Never Curse the Rain: A Farm Boy’s Reflections on Water

by Jerry Apps

Growing up on the family farm, Jerry Apps learned from a young age that water was precious. The farm had no running water, a windmill pumped drinking water for the small herd of cattle, and Jerry and his brothers hauled bucket after bucket of water for the family’s use. A weekly bath was considered sufficient. And when it rained, it was cause for celebration. Indeed, if ever the Apps boys complained about a rainy day spoiling their plans, their father admonished, "Never curse the rain," for the family’s very livelihood depended upon it.
In Never Curse the Rain, Jerry shares his memories of water, from its importance to his family’s crops and cattle to its many recreational uses—fishing trips, canoe journeys, and the simple pleasures of an afternoon spent dreaming in the haymow as rain patters on the barn roof. Water is still a touchstone in Jerry’s life, and he explores the ways he’s found it helpful in soothing a troubled mind or releasing creativity. He also discusses his concerns about the future of water and ensuring we always have enough. For, as Jerry writes, "Water is one of the most precious things on this planet, necessary for all life, and we must do everything we can to protect it."

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

160 pages, Hardcover

Published January 12, 2017

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

[Abby Stopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book. He definitely gave me a new perspective I grew up as a farm kid but always having ponds and Wells definitely did not give me the respect that I should have for water. Definitely recommend this book.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farm families see rain differently than urban dwellers. While for some it is an inconvenience, but for farmers it is a life-giving blessing. “Never Curse The Rain” is a maxim author Jerry Apps learned from his father that he applied to his own reflections on water.

This book consists of 30 memories, generally running 4-7 pages in length, of particular incidents in the author’s young life involving water. Readers are taken back to the day when the gasoline water pump came, freeing the farm from dependence on the winds to draw water, the weekly baths and clothes washings, the swimming hole, Apps’ first mischievous introduction to a water cooler, fishing with his father, canoe trips, the funny dressing and talking city folks who would visit on vacation, and the power of a thunderstorm, just for starters.

The stories are delightful. Written with Apps’ descriptive talent, they transfer the reader to a life style that has been washed away by the tides of progress. This work puts flesh on the skeleton of history. I have read of Depression Era droughts and rural electrification but this tome illustrates their importance to the Apps and other families across America. Whether you are looking for social history or just an enjoyable read, “Never Curse The Rain” is an excellent choice.

I did receive a free copy of this book without an obligation to post a review.

[Crystal Ellyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through Librarything.com member giveaway for a honest review. I really enjoyed this book. The story reminded me of the stories that my grandpa told me when I was little.