If you grew up in the country you know these stories. If you've never spent a day in the country, these are stories you should read. A young man getting his first job because of his willingness to accept blame for a damaged car, a thirteen year-old boy asking for skis for Christmas because if he could go cross-country he'd have extra time before school for chores, chores he needed to do because of the sudden death of his father. Another father lifting a car out of a snow filled ditch because that was the only choice he had. These are the stories of a man, a family, and a very small place, but in a larger sense they are stories of America. This is a well rounded view of humanity and life in the country. Oh... and the drawings! Man, get the book just for the drawings. - Brent Olson, farmer, Big Stone County Commissioner, Awarded 2024 SW MN Arts Council Prairie Star, 2012 Bush Fellow. Published author of The Inadvertent Cafe , Between the Helpless and the Darkness , and a weekly on-line blog Independently Speaking . .