An Amish farmer's blissful account of the rhythms of nature and
work, finding delight in everyday places. "Sometimes I wonder
whether I farm to make a living or whether it is all a front, just
an excuse to be out in the fields looking at clouds," writes Kline
(Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer's Journal, 1990), who works the
farm in northwestern Ohio where he grew up. He's not a typical
modern-day farmer: He plows with draft horses and uses chemical
pesticides only as a last resort, and then reluctantly. His view of
wildlife is more enlightened, too. He tolerates woodchucks
(considered unredeemed pests by farmers dependent on expensive
heavy equipment) because their burrows nurture foxes, rabbits, and
other species. Kline organizes his observations into short,
discursive essays that shift easily from farmstead to fields,
woods, and the community. Though some early passages seem
pedestrian (the section on spiders reads like an elementary science
text), his observations of plants and animals grow more intriguing
the farther from home he wanders. Kline's finest moments involve
fascinating interactions with wildlife that show how attuned he is
to nature. He observes a titmouse plucking fur for its nest from a
sleeping raccoon's back, recalls a pet crow from childhood who
liked to grip the hood ornaments of cars and go for a
feather-ruffling ride, and stands stock still in a field until a
weasel passes between his legs, close enough for Kline to observe
drops of blood on its nose. He respects nature, and it rewards him
with genuine oddities: A damselfly lays eggs on his finger; a
napping woodchuck arches its back appreciatively when he scratches
it with his walking stick. Though Kline's thoroughly charming
survey of the natural world focuses on the flora and fauna
indigenous to Ohio, it has much to teach us about appreciating wild
things wherever we happen to be. (Kirkus Reviews)
David Kline came upon a sleeping woodchuck one summer day as he
walked the land near his farm. In a gesture that speaks eloquently
of Kline's relationship with the natural world, he scratched the
animal gently with his walking stick, and the sleeping creature
arched its back with pleasure at the attention.
Like its title, this collection of essays on nature, farming,
animals, insects, and other topics bespeaks the gentle demeanor and
appreciation for nature that shape the author's descriptions of the
world around him. Whether sharing his fondness for watching clouds
while he rests his horses or for planting flowers in his favorite
spot in the woods, David Kline offers a view of life that few of us
take time to experience. "Scratching the Woodchuck" resounds with
knowledge, reverence, and a joyful spirit, and to follow Kline's
explorations of the landscape and animals around his farm is to
sense and come to share his respect for and unity with the
earth.
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