Jerry Apps is one of my favorite authors of Wisconsin history. He has authored more than 35 books on agriculture, farm life and life in rural Wisconsin towns. Jerry is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who began his career in the University Extension Program. His publications have won awards and praise from just about every source in Wisconsin and beyond. He even produced a Wisconsin TV program entitled, “Jerry Apps Food & Memories,” in which he instilled in the viewer with the importance of agriculture. His publications are not expensive and they are available through the Wisconsin State Historical Society Press. Among the books I have of his that I feel are worth a read are: “Old Farm Country Cookbook,” that he co-authored with his daughter Susan Apps-Bodilly, “Every Farm Tells A Story,” and “One-Room Country Schools -History and Recollections.” *** Here’s the truth! I had a problem with my computer, so I called the 11 year old kid next door. He clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem. As he was walking away, I called after him, “So what was wrong?” He replied, “It was an ID ten T error.” I didn’t want to appear stupid, but nonetheless asked, “An ID ten T error? What’s that?” He grinned.. “Haven’t you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?” “No.” I replied. Write it down,” he said, “and I think you’ll figure it out.” So I wrote it down: “ID10T.” And I used to like that kid. *** Recent Fraud Alert! There are plenty of people who spend the majority of their time trying to figure out a way to get our money. There were 467,340 cases of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2021.Total loses from the crimes exceeded $1 billion. Many of the cases are grandparents scams with the caller posing as a grandchild in need of money or a caller stating a grandchild is in some trouble and needs some money. *** I am not a fisherman, but had a father who was, and he mostly fished for the elusive muskie in the early years of his retirement. My parents had a summer camping spot for many years at a private property on Ghost Lake, near Hayward. Ghost Lake was acclaimed for its muskies. At Ghost Lake, dad occasionally had the good fortune of getting a muskie, but never anything of trophy size. My brother Chuck, who lives in the state of Maine, came to Wisconsin last summer and took his son and grandson on a week of fishing on Ghost Lake. It was one of those bucket list things he wanted to do while still on this earth. They had a great time but no luck in catching a muskie. I recently read a piece of research on the muskie and it is no wonder the muskie is caught much less than many other fish. The research indicates the muskie spends most of its time in out-of-the-way places and typically doesn’t chase their prey. Instead, they wait for the prey to come to them. That is the reason one fishing for the muskie must make endless casts to even have a chance of catching a muskie. Success comes with the right lure, in the right place, at the right time. Thus, random casting has a very small probability of getting you a muskie. The research further concluded that many muskies are predisposed to not chasing a lure. It is also why muskies are called “the fish of 10,000 casts.”

*** I often hear complaints about a number of things in Stanley. That is perhaps because I served as mayor for 14 years and write a column in this newspaper. Why isn’t the house on Franklin Street that is mostly burnt removed? Why isn’t something done about the dilapidated former garage on the corner of Franklin and Maple Street? Why doesn’t the Stanley Republican have a column on conference standings? Why doesn’t The Stanley Republican have better sports coverage? In the case of questions regarding city affairs. I direct you to the city clerk or your city council member. If you don’t know find out what ward your in, and get a printed card from the city clerk’s office with the names of your council member, the committees they serve on and their telephone numbers. Or, go to a city council meeting and ask the questions at a public meeting. If you have questions about the Stanley Republican, try telephoning the newspaper, write a letter to the editor or find out when the editor has office hours and talk to him. Or talk to the full time reporter of the newspaper. The newspaper’s contact information can be found on the Viewpoints page (usually page 4) weekly. I only contract with the newspaper for the columns I write weekly. I have no say over how the newspaper decides what to print or not print. Sometimes I have the same questions that are posed to me and those same options exist for me to get answers. Sometimes I can get answers and sometimes I can’t or don’t want to. I am getting to the age where my time writing for the paper will also be ending. Having a weekly deadline is sometimes not an easy thing to accomplish and gets a little more challenging with advancing age. *** Smile time. A lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy. He thinks that he is smarter than the deputy because he is a lawyer from New York and is certain that he has a better education than a cop from Houston. He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the Texas deputy’s expense. The deputy says, “License and registration, please.” “What for?” says the lawyer. The deputy says, “You didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign.” Then the lawyer says, “I slowed down and no one was coming.” “You still didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign.” Then the lawyer says again, “I slowed down and no one was coming.” “You still didn’t come to a complete stop.” Says the deputy, “License and registration please.” The lawyer says, “What’s the difference?” “The difference is you have to come to a complete stop, that’s the law. License and registration please!” the deputy says. The lawyer says, “If you can show me the difference between slow down and stop, I’ll give you my license and registration; and you can give me a ticket. If not, you let me go and don’t give me the ticket.” “That sounds fair. Please step out of the vehicle, sir,” the deputy says. At this point the deputy takes out his nightstick and starts beating the daylights out of the lawyer and says, “Do you want me to stop or just slow down?” +++ Seven-year old Little Mary told her mother, “A boy in my class asked me to play doctor.” “Oh dear,” her mother nervously sighed. “What happened Honey?” “Nothing. He made me wait 45 minutes and then double billed the insurance company.”