Chris Hardie felt like he escaped from his family's dairy farm when he started college in 1982 to become a journalist. But the call of the land was like a siren, grabbing him and never letting go. And while one can never go home again, one can return home. So Chris and his wife Sherry in 2006 answered the call and moved into his family's ancestral home and farm in Jackson County, WI.
Their story about the trials, tribulations, joys and sorrows of raising Scottish Highland cattle, Scottish Blackface sheep, pigs, chickens, goats and donkeys has been chronicled in a weekly column written by Chris since 2015. It is published in many newspapers throughout Wisconsin.
"Back Home: Country Tales Through the Seasons" is a compilation of the best of his columns, chronicled by the seasons. Written with a matter-of-fact folksy style, these delightful essays capture the essence of rural life and the challenge of farming and raising animals in rural Wisconsin.
Like a good piece of baling twine, these stories weave together nostalgia, humor and a practical approach that will resonate with anyone who has spent time in the country.
So grab a cup of coffee, kick off your boots and get ready to laugh and maybe even shed a tear or two as you read about chasing cattle, fixing fences, baling hay, cutting firewood, birthing animals, battling through frigid winter temperatures and scorching days in the hay barn.
chas
