Farm Tech Days

I spoke at Farm Technology Days this week on a farm in Brown County, WI--always a fun thing for me. Farm Tech days shows off the newest of the new in farm equipment and agricultural research--the future of the industry. But I talked about the old, what it was like to farm without electricity, when farmers listened to battery operated radios, got their local news from the party-line telephone, milked cows by hand, and farmed with horses.

Great changes in my generation, because I grew up with the old, when electricity was a welcomed novelty, a milking machine was a wonder, and a new tractor--according to Pa--just might make his boys lazy (I have two brothers).

The Old Timer Says: "Some people are hard to listen to because their actions speak more loudly than their words."

Coming Events:

August 3-9. Writing From Your Life Workshop at The Clearing in Door County. (Class is filled)

(September 13, One Day Saturday writing workshop at The Clearing has open slots. Call toll free 877-854-3225 for more information)

August 16 and 17. Railroad Days, Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI I will be there both days to sign books. I will also speak at 1:00 p.m. each day, "Every Farm Tells a Story."

Wild Turkeys

The other day I was walking in my field, checking on some trees I'd planted back in April. The grass was knee high and I was concentrating on finding trees when a wild turkey hen exploded up in front of me, her huge wings pounding the air. I was no more than six feet from her. Slowly I walked to where she'd flown up and saw the grass moving in every direction. Little turkeys were trying to hide. All except one. It sat there looking up at me, it's big brown eyes checking me out. Not moving. Not doing what his nest-mates had done. Taking a chance. There's always one.

I quickly walked away because I knew the hen was watching me from the top of the hill and would return to her little family--not so small, there must have been a dozen of them.

The Old Timer Says: "Don't forget the importance of a good example."

Upcoming Events:

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Wednesday, July 16, 12:00. "Stories From The Land."

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Thursday, July 17, 11:00 AM "Stories From the Land."

Garden Tour and Book Signing, Governor's Mansion, Madison. Thursday, July 17 4:30-6:00 PM

Pitch forks

I have fond memories of pitchforks, mostly. About now we were in the midst of haying season on the home farm. We "made" our hay loose in those days, which meant after it was cut and raked we piled it into bunches with a pitch fork. Tossed it on a steel-wheeled, horse drawn hay wagon with a pitch fork. And moved it into the upper reaches of our barn with a pitch fork.

I had my own pitchfork, a three-tined, hickory handled beauty that slid through my hands with ease, was well balanced, and did what I wanted it to do.

You could tell who was a city person in a minute by the way he handled a pitchfork. We tried to teach our city cousins the nuances of pitchfork use, but they never seemed to catch on. How dumb they were, they thought. As I think back, we were the dumb ones. We did the hay pitching while they watched, pretending ineptness.


The Old Timer Says: "There's lots of talk these days but little being said."


UpComing Events:

Barnes and Noble Madison West. Wednesday, July 9, 12-1:00 Booksigning.

Barnes and Noble Madison West. Wednesday, July 9, 1:00 p.m. "Who Was Casper Jaggi?"

Circus Camp, Mazomanie. Thursday, July 10, 12:00 noon. "The Ringling Boys and Their Circus."

Barnes and Noble Wausau. Saturday, July 12, 11:00-2:00 PM. IN A PICKLE and more.

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Wednesday, July 16, 12:00. "Stories From The Land."

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Thursday, July 17, 11:00 AM "Stories From the Land."

Garden Tour and Book Signing, Governor's Mansion, Madison. Thursday, July 17 4:30-6:00 PM

Bluebirds

Thoreau once wrote, "The bluebird carries the sky on his back." I would add, "and the sun on its breast." I watched a busy bluebird pair out my back window this morning, flitting in and out of the house we built for them a couple years ago.

We have many bluebird houses at our farm. We've placed them several yards apart for the half-mile that separates our farm from my brother, Don's place. Rather than a fence, we define our boundary with bird houses. What a joy it is from early spring through the summer watching bluebirds and tree swallows--the latter in greater number than the former, but equally fun to watch.

The Old Timer says: "Take a child for a walk in the woods. You'll both see more than either expected."

Coming Events:

Barnes and Noble Madison West. Wednesday, July 9, 1:00 p.m. "Who Was Casper Jaggi?"

Circus Camp, Mazomanie. Thursday, July 10, 12:00 noon. "The Ringling Boys and Their Circus."

Barnes and Noble Wausau. Saturday, July 12, 11:00-2:00 PM. IN A PICKLE and more.

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Wednesday, July 16, 12:00. "Stories From The Land."

Farm Technology Days, Greenleaf, WI Thursday, July 17, 11:00 AM "Stories From the Land."

Garden Tour and Book Signing, Governor's Mansion, Madison. Thursday, July 17 4:30-6:00 PM

Garden Produce

I pulled my first radishes from the garden a couple weeks ago--big red ones. Each with a bit of personality that was muted with a spot of salt. Not like those wimpy radishes from the supermarket with no kick whatever.

I sow carrot seed in the same row as the radishes and with the radishes pulled the carrots are growing wildly--happy to be on their own I suspect.

Last week I filled a bowl with fresh cut leaf lettuce and spinach leaves. What a treat.

The Old Timer says: "Always nice to know where your food comes from. Even more special to grow it yourself."

Want some help in writing your own story? Consider looking into the one-day workshop I offer at The Clearing in Door County. It's from 9-4 on Saturday, September 13. The fee includes a catered lunch. Call 877-854-3225 for details, or check www.theclearing.org.

Hoeing

When I was a kid, I hated hoeing. Just when I thought we'd caught up with farm work and might go fishing, Pa would say, "Potatoes need hoeing." It seems the potatoes always needed hoeing. In those days we grew three or four acres of potatoes and it would take my dad, two brothers and me several days to do the job. Row after long row we hoed, stopping only long enough for dinner and maybe a drink of water now and then from a Red Wing jug kept under a shade tree on one end of the potato patch.

I'm still hoeing. Only now I enjoy it. I hoed my garden yesterday morning. It took me an hour and a half--I'd done the potato rows the previous day. The birds were singing, the sky was a deep blue, a slight breeze blew from the west and tree swallows circled above their birdhouse a hundred or so yards away. I could smell the freshly turned soil and I could immediately see the results of my work.

Funny how a few years--quite a few years--changes one's perspective on a once boring task.


The Old Timer says: "Teach your children to hoe. Never can tell what they might do with the skill."

Coming Event: Saturday, June 21, 1:00 p.m. Stanley Historical Society, Stanley, Wisconsin. "The Lighter Side of Country Living."

Gone Fishing

My twin brothers and I went fishing last week. The first time the three of us have fished together for more than forty years. Gone was the fierce competition I remember. Who caught the first fish, who hooked the largest fish, who could brag about the most fish? Now it was mostly storytelling. Remembering earlier fishing days when we were much younger, recalling fishing trips with our father, marveling at the beauty of the lake and the splendor of the day.

And realizing that fishing can be much more than catching fish.


The Old Timer says. "Find some time to go fishing."

Coming Events:

Tuesday, June 17, 12:15 p.m. Wisconsin Historical Society Museum (on the Square in Madison). A brief history of Wisconsin cheese making with the story of Casper Jaggi: Master Cheese Maker.

Saturday, June 21, 1:00 p.m. Stanley Historical Society. "The Lighter Side of Country Living."