Lone Black Crow

On a bright sunny day last week, with the temperature in the teens, I strapped on snowshoes and walked to the top of the hill above the pond. It was the first time for several weeks that I had returned to this favorite site on the farm. I gazed across the side hill that Steve and I had cleared of black locust trees, and saw the pond buried in snow in the valley. Resting. Waiting.

It was a world of gray and white, with the occasional accent of green from a pine tree. And it was quiet, so quiet that the only sound I heard was from my heavy breathing for snowshoeing is not easy. Then I heard it, far off and beyond the pond, in the woods to the north, a lone crow calling. A winter survivor in this land that can take its toll on wild creatures. Whatever you might say about them, crows are tough. And proud of it, too. A big black bird with an attitude.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Being comfortable is more important than being stylish.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 24, 4:30 p.m. Demeter Winter Event, West Madison Agriculture Research Facility. Farms, Barns, Your Stories and Mine.

February 27, Southern Wisconsin Educational In-service Organization. Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison. 8:30-9:30: Old Farm, A History. 9:45-10:45: In a Pickle, A family Farm Story. 11:00-1:00 PM. Book signing at Barnes and Noble Booth.

March 2, Neenah Public Library, 2:00 p.m. Barns of Wisconsin.

March 7, Governor Dodge Convention Center. Platteville. 3:00 PM. Doing a Genealogy of Your Land.

March 17, Watertown Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Lighter Side of Country Living

March 19, Fond du Lac Public Library, 6:00 p.m. Living a Country Year

Fond du Lac Reads

The Fond du Lac Public Library has selected my book, LIVING A COUNTRY YEAR for their Fond du Lac Reads program. I am flattered by the selection and am impressed with the library encouraging folks to read in these late days of winter. With spring just around the corner, what a great way to get your mind turned away from snow shoveling, frozen pipes, ornery autos, and chilly fingers.


Here is the announcement from the library’s website (www.dfpl.org):
Fond du Lac Reads is a series of programs designed to get as many people as possible in the community to read the same book at the same time. It is held annually in March.
The goal is to foster community by providing a forum for public discussion and interaction—and most of all—demonstrate that reading can be fun!
The 2009 Fond du Lac Reads selection is Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days by Wisconsin author Jerry Apps. In this warm-hearted memoir, Apps tells of growing up on a farm near Wild Rose in the 1940’s. The chapters are arranged from January to December and talk about love and respect for the land and for a vanishing rural way of life by using personal incidents, adventures, recipes, observations, and thoughts for each month. Come and join us in reading this delightful book!
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Along with several other events, I will be speaking at a special banquet as part of the program. Here are the specifics:
Chili Supper and Presentation by Jerry Apps, Author of Living a Country Year Thursday, March 19, UW-FDL Commons and Prairie Theater
Dinner at 6:00 p.m. – Tickets $10 in advance available at FDLPL; $12 at the door
Dinner Entertainment provided by local guitarist Daryl Rogers
Jerry Apps Program – 7:00 p.m., Free, No Ticket Required.
Enjoy a down-home country dinner featuring recipes from the book Living a Country Year. There will also be a book signing following the program. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the FDL Public Library, Linstrom’s Catering, and UW-FDL.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Books do not scold when you blunder, laugh when you are ignorant, or hide when you seek them



UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 24, 4:30 p.m. Demeter Winter Event, West Madison Agriculture Research Facility. Farms, Barns, Your Stories and Mine.

February 27, Southern Wisconsin Educational In-service Organization. Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison. 8:30-9:30: Old Farm, A History. 9:45-10:45: In a Pickle, A family Farm Story.

March 2, Neenah Public Library, 2:00 p.m. Barns of Wisconsin.

March 17, Watertown Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Lighter Side of Country Living

March 19, Fond du Lac Public Library, 6:00 p.m. (See above)

Viroqua Elementary School

Last Friday I talked with students at the Viroqua Elementary School in Viroqua, WI. I shared stories about one-room country schools, early Wisconsin history, and life on the farm before electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating. I worked with third through fifth graders, in four different sessions.

The school has a special project for third-graders about one-room schools, so the questions bubbled up with little encouragement. Did your teacher beat you across the knuckles with a ruler when you did something wrong was a common inquiry. I answered that in my years at a country school, I was never struck with a ruler, nor was anyone else that I remember.

How many snow days did you have? Answer: none in the eight years I attended Chain O’ Lake School in Waushara County. Looks of disbelief on faces of the students. How could that be? Didn’t you have winter then? I explained that we all walked to school, students and teacher, so it didn’t matter how much it snowed.

Students in fourth and fifth grade were working on Wisconsin history projects, for them I talked mostly about early agriculture in Wisconsin, when the state was a major wheat growing state, indeed became the second largest wheat producing state in the U.S. in 1862, after Illinois. Then we talked about how Wisconsin became a dairy state.

I talked about how important I thought it was for them to study the history of their own community and what makes it special and different from other places. Their home county, Vernon, was a major tobacco growing area with a rich history associated with that crop..

After spending the day with about 250, interested, polite and full of questions youngsters, I left feeling good about the future. (Need I say I was also ready for nap.)


THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A good teacher is one who helps students become their own teachers.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 24, 4:30 p.m. Demeter Winter Event, West Madison Agriculture Research Facility. Farms, Barns, Your Stories and Mine.

February 27, Southern Wisconsin Educational Inservice Organization. Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison. 8:30-9:30: Old Farm, A History. 9:45-10:45: In a Pickle, A family Farm Story.

March 2, Neenah Public Library, 2:00 p.m. Barns of Wisconsin.