Book Description
Farms have fences. People have boundaries. Mine began crumbling the day I knelt behind a male sheep, reached between his legs, and squeezed his testicles. This took place one blustery November day when I joined other shepherd-wannabees for a class on the basics of raising sheep. I was there with my partner Melissa, the woman I’d lived with for twelve years, because we were going to start a farm .
When self-confessed “urban bookworm” Catherine Friend’s partner of twelve years decides she wants to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a farm, Catherine agrees. What ensues is a crash course in both living off and with the land that ultimately allows Catherine to help fulfill Melissa’s dreams while not losing sight of her own.
Hit by a Farm is a hilarious recounting of Catherine and Melissa’s trials of “getting back to the land.” It is also a coming-of (middle)-age story of a woman trying to cross the divide between who she is and who she wants to be, and the story of a couple who say “goodbye city life” — and learn more than they ever bargained for about love, land, and yes, sheep sex.
Customer Reviews:
A Book for Everyone.......2007-08-28
I read this book to my partner this summer as we took three day trips from the Twin Cities to small towns in Minnesota - first to Buffalo and St. Cloud; second to Mankato; third to Rochester. It was a fitting book to read as we rode through Minnesota farm country - the setting of this story. Every time we saw sheep or llamas, we laughed and contemplated whether the farmers had experienced any of the trials and tribulations in the book.
This is a great memoir from a skillful author. Not only is she committed to her partner, she also has a great sense of humor and knows how to laugh at herself. The book description, itself, is comical. However, nothing prepares the reader for the emotional highs and lows between the front and back covers. Each chapter is a story in itself. From sheep to chickens, goats, llamas, geese, grapes and writer's block, this is certainly a don't-miss book. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention - the book is full of tragedy (i.e., all living things eventually die), childlike elation (i.e., the sheep actually did have sex and we have lambs!), and very elaborate descriptions of some pretty gross stuff (i.e., sheep placenta and things stuck to the bottoms of shoes). If you're soft of heart or stomach, get prepared for a roller-coaster ride.
Extremely well written by a very likable author, I highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone. It's a book that can be enjoyed by all - gay or straight, farmer or not - and should be on every bookshelf.
Real. Funny. One of the most entertaining I've read of the "country" genre.......2007-04-27
Writer/bookworm Catherine Friend takes us along as she transforms into a REAL farmer (and still keeps writing and reading). Her writing style is engaging and easy to read, pulling you along for the ride from start to finish. I couldn't put it down.
Real humor, real struggles, real "back to the land" mentality without the moral pontificating of some authors. The dream of farming wasn't hers to begin with (it was her partner's), but she has made peace with it and maintained her sense of self while maintaining a long term relationship. Farming is a stressful business, and she addresses this aspect of it very well while sharing how she managed to work through her concerns and evolve into a better person.
The author's sense of humor was my favorite part. I will never look at soft serve the same way again after reading about the peacocks leaving "grayish swirls of poop the size of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone" which, well, you'll have to read the book to find out what happened, but the result had me rolling with laughter. Definitely a five star read.
Midwest Book Review, March 2007.......2007-03-02
No one was more surprised than Catherine Friend when her long-time partner informed her that she'd always dreamed of being a farmer. Early on in this hilarious memoir, the author writes, "Farming had never been my dream. My dream was to grow my writing career into something I could call 'successful,' whatever that was. I'd already sold two children's books and a handful of magazine stories. I was hungry for more" (p. 6).
But Melissa's dream had merit, and Catherine believed she could help the dream come true. And so, "The classic face of farming in Grant Wood's American Gothic was about to get a facelift: two thirty-something women in bib overalls holding pitchforks" (p. 6).
Devoting a great deal of time, energy, and work to their project, the two women researched farming, bought land in southern Minnesota, built a house, and settled in to raise sheep, chickens, and grapes for wine. Apparently that was the easy part. From auspicious beginnings, the road they embark upon is filled with a learning curve so steep that shoveling manure and mucking horse stalls might have been easier. While Melissa's dream ascended, the livestock, crops, and natural disasters seem to conspire to make Catherine's life miserable. Living off the land wasn't at all the romantic idyll so often put forth.
By turns hilarious and sobering, touching and surprising, Catherine Friend's memoir tells the tale of two thirty-somethings who not only have to learn to love the barn, but also to find their way back to one another after such a huge life-change nearly sideswipes them for good. It's a terrific story, very well-told, and is cram-packed full of humor, insight, and a zest for life that can't be vanquished. If you only read one memoir this year, make this be the one. I give it my highest recommendation.
Read this book!.......2007-02-19
This books was so fascinating I finished it in one sitting. It is well written and the subject matter keeps you interested, especially from my perspective: someone with no farming experience. Everything that happened next was unexpected!
wonderful, funny, true story-how an idea of living on a farm becomes reality.......2007-02-12
This is abook you will read until you are finished!
It is a true story, an ongoing look at starting a farm, raising sheep,
putting up fence, and all of the fun that goes with it.
My family thought I was nuts, because I would start laughing out loud!
Very good humor, very entertaining!
I have given many copies for gifts!
Book Description
Minnesota's barns are remarkable testaments to a midwestern way of life, one centered on the land, work, family, ingenuity, and perseverance. Many think of barns as breathtaking landmarks along the byways. Others have their favorite barns--the well-kept, red dairy barn near St. Cloud, the faded horse barn on the way to Faribault. Still others know these structures more intimately: barns are as integral to their lives as family and home. In Barns of Minnesota, photographer Doug Ohman showcases the vast array of these exceptional landmarks, built by hand in wood, stone, brick, or metal and dating back as far as 1880. Where Ohman's photographs capture the beauty of the barn from the outside in, Will Weaver's evocative story illuminates the life of the barn from the inside out. Readers witness the making and breaking of one barn as it plays into the life and sustenance of several generations of one family who settled the land in 1922 and who farmed into the age of agribusiness. Seventy-five stunning color photographs accompanied by Weaver's moving story uplift these beautiful buildings and a way of life on the land that is as strong and proud, as fragile and humble, as the barns among us.
Customer Reviews:
Living in a Barn.......2005-09-08
We live in a Yankee Barn Home in Minnesota that is constructed from 150-100 year old timbers from old barns and industrial buildings from the east coast. As such, we are fascinated with the tradition and long standing barns across this great nation. BARNS of MINNESOTA captures the essence of the old barns in this great state of ours. We purchased this book along with the BACKROADS of MINENESOTA to be able to combine scenic backroad trips along with the opportunity to search out the old, wonderful barns. We highly recommend these two books as a great set for backroads scenic adventures that highlight some of the great barns of Minnesota! See you on the backroads!
Average customer rating:
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Watercolor Fundamentals
Arco Editorial Team
Manufacturer: Atrium Publishers Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Instructional & How-To
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Watercolor Painting
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
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Watercolor
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Arts & Photography
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ASIN: 8481852295 |
Book Description
In this volume the enthusist of watercolors can easily pick up the techniques following the practical exercises. It includes many tips and explanations backed up by illustrations.
Product Description
Includes full-size patterns.
Average customer rating:
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Fundamentals of Watercolor Painting
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Watercolor Painting
| Instructional & How-To
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ASIN: 0823020754 |
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Michael Schmidt: Berlin Nach 1945
Janos Frecot
Manufacturer: Steidl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
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Similar Items:
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Michael Schmidt: Frauen
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5x7
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The Photobook: A History - Volume 2
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A Book Of Field Studies
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Henry Wessel: Five Books
ASIN: 3865210902
Release Date: 2005-06-15 |
Book Description
Michael Schmidt's photographs have always focused on his hometown of Berlin especially in book format--a fundamental element of his work. One of his most important bodies of work about Berlin, Berlin Nach 1945, has never before been published as a whole. It is particularly significant at this time, given the extreme urban, social, artistic, and general developmental changes Berlin has undergone within recent years. This series documents a place which, as recently as 1980, was still very much marred by World War II, and provides an impressive visual record of a city in a state of flux.
Book Description
In the best-selling tradition of MAD about the Fifties, MAD about the Sixties, and MAD about the Seventies, here is a MAD look at the eighties as only America's foremost satire magazines perceives it. With forty-eight pages in full color, it includes "Feeble Attraction", "M*U*S*H", "Grossanne", Spy vs Spy, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Grant creates another book worth as much as (...) paper!.......2003-04-11
Mad about the eighties is another humorous book by the Usual Gang of (...) at Mad and Grant Geissman! In this book you'll find classic spoofs, parodies, and satires such as The Cube and I, The Trivial Pursuit survival kit, The Llighter Side of..., and Bleak for the Future.(...) ISBN: 1-55853-774-0
what me, worry?.......2000-02-19
And why should you worry about this book! To know MAD, is to love MAD (corny isn't it?).This book is filled with the best of the 80's and it is nothing less of a true satarical masterpEACE...:-) If you have never had a MAD magazine in your life (jeeze!), then this is a perfect one to start a possible collection with. 2 1/2 thumbs way way way uP!
Please Buy This Book.......1999-12-03
As they were keen enough to include the only article I ever had published in their magazine...I highly recommend this anthology.
Average customer rating:
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Ernie Pyle in the American Southwest
Richard Melzer
Manufacturer: Sunstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Journalists
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Journalism
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Media Studies
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ASIN: 0865342431 |
Average customer rating:
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Ernie Pyles Southwest
Ernie Pyle , and
Bob Bales
Manufacturer: Rivendell Book Factory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Depression
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ASIN: 0944353134 |
Average customer rating:
- Theatre Teachers: This Is What You Need
- A Great Resource
- Clear and Helpful
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Stories on Stage: Children's Plays for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 15 Play Scripts From 15 Authors, Including Roald Dahl's The Twits and Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Aaron Shepard
Manufacturer: Shepard Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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Readers on Stage: Resources for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With Tips, Play Scripts, and Worksheets, or How to Do Simple Children's Plays That Build Reading Fluency and Love of Literature
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Folktales on Stage: Children's Plays for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 16 Play Scripts From World Folk and Fairy Tales and Legends, Including Asian, African, Middle Eastern, European, and Native American
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12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays
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Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays
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Readers Theater for Building Fluency: Strategies and Scripts for Making the Most of This Highly Effective, Motivating, and Research-Based Approach to Oral Reading
ASIN: 0938497227 |
Book Description
Stories on Stage is a collection of reader's theater scripts for young readers, adapted from stories by fifteen different authors, including Louis Sachar, Nancy Farmer, and Roald Dahl. Coming from such genres as humor, fantasy, and multicultural folktales, stories were selected for their dramatic quality, literary value, and appeal to young people. The scripts may be freely copied, shared, and performed for noncommercial purposes. With a focus on ages 8 to 15, the collection features a wide range of reading levels. The scripts in this collection are -- "Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School," by Louis Sachar -- "Mr. Twit's Revenge," by Roald Dahl -- "Millions of Cats," by Wanda Gag -- "Tapiwa's Uncle," by Nancy Farmer -- "How Tom Beat Captain Najork," by Russell Hoban -- "Harriet," by Florence Parry Heide -- "Mr. Bim's Bamboo," by Carol Farley -- "Talk," by Harold Courlander -- "The Jade Stone," by Caryn Yacowitz -- "The Bean Boy," by Monica Shannon -- "The Kid from the Commercial," by Stephen Manes -- "The Fools of Chelm," by Steve Sanfield -- "Mouse Woman and the Snails," by Christie Harris -- "Westwoods," by Eleanor Farjeon -- "The Legend of Lightning Larry," by Aaron Shepard.
Customer Reviews:
Theatre Teachers: This Is What You Need.......2006-11-10
This book is formatted so easily, it took me MUCH less time than I thought it would to prepare a unit on reader's theatre for my class. I used it for my high school theatre class so they wouldn't have to concentrate on large vocabularies, but rather to deliver the story in a simple, easy way. It was a HUGE success of a project and this book made it possible. It tells you how long each story is, what cast you'll need, and what reading level it is!! Yay!!!
The stories themselves are entertaining (even for high school!!!), compelling, and really fun to work with. I am SO grateful I ordered this!
A Great Resource.......2006-01-11
Aaron Shepard is a generous contributor to the field of Reader's Theatre. This book is no exception. It's well-laid out and chock-full of interesting scripts. I've recommended to several folks interested in RT.
Clear and Helpful.......2006-01-11
This book was written in clear language. It was helpful to me as a novice.
Customer Reviews:
The Fools of Chelm.......1999-12-22
Those familiar with The Wise Men of Helm and More Wise Men of Helm will be delighted with this collection of Chelm stories. According to Jewish folk lore, when the angels flew over earth depositing people, the bag of fools tore open and they all dropped out in Chelm. You can imagine the rest, but don't. Get this book. Alyssa A. Lappen
Average customer rating:
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The Feather Merchant
Hillyer Ives
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1420828673 |
Book Description
Life is not always easy. Far from it. This third popular, action-packed novel in Hillyer Ives' Connizol series features a young merchant who had been handed a bill of stolen goods on Earth, having to pay a very expensive fine. Everything began falling apart after that. With nothing left but a ship load of perishable feathers, Pitzi sets out to define his new direction in life. His first desire was a date with a beautiful young woman, the daughter of the Star Police commander. But things continued to go wrong. The young woman stowed away on his ship, a Confederation offense, to "look after Pitzi." Pitzi later has doubts about Merat's love when Janzi Jit, a good-looking athlete joined them after the three were kidnapped and taken to the slip-shod world of Purrit. There they were to be used by the Confederation's "most wanted" criminal, Otlee. Otlee was said to have been responsible for the deaths of over two thousand people. This never-ending action story involves not only suspense and adventure, but much comic relief and humor. Join Pitzi Phips, a sawed-off little merchantman with a big heart, as he takes on the Connizol Confederation's number one assassin.
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Feather Merchant
Don Shoemaker
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Travel
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1410705641 |
Books:
- Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings
- Instructional-Design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, Vol. 2 (Instructional Design Theories & Models)
- Italian Villas and Their Gardens (Classical America Series in Art and Architecture)
- Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living
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- Leadership by Design: Creating an Architecture of Trust
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A Very Small Farm
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Sequestered Hearts
