3/31/25
This week started off with the last day of March. Monday was a bright and sunny day, a bit cool but otherwise a very pleasant day. After chores I cleaned the cattle yard and bedded the barn this morning. In the afternoon I pulled a few taps but didn’t work too hard and I probably won’t until my back feels better. I saw a gang of vultures today, about a dozen circling overhead so the whole gang is back, right on schedule, about the first of April.
Tuesday was the first of April and it was even cooler starting out at 22 and only getting to 39 under a cloudy sky. Not so pleasant of a day. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge this morning. I then went to Highland to vote. After that I went down to Walsh’s Ace Hardware store to get a couple of rolls of barbed wire as we need some new fences as some of the old ones are getting to need repair as its been over 60 years since I built most of them. Barbed wire then was $10 a roll now it cost me $120 a roll. In the afternoon I pulled a few more taps from the maple trees.
On Wednesday it warmed up in the afternoon to 64, even under a cloudy sky, after starting out at only about 30 and getting 1” of snow last night and then changing to rain lasting till 9 this morning, all due to the stiff south wind. I then planted walnuts the rest of the day after the rain stopped. My back is getting better after using a rub on it that is used for muscle cramps.
Thursday was a partly sunny breezy, cooler day,, getting up to 48 degrees after starting out at 30. It was a good day to work in the woods so I planted Walnuts until my legs got tired. After that I made some telephone calls to book stores to find out if they are carrying my book so I can ass them to my website. This evening a book promotion company by the name of ThinkSpark called again wanting to make me filthy rich for just a small investment. I declined as I wouldn’t know what to do with all the money.
Friday was a cloudy cool day starting out at 24 before getting to 52. A good syrup customer of ours, a retired school teacher, stopped in this morning as he had said earlier that he would like to help when I pulled the taps so I had left some for him to pull. We then toured the woods in the gator, he likes being out in the woods.
Saturday was a cool and party sunny day. I worked in the woods this morning planting Walnuts. In the afternoon I worked in the yard and garden getting ready for spring.
Sunda was a bright sunny day starting out at a cool 21 degrees before climbing up to a very pleasant 54. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge. This afternoon I went to Kenny B.’s 80th Birthday party. One of out best employees when we owned Riverdale Feed & Fertilizer.
Thus ending the first week in April. A cool mostly sunny week. Too bad we didn’t get it 3 weeks ago instead of the 60 and 70 degree weather we had then. It would have greatly improved our syrup crop.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 3/24/25
The week of March 24th started out a bit cooler with a low of 26 getting up to 46. Good weather for the trees to sap. I went to the chiropractor in Mineral Point this morning as my back has been really hurting. I then went on to the AT&T store in Platteville to see about getting back our money that they had been taking out of our bank account for services that we didn’t get from them. They assured us that they would return it.
Tuesday was another bright & sunny day, starting out at 26 before climbing up to 52. It should be great sap weather. We collected 400 gallons. It should have been considerably more, but the trees are slowing down, and the season is getting done. I started to cook at 12:15 and got done at 5 in the evening. One of our syrup customers was out and watched us cook. We let him fire up the cooker, which he really enjoyed. I got a telephone call from a company in California called Think Spark. They want to republish my book and make me a lot of money. Another scam.
Wednesday was again a cool frosty morning with a low of 24 before getting up to a warm 56 under a bright sun. I had a class of F.F.A. kids from the Riverdale School in Muscoda come up to view our maple syrup operation. Unfortunately, we did not have any sap to cook, so we explained the process as best we could. We also showed them how our sap lines carry the sap from the trees to the stainless steel gathering tanks. That afternoon I went back to the chiropractor as my back was not getting any better.
Thursday was a very warm and sunny day, getting up to a high of 64 after a low of 41. I finished cooking up what sap we got today for this year. Ted and Tayden then took the spouts out of the trees in the Antonson Woods and took up the lines. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge this afternoon. This evening I went to the V.F.W. meeting in Highland, Wisconsin.
Friday was a hot summer-like day, getting up to a whopping 80 degrees. I cleaned up the evaporator this morning. My back was really hurting by the time we got done. I put a heat pad on my back to see if that would help. Then this afternoon I took it easy, sort of anyway. I started making phone calls to bookstores to find out who is carrying the book so we could put it on our website. So we have over 50, and I have many more to contact. Ruth had a syrup customer today who had bought a book earlier. She said she had all her kids and grandkids read it as it was so informative. I was also told that there are now three 5-star ratings on Amazon. The feedback I have been getting is wherever the book is out on display, it sells very well. However, the book can be bought at every bookstore in the country, not just those that carry it. They will order it for you, and take about a week to get the book.
Saturday started out cloudy and warm at 63 but got colder during the day and ended up at 36. My back was very painful this morning. I iced it down and took pain medicine, it was better by evening. I did no work Saturday.
Sunday morning started at 36 with a Thunder shower. Again, my back was very painful. I iced it and took pain medicine and did my few chores. I then did nothing but write my blog. That is it for this week.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 3/17/25
This week, Monday, March 17th, started out cool with 19 in the morning, but it warmed up quickly to a high of 56. You would think that we would have a ton of sap, but we do not, as many of the tap holes are drying up due to the warm and windy weather. So I started to redrill the tap holes this afternoon, which should help. I saw some ducks on the pond this morning, and in the afternoon, I saw the first buzzard of the year. Almost 2 weeks early; maybe Spring is here.
Tuesday was very warm, reaching a high of 64. After feeding the cows on the ridge, I did some more re-tapping of the trees. Ted had re-tapped the trees in the Antonson woods yesterday and then went about collecting the sap. I got 570 gallons and started cooking at 1 and got done at 7 in the evening.
What a difference a day can make; after a high of 64 on Tuesday, it dropped to only 37 on Wednesday, cool and wet with rain changing over to snow by 4 in the afternoon. After chores in the morning and getting some syrup orders shipped off, I went to Dodgeville to do our shopping. In the afternoon, I made some telephone calls to bookstores.
By Thursday morning, there was 2” of snow on the ground, and the temp had dropped to 22 degrees. I got up to 42 good sap weather once the trees thawed out. Ted came and collected the sap in the evening, and I started cooking at 7 and was done at 10:30 Thursday night.
Friday was a warm sunny day with a high of 56 and a low of 24, a good sap day. After collecting the sap, I got the fire going in the afternoon and got done by 7 in the evening. I had an old neighbor and good friend stop by to see the operation. Bob Wardell, I hadn’t seen him for 20 years. I also had 2 bicyclists stop in to view the syrup making. They left each buying a half gallon.
Saturday was another good sap day with temps starting out at 24 and rising to 46 for a high. I cooked from 11:30 to 5:30.
Sunday was a cloudy, wet day, and we got over 1” of rain. We got the sap all collected before the rain started at 10 in the morning. We didn’t get a lot of sap. I fired up the cooker at 10 and got done by 1:30. Thus another busy week ended. Also, I got the book in 4 more stores this week.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 3/10/25
This week of March 10th it started out very warm and sunny with a high of 66 after a low of 26. A decent day for the maple sap to flow. After cleaning out the ashes from the syrup evaporator, splitting the kindle wood for when we start the next fire in the evaporator. I collected the sap from the trees we don’t have on the lines. After Ted brought in the sap from the collection tanks we had 450 gallons of sap. I started to cook at 2:30 and got done at 7:30 in the evening.
Tuesday was a bit cooler but still warm with a high of 50 but the morning low only got down to 32. This is not cold enough to pressurize the tree for a good sap flow. So we didn’t cook today, instead we worked in the blackberry patch taking out the old dead ones and the small weaker ones. I also pruned back the tall strong ones.
Wednesday again was a warm and sunny day with a high of 56 and a low of 25, frosty enough for the sap to flow. I cooked from 2:00 to 7:30 after collecting the sap. I also fixed some fence early in the morning where I had dropped a tree I had cut last winter.
Thursday got even warmer with a high of 65 and a low of 26. But it got warm too fast for a good sap flow. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge this morning. There were 4 grey swallows in the maple tree this morning. They like the sweet sap from the tree. After collecting sap we only had 200 gallons. I decided to wait until Friday to see if you get some more before starting up the cooker.
Friday was like a summer day with a high of 75 and only 46 for a low. No sap today so I cooked the 200 gallons that we had before it spoiled. I had it cooked by noon. I took the rest of the day off as it was too hot to work outside. Afterward, we had a windy and stormy Friday night with about one-tenth of an inch of rain.
Saturday morning started out warm with the temp falling throughout the day and ending at 32. After going to the Antonson woods and cleaning out the holding tank I decided to clean out the evaporator as the syrup was getting dark from all the warm weather.
Sunday morning it was down to 28 and warmed up to 43. The trees did not start to sap until 2 in the afternoon. I had a wood buyer today who took 3 1/2 full cords of Hickory wood for smoking meat. Ruth has a syrup order for 7 1/2 gallons of very dark syrup when we get it.
Addition: I seen the first Robin on Friday.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 3/3/25
This week the weather started warm and cloudy with it getting up to 51 degrees by Monday afternoon. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge this afternoon. The crane and geese are flying north in huge flocks today, spring must be here. I saw 8 deer in one herd today, which is the most I have seen in one herd in a long time. The trees started to sap some this afternoon. Ruth is still quite sick.
Tuesday was still warm and cloudy with light rain starting by mid-afternoon and getting heavier by the evening. I got the first sap in today with 360 gallons. The sugar in it is about average at 2.4. It is the first cooking of the season. Ruth is feeling somewhat better today.
Wednesday was cloudy and wet after 1.4” of rain last night. We had a mix of snow and rain this morning, with that getting done around noon but then getting very windy for the rest of the day. I had time today to go to Dodgeville to take care of some business.
Thursday it had cooled off with a low of 22 and a high of 40, getting back to the syrup weather. However, it was mid-afternoon before the trees thawed out and the sap began to flow so I didn’t get to cook today. I had a couple of visitors from Mt. Horeb come to the farm thinking we would be cooking. I was sorry to disappoint them.
Friday was a cloudy wet & snowy day and quite cool with a low of 23 and a high of 40. We had enough sap, a little over 300 gallons to start up the cooker. I got our first syrup of the season. The 2” of wet snow we got was all gone by the evening.
Saturday was warm and sunny with a high of 52 after a morning low of 19. We got a good sap flow once the trees thawed out. Started cooking at about 3 in the afternoon and got the 400 gallons of sap cooked down to syrup by 8 in the evening.
Sunday was a warm and sunny day, getting up to a high of 56 with a low in the morning of 23. I got 500 gallons today and started cooking again at 2 in the afternoon and got done at 8 p.m. Sunday evening. That ended a busy week.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 2/24/25
This week Monday February 24th started out very warm like spring had brung in a morning low of 35 before climbing to a high of 52. I took a couple of bales of hay to the cows on the ridge. I then started getting ready for the maple syrup season. I got the evaporator back together and got the tapping supplies and lines out.
Tuesday again got very warm with a high of 53. I tapped till noon and got 42 trees tapped. That is all these 92 year old legs can take in one day on these steep hills. Ruth went to see the doctor as she is still quite sick. Ted got the sap lines for the Antonson woods and started laying them out.
Wednesday was a bit cooler but still warm with a high of 48. I got 50 trees tapped today. Ruth got a call from the doctor and learned she had tested positive for covid. She was to pick up medicine at Walmart. She asked what it would cost and would insurance pay for it. The cost would be $438.00 and the insurance would not pay for it. We could not afford it so we left the medicine at Walmart. Lisa stopped in this evening to pick up a case of maple syrup and a signed book The Heart Remembers for the veterans benefit dance that was to be held in Lone Rock, Saturday March 1st. Ruth was going to bake 3 pies but with her having Covid she didn’t think it was a good idea.
Thursday I took hay to the cows and did some tapping trees. It is still not quite thawed out enough to sap. Ted finished getting the Antonson woods tapped.
Friday was even warmer with a high of 55 but very windy. I finished tapping here at home and a few trees are starting to sap.
Saturday it froze up with a morning low of 14. So I brought a bunch of bales off the field down to the yard while the ground was still froze. The rest of Saturday I took it easy as I was still not feeling too great.
Sunday morning it was even colder with a low of 10 before warming up to 36. I went to Kenny’s 90th birthday party this afternoon. Kenny is one of the good ones, I don’t believe I will ever know a better man. There was a good crowd there.
See you next week.
- Helmuth Krause
Week of 2/17/25
This week Monday Fed. 17th came in very cold and windy. All the cows came down off the Ridge this morning to shelter in and around the buildings, so I got them all in the yard and locked them in then cut out a thin cow and tow calves we didn’t get last fall. As well as a cow with a new calf. I then went up to Teds and got the loader tractor back that I had too up last week for some repair. I then took up hay in the afternoon for the cows on the ridge as they went back up as the sun had warmed up and the wind died down.
Tuesday came in colder yet with a -21 below zero. After doing the morning shores I went to the Platteville AT&T office to get a telephone bill straightened out. They had been taking money out of our bank account for over 2 years for telephone services but we never had an account with them and never got any cell phone service from them. After spending about 3 hours there the manager finally got through to somebody high enough to do something they promised we will get all of our money back, over $1,400. On the way back home we stopped in Monfort and had lunch. It was now well after 1 in the afternoon.
Wednesday morning was still very cold at -10 and cloudy, so it felt even colder. I had an eye appointment at the V.A. Hospital in Madison at 12:30 for my 6 month eye checkup. Everything still looks good with my eyes. On the way back home I stopped in Dodgeville to do our shopping in the evening. I was starting to get a sore throat.
On Thursday morning again it was cold with a low of -6 but with a bright sun it warmed up nicely to 24. I now had a cold, and it kept getting worse during the day, so I stayed in and made some calls to bookstores.
Friday also has a low of -6 and with the bright sun got up to 26. By now I was feeling very sick and to keep warm after chores I stayed in the house and wrapped in a blanket by the wood stove.
Saturday was a bit warmer with a low of 3 and getting up to 30. I was still very sick and now Ruth was starting to get a sore throat. Travis, a friend from Avoca stopped in and we had a good syrup sale. Otherwise both Ruth and I stayed in close to the fire. So ended a very cold week.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 2/10/25
Monday February 10th started out this week a bit colder that normal with a low of 3 and a high of 28, but it was sunny so it was a pleasant day. I weeded out some weed trees this morning until 11 and had an early lunch. I then went to Richland Center where I had a radio interview with W.R.C.O. for their morning show in about 2 weeks.
Tuesday again was a pleasant day, sunny but with a cold wind. So I cracked walnuts till noon to get done with the last of them. In the afternoon I went out to the woods as I was working on the Southwest side of the hill with the sun shining in, it was quite nice.
Wednesday was a cloudy day with a light snow starting at 8 in the morning. After feeding the cows on the ridge I took the loader tractor up to Teds to fix as one of the back forks on the bale lift got bent. I stayed in and did some reading for the rest of the day. I also made telephone calls to a number of book stores.
Thursday morning was colder but sunny with a low of -4, which was after yesterdays 3 inches of snow. I cleaned up the snow this morning. Ruth was baking some pies for a benefit that was to take place on Saturday, Feb. 15th. In the afternoon I delivered the pies to the person in charge. I also delivered a case of maple syrup to the Highland Ambulance benefit that would be on Sunday, Feb. 16th; as well as some more maple syrup and a signed book to another benefit.
Friday came in even colder with a low of -11. The coldest morning so far this winter. I went to Boscobel to get our taxes done. It was noon when we got back to Muscoda so we had lunch at Vicki’s Cozy Cafe. The portions were huge and we could only eat about half so we took the rest back home and had supper with that. we stopped at the bank after lunch as we had some business to do there.
Saturday was a lot warmer with a low of 21 and a high of 29 but snowy with another 2 inches after the 4 inches we got the night before. Spent a good part of Saturday moving snow. The benefit that Ruth had baked the pies for went really well. The apple pie went for 250 dollars and the blueberry pie sold for 300 dollars. The cherry pie was the last one left, there was a bidding war for that one. When it was over the winner paid a whopping $800.
Sunday it was cloudy and windy in the morning and all the cows were down off of the ridge so I got them all in the feed yard and locked them in as I want to cut out a couple thin ones and 3 calves. I went to the Highland ambulance benefit for dinner; they had a big crowd. That ends this week on February 16th.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 2/3/25
This week Monday the weather started out cloudy and gray; a gloomy day. It felt like it could either rain or snow but none ever reached the ground. After chores were done I went to the woods to get rid of the weed trees to let the walnut and maple trees fill in. I worked till noon on that job then quit as these old 92-year-old legs can only take a half day on these steep hills.
On Tuesday February 4th it turned cold again with a low of 13 and only getting up to 21 degrees; even with the bright sunshine and little wind. I again started killing off the weed trees. After noon my daughter Tina and her husband Bill came up to visit for a while. After that I made some phone calls to some book stores. I am getting very good replies back. At least half of the stores I have called said they will take the book.
Wednesday started out cool, cloudy, and windy. So I decided to stay out of the woods and cracked walnuts. I also made some more phone calls to book stores. I also called the radio station in Richland Center to see if I could get on their morning show to talk about the book and why I wrote it. I have a meeting with Phil Nee on February 10th at 1 o-clock Monday. Then in the afternoon I took Ruth to the chiropractor in Mineral Point as her back is giving her trouble. On the way back we stopped at the Dodge Point Radio Station and left a book there for Kurt the manager to read it and maybe to an interview with me. That is something none of the newspapers would even consider as they seem to believe that us common people should not have a voice that everything should first go through them and be censored before us dummies can get the news.
Thursday was a very cloudy day with some freezing rain last night, making the ground very slipper this morning. So I decided to stay in and cracked walnuts this morning. By afternoon the ice was gone as the temperature climbed to 36 from the morning low of 18. In the afternoon I delivered 4 cases of maple syrup and 6 books to Rural Route One in Monfort Wisconsin. When I got back home I went to the woods and worked a couple of hours.
Friday again was a cloudy day this morning. At breakfast we had 2 deer standing over the hill above the house almost looking into the house: a pretty sight. I took some hay to the cows on the ridge this morning. I then took Ruth to the chiropractor in Mineral Point for a treatment. On the way back I dropped some books off for Mc Neals store in Dodgeville. In the afternoon I worked some more in the woods.
Saturday was again a cloudy day. I worked in the woods in the morning and in the afternoon I kind of took it easy and took a nap and watched some western movies on T.V. As we were getting some light snow, enough to track a cat.
Sunday morning was a bit colder starting out at 10 degrees. It was a day of rest so I stayed in and watched Meet the Press and Market to Market on T.V. this morning. We ate a big dinner and then I took a nice long nap. We will watch the Super Bowl this evening.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 1/27/25
Unlike the previous weeks this winter when it would always start out cold and warm up some for the weekend this week started out warm and stayed warm. Good thing too as I had a cow give birth Monday morning. This is a very good cow that got out of sync with the rest of the herd. The rest of the herd will start calving after the first week of April. But she always keeps her calves even in the dead of winter and has the biggest calf in the fall at weaning so I keep her. After splitting some wood on Monday morning I delivered books to the bookstore The Hub in Potosi Wisconsin.
Tuesday it got even warmer with a high of 48 and sunny a most pleasant day. After taking hay to the cows I went to the woods and cut a mule load of wood. By the time I was done with that it was noon, and getting very windy, So in the afternoon I stayed out of the woods and took a short nap and then called a number of bookstores about carrying my book; some said they would.
Again Wednesday was a warm and sunny day. I went to the woods at 8 that morning and had a mule load of wood cut and split and put away by noon. In the afternoon I cut another load of wood. I was very pooped out by Wednesday evening but I also got some very good news. The CAT scan that I had got on my jaw had come back with results and showed no sign of the tumor returning.
Thursday was even warmer and sunnier with a high of 55. It felt very much like a spring day. After splitting a load of wood I went to Dodgeville to have lunch at the Dodger Bowl with my good friend Ken who is recovering from a stroke and who is also my former business partner in the feed and fertilizer store in Muscoda. A better man I have not yet met. The story of my time at the mill is in my book. Ruth and I then went on with our shopping and left a few books at McNeills Appliance Store.
Friday was still warm and sunny and was getting up to 44 degrees after a low of 28. That’s maple syrup weather if the trees were thawed out. I worked in the woods on Friday cutting and splitting. The barn is about full now and I can maybe get one more full cord in then there will be 24 full cords in it.
On Saturday I had a book signing in Boscobel at the Paisley Star. It went quite well and had a live interview that is on their Facebook, which should be quite interesting. On our way back home we saw a pair of large white birds on the slough between Boscobel and Blue River; maybe they were swans. We also saw a large flock of black birds. Its much too early for them to be coming north yet, so maybe they know something we don’t.
On Sunday Feb. 2nd it was Ground Hogs Day and the ground hog said we would see an early spring. We will see.
Till next Week.
Helmuth Krause
Week of 1/20/25
This week it started out very cold again with the temp dropping to -7 in the morning and getting up to a high of 4 degrees with a very heavy and stiff north wind. I had some business in Dodgeville in the morning and in the afternoon we stayed in the house to keep the wood fire going. In the evening the cows came down off the windy ridge where their feed is to the less windy valley.
Tuesday morning was a chilly -16 and was still very windy and only getting up to -2. I guess the cows knew the weather that was coming and I stayed in during the morning and made telephone calls to bookstores about handling my book The Heart Remembers. In the afternoon I had some business in Muscoda.
On Wednesday it got much warmer, climbing to 24 degrees from a low of 2 so I did some real work on Wednesday afternoon. I split at least 1/2 a cord of wood that I had cut earlier.
Thursday turned a bit colder again after getting an inch and a half (1 1/2”) of snow. Wednesday night had been getting up to 15 after a low of -2. I took some hay up to the cows, who had returned to the ridge. I then put the wood in the barn that I had split yesterday; by this time it was noon. After dinner, I took a nice nap and then made some phone calls to bookstores. I made a number of good connections. I will deliver some books to a store on Monday. A couple of others will order from INGRAM or Dorrance. It’s always a pleasure talking to the bookstore people. They are open-minded and interested in what’s new and what the people have to say. Whereas the mainstream media will only report on what they deem worthy. I think it is fair to call them narrow-minded people, book banners, and with holders of the true information about the people in power as the browning of their noses always comes from whichever side is in power. Very much like the courts. Where the different sides each have their own judges that will find some law saying the exact opposite depending on who holds the power.
By Friday it was cold again starting out with a -9 before warming up to 22. I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning to take a CAT scan of my jaw that was replaced a number of years ago when a tumor was removed. It appears to be getting bigger again. The story about that is in my book as well. When I got home I cracked two ice-cream buckets of black walnuts.
Saturday started out cool as a low of 7 but then it warmed up to a very nice 35. I decided to crack two more ice cream buckets of walnuts Saturday morning. My daughter Tina and my grandson Caleb stopped in to visit in the afternoon. I also cut a mule load of wood. Sunday started out at a cold 4 degrees but cleared up and got sunny with the temperature getting up to 31 degrees.
Sunday was a day of rest and is when I wrote up this blog. This next Saturday, February 1st, I will have a book signing at the Paisley Star in Boscobel Wisconsin. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 1/12/25
This week it again started out quite cold. That seems to be the trend this winter; the first half of the week cold then the last half of the week is quite warm. On Monday it was a low of 3 and a high of 16 with a still N.W. wind. I took hay up to the cows on the ridge and then I took the tractor to Ted’s farm for some repair as the front wheel seal is leaking oil. Then after that I moved some wood to the maple syrup cook house.
Tuesday was a clear cold sunny day, starting out at 1 before climbing to 15 for a high. I mostly stayed in the house and made a bunch of telephone calls to book stores and librarys. We will get books in Lake City Books in Madison, the Wausau Library and Driftless Books in Viroqua.
Wednesday stayed cold with a low of -2 then warming its was up to 23 as the clouds moved in. Ruth and I took a road trip to visit book stores. First we went to Richland Center and got book in the Ocooch Book Store then made our way to Spring Green for lunch before going to Reedsburg where we got books in the Main Street Bookstore there.
Thursday was a much warmer and cloudy day with a low of 15 before climbing to 36 for the high of the day. I then took out red market truck up to Ted’s to have some work on it and brung back the tractor as he had got the tractor fixed. After that I went to the woods and cut wood. In the evening I went back up to Ted’s and brought the red truck back as Ted had that done.
Friday it warmed up and it felt like a spring day. I split and put the wood away I had cut yesterday and got 3 gator loads. Ted and Tayden came down and fixed the lean-to on the cattle barn where earlier the bulls had taken out a post.
Saturday was a cool and sunny day with a brisk North wind starting out with a high of 24 before dropping to 8 on Saturday night. however it was a nice day to be in the woods cutting wood.
Sunday started out very cold and stayed that way with a high of just 4 after the morning low of -5. I did chores and then stayed in the house to keep the wood fire going.
Last week I had answered an article by the mainstream media trashing on social media for their downfall and not always being truthful. I had pointed out that social media lets the public know what’s happening where as the main stream media hides the truth from the people as in case 08-CV-87 where a contract in a deed was set aside and out property rights were taken away. I believe this to be based 100 percent on perjury and racial hate. And true to form, main stream media would not print it. They are again trying to keep the truth from the people. But I got news for them; there is now a book out there describing the corruption that took the use of our land away with document of proof in it. There is now over 300 books of The Heart Remembers out in the public with 25 outlets where the book is now for sale. It is also in 6 library’s and more outlets are added each week. So I do not think you will be able to kill this story of a corrupt justice much longer. You and your cowardice to report on it will be exposed and I will also keep writing about this on my website and in my blog until you, the mainstream media, come clean with the truth.
- Helmuth Krause
Week of 1/5/25
This week Monday started out cloudy and cold with a low of 7 degrees. The sun then came out mid-morning and it warmed up to a nice high of 23 degrees. Perfect weather for working in the woods; so thats what I did, I cut wood. I also bedded the calf barn.
Tuesday was the same, the day started out cloudy and cold and then the sun came out and temps climbed from 4 to 25 degrees. I split wood and put it in the barn on Tuesday morning. I also cut more wood in the afternoon.
Wednesday was still cold with a low of 5 but sunny it soon got to a high of 26. I finished splitting the wood that I had cut and put it away. Ruth had a nice syrup order to send to Washington. With shipping getting so expensive sometimes on a small order the shipping costs more than the syrup and that part of our business is getting smaller.
Thursday was still cold with the temperature starting at only 6 degrees but then warming up nicely to a high of 30 under a bright sun before the clouds moved in later in the day. I took some hay to the cows on the ridge and then went to the woods where I cut 2 mule loads of wood. During the evening I got a telephone call from a company called Bookmarc Alliance wanting to promote my book and make me rich. I told them to send me their proposal in writing.
Friday was a warmer cloudy day with a few flurries flying in the morning. In he afternoon I cut some more wood. Ted, Renae, and Tayden brought down 5 cows to add to the herd here and then hauled the 41 calves from here to Ted’s farm. I will now have less chores to do. I saw a couple of deer, which are the first I have seen in a couple of weeks.
Saturday was again another cloudy day with a low of 21 and a high of 32. I cut a split more wood again today. I now have 7 full cords made with 3 more to go until I will have the barn full; about 24 cords total.
I read an article in the Dodgeville Chronicle trashing Facebook and social media for being a place where people can say anything with no points for accuracy and that it is causing the downfall of mainstream media. I believe this article was by a Mary G. However, in my experience, social media can be one of the only places where you can get the facts. This is because the mainstream media will report only what is spoon-fed to them by the authorities and press releases by the politicians. Take the case of No. 2008 C.V.00007 in Grant County Wisconsin by Judge Robert P. Van De Hey who overturned a contract in a deed and took away the use of part of the defendant's pasture land not because of what they had done but because of who they are; that being family farmers with Native American blood. The case that was brought against us I believe was because of who we are; that, because we were using a rotation pasture system that he had to open and close 3 to 4 gates over and over again to get to his residence was a total lie. Reason number 1 being that there was no residence to get to, zoning did not allow for a residence as he only had a 30ft easement, the law would have required it to be 66ft. It was a wooded parcel of land that he used for hunting. Reason 2 is that it was totally impossible to close the easement off and still have a rotation pasture if the cows were on the east side as the 2 gates would have to be closed alongside the easement to keep the cows there and when moved to the west pastures the gates on that side would have to be closed along side of the easement not across it so at least half of the easement would always be open, as the gates cannot be in two places at the same time. All of this was brought up to the newspapers and TV stations. Only one of the editors of the Fennimore Times would look into it Rob Callahan, who was then quickly replaced by Morris Newspapers. The D.A. was asked many times to bring charges of perjury against the plaintiff but she would not although she admitted that there was perjury. She is now the Granty County Judge. In my book The Heart Remembers I wrote this story and a book was sent to all of the local newspapers and T.V. stations but none of them would do a story on a local author. Books were also donated to the local libraries. The newspapers would not mention that either so I challenge those of you in mainstream media to investigate case No. 2008 C.V. 00007 and print what you find. As I see what was done as nothing short of a racial and corrupt hate crime by Grant County's so-called Justice System.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 12/29/24
This week started out warm and sunny, it was a pleasant day. After chores and taking hay to the cows on the ridge I noticed our old cow #36 hadn’t gained weight like she should have after her calf was weaned. It could be her teeth betting bad, but I will keep an eye on her. I then went to cutting wood and I got 2 mule loads cut and hauled out of the woods on Monday.
Tuesday was a little cooler with a little light snow early in the morning. I split and put the wood in the barn that I had cut on Monday, and bedded the calf barn. I also had a situation on my hands as I had forgotten to close the calf gate this morning after feeding the calves their grain. Luckily I was still in the area when the calves started to some out.
On Wednesday it was a gray and cloudy day with a light wind coming out of the north to welcome the new year in. I also welcomed the new year in a good way by cutting a load of wood.
On Thursday morning the temp was down to 15 and the ground was now froze hard. This was real good weather to be out in the woods. I the cut more wood and split it and put it in the barn,
On Friday it was a cold and sunny with a still N.W. wind. Now this is the real weather to be out working in the woods. I cut wood most of the day and hauled it to the splitter. I got 3 mule loads done. I was mighty tired by the end of the day.
Saturday was another cold sunny day and after taking hay to the cows on the ridge, I went to splitting wood and putting it in the barn. I got it all split but not all put away so I quit at 3 as I was all in. Most of what I am cutting is hickory and white ash, both excellent woods. The white ash trees are all dead now from the beatles and the hickory needed to be cut to make room for the walnuts.
Sunday was a cold and cloudy day with the low being all the way down to 8 in the morning. Ruth said that we needed to go shopping or quit eating. I decided that I didn’t want to quit eating so we went shopping after chores. We got back home and unloaded the car and had dinner. We then watched the packers and Bears play some football. Both teams tried their hardest to lose but the Packers won that one by losing 22 to 24. I didn’t get anything done with the book this week as I have been to busy.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 12/22/25
After last weeks end of bitter cold we are back to warmer weather.
On Monday after a low of 24 we got to 36 for a high and the snow began to melt. I went to the woods after chores and had nice working until about 11:30 when a light rain started and the snow got very slippery. I then quit that job for the day. In the afternoon I called a number of book stores about putting my book, The Heart Remembers, in their store. Some seemed promising so I will be visiting them after the new year.
After a good hard freeze with a low of 10 degrees on Monday night I went back to the woods on Tuesday. I worked there until noon, by then with it being a sunny day the snow was getting wet and slippery, in the afternoon I bedded the calf barn and took a nap and watched some Judge Judy on T.V. She mostly always gets things right but she thinks very highly of herself and and treats those in front of her with no respect at all, often calling them stupid for not knowing the law.
On Wednesday I hauled wood I had cut earlier in the woods down to the splitter. I did some hunting in the morning and again later in the afternoon.
On Thursday it was a cloudy and foggy day with some light mist at times, making the snow very slippery. I split wood until noon. I needed to take hay to the cows up on the ridge. I knew the tractor couldn’t make it up without tire chains. They were too heavy for me to handle so Ted and Tayden came and put them on. I then filled the feeders on the ridge with hay.
On Friday morning it was cloudy and very foggy. We had a nice syrup sale early with 20 quarts sold. The person gives them as gifts at their Christmas get-togethers, I then went hunting no more then I got in the woods and jumped a big doe. I got off what I thought would be a killing shot but it wasn’t but it left a blood trail. I tracked it for over an hour until I found it had left my property and went into a woods where the land was posted; what a shame. It had to be only a flesh wound as the deer never laid down and moved on all four feet. She should live. It was starting to rain by then and as the land was posted I had to let it go. That afternoon we had a funeral to go to in Avoca for a fellow veteran. He was only 82.
Saturday was a partly sunny day with temps in the mid 40s. The snow was now all gone. I split wood and put it in the barn in the morning. In the afternoon I cleaned the calf yard and bedded the barn. My granddaughters Ashley and Taylor stopped by, along with Ashley’s fiancé Ty stopped by to visit before they go back to where the now live. With Ashley & Ty living in Appleton and Taylor living in Denver Colorado.
On Sunday we again woke up to thick fog. It was in the afternoon before the sun finally burned it off. With it being a day of rest I did just that. I watched the Vikings beat the Packers 27 to 25. Jimmy Carter our 39th president died today at the age of 100, he was an honest and decent man. The only honest president we had in my time of 92 years.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 12/15/24
This week on Monday the weather was warm, cloudy, and foggy with some light rain around noon. I put a couple of gator loads of wood by the maple syrup cook shed in the morning. In the afternoon Ted and Tayden came and I helped them work the calves here on this farm.
Tuesday stayed warm with a high of 37 and it started out sunny but was cloudy by noon. After chores and filling the bale feeder on the ridge, Ruth and I went to the apple orchard at Gays Mills. They were having their Christmas sale that went as each box you buy you would get the second one free. So we got a couple bushel that Ruth will cut and freeze and use for her pies as needed. On the way back we stopped in Boscobel and had lunch. We then went to the Paisley Star where we scheduled a book signing for February 1st 2025, on a Saturday from 10:30 to 3:00. When I got home I bedded the calf barn.
On Wednesday it was a more normal day with a high of 30 with some sun early them clouds. It was a good day to work in the woods. So after chores I went to cutting wood most of the day.
Thursday was a snowy day, we got a light snow that started early in the morning. I started splitting the wood I had cut yesterday and by noon I had 2 gator loads split and put in the barn. I took a nap after lunch. At 3 I went out and shoveled the sidewalk off. There was 5 inched on it by then. I then called it a day.
Friday winter was back, I woke up to a chilly 5 degrees, however it was a bright sunny day without and wind; not bad at all. I had a doctors appointment in Muscoda in the morning. In the afternoon I cleaned up the snow around the farm with the skid steer.
Saturday was the first day of winter. It came in very cold with a low of -9 degrees. But again, like Friday, it was sunny with no wind. So, after chores, I went out to the woods and cut wood until noon. I rested up in the afternoon in the evening and went to the Krause and Moneypenny Christmas gathering at Scot and Tammy’s in the big machine shed on their farm.
Sunday was a warmer day with a high of 31, the snow will settle some. A few birds coming to the feeder now but no cardinals yet. Seen some deer tracks since the snow but nothing like a few years ago. Some hinters are finding dead deer with swollen tongues and look like they had starved to death. Is there another new disease out there killing them? I know on my farm there is only one doe with her two fawns whereas 10 years ago there would be around a dozen.
-Helmuth R. Krause
Week of 12/8/24
This week started out great, weather-wise. It was warm and sunny at 32 degrees at sunrise on Monday morning and 48 by midafternoon. I then cleaned out the calf barn Monday starting at 8 in the morning and was done by noon. I always am amazed at how efficient a skid steer loader is you can get twice as much done with one of them as you can with a wheel steer and they are fun to operate, they are like the zero-turn lawnmowers. That must be why the women have taken over that job! Then Monday afternoon I cut a mule load of white oak wood. Which is another job I like to do and white oak is so nice to work with. The trees are tall and straight with few branches.
The good weather didn’t last too long. On Tuesday it was cloudy and cooler with a low of 25 and a high of 31. I took round bales of hay to the beef cows on the ridge then split the wood I had cut earlier and put in the barn, which was 2 Gator loads.
By Wednesday winter was coming back the high in the morning was at 26. After chores I went to the woods and cut a mule load of wood and got it split and put away by noon. By then it was getting very windy with the temps dropping. After noon I then took a nap and after that I bedded the Calf barn. I was then done for the day, a short one.
By Thursday morning winter was back in full force with a low of 0 and with a high of 9. I went shopping with Ruth in the morning. In the afternoon I put a couple gator loads of wood by the maple syrup cook shed. I also got a call from a company in California that wanted to promote my book and make me rich. They were going to call me back at noon with a plan but they didn’t. So I guess I won’t get rich.
Friday morning started out clear and cold. It was down to -1. I took hay to the cows on the ridge. I then went to the woods and cut down a dead ash tree. I couldn’t get to it with the tractor so I skidded it out of the woods and took the logs down to the splitter with the tractor where I then cut them up and split the wood and put it in the barn. I had a really nice Christmas syrup order Friday evening.
By Saturday the weather had changed again, it was a cloudy gray day with a low of 26 and a high of 36. I got a mule load of wood split out in the barn. Just in time before the freezing rain started. At mid-morning we had a quarter inch in the rain gauge Sunday morning. Sunday was a cloudy, foggy day. After chores and bedding the calves I had a day of rest.
Visit with you next week.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 12/1/24
This week started out cold on Monday with the low being only 12 degrees and the high being 26. Th ground is now froze and that’s a good thing as we had 5 inches of rain in November, and the ground was a bit muddy so now that the ground is too froze to plant walnuts I started on the wood splitting. I will need about 12 full cords to take care of wood needed to heat the house and for the maple syrup operation. On Monday I put 3 gator loads of wood in the barn from cherry trees that had blown down last summer and I had cut and split earlier this fall.
On Tuesday, a cool and pleasant sunny day, after chores and taking large round bales of hay up on the riidge to the beef cattle, I went to the woods to cut down a hickory tree. I brought it down on the loader tractor, cut it in blocks, and was starting to split it when a syrup customer stopped by. It was a retired school teacher and he came running over asking if he could help. I said he sure could. He hadn’t split wood since he was a kid growing up on a farm many years ago, but he enjoyed it.
On Wednesday it started out clear but it warmed up fast to the mid 30s by noon. In the morning I had to cut a mule load of white oak wood as all the oak trees are dying from a beetle infestation. I split that and cut another load that afternoon. By evening th eweather was changing again. The wind was now coming from the northwest and the temperature was falling fast. By the next morning it was down to 8 degrees.
On Thursday after chores I went back to the wood splitting. I took a nice nap after lunch on Thursday before I cut another gator load of wood.
On Friday morning I split wood also. On Friday afternoon I bedded the calf barn and filled the bale feeder on the ridge with big round bales of hay. Friday evening I took the products that we would be selling at the Highland Christmas Market on Saturday. It’s held in the Highland School Gym and we sell maple syrup, pies, and my book. A nice young man helped us carry all of our stuff in, thank you so much Miles.
On Saturday at the market we did very well, all of Ruth’s 35 pies sold out. We sold lots of maple syrup and many books. I think it was our best year ever at that market and we have been going there for over 20 years. That evening I went to the Highland parade, it was a very good one, and then had a meal and played some bingo at the Highland V.F.W. Christmas party.
Sunday was warm and sunny almost spring with a high of something like 52 degrees. After chores I watched some T.V., had a big dinner and took a long nap. In the evening I had a good syrup sale to some very nice people, who have been long time customers.
Thats it for this week,
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 11/24/24
Not anything exciting happened this week. I planted walnuts the first 4 days until the ground froze to hard to get the spade in. I got a least 2,000 planted and I got a place for another 1,000. That will have to wait until spring.
I also did a little hunting in the early morning and again in the evening. I didn’t see any deer from last sunday until this sunda morning I saw a deer with her two fawns. I didn’t get a shot at them as they spotted me and took off through the brush. I don’t like to shoot unless I can get a killing shot, not white flags going away.
On Wednesday Ruth baked 7 pies as she had orders for them for peoples thanksgiving dinners.
Now that the ground is froze to hard to plant walnuts, I started on the wood splitting. On Friday I split two gator loads of cherry wood that I had cut last summer from the trees that had blown down. Also on friday evening we went to our daughter Tina’s for Thanksgiving dinner as usual I ate too much and then there was that counter full of desserts; my weakness. That strawberry cheesecake was so good, I couldn’t believe my gut could put that much food away.
Also on Thursday, the 28th, on Thanksgiving Day, I turned 92.
Saturday morning I went shopping with Ruth. In the afternoon I got a couple of logs out of the woods to cut up for firewood. One thing I noticed is there are no Blue-Jays in the woods to sound the alarm when something enters the woods. I do not know where they are hiding out. I didn’t get out to promote the book this week.
I will also be at the Highland School on Saturday December 7th selling maple syrup, pies, and doing a book signing! Come see me there.
-Helmuth Krause
Week of 11/17/24
This week the weather started out cloudy and wet with the clouds staying the whole week. On Monday I planted walnuts until noon. We got a light rain in the afternoon and heavier rain at night, for a total of 1.5 inches by Tuesday morning. I then planted walnuts again until noon. Then I went out to see if we could get the books in more stores. So we went to a place in Boscobel called the Paisley Star, then later to a place called Country View Market just outside Platteville. They both agreed to take some to sell. Thats two more places for customers to buy books.
On Wednesday I took Ruth to see the chiropractor in Mineral Point as her back had been giving her a lot of pain. While we were there I decided to stop by the local library and donate one of my books. So now there are 4 local libraries that readers can check out the book, including Muscoda, Spring Green, Dodgeville, and Mineral Point.
On Thursday we got out first snow of the season, about an inch. We also got two calls, one from a book promotion company called BookMarc Alliance and the other one being a movie company called Creative Productions. I had a long talk with them, and there may be a big story on them later.
On Friday I checked out the woods to see what deer runs looked the best as the gun deer season opens on Saturday the 23rd. I also plan to plant walnuts each day until my legs tell me to quit. I now have 1500 in the ground and I hope to have at least 2000 in before the ground freezes up.
On Saturday I came in from hunting and there was a nice surprise, somebody had brought me a batch of cookies. It was a little 7 year old girl from Highland School. On veterans day she had wrote me a letter thanking me for my service. I had wrote her a letter back and she baked some cookies for me, what a very nice person she is.
My hunting hasn’t been very successful so far. On Saturday I was on the wrong run as a doe and her 3 fawns crossed a valley a ways down from where I was.
On Sunday morning spotted a doe and her fawn about a hundred yards from me and she just stood there broadside. “Too good to be true I thought,” so I decided to take a neck shot at her. I shot and she jumped about 10 feet in the air then took off into the brush. I figured I had her, but I guess I had missed. I searched the hillside for about an hour but couldn’t find her or any blood, but without any snow it is hard to tell. Thats the way this week ended.
-Helmuth Krause