Not a Perfect Fit

Jane certainly offers an original perspective in her collection of personal stories. She reminds me of my mom -- but a quirkier version. Each page reads like it was written in a state of perfect glee. Some points get redundant (pieces of past stories that appear again in others), but that's to be expected with a book like this. I'd say it's good to read in doses -- don't try to binge the stories. All around, a good read. I'd recommend it.

As I read this book, beside laughing and groaning and at times being brought close to tears, it reminded me so very much of my own days gone by. Jane and I are of a close age and both grew up in Wisconsin. We both have a desire to live a bit remote from close neighbors, although I have never gone so far as to go without indoor plumbing for months at a time. I feel that if we should ever cross paths, we'd be talking for hours!

This is a partial memoir, told in nonsequential order. Just as thoughts pop into your head and topics come to mind, this book jumps from story to story and somehow it all fits together and works.
The result is that you'll want to read more of Jane's work.

Jane has a special relationship with words. Sometimes she doesn't use the conventional ones used by everyone else. She has a special relationship with animals, too. She even lets a few write their stories in her book. You will have to read about her special relationship with cars and the local sheriff department.

There are lessons in this book, such as learning the difference between a want and a need, the many difficult ways one can be compassionate and remembering to always get back up after a fall.
It is a bitter sweet tale of struggle and survival based on learning to know oneself and care for self and those around you.

I know Jane has at least a dozen more books in her and I will eagerly read them as I am able.
I may just sit down and write out a few stories and memories of my own.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars. Jane is a newspaper columnist for a local paper. She lives in Wisconsin. She lives out in the country and her neighbors are miles apart. So she doesn't always get to know them well. One of her neighbors asked her if she had noticed an ambulance go by. She later found out that her elderly neighbor Elsie had passed on. She made a mental note that she needed to get to know her neighbors better. Jane has two one-year-old goats, a puppy, some ducks, and geese.

It was fathers day and she was remembering her dad. There was a looming rainstorm when she went into the house. All of a sudden the bright sun came out. She then went on a hike for four miles and got lost. But Jane came upon a country road and a man drove her back to her car.

Jane wanted a house in a small town. Some friends helped her find one. It was a white house that needed some work. It had an outhouse and an outdoor shower.

There was a Mickey Mouse toy along one of the trails Jane walked in preparation to go to the Grand Canyon. She took the toy. She brought it with to the Grand Canyon and took pictures of it at various places along the trail. She then sent the pictures to the neighbor who had put Mickey Mouse on the trail in the first place.

Jane has a knack for telling her life in funny stories thru out this book. I really got a chuckle out of it.

Alternately comic and tragic, this collection of stories from Ms. Schmid't homesteading experience are personal, gleeful, and self-revealing. A good book to read in small doses.

A really fun read. Perfect for reading while waiting for my kids or in between events.

This book was laugh out loud funny and disturbingly could have been written by any of my family.
I fell in love with this book, it is quirky, sad in some places and just plain funny. The writing was so good it just flowed. I will be watching this author.