When Chores Were Done

The Midwest in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s was a special place, where parents and children worked side by side to eke out a living from the land, and neighbors stuck by each other through good times and bad. In this affectionate, insightful collection of stories, Jerry Apps takes us to that world. He relives the toughness of farm life—plowing the soil with horses, milking cows by hand, putting in long days with heavy, dangerous machinery. He shows us the lighter side too, as he peddles his father's massive rutabaga harvest and gets to know the neighbor boys' personal dictionary of cuss words. We meet Frank, Pinky, and Harry, three farmers whose love of music could transform an entire community; Morty, the odd loner whom only a few wild animals could understand; and Fanny, the extraordinary collie whose role on the farm was as important as that of any human being. Within each story we see just how warm, loving, and supremely educational growing up on a farm could be. Resonating with poignancy and humor, When Chores Were Done contains stories written through the eyes of a child but with the wisdom of an adult. Through the tales are personal, their lessons are universal.