And now for something completely different

The other day, while reading one of the many book related e-mails I receive, I ran across a summary of a book outside my normal reading. It was about an author's experience of going "back to the land." Normally, I would just blow by it, but the person grew up about 40 miles from where I did in northern Wisconsin. Intrigued, I checked the book out of the community library. Last week, while at ATLA, I read it during the down times. So, here is my review of Coop: A Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg...

If you grew up in northern Wisconsin, as I did, you will find this book a delight. The author, not at all a handyman, decides to go back to the land. The book highlights his escapades during the first year. Supposedly a recounting of the events of the year, it is actually just an opportunity to recount his own growing up years on a farm near New Auburn, Wisconsin.

Because my grandparents owned a dairy farm and I spent quite a bit of time on it, I found his stories full of touchstones for my own memories. I could almost smell the fragrance of the fresh-cut alfalfa and the haymow as he described haying. The sound of the milk house door, the huge stainless steel tank for the milk, the smell of the barn, all came rushing back to me as he described milking the cows.

He is able to dance between the present and past in a most delightful way. His present attempts at being a farmer—at least a 2-pig, 12-chicken one—are hilarious. He is very honest about his failed attempts and the assistance he needs. It takes him the entire length of the book to build a chicken coop (the title of the book comes from this operation), and even then, it isn't really his work, but that of a friend or three. But, how can you help but love someone who has a 1951 International Harvester pickup? OK, I confess, I got my grandparents 1956 IH pickup when they retired...low mileage, high maintenance, but a high school kid's dream machine.

Bottom line: a delightful literary romp. Of course, my own little 2-acre homestead is a lot more modest than his 37-acre one. And, I am a lot more mechanically inclined than he—my cold frames have corners that join and are square :)