The lady next to me at the Keillor show had to be one of those church basement women. There with her husband, they didn’t laugh that much or talk to each other. I’m guessing they did enjoy it. Early and before the storyteller came out, I asked her if she’s ever seen him in […]
Stories
Hired Farmhand Died in the Pasture: Finalized
Hired Farmhand Died in the Pasture: Finalized
In an area south of Amery, south of Deer Park, a hired man died in the fall of 1947, his remains not found until the next spring. Details were printed in an article from the Amery newspaper, the Gazette I think, a short summary telling about the discovery of the bones and skull. This identified him positively as Edward […]
Aunt Beulah–Her Perfume, Her Life, and Her Legacy
Aunt Beulah–Her Perfume, Her Life, and Her Legacy
My aunt’s perfume I remember. On a trip to Norway, relatives wore that same fragrance. Aunt Beulah spent time in Norway during the 2nd World War. Family reunions at Mom’s home farm in summer attracted the Larson relatives once a year. Aunt Beulah and others congregated at the farm north of Amery, WI, for an […]
Between the Silos We Found the Remains of the Hired Man
Between the Silos We Found the Remains of the Hired Man
We found him between the silos. Visiting Grandma on a hot summer day, my Cousin Brad and I found the hired man, dead. His body was covered by tarps and scrap wood, and we didn’t know who else knew what we just found. Every summer for a few days, Brad and I spent a few […]
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: Summer, New
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: Summer, New
The book Dandelion Wine caught my attention because of the descriptions of growing up in a small community, seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. The variety of opportunities and choices mirrored my life in the area east and west of Amery, Wisconsin. I’ll present parts of the first chapter in which Douglas woke […]
A History Class Reading Nostalgia by Candlelight
A History Class Reading Nostalgia by Candlelight
Nostalgia was a popular topics in history class. When students came back to talk to me after years away from our junior high experiences, they’d often say they recalled with good feelings the time we all read by candlelight. Nostalgia was an emphasis I developed for the end of the year holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. […]
Desserts Always Topped Off Our Meals
Desserts Always Topped Off Our Meals
Desserts? Always. Growing up in a not so wealthy home and family, Mom made sure we had dessert to look forward to at the end of supper. For lunch and supper, we could count on a dessert. The ritual, if it can be called that, might mean eating a small sweet item or sometimes larger […]
The In-laws are Coming for the Weekend
The In-laws are Coming for the Weekend
The in-laws are coming this weekend, for Easter, and they’ll do as they often do. “We don’t need beds” they once said years ago when I didn’t know them that well. I asked my wife Marilyn what that meant, and she said, you’ll see. Hard to describe, and then they arrived. They looked normal, I […]
My Foray into a Strange Little Cave
My Foray into a Strange Little Cave
A bear’s den? Not unless bears used campfires and slept on blankets. It was a small cave, but just about right for miniature beings. Running in the pasture in back of our house west of Amery, I spotted an opening at the base of a rock formation. A cave opening. The merry month of May, […]
A Spooky Girl Visits Our Campsite
A Spooky Girl Visits Our Campsite
We didn’t know about the spooky girl at our campsite until days later. Shocking and puzzling for us all. At the end of July the neighborhood camping crew walked our long pasture to a lakeside spot on Pike Lake near Amery, intending to spend two nights in the wild. Two nights meant a full day […]
Margie and I Meet Up at the Drugstore in Amery
Margie and I Meet Up at the Drugstore in Amery
Margie and I spent a great afternoon together the first day out of third grade. Both of our birthdays were in May, and we were loaded with cash. She had $3 and I had $2. We decided to blow it at the drugstore in Amery. School had just let out for the summer, and on […]
The Sexy Lady Just Wanted to Chat
The Sexy Lady Just Wanted to Chat
The friendly and sexy lady told me her name was Joyce, and she asked to be my friend on Facebook. That’s a process where someone clicks on a request and it goes out to the asked person. She looked pretty, she was young and voluptuous. Her face shouted: I’d sure like to be your buddy. […]
Clotheslines: Rules, Social Norms, and a Poem
Clotheslines: Rules, Social Norms, and a Poem
Hanging clothes on a clothesline. Simple, yes. Not always. Rules in each neighborhood and cultural region meant hanging had dos and don’ts. For us living in the country, it wasn’t so rigorous and rigid because neighbors were far away. Keillor and Bachelor Farmers First of all, one reference to hanging clothes and items son the […]
The Mile High Club in 7th Grade–Final
The Mile High Club in 7th Grade–Final
East of Amery a group of pre-7th graders gathered bravely to test weapons. We started a Mile High Club, not knowing that in the world outside of Amery it had a completely different meaning. Ours had nothing to do with airplanes or jets. The summer before our 7th grade year at Amery, a few of us […]
Two Men and a Handful of Pills
Two Men and a Handful of Pills
Beeping machines and the smell of sterile hospital air. Two men shook hands, a little eye contact, one in his 80s and one 12 hours from death. Wayne looked down on Vern and asked how he felt. Vern did the hand waver, saying, “So, so.” Pause, “But I don’t like to complain.” He never did. […]