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Recent Articles, Radio, Events
The easiest way to order our books is to call us at 206
842-6908. We will mail the book(s) to you, you can send us a check or
money order, and Nancy will autograph the book(s)
- Living on Earth Interview
- "Living on Earth,"
- the NPR program,
- recently spoke with Nancy Rekow about
Minnie Rose Lovgreen. This interview will be broadcast the weekend
of July 23-24. Some stations may air it at a different time. Check here
for your local station's schedule. Click here for Nancy's
segment.
- Click
here to listen to the complete program.
-
- Today's Green
Minute, a Video by Jim Parks
- Jim
created a clever and entertaining YouTube video about MRL's
Recipe for Raising Chickens. Take a minute to watch it!
Nancy and Everett will appear at the Bainbridge Grange Hall on
August 3 to talk about Minnie Rose Lovgreen and read from her books.
Click here for the flyer.
Listen
to Minnie Rose's Voice
- Bob Tanem's Interview
on
-
"In
the Garden"
-
with Nancy Rekow,
-
KSFO 560 Radio, San
-
Francisco, July 11
- KUOW
Presents:
-
"Minnie
Rose's
-
Wisdom,
"June 5, 2010:
-
Interview with Nancy Rekow
-
Seattle, WA, Public Radio
- "Memories of Minnie Rose
- Lovgreen,"
Hockwold
- Magazine, May, 2010
- (pages
- 3 & 13) Hockwold,
- Norfolk,
UK
- Mommy Blog Expert
- Elfendahl, Gerry,
-
Minnie Rose
- MaryJanesFarm Magazine
-
article about Recipe for
-
Raising Chickens
-
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- Far As
I Can Remember: An Immigrant
- Woman's
Story, 1888-1975
- IS NOW
AVAILABLE.
-
Early Readers' Comments
- "Minnie Rose
Enefer/Lovgreen’s life story, told in her down-to-earth style,
is an amazing tale of a Victorian girl’s journey from a small
English village to life in the New
World….heartwarming…beautiful….will leave readers feeling
they have made a new friend in Minnie Rose."
- ~Pam
Griffin, North
Shropshire Chronicle, UK
-
- "Reading this
book is more than reading words. It’s like hearing a voice in
your ear and mind that remains long after the pages end….Minnie
Rose lives in these pages with all her homespun wit, courage and
wisdom."
- ~Bob
McAllister, Professor of English, Olympic College, WA
-
- "….astonishing
detail….extraordinary storytelling gifts. For Minnie Rose
Lovgreen, ‘far as I can remember’ is a very long way
indeed."
- ~Kathleen
Thorne, Adult Program Coord., Kitsap Regional Library, WA
"It is one thing researching ancestors from censuses and
certificates, but quite another to hear their stories direct.
Miinie Rose Enefer/Lovgreen is sadly no longer with us....she has
left us a story of a poor country girl who through sheer
determination made something of her life....in her own words, the
book brings to life an incredible woman who can only be described
as a unique character, perhaps the sort of character that sadly no
longer exists. She understates both her hardships and
achievements, but her quick fire mind and quaint turn of phrase
make her story both engaging and inspirational.... makes me proud
of my surname--I just only wish I can live up to it."
- ~Andy
Enefer, distant relative of Minnie Rose, Verwood, Dorset, UK
-
- unique life
experience kept me enchanted for hours....and her thoughts have
stayed with me."
- ~Trude
Lisagor, author of Small
Things: Words from my namesake
- "….testament to
what good health and a strong back could earn a British immigrant
in 1915…."
- ~Kathleen
Alcala, author of Treasures
in Heaven
-
- "Warm, funny,
and wise....Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s story is the story of the
American immigrant experience….bringing such rich history to the
printed page."
- ~Rebecca
Judd, Branch Manager, Bainbridge Public Library
Nancy
and Everett will appear at the Bainbridge Grange Hall to talk about
Minnie Rose Lovgreen and read from Recipe
for Raising Chickens and Far
As I Can Remember. Click here for
the flyer . |
In 1912, a young
English country-woman named Minnie Rose Enefer booked passage on the Titanic, but
fortunately then grew restless and sailed on a ship leaving earlier.
Eventually she moved to Bainbridge Island, WA, where she married Danish
Leo Lovgreen. Together, with their
2 sons, they ran a thriving 170-acre dairy farm on Bainbridge for 30
years.
Minnie Rose, a chicken lover
and gifted storyteller, had always wanted to write a book on raising
chickens, but was always too busy. Then in Nov., 1974, soon after
her 86th birthday, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her
friend Nancy
Rekow took the ferry
into Seattle, appeared in her hospital room with a tape recorder, and
said, "Minnie Rose, now we're going to write your book." And
they did.
- For days, in that hospital
room, Nancy listened and tape-recorded Minnie's wise words, then
transcribed the tapes, edited and hand-lettered the
entire text, enlisted their friend and neighbor, Elizabeth
Hutchison, to illustrate the book, and self-published a 1st
edition of 1,000 copies that sold out in a month.
"I was busy with four
young children, so didn't have time to reprint and go on publishing the
book," Nancy says. In
May, 1975, she took the book to Seattle where Pacific Search Press
agreed to print a 2nd edition of 20,000 copies. (That 2nd Edition has
now been out of print for many years.)
Meanwhile in May, 1975,
Minnie Rose celebrated the book's 2nd Edition with
an autograph
party and
also appeared on
King TV. She died that
same year, pleased to know that her chicken-raising advice was
reaching thousands of people across the country.
Illustrations:
Because Nancy and Elizabeth, the illustrator, had little time to put the
book together that cold spring, they had to improvise--especially
Elizabeth. To draw
fighting roosters when she owned only one, she set up a mirror under her
barn, then drew the rooster fiercely battling his own reflection.
For the dust-bath illustration, she dried the soggy Northwest mud under
the barn with a heat lamp and drew the chickens happily taking dust
baths.
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Nancy
Rekow staffs the NW Trillium Press table at the 2010
Bainbridge Isl., WA, Tour de Coop.
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Raquel
Stanek's beautiful mosaic coop, La Maison Fleur de Coop, at
the Bainbridge Tour de Coop
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