Synopses & Reviews
Front Flap
In Forty Acres and a Fool, Roger Welsch condenses thirty-plus-years of experience learning about country life the hard way into one indispensable volume. In these pages you’ll learn how not to insult the locals the way Rog did. How not to get ripped off the way Rog did. How not to torque off the neighbors the way Rog did. How not to put your house in the wrong place the way Rog did. How not to… well, you get the point.
When Welsch first bought a place near the small town of Dannebrog, Nebraska (pop. 352) in 1975, no one had yet written a book to inform him how not to do things. Hence he ventured forth into this brave new rural world and proceeded to do a whole bunch of things he should not have done.
But he learned from his mistakes, maybe even more so than if he had done it right the first time. Eventually he developed an expertise at the elusive art of country living that rivals that of his neighbors, people who had lived on the same plats of land their entire lives. In these pages he shares what he learned from his mistakes.
Back Flap
Roger Welsch can best be described as a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dr. Ruth, except male and living in Nebraska with his wife and dogs. Before turning his talents to canine psychology, Roger was best known as “the fat guy in overalls” on CBS’ Sunday Morning, where he offered up essays on rural and small-town life on the plains.
Many also know him as the fat guy with the fetish for old tractors, as an advocate for Native American interests, and as the second most prominent citizen of Dannebrog, Nebraska, (pop. 352).
He’s also an author of numerous books of fiction and folk humor, and writes for publications from Successful Farming to Reader’s Digest.
Review
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Nov. 22, 2006
“It provides enough insight into rural living to help anyone decide if they want part of the action, or to stay safely within the confines of a metropolitan beltway.”
Two-Cylinder, November-December 2006
“Learn from the mistakes of a master, and laugh harder than you thought possible while doing it.”
Synopsis
At a time when so much manliness is played out on computer keyboards and TV or videogame remote controls, it takes a certain degree of grit and guts and plain pigheadedness to pull up stakes and move to the country. For those brave souls, the backward-looking gentleman farmers of our fast-forward-looking age, Roger Welsch has a few choice words. To homestead in the Old West, the saying went, all you needed was forty acres and a mule. For the 21st century, Welsch contends that instead of a beast of burden one only needs the stubbornness of being a fool. In several hilarious essays, Welsch presents a guy's guide to leaving modern miracles behind and embracing productive Ludditism. Made famous by his laconic pieces on CBS Sunday Morning (while wearing his signature overalls), Welsch takes on new subjects, and even elaborates the principles of feng shui for the farmhouse, barn, and farmyard. He draws on a lifetime's worth of experience to counsel prospective migrants to rural America on what precisely not to do. Learn from the mistakes of a master, and laugh harder than you thought possible while doing it. Roger Welsch is in fine fettle in Forty Acres and a Fool, a light-hearted look at rural upstarts that puts the delights of country living-and the occasional advantages of urban life-into rare perspective.
Synopsis
In a witty account of the delights and disadvantages of country life, the Nebraskan sage draws on his own experiences as he describes how to leave the miracles of modern life behind to take up productive Ludditism, offering tips on feng shui for the farmhouse, barn, and farmyard.
About the Author
Roger Welsch can best be described as a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dr. Ruth, except male and living in Nebraska with his wife and dogs. Before turning his talents to canine psychology, Roger was best known as \u201cthe fat guy in overalls on CBS Sunday Morning, where he offered up essays on rural and small-town life on the plains.
Table of Contents
Introduction: An Explanation of the Dedication and Introduction to the Work
Chapter 1: Considering the Ridiculous: Is a Move to the Country Even Something You Want to Consider?
Chapter 2: The Big Decision: Now That the Thinking Is Behind You, What Do You Need to Consider As You Look Ahead?
Chapter 3: The Setup: Now That Youve Considered What You Have, What Are You Going to Do with It?
Chapter 4: Self-Reliance: Where Can You Get Help? What Can You Do by Yourself?
Chapter 5: Taking Care of Business: How Things Are Done in Rural America, and How You Can Do Things in Rural America
Chapter 6: Rural Zen: The Philosophies of Rural Living; Yours and Theirs
Chapter 7: The Very Nature of Rural LivingRural Living Is Close to Nature
Chapter 8: The Social Life: Fitting In, Staying Out, Understanding, and Surviving
Chapter 9: Lawn OrdureYour Garment in Action, Your Tax Dollars at Work: What Can You Expect from Your New Government?
Chapter 10: Be Prepared: Considering the Inevitable Emergencies