Hammer Tacks Not Ticks

As a wife, mother, fishing master, jokester, and writer, Dorothy Kruse has seen it all. In this collection of her memoirs and previously published articles, Dorothy opens up the life and times of raising a family and vacationing in the lush North Woods of Wisconsin and other places made magical by the memories created there.

Hammer Tacks, Not Ticks offers up vivid imagery and quirky details of the daily adventures at the family cottage on Flambeau River where you can make friends with swans, smell the maple sap drip, and maybe even cross paths with a bear or two. Beyond the beauty of rustic Wisconsin, this treasury of stories shares the intimate moments that make up a life well lived, from overcoming childhood fears to learning to find the words when a loved one is ill. But above all else, Hammer Tacks, Not Ticks is filled with whimsical and hilarious stories of wood tick races, mashed potato wedding cakes, and Dorothys charmingly contrary husband, Charlie. These stories will make you laugh out loud and feel as if you are part of this large, lovable, laughing family circle.

In one chapter, Dorothy confesses, If I want a really ridiculous and funny story, I usually have to make it up, but then there are times fact is as good or better than fiction. But in every chapter, you will fall for the wondrous worlds of Dorothy Kruse, both fact and fiction, amusing and heartfelt, and every last one unforgettable.

About the Author

Dorothy Kruse was born in Dalton, Wisconsin in 1931 and began her education in a one-room schoolhouse before her family relocated to Madison, Wisconsin. In 1953 she married Charles Kruse with whom she has four children, Chuck, Kari, Steve, and Marie. Today she is blessed with eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Dorothy now resides in Oregon, Wisconsin with the inspiration for many of her stories and her husband of sixty years, Charlie.

(2014, Paperback, 114 pages)