Rural wisdom : time-honored values of the Midwest

131 Pages·1998·16.799 MB·English

by  Jerold W Apps

Copyright <D 19 98 Jerold vv. Apps
First Editiot 1
Third Printing
All righ1s reserved. Rcproduetion in wllolc or in p;:1r1 of ciny portion in any form
vvithout pcrrnission of publisher is prohibitecl.
Amherst Press
A Division of 1:>aJmcr Publications. Inc.
318 N. Main Street
1\mherst. Wisconsin 54406
Library of Congress Camloging-in-Publicci1ion Data
1\pps . .Jerolcl w .. 1934-
Rural 'vVisdorn: time-honored \'C\lues of tl1e Midwest/ by Jerry Apps.
p. cm.
ISBN 0·9,~2495-63·2 (alk. paper)
l. Country Life-Middle west- Quotc-11ions. maxims. etc. 2. couniry
lifc- Miclclle west- Anecdotes. 3. Midclle West- Social life and customs
Quotrnions. maxims. etc. 4. Middle wes1-Socic1l Jil'e and customs
anecclotes. s. Conduct of life-Quotations. rm1xims. e1c. G. Conduc1 or
lifc- /\necdo1cs. I. Title.
F35 I .t\G7 1997
977- DC2 l 97· I 138 CIP
Printed in tl1e United Smtes of .'\meric;;1 C'lt Palmer Publica1ions. Inc.
L.ciyou1 0ncl ctcsign by 1\mherst Press.
Dedication
To my.father. 1-le-m 1un Apps ...
who wu.s u funner. storyteller. ond an encyclopedia of rural wisclo1n .
Cot!er photo is 11ern1on /\µp.s. frnhPr of the m11/ 1or .
.Jerry Apps. The /Jock coLwr shows .Jerr~J wit/ 1 his
urun<ison. 1\1/ /)/Wtovruphs /Oken /)y 5Wl'<:' Aµµs.
son of .Jerry. amn<ison of 11ennw1 an<i uncle uf.losli.
iii

Co11te11ts
Declicalion .. . . . .. . ... . . iii
Preface . . . .. ... . .. .... . . vii
Chll/)ters
I . Rural \IVisdorn. . l
2. MCll"ing <i Living .5
3. Farming .. . .. . . . 15
4. PrClctical Matters. .27
5. Lifeiime Leaming . . 3 1
6. Family . . . . .. . . . . 37
7. For Good Health .. . 43
8. Home-Grown Food. . 53
9. Tc*ing Life /\s ll Comes . . 67
Io. Gelling Along and Politicicms . . 79
1 1. Conunclrurns 2'1nd Otl1er Wise Rits. . 87
1 2. Seasonal Changes . . .... ..... . . 93
13. One With Nature . 103
14. RemernlJering .. 113
End Nole . . ... l 19
\!

Preface
Ask a person broug111 up in the country to say 1 am indebted to many people for the ideas in
something wise and you'll get a strange look. Rural this book. especially my father. 1 also want to thank
people don't run around spouting words of wisdom. my three children for taking time in their busy lives to
On the other hand, once you get to know them they'll read this material. and offer suggestions for improve
tell you story after story about tl1eir lives and 111e peo ment. My daughter Susan, an elementary school
ple they know. The wisdom is there, in these stories !cacher in Madison. has an eye for wl1at makes sen
and comments. sible prose. Jeff. a hotel sales manager in Colorado.
Having grown up on a Wisconsin farm. 1 heard raises practical questions. Steve, !he journalist in the
these stories as long as l can remember. My father family and staff photographer for the Wisconsin State
and my grandfather were storytellers. So were my Journal in Madison. reads wHh an eye for interest
uncles. And so were several of the neigl1bors in our and understanding. Steve also did the pl101ography
Waushara County community located some four for the book. Ruth, my wife and live-in editor. read
miles west of Wild nose, Wisconsin. I heard stories unending drafls of the book. challenging, but always
or
whenever the family gathered. I also heard them supporting. Finally, the staff Amherst Press and
when neigl1bors got together to share work projects. especially C11arles and Robena Spanbauer have sup
In 1966. I acquired my own farm, where I live part ported my work and encouraged topics !hat range
time. discovering something new and recalling from one-room country schools to rural wisdom. ~Jo
something old almost every day. all of these people and many more. I am indebted.
w11en my 93-year-old father died a few years Their wisdom has helped to make the wisdom of
ago, I began writing down some of l1is sayings I tl1is book more accessible. and I l1ope. botl1 inter
remembered from my growing up years on the farm. esting and valuable.
Soon 1 began recalling wisdom that r had ga1t1ered
Jerry f\pps
from other rural people that r met over the years.
vii

1
Rural Wisdom
Wilen I graduated eigl1th grade from a Wiscon were backwater hicks who had few social skills
sin one-room country school, I looked forward ro and J1acl Cl lot to learn before they could make it in
attending l1igl1 school in Wild Rose. sornc four the world.
miles from our farrn. I suspec1 ii WClS during tl1e Wl1en I left the farm to attend the University in
first few weel-<s in high school tl1at I discovered. Madison. I faced the country-city difference again.
firstl1and. tile cliffcrences between city kids and Only this time I was srnarter. I vowed tl1at I could
country kicls. we country kids learned quickly 1'11at act "City" and that no one need know rl1a1 l grew up
we were supposedly inferior 10 tl1e more sopl1isti on c-1 sandy farm in Waushara County. Wisconsin.
catecl higl1 school fresl1men who l'lad grown up in wl1ere our farm1·1ouse didn't have electricity until I
town. At least tl1at is what we heard from our new was a sopl1omore in high school, and had no
"!own friencls" wl10 attended classes witl1 us. indoor plumbing until several years after 1 left
Even the teC1chers contributed to our feelings home. I remember so well my first day at the
of inferiority. altl1ough I don't tt1ink t11ey did it inten University. My new roommate was from Rockford.
tionally. we were encouraged to put behind us our Illinois. "Jerry:· he said, uyou walk like you're
"country ways" and learn l1ow the world really bel1ind a plo\.v." I didn't respond. The trutl1 was
worl<;cd: tl1a1 tl1e only people who really made a 111at r I 1ad been walking behind a plO\.v only a fe vv
clifference were city people. and that country folk days earlier. but I wasn't abou1 to tell my new