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Christmas in the Country

The Apple Barn and Winery

In 1985, Steve and Judy planted the first trees of what is now known as the Apple Barn. That was over 40 years ago! Since then, they’ve expanded their orchard to include a bakery, a winery, and a country store. It’s November, and now that the harvest season is behind us, the orchard has fallen quiet in the face of winter. But for the next few weekends, the winery and country store will be buzzing with patrons.

Christmas in the Country

As a way to extend their season, sell more wine, and feature local artisans, Judy and Steve began the Christmas Barn five years ago. For five weekends following their busiest season, they open their doors for one final push before the holidays. They feature local artisans and holiday decor alongside their fresh apple cider, apple donuts, and complementary wine samplings.

The Christmas Barn’s History

Judy’s daughter, Emma, was handing out complementary wine samples during today’s visit. I struck up a conversation with her, and she introduced me to her mom. During my chat with Judy, I learned that the Christmas Barn was a continuation of another, similar market. Those owners were retiring, so Judy and Steve took up the mantle at the Apple Barn. The retirees still contribute candles and centerpieces to the Christmas Barn. You can listen to my chat with Apple Barn employee Jody and owner Judy in the video below:

Community Enrichment

Steve and Judy aren’t just in the apple business, though. They also have hearts for community enrichment. This is made evident by their 40+ years’ worth of thank you letters posted in the walk-in apple chiller. During their busy seasons, so September-October, they offer guided school tours of the Apple Barn. The genuine gratitude expressed in those letters reflect the care, patience, and attention Steve and Judy pour into every visit. It’s clear that these tours aren’t just educational; they’re a beautiful, heartfelt way to give back to the community that has supported them for so long.

Holiday Shopping Made Easy

The Christmas Barn is a great way for you to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping. Not only will you find unique gifts for each unique person in your life, but you’ll also support the Apple Barn and local artisans. Be sure to stop by before they close for the winter on December 7th!

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Local Lore: The History of Wisconsin’s Elusive Werewolf

I grew up in Walworth, a small southeastern town in Wisconsin, but always a little apart from it. I say apart because we belonged to the uber conservative, Baptist homeschool community. This community consisted of cousins, a few close (like-minded) family friends, and a deep-rooted belief that the secular world was to be avoided at all costs.

You can imagine then, the challenges that arose when my parents’ divorce thrust my siblings and I into the terrifying realm of public school. I spent most of 8th grade stumbling awkwardly through my new environment and it took me a while to find a new sense of community.

When my mom married my stepdad, Terry Mayer, in the spring of 2013, it was easy to see how involved he was in his community. He’d worked at The Week newspaper for many years. During his time with the paper, he met and photographed countless musicians, local public figures, and participated in the occasional investigation into werewolves.

Yes, you read that right. Call it what you want, beast, werewolf, cryptic, but The Beast of Bray Road is a big part of Wisconsin’s folklore. It dates back to its first “sighting” in 1936 and is often described as a towering, red-eyed, humanoid creature covered in thick fur.

A documentary and horror film have been made based on this local lore and the late Linda Godfry, who my stepdad worked closely with, turned her series on The Beast into a book titled The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf.

I don’t remember who told me about The Beast back in high school, but I do remember being too terrified to ride along with my new friends to Bray Road. They were hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature of legend, I wanted no part of it.

I’d since forgotten about the lore until recently. I was searching for an event to attend and cover for my Digital Storytelling and Social Media class when I stumbled on the 2025 Beast Fest event. I mentioned it to my stepdad and his eyes sparkled as he shared about his time investigating the story alongside Linda Godfry.

So, he agreed to go with me to Beast Fest and even said he would try to find his original “WereWolf Of the Week” shirt as seen in this 15-year anniversary article. Stay tuned for updates this afternoon on my X and Facebook accounts as Terry and I revisit the legend of The Beast of Bray Road. I’m looking forward to an afternoon steeped in community and folklore.

To learn more about the late Linda Godfry, see the articles below:

Tracking down ‘The Beast of Bray Road’
Beast of Bray Road Author Linda Godfrey Has Passed Away
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Reading Habits in a World of Scrolling

My Digital Storytelling and Social Media assignment for this week was to conduct a survey on a topic of our choice. As a book lover in a world where reading has been largely usurped by scrolling, I wanted to know my friends, family, and classmates reading habits. The results were surprising in some ways and expected in others.

The survey reached Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millenials, and Gen Zers with the primary contributors being (unsurprisingly) my millennial friends. I found it interesting that the top two responses regarding the number of books read per year were 0-5 or 15+ books.

Figure 1.1 Results of how many books participants read per year

I was not terribly surprised to see that 0-5 books came out on top, still it was exciting to see that 15+ was a close second. It gave me hope that many people are still actively engaging with books, even in this age of distractions and instant gratification.

In terms of genres, I was unsurprised that romance took first place (remember that millennial ladies were the majority here). It was a fun surprise that Sci-Fi and Horror tied for last, this made me think that these are more of a niche genre.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my survey!

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When Love Lingers Too Long: Releasing Romanticized Relationships

You will never
have to chase
what is meant
to knock
on your door.

-Mark Anthony

I think most people can relate to the experience of teenage heartbreak and a love that lingers long after last words are exchanged.

They aren’t just the one that got away.

They’re the one you’d light your life on fire for, travel across the globe in half a second at even the slightest chance of a second chance.

I lit my life on fire for different reasons, and I traveled across the globe for me, myself, and I.

Still, most of my life I’ve been haunted by a love that never fully bloomed, that left me weeping uncontrollably like a fool.

Because in my mind, he was perfect in every way.

Minds are funny that way.

Or at least, mine is.

The network executives of my mind play reruns of the happy times.

They romanticize every late-night chat, every stolen glance, every chicken dance. The brain freeze and drama free drive with his hand on my thigh.

The network blurs out the bad and censors the pain.

The first betrayal, second, and third are scrubbed from the record, the film stripped and burned until the viewer starts to wonder if those episodes were imagined.

But once the execs get canned, a harsh reality sets in:

What I’d clung to all these years, was nothing more than a fantasy.

The fantasy of him, of us.

Because I’m sure, to him, I was nothing more than a blip, a fleeting friendship, a minor attraction. Forgotten faster than it lasted.

I wrote the poem below when I decided enough was enough.

Because I think when it comes to love, real and lasting and mutual and beautiful love, the idea of it won’t hold a candle to its reality.

Renovation

I let the idea of you
overshadow the truth of you
for far too long.

Now, here I stand
reclaiming the corner of my mind
where you used to reside.

I ripped up the carpet,
painted the walls with the lyrics
from my favorite songs.

Unbarred the windows,
let in the light, felt the weight
of your presence disintegrate.

Now I breathe in the air,
fresh and new, as a garden
of hope within me blooms.

Heartfelt gratitude is extended to The Nemadji Review for publishing Renovation in their 14th edition.