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Sime Funeral Forum Blog
01/03/2009 08:46 AM
“Go, Winter!”
photo from Kickapoo Valley Association photo gallery:
click here
A poem by James Whitcomb Riley, the Indiana sage, (wikipedia article) who was one of the leading poets of the 19th century but is little read today:
GO WINTER
Go Winter! Go thy ways! We want again
The twitter of bluebird and the wren;
Leaves ever greener growing, and the shine
Of Summer’s sun–not thine–
Thy sun, which mocks our need of warmth and love
And all the heartening fervencies thereof,
It scarce hath heat enow to warm our thin
Pathetic yearning in.
So get thee from us! We are cold, God wot,
Even as thou art–We remember not
How blithe we hailed thy coming–
That was O
Too long–too long ago!
Get from us utterly! Ho! Summer then
Shall spread her grasses where thy snows have been,
And thy last icy footprint melt and mold
In her first marigold.
11/28/2008 06:11 AM
“Driftless” by David Rhodes
”He remembered winter mornings in his childhood after the stove had gone out during the night–how the house filled with smoke before the chimney warmed up, the metal sides popping and groaning as yellow flames licked the cool inside.” (pg.141)
Above quote from “Driftless”, a new novel set in western Wisconsin, written by a Wonewoc novelist named David Rhodes (interviewed here on NPR)
11/15/2008 09:06 AM
Autumn
From the Kickapoo Valley Association Photo Gallery (click here)
By James Whitcomb Riley:
“When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin turkey-cock,
And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens,
And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best,
With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.”
08/22/2008 11:55 AM
READSTOWN LABOR DAY
August 29 thru September 1
Bike Races, Softball, Horse Show, Tractor Pull, Parade-Monday
Serving BBQ Chicken Monday, 11:00 A.M. thru 6:00 P.M.
07/21/2008 07:29 AM
July Fireworks in Readstown
An article by this blogger originally published in Kickapoo Free Press:
“Fireworks are 90% hand made. In China it is considered to be an art form.”
At R&M Liquidators, Mike Callaway has turned this art form into business, and has branched out of his hometown of Readstown to have stores, specializing in fireworks in Ferryville and Prairie du Chien. He just recently opened Wisconsin’s largest fireworks store in Baldwin. In the 1980s he and wife Roberta began with one liquidator store in Readstown and gradually moved into the sale of fireworks as a lucrative sideline. He has watched industry change dramatically in just the past twenty years:
“The fireworks ten years ago compared to now is like comparing an old Model T to a brand new Cadillac.” Callaway says. Some of the impetus for change has come from the Chinese government: “As regulation in China became more stringent there was less and less piece work.” The fireworks industry has gradually moved from being a home based cottage industry, adopting a factory model, usually hiring the former farmers who once made them at home.
Callaway traveled to China four years ago to tour the factories and the homes of some of the workers. Their lives are Spartan, bare bones, often living adjacent to their work quarters, but life for them is still better than it was a generation ago on their poverty farms. Callaway came back from China truly impressed with the people: “You could be the only foreigner in 200 miles and you would not feel threatened at all. They are hard working people, people who don’t waste anything.”
The use of fireworks is woven into the Chinese culture: “The Chinese use them for good luck. Every time you open up a new business you have fireworks to scare away the evil spirits.”
But what is the attraction to fireworks in this country? Mike says: “They are pretty exciting. You never know what they are going to be. Men generally prefer the big solid salutes that can go a few hundred feet in the air and shake the ground after a big white explosion. Women like the ones that make colorful shapes. In a holiday they put the cap on the evening. It makes people feel good.”
The construction of fireworks in China is a painstaking, handmade endeavor. He described the laborious process involved in making a simple Roman candle. A cardboard tube is rolled, stitched, and capped by steel and clay at the ends. Then a woman puts about 75 such tubes between her legs using a five finger scoop. She packs the pyrotechnic material into the tubes along with the small round balls that make the colorful effects. Two more people then package and label the Roman candle and a third one hand wraps it into cellophane. Even simple firecrackers are hand woven together before packaging. Machines could probably not do a lot of this work.
He is planning on doing a big fireworks show for the Village of Ferryville on July 26. This will be a large show that would cost $12,000 if done in retail.
”
It’s July, the month of going to sleep to the sounds of neighbor kids shooting off fireworks and the fantastic displays of color, light and sound that come with our national observance of the Fourth of July.
One Readstown man has taken this fascination and created a business that stems from this ancient practice, which originated in China centuries ago. Mike Callaway, of R&M Liquidators, is impressed by the intricate work that goes into each thrill. “Fireworks are 90 percent handmade,” he says. “ In China it is considered to be an art form.”’
06/12/2008 09:00 AM
Flood #2
Here is a video of the flood in the Kickapoo Valley posted on the Midwest News website: Click Here
(It comes in dial up or DSL versions; it takes a while to load up.)
05/30/2008 01:15 PM
Festival 1905
ATTEND
Festival 1905
Sunday, June 8, 2008
2 P.M.
Bliss Memorial Park
Downtown, Readstown, Wis.
“A celebration of Turn of the Century Readstown”
Featuring:
Viroqua Men’s Chorus; Raymond Firebaugh, violinist; Nancy Deckert singing; Raymond Hadley and members of his family band.
Poet Will Kilkeary reciting the poetry of Carl Sandburg, Robert Service and Vachel Lindsay’s “When Gen. William Booth Entered in Heaven” with musical accompaniment.
Turn of the century fashions and a slide show of vintage photos and paintings.
Lemonade and ice cream will be served.
Sponsored as a fund raiser for the bandstand by the Readstown Area Historical Society, a 501 c3 nonprofit corporation.
05/23/2008 05:26 PM
African Recipe
From the weblog of a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali:
“The following is a traditional Northern dish, Ouijila, which I have learned to make alongside my good friend Zeinaba Adama. For those of you reading in country, I do take requests for Ouijila making kits complete with pounded spices and non-perishable ingredients. The recipe below, converted to Ameriki measures makes enough for a family-style meal for 6-8 people.”
Recipe Here
05/05/2008 08:21 AM
Spring Scenes–from K.V.A. gallery
Here are some spring photos from the Kickapoo Valley
04/23/2008 08:52 AM
Mutter Museum–Philadelphia
The recent Pennsylvannia primary has jogged my memory of our trip to Philadelphia last summer. there along with the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and other landmarks of American history we visited the Mutter Museum, which is an attempt to record important moments in American medicine. It is a museum devoted to the preservation of collections of medical instruments, anatomical exhibits, and curious items such as hundreds of objects removed from people. It is not easy to find, but it is not far from the City Hall. Mutter link here:
”
Our Purpose
The Mütter Museum was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. Today, it serves as a valuable resource for educating and enlightening the public about our medical past and telling important stories about what it means to be human. The Mütter Museum embodies The College of Physicians of Philadelphia ’s mission to advance the cause of health, and uphold the ideals and heritage of medicine.
Our History
In 1858, Thomas Dent Mütter, retired Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College , presented his personal collection of unique anatomic and pathological materials to The College of Physicians of Philadelphia . Our collection now boasts over 20,000 unforgettable objects. These include fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens; skeletal and dried specimens, medical instruments and apparati; anatomical and pathological models in plaster, wax, papier-mâché, and plastic; memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians; medical illustrations, photographs, prints, and portraits. In addition, we offer changing exhibits on a variety of medical and historical topics.”
“Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as “Hud,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Color of Money” — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.”
more photos