The Quiet Season: Remembering Country Winters

by Jerry Apps

The Quiet Season
Remembering Country Winters
Jerry Apps
 
“As I think back to the days of my childhood, the frost-covered windows in my bedroom,
the frigid walks to the country school, the excitement of a blizzard, and a hundred other memories, I realize that these experiences left an indelible mark on me and made me who I am today.”—From the Introduction Jerry Apps recalls winters growing up on a farm in central Wisconsin during the latter years of the Depression and through World War II. Before electricity came to this part of Waushara County, farmers milked cows by hand with the light of a kerosene lantern, woodstoves heated the drafty farm homes, and “making wood” was a major part of every winter’s work. The children in Jerry’s rural community walked to a country school that was heated with a woodstove and had no indoor plumbing. Wisconsin winters then were a time of reflection, of planning for next year, and of families drawing together. Jerry describes how winter influenced farm families and suggests that those of us who grow up with harsh northern winters are profoundly affected in ways we often are not aware.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography Memoir

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2013

About the author

Jerold W. Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 30 books, many of them on rural history and country life. His nonfiction books include: Living a Country Year, Every Farm Tells a Story, When Chores Were Done, Humor from the Country, Country Ways and Country Days, One-Room Schools, Cheese, Breweries of Wisconsin, Ringlingville USA (History of Ringling Brothers circus), Old Farm: A History, Barns of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days: A Century of Farming With Horses, and Campfires and Loon Calls. His children's books include: Stormy, Eat Rutabagas, Tents, Tigers and the Ringling Brothers, and Casper Jaggi: Master Swiss Cheese Maker. He has an audio book, The Back Porch and Other Stories. Jerry has published four novels, The Travels of Increase Joseph, In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story, Blue Shadows Farm and Cranberry Red. Jerry is a former publications editor for UW-Extension, an acquisitions editor for the McGraw-Hill Book Company, and editor of a national professional journal.

Jerry has won awards for his writing from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Library Association (the 2007 Notable Authors Award), American Library Association, Foreword Magazine, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, Robert E. Gard Foundation, The Wisconsin Council for Writers (the 2007 Major Achievement Award), Upper Midwest Booksellers, and Barnes and Noble Bookstores, among others. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Check www.jerryapps.com for more information.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I grew up in a city in southern Wisconsin decades after the stories in Mr. App's book. All the same, the stories felt so familiar, partially because they are like the ones my father and grandfather tell of growing up in the north and partially because some of the experiences he describes in the quiet and the beauty of our longest and coldest season are ones many of us who grew up here enjoy. Even my 10 year old son, who still doesn't fully believe that his grandpa remembers life without indoor plumbing and electricity, enjoyed the stories immensely. Thank you for a great book, Mr. Apps!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely book. I have seen the Farm Winter program on PBS that features some of the stories from this book, and this just goes more in depth. Reading this was like listening to my relatives talk about winter life when they were young. I could relate to a number of things, being I grew up on a farm, but life seemed so much richer and honest. Yes, there are people who live simply, work hard, and still maintain the lifestyle portrayed, but the world has changed so much that this book is needed to preserve these stories so that others can get a grasp of this lifestyle. Such a good book that will most likely be a yearly read for me.

[David T Bosshard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read. Good insight into life in my part of the country back in the 'good old days'.

[Madeline Heim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I unexpectedly wrote Jerry Apps’s obit at work and couldn’t believe I hadn’t read any of his books. This was the perfect one to start with (I LOVE a seasonal read). Cozy and pleasant, giving me just a hint of sadness that our winters have changed so much from what he described.

“It is the less tangible, often even mythical characteristics of winter that forge a true northerner.” 🩵

[Bernie Starzewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former farmer myself and familiar with the region where these stories took place I can attest to its simple and loving accuracy.
I too have experienced the thrill and even a little fear of a Wisconsin blizzard and fought to keep out the cold and care for the animals. Even the killing of animals so that the family could eat.
Yes, it was hard but it was also wonderful and Mr. Apps depicts it perfectly.
Maybe the only book that does it better is "The Land Remembers" by Ben Logan which is as much a memorial to his mother as a book about his youth.
A small book but perhaps Jerry Apps best!

Note: I am younger than Mr. Apps and came to the Wisconsin farm scene late when cooperation between neighbors was already in decline. I was also take back by the number of uses they had for firewood including a special heater to keep the stock tank thawed. Then I consider that I use a modern chain saw to harvest wood while they used hand tools including a two man band saw. The volume must have been enormous though it is clear that they did not keep their house as warm as we do which I expect mitigated it a good deal.

[Arizona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Goodreads and the First Reads giveaway.

This simple and charming book would be a nice addition to any bookshelf, and that’s just the outside. The hard cover, bright white pages and sharp font will appeal to any age reader. An E-Book edition is also available.

Then there are the stories,they will spark memories in anyone who grew up in the 1930’s to late 1940’s or, like me grew up hearing stores of ‘walking a mile uphill to school in the snow’, chopping wood to keep warm or the only bathroom being outside. Short chapters capture a memory or experience that will be sure to bring a smile and start some great conversations no matter what your age.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. Delivery also included a nice catalog introducing similar works, check it out at wisconsinhistory.org/whspress. Support your local bookstore and keep reading.

[Jeff Rosendahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine descriptions of winter in rural Wisconsin in the 20's & 30's. It's just a series of stories about the wintertime, but contains great details and is a quick read. Highly recommended for people interested in rural history.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The language Jerry Apps uses is simple and straight forward but very evocative. I could smell the feed mill we went to when I was a kid based on his descriptions and the warm smell of walking into the barn on a cold winter morning. This is a lovely book full of beautifully written stories.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant read but nothing too memorable. Feels like an older relative telling you nostalgic tales about the good old days (but also how much harder they were, but also how much better they were). If you’ve read much about Wisconsin dairy farming of years past, it’s nothing novel. An uncritical but thorough review of what it was like in this specific area in this specific era in this specific culture. Many chapters feel like descriptions of an activity with very little humor or little details to really hang your hat on. I got the general feeling of the temperature but the writing is rather simple and other books capture the feelings of winter more elegantly and effectively. Every once in a while a chapter has a bit more personality or charm.

[Janet Gasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a relaxing gentle read. The author is about my mother's age, and the book had me thinking about her growing up in rural Wisconsin during the thirties. I should have asked her more questions, as I was growing up, but Jerry Apps does a good job of explaining what life was like during that time.

[Danni · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved the simple stories of Winter long ago, I felt the romantic vision sometimes got in the way of telling a more nuanced history. For example, memories of his mother and all the work she was doing keeping the family and farm running were seriously lacking in detail and perspective.

[Cari Manry · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only read one chapter of this book...read Wash Day. You will never look at doing the laundry the same way again.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs of farm winters from about age 7 to about 12. Find all his books so interesting. Very good detail and historical context.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted it to be. A very quick read, light-hearted, nostalgic for days gone by. It made me laugh, and ponder how life was so different than it is today. I loved reading about his daily, weekly, and annual rhythms of life growing up - especially knowing how similar my grandpa's childhood was. I also found it fascinating how they earned and spent money, and how important a "Box Social" could be as a community fundraising event. I cannot wait to read more of his books.

"He called the little engine every name in the considerable vocabulary of invective that he had gained while spending many younger years working as a hired hand in a variety of jobs. For a kid like me, who was just beginning to develop a cussing vocabulary, it was an educational moment of highest import." - From the chapter about starting their gasoline powered washing machine (pg. 118)

"Ma sometimes took in the radio soap operas broadcast during the day, including ... The Romance of Helen Trent ("... because a women is thirty-five or older, romance in life need not be over")." - From the chapter showcasing the importance of the radio in their daily lives (pg.132)

[Mick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on a farm and remember so many things now that the author recalls them from his childhood. While we were the next generation, the authors stories evoke a flood of memories; winter nights so cold and clear you could hear the party phone lines crackle if someone was on the phone, having to turn on heat lamps for chicks and a Jim Dandee heater for the hog house. The smell of November air before the first snow… but mainly the grounding we had as children in a family where each had his jobs and sense of self worth! I’m sure I’ll re-read this book many times!

[Julie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read. I have a hard time enjoying winter so I got this book to basically get me a little nostalgic about it. The book wasn't quite what I was looking for, but I wouldn't say that I was disappointed. Apps did a good job mixing actual events and what his thoughts were the. As well as now. Chapters were quick and could be read as single stories making this a good book to read before bed.

[Bob Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author reminisces about winters growing up in the Wisconsin countryside in the 30s and 40s. He paints a picture of a simpler although more strenuous life. Reading this made me reminisce about my own youthful winters in the 1960s. Things had changed so much and become so much easier, also I lived in town so I’m sure that made a difference.

Definitely fun to read.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think of a better book to read on cozy winter nights in Wisconsin. This book recalls fond conversations with my parents/grandparents. It makes me long for a simpler time when you could be snowed in on your farm without a care in the world because you were cozy and safe -- nobody needed you right away. What a great read!

[Julie Nielsen Witkovsky MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book to read in the midst of a polar vortex! Mr Apps has an amazing memory and wonderful descriptions. It was if I was there. Helps that I have grown up in WI and still have parents who grew up in that era.

[Danielle Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple story about a simpler time. Reminded me of a more grown-up version of Little House in the Big Woods. I grew up in WI myself and the book made me feel a bit more connected with my late grandma who grew up on a WI farm around the same time. I’m glad the history was written down.

[Crick Porier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs of a simple farm life in the winter months Wisconsin during the end of the depression era and WWII. All from the view of a child. This was an enjoyable read that warms hearts during the cold, dark winter months of the modern-day chaos.

[S Washam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story that reminded me of some of my adventures during winter. Great read :)

[Deb Zich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, fast read, with winter tales that this former farmers daughter could relate to with a smile.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick enjoyable read, fun to read during winter here in WI and interesting to read his memories of how life was growing up on a farm here in the 1930s/40s.

[Sandra Futch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming read about growing up with Wisconsin winters in the 1930's and 40's.

[Sandy Borchardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. Describes farm life in the 40’s in central Wisconsin before electricity.

[Reanna Emborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adult little house on the prairie. I want to be friends with the author.

[Kasey Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic read. Felt motivating to read in the middle of winter when it’s sometimes hard to see and appreciate the beauty of these long & cold months.

[Howard Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I was born 20 years later than the author, many of the experiences he relates were familiar to me and brought back a lot of memories of growing up on the farm.

[Laura Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always fun to read an author who lives in the same State as you.