by Greg Koelker
Well, it’s been a pretty quiet week here at Grouse Hollow. Okay, I purloined that rendition from writer and humorist (and disgraced celebrity) Garrison Keillor. Hard to believe it’s been ten years since the last A Prairie Home Companion show aired on public radio. It brightened up Saturday evenings for thousands from 1974 until 2016. We were introduced to A Prairie Home Companion by our great friends and former neighbors Judy and Dick Swantz. We became fans of the weekly variety radio show that included voice actors Tim Russel, Sue Scott, Fred Newman, and sound effects artist Tom Keith, the Guys All-Star Shoe Band, Powder Milk Biscuits ads, numerous appearances by Chet Atkins, quirky detective Guy Noir, the annual joke show, and the worth-wait-for-it News from Lake Wobegon. If you remember or if you’d like to check it out, you can find some episodes at prairiehome.org.
Anyway, it has been a pretty quiet couple of weeks. We got some rain, and then we got some green grass again. So hi ho, hi ho, it’s out to mow we go. We got our Grand Canyon wannabe ridge road fixed thanks to Dan Lepke Trucking and neighbor Andy Beitlich and his skidsteer. I got a cortisone shot in my knee, and so far, my knee pain has taken a break. While I have been trying to ride my bike every day this summer, taking walks was painful. So I took my first walk down the coulee this week. No pain- we shall see. I got my crossbow back from the shop – $244 to replace a fraying cable. Ellen’s hibiscus exploded in just one week. Our major league-leading Milwaukee Brewers have been fun for us- when the games aren’t blacked out. El’s hummingbirds have been absent until yesterday when they were back dog-fighting over the feeder. Our niece and nephew, Angela and Brent Flesch, landed second place in the annual American Legion fundraiser Tonnage Tournament out of Cassville. They brought in a barrel of sheepshead and a few catfish that weighed in at over 260 pounds. I know what they were using for bait, and if they don’t come up with some hush money, well, you’ll be the first to know.
On Sunday, we went to the annual Uppena Family reunion at J & J’s Sandbar in Cassville. There was lots of laughter, stories, many cousins and old friends, but the spiritual leader of the family, Monsignor James Uppena, missed it. Fr. Jim was on his way to Cassville through Beetown when a motorcyclist coming the other way crossed the center line and hit him head-on. The motorcyclist got a med flight to Madison, and Jim a night at Grant Regional. He texted me not to make him laugh, as he is recovering from a fractured sternum. Yikes! He said, “Thank God for airbags.” So sorry for him. He has married almost the entire family; he married El and me over half a century ago.
This morning, we are heading out to the funeral of Les Flick of De Soto. I love stories, and Les almost always had a hunting or fishing or trapping story to share. His wife, Sue, was the De Soto Area Schools district secretary for the entire time I taught there. She is a wonderful person. I always tell young people who are aspiring to be a teacher that two people you need to get to know are the custodian and the secretary. I always use Sue as the best example. There was a huge crowd, but we got to talk to Sue and her daughter for a few minutes.
Anyway Sue, Ellen and I and so very many others are so sorry for your loss.
Until next time, get out – don’t forget to vote this week. In his dying breath, Civil Rights activist Vernon Dahmer, Sr, coined the phrase, “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
“Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”
– Ellen’s favorite saying by Garrison Keillor, from The Writer’s Almanac
Pray for peace.
Greg Koelker is a lifelong resident of the Driftless region along the Mississippi River. He is the acclaimed author of the “Grouse Hollow Journal,” a column that celebrates rural life, nature, family heritage, and the traditions that bind communities together. While technically focused on the “outdoors,” his writing often explores broader themes of community values and education.
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