My father’s day present came arrived a week late, but it was well worth it.  My son-in-law, Paul constructed a raised vegetable garden for my backyard in Madison.  I know some of you are wondering why I need another vegetable garden beyond the huge one we have at the farm.  But there is something to be said for having a vegetable garden close at hand, especially when I plan to devote most of it to strawberries.  I will save one end of the structure for a couple tomato plants and maybe even a row of lettuce.  Sure nice to have fresh lettuce handy when you want it.

Now for the details.  My new raised garden is eight feet long, 14 inches high and 39 inches deep.  I bought several sacks of small rocks to line the bottom of the garden and covered these with a couple pails of sand to make for good drainage.  My dad would be shaking his head in disbelieve  if he were living and learned that I had purchased both rocks and sand—the home farm had 160 acres of them.  Then we filled the rest of the structure with topsoil.

Temporarily, I planted some bush beans, a couple hills of zucchini and a single tomato plant—to see if I can grow something yet this summer.  This fall I will set out strawberry plants.

This is another of my several garden experiments that I’ve tried over the years.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: For those of you without much space to grow vegetables, a raised garden might be the answer.  Make sure the spot you select gets several hours of sun each day.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at WACEC Conference, University of Wisconsin-Extension.

June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.

July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.

August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Father's Day Present

My father’s day present arrived a week late, but it was well worth it.  My son-in-law, Paul constructed a raised vegetable garden for my backyard in Madison.  I know some of you are wondering why I need another vegetable garden beyond the huge one we have at the farm.  But there is something to be said for having a vegetable garden close at hand, especially when I plan to devote most of it to strawberries.  I will save one end of the structure for a couple tomato plants and maybe even a row of lettuce.  Sure nice to have fresh lettuce handy when you want it.

Now for the details.  My new raised garden is eight feet long, 14 inches high and 39 inches deep.  I bought several sacks of small rocks to line the bottom of the garden and covered these with a couple pails of sand to make for good drainage.  My dad would be shaking his head in disbelieve if he were living and learned that I had purchased both rocks and sand—the home farm had 160 acres of them.  Then we filled the rest of the structure with topsoil.

Temporarily, I planted some bush beans, a couple hills of zucchini and a single tomato plant—to see if I can grow something yet this summer.  This fall I will set out strawberry plants.

This is another of my several garden experiments that I’ve tried over the years.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: For those of without much space to grow vegetables, a raised garden might be the answer.  Make sure the spot you select gets several hours of sun each day.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at WACEC Conference, University of Wisconsin-Extension.

June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.

July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.

August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

A First

We were on the trail in our oak woods, Sue and Paul and grandson, Josh.  Enjoying the coolness of the deep woods and the fresh smells of a June day in the outdoors.

Sue spotted her first—a big doe standing on the trail ahead of us, in the shadows where the trail winds between our two ponds before climbing sharply to the west.

We stop and watch—and then, out of the underbrush emerges her fawn, a tiny little thing only a couple feet tall if that.  And then we saw something none of us had seen before, at least not in the wild.  The fawn began nursing, its little white tail wagging back and forth as its mother kept a wary eye in our direction.  After a couple of minutes, the doe disappeared into the thick underbrush, leaving the little one standing alone, its lunch on the move. Abruptly, the little one realizing it had been left, turned and bounded after its mother, I’m sure wondering why its lunch was interrupted.

THE OLDTIMER SAYS: You are never too old to see something new—especially in the outdoors.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 20, 5:30 p.m. Alger Delta Electric Co-op annual meeting, Grace Church, Gladstone, Michigan.

June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at Wisconsin County Boards Association Meeting.

June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.

July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.

August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Surprise!

I was working in my lupine patch at the farm—about two acres of beautiful spring flowers that I nurture because the endangered Karner Blue butterfly requires lupines for its survival.  Periodically I go in and cut out rogue trees and brush that want to take over the open area and shade out the lupines.

I was doing this the other afternoon, while Steve was concentrating on finding a Karner Blue and taking its picture.  In among a thick patch of lupines I noticed what appeared to be a mottled wooden stick about four or five feet long and as big around as a shovel handle.  I was about to kick it—and it moved.  It was then I realized that I had nearly kicked a snake—a good sized one, too.

We haven’t seen many snakes at the farm in recent years, and then only garter snakes that seem to enjoy living in our wood pile and scaring the bejeebers out of those who help me move the wood pile each spring into the woodshed.

I got a good look at its head, and its eyes.  We have some 22 different kinds of snakes in Wisconsin and only two of them are poisonous.  The snake I saw had a round eye; the two poisonous snakes in the state have cat eyes (elliptical). Wisconsin’s poisonous snakes are the timber rattler and the swamp rattler.  See http://woodlandinfo.org/publications/UWEX/G3139.pdf for a good discussion of all of Wisconsin’s snakes, including where you can expect to find various kinds.

What kind of snake had I nearly kicked with my boot—a Fox Snake, often called a Pine Snake.  Quite a beautiful creature with its reddish-brown blotchy patches on its topside.  The Fox Snake’s favorite meal includes chipmunks, gophers, field mice, even small rabbits.  They are constrictors meaning they strike their prey, wrap their body around it and squeeze it to death.  Then they swallow it whole. 

The one I saw wanted nothing to do with me as it slithered away. I followed it to a gopher hole where it slid in, not to be seen again.  I wondered about the occupants of the gopher hole.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Thinking for yourself is hard work.  So much easier to grab onto someone else’s thinking—and then wonder why you don’t feel right.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Why education matters.

June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha. Garden Wisdom

June 20, 5:30 p.m. Ager Delta Electric Co-op annual meeting, Grace Church, Gladstone, Michigan. History of rural electrification. 

Rocky Mountain Gardening

What a difference a few feet of elevation can do to gardening.  Well, quite a few feet to be honest about it.

Ruth and I have just returned from a visit with our son Jeff’s family in Avon, Colorado, where Jeff, his wife Sandy and our three grandkids, Christian, Nick and Libby have a vegetable garden in their backyard. 

Before going further, some comparative information.  Our garden at Roshara is about 1,000 feet above sea level.  Jeff’s garden is about 7,500 feet.  And 6,500 feet of elevation makes all the difference.  I’ve been eating radishes for two weeks; Jeff’s radishes are just poking their heads above ground.  Our potatoes are nearly filling the rows; Jeff’s are not up.  Our peas are in pod stage and a week or so from picking.  Jeff’s are just coming up.

            Avon is having mid-spring weather: the daffodils are blooms, as are the tulips.  The lilacs are in full bloom and the thousands of acres of aspens on the mountainsides are absolu8tely splendid in their early spring many shades of green.

            On the plus side, with long days and lots of brilliant sunshine, Jeff’s garden will do well—it simply grows on a different time schedule than those of us in Wisconsin know.   Oh, just as here in the Midwest, more and residents in the mountains are growing some of their own food.  It’s the new wave of the future—really a return to a very old idea, but that’s another story.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you grow your own food, you know its history—from seed to your dinner plate.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 6, 10:30. College Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels

June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Early history of Agricultural Education in Wisconsin including farm stories.

June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha.

Another Garden Update

Time for another garden update.  March-planted vegetables  are doing well, except for a few hills of potatoes, which I replanted last week.  Everything ahead by a few weeks.  Radishes ready to eat, lettuce soon.

This coming week I’ll set out tomato plants—fingers crossed that frosty mornings will hold off until fall.  I’ll also plant green beans, more sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash, pumpkins, gourds, everything that’s not yet in the ground.

Alas, this is the first year that potato bugs have appeared before the entire garden is planted.  On Saturday Steve sprayed the potatoes with a new concoction we found last year called  “Potato Beetle Beater.”  Can’t beat that for a name.  You spray it on the potato plants when the first orange egg clusters appear on the underside of the potato plants.  The newly hatched and hungry potato beetles eat the treated leaves and that’s it.  No more beetles.  Unless the rain washes off the spray.  Unless this year’s crop of beetles is even tougher than last year.  We’ll see.  Old fashioned way of picking off the mature beetles and drowning them in a pail of water still works when all else fails.

NO BLOG ON MAY 27.  In Colorado until May 31.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  This year’s gardening season is beginning to look like the most unusual ever.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

May 24-31. Avon, Colorado. Writing and researching.

June 3, 1-3 p.m., Pendarvis, Mineral Point.  Garden Wisdom

June 6, 10:30. College Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels

June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Early history of Agricultural Education in Wisconsin including farm stories.

June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha.

Remembering a Friend

I lost a friend this week.  Barbara Fitz Vroman, an author, writing teacher, editor, and much more passed away on Monday, May 7.

I first met Barb in 1966, when she was News Editor at the Waushara Argus, and I was freelancing a weekly column called “Outdoor Notebook.” At the time she was my boss, the one who worked on my mangled attempts at selecting appropriate words and stringing them together in ways that made sense.

I wrote the column for ten years, until I moved on to book writing.  In the meantime Barb wrote award winning novels such as Tomorrow is a River, Sons of Thunder and more.  Along the way she began her own publishing house; Pearl-Win she named it. I was privileged to help her select manuscripts for publication, and have her publish my book Skiing into Wisconsin.

For many years, Barb and I taught writing at The School of Arts in Rhinelander.  She was soon well known for her caring, encouraging approach to teaching, and for her legions of student- followers.  She also began teaching writing workshops at The Clearing in Door County, where she was scheduled to teach this summer.

Shy, quiet and unassuming, Barb was often in the background.  But her writing surely wasn’t, nor was her teaching.  She will be missed, but also long remembered.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Sad though it may be sometimes; it’s important to take some time to remember our friends.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

May 19, 1-4:00 p.m. Old World Wisconsin. Eagle,  Book signing. Garden Wisdom, Barns  of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days.

May 20, 9:15 a.m. Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Madison.  Adult Education Hour.  Garden Wisdom.

May 20, 7:00 p.m. Lebanon Historical Society, Lebanon, WI. Barns of Wisconsin.

May 24-31. Avon, Colorado. Writing and researching.

June 3, 1-3 p.m., Pendarvis, Mineral Point.  Garden Wisdom

June 6, 10:30. College Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels

June 13, 6:00p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Farm stories and more.

Special Days

Two dates take precedence over all others for many Wisconsinites.  When the calendars are put in place each January, these dates are circled.  No weddings, no anniversary celebrations, no birthday parties, even funerals are avoided on these special, historic dates that have been so very important for so very long in our state.

What are the dates?  The opening day of deer season in November and the first day of fishing season in May.  All else, no matter how important it may seem, is put aside as hunters and anglers return to what their fathers,  grandfathers and great-grandfathers did on these dates.

Much to the surprise and sometimes even astonishment of my non-outdoor sports relatives and friends, these dates are carefully marked and saved on my usually cluttered calendar.

On Saturday, my brother Don, an equally strong advocate of protecting these dates, and I hitched my old Sears 12-foot aluminum boat to his truck and we launched the fishing season at the Wild Rose Millpond.  Alas, not one trout did we hook in two hours.  And that with fresh minnows purchased not two hours earlier from Lauritizen's on Main Street.

We loaded the boat back on my primitive trailer and we drove a a few miles to Little Silver Lake where a stiff eastern wind and the threat of rain boded ill for our effort.  In spite of the negative odds, we managed to pull in a  fine meal of bluegills.  It was a good opening day of the 2012 fishing season.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Fishing is always good.  Catching often less so.

COMING EVENTS:

May 7, 7:00 p.m. Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Ozaukee County Historical Society.  Barns of Wisconsin.

May 19, 1-4:00 p.m. Old World Wisconsin. Eagle,  Book signing. Garden Wisdom, Barns  of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days.

May 20, 9:15 a.m. Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Madison.  Adult Education Hour. Madison, Garden Wisdom.

May 20, 7:00 p.m. Lebanon Historical Society, Lebanon, WI. Barns of Wisconsin.

May 24-31. Avon, Colorado. Writing and researching.

Garden Report

 You’ll recall that I planted some of my early crop vegetables back in March, when spring abruptly replaced winter and acted like summer for several days.

So far my experiment worked, mostly anyway.  The radishes, carrots, beets, onions, peas and lettuce are all up and doing fairly well, considering too many mornings with temps in the 20s.  Alas, I’m still waiting for the early potatoes to appear.  It’s been more than month, and I should see some potato life.  I’ll wait a few more days before I become concerned.

This weekend the fence goes up—these early crops will soon be discovered by our resident deer and wild turkeys.  And I’ll plant a couple of rows of sweet corn.  It’s probably too early to plant sweet corn, but I’ll give it a try.

My indoor plants, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli and five different varieties of tomatoes have become leggy and overgrown with too little bright sunshine—I’ve only had them outside for a couple days and then had to drag them in with reports of frosty mornings.  I may have to repot them.  I don’t plan on setting out any of this tender stuff in the garden until late May.

Like every year, gardening has its challenges.  But that’s one of the reasons I keep doing it.  Each year offers something new, something different.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Want a challenge that’s also great fun.  Start a vegetable garden.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 29, 2:00 p.m. Lucille Tack Center for the Arts, Spencer, WI. I will be discussing my Ames County series of novels: THE TRAVELS OF INCREASE JOSEPH, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE and CRANBERRY RED. Free to the public.

May 3, 7:00 p.m. New Glarus High School. Town of New Glarus Parks.  Barns of Wisconsin.

May 7, 7:00 p.m. Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Ozaukee County Historical Society.  Barns of Wisconsin.

May 19, 1-4:00 p.m. Old World Wisconsin. Book signing. Garden Wisdom, Barns  of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days.

May 20, 9:15 a.m., Adult Education, Midvale Lutheran Church, Madison. Garden Wisdom

May 20, 7:00 p.m. Lebanon Historical Society, Lebanon. Barns of Wisconsin.

May 20, 9:15 a.m. Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Adult Education.

Earth Day 2012

Earth Day! It all began on April 22, 1970. Hats off to Wisconsin’s then Senator Gaylord Nelson, father of Earth Day, who had an eye for the future and passion for taking care of the environment.

What can you do to commemorate the day?

--Take a walk in the woods. Bring along a child or a grandchild, and walk quietly. Listening, watching, feeling, taking it all in.

--Plant a tree.

--Watch a sunset. Do it several times. No two are alike. Sunrises are great as well, sometimes even better.

--Start a vegetable garden. It doesn’t have to be more than a few rows. What a great feeling it is to know that you grew this food—and that the travel time, and cost, to deliver it to you was nil.

--Encourage your child or grandchild to help you in the garden. So they will know that carrots grow in the ground, that green beans grow on bushes that sweet corn grows on stalks. And that weeds need hoeing.

--Pull a copy of Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac from the shelf and read a few chapters—A Wisconsin story, this book. A sand country story.

--And when you’ve finished with Sand County Almanac, try a few chapter of Walden, Henry David Thoreau’s masterpiece.

--Listen to a pair of sandhill cranes flying overhead, calling their mysterious and ancient call.

--Take a child or a grandchild fishing. A great way to enjoy the outdoors—and learn something about patience at the same time. You also just might catch a fish.

--Go for a walk.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Let’s make Earth Day every day!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 27, 4:30 p.m. Friends of Wisconsin Historical Society: Old World Wisconsin (Eagle, WI, Dinner, auction, and presentation on BARNS OF WISCONSIN.

April 28, 11:00 – 4:00. Wisconsin Public TV at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose. Residents of the area are asked to bring in family farm photos for possible inclusion in a documentary film about farm life in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that Wis Public TV is doing. Photos will be immediately scanned and returned.

April 29, 2:00 p.m. Lucille Tack Center for the Arts, Spencer, WI. I will be discussing my Ames County series of novels: THE TRAVELS OF INCREASE JOSEPH, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE and CRANBERRY RED. Free to the public.

May 7, 7:00 p.m. Cultural Center, Cedarburg, WI Barns of Wisconsin. Ozaukee County Historical Society.

A Trail Through The Woods

Steve and I with some help from daughter Sue and son-in-law Paul, and brother Don hacked out a new trail in our 60 acre woodlot.

Uphill and downhill, between the ponds, around stones, through blackberry thickets, avoiding the big white oaks and black oaks and maple trees, with a chainsaw cutting through downed trees, and slicing off low hanging limbs. Hard work, but fun work, too. Deciding where to go and where not to go.

As I reflected on our trail building, it so much like life itself. We reach high points and then often are thrust into a valley, we meet an obstacle and then must decide to confront it or go around it. We lob off the low branches of our life, and, if we take time, stop occasionally to appreciate what we have done and enjoy the view—as we did building a new trail through the woods last week.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is more to trail building than meets the eye.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 21, 1:00 p.m. Cedarburg Public Library. Garden Wisdom

April 22, 11:30 a.m. Fond du Lac Historical Society (795 Fond du Lac Ave). Dinner. Remembering our Rural Heritage.

April 27, 4:30 p.m. Friends of Wisconsin Historical Society: Old World Wisconsin (Eagle, WI, Dinner, auction, and presentation on BARNS OF WISCONSIN.

April 28, 11:00 – 4:00. Wisconsin Public TV at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose. Residents of the area are asked to bring in family farm photos for possible inclusion in a documentary film about farm life in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that Wis Public TV is doing. Photos will be immediately scanned and returned.

April 29, 2:00 p.m. Lucille Tack Center for the Arts, Spencer, WI. I will be discussing my Ames County series of novels: THE TRAVELS OF INCREASE JOSEPH, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE and CRANBERRY RED. Free to the public

Early Garden Crops Planted

We’ve made history this spring. The first time ever that I planted garden in March. I plowed down my winter rye on March 20th, and on Saturday the 24th, when my helper crew arrived, we began planting. A little reluctantly, I might add, as a year ago on that date there was still snow on the ground. We planted lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, onions, peas and two rows of early potatoes.

The temperature was in the 70s, a pair of sandhills was raising a raucous in the valley to the west, and two pair of very noisy Canada geese were staking out nesting claims on either end of the pond. We could hear them, but we kept working. A pair of bluebirds worked as hard as we, as they were building a nest in the bird house to the north of the cabin. All the creatures at the farm are hustling and hurrying, believing that spring is really here and a month early.

On April 2, we planted ten rows of late potatoes. The radishes are up, the lettuce is poking through, and the peas are deciding if they want to face considerably less warm weather than we experienced a couple weeks ago. But the rest of the garden crops—especially the tomatoes will sit on my window sill until near the end of May.

One of the reasons I keep gardening is the mystery of it all, and never knowing what will happen, and whether things will grow or not. So far, this season appears to have the most mystery I’ve seen in my more than 60 years of vegetable gardening.

CHECK THIS OUT: Listen in to Wisconsin Public Radio, the Larry Meiller Show on Friday, April 13 at 11:00. We’ll be in front of a live audience, and I’ll be talking about my book, GARDEN WISDOM.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If it’s surprises you’re looking for, try growing a vegetable garden.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 12, 7:00 p.m. McMillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah Library. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Garden Wisdom)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Campfires and Loon Calls, and my newest book, Garden Wisdom)

April 21, 1:00 p.m. Cedarburg Public Library. Garden Wisdom

April 22, 11:30 a.m. Fond du Lac Historical Society (795 Fond du Lac Ave). Dinner. Remembering our Rural Heritage.

April 27, 4:30 p.m. Friends of Wisconsin Historical Society: Old World Wisconsin (Eagle, WI, Dinner, auction, and presentation on BARNS OF WISCONSIN.

April 28, 11:00 – 4:00. Wisconsin Public TV at Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose. Residents of the area are asked to bring in family farm photos for possible inclusion in a documentary film about farm life in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that Wis Public TV is doing. Photos will be immediately scanned and returned.

April 29, 2:00 p.m. Lucille Tack Center for the Arts, Spencer, WI. I will be discussing my Ames County series of novels: THE TRAVELS OF INCREASE JOSEPH, BLUE SHADOWS FARM, IN A PICKLE and CRANBERRY RED. Free to the public

Morton Arboretum

Ruth and I are visiting the Morton Arboretum about twenty-five miles west of Chicago this weekend. I am sharing information from my book, GARDEN WISDOM; Ruth is talking about vegetable and fruit preservation.

The Morton Arboretum, some 1700 acres of flowers, trees and prairie, (it includes a one-hundred acre prairie restoration project) was once the country estate of Joy Morton of the Morton Salt Company.

Morton moved here in 1910 and named the place Thornhill. The arboretum was established in 1922 by six members of the family and two executives of the Morton Salt Company.

Today, this showplace of the Mid-west is open to the public, and the public is here, hiking the 16 miles of trails, and biking along the nine miles of paved roads. With our early spring, they could see acres of daffodil’s, many, many red bud trees in full bloom, and even some lilacs sending forth their fragrant flowers.

The address for the Arboretum is Lisle, IL, a bustling business and corporate center. Check it out on www.mortonarb.org.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: It’s good to know that there are still places where peace, tranquility and beauty exist in our hurry, hurry “make a buck” society.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 12, 7:00 p.m. McMillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah Library. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Garden Wisdom)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Campfires and Loon Calls, and my newest book, Garden Wisdom)

April 21, 1:00 p.m. Cedarburg Public Library. Garden Wisdom

April 22, 11:30 a.m. Fond du Lac Historical Society (795 Fond du Lac Ave). Dinner. Remembering our Rural Heritage.

When Spring is Summer

It’s mid-March and I’m sitting on a bench by my pond. I’m in shirt sleeves and remembering just last year at this time the pond was still ice covered and the valley was buried in snow. But this year the pond is open, the grass around it is greening up and the spring frogs are raising a raucous.

In the deep woods to the north I hear a ruffed grouse drumming—boom….boom….boom, then faster, boom, boom, boom. Like an old John Deere two-cylinder tractor.

As I watch, a muskrat with its head above water swims across the pond to the north. A few minutes later, another muskrat swims from the north side of the pond to the south. A case of “the grass is greener on the other side of the pond” it appears.

And then, from the east, a pair of sandhill cranes glide in. their wings set, their landing gear down. They land effortlessly, near where they’ve had a nest for many years on the west side of our pond. One of them lets loose with its throaty call that I place right up there with the call of the loon for its mystery and mystic—and its tie to prehistoric times.

A pair of wood duck wings in from the north, completing the spring scene—albeit about a month early. Is it time to start planting my garden? I’m tempted to plant some cool weather vegetables. A hard freeze and another snowstorm on the way? Maybe. But if the critters at the pond appear to believe it’s spring, maybe I should, too.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Pay attention to nature’s critters; they can tell you more about seasonal change than a calendar.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. McMillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah Library. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Garden Wisdom)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Campfires and Loon Calls, and my newest book, Garden Wisdom)

April 21, 1:00 p.m. Cedarburg Public Library. Garden Wisdom

April 22, 11:30 a.m. Fond du Lac Historical Society (795 Fond du Lac Ave). Dinner. Remembering our Rural Heritage.

Early, Early Spring?

What happened? It’s several days before spring and summer has arrived. Several days now in the high 70s and even low 80s. Confusion reigns. Daffodils are opening. Tulips are trying. Maple trees are budding.

Has the weather world gone mad? Or is it just an early, early spring? Or, or—a dirty trick that Mother Nature is playing on us before flinging one more snowstorm our way.

I’m going for the former, as I remember—memory has its tricks I know—that back in the 1940s,or maybe early 50s we had such an early spring. On the home farm we were in the fields in mid-March, planting the early crops such as oats. Saw a farmer out in his field yesterday, doing the same thing.

I’ve caught spring fever along with everyone else. I’ll be planting some garden vegetables this week—radishes, lettuce, peas, onions, maybe even a few rows of potatoes. I’ll not follow conservative Old Timer’s advice.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Watch out for Mother Nature. She can be mighty unpredictable.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 24. Central Wisconsin launch of Garden Wisdom at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Garden Wisdom)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Campfires and Loon Calls, and my newest book, Garden Wisdom)

April 21, 1:00 p.m. Cedarburg Public Library. Garden Wisdom

April 22, 11:30 a.m. Fond du Lac Historical Society (795 Fond du Lac Ave). Dinner. Remembering our Rural Heritage.

Canoecopia

They came from all around Wisconsin, from other states, and from Canada, too. Paddlers, canoe people, kayak people. Those with years of experience; those who’ve never set foot in a canoe or kayak.

They all converged on Madison, Wisconsin for the annual Canoecopia billed as the “World’s largest Kayak, Canoe and Outdoor Expo.” The Rutabaga Store in Madison sponsors the event and it hauls thousands of paddling enthusiasts out of their winter doldrums into the promise of spring and another season of on-the water fun.

There were umpteen opportunities for learning as well, with speakers sharing everything from wildlife photography to paddling Alaska’s North Slope, from kayak fishing to river trails of Wisconsin. Something for everyone, especially those looking for a little outdoor adventure and an opportunity to leave behind cellphones, laptops, and ipads.

I shared a bit of our adventures in the Boundary Waters Canoe area where my son, Steve and I have canoed for more than 25 years—stories from my book, Campfires and Loon Calls. Lots of interest; lots of story sharing.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is more to be gained from paddling a canoe than merely going from here to there.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 11, 2:00 p.m. Book talk and signing, Arcadia Bookstore, Spring Green. (Garden Wisdom)

March 17, 10-2:00 p.m. Rock River Gallery and Coffee House, Jefferson. (Garden Wisdom)

March 24. Central Wisconsin launch of Garden Wisdom at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Garden Wisdom)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Campfires and Loon Calls, and my newest book, Garden Wisdom)

Winter Awakens

I spoke too soon last week. It’s likely all my fault that Old Man Winter awakened, crawled off his couch and dumped five inches of snow on many of us in southern Wisconsin. It may be late in the winter season with signs of spring wherever I look, but this morning it looked, and felt like winter. Even the usually happy cardinals were quiet—their feathers ruffled as they huddled in the cedar trees back of the house.

Outside of more shoveling—we really haven’t had much this winter—it was really quite beautiful this morning with snow hanging on everything, and sparkling like sugar sprinkled on sorghum cookies.

Which reminds me to mention that all are invited to Barnes and Noble, West Madison on Tuesday evening at 7:00 for sorghum cookies and some tales from Garden Wisdom. And if you miss Tuesday evening, drive a short distance to Spring Green for a presentation and signing at Arcadia Bookstore at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 11.

CHECK THIS OUT: March 6, 5:00 p.m. Tune in “Live at Five” on WISC, Channel 3, Madison (Charter Cable Channel 9), for a little bit about GARDEN WISDOM.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Without winter, spring would merely be a yawn.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 6, 5:00 p.m. Madison TV Channel 3 (Charter Cable 9)

March 6, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble-West, Madison. Launch of Garden Wisdom.

March 9-11. Canoecopia, Alliant Center, Madison. (Trade show for all things canoeing) I am speaking at 4:30 on Friday, March 9 and at 2:30 on Saturday, March 10. Steve will share Boundary Waters photos as part of Saturday’s presentation.

March 11, 2:00 p.m. Book talk and signing, Arcadia Bookstore, Spring Green. (Garden Wisdom)

March 17, 10-2:00 p.m. Rock River Gallery and Coffee House, Jefferson. (Garden Wisdom)

March 24. Central Wisconsin launch of Garden Wisdom at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Stories from the land)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Garden Wisdom)

An Aging Old Man Winter

Old man winter is showing his age. This year he seems content to spend most of his time napping on the couch rather than periodically hurling blizzards at us and trying to frost our systems with days-on-end below zero weather.

Besides that he appears to have given up what little hold he had on the 2011-2012 season. I saw a robin last week; others have seen bluebirds and sandhill cranes. These creatures appear to have accepted the demise of what winter we’ve had in anticipation of an early spring.

But be careful. Old man winter may be old, but like some old people I know, he can be unpredictable and even at times a little crotchety. Just because old man winter is getting on in years doesn’t mean he lacks power—at least I, for one, don’t think so.

CHECK THIS OUT: March 6, 7:00 p.m. at Barnes and Noble West in Madison Ruth and I’ll be launching GARDEN WISDOM. Ruth has prepared some great door prizes ranging from her famous home-made grape jelly, to her even more famous zucchini bread.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You haven’t got it until you get it.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 6, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble-West, Madison. Launch of Garden Wisdom.

March 9-11. Canoecopia, Alliant Center, Madison. (Trade show for all things canoeing) I am speaking at 4:30 on Friday, March 9 and at 2:30 on Saturday, March 10. Steve will share Boundary Waters photos as part of Saturday’s presentation.

March 11, 2:00 p.m. Book talk and signing, Arcadia Bookstore, Spring Green. (Garden Wisdom)

March 17, 10-2:00 p.m. Rock River Gallery and Coffee House, Jefferson. (Garden Wisdom)

March 24. Central Wisconsin launch of Garden Wisdom at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom

April 14, 10 a.m.-12 a.m., AAUW, Lacrosse, WI (Stories from the land)

April 15, 12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse (Garden Wisdom)

Wisconsin Agriculture

As some of you know, I’m writing a book on the history of Wisconsin Agriculture. I thought it might be interesting to share where our state ranks today in its agricultural production. How does Wisconsin fare—in comparison to all the states in our several agricultural pursuits?

More than half of Wisconsin’s agricultural income comes from its dairy industry—so we truly are a dairy state. But the state is also a national leader in several other agricultural areas.

Wisconsin’s Ranking:

Milk Production—2 (California leads)
Milk Cows—2 (California leads)
Cheese Production—1 (2.6 billion pounds—25 % of nation’s production)
Milk Goats—1
Mink Pelts—1
Corn for silage—1
Oats—2 (Minnesota leads)
Cranberries—1 (60% of nation’s production)
Potatoes—3 (Idaho leads)
Cherries—5 (Michigan leads)
Maple Syrup—4 (Vermont leads)
Mint for oil—6 (Washington leads)
Carrots for processing—2 (Washington leads)
Sweet Corn for processing—3 (Minnesota leads)
Green Peas for processing—3 (Minnesota leads)
Snap Beans for processing—1
Cucumbers for pickles—5 (Michigan leads)

So be proud, Wisconsinites, our state not only has a rich agricultural heritage, but a powerful agricultural presence in 2012.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If someone calls you a cheesehead, smile and say, “thank you.”

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 6, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble-West, Madison. Launch of Garden Wisdom.

March 9-11. Canoecopia, Alliant Center, Madison. (Trade show for all things canoeing) I am speaking at 4:30 on Friday, March 9 and at 2:30 on Saturday, March 10. Steve will share Boundary Waters photos as part of Saturday’s presentation.

March 11, 2:00 p.m. Book talk and signing, Arcadia Bookstore, Spring Green. (Garden Wisdom)

March 17, 10-2:00 p.m. Rock River Gallery and Coffee House, Jefferson. (Garden Wisdom)

March 24. Launch of Garden Wisdom at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom

Potato Lover's Month

Did you know that February is National Potato Lover’s Month? I sure didn’t. When I was growing up on a farm, every month was potato month. In fact, it was the rare meal, whether it was breakfast, dinner or supper that we didn’t eat potatoes in some form—boiled, mashed, baked, fried, in soup, in a casserole, in a stew—we grew a lot of potatoes and we ate a bunch of them, too.

We called potatoes by a variety of names: spuds, taters, even Murphies (apparently some connection to the Irish who were known for their potatoes). My brother Darrel, a great lover of potatoes as a kid, was nicknamed Murph, which he seldom goes by these days.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, that helps promote the various national promotions, says the average American eats 126 pounds of potatoes each year, which is a good thing as Wisconsin produces 2.2 billion pounds of potatoes making it third in the nation after such potato giants as Idaho and Washington State.

So forget about calories (a medium size spud only has 110), and dig in. Who can’t love a potato, whether its potato lover’s month or not?

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If all you have left in the pantry is potatoes, you still have plenty to eat.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 6, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble-West, Madison. Launch of Garden Wisdom.

March 9-11. Canoecopia, Alliant Center, Madison. (Trade show for all things canoeing) I am speaking at 4:30 on Friday, March 9 and at 2:30 on Saturday, March 10. Steve will share Boundary Waters photos as part of Saturday’s presentation.

March 24. Launch of Garden Wisdom book at Patterson Memorial Library Wild Rose. Dinner at six. Contact the library for reservations: 920-622-3835. Presentation and book signing to follow.

March 31-April 1. Morton Arboretum (Thornhill Education Center), Chicago area. Presentation on vegetable gardening, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Sunday, April 1, 1:30-3:30 features a vegetable gardening workshop, with tips on planting and caring for a vegetable garden. Additionally, Ruth will discuss preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and freezing.

April 12, 7:00 p.m. Mcmillan Library, Wisconsin Rapids. Garden Wisdom

April 13, 11:00 a.m. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcasting at Fox Cities Book Festival. Garden Wisdom.

April 13, 2:00 p.m. Fox Cities Book Festival, Neenah. Garden Wisdom