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Stretching the Truth: Tall Tales

October 18, 2017 by Jim Potter 4 Comments

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(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.)


 

·  Tall Tales  ·

My Grandpa Clarence used to talk about the fertile farmland in western Kansas before the drought, grasshoppers, jack rabbits, and dust storms ravaged the country.

He said he and the family had some extremely productive years for over a decade before “The Crash.”

When our family visited, just in case I doubted him, he would dig out his photographs and hand them to me as positive proof. “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” he’d advise, then silently begin rolling a cigarette and leaning back in his rocking chair.

Now, all these years later, with him gone since 1973, I hold the evidence of those prosperous times.

Grandpa left the treasured photographs to me even though my dad had been born and raised there in Morton County, near Rolla. I guess Grandpa figured my dad, Harold, would never forget those memorable good times and stressful bad times.

Like I said, Grandpa gave them to me because I was so fascinated with the remarkable visual stories.

I’ve treasured these photographs of the Potter farmstead and farm animals for nearly fifty years.

The images are of a time in history when the horse was still reliable, cheap transportation. Crops were successful without dangerous pesticides or genetic modification.

Poultry, pigs, and cattle added weight on the free range, not like today when the animals are locked in buildings in cramped cages with artificial light.

Independent farmers today care just as much about the land, the crops, and good husbandry, and they are caught in a dilemma called survival. They are under a tremendous amount of pressure to eke out a profit while expenses continue to rise and crop prices remain low.

“How is success possible?” I ask. Then I thank a farmer: “I appreciate you for your dedication and for feeding me. I just wish you would benefit proportionally when grocery store prices increase.”

Like my grandparents, the few independent farmers that remain on the land today love the soil so much that many are dangerously in debt. They’re working other jobs just to have an outside chance until the day things “turn around.”

Maybe these photographs are one of the reasons Grandpa never talked too much about his years in western Kansas. Maybe that’s why he gave them to me while he was still alive.

The productive years were like a beautiful bubble that people didn’t want to believe would ever pop.

Sadly, when Grandpa recalled the good times, he would also be reminded of what he had lost and what he had endured: bad, long, crushing years.

One day in western Kansas, Grandpa was out working the field and the weather changed; it was a sign that Rolla and a half-dozen states would soon suffer an environmental disaster the likes no one had seen before.

The hungry grasshoppers and jack rabbits arrived in need of substance. The market crashed. Proud people learned that they had gotten greedy with god’s land, and there would be a price to pay.

The years of struggle, hope, and broken spirits will be further examined in the next blog. As proof, I’ll share more of my faded photographs.

Until next time, happy writing and reading!

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Comments

  1. Jon Powell says

    I’d hate to see the size of the grasshoppers!!!

    Great blog!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Thanks, Jon. Next week’s blog does show one of the grasshoppers being hauled away in the back of a flatbed truck! If you are itchin’ for a photo of a large grasshopper, check out the blog from August 23. The title is “Creative Writing.” Under the sub-heading “Fake News” you will see a grasshopper shot and killed by a farmer using his shotgun! It’s true. It was in a newspaper.

      Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    Thank you, Jim. I look forward to the next story/blog.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      Thanks for your encouragement! The next blog continues my story about Grandpa Clarence in western Kansas. But you’ll also hear about Roswell, New Mexico, and yes, the Roswell Incident (1947)!

      Reply

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Karleen Wilson-Moon

Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

Larry Kruckman, anthropologist

Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a… Read more “Larry Kruckman, anthropologist”

Steve Becker

I’m impressed. It was an excellent read. . . . I hope you continue with more projects in the future.

Morgan Penner

Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental… Read more “Morgan Penner”

Sean McArdle, Winchester, England

Retired police officer Potter’s novel centers on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to… Read more “Sean McArdle, Winchester, England”

Jane Holzrichter

I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller… Read more “Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist”

Diana Dester

Good story line, building the characters along the way. Great job!

Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

Judy Hawk

. . . I was impressed with the Native American information as well as the depth of character development . . . .

John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement

I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters… Read more “John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement”

Sheryl Remar

I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

Rebecca Schillaci

As a former law enforcement officer, I found the story very relatable as it details the life of a law enforcement officer and the struggles some face throughout their careers. . . Taking Back the Bullet is a journey of understanding, respect, and forgiveness . . .

Dennis Perrin, educator

Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

Rebecca from Proud Police Wife

Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Denise Low, author of Jackalope (Red Mountain Press)

Jim Potter is a cop, retired, but he brings deep understanding of this job to his novel Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. This layered novel has literary dimensions as characters explore crisis situations. Congratulations to this fine writer for his debut novel.

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