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Scratching the Woodchuck: Nature on an Amish Farm
by
David Kline
David Kline came upon a sleeping woodchuck one summer day as he walked the land near his farm. In a gesture that speaks eloquently of Kline's relationship with the natural world, he scratched the animal gently with his walking stick, and the sleeping creature arched its back with pleasure at the attention.Like its title, this collection of essays on nature, farming, animal...more
Paperback, 232 pages
Published
September 2nd 1999
by University of Georgia Press
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Aug 23, 2012
Melki
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
essays,
nature-animals
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.
Henry David Thoreau
There is a mole living in one of our basement window wells. Earlier, in the spring, a toad was hanging out there. I don't know if there was an epic battle over the territory, or if they are somehow sharing the space, sort of like nature's Odd Couple. (I imagine the toad would be Oscar Madison, though I could be wrong.) Every now and then, I hear little scratching sounds, and if I sit very still, the...more
Henry David Thoreau
There is a mole living in one of our basement window wells. Earlier, in the spring, a toad was hanging out there. I don't know if there was an epic battle over the territory, or if they are somehow sharing the space, sort of like nature's Odd Couple. (I imagine the toad would be Oscar Madison, though I could be wrong.) Every now and then, I hear little scratching sounds, and if I sit very still, the...more
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Such a pleasant little discourse on the nature in my own homestate. Kline is an Amish farmer with a written calm that drifts peacefully into the mind of the modern reader. He began his appreciation of nature, in particular birds, the weather, and plant life, from a naturalist schoolteacher during his childhood years. He also gained the opposing perspective, serving his conscientious objector service during Vietnam in a Cleveland hospital. Most of the book explores the various creatures and plant...more
The title caught my attention in a review from Bookmarks magazine a few years ago, and the little blurb about how the title came about sounded awfully cute. But not knowing much more than that about the book, I assumed I'd l learn a bit about the Amish family and hear about the author's unique interactions with nature. I was disappointed that the woodchuck story was just a sentence or two and not much else in the book matched that kind of interaction. The book is not much more than a list of the...more
i have been going to the amish country in pennsylvania since i was knee high to a grasshopper. being a quilter i just love it...i find it peaceful and waist increasing. this book is filled with little stories of an amish ohio farmer and his seasonal observations from the farm. i loved it...with our hectic lives it reminds us that we should take time to stop to smell the manure.
The simple lives lead by the amish folk give them a lot of time to observe and enjoy nature - something we all should do. This is a collection of the author's observations.
What a peaceful book of essays of the wildlife found on a farm in Ohio. It really makes me pay attention to the birds and animals we find in our own backyard.
Didn't enjoy this quite as much as "Great Possessions," but still a great collection of essays on nature by an Ohio Amish farmer.
Wonderful! One of the few books I enjoy rereading.
Dave Kline's one of my heroes. He writes, "Sometimes I wonder whether I farm to make a living or whether it is all a front, just an excuse to be out in the fields looking at clouds." His books are full of the kind of joy you get from paying attention to the world around you.
I've met David once and he is a wonderful lecturer, or more appropriately story-teller. From nightcrawlers to wildflowers, David ponders the small details in nature, which can easily be overlooked. You don't have to be an Amish dairy farmer to appreciate his stories.
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