Monthly Archives: March 2009

‘Raney by Clyde Edgerton’ will make you giggle.

Reading

For a good time, read Raney — or pretty much anything by Clyde Edgerton.

Raney is a Southern Baptist. Charles is an Episcopalian, When they marry they set up house in Listre, North Carolina. The story is told through Raney’s voice. It has been several years since I read this book, but remember laughing out loud every couple of pages.

One passage I recall laughing aloud at was when Raney was trying to explain why Southern Baptists didn’t use wine for communion. Something about 3 days not being long enough to ferment the grape juice into wine. Ok, not funny now because I didn’t get it right, but I sure giggled when I read it.

If you’ve never read Edgerton — you’re missing out. I just noticed he has several other books out, so I’ve got more reading to do! See ya!

Up North: the series ::The beginning:: Two Rivers

Memories,

I’ve got Wisconsin in my blood. No, really, I do. My great grandmother’s family settled there after emigrating from Germany sometime before the US Civil War. I’m not sure where the man she married, Silas Koeser, was from, perhaps Michigan since my grandmother was born there, but he eventually moved to Two Rivers, the town where his wife was born. She bore nine children and died when some of the children were very young. Silas remained in Two Rivers the rest of his life, as did most of his children.

Henry Theide
An Early Wisconsinite

As many times as I’ve been to Wisconsin, I’ve only been in Two Rivers once. When I was about three years old.  And had a bad case of the measles. I don’t remember it at all, but I’ve seen photographs of me at a beach, and perhaps a video or two. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized it was not an ocean beach in the photograph, but Lake Michigan.

A beach in Two Rivers -- see, looks like the ocean.*
A beach in Two Rivers — see, looks like the ocean. *

Starting this summer, I want to visit some of the places in Wisconsin that have meaning for me. I might not start with Two Rivers, but someday I’ll go back and see where I’m “from”.

*Neshotah Beach photo originally uploaded by Lester Public Library