Jerry Apps's Blog, page 52

Thunder Storm

Off and on I watched the western sky as it turned from a hazy gray to the color of charcoal as the storm slowly organized and shifted east.
It was a hot steamy afternoon;  temperature in the nineties and humidity not far behind.  As the hours passed, the storm clouds continued moving, building, shifting, turning darker as they came closer.  The air was thick and clammy; “Will it rain?” someone asked, as the land thirsted for moisture after days of unrelenting heat and not a drop of water,
Now the rolling, tumbling, ominous angry clouds obscured the sun and the afternoon grew dark and darker.  I saw the first jagged flash of lightning and a few moments later heard the grumble and growl of thunder.  It had been weeks since I’d heard thunder and seen lightning—weeks of dry weather that turned green to brown.
Another flash of lightning, another louder boom from the heavens and I felt the first drops of rain, as large as quarters splattering on the dry soil. And then more ear-shattering thunder and sky-splitting lightning and a deluge of warm water poured from the sky, cascading off the building roofs, running across the parched lawns.  In its anger, the storm was giving up much needed, desperately needed rain.
And then, after but a few minutes, it was over.  The rain stopped.  The skies cleared, and the countryside smelled sweet and clean.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Enjoy a thunder storm, for it is nature’s way of getting our attention, as well as providing life-giving rain.
A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY:  Due to illness, two participants in my Clearing Writing Workshop scheduled for August 5-11 had to cancel.  So there are openings for two people.  Call The Clearing at 877-854-3225 or email them at Clearing@theclearing.org if you are interested in attending.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Dry Weather

The heat and dry weather continue; the corn crop withers; the pastures turn brown, and my lawn at the farm looks like an Arizona desert.  It’s a bit unnerving walking across grass that crunches under foot; it is like walking on crackers.
My prairie suffers, so do my trees.  Early goldenrods are showing now and then as they push forth a meager little reminder of what they would look like had the rains come more often.  The Black Eyed Susans are in bloom, but only an occasional one—not like a normal summer.
The big blue stem grass, with a root system that goes deep, remains green, but not luxuriant as in other years.  Mostly the prairie plants are dormant, waiting patiently for rain, hunkered down under the torrid sun that sends temperatures above one-hundred degrees for several days in a row.
The big woodlot beyond my cabin remains silent in the heat.  No birds flitting among the trees, no squirrels scampering along the trail.  They are all there, waiting, waiting for the rains to come.  Showing themselves in the early morning, and at sundown, when the temperatures moderate—but resting during the heat of the day.
              
THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  It’s so dry that the Pine River only runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Temperature 104

Mark it down as crazy, or perhaps simply not knowing any better, but Steve, Natasha and I spent much of the Fourth of July holiday working in the family garden, weeding, hoeing, mulching—and sweating. In the shade, the cabin thermometer read 104. 
Every part of me dripped--my nose, my arms, my forehead—even the tips of my fingers (okay maybe not the tips of my fingers).  My shirt was soaked from the collar to the shirttail.  After an hour or so of hauling straw mulch for our 50 tomato plants, I must fess up to looking for a shady spot to rest, catch my breath and avoid drowning in my own sweat.  But Steve and Natasha motored on—hoeing, weeding, mulching, and drinking gallons of water—it seemed like gallons.
What fine weather for killing weeds.  Once out of the ground the weeds immediately died—similar to putting them on a hot woodstove. Our sandy, sun drenched garden soil indeed felt like the top of a hot woodstove.
On the plus side, the first planting of sweet corn is about ready for harvest.  The first fingers of zucchini have appeared, so have the first little cucumbers.  The beets I planted in March are the size of golf balls—tasty to eat at this size.  The early potatoes are about ready.  But the lettuce is sputtering—too hot for lettuce.
Of course we’ve been irrigating—lots of irrigating.  Without the water our garden would look like our lawn—golden brown.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Hot weather is time to slow down—but not stop. Doing something productive takes one’s mind off being uncomfortable.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 7-14.  Rhinelander. Writing Retreat—and vacation.
July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Two Weather Patterns

Ruth and I attended a wedding in Minneapolis yesterday, a beautiful outdoor event at a golf course that needed no watering as this part of the U.S. has gotten ample rains in the past few weeks, more than enough in some places such as Duluth where 10 inches fell at one time caused havoc.
According to the Minneapolis TV weather guy, that city set a record for rainfall for the month of June.  Contrast that with Madison, WI where our home city is setting an opposite record—less than a half-inch for June.
Driving to the Twin Cities the other day, we could see the change from dry grass and shriveled cornfields ending somewhere north of Black River Falls to a cornfield near Eau Claire that was shoulder high and the darkest of dark green.  Not so in southern Wisconsin where worries mount for a failed, or at least a meager 2012 corn yield.
 In central Wisconsin, we have been on the margin.  Some rain, but not enough.  I’m afraid without watering, our garden, which has been off to a great start, would whither away like the cornfields of southern Wisconsin.  
THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Few things are dependable in this world, especially so the weather.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

My father’s day present came arrived a week late, but it ...

My father’s day present came arrived a week late, but it was well worth it.  My son-in-law, Paul constructed a raised vegetable garden for my backyard in Madison.  I know some of you are wondering why I need another vegetable garden beyond the huge one we have at the farm.  But there is something to be said for having a vegetable garden close at hand, especially when I plan to devote most of it to strawberries.  I will save one end of the structure for a couple tomato plants and maybe even a row of lettuce.  Sure nice to have fresh lettuce handy when you want it.
Now for the details.  My new raised garden is eight feet long, 14 inches high and 39 inches deep.  I bought several sacks of small rocks to line the bottom of the garden and covered these with a couple pails of sand to make for good drainage.  My dad would be shaking his head in disbelieve  if he were living and learned that I had purchased both rocks and sand—the home farm had 160 acres of them.  Then we filled the rest of the structure with topsoil.
Temporarily, I planted some bush beans, a couple hills of zucchini and a single tomato plant—to see if I can grow something yet this summer.  This fall I will set out strawberry plants.This is another of my several garden experiments that I’ve tried over the years.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: For those of you without much space to grow vegetables, a raised garden might be the answer.  Make sure the spot you select gets several hours of sun each day.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at WACEC Conference, University of Wisconsin-Extension. June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Father's Day Present

My father’s day present arrived a week late, but it was well worth it.  My son-in-law, Paul constructed a raised vegetable garden for my backyard in Madison.  I know some of you are wondering why I need another vegetable garden beyond the huge one we have at the farm.  But there is something to be said for having a vegetable garden close at hand, especially when I plan to devote most of it to strawberries.  I will save one end of the structure for a couple tomato plants and maybe even a row of lettuce.  Sure nice to have fresh lettuce handy when you want it.
Now for the details.  My new raised garden is eight feet long, 14 inches high and 39 inches deep.  I bought several sacks of small rocks to line the bottom of the garden and covered these with a couple pails of sand to make for good drainage.  My dad would be shaking his head in disbelieve if he were living and learned that I had purchased both rocks and sand—the home farm had 160 acres of them.  Then we filled the rest of the structure with topsoil.
Temporarily, I planted some bush beans, a couple hills of zucchini and a single tomato plant—to see if I can grow something yet this summer.  This fall I will set out strawberry plants.This is another of my several garden experiments that I’ve tried over the years.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: For those of without much space to grow vegetables, a raised garden might be the answer.  Make sure the spot you select gets several hours of sun each day.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at WACEC Conference, University of Wisconsin-Extension.
June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.
July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

A First

We were on the trail in our oak woods, Sue and Paul and grandson, Josh.  Enjoying the coolness of the deep woods and the fresh smells of a June day in the outdoors.
Sue spotted her first—a big doe standing on the trail ahead of us, in the shadows where the trail winds between our two ponds before climbing sharply to the west.
We stop and watch—and then, out of the underbrush emerges her fawn, a tiny little thing only a couple feet tall if that.  And then we saw something none of us had seen before, at least not in the wild.  The fawn began nursing, its little white tail wagging back and forth as its mother kept a wary eye in our direction.  After a couple of minutes, the doe disappeared into the thick underbrush, leaving the little one standing alone, its lunch on the move. Abruptly, the little one realizing it had been left, turned and bounded after its mother, I’m sure wondering why its lunch was interrupted.
THE OLDTIMER SAYS: You are never too old to see something new—especially in the outdoors.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing  From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:June 20, 5:30 p.m. Alger Delta Electric Co-op annual meeting, Grace Church, Gladstone, Michigan.
June 25, Green Bay, Presentation at Wisconsin County Boards Association Meeting.
June 28, UW-River Falls. Presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference.
July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.
August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.

Surprise!

I was working in my lupine patch at the farm—about two acres of beautiful spring flowers that I nurture because the endangered Karner Blue butterfly requires lupines for its survival.  Periodically I go in and cut out rogue trees and brush that want to take over the open area and shade out the lupines.
I was doing this the other afternoon, while Steve was concentrating on finding a Karner Blue and taking its picture.  In among a thick patch of lupines I noticed what appeared to be a mottled wooden stick about four or five feet long and as big around as a shovel handle.  I was about to kick it—and it moved.  It was then I realized that I had nearly kicked a snake—a good sized one, too.
We haven’t seen many snakes at the farm in recent years, and then only garter snakes that seem to enjoy living in our wood pile and scaring the bejeebers out of those who help me move the wood pile each spring into the woodshed.
I got a good look at its head, and its eyes.  We have some 22 different kinds of snakes in Wisconsin and only two of them are poisonous.  The snake I saw had a round eye; the two poisonous snakes in the state have cat eyes (elliptical). Wisconsin’s poisonous snakes are the timber rattler and the swamp rattler.  See http://woodlandinfo.org/publications/UWEX/G3139.pdffor a good discussion of all of Wisconsin’s snakes, including where you can expect to find various kinds.
What kind of snake had I nearly kicked with my boot—a Fox Snake, often called a Pine Snake.  Quite a beautiful creature with its reddish-brown blotchy patches on its topside.  The Fox Snake’s favorite meal includes chipmunks, gophers, field mice, even small rabbits.  They are constrictors meaning they strike their prey, wrap their body around it and squeeze it to death.  Then they swallow it whole. 
The one I saw wanted nothing to do with me as it slithered away. I followed it to a gopher hole where it slid in, not to be seen again.  I wondered about the occupants of the gopher hole.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Thinking for yourself is hard work.  So much easier to grab onto someone else’s thinking—and then wonder why you don’t feel right.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Why education matters.
June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha. Garden Wisdom
June 20, 5:30 p.m. Ager Delta Electric Co-op annual meeting, Grace Church, Gladstone, Michigan. History of rural electrification. 

Rocky Mountain Gardening

What a difference a few feet of elevation can do to gardening.  Well, quite a few feet to be honest about it.
Ruth and I have just returned from a visit with our son Jeff’s family in Avon, Colorado, where Jeff, his wife Sandy and our three grandkids, Christian, Nick and Libby have a vegetable garden in their backyard. 
Before going further, some comparative information.  Our garden at Roshara is about 1,000 feet above sea level.  Jeff’s garden is about 7,500 feet.  And 6,500 feet of elevation makes all the difference.  I’ve been eating radishes for two weeks; Jeff’s radishes are just poking their heads above ground.  Our potatoes are nearly filling the rows; Jeff’s are not up.  Our peas are in pod stage and a week or so from picking.  Jeff’s are just coming up.
            Avon is having mid-spring weather: the daffodils are blooms, as are the tulips.  The lilacs are in full bloom and the thousands of acres of aspens on the mountainsides are absolu8tely splendid in their early spring many shades of green.
            On the plus side, with long days and lots of brilliant sunshine, Jeff’s garden will do well—it simply grows on a different time schedule than those of us in Wisconsin know.   Oh, just as here in the Midwest, more and residents in the mountains are growing some of their own food.  It’s the new wave of the future—really a return to a very old idea, but that’s another story.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When you grow your own food, you know its history—from seed to your dinner plate.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 6, 10:30. College Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels
June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Early history of Agricultural Education in Wisconsin including farm stories.
June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha.

Another Garden Update

Time for another garden update.  March-planted vegetables  are doing well, except for a few hills of potatoes, which I replanted last week.  Everything ahead by a few weeks.  Radishes ready to eat, lettuce soon.
This coming week I’ll set out tomato plants—fingers crossed that frosty mornings will hold off until fall.  I’ll also plant green beans, more sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash, pumpkins, gourds, everything that’s not yet in the ground.
Alas, this is the first year that potato bugs have appeared before the entire garden is planted.  On Saturday Steve sprayed the potatoes with a new concoction we found last year called  “Potato Beetle Beater.”  Can’t beat that for a name.  You spray it on the potato plants when the first orange egg clusters appear on the underside of the potato plants.  The newly hatched and hungry potato beetles eat the treated leaves and that’s it.  No more beetles.  Unless the rain washes off the spray.  Unless this year’s crop of beetles is even tougher than last year.  We’ll see.  Old fashioned way of picking off the mature beetles and drowning them in a pail of water still works when all else fails.
NO BLOG ON MAY 27.  In Colorado until May 31.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  This year’s gardening season is beginning to look like the most unusual ever.
CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 24-31. Avon, Colorado. Writing and researching.
June 3, 1-3 p.m., Pendarvis, Mineral Point.  Garden Wisdom
June 6, 10:30. College Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels
June 13, 6:00 p.m.  Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting, Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.  Early history of Agricultural Education in Wisconsin including farm stories.
June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E. Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha.