Tuesday, September 30, 2014

peeper update



The chick that Blackie hatched back in July is almost 3 months old now - a beautiful barred rock hen.  She is a friendly chicken, running to greet me when I feed them in the morning, and usually the last one in, preferring to hang out into the evening in the hen yard with the rabbits.

Monday, September 29, 2014

sky study #118



sunrise September 24, 2014

Sunday, September 28, 2014

my beautiful farm mates


Things like this that are easily my most favorite part about living at my farm with these beautiful creatures.  Scenes like this are all around all of us, every day, if you just stop to notice them


little fellow making his way along the driveway 


every afternoon - Timothy doesn't know whether he's coming or going

Saturday, September 27, 2014

yeah Maine



My old friends & teachers in Maine, John & Mary Belding at their cheese stand at this year's Common Ground Fair in Maine

Friday, September 26, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

sky study #117



Corner of Bowerman & Summit City Roads, Kingsley
September 20, 2014


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

salad mix



Chickens & bunnies dining on a selection of fine weeds

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

arrrrggghh, matey



Young man at the farmer's market Saturday walking around dressed head to toe as a pirate, complete with hook.  Just when I think I live in a style wasteland...my faith is restored!

Monday, September 22, 2014

waking up with Max & Cozy



Max's strategy:

a. wipe the muzzle
b. backdatazzup, directly onto Cozy's head

Sunday, September 21, 2014

blessed are the baby cows



Many of the calves born at Moomers have heart shapes on their heads


This little girl was just a day old in this picture.  Whaddya think, I was born yesterday?

Saturday, September 20, 2014

baked ricotta



Ricotta cheese mixed with eggs and spices, baked into a savory pate - delizioso


Friday, September 19, 2014

you, and your pussycat.......



...nose!

Cute Boss Mouse staffer Caitlin rocks her cat nose finger tattoo

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

orange and green and orange



ratatouille


salsa verde


carrot salsa

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

the glory of tomatoes and the glory of love




basket of heirloom tomatoes from the garden


Crazy monstrous tomato, and Mom & Cozy

Monday, September 15, 2014

a token of her love



Rudy killed a finch, brought it in the house and placed it on the kitchen rug.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Traverse City microfashion



Photographed these siblings at the Farmer's Market.  Please note Doc Marten 1914s, fluorescent orange knit caps and a riding hat, just to name a few details.  

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Friday, September 12, 2014

peach pie palooza



Box of gorgeous Holman Farm white peaches


4 and twenty peaches baked in a pie


peach skins to the chickens


Thursday, September 11, 2014

pakora majora



Indian mixed vegetable pakora fritters

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

rhubarb jamming



beautiful September harvest of rhubarb from the orchard


jam x8

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

purple food



garden harvest of all purple vegetables

Monday, September 8, 2014

fruit update



The orchard didn't do that well this year, due to a cool Spring and Summer.  What my honeycrisp tree lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality - behold the SINGLE apple she produced!


Gnarly looking pears - they will taste OK, but suffered Japanese beetle damage earlier in the year.


Three McIntosh apples

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Maggie



A sweet, lost dog named Maggie showed up at the farm last week.  She was wearing Detroit tags with an expired phone number, and was wet and exhausted.  I gave her some food, and she was fine with Max and Cozy, but I wasn't sure what to do next.


I called the Traverse City Humane Society, who couldn't have been less helpful.  They somewhat said I was on my own, so my plan was to do my best to find her owners myself, and as a last resort take her to a shelter where her owners may have been looking for her.


I drove her around and talked to some neighbors, and after an hour or so I actually tracked down where she belonged.  She was visiting from the Detroit area and staying with a family about 2 miles from my farm.  The owners said she had chased a deer and didn't know her way back, and they were frantic trying to find her.  One of them was driving around on a 4-wheeler looking for her, which is how I found them.  A very happy ending.


Saturday, September 6, 2014

bunnies eating stuff



with cauliflower leaves


Timothy with carrot - look at those ears!


Carrot eating action - turn your volume up


Blackie with carrot


Licky with flowering broccoli


Pinky with everything

Friday, September 5, 2014

deflector



Last winter, the snow that fell off of the big barn roof was so heavy, it blocked the doorways with snow and ice packed piles that became impossible to manage and impermeable. I had to climb in through the tops of the Dutch doors to get into the barn.  So we are trying to design awnings to redirect the unavoidable avalanche.  Drawing by genius architect George Emmert.  


The first design was too much, and much too expensive an option, so George made a simpler version, which we will build this Fall.  Mini shelter design for the well head, too.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

arachnid



Enormous spider in my basement - he was gently relocated outside

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

double fantasy



home made bread 2-fer

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

sky study #116



Scary sky study taken at 10:00AM Monday, August 25th - crazy weather system rolling in over the West pasture - half an hour of torrential rain, thunder and lightning!

Monday, September 1, 2014