Grapevine

Some thirty-five years ago, when I decided how great it would be to make my own wine, from my own grapes, I planted one little Concord grapevine next to the split rail fence in my front yard.  The little grape vine struggled to live its first few years, but not nearly as much as my wine making struggled.  The cheapest jug wine was so superior to my meager efforts that I quit wine making (to the applause of my wife, I might add).

                I ignored the grapevine—what good are grapes if you didn't make wine from them?  But soon, that little vine, not so small anymore, was producing a few quarts of beautiful, purple grapes each year.  Ruth began making grape jelly from my grapes—a couple jars the first few years, then more jars.  Wonderful, beautiful grape jelly.  Who says grapes are only for wine?  You didn't hear it from me (even Germans will occasionally admit they are wrong).

                This year, that little grapevine, still only one, has a trunk the size of my arm and sends out vines to the end of the split rail fence and beyond.  And yesterday, with Sue and grandson Josh’s help, we picked nearly a bushel of grapes. Some of the bunches had as many as 30 grapes. How many jars of grape jelly in a bushel of grapes?  We’ll find out.

                Thoughts of making my own grape wine have long ago faded into history—it’s just too difficult to top home-made grape jelly smeared generously on a piece of toast, certainly not with a glass of awful home-made wine.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Grapes for wine?  Try home-made grape jelly instead.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV 7:00 p.m.  A Farm Story with Jerry Apps. Live in Milwaukee.

September 8, Milwaukee Public TV 3:00 p.m. A Farm Story with Jerry Apps.

September  9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Community Center, 7:00 p.m.

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival. 8:30-9:30 Writing Workshop, Mineral Point Library.

September 15, 10:00-1:00 Book Signing, Machine Shed Restaurant, Waukesha.

September 16, Winchester Academy, Waupaca Public Library, 6:30 p.m.

September 18, Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI 7:00 p.m.

September 21, 12:00-2:00 p.m.  Old World Wisconsin, Book Signing.

September 23, 6:30-7:30 Mount Horeb Public Library.

September 26, 7:00 p.m. WPT, Premier Showing, “A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps,” Green Bay, Rock Garden, 1951 Bond Street, 7:00 p.m.

September 28, 1:00 Barnes and Noble, Wausau, Book Signing.

October 1, 6:00 p.m. UW Memorial Library Commons, WPT “A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps.”

October 4-5, Heartland Fall Forum (Book Festival), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Chicago. O’Hare.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY WITH JERRY APPS” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Egg Harbor Book Festival

 The Egg Harbor Book Festival, the community’s first, was off to any excellent start  thanks to Mary “Casey” Martin, who organized the event, and the good people of Egg Harbor who supported it.  Over two weekends, August 16-18 and August 24, authors who ranged from Wisconsin’s poet laureate, Max Garland, to a bevy of local writers showing off their wares at the Saturday p.m. author signings, to yours truly who had the keynote spot on Saturday morning.

            The weather was great; the setting was more than great.  I spoke on the porch of the famous Alpine Resort, which is right on the waters of Green Bay, with sailboats everywhere on Saturday morning.  The Alpine Resort, which has been in the same family since 1922, includes, in addition to the beautiful lodge and a group of guest cottages, a 36-hole golf course.

            Billed as “The Egg Harbor Book Festival—2013 Road Trip,” one of the purposes of the festival was to raise money for the Egg Harbor Library, described as being the size of a closet.  Much thanks to Mary “Casey” Martin, a native of Egg Harbor who now lives in Wisconsin Rapids.  She is a writer, a radio interviewer, a publisher (Home Brew Press) and an all-around friend of Wisconsin writers and the book publishing business.  Hats off to “Casey” for a job well done—we writers appreciate the work you have done and continue to do.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: If you think books are dead, attend a book festival.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story. Live in Milwaukee

September  9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Community Center, 7:00 p.m.

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival. 8:30-9:30 Writing Workshop, Mineral Point Library.

September 15, 10:00-1:00 Book Signing, Machine Shed Restaurant, Waukesha.

September 16, Winchester Academy, Waupaca Public Library, 6:30 p.m.

September 18, Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI 7:00 p.m.

September 21, 12:00-2:00 p.m.  Old World Wisconsin, Book Signing.

September 23, 6:30-7:30 Mount Horeb Public Library.

September 26, 7:00 p.m. WPT, Premier Showing, “Winter on the Farm,” Green Bay, Rock Garden, 1951 Bond Street, 7:00 p.m.

September 28, 1:00 Barnes and Noble, Wausau, Book Signing.

October 1, 6:00 p.m. UW Memorial Library Commons, WPT “Winter on the Farm.”

October 4-5, Heartland  Fall Forum (Book Festival), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Chicago. O’Hare.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Farm Story

I am continually amazed, surprised, and humbled by the reaction to the Farm Story documentary, which is now showing on some 60 plus PBS stations across the country.

Chicago’s WTTW will air the program Sunday evening (August 18) at 6:00 p.m. and I will be there in person to discuss the show.  Here is what the publicist for WTTW had to say about the documentary:

A Farm Story with Jerry Apps is a portrait of farm life seen through the eyes of a boy growing up in rural America in the 1930s and 1940s. Using archival photos and film, teacher, author and historian Jerry Apps tells the story of growing up in Wild Rose, Wisconsin - America's archetype rural farming community.

A Farm Story is the personal and family story of millions of Americans who grew up on farms. Like a family photo album for millions of Americans, the documentary takes the viewer through memories of 'things that aren't there anymore' and of experiences that created their values of hard work, determination and community -- values that drive a generation of Americans who grew up on the farm. The documentary carries the viewer from childhood on the farm in the '30s to the rural electrification that changed American farms and rural life forever.

 Jerry shares stories about the party line telephone, the one-room schoolhouse, the routine of work and chores and community of those family farms that built America into the agricultural center of the world. A Farm Story with Jerry Apps deeply resonates with viewers with rural roots, many who left the farm but who recognize that the experience made them who they are and can feel a kinship with Jerry when he says, 'Today I'm as proud as proud can be of having experienced what I experienced, and I wouldn't change it for anything. '

Jerry Apps Bio: Jerry Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 30 books, many of them on rural history and country life. His nonfiction books include: Living a Country Year, Every Farm Tells a Story, When Chores Were Done, Humor from the Country, Country Ways and Country Days, One-Room Schools, Cheese, Breweries of Wisconsin, Ringlingville USA (History of Ringling Brothers circus), Old Farm: A History, Barns of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days: A Century of Farming With Horses, and Campfires and Loon Calls.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Who would think that something old (like early farm life) would be of interest today?

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 18, 6:00 p.m. WTTW, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 24, Egg Harbor Book Festival, Alpine Resort, 10-11:30. All about writing.  Book signing 1-4.

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story. Live in Milwaukee

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Community Center, 7:00 p.m.

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14,  Mineral Point Book Festival. 8:30-9:30 Writing Workshop, Mineral Point Library.

September 15, 10:00-1:00 Book Signing, Machine Shed Restaurant, Waukesha.

September 16, Winchester Academy, Waupaca Public Library, 6:30 p.m.

September 18, Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI 7:00 p.m.

September 23, 6:30-7:30 Mount Horeb Public Library.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

The Great River Road

            Ruth and I traveled the Great River Road from La Crosse to Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin’s second oldest city this weekend.  And what a great trip it was.  On Thursday I gave a keynote talk to the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education (a great group) in La Crosse.  Then on Friday we headed south along the river, with huge bluffs to our left and the Mississippi River rolling along to our right, on our way to Villa Louis where on spoke on Saturday.  The views across the river are absolutely magnificent—with Minnesota first and then Iowa, each crowding up to the river, as does Wisconsin.  Wildlife everywhere.  Ducks, herons, I even saw a bald eagle soaring above us.

            Through the little river towns of Stoddard and Genoa, Victory and De Soto, Ferryville and Lynxville and onto into Prairie du Chein.  The occasional tow boat lumbered north, some pushing as many as eight barges in front of them, moving slowly, but never stopping.  Fishing and pleasure boats scattered as the tow boats approached, and then reappeared once the tow boat moved on.

            In places the mighty Mississippi was so narrow one could throw a stone across it (well maybe half way across).  Other places, near the locks and dams, the river was a half mile wide.

            Oh, how busy was the river.  Boats of every size, outboards, inboards, fishing boats, house boats, pleasure boats.  Little boats. Big boats.  Even a kayak or two and once in awhile a canoe.

           

            The Great River Road, a National Scenic Byway, is celebrating 75 years—it officially was officially established in 1938.  This famous piece of U.S. history is nearly 3,000 miles long, touches 10 states, 33 river towns and boasts 70 nature interpretative centers.  Want a great trip—give the Great River Road a go. 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: It’s good to leave the old home place once in a while, and see something new.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story. Live in Chicago

August 24, Egg Harbor Book Festival, Alpine Resort, 10-11:30. How I became a writer.  Book signing 1-4.

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story. Live in Milwaukee

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Community Center, 7:00 p.m.

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival. 8:30-9:30 Writing Workshop, Mineral Point Library.

September 15, 10:00-1:00 Book Signing, Machine Shed Restaurant, Waukesha.

September 16, Winchester Academy, Waupaca Public Library, 6:30 p.m.

September 18, Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI 7:00 p.m.

September 23, 6:30-7:30 Mount Horeb Public Library.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

A Farm Story Update

            I've just returned from Kansas City, Mo where I helped Public TV station KCPT with August fund raising.  They aired my documentary A Farm Story. During the breaks I talked about the background for the show and a little more about what farm life was like during the 1930s and 1940s when I was a kid.  I am always amazed at the response to the show— constantly the phones were ringing in the studio as volunteers recorded pledges.

            I discovered last week, that more than forty public TV stations are airing A Farm Story, from WGBY in Western New England to WKNO in Cordova, TN;  from KLRU in Austin Texas, to KVIE in Sacramento ,CA;  From WETA in Washington, D.C. to KUED in Utah.  From KBTC in Western, WA; to WUCF in Central Florida.  And many more.

            I am more than pleased with how many people across the country are interested in the history of the small family farm and how those who grew up and worked these farms contributed many important values to our present day society.  Values such as the importance of communities and neighbors, appreciating little things, working together as a family, and knowing that we all depend on the land. 

            I am also extremely pleased that people across the country are learning about little Wild Rose, WI, my hometown.  A publicist for KUED in Utah wrote “Wild Rose, Wisconsin is the archetypal rural farming community in America.”  High marks for my hometown indeed.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you have something good to say about something; say it.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse

August 10, 2:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.

August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Tasting Summer

I suppose you could say I’m old fashioned.  Probably very old-fashioned.  But when it comes to vegetables, well there is simply nothing fresher or tastier than what I harvest from my garden.  That’s especially true if I’m eating  green beans an hour after I picked them, eating early potatoes an hour after I dug them, or chomping on leaf lettuce (I guess cows chomp) but it still fits what I do when I fill my mouth with lettuce that’s not been away from the garden for more than an hour.

            So this is my feasting time of the year—cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, broccoli (I know President Bush—the first the first one didn't like it, but I do); zucchini, and soon sweet corn.  And the most wonderful feast of all—a red, garden ripened tomato from a plant that I started from seed and watched grow from a scrawny little thing that looked like it might die any day to one providing me with fresh tomatoes.  I picked the first one last weekend.

            Some will remember that I wrote that to taste a fresh radish is to taste spring.  Well, to taste the first tomato, you are tasting summer in all its glory.  Nothing speaks summer louder than a home grown tomato—well maybe sweet corn for some people.  For me sweet corn comes in second, a close second, but still second.

            So welcome to the taste of summer.  And enjoy those first tomatoes of the season. 

THE OLD TIMER SAW THIS THE OTHER DAY: Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse

August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.

August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Great Writing Place

I’ve just returned from another great writing week at Rhinelander, the land of lakes and loons and north woods aplenty.   My wife and I, and for many years the entire family, have been trekking to Rhinelander since 1971, when I began teaching writing at the School of the Arts.  I stopped teaching in 2003; 32 years seemed a goodly number.  But we still go there, to a cabin on Lake George, where I write every morning and have fun with the grandkids who come from near and far (three from Colorado), (and a great grandchild from Minneapolis) to swim, boat and enjoy the sunshine in the afternoon.

I’m often asked where I write—well in the past I have written in airports, coffee shops, many hotel rooms and even dentist offices.  But my preference is a quiet place that is special—a cabin on Lake George near Rhinelander, a condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, a campsite deep in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota, and of course my farm where I can watch deer and wild turkeys and sand hill cranes and where there is no TV, or telephone, or internet to interfere with my writing.

My first book was published in 1970 (43 years ago), and I’ve been writing fulltime since 1993—twenty years.  Although I can still write almost anywhere, the creative juices seem to flow best when it is quiet, the disturbances are few, the view is great, and I have several days in a row to mull over what I am thinking and writing about.

So last week was a great week. 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: About the only way to get some writing done, is to sit down and do it.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse

August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.

August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Three Sisters Garden

Here’s an update on my current adventure with a three sisters garden.  But first some background.  Three sisters gardening originates with Native American gardening practice.  The Indians planted three crops together, corn, beans, and squash with the idea was that these three crops would benefit from growing close to each other.

To make a three sisters garden, form a mound of dirt about eight inches high and about two-feet wide on the top.   Plant several corn (maize) seeds close together in the center of the mound.   When the corn is about six inches tall, plant several beans (climbing variety) and squash around the corn, alternating the beans and squash.

Here’s how it’s supposed to work.  The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb—thus no pole is needed.  The beans provide some nitrogen to the soil that the corn and squash use.  The squash spreads on the ground, blocking the sunlight, eliminating the weeds, and helping to retain soil moisture.  The squash leaves are also a little prickly and deter pests (some of them anyway).

Two years ago I tried a three sisters garden and the three sisters fought with each other and the experiment failed—miserably.  This time I did things differently.  I bought heritage seeds.  I didn’t use fancy hybrid varieties that simply didn’t know how to get along with each other.

Last time I planted all three sisters at the same time.  Didn’t work.  The corn has to have a head start or it becomes overwhelmed with a tangle of bean tendrils and squash vines.  This time I waited to plant squash and beans until the corn was about six inches tall.  To date all is well.  The sisters have become good buddies—so far at least.  We’ll keep you informed as the season progresses.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: It’s always fun to try something new—even when it doesn’t always work.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

August 8, Environmental Educator’s Conference, Noon. Keynote, UW-LaCrosse

August 10, 1:00 p.m., Presentation Villa Louis, Prairie du Chein.  Horse Drawn Days.

August 18, Chicago Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 24, Egg Harbor Historical Society (details to follow)

September 7, Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Story

September 9, Byron Historical Society, Eden Town Hall. (details to follow)

September 10, DTS Banquet talk, Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld

September 14, Mineral Point Book Festival.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Garden Update

For those vegetable gardeners who want to do some comparing, here is how my garden is doing as of July 8.  As per usual, some vegetables are doing well, some so-so and a few vegetables are down right miserable, struggling to stay alive.  In our neck of the woods it’s difficult to blame the weather, beyond the slow, cool, spring.  We've had ample rain, and the last couple of weeks have provided warm, sunny days.  Great growing weather.  Here’s the rundown:

Pumpkins—Doing well, just beginning to vine.

Early sweet corn—hip high, good color, lots of promise.

Spinach—failure.  Germination poor and that which did grow is sad, sad.

Radishes—best crop in years.  No worms, sweet, well-shaped.

Carrots—doing well now that radishes are harvested (I plant carrots and

            radishes together.)

Peas—looking good.  Pods developing. Harvest this coming weekend?

Early potatoes—very average.  Don’t know why they aren't better.

Onions—excellent.  We've harvested some and they are great.

Leaf lettuce—doing well.  We've already had several cuttings.

Beets—coming right along.  Probably need a little thinning.

Late potatoes—best crop in several years.  Vines are thick, knee high, covering the

rows.

Tomatoes—almost all varieties in some stage of flowering.  A few plants with    little green tomatoes.  Thinking of how good they will taste when they ripen.

Cabbage—excellent.  Best in several years. 

Green Beans—merely okay.  Germination could have been better.  Not enough

 plants.

Green peppers—awful.  Plants look like they will die any day now.  Don’t have a clue what is bothering them.

Zucchini—Coming along just fine.  A few blossoms.  Look out.

Cucumbers—Beginning to vine.  Thriving.

Winter squash—Same as the cucumbers.

Late sweet corn—mostly knee high, some shorter, some taller.

Gourds—who can’t grow gourds?

Sunflowers—about four feet tall and growing like everything.

Three Sisters Garden—Full report later.  But so far doing much better than my

 attempt a couple years ago.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:   When you garden, you are never short of surprises.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Missouri Public TV. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Chicago Library Confab

My son, Steve and I just returned from Chicago where we attended the American Library Association’s annual convention at the McCormick Center.  I had an opportunity to talk a bit about my book. LETTERS FROM HILLSIDE FARM (Fulcrum Press), and sign a bunch of books, and see more librarians in one place than I've ever seen before.  Some 17,000 people were preregistered for the conference, coming from all over North America and from many other places in the world as well.  The conference began on June 28 and winds up on July 2.

            I hadn't attended an event at McCormick Place for more than ten years, and had forgotten what a huge, sprawling, walk-requiring, escalator-taking place it is.  Good to be back home.

            Two events we missed.  On Saturday afternoon, bookmobiles from near and far paraded around downtown Chicago—something like a parade of tractors at an old tractor show I would guess.  And on July 1, I especially would have enjoyed seeing, and this is a direct quotation from the show’s daily newspaper of happenings, “10:00 a.m. -2 p.m. Authors will be rotating while reading poems of their choice.”  It would be a sight to see—poets turning in tight little circles while reading some of their favorite poems.  But why should I be surprised, poets have been long known for doing unusual things.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:   I should try doing a bit more rotating.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Kansas Public TV, Kansas City. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

 FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Writing From Your Life

Just back from The Clearing in Door County where I taught a WRITING FROM YOUR LIFE workshop.  Nineteen people from near and far gathered to share their stories, write them down, and have a great time doing it.  Stories of joy and sorrow.  Hilariously funny stories—and everything in between.           

            One participant, a retired farmer, said that when his wife died several years ago, he sold  his cows, waited until the cat died, watched the house plants dry out—and decided he wanted to do something different—something he had read about and decided unless he did it soon, he would never do it.  He asked one of his children, he has five, all adults now, to drive him to Delaware.  Then he started West, on foot, walking.  He walked across the United States from the East coast to the West coast.  Along the way he met loads of wonderful people—he has all their names and their addresses, and their stories that he blends in with his.

            Not all the stories were about walking, or doing other heroic acts, but all were special, whether they were about a first job in a hospital cafeteria, or about a 4-H calf led into the farm house kitchen—much to dismay of the  person’s mother.

            The workshop is a joy for a teacher, for all want to be there, all want to learn.  All want to share their stories.

            For those interested, I will do it all over again on Saturday November 2. 

Contact The Clearing for further information.  This is a link to their website. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Everybody has a story to tell—and should find the time to tell it.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place. Presentation, American Library Association Convention.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Kansas Public TV, Kansas City. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Talk About Apps

            Back in the late 1960s the Apps clan decided to hold a family reunion each year.  Last Saturday we held our 45^th consecutive gathering of the descendants of my Grandfather, George Apps who arrived in Wisconsin from England after the Civil War.

            It is always a grand and glorious affair, held at Bird Creek Park in Wautoma, WI with a tremendous potluck meal, lots of talking and catching up and a short planned program.

            When the noon meal was finished, the president of the group, now 91 years old called the group to order and we heard a reading of the minutes of the last reunion, and were brought up-to-date on the financial situation of the group.  This year the treasurer announced that we were in the black to the tune of $2.54.  Someone suggested we should file for nonprofit status, but rather than doing that we passed the hat with everyone throwing in a dollar or two and we are, at least for the coming year, in good financial standing.

            Then on to the program, which consisted of a variety of competitions.  Who traveled the farthest—this year someone from Washington, D. C. Who prepared the best casserole (we vote)—winner received a box of “Roadkill Hamburger Helper”, the best dessert, the best salad—close votes on all.  Then on to which woman had the shortest hair, which man had the longest hair, which person had the smallest foot size, which had the largest (size 13 won this year). Who had the oldest coin in their pocket—a 1965 nickle.  A prize was given to the Apps who had his or her picture in the Waushara Argus most often in the past year—Ruth clipped all the photos and makes a poster of them.  Some 35 Apps photos were in the local paper last year.

           

            The most prestigious award of all is the “Apps Knows” award.  The Apps men, not the women, are noted for their very prominent noses—they are, to be right up front,  uncommonly long.  Rather than calling the award the “Apps Nose” award, we hide what we are really doing with a word that sounds the same but has a considerably different meaning.  In fact, a person reading in the paper about the Apps Knows Award one time said to me that he’d never met an Apps who seemed to know much of anything.

            The award can only be won once and the winner receives a traveling trophy that he can display on his wall indicating the he has won the most prestigious award of all, the “Apps Knows Award.”

            A year from now we’ll do it all over again.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: You can tell who is an Apps, but you can’t tell them much.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Book Signing at The Clearing (Jens Jensen Center) from 4-6, Saturday June 22 (following my writing workshop on that day).  Public is invited.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life.

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 22, 4-6.  Book Signing.  The Clearing Ellison Bay, WI.  The public is invited.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place. Presentation, American Library Association Convention.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

August 3-4. Kansas City, Kansas Public TV, Kansas City. A Farm Story.

August 6-7, Nebraska Public TV, Lincoln, Nebraska.  A Farm Story.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

June Garden Report

            Lots of rain.  Many cloudy days.  Cool.  Great grass growing weather.  Great weather for weeds, as well.

            Except for a short row of spinach that decided not to grow, the garden is looking great.  Last night we ate our first radishes, sweet and mild, not like the radishes later in the season that may be large and beautiful but bite your tongue.

            Many of the tomato plants I started from seed back in April and set out on Memorial Day were wee little things, puny, fragile and not offering much hope.   Except for my new heirloom tomatoes from the Isle of Man.  I don’t think I lost one of them—I have a long row, maybe 25 plants of this experimental (for me) tomato that is supposed to have a special flavor and grow strong and yield well.  So far so good.  They are standing upright and growing, and competing well with Big Boy, Better Boy, Early Girl and a couple of other hybrid varieties.  The cool, wet weather made the transplanting easier on the plants.

            What great weather for potatoes.  My ten rows are thriving—well ahead of where they were last year at this time, and I planted them two weeks later.  Go figure.  Kennebec is the variety I favor, which generally does well on my sandy soil, tastes great, and lasts well into late winter.

            And cabbage, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, etc.—growing like crazy as they love this cool, damp weather.  The snap beans are coming up—but they like it warmer.  The cucumbers, winter squash, pumpkins, and zucchini are up as is the sweet corn.  But these vegetables prefer more sunshine and warmth.  The sweet corn is a rather yellowish green, which means more sunshine needed.

            The three sisters—well this year I’m following the instructions.  I planted the three sisters' corn on Memorial Day—it’s two or three inches tall.  Next week I will plant the Rattlesnake Beans and the pumpkins, the other two sisters.  And then I will sit back and watch how they get along with each other.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Want something to talk about?  Grow a vegetable garden.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Interested in learning how to write your own stories?  Sign up for one of my upcoming one-day workshops that I am teaching at The Clearing in Door County.

Saturday, June 22, 9-4 (A few openings still left)

Saturday, November 3, 9-4

Contact The Clearing for further information and/or to sign up (www.theclearing.org).

(There will be a book signing at The Clearing on each of these Saturdays from 4-6:00 p.m. The public is invited.)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 13, Writing Workshop, Fulcrum Publishing offices, Golden, CO.

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 22, 4-6.  Book Signing.  The Clearing Ellison Bay, WI.  The public is invited.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place.  American Library Association Convention.  Letters From Hillside Farm.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.

Three Sisters--One More Time

A couple years ago I tried growing a Native-American three sister’s garden.  Those following these ramblings then remembered that the three sisters did not get along and they mostly did each other in—in other words my little experiment was a failure.

The failure was mostly my fault.  I used modern day sweet corn, squash, and bean varieties, not the old-fashioned varieties the Native-Americans would have used.  Modern varieties, it seems, are too competitive, each wants its own place in the sun and does not want to cooperate with its siblings.

I also planted the three types of seeds all at the same time.  A mistake.  Big sister corn is supposed to be planted first, and not until it is six inches tall should the beans and squash/ pumpkins be planted.

I have been encouraged to try the experiment again.  On the internet, I found at “Renee’s Garden” a Native American Three Sisters garden seed packet consisting of  “Earth-Tone Dent Corn,” “Rattlesnake Beans” and “Sugar Pie Pumpkins.”

According to the instructions, I created a mound of soil in my garden with an 18 inch flattened top.  Last week I planted six corn seeds in the mound.  Now I’m waiting before I plant the Rattlesnake Beans and Sugar Pie Pumpkins for big sister corn to become established.

The theory of the three sister’s garden is this.  The corn provides a natural pole for the beans to climb.  The pumpkins are supposed to shade out the weeds and prevent moisture loss.

I’ll keep you posted on how these sisters get along.  With names like Rattlesnake, Sugar Pie, and Earth-Tone, it sounds hopeful.  Who’d want to mess with a sister named Rattlesnake, especially if you were known as Sugar Pie or Earth-Tone?

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Why can’t sisters just get along.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Interested in learning how to write your own stories?  Sign up for one of my upcoming one-day workshops that I am teaching at The Clearing in Door County.

Saturday, June 22, 9-4 (A few openings still left)

Saturday, November 3, 9-4

Contact The Clearing for further information and/or to sign up (www.theclearing.org).

(There will be a book signing at The Clearing on each of these Saturdays from 4-6:00 p.m. The public is invited.)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 4, Noon. Milwaukee Rotary Club. War Memorial Building. Limping Through Life.

June 6, 7:00 p.m. Dane County Genealogy. One Room Country Schools.

June 7, 6:30 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Launch of LETTERS FROM HILLSIDE FARM and LIMPING THROUGH LIFE.

June 8, 11:00 -3:00 Book signing, Tri-County Thresheree, Plainfield

June 13, Writing Workshop, Fulcrum Publishing offices, Golden, CO.

June 20, 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.  Limping Through Life

June 22, 9-4. Writing Workshop.  The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

June 25, 8:30-10:00.  Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.  Homeless Book Club. Limping Through  Life.

June 29-30, Chicago. McCormick Place.  American Library Association Convention.  Letters From Hillside Farm.

July 2, Boscobel Library, 10:00 a.m.

July 13-20.  Writing Retreat, Rhinelander.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING “JERRY APPS: A FARM STORY” DVD

DVD Jerry Apps: A Farm Story List $16.95 The Patterson’s price only $15.00 ($20.00 shipped)
Special Bundle Offer exclusively by the Patterson:
Tamarack River Ghost & Jerry Apps: A Farm Story – List $43.90
The Patterson’s Price Only $35.00 ($43.00 shipped)

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St. PO Box 305
Wild Rose, WI 54984

(All items are sold by the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library. They will accept checks or cash, they’re sorry but they don’t have any way to accept credit or debit cards, checks should be made out to the Friends of Patterson Memorial Library.