Lester became part of the small town scene, a regular in the real life play that was Amery Wisconsin. He performed jobs for money and praise, ate when diner owners brought him plates of food, and slept at locations known only to a few. As a mute, he understood people talking to him but couldn’t […]
Stories
Lepers for the Lord Cult at the Blalock Mansion
Lepers for the Lord Cult at the Blalock Mansion
The leper cult occupied the Blalock Mansion in the mid-1920s. Digging out the background from unreliable sources and circulating rumors, here’s the best I can do to learn the background of this unique branch of Christianity. (To find other stories about the Blalock Mansion and its background, type Blalock into the search line at the […]
The Lady from Carolina: The Homespun Wife
The Lady from Carolina: The Homespun Wife
As the wife of a Baptist minister, Homespun Wife Sherry found herself committed to supporting her family’s welfare. She felt called to make their home as comfortable and safe as it could be. There. Now you know the origin of that title: The Homespun Wife. Sherry’s Early Years Both Carolinas became Sherry’s stomping grounds as […]
The Basic Soda Cracker
The Basic Soda Cracker
Crackers meant one of two events was happening: illness or soup was served. The crackers that came with soup in a restaurant were great snacks before the regular meal arrived It also provided sustenance in the case of stomach flu and other illnesses when the stomach was queasy. And great for pregnant women in times […]
Creatures Appreciate Our Christmas Lights
Creatures Appreciate Our Christmas Lights
Creatures entered our house and left a reward for aiming our Christmas trees toward the woods and creekbed where they live. As I walked downstairs I detected a new, awful, sickening odor, nearly overpowering me. The door to the back yard, locked last night, was unlocked this morning. Just inside the door, a strange object. […]
The Young View Death in a Special Way
The Young View Death in a Special Way
My cousin in Norway, in his 40s, said he broke the news to his 10 year old daughter that his mom, her grandmother, had just died. (He also has 2 sisters in their 40s.) Freya thought for awhile, went to her father and hugged him, saying: “Sorry, Dad. Now you and your sisters are all […]
Underbed Fear, a Different Angle
Underbed Fear, a Different Angle
Under Billy’s bed a form emerged from a sizeable rat hole. Dark hits early in January, and in order to survive, land urchins needed to rest in warm overnight air. Ishda was only in his 12th year, just a baby. Billy loved going to bed, no fears ever. With his ball kerosene lantern throwing off […]
Ave Maria: I Never Heard It
Ave Maria: I Never Heard It
Growing up Lutheran, I enjoyed a number of advantages and learned a lot of good lessons. My Lutheranism was the laid back kind, not the pulpit thumping version. But one disadvantage of this background was never hearing the song Ave Maria in my growing up years. My city of Amery, heavily Protestant, had one Catholic […]
A Master Horseman Visits My Farm: Final
A Master Horseman Visits My Farm: Final
“I know horses. I’ve been around them my whole life.” His long, stringy pony tail and Harley vest with the misspelled Harly set this confident man apart from others who came to check out my pet horse. Looking for a small pony for his granddaughter, my mare Lilly might just be what he wanted. Along […]
A Childhood Scene of Misery near Amery
A Childhood Scene of Misery near Amery
When I looked around the living room, I saw the plants had frozen and lay there, an ugly, limpy brown. The wood fire roared in the little, decrepit stove but threw off little heat. Phoebe Munson huddled near it in her winter jacket. Saturday morning, the day before Christmas, and we were delivering eggs to […]
Don’t Chase That Horse! Updated
Don’t Chase That Horse! Updated
Our horse Lilly escaped her enclosure on a beautiful summer day. I spotted her across the road at the boat landing parking lot, dining on lush virgin grass. Grabbing the rope to lead her back, a young fellow pulled into the parking lot ahead of me. I knew he was bright, because he said: “Hey, […]
The Nisse Gather in the Barn to Celebrate-II
The Nisse Gather in the Barn to Celebrate-II
The odor inside the barn would have dropped a city kid to his knees, but these farm kids weren’t bothered by the smell produced by the milk cows. They slowly walked down the center of the barn between the 30 cattle, settling behind a gate with slats. From here they watched the nisse activity and […]
Yule Nisse Gather at a Fjelberg Barn-I
Yule Nisse Gather at a Fjelberg Barn-I
Five bodies lay on the porch, four of them staring into the field beyond the barn. Emma, the littlest, lay on her back with her mouth open, catching snowflakes. A thick blanket under them kept them warm. The Nordhus farm on Fjelberg Island. Snowing, barely. Christmas eve. Aunt Marianne, the largest of these humans, […]
First Birthday Party at a Ripe Old Age
First Birthday Party at a Ripe Old Age
The man had a good, full life but he never a birthday party, he just didn’t. A loner, a smart man, a storyman, and even a moonshiner. Simon Carlson worked in the Amery City Hall, engineer I believe or head of streets and sewers (let me check on that) who enjoyed his job, worked well […]
Bloomer Boys in the Belfry with Bats
Bloomer Boys in the Belfry with Bats
The boys enjoyed the summer in the Bloomer Catholic church belfry, and now there are three sleeping up there. Parker, his friend Wally, and Parker’s brother Greyson. They didn’t want to take him but Parker’s mother Dana talked him into it, giving her more time to drive the Bloomer back roads and look for garage […]