If Grandpa could see it now

http://www.vinsetta.com/

Home (at the Holman Farm) for the Holidays

Power friend and fellow Bikram yogi Laurie had me over for an evening of Christmas cheer and another one of her stunning dinners

 

Laurie's perfect spinach-mushroom-red pepper quiche.  Her Grandma's crust recipe was pastry-licious.

The dark vegetable on top of the salad is her home-grown grated purple carrots

Jenny says love, love me do, you know I love you, I'll always be true, so please, love me do!

My Christmas present was a collection of Laurie's creative canned goods: pickled asparagus, a rainbow of pickled carrots, red pepper spread, and tart cherry-red jalapeno jam.  She puts up the most interesting things, and all of it is home grown.  

Acorn Tattoo

I went with my friend Beverly to get a tattoo from Shannon at Acorn Tattoo.  Shannon is a great tattooer and funny, talented lady.  Her studio is full of amazing art.

drawing and embroidery framed fabric

Shannon's thriving succulent garden in a snowy Michigan window

beaded curtain

dapper barn owl painting

shelf 'o trinkets

The Building of Boss Mouse, Part 11: Pull up to the bumper, baby

The addition of the cheese room in the small barn has reduced the space where I park my truck. One slip of my foot on the pedal could mean backing into the wall of the cheese cave and taking out it and all the cheese within.  Behold my custom built anti-cheese-crashing stainless steel barricade, compliments of Reeber Metal works.  

A boxing day walk

beautiful pink patina on old barn

hello Mr. Cow

My neighbor Jerry's house - built at the same time as my farm 

snowy field

Bowerman Road

Pucci in her Winter coat

Sky study #56

Christmas morning, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas from the farm

hung with care

reindeer tracks

hot toddies

German Christmas pyramid

homemade marshmallows

salad for Christmas eve

snow on red berries

mistletoe fairie

paperwhites

Christmas arrangement

old ornament

Whitey says Merry Christmas

bubble lights

squirrely

Bip and Butter in the snow

Scottish nutcracker

Pucci is in the spirit

snowball snowman

chickadees at the feeder

Ethiopian food, Beulah style

I gave Megan a gluten-free vegan Ethiopian food cookbook called Papa Tofu for her birthday

My pretty hostess the green bean cutter

My job was the traditional injera bread - it's a fermented teff flour batter kind of like sourdough - they're like a cross between a crepe and a whole wheat tortilla

Boris says put the injera in my mouth and nobody gets hurt

Megan's yummy cinnamon-raisin rugelach cookies

Our meal came out great!  We were both a little nervous about attempting such an exotic cuisine that called for many weird spice blends and spice butter, but it was super good.  Thank you, Megan!

Coasting

Coasters designed by Dahlia

antique Christmas

Vintage Scandinavian post card, photograph, and beautiful card from Queen City Cookies from David

Antique UK retail invoices from Tim

best Christmas cookies

My friend Amanda gave me the best cookies:  old school Star Trek gingerbread men - the guys in the red shirts always got killed.

"A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek (1966–1969), from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes. Redshirt deaths are often used to dramatize the potential peril that the main characters face."

…and a partridge in a pear tree

three French hens

two turtle doves

Tannenbaum 2011