Why and How?)
Radio interview, January 21, Public Radio, KBRW, Barrow, Alaska. (Story telling)
Oakwood East Community Center, Saturday, February 13, 9:30 a.m. (Three chapters of Delta Kappa Gamma—Educational fraternity) (Stories from the One-Room School)
Eau Claire Farm Show, Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, March 3, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Stories From The Land)
Aldo Leopold celebration, Lake Geneva Public Library, March 6 (time to be announced). (Old Farm and Blue Shadows Farm)
Wisconsin Studio, Overture Center, Madison, WI, Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. (Old Farm)
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Snowshoes
I bought a new pair of snowshoes a couple years ago, the kind with an aluminum frame and plastic webbing to provide support. Not at all like the snowshoes I’ve used for many years. These older ones have ash wood frames and leather mesh—and now hang on my cabin wall for decoration.
The other morning, when the temperature hung near ten degrees, I slipped into my fancy snowshoes and set off up the hill south of the cabin. It’s easy to criticize these new shoe shoes as lacking in good looks, historical foundation, or whatever else might tickle your critical fancy.
But they work and work well. Oh, did I say they weigh about half as much as my older model, and are only about a third as long. Anyone who knows anything about snow shoeing is aware of a lot of foot lifting when moving through deep snow—I appreciate the lighter weight and shorter length.
So I am faced, again, with questions: What of the new, no matter what it is, should I embrace? What of the old should I keep using and what should I set aside?
When it comes to snow shoes I’ve made up my mind.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Take time to see the whiteness of fresh fallen snow that sparkles and glimmers and covers the grime and dirt of an earlier day. It’s nature’s way of hiding human clutter.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
The other morning, when the temperature hung near ten degrees, I slipped into my fancy snowshoes and set off up the hill south of the cabin. It’s easy to criticize these new shoe shoes as lacking in good looks, historical foundation, or whatever else might tickle your critical fancy.
But they work and work well. Oh, did I say they weigh about half as much as my older model, and are only about a third as long. Anyone who knows anything about snow shoeing is aware of a lot of foot lifting when moving through deep snow—I appreciate the lighter weight and shorter length.
So I am faced, again, with questions: What of the new, no matter what it is, should I embrace? What of the old should I keep using and what should I set aside?
When it comes to snow shoes I’ve made up my mind.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Take time to see the whiteness of fresh fallen snow that sparkles and glimmers and covers the grime and dirt of an earlier day. It’s nature’s way of hiding human clutter.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Winter Quiet
The temperature slid to eight below zero during the night. Clear sky, no wind, and a bright sun greeted me when I stepped outside the cabin in the morning. Quiet. So quiet, until I began walking and heard the snow creaking loudly as only cold weather snow can.
I walked along my long driveway to the country road that was still ice covered and slippery. The winter sun, slowly sneaking above the horizon far to the southeast cast long shadows on the bluish-white, snow covered fields. The snow sparkled as if someone had scattered tiny little diamonds everywhere.
Arriving at the country road, I heard only the quiet of a cold January morning. I stood for a time listening and feeling the subtle warmth of the winter sun on my face.
On my way back to the cabin, I stopped at the woodshed for an armful of wood, the cabin stove is ever hungry, more so on a below zero morning. Once in the cabin, I poured another cup of coffee and looked out at the diamonds on the snow. A pleasant way to start the day; a restful way to begin the new year.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Listen for the silence of winter, when the snow buries the land and the cold tightens its grip, turning breath into clouds and thickening ice on the lakes. There is great beauty in silence, something that we have little of these days.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 5. (Note date change)11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
I walked along my long driveway to the country road that was still ice covered and slippery. The winter sun, slowly sneaking above the horizon far to the southeast cast long shadows on the bluish-white, snow covered fields. The snow sparkled as if someone had scattered tiny little diamonds everywhere.
Arriving at the country road, I heard only the quiet of a cold January morning. I stood for a time listening and feeling the subtle warmth of the winter sun on my face.
On my way back to the cabin, I stopped at the woodshed for an armful of wood, the cabin stove is ever hungry, more so on a below zero morning. Once in the cabin, I poured another cup of coffee and looked out at the diamonds on the snow. A pleasant way to start the day; a restful way to begin the new year.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Listen for the silence of winter, when the snow buries the land and the cold tightens its grip, turning breath into clouds and thickening ice on the lakes. There is great beauty in silence, something that we have little of these days.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 5. (Note date change)11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Ice Fishing
The years I attended grade school and high school we spent Christmas vacations ice fishing. My brothers, dad and I would finish the morning barns chores and we were off to Mt. Morris Lake, east of Wild Rose a few miles.
We first chopped holes through the ice. Pa’s ice chisel was one that Arnold Christensen, the blacksmith in Wild Rose had made out of a Model T Ford axle. He’d sharpened one end and drilled a hole through the other. Pa pushed a length of leather shoe lace through the hole and tied it in a loop. We were not to use the ice chisel without looping the leather throng over our wrist as we knew of many ice chisels on the bottom of the lake.
Next was to set up our tip-ups, a device that we stuck down in the freshly chopped hole. It contained fish line that would play out if a fish took our bait—we used large minnows for bait. Sometimes other fisherman chided us that if we caught no fish, we could always fry up the minnows. They thought it was a big joke. Pa’s take was the bigger the minnow, the bigger the fish we would catch. The tip-up also had a little flag that would fly up if a fish grabbed the minnow.
With the tip-ups set, we walked to shore, started a little fire and sat watching the tip-ups a hundred yards or so out on the lake through a trickle of wood smoke. Several others fished as well, and we often invited them to join us by our smoky little fire. Each different person meant a new set of stories.
As I look back at those ice fishing years, the stories were nearly as important as the fish we caught. We also caught fish. A bunch of them.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Happy New Year. Every year is a good year, some are just better than others.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
We first chopped holes through the ice. Pa’s ice chisel was one that Arnold Christensen, the blacksmith in Wild Rose had made out of a Model T Ford axle. He’d sharpened one end and drilled a hole through the other. Pa pushed a length of leather shoe lace through the hole and tied it in a loop. We were not to use the ice chisel without looping the leather throng over our wrist as we knew of many ice chisels on the bottom of the lake.
Next was to set up our tip-ups, a device that we stuck down in the freshly chopped hole. It contained fish line that would play out if a fish took our bait—we used large minnows for bait. Sometimes other fisherman chided us that if we caught no fish, we could always fry up the minnows. They thought it was a big joke. Pa’s take was the bigger the minnow, the bigger the fish we would catch. The tip-up also had a little flag that would fly up if a fish grabbed the minnow.
With the tip-ups set, we walked to shore, started a little fire and sat watching the tip-ups a hundred yards or so out on the lake through a trickle of wood smoke. Several others fished as well, and we often invited them to join us by our smoky little fire. Each different person meant a new set of stories.
As I look back at those ice fishing years, the stories were nearly as important as the fish we caught. We also caught fish. A bunch of them.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Happy New Year. Every year is a good year, some are just better than others.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Christmas Secret
Ruth and I attended a Christmas program this week. Kids, mostly little ones, on a little stage reciting their lines, singing songs and reminding me of when I attended country school and we put on a Christmas program the last Friday before Christmas break.
I remember vividly my first Christmas program. I was five years old and in first grade (our school had no kindergarten). My first grade teacher, Theresa Piechowski, was firm but patient with me. She said that everyone in the school from first to eighth graders must “say their piece.” Meaning we had to memorize a little ditty about the Holiday season, stand on the makeshift stage in the front of the school and say what we’d been instructed to say.
I informed Miss Piechowski that I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to do this. She would have none of it. I was to stand on stage and say my piece and that was that.
When she noted how worried I looked, she took me aside and in a near whisper said, “I have a secret for speaking in front of a crowd.”
I was all ears. “When you stand on that stage,” she motioned to the rickety set of planks strung across some sawhorses. “You stand up straight. Take your hands out of your pockets, and talk with a loud, clear voice.”
So what was so secret about that, I wondered. But then she continued. “Do you see the damper on the stove pipe?” She was pointing to the woodstove that stood in the back of the school room.
“I see the damper,” I said, wondering when she was going to get around to telling me her secret for speaking to a group of relatives, neighbors and schoolmates who were as likely to stick their tongues out at me as cross their eyes when I stood on the stage.
“When you stand on the stage and begin talking, look at the damper. People will think you’re looking right at them, but you hardly will see them at all. And you’ll have no problems.’
Miss Piechowski was right. Today, when I speak to a group and I do often, I stare at some spot in the back of the room and all goes well. It’s my Christmas gift to all of you who have dry mouth and empty brains when called on to speak.
Merry Christmas.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: First things first, but not necessarily in that order.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Consider my books, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE, and OLD FARM. See my website for details. Available in most book shops. Can also be ordered from my website.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
I remember vividly my first Christmas program. I was five years old and in first grade (our school had no kindergarten). My first grade teacher, Theresa Piechowski, was firm but patient with me. She said that everyone in the school from first to eighth graders must “say their piece.” Meaning we had to memorize a little ditty about the Holiday season, stand on the makeshift stage in the front of the school and say what we’d been instructed to say.
I informed Miss Piechowski that I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to do this. She would have none of it. I was to stand on stage and say my piece and that was that.
When she noted how worried I looked, she took me aside and in a near whisper said, “I have a secret for speaking in front of a crowd.”
I was all ears. “When you stand on that stage,” she motioned to the rickety set of planks strung across some sawhorses. “You stand up straight. Take your hands out of your pockets, and talk with a loud, clear voice.”
So what was so secret about that, I wondered. But then she continued. “Do you see the damper on the stove pipe?” She was pointing to the woodstove that stood in the back of the school room.
“I see the damper,” I said, wondering when she was going to get around to telling me her secret for speaking to a group of relatives, neighbors and schoolmates who were as likely to stick their tongues out at me as cross their eyes when I stood on the stage.
“When you stand on the stage and begin talking, look at the damper. People will think you’re looking right at them, but you hardly will see them at all. And you’ll have no problems.’
Miss Piechowski was right. Today, when I speak to a group and I do often, I stare at some spot in the back of the room and all goes well. It’s my Christmas gift to all of you who have dry mouth and empty brains when called on to speak.
Merry Christmas.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: First things first, but not necessarily in that order.
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Consider my books, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE, and OLD FARM. See my website for details. Available in most book shops. Can also be ordered from my website.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Blizzard
The news people called it the biggest snowstorm since 1990. Fifteen inches and more in much of Wisconsin with wind to move it around, especially in rural areas. Shopping centers closed, colleges and universities shutdown, schools closed.
When I attended a country school, it never closed. Drifted roads, frigid temperatures, ice, electricity out—the school remained open. For the eight-years that I attended Chain O’ Lake School in the Town of Rose, Waushara County, I don’t recall a single day that it closed. Of course we all walked, some kids more than two miles one-way. During my early school years, the school didn’t have electricity, so a power outage somewhere didn’t matter. We did our lessons huddled around a big old rusty wood burning stove. If a blizzard raged during the day, the teacher might close things down a couple hours early so we could mush our way home before dark.
Big snowstorms made for good stories and fond memories—mostly. The down side was shoveling paths. Paths to the barn, to the granary, to the pump house, to the corn crib, to the straw stack, to the chicken house, to the woodshed, and of course to the outhouse for no one in our neighborhood had indoor plumbing in those days.
With the shoveling finished, out came the sleds and the skis. The fun side of winter. My grandfather made my first skis from birch wood. He steamed the wood so the ends turned up. But alas, he didn’t know how to make grooves in the bottom of the skis so I slid side-ways as often as I went forward down a hill. But great fun it was.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Enjoy the snow and pity those living in the southern climes who can’t look out a window and see the beauty of winter
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Consider my books, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE, and OLD FARM. See my website for details. Available in most book shops. Can also be ordered from my website.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
When I attended a country school, it never closed. Drifted roads, frigid temperatures, ice, electricity out—the school remained open. For the eight-years that I attended Chain O’ Lake School in the Town of Rose, Waushara County, I don’t recall a single day that it closed. Of course we all walked, some kids more than two miles one-way. During my early school years, the school didn’t have electricity, so a power outage somewhere didn’t matter. We did our lessons huddled around a big old rusty wood burning stove. If a blizzard raged during the day, the teacher might close things down a couple hours early so we could mush our way home before dark.
Big snowstorms made for good stories and fond memories—mostly. The down side was shoveling paths. Paths to the barn, to the granary, to the pump house, to the corn crib, to the straw stack, to the chicken house, to the woodshed, and of course to the outhouse for no one in our neighborhood had indoor plumbing in those days.
With the shoveling finished, out came the sleds and the skis. The fun side of winter. My grandfather made my first skis from birch wood. He steamed the wood so the ends turned up. But alas, he didn’t know how to make grooves in the bottom of the skis so I slid side-ways as often as I went forward down a hill. But great fun it was.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Enjoy the snow and pity those living in the southern climes who can’t look out a window and see the beauty of winter
WRITING WORKSHOP: The dates for my writing workshop at The Clearing in Door
County for 2010 are August 8-14. Contact www.theclearing.org for further information.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Consider my books, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE, and OLD FARM. See my website for details. Available in most book shops. Can also be ordered from my website.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 4, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Ideas Network. Telling Wisconsin Stories. (With Larry Meiller)
January 14, 6:30 p.m. Madison History Round Table. West Side Business Men’s Association. Old Farm
January 19, Noon luncheon. SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) Black Hawk County Club, Madison. Telling Stories—Why and How.
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