Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days [Hardcover]

Jerry Apps (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007

In his bestselling Every Farm Tells a Story, Jerry Apps brought color and detail to the dreams so many of us have of simple rural life. Here, in his signature style, he spins warm-hearted tales about growing up on a Midwestern dairy farm in the 1940s--stories that make his country year our own.

Wearing his hard-earned wisdom lightly, Apps tells a tale for each month of the year in the heart of the country, and adds aphorisms and the occasional recipe for good measure. We skate with him on a frozen pond on a moonlit night. We watch him drive the hired mans Model T touring car at the age of 10, recover from polio by driving a tractor during disking season, and learn to ride bareback on a pony named Ginger.

Whether shooting off firecrackers on the Fourth of July or suffering through "potato vacation" or overcoming stage fright at the annual Christmas program, Apps is a delightful companion, teaching us a gentle lesson as he learns. By turns witty and profound, his book reaffirms our nations rural heritage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Madison.com, May 25, 2007

“The meat of this new book is lovely stories about being a country boy, contemplation about the ways of nature and sage dollops of advice, sometimes delivered with gentle, dry humor. From his thoughts for May: Do nothing in haste, except running away from an angry dog.”

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), July 1, 2007

“Jerry Apps, the UW-Madison emeritus agriculture professor, is one of the people who define Wisconsin, not only for those from other states, but also for those of use who are natives.”

Book Description

Jerry Apps, bestselling author of Country Wisdom, chronicles a country year through warm-hearted tales of months growing up on a Midwestern dairy farm in the 1940s. Adding aphorisms and the occasional recipe for good measure, he tells of skating on a frozen pond on a moonlit night, driving the hired man’s Model T touring car at the age of 10, recovering from polio by driving a tractor during disking season, and learning to ride bareback on a pony named Ginger. Throughout, Apps is a delightful companion, by turns witty and profound, getting to the heart of the country.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press; 1st edition (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760328404
• ISBN-13: 978-0760328408
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Warm, and Wonderful Book, February 4, 2011

By 

Shawn E. Prinos "OswegoS.P." (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days (Hardcover)

I read this outloud to my husband each month, each chapter is a month....It's full of nice stories about growing up on a farm in Wisconsin, a good book to celebrate the seasons.