March 21, 2017 • Page 8 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com The Bookworm ‘Rain’ Will Brighten Your Day “Never Curse the Rain: A Farm Boy’s Reflections on Water” by Jerry Apps; © 2017, Wisconsin Historical Society Press. 145 pages ——— BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Your eyes are on the forecast. Depending on what it says, you’ll either approve or scowl. You don’t want your plans ruined but here’s the thing: you know that weather changes and you can’t do anything about it anyhow. So read the new book “Never Curse the Rain” by Jerry Apps, and learn to appreciate what comes from the skies. Growing up on a farm in north central Wisconsin, Jerry Apps remembers the importance of water. One of his first memories of the liquid, in fact, was when his little brother was sick: there was an emergency rite performed and, because he was standing nearby, 4-yearold Apps was conveniently baptized, too. His father, knowing how essential moisture is to crops and livestock, always admonished Apps and his brothers to “never curse the rain.” He understood, says Apps, that “the farm’s need for water must come before the family’s hopes and wishes.” There were times when rain didn’t come. Apps remembers when the windmill didn’t turn and the cows bawled their thirst. His father first hauled water from a neighbor’s farm; when that wasn’t enough, he purchased a second-hand gas-powered pump that, with “wheezing and kabooming,” saved the livestock until the wind and rains returned. Theirs was an otherwise good well, 180 feet down and dug by hand in the late 1800s. The family was lucky; Apps says he knew of farmers who had to relocate their homesteads when wells went bad. As for indoors, Apps recalls how he and his brothers hauled water from an outdoor pump for indoor use. Saturday was bath day and Monday was wash day, which meant Regular Meeting Interested Mission Hill Township (N) in As per South Dakota Codified Law spot? this 8-5-1 multiple trips with heavy pails. Other days, they carried water for cooking, drinking and washing-up. Apps says he was grown and gone before his parents had indoor plumbing in the house; the barn had it first. But water wasn’t important just on the farm. Apps writes of fishing in local lakes, of visiting the water-powered mill, camping in the rain, after-chores swimming on hot summer days and the blessed relief of a night-time thunderstorm. Do April showers bring May flowers? They say it’s so. You have a few weeks before you’ll know for sure. In the meantime, might as well read “Never Curse the Rain.” For the average reader, this book is like the literary version of comfort-food: put it in your hands, and you’ll feel as though you’re wrapped in Grandma’s hand-knitted afghan while sipping tomato soup on a grey day. Author Jerry Apps will do that to you; he’s a consummate storyteller who can sadden you on one page, tickle your funny bone two pages later, and astound you with facts in between. His memories evoke a time many readers have only learned about in books. For those who share the memories, this book is like a handshake from a friend. There are, therefore, two distinct audiences for “Never Curse the Rain”: 16- to 35-year-old readers, and anyone who’s 36 to 104. If you fit inside those basic groups, the forecast for this book is sunny. INTERESTED IN THIS SPOT? Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. The Board of Supervisors of Mission Hill Township (N) will hold the Regular Meeting on March 28th, 2017, at Vangen Lutheran Church, Mission Hill, South Dakota at Call 665-5884 to 7:00 p.m. If www.missourivalleyshopper.com Hartington Tree LLC place your ad here. Anyone wishing to add items to the agenda of any of these meetings may do so in writing to the Township Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday March 24th, 2017. www.missourivalleyshopper.com you read this you know... advertising pays! Visit our Web site at TREE TRIMMING, REMOVALS & TRANSPLANTING Interested in George Wathier 30480 NE Jim River Road this Mission Hill, SD 57046 Mission Hill Township (N) Clerkspot? www.missourivalleyshopper.com TREES FOR SALE EVERGREEN • SHADE • ORNAMENTAL Call the www.missourivalleyshopper.com Missouri Valley Shopper at 665-5884 or stop by to place your ad today! 319 Walnut St. • Yankton Yankton 605-260-1490 Hartington 402-254-6710 Serving Southeast SD & Northeast NE for 20 Years Visit our Kent & Kyle Hochstein • Licensed Arborists www.hartingtontree.com www.missourivalleyshopper.com Shopper MV Web site at www.missourivalleyshopper.com MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. OVER 150 CARS ON THE LOT M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y COME SEE FOR YOURSELF! Visit our Web site at Interested in this spot? 2001 Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab Visit our Web site at 2012 Ford Edge SEL www.missourivalleyshopper.com 2007 Chevy Avalanche www.missourivalleyshopper.com Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. AWD $ 8,995 IT 605-665-5882 $17,500 18,995 FAX YOU NEED IT TODAY? NO PROBLEM! LT2 $ 4x4 #D83256 #198925 #A81891 Missouri Valley Shopper 216 W. 4th St. • YANKTON,SD 605-665-5884 2015 Ford Edge SEL AWD 2015 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Lariat 2016 Ford F-250 2016?Ford?F-250? Crew Cab XLT Interested in this spot? Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. 4x4, 15K #C16035 34,995 $ 41,995 $ 4x4, INTERESTED IN THIS SPOT? Diesel #87951X CALL 665-5884 TO PLACE YOUR AD HERE. 2015 Ford Explorer Limited Leather 29K 2013 Ford Explorer XLT 2015 Ford F-150 Crew Cab Lariat www.missourivalleyshopper.com 34,995 $ 4x4 #C70013 #13137X 2011 Buick Enclave AWD #110298 17,995 $ 2011 Ford F-250 Reg-Cab 4x4, 6.2L 4x4,?6.2L? gas, 84k #A92091 18,995 $ 22,995 $ Leather 2013 Ford F-250 Crew Cab Diesel 4x4, Flatbed #A13149 8,995 32,995 $$ 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab 4x4, Diesel, High Country #547205 54,995 $ 28,995 $ #B53017 38,995 $ 4x4 #A88361 ALAN KEMP MATT SCHAA PAT HAWK Limited, 4x4, Loaded #15152X 33,995 $ 2011 Ford F-250 Crew Cab XLT 4x4,?6.2L?Gas 4x4, 6.2L Gas #C46768 27,995 $ Monday thru Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. • Sunday: Noon - 4:00 p.m. MOODY MOTOR CO. 1-800-745-5650 (StatePoint) If you have home improvement plans this spring, it’s important to consider where you will be doing your shopping. For many people, the first stores to come to mind are big box retailers because of the widespread assumption that chains can offer better selection and better prices. Keep in mind, though, that when it comes to items needed for your home projects -- whether it be new flooring, paint or a kitchen renovation -- more often than not, experts say that your local independent retailer can offer as good or better selection, be competitive with pricing, and provide a superior customer service experience. What’s more, shopping at local businesses can benefit your household and the community. At a locally owned store, you will be more likely to find interesting items and products that set your home apart. And more of your dollars will stay put when you give them to business owners who pay taxes locally, hire locally and may be more inclined to support community charities and organizations. You may also find independent retailers that can offer some of the same benefits as a large chain. For example, when small business owners belong to a cooperative, they come together to scale buying power, access goods and services at a lower cost, and create opportunities not available to them as individual businesses. For you, this can mean more and better choices of products and affordability. In the case of Flooring America for example, this means being able to offer a wide selection of products, including hard surfaces like hardwood, laminate and tile, and soft surface flooring, paint, cabinets for kitchen renovations and even closet organization solutions. Their retailers can be found in local communities throughout the country, with a varying product selection depending on location. So, if you are looking to make home improvements this spring, check out your local retailers that not only offer great product selection, but also contribute to your community in a positive way. 2014 Ford Explorer OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MATT MOODY Shopping Local Can Benefit You and Your Community Too many mouths to feed? Place an ad in the Missouri Valley Shopper today! 605-665-5884 Niobrara, Nebraska Business? Phone?402-857-3711?•?1-800-745-5650 www.moodymotor.com 319 Walnut • Yankton, SD