His Old Coat

It is a classic. It has padded shoulder and many pockets for game and shells. Inside the pockets there are memories. The memories of years past and years to come were in those pockets. The coat is stained and tattered. A couple buttons were even missing.

Coon Creek Canoe races return after 25 years

On what turned out to be a picture-perfect summer day, Coon Valley, Wisconsin held the 2019 Coon Creek Canoe races last Saturday, the likes of which the town has not seen in years, twenty-five to be exact.

Almost a year to date, floods ravaged and did unsurmountable damage to Coon Valley, Chaseburg, and many other communities in the Driftless area. The aftermath laid hard times for many, but those hard times became the catalyst for Chaseburg and Coon Valley to band together and do something to help each other.

An unwritten story

I have heard it hundreds of times in my life.  That question that so many ask and expect a simple response.  There is no answer for the non-believers.  I have tried to explain it so many times and the answer never quite satisfies the inquisitive.

Easy Farming, a model legacy

“My grandpa and his two brothers came over from Norway about 1905. Ole was my grandfather. He started a farm back here in the valley. Knut, his brother, started a farm outside of Cashton. His other brother Alvin ventured off to California. I’ve never seen him, but my brother was in the Navy and he went out and seen him in ’70. Ole and Knut did farm around here back on the valley and bought this farm on the ridge. He eventually died so my dad bought this place on the ridge. His brother bought the place in the valley. I have lived here all of my life. My dad started farming around ’45 and farmed until ’85 when he passed away. He loved it. It doesn’t look like it did back then anymore.”

Gone Fishin'

I went to the nursing home to pick up my wife. She had worked a double shift because of the bad weather here in Wisconsin. The nurse that was to work the shift could not make it in because of blowing snow. Barb left her little car in the parking lot. I barreled through the snow with my SUV. My wife was at the curb waiting for me. She was really tired from working a double shift.

 As we went home, she told me there was a new intake in the nursing home. She met the guy briefly and introduced herself. The 80ish year old man introduced himself as Trout. Barb asked the guy if that was his real first name. "Trout" said that his real name was something else but he has been known as "Trout" since his childhood.