Years ago, Steve Hannah’s chance detour through the Midwest cut short a planned cross-country trip. He found himself in Wisconsin, a distinctly different place from the east coast where he was born and raised. Charmingly beautiful and full of welcoming people, America’s dairyland would soon become his home.Dairylandia recounts Steve Hannah’s burgeoning love for his adopted state through the writings of his long-lived column, “State of Mind.” He profiles the lives of the seemingly ordinary, yet quite (and quietly) extraordinary folks he met and befriended on his travels. From Norwegian farmers to rattlesnake hunters to a woman who kept her favorite dead bird in the freezer, Hannah was charmed and fascinated by practically everyone he met. These captivating vignettes are by turns humorous, tragic, and remarkable—and remind us of our shared humanity.
Foreword by Michael Perry xiPreface xiiiIntroduction: From the Garden State to the Garden of Eden 3Part 1: The Accidental Agriculturalist 16Of Poetry and Planting: Farmers in Springtime 19The Farm That Love Built: Helen and Paul Lute 23I’d Know That Face Anywhere: Cliff and Shelly Keepers 29I’ve Always Been Lucky: The Ballad of Herman Tronrud 35My Apologies, Mr. President: Wherein Our Hero Fails to Outsmart Jerry Ford 41The World by the Tail with a Downhill Pull: Katie and Erhardt Schultz 47Part 2: Ageless 62Try Not to Be Boring: Emma Washa 65Love Is Still Love, Even When It’s Frozen: Edna Koenig 73Beautiful Ballerinas, Heavenly Holsteins: The Life and Loves of Schomer Lichtner 79Larger Than Life, Suddenly Small: Eric Lloyd Wright 85Part 3: The Dark Side of Paradise 92Tragedy without Reason: The Eerie Calm of John Norton 97The Pain of Never Knowing: Mary Wegner 105Living with the “Enemy”: Bill Fero 113The Truth Will Out: The Short, Unhappy Life of Emmanuel Dannan 118The Banality of Evil: Jerry Boyle and the Defense of Jeffrey Dahmer 124Part 4: Not Quite Plumb 136“I’m So Happy It’s Just Terrible!”: Woodrow Wilson Roberts 139The Frogman Cometh: Art Gering and the Astounding Amphibian Invasion 145Big Brats, Tiny Trophies: Dennis Leffin and the Wondrous White Sausage 150Dignity in Motion: Jim Herther and the World’s Greatest Car Wash 155Nearly Naked, Seeking Snow: In Wisconsin, That’s Amore 160Farewell, My Doboy: Kissing Alex P. Dobish Good-Bye 164Part 5: Animals? Yes!! People? Not So Much. 172The Elephant in the Room 175Bo Knows 180Oh, Deer: The Anna Mae Bauer Story 183Part 6: Your Lucky Day 190Poems from the Edge: Ellen Kort 193Short in Stature, Long on Courage: Joe Bee Xiong 199Making Beautiful Music: Steve O’Donnell 205A Naturalist’s Journey: Ken Lange 210Running for Help: Sue Birschbach and Barb Klinner 216You Can’ t Tattoo a Soap Bubble: Evelyn Ann Fefer 223The Road to Redemption: Ed Thompson 229A Million Miles to Go: Don and Cathryn Tredinnick 235Postscript 243Acknowledgments 245