Episodes

  • Learning the Charleston with Harry Slick

    Learning the Charleston with Harry Slick
    Dec 30 2022

    “Every time we started to go to school, the old gray mare would wait till we got out on the road, right by our house, and then she'd go back into the ditch with the buggy that she was hitched to and head for the barn.”

     

    Welcome to the Storytellers Porch!

    Today, Jill is joined by Mrs. Barbara Ewing and her daughter Jacquie. Mrs. Ewing (who just celebrated her 100th birthday… on a motorcycle!) will be telling us stories about her childhood growing up in the farmlands of Kansas, riding a horse to school that always got spooked, and the dirt storms and the grasshoppers that plagued the farmlands.

    This episode is a special one and quite different then our normal shows. The goal of this season of The Storytellers Porch is to help people understand what it is like to grow up in Kansas. Through the coincidence that tends to happen in close communities, Jill found out that her Aunt Nova that used to teach grade school in the one-room-schoolhouse in Kansas just so happened to teach right alongside today’s guest, Mrs. Ewing! Throughout today’s interview, you will continue to hear many connections between the Ewings and self-proclaimed city girl Jill (who is learning she has quite a bit of farmer in her too).

    This episode is longer than our others as we did not want to cut any of the stories Mrs. Ewing, Jacquie, and Jill had to share today. We hope you enjoy all that is shared and are inspired to sit down and record your family story.

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, or growing up in rural America, we want to hear your story and help you share it! These stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Peace, Solitude, and More Lessons Learned on the Farm

    Peace, Solitude, and More Lessons Learned on the Farm
    Jul 8 2022

    “The reason my great-great-grandparents came over here was for freedom and hope for their family. To start this generation and to give generational hope and freedom of living.

    Some place like here.”

     - Deb Nyenhuis, today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch

    Following the trend of last week’s episode with Dr. Mark Wright on The Storytellers Porch, Deb Nyenhuis and Jill talk today about life growing up on a farm. In a slight contrast to Dr. Wright’s childhood, who was a frequent visitor of his grandparent’s farm but didn’t live there, Deb lived her life on her parent’s farm in South Dakota until she went to college.

    So much can be learned from life on a farm, as Deb and Jill discuss today. From a hard work ethic, to recovering from a huge financial hit (Deb’s father lost $70,000 on his farm in the ‘70s!), to self-sustainability… while these stories may be decades or even centuries old, the stories told and the lessons learned are just as, and maybe even more, relevant today.

    Perhaps Jill sums up these lessons best, with a reminder we all need:

     

    “My collective impact today is to just hold onto hope, no matter what. Human beings are strong, and smart, and inventive, and innovative, and capable, and we will make it through whatever is next, because we have hope and we have community.”

     

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, growing up in rural America, or any thoughts from today’s show, we want to hear your story and help you share it! These stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    38 mins
  • Lessons Learned on the Farm

    Lessons Learned on the Farm
    Jun 24 2022

    Trigger warning: This episode contains dialogue of life on a sheep farm, which includes mentions of hunting and the death of animals. No animal cruelty is discussed.

    “When somebody walks in my practice, they're in my house.

    I want them to be at home.”

     - Mark H. Wright, DDS, today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch

     

    Today’s story on The Porch at The Farm is a unique one, in the best way possible. Jill chats with Dr. Mark Wright, who spent a lot of time growing up at his grandparents sheep ranch and currently resides in the city of Colorado Springs, CO. Dr. Wright doesn’t consider himself a farmer but as we listen we find out he is truly a farmer at heart. As Jill states,

    “there's so much to learn from not just the farm life, but the farm way of life.”

    Jill and Dr. Wright discuss many of the logistics of spending time on the ranch, including birthing sheep, cleaning chicken coops, and going hunting. Then the interview turns to topics that are so pertinent in our society today: The importance of community, of supporting our local businesses, and the speed at which we approach life. Come along on this very special episode of The Storytellers Porch to hear some inspiring ways we can continue to change our community through stories. 

    To find out more about Dr. Wright (and to book an appointment at his dentist practice if you’re in Colorado Springs!), please visit https://www.mhwdds.com/meet-dr-wright/

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, growing up in rural America, or any thoughts from today’s show, we want to hear your story and help you share it! These stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    33 mins
  • Life Continues after Loss

    Life Continues after Loss
    Jun 10 2022

     

    “I can look to the seasons, and I can look to the controlled burns and the growth that comes up a week later and use that as a reminder: that nature, and the seasons, and those cycles have been here long before we have and will be here long after.

    And I think that's really all the hope I need.”

         - ­Gracie Jenkins

     

    In our last adventure out to Stockport Farm, Jill talked about the intentional burning of her barn, to keep the land and the surrounding area safe. In today’s episode, Jill and her co-host, Gracie Jenkins, discuss a far more tragic burn… an unplanned burn created by nature and the dry lands of Kansas that took out the farm’s freshly planted tree line and almost took out the farmhouse.

    As Gracie reminds us, sometimes we must burn the old to start anew. What did Jill find when she went back to the farm a week after everything almost burned to the ground?

    Listen in to find out!


    To find out more about Gracie Jenkins, follow her on Instagram @graciejenkinss and find her fabulous book of poetry, She Spoke Like Poetry, here: https://www.amazon.com/Spoke-Like-Poetry-Gracie-Packard/dp/0692368043/

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, or growing up in rural America, we want to hear your story and help you share it! Those stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at The Storytellers Porch website at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    24 mins
  • A Little Bit of Whiskey and a Lot of Community

    A Little Bit of Whiskey and a Lot of Community
    Apr 29 2022

    What do you do when you get a call saying you have to fix your 130-year-old barn that is falling down and causing a hazard to your neighbors?

    You grab some friends, some beer, some food, and some love and figure it out.

    In today's exciting episode, Jill Davis and Emily Chase Smith talk about the hardship that came when Jill had to say goodbye to the family barn at the family farm. After having been in the family for 130 years, taking down the barn was an incredibly emotional moment for Jill and her family. Her brother perhaps surmised the emotions best:

    "It's like we're burning down dad."

    Come along with your favorite drink and hear about the emotions, logistics, and history that came from taking down a 48,000 cubic foot barn.

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, or growing up in rural America, we want to hear your story and help you share it! Those stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at The Storytellers Porch website at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    28 mins
  • A Daughters Love and a Brownie Camera

    A Daughters Love and a Brownie Camera
    Mar 11 2022
    This episode of the Storyteller’s Porch begins with our host Jill Davis and her daughter, Gracie as they open a discussion about life growing up, Jill’s parents (Gracie’s grandparents), and much more. Our drink of choice for the porch this episode is Strawberry Pineapple Rebel made by Gracie’s girlfriend who is a barista at Dutch Bros.  Previously, we’ve dived into the stories of Jim and Sue Davis, known to Gracie as Grandma and Grandpa. Gracie’s earliest memory of the farm is from a time when Jill and the kids were staying in Kansas at a hotel and there was a tornado warning. It was the first time Gracie had ever witnessed a tornado warning, sirens wailing, and precautions being taken.  The next day, the family went to the farm. Gracie remembers playing on the farm the next day, hanging out in the back behind the barn and being grateful for not being swept away by the tornado.  Jill, of course, remembers more about the aftereffects of the tornado. She and the other adults visited one of Grandpa’s friend’s houses the day after the storm. The friend had irrigated farmlands, meaning they had many large cast iron sprinkler systems that watered the lands. Jill had never witnessed the sheer power of a tornado this close up before but quickly came to realize the intensity of damage a tornado can inflict when they came across a part of the sprinkler system that had been picked up and completely twisted into a corkscrew shape and then tossed across the field.  Recently, Gracie had a chance to visit the farm again for the first time since she was very little. Gracie and Jill spent a few days out on the farm playing music, cleaning the house, and connecting with the land. Since that trip, Gracie has expressed that she now feels much more connected to family history, lineage, and the way that the land holds memory of all people (even beyond her own kin).  Honoring that new feeling of connectedness, Jill and Gracie decided to read a bit of what they have each written on Grandma and Grandpa, their memories of them and their appreciation for who they were as human beings and a part of a long line of family history. Jill’s contribution comes in the form of a eulogy.  You can read the full eulogy here and as an added treat, please enjoy this explanation/example of the Tarzan yell mentioned in the eulogy.  The second of Jill’s contributions is a birthday letter Jill wrote to her father for his 91st birthday (and just shortly before he was told he had 6 weeks left to live).  In turn, Gracie’s contribution is a mixture of her public speaking experience and written word. Although she has always felt connected to language and wordsmithing in general, one of the ways Gracie conceptualizes and reflects on relationships is through poetry. Although Gracie admits she did love and honor her grandfather, she often found herself feeling a bit more distanced from him. His personality was not quite as warm, silly song, and sugar cubed infused as Grandma’s was.  When Gracie was 14, she got into photography and as a gift, Grandpa gave Gracie a brownie camera that he carried with him during World War II.  You can read the full poem titled, ”in honor of the brownie camera that sits proudly on my nightstand” here. We thank you for joining us for another episode of The Storyteller’s Porch and we’d love to hear the stories of your life, your loved ones and how you continue to honor them.  You can submit your stories here to be featured in a future episode. We look forward to hearing from you and can’t wait to share a signature drink with you. Find out more about Gracie by following her online at the links below: Instagram - @graciejenkinss TikTok - @graciegirrlll TEDx - Brave Enought to Speak She Spoke Like Poetry Always drink responsibly, don’t drink and drive.
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    32 mins
  • Mom Said It Was a Pickup but It Was Also a Love Story

    Mom Said It Was a Pickup but It Was Also a Love Story
    Feb 25 2022
    Today’s episode of The Storyteller’s Porch begins with a signature drink to honor our host’s Jill Davis’ “daddy”, peppermint schnapps. (Check out the show notes on The Storytellers Porch blog page at https://thestorytellersporch.com/mom-said-it-was-a-pickup-but-it-was-also-a-love-story/ to see some exclusive pictures of Jill’s parents and the farm!) Jill’s dad, Jim Davis, was 91 years old when he passed away in November of 2018. One thing that remained true for Jim throughout his entire life is that he LOVED peppermint. Jim was known to end his day with a nice shot of peppermint schnapps. In fact, this habit went so far that Jill’s sister once snuck in a bottle of peppermint schnapps to Jill’s dad while he was recovering in rehab from a broken hip.  Jill’s dad was a couple of years younger than her mom and that’s almost all we know about how they met. They were in the same state and around the same age as one another. Though Jill and her siblings asked many, many times to hear the details of their love story, the full details were never divulged. Jill’s mom, Sue, just always said… “well… it was a pickup.” Eventually, Jim moved to Leadville, Colorado where he worked in the mines. At the time, Climax Mines was mining molybdenum. While Jim lived and worked in Colorado, Jill’s mother remained on the farm in Kansas with the children. They kept up this way of life for a long while. With Jill’s mother not knowing how to drive, seeing one another was completely dependent on Jim. During this time, tragedy struck when Jim and his wife lost their two daughters in an accident.  Following the accident, Jill’s parents relocated once again to Colorado Springs, which is where Jill was born. Jim started a construction business in Colorado Springs and the tides began to turn.  In the ‘70s, Jim’s business became very successful. By the ‘80s, when Jill had grown and moved away from home, Jim was offered to become part owner of a local bank in Colorado Springs that specifically catered to and supported small businesses.  Sometime during the time of Jim’s business growing and the bank coming into the family’s life, the farm in Kansas went out of the family. In the late 80’s, the family that purchased the farm land reached out to Jim and let him know they had given the farm a go but to no avail. The family was at a loss and asked Jim if he wanted his family land back.  By this time, Jim was well off and in a solid position to repurchase the land so he did so for $14,000.  Sue did not want to move to the land and so the family stayed in Colorado Springs and Jim went back and forth each season to help farm the land. Eventually, Jim had tenants on the property to care for the homestead and the building for him. Longtime family friends, the Kresses and the Bursches, continued to grow crops on the land. Though Jill’s parents never lived on the farm again, the few years that they did are a symbol of the power of love, showing respect for one another’s needs, and working through life as one half of a partnership.  We would love fort you to share your story with us! You can submit your stories here to be featured in a future episode. We look forward to hearing from you and can’t wait to share a signature drink with you.  Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at: The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/ Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode! Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    36 mins
  • Sometimes It Was Pretty Hard to Pay the Taxes

    Sometimes It Was Pretty Hard to Pay the Taxes
    Feb 11 2022

    Iced water and bubbly in hand, our host Jill Davis and Emily Chase Smith walk through the history and genealogy of the sprawling farm inherited in Kansas.

    The farm began as a homestead in 1888. Made possible by the Homestead Act, Jill’s great grandfather, George Albert Henery elected for the 160-acre option allotted by the law and tended to the land for the seven years mandated in order to gain ownership. The land became known as Stockport Farm and even to this day, you can still see the lettering painted on the side of the barn that commemorates the town in which George Henery was born (Stockport, Ohio). 

    George married Josephine Peterson who was originally from Sweden. Soon after, they had several children, including Jill’s grandmother, Florence Myrtle Henery.

    Florence married Ray Davis in 1925 and gave birth to Jill’s father, James George Davis, in 1927.

    In 1951, Jill’s father married Elizabeth Sue Leathers and in 1962, they gave birth to our very own, Jill Davis. Jill’s family left the farm in 1956 before she was born and, after several adventures, moved to Colorado Springs where their children would be raised.

    Tune in to this episode as Jill weaves together her lived experience, family lore, and recorded history around the lineage of Stockport Farm.

    Find out more and see Jill's pictures of the transformation of her farm at:

    The Storytellers Porch on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersporch

    The Storytellers Porch on Instagram, @thestorytellersporch, https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellersporch/

    Behind the scenes information from the Stockport Farm https://www.facebook.com/StockportFarm

    If you have a story about farming, ranching, or growing up in rural America, we want to hear your story and help you share it! Those stories are what bring us hope in difficult times. Get in touch with Jill at https://thestorytellersporch.com/apply/ or send us an email at thestorytellersporch@gmail.com.

    Thank you joining us on The Storyteller's Porch this week! Make sure you check us out at https://thestorytellersporch.com/, and subscribe and follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss a single story with us on the Porch. And we’d be honored if you give us a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode!

    Always drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.
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    33 mins