Remembering The Home Place

 

Apps Farm Home. Steve Apps Photo.

               Every old house has a story to tell.  I was born in the house pictured here.  It had five bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, and a parlor (living room).  But no bathroom as we had no running water.  Nor did we have electricity until I was in high school.

               In early November, dad closed off most of the house as it had no central heating. It had a wood burning cookstove in the kitchen and a Round Oak wood burning stove in the dining room.  The only rooms heated were the kitchen, dining room and one downstairs bedroom.  The upstairs bedroom where my brothers and I slept had indirect heat—the stove pipe from the dining room stove thrust through our bedroom and into the brick chimney.

               When the stoves went out around midnight, a great chill came over the house, especially if the outside temperature had dipped to thirty below zero.  Frost covered the inside of our upstairs bedroom windows, so much that we couldn’t see outside.  The frost took many shapes, often resembling giant ferns.

               Being the oldest, I had to get up at five-thirty for the morning milking.  I would grab up my clothes and rush down the frigid hallway, and down the stairs to dress in front of the wood stove that dad had started before leaving for the barn.  I didn’t warm up until I arrived in the barn, where it was always warm.

               I have many memories associated with that house.  Most of them good. Except for the cold winter mornings.

THE OLD TIMERS SAYS: Take time to think about the house you lived in when you were a kid.  You may be surprised at what memories that result.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

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

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