About Willow Blog

Stanley C. F. Hayes
1921 - 2013

From Under The Willow became an an ongoing gift for my father, Stanley C. F. Hayes of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Thanks to Blogger software, my Dad, who died in May of 2013, was able to receive a daily email shortly after I published each day's post. Dad did his web reading and emails on a tablet computer. He was a remarkable guy and all of his children, all seven of us, miss him. 

I began writing a daily post in January of 2011 and kept up the discipline of one-time-a-day blogging all through 2011, 2012, and on into 2013. I always kept my Dad foremost in my focus as I chose topics and photographs for Willow.

Dad is gone now, but I think of him almost every time that I prepare a post for Willow. I know that the blog is changing in ways that I'm probably unaware of this summer as the days and months go by since Dad died.

I do thank all of you who have stayed steady in reading Willow. We'll take this journey as it comes. You will hear about gardens and plants, about artwork and knitting. There will be some quilting and some cooking posts, too. 

My hope is that whenever you find time to read Willow, that you will feel that you have visited a steady part of your day and of mine. In photography and in words, I hope to bring a sureness to life. After all, there is a Willow that shades us all.

Wanda Hayes Eichler
Huron County, Michigan
July 15, 2013


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read more about the evolution of "From Under The Willow"

1000 Posts, And Counting -- Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Milepost Number 121 -- Sunday, May 1, 2011

Read more about my father, Stanley C. F. Hayes

First Class Dad -- Sunday, June 16, 2013
Incredible Weariness -- Sunday, May 26, 2013
Dad's Lilac -- Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Down Butternut Road -- Sunday, May 12, 2013
One Last Drive With Dad -- Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Visitation Centerpiece -- Friday, May 10, 2013
Lonesome Kitties -- Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Neighbor's Horses -- Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Saturday With Dad -- Saturday, April 7, 2013
My Father, The Poet -- Wednesday, April 4, 2012

"Behind The Plow," a collection of poetry by Rev. Stanley C. F. Hayes, is available on the Graywood Designs website.  Published in 2006, the book draws on themes related to faith, nature, children, social justice, camping, and rural life. The poems were spoken from the pulpit, offered at birthdays and other occasions, and sent as Christmas or Easter greetings. The collection was edited by Heidi Hayes in 2005.

Stanley C. F. Hayes was born in Ashford Township, Wisconsin, in 1921. Ordained as an Evangelical United Brethren minister in 1952, he served parishes throughout Wisconsin until 2003. Stan was an avid gardener, woodworker, and bowler. In later years, he loved to read and keep in touch with family and friends.

Rev. Hayes died on May 6, 2013 and is buried at Ebenezer Cemetery, Elwood Corners, Lomira, Wisconsin.