Canada Geese

As long as I can remember, the honking of geese flying south on a cool autumn day was a thrilling sound.  It still is. Sometimes the geese fly at night. With a full moon the sight of geese in a moonlit sky along with the sound of their honking is a one of those never forgotten experiences.

Yesterday, when Steve and I visited our pond with the intention of viewing the maples, birch, and aspen in full autumn splendor, I spotted movement on the far end of our small body of water—maybe a couple hundred yards from where the pond path ended by the water’s edge.

There they were, fifteen Canada geese.  I don’t know if they were northern geese passing through and spending the day resting in this beautiful quiet place, or if they were locals making the rounds of area ponds.  They made no sound at all.  Nor did we.  We watched them for more than a half hour.  They looked in our direction—but didn’t panic and fly off.  Maybe they were just too tired from already flying a long distance.  Or, maybe they found this quiet place ablaze in fall color too nice to leave.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Take time to watch migrating geese fly overhead.  Notice how they take turns leading and following—and helping each other.

CHECK THIS OUT: Wisconsin Public Television premier showing of “Country life from an earlier day” documentary at Wild Rose High School Auditorium, Monday, October 15, 6:30 p.m. Show includes several photos from Wild Rose and the surrounding area. Free to the public. I will be offering introductory comments.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 3, 6:00 p.m. Onalaska Public Library, Rural Wit and Wisdom

October 4-6. Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.

October 15, 6:30 p.m. Wild Rose High School Auditorium.  Wis Public TV showing of a “Country life from an earlier day” documentary.  Free to the public.

October 24, 2:15 p.m., Wisconsin Library Assoc. Annual Meeting, LaCrosse.  Garden Wisdom.

Horse Drawn Days

Before cars and trucks, airplanes and trains, horses got us from here to there.   In the villages and cities, horses pulled the milk wagons, hauled the beer wagons, toted everything that needed toting, including people.

On the farms, by the 1850s, draft horses began replacing oxen, those docile critters that did the heavy work of plowing and hauling heavy loads, and providing transportation for people as well. But they were so slow.  It’s claimed that if a family with oxen wanted to arrive on time for Sunday church, they had to leave home on Friday.

Soon draft horses were pulling the plows, the hay mowers and hay wagons, the grain binders and everything else that needed pulling. 

For many farmers, horses continued doing the heavy work through the Depression years of the 1930s, and through World War II as well, when tractors replaced the steady steeds.

Want to learn more about horses and horse-drawn equipment?  Travel to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Stonefield Village, near Cassville, where next Saturday, September 29 you can see horses being harnessed and working. And you can hear me talk about the history of horses on the farm at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

If you want to learn still more about horses in our history, check out my book HORSE DRAWN DAYS, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you farm with horses, you never have to worry about them starting on a cold winter morning.  Tractors are not that dependable.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 3, 6:00 p.m. Onalaska Public Library, Rural Wit and Wisdom

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing. RURAL WIT AND WISDOM and my new novel, TAMARACK RIVER GHOST.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

Garden Harvest

Several people have asked how my vegetable garden turned out this year.  The quick answer: some of it great, some of it not so great.

As most know, my garden is in northern Waushara County where drought and extreme heat made growing anything difficult this summer.  I didn’t expect much from my garden—and I wouldn’t have gotten much either, without lots of watering (much of it thanks to my brother, Don, who turned on the hose when I couldn’t be there).

As any gardener knows, weeds grow in spite of the weather.  Much thanks to Steve and Natasha who spent many weekends, rototilling, hoeing, and weed pulling.

The cool weather crops such as lettuce, radishes and broccoli did poorly.  They started quickly, and then the heat just as quickly did them in—after only a couple of meals of lettuce, a handful of radishes and no broccoli at all.  Early red potatoes, planted in March—average yield.

The sweet corn (again with water at the right time) was outstanding. Yields were good, taste was special.  Cucumbers—average.  Short season, all through bearing before Labor Day.  Carrots, average.  Beets, above average.  Onions, average.

Squash and pumpkins.  Germinated well with warm soil temps in May, and grew well, but with the extreme heat—and lack of pollination, crop was late and about half what I expected.  Not so for the zucchini, tough plant, lots of yield.  Still green and producing in mid-September.

Tomatoes—outstanding crop.  We picked probably four bushels.  Tomatoes like hot weather.  Key this year was mulching each plant with straw, which kept down the weeds and kept in the moisture.

Late Potatoes—Best crop in several years. Blemish free, uniform size.  Key was ridding the plants of the cursed Colorado potato beetles as soon as we saw them appear.

Harvesting is about completed.  All that remains is a row of very tall broom corn that is not quite ready for cutting and a row of ornamental corn that needs a week or two more before it is ripe.

All and all, in spite of the weather challenges, a good vegetable garden year.

An aside: I met a fellow the other day who bought my new garden book, GARDEN WISDOM.  He said he had a bone to pick with me, that his garden was a complete failure.  I told him buying the book was not enough, he should also read it.  He didn’t reply.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: As we get older, we forget things that happened, and remember things that didn’t.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  

September 18, 10:30-11:30 WAHCE Conference, Marriott Hotel, Middleton, WI. Rural Wit and Wisdom.

September 22, 2:00 Wade House Historic Site, Greenbush, WI. Garden Wisdom.

September 24, 11:30, Learning in Retirement, Oshkosh. Stories From the Land. Rural Wit and Wisdom.

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 3, 6:00 p.m. Onalaska Public Library, Rural Wit and Wisdom

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

Wilderness Loon Calls

Steve and I just returned from a week in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota, a place where we have returned to again and again for nearly 30 years, a place where silence is the rule, except when a loon’s mysterious call reminds us that we are in a special place.  A place that is called wilderness.

It was summer at the beginning of the week, and clearly fall as the northwest wind brought rain clouds and lower temperatures, and made canoeing impossible one day when the waves were too high for comfortable paddling.

It’s been hot in the Boundary Waters this summer, as it has been in much of the country.  So. . . our excuse for catching few fish.  You ask how many fish did we catch?  Well, a good fishermen brags about success and remains mum on failure.

 It was a great week for reading, thinking, paddling, and yes, fishing.  Catching was a bit of a problem.

If you have not read Campfires and Loon Calls that I wrote about our adventures in the BWCAW over the years, you may want to check it out. (Steve did the photography).  Fulcrum Press, Denver is the publisher. http://www.fulcrum-books.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=6083. 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS (Quoting John Muir): In God’s wildness lies the hope of the world—the great fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.

 See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 15, 1-4 p.m. Old World Wisconsin, Eagle, WI.  Book Signing. Barns of Wisconsin, Garden Wisdom, Horses Drawn Days and more.

September 18, 10:30-11:30 WAHCE Conference, Marriott Hotel, Middleton, WI. Rural Wit and Wisdom.

September 22, 2:00 Wade House Historic Site, Greenbush, WI. Garden Wisdom.

September 24, 11:30, Learning in Retirement, Oshkosh. Stories From the Land. Rural Wit and Wisdom.

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

One Kernel

My brother, Donald’s tree farm is adjacent to mine, and we have both been lamenting the havoc the dry weather has been having on our trees.  But the drought goes further.

Don also plants food plots for the deer and turkeys and whatever other wild creature wants a special treat.  He plants mostly corn and rye on these little cultivated pieces of ground.  This past weekend, my son, Steve and Don inspected one of his corn plots that he had planted in the spring.  By now the corn should be dark green, six feet tall, with plump ears hanging on each stalk.

Because of the dry weather, Don’s corn is about three feet fall, mostly brown, and a pitiful sight by any standard for decent farming.  Steve went hunting for ears—and finally found one.  One ear in the entire food plot.  When he stripped back the husk, he discovered the ear, which was about six inches long, had but one kernel on it.  Of course a corn ear should have kernels from tip to base.

“It is a nicely formed kernel,” Steve said, smiling. 

The wild critters will have to look elsewhere for their special treats this fall and winter.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Next year will be better (he hopes).

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI. Keynote, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

September 15, 1-4 p.m. Old World Wisconsin, Eagle, WI.  Book Signing.

September 18, 10:30-11:30 WAHCE Conference, Marriott Hotel, Middleton, WI Keynote.

September 22, 2:00 Wade House Historic Site, Greenbush, WI. Garden Wisdom.

September 24, 11:30, Learning in Retirement, Oshkosh. Stories From the Land.

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

Rural Wit and Wisdom

Earlier this summer, my newest book, Rural Wit and Wisdom: Time-Honored Values From the Midwest (Fulcrum Press) came out.  It’s a completely revised version of a book I wrote several years ago.

I wrote the first version of the book shortly after my father died at age 93.  Although he had little formal education—he completed fifth grade—he was a man of wisdom and a great storyteller.  With his passing, I wrote across the top of a page in my journal, “Things I learned from my father.”  It was my way of grieving my loss.  I thought I would fill up a couple of pages with my memories.  As it turned out, a book resulted from this effort.

In this new edition, I include additional bits of wit and wisdom from my father, and I also include a section on storytelling—especially how to write stories that you remember from your life. The book includes a set of new photos taken by my son, Steve, who is Chief Photographer for the Wisconsin State Journal. Give the book a look; I think you will find it interesting.  To learn more go to http://www.fulcrum-books.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=6171 or stop at your local bookstore.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: There is never enough wit and wisdom.

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI. Keynote, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

September 15, 1-4 p.m. Old World Wisconsin, Eagle, WI.  Book Signing.

September 18, 10:30-11:30 WAHCE Conference, Marriott Hotel, Middleton, WI Keynote.

September 22, 2:00 Wade House Historic Site, Greenbush, WI. Garden Wisdom.

September 24, 11:30, Learning in Retirement, Oshkosh. Stories From the Land.

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

Pine Trees and Drought

Driving in the sand country of central Wisconsin, where there is no irrigation available, you quickly see the havoc created by this summer’s heat and drought.  Cornfields are dead and dying—some already have been plowed down with the crop declared a complete failure.  Other cornfields are stunted with dead leaves and no ears.  The soybean crop is not much better. Nor is the late cutting of hay.

But overlooked by many is what the drought has done to those of us who are tree farmers.  About five years ago we planted seven-thousand red pine trees on our farm.  They were doing well, many of them already three and four feet tall.  But this year trees that were planted on sandy, gravely hilltops have died. Once green needles are now a sickly, reddish brown.  Entire hillsides of dead and dying trees.  Not a pleasant sight.

It’s not just the relatively young trees that are dying.  Yesterday, on our farm, I spotted a twenty-foot jack pine, the toughest of tough native trees that had died.  And not far away, a Scotch pine, about six feet tall—dead.

I decided at the very beginning of my tree farming operation in the middle 1960s that I would grow pulp wood, logs for log cabins, and saw logs for lumber.  No Christmas trees. Driving past a Christmas tree farm north of Montello, I spotted an entire hillside of once beautiful Christmas trees, all dead.  The entire hillside of trees killed by the drought—and a great loss to the grower, I’m sure.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Let’s hope next year will be better.

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 25, 11:00 Mt. Morris Camp and Conference Center.  Mt. Morris, WI. Barns of Wisconsin.

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI. Keynote, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

September 15, 1-4 p.m. Old World Wisconsin, Eagle, WI.  Book Signing.

September 18, 10:30-11:30 WAHCE Conference, Marriott Hotel, Middleton, WI Keynote.

September 22, 2:00 Wade House Historic Site, Greenbush, WI. Garden Wisdom.

September 24, 11:30, Learning in Retirement, Oshkosh. Stories From the Land.

September 29, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI.  Horse Drawn Days.

October 4-6 Midwest Booksellers, Minneapolis. Book Signing.

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life. (Still some openings. Go to www.theclearing.org for information.  Click on workshops.)

Stories To Tell

The came to Door County from Illinois and Iowa, from Minnesota and Wisconsin.  They came to The Clearing, a residential learning center near Ellison Bay.  They came to write stories.  Their own stories, as they participated in my “Writing From Your Life” workshop held last week.

They wrote of early childhood fun.  They wrote about tragedy—death in the family. They wrote hilariously funny stories.  They wrote about little things important in their lives—a rocking chair passed on from generation to generation, a mother’s coffee cup filled with memories, a favorite pair of boots.

They wrote six-word stories patterned after Ernest Hemingway’s six-word story: “For sale.  Baby shoes.  Never Worn.”

They laughed.  They cried.  They shared and critiqued each other’s work.  And they wrote and wrote some more.  Wonderful stories.  Stories from the heart.  Stories from the past with meaning for today.

CHECK THIS OUT: For a guide to writing your own story, see my book RURAL WIT AND WISDOM (Fulcrum Press, 2012).  I include a long chapter on writing personal stories with many tips to help you get started.

 THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When we forget our stories, we forget who we are.

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI. I’m giving keynote talk, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

October 13, 9-4.  The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Dry Weather Gardening

Five things to do during hot, dry weather to keep a vegetable garden alive and producing:

1. Work hard to keep out all weeds.  They use a lot of moisture.

2.  Water regularly--about a half-inch at a time, in the early morning to reduce evaporation.  We try to not let the garden "dry out" too much (we have sandy soil) as too dry and then too wet leads to problems (blossom end-rot of tomatoes for example).  Too much watering leads to mildew and other wet weather problems.

3. When I finished harvesting the early sweet corn, I cut the stalks into little pieces so the remaining corn plant would not draw moisture. Same for when the green beans finish bearing.

4.With hot weather,  crops mature quickly--and can over grow almost while you watch (especially zucchini  and cucumbers). Harvest regularly.  Overgrown crops draw lots of moisture.

5.  Do a rain dance--regularly, with vigor and enthusiasm.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Gardening is never a sure thing.  Mother Nature is full of surprises.

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, THE TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI.  Keynote talk, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

October 13, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Lawn Grass and Patience

For more than a month my lawn has been the color of an Arizona desert.  What was once green grass turned brown and stayed that way as southern Wisconsin’s drought dragged on week after hot, dry week. Not a pretty sight. Walking on my lawn was like walking on egg shells. 

Those folks who had not experienced a long spell of hot, dry weather asked if their lawns were as dead as they looked, and wondered if they’d have to re-seed them.

“Wait," I said.  "Be patient.”

This week it rained—more than an inch.  And the dried up lawns once more began turning green.  Lawnmowers sputtered to life and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air.

This may be a stretch—comparing lawn grass to human nature.  But when things go bad, lawn grass hunkers down and waits.  Patiently.

Not the worst approach for people who often quickly complain and want a quick fix when life tosses a curve ball at them. Sometimes a little patience will make all the difference.  The lawn grass doesn’t fret and fuss when it needs rain (at least not that I can tell).

A lesson here?

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Whatever happened to patience?

CHECK THIS OUT:  You can preorder my new novel, TAMARACK RIVER GHOST (fifth in my Ames County Series) from Amazon.com.  See press kit at this link for information about the book: http://uwpress.wisc.edu/Presskits/Apps_RiverGhost.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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

September 7-8, Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Festival, Folklore Village, 3210 Co. Hwy. BB, Dodgeville, WI.  Keynote talk, Saturday, Sept. 8, 1:00 p.m. “People and the Prairie.”

October 13, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Thunder Storm

Off and on I watched the western sky as it turned from a hazy gray to the color of charcoal as the storm slowly organized and shifted east.

It was a hot steamy afternoon;  temperature in the nineties and humidity not far behind.  As the hours passed, the storm clouds continued moving, building, shifting, turning darker as they came closer.  The air was thick and clammy; “Will it rain?” someone asked, as the land thirsted for moisture after days of unrelenting heat and not a drop of water,

Now the rolling, tumbling, ominous angry clouds obscured the sun and the afternoon grew dark and darker.  I saw the first jagged flash of lightning and a few moments later heard the grumble and growl of thunder.  It had been weeks since I’d heard thunder and seen lightning—weeks of dry weather that turned green to brown.

Another flash of lightning, another louder boom from the heavens and I felt the first drops of rain, as large as quarters splattering on the dry soil. And then more ear-shattering thunder and sky-splitting lightning and a deluge of warm water poured from the sky, cascading off the building roofs, running across the parched lawns.  In its anger, the storm was giving up much needed, desperately needed rain.

And then, after but a few minutes, it was over.  The rain stopped.  The skies cleared, and the countryside smelled sweet and clean.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Enjoy a thunder storm, for it is nature’s way of getting our attention, as well as providing life-giving rain.

A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY:  Due to illness, two participants in my Clearing Writing Workshop scheduled for August 5-11 had to cancel.  So there are openings for two people.  Call The Clearing at 877-854-3225 or email them at Clearing@theclearing.org if you are interested in attending.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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

Dry Weather

The heat and dry weather continue; the corn crop withers; the pastures turn brown, and my lawn at the farm looks like an Arizona desert.  It’s a bit unnerving walking across grass that crunches under foot; it is like walking on crackers.

My prairie suffers, so do my trees.  Early goldenrods are showing now and then as they push forth a meager little reminder of what they would look like had the rains come more often.  The Black Eyed Susans are in bloom, but only an occasional one—not like a normal summer.

The big blue stem grass, with a root system that goes deep, remains green, but not luxuriant as in other years.  Mostly the prairie plants are dormant, waiting patiently for rain, hunkered down under the torrid sun that sends temperatures above one-hundred degrees for several days in a row.

The big woodlot beyond my cabin remains silent in the heat.  No birds flitting among the trees, no squirrels scampering along the trail.  They are all there, waiting, waiting for the rains to come.  Showing themselves in the early morning, and at sundown, when the temperatures moderate—but resting during the heat of the day.

              

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  It’s so dry that the Pine River only runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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:

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

Temperature 104

Mark it down as crazy, or perhaps simply not knowing any better, but Steve, Natasha and I spent much of the Fourth of July holiday working in the family garden, weeding, hoeing, mulching—and sweating. In the shade, the cabin thermometer read 104. 

Every part of me dripped--my nose, my arms, my forehead—even the tips of my fingers (okay maybe not the tips of my fingers).  My shirt was soaked from the collar to the shirttail.  After an hour or so of hauling straw mulch for our 50 tomato plants, I must fess up to looking for a shady spot to rest, catch my breath and avoid drowning in my own sweat.  But Steve and Natasha motored on—hoeing, weeding, mulching, and drinking gallons of water—it seemed like gallons.

What fine weather for killing weeds.  Once out of the ground the weeds immediately died—similar to putting them on a hot woodstove. Our sandy, sun drenched garden soil indeed felt like the top of a hot woodstove.

On the plus side, the first planting of sweet corn is about ready for harvest.  The first fingers of zucchini have appeared, so have the first little cucumbers.  The beets I planted in March are the size of golf balls—tasty to eat at this size.  The early potatoes are about ready.  But the lettuce is sputtering—too hot for lettuce.

Of course we’ve been irrigating—lots of irrigating.  Without the water our garden would look like our lawn—golden brown.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Hot weather is time to slow down—but not stop. Doing something productive takes one’s mind off being uncomfortable.

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:

July 7-14.  Rhinelander. Writing Retreat—and vacation.

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

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

Two Weather Patterns

Ruth and I attended a wedding in Minneapolis yesterday, a beautiful outdoor event at a golf course that needed no watering as this part of the U.S. has gotten ample rains in the past few weeks, more than enough in some places such as Duluth where 10 inches fell at one time caused havoc.

According to the Minneapolis TV weather guy, that city set a record for rainfall for the month of June.  Contrast that with Madison, WI where our home city is setting an opposite record—less than a half-inch for June.

Driving to the Twin Cities the other day, we could see the change from dry grass and shriveled cornfields ending somewhere north of Black River Falls to a cornfield near Eau Claire that was shoulder high and the darkest of dark green.  Not so in southern Wisconsin where worries mount for a failed, or at least a meager 2012 corn yield.

 In central Wisconsin, we have been on the margin.  Some rain, but not enough.  I’m afraid without watering, our garden, which has been off to a great start, would whither away like the cornfields of southern Wisconsin.  

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Few things are dependable in this world, especially so the weather.

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:

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

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

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