Happy Thanksgiving to you

winter veg

Farmer's market trades this week: cabbage, leeks, carrots and kale

real style

A true Fashion Grandpa, Traverse City - note the tartan pants and jaunty tilt of the hat.  When I asked if I could take his photograph, he said "why of course".

sky study #121

sunset November 21, 2015

wee peeper

Blackie's chick, who was born about 6 weeks ago, is getting bigger and looking great!

but you are

cray-cray

This booklet was in my mailbox this week - it was addressed to all Kingsley residents, and is filled with poorly written religious rantings from an organization in Oklahoma.  Straight into the recycling.

toast, schmost

People report seeing images of Jesus and Mary in their toast, in the concrete of eroding highway underpasses, and on their grilled cheese; but do they have the face of Abraham Lincoln appear in the flaking resurfaced porcelain of their bathtub?  I think not.

sky study #120

sunset over the big barn, November 31, 2014

the return of Mama

I was down in the barn Sunday morning and turned around to find Mama staring at me, waiting for me to fill the barn cat bowls.  I hadn't seen her for many months, though I heard she was Summering in my neighbor's pole barn.  She looks great - I was so glad to see her

bunny with banana

The rabbits love the snow and Timothy loves dried banana chips

Mauretania

My brother Steve found an old photograph of The HMS Mauretania, the ship that carried my Mom and her family to the United States from Scotland, via England, in the early 1950s.

tour of Short's Brewing

My friend's at Short's Brewing in Elk Rapids gave me a great tour of their brewing facility.  

Yes, I did use this entrance

Awesomest tour guide Forrest - a trained chef who worked with Michael Symon from Food Network and looks a lot like Ad Rock from The Beastie Boys

hot vat of wort

Best glove box holders

Chai spice stout

brewer's knockout, brewer's return

 glass bottles on palettes

herby

Montasio cheese with herbs de Provence

can't get enough

...double turkey leg

cheers

My fresh cheese making class, toasting with tea cups full of whey - which I insist they sample - class offered through Traverse City's  awesome Oryana Food Co-op

squashapalooza

beautiful squash from Holman Farm

rippin' it up

Cozy loves dog toys, but all she does is rip them apart as fast as possible (Max isn't really interested in toys).  At Sam's Club there is a damaged merchandise shelf, which is completely random - you never know what you'll find. Today there was a set of 2 out of 3 nice dog toys, ironically shaped as a suspenders-wearing cow and milk bottle 

Cozy loved them!

a heap of popcorn

a heap of cheese

Semi-annual cheese cave clean out 

Grandma's closet

My friend Cammie had a vintage sale of her Grandmother's clothes - I scored this sweet collection of items, including an original DVF wrap dress (light blue) and a mushroom embroidered green wool sweater.

nobody does it better

My sister Kay's family go all out every Halloween - this is my niece Liani as Beetlejuice

Sis Kay and niece Anaje as zombies

Bro-in-Law Ildeu as a zombie - every year he actually shaves his hair to match his costume, so that is not a bald-spot wig!

Kay zombie

They always have Halloween theme buffet parties - note the "feetloaf"!

yes Beatrix

Mrs. Tittlemouse was a most terribly tidy particular little mouse, always sweeping and dusting the soft, sandy floors

scary scary pretty

Crazy weather over the farm last week - this was at about 9:00AM

Thunder, lightning and hail!

It all gave way to blue skies and a rainbow over the neighbor's house

what kind of cheese?

Power friend Laurie Holman's brother in law recently visited Nepal, where the common herd animal is yak

Dried, smoked yak cheese. It is dry, very hard and caramely, and not as weird as you might think