Thunderstorm

It came out of the northwest, growling and grumbling and flashing across the northern Wisconsin evening sky like Fourth of July fireworks. We sat watching the storm build over Lake George just east of Rhinelander—the grandkids, my kids, Ruth and I.

An impressive storm, no doubt about it. I have seen many thunderstorms over the years and this one was seeking some kind of top of the heap ranking. Maybe because it was so easy to watch over the mirror smooth waters of the lake. Maybe because the thunder echoed and seemed to roll across the water, bouncing against the shore.

The storm slowly eased in our direction. The sky grew darker and the first scattered drops of rain began falling, huge raindrops, the kind that strike the ground and send up a little splatter of mud in their wake.

Looking out our cabin window, we watched the rain fall so hard we couldn’t see the cabin across the way. The lightning flashes and thunder grew closer together. And then, a tremendous roar, a brilliant flash of light, a shower of sparks and total darkness as all electricity went out. Lightning had struck a tall pine tree about fifty yards from the cabin, tearing out a slice of its top.

The younger grandkids had not experienced such a storm as they helped us light candles and find flashlights. We spent the evening telling stories, enjoying the adventure, and realizing that nature is still a powerful force.

THE OLD TIMER ASKS: When does old begin? He had a recent birthday and is wondering.

UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.

Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.

August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.

Beans and Bunnies

A couple weeks ago I reported on bunnies in my bean patch, and a broken agreement I had with the cottontail population concerning staying away from my garden.

After a flood of requests to find out what happened, well okay, a trickle of questions, I report the following.

A truce with the bunnies has been negotiated, encouraged to be sure by the smell of bunny repellent that I liberally sprayed on the injured bean plants. The beans are recovering, slowly. The rabbits are keeping their distance. And life goes on. Now I am crossing my fingers for no frost until about Thanksgiving, as it will take that long for my struggling beans to regain enough strength to produce something.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Two times of day are special. Sunrise and sunset. Take time to notice one or both. It’s good for the soul.

UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.

Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 20, p.m.

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 16, 11:45-12:30. Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio.

July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.

August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.

August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.

Blue Shadows Farm

I have a new novel coming out from the University of Wisconsin Press in September, which is described as follows:

Silas Starkweather, a Civil War veteran, is drawn to Wisconsin and homesteads 160 acres in Ames County, where he is known as the mysterious farmer forever digging holes. After years of hardship and toil, however, Silas develops a commitment to farming his land and respect for his new community.

When Silas’s son,Abe, inherits Blue Shadows Farm he chooses to keep the land out of reluctant necessity, distilling and distributing “purified corn water” throughout Prohibition and the Great Depression in order to stay solvent. Abe’s daughter, Emma, willingly takes over the farm after her mother’s death. Emma’s love for this place inspires her to open the farm to school-children and families who share her respect for it.

As she considers selling the land, Emma is confronted with a difficult question—who, through thick and thin, will care for Blue Shadows Farm as her family has done for over a century? In the midst of a controversy that disrupts the entire community, Emma looks into her family’s past to help her make crucial decisions about the future of its land.

Through the story of the Starkweather family’s changing fortunes, and each generation’s very different relationship with the farm and the land, Blue Shadows Farm is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land.


Blue Shadows Farm is the third in my Ames County Series. Fictional Ames County is located in central Wisconsin. Its primary towns are Link Lake and Willow River. The first book in the series, The Travels of Increase Joseph, describes the settling of Link Lake. The second book in the series, In a Pickle: a Family Farm Story takes place in 1955, when small family farms were still prominent in Wisconsin. Link Lake is loosely based on Wild Rose and the area around it. See my website, www.jerryapps.com for detailed descriptions and reviews of these books.

To preorder BLUE SHADOWS FARM, go to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.
The Madison launch of the book is scheduled for Barnes and Noble West, 7:00 p.m. on October 20. The Wild Rose launch of the book will take place at the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose on October 24, 1:00 p.m.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: July is a good time to sit under a shade tree, sipping lemonade, and remembering what the weather was like just six months ago.

UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS:

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. August 2-8.

Writing From Your Life. Sheboygan Public Library, August 23, a.m.

Writing From Your Life. The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI. October 17. a.m.. & p.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 16, 2:00 P.M. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, Casper Jaggi, Master Cheese Maker.

August 15. Creekside Books, Cedarburg. 12-3:00. Old Farm.

August 16. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville.