the chickadee eater

Sunday morning, a broad winged hawk was perched high up in the tree that houses my bird feeder, waiting for a chickadee breakfast.  They are common in Michigan, though migrate to South America in the Winter, so I'm not sure what this guy was doing out there at this time of year.  I saw him chase a bird, but he didn't get it.  He was up there for about an hour, then flew away.  Beautiful.

tattie bargain

20 pounds of Michigan potatoes for $2.99 at the grocery store in Kingsley.  I like the bag, too.

sky study #31

sunrise this morning February 26, 2011

I love barn swallows

I found a barn swallow nest on one of the beams in the big barn - they are one of my favorite birds

Swallow tattoos go back hundreds of years and began, as so much historic tattooing did, with sailors.  A sign that their travels were nearing an end and that land was near was the appearance of swallows, who never travel far out to sea.  The swallow tattoo is a symbol of hope and a successful finish to a long journey.

the wool trade

I gave my friend Amy eggs - she made me some mittens.

corney greenie

Sauteed spinach, kale + sprouts over polenta with goat cheese and parmesan

and the winner of the mustache contest is...

Bunny Lee!

day old bread

There is a great bakery in Traverse City called 9 Bean Rows - I love their bread but it is expensive, so I was in there the other day and bought all 3 of the items in their "day old' basket.  Big, fancy artisan style breads and a loaf of brioche for french toast - all for $4.  Kinda like food thrift shopping.

sky study #30

The sunrise this morning - 7:45AM

Miracle Deliverance Center

When you go thrift shopping, it's best to look for nothing in particular - be open to what you find, be it clothing, housewares, LPs, etc.  For $0.25, I bought this "textile" depicting the history of world through bible quotes and elaborate drawings.  It is laid out in a linear manner, like a schematic.

Here is a detail - it is completely INSANE, and looks to be from the '60s or '70s.  The print is a silk screen on linen, but most of the color was added later by hand with fabric pens.  A signature in the corner reads "Redrawn by the Miracle Deliverance Center, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Whoa.

The Thaw

It's been really warm all week, and the girls have been enjoying scratching around in the dirt that we haven't seen since last Fall.  Here they are eating some collard greens.

Who you gonna call? Coop Fixers!

The chicken coop door broke off of its hinges yesterday, and my Mom + Dad came over, while I wasn't even home, and repaired it.  They are the most helpful people in the world to me.

dog valentines

My cousin Emily's dog Betty sent me a Valentine greeting

Pucci in her fetching Valentine cape

Happy Valentine's Day!

sky study #29

the sunset tonight - February 13, 2011

the crazy hat festival, oh wait, I mean The Michigan Microbrew Festival!

The Michigan Mircobrew Festival took place yesterday in Traverse City.  They put up big outdoor tents, blocked off the streets and you could walk around and sample all the brews.  It was a great afternoon.

What made it better was the hilarious people watching.  Beer festivals are perfect occasions to wear your silliest hat with pride.  We saw three men wearing coyote skin hats like this one - they looked like cast members from Beyond Thunderdome.

We saw the super fun Delilah DeWylde band play - they did classic country music and she stood on top of her bass fiddle while she played - geee haw!

rawlicious

Raw veg with bagna cauda sauce - it's a warm dip made with olive oil, garlic, and anchovies

the manger

There is an old concrete water trough in the big barn.  There is no water source out there, so years ago rainwater was probably captured from downspouts on the roof and into this cistern.  I filled it with some straw for the chickens to scratch and nest in.  So far, they have explored, but not laid any eggs in it. 

cheap seat

Thrift shop chair - $10

A tag on the underside said "from The Park Place Hotel, Traverse City, 1960.

it goes down warm

Butternut squash soup with fried sage leaves + gigantic crouton

24 carrot

My friend Laurie gave me a pile of her home grown carrots that she dug up from under the snow - she grows less common, and far more beautiful, varieties of vegetables in her garden.  

head's up

The snow is going to fall off the roof of the big barn any minute now

make mine purple

Red cabbage filo rolls with fresh plum sauce + Napa cabbage slaw

fowl feta

I had a batch of feta that didn't age well, so I gave it to the girls - they scarfed it up.  Clockwise from the left are Tiny, Whitey, Buffy, Angel and Owl getting to the Greek.  It's like feta lipstick.

english muffins

english muffins from scratch

the wet batter, covered with a dry mix of flour and yeast - such a weird technique

The dough and muffin rings

Pan fry in the rings to brown the outsides

Bake to finish

They are good, but a huge hassle to make.  The dough has to be warmed, then chilled, then warmed, then chilled, then browned, then baked - all that and they don't even have that many nooks and crannies.

ain't no party like a wood ash party

Many animals enjoy dirt bathing, and my chickens are no exception.  John + Mary told me wood ash is a particularly appealing and healthful bathing substance for the girls, so I dumped a 5 gallon bucket full in the coop this morning.  It smells great.

the pail of the goods

the bathtub (with model Red checking out the ashy delight)

sky study #28

Tonight's sunset - February 3, 2011

Bunny Lee says Happy Chinese New Year

It's the year of the rabbit

the mega storm: Kingsley report

About 3" of snow fell overnight and it's windy, but it's not that bad.