Book Report
Cyndie enjoys listening to me read aloud, and we recently finished a perfect book for that exercise, allowing her to fold laundry while I recited the last chapters of author Jerry Apps’ “The Quiet Season: Remembering Country Winters.” The book was a gift from my niece, Liz. She said that reading it caused her to think about us and our place in Wisconsin. I can see why.
Hopefully, it wasn’t because the period Jerry wrote about was in the 1930s and 40s. Things aren’t that backward out here. His descriptions of chores and routines do evoke a sense of the familiar for projects we have undertaken in our first year here. As difficult a time as they had carving out their existence on a country farm (he describes winter life at a time before indoor plumbing or electricity, and very limited wood stove heating), it definitely caused me to feel a longing for the simpler time.
Since then, life has gotten a lot faster and busier.
I think the frenetic pace of modern life suits Cyndie better than it does me. Yesterday was her annual holiday cookie baking extravaganza where she converts restaurant portions of butter, sugar, flour, brown sugar, and I think, more butter, into a wide array of delectable works of edible art. Our kids braved the light snow and drove out to be here for the festivities and helped to truly kick off this annual tradition the way Cyndie likes.
They produced a dizzying volume of beautiful cookies that have the house smelling dangerously delicious, causing me to gain weight just breathing the air. Between baking tasks, Elysa fed the horses and Julian helped me shovel the labyrinth. We watched some football, sat by the fire, shared a wonderful dinner –why not? The oven was already hot– and created cookie trays for sharing at everybody’s workplaces.
Much of the day resonated for me with the spirit of the stories I had just read by Jerry Apps. Maybe that is because we almost crammed his whole book worth of tales into one day.
Thank you, Liz, for the book. It was a wonderful treat that we enjoyed very much!
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Relative Something 
What a delicious and wonderful table of cookies! I think I can smell them from here just looking at them! We are so excited with our visit getting closer and closer. Love. Dunia
duniamo
December 9, 2013 at 2:59 pm
We are getting excited, too, and all our family and friends! Be prepared to feast on some of Cyndie’s favorite things to bake. You will have no problem finding enough calories to stay warm when we are outdoors playing in the snow and dancing with horses!
johnwhays
December 9, 2013 at 8:39 pm
So glad you liked it–I found that reading the stories made me wish for more simplicity in my life, as well as feel incredibly thankful for a few specific modern conveniences (indoor plumbing and electricity, for example! Can you imagine letting kids live in a house lit by oil lamp?? S-C-A-R-Y!). Your situation also made me think about the “city relatives” Jerry wrote about. You guys WERE the “city relatives” in many ways, and are now evolving into the country folk–love it!! =)
Liz Shatek
December 9, 2013 at 9:10 am
It’s been a year, and that transition from the suburbs to the country feels like it has a long way to go, but it’s all RELATIVE! and in many ways, we are already so far removed from our previous life that it feels kind of uncomfortable when we find ourselves back in the old environment of the bustling suburb.
One thing that I/we do that feels so close to something from the book is our half-mile round-trip walk to the road and back, down the driveway when we wheel our trash and recycling to the “curb.” Initially, I figured that would be a problem in need of an automated solution, but that walk has become a precious time that each week brings us closer to the genuine outdoor spirit of this place. Doing that walk now doesn’t feel one bit longer than the one we used to do for the 25 feet to the end of our old suburban driveway. How 1940s of me!
johnwhays
December 9, 2013 at 8:36 pm