Friday, January 31, 2014

Olympic fashions



OK, what is up with team USAs aprés-ski, casual "around the village" vibe?  I wish it didn't look so much like something you might find at Walmart on the crazy cat lady festive Christmas sweater rack.


Germany has decided on the gay pride look this year. Good for you Germany! In your face Vladimir Putin!


Is it wrong to admit that I kind of love this?

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

heavy metal


My neighbor Bill Behnke is a master knife maker - he lives right around the corner and I met him because his dog is Ivan who used to show up at the farm all the time


power hammer


heavy metals


anvil



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Monkey Wards



second hand embroidered vinyl jacket from Montgomery Wards

Monday, January 27, 2014

who names the runs at ski resorts?



with brother Steve at Crystal Mountain yesterday.  Snowboarding with him is one of the funnest things in my whole life.

enjoy Detroit!



like I did ♡


Indian grocery store raid


carrot pickle:  it's Deep


stuff me with Indian food


braving the polar vortex to be one of the 15 people in the audience watching the talented and jumpsuit-clad Cate LeBon


I found a brown tiger sleeping under my coat: cousin Kelly gets her nap on


No lie:  Trader Joe's has a respectable cheese department

Saturday, January 25, 2014

motor coaching


Mom & Dad 1972
My Dad was the President of the Family Motor Coaching Association in the late 60s and early 70s.  They used to give the presidents these patch covered blazers, and I have my Dad's from back then.  Here is a pic of Mom & Dad at an FMCA rally in 1972.   Still today when you join the FMCA, you are issued an "F-plate", which denotes which number membership you bought. These days, the number is in the hundreds of thousands, so in the FMCA, the lower your member number, the cooler you were.  Mike has it on lockdown with 953. Kurta security breach:  953 is a common password / lock combo / etc. in our family.  Next time you see a motor home (not a trailer) on the highway, look on the back for an oval, black metal F-plate - they're everywhere.  I have super happy family memories of motor coaching when I was a kid - ours was a converted school bus that said 'Kurta's Kruiser' across the front, and we travelled all over the country in it.  The best of times.


Friday, January 24, 2014

beet it



Root vegetable & cattle bean hootenanny from Loma Farm & Second Spring Farm

Thursday, January 23, 2014

we're hiring



Inaugural Boss Mouse staffers, the awesome Sarah and Austin!  

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

bedtime snack



The dogs unzipped the dog bed cushion and pulled out all the stuffing

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Monday, January 20, 2014

delizioso formaggio



12 pound half wheel of Montasio with herbs d'Provence


the choir awaits

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Chef Michelle



My talented chef friend Michelle's Mediterranean seasoned pork chops with fried eggplant, crispy kale chips, pomegranate, Boss Mouse yogurt & a honey/thyme glaze.

Oh man!

cheese waits for no man



Night time, snow bound cheese making.  It never stops.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

horned heifer



pair of cow horns from Moomers herd

Friday, January 17, 2014

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

snow bunny update



Licky & Blackie love apples and carrots


Pinky says camo is in!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

the beauty of the barter: all you need



- purple potatoes, cabbage and blue corn meal from Loma Farm
- french bread from Old Hundredth Farm, Kingsley
- Tabbouleh and hummus from  K2 Edibles

Monday, January 13, 2014

oooh, I'm looking for clues



I love Robert Palmer, and this video:
- leather suit
- parade of animal head dancers

I'm in heaven

Sunday, January 12, 2014

who would you have been?



written by my friend Esther, 14, from Shiloh Farm

Saturday, January 11, 2014

dressed for success selfie



My red nylon snow blowing jumpsuit - functional AND sexy

Thursday, January 9, 2014

milk chocolate messenger boy



Lid detail from the 100-piece Whitman's chocolate sampler.  It's the chocolate whip, yo
 

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

shreddit brah



I love snowboarding


There was nobody on the slopes post-Christmas (that's Nub's Nob across the street)


header 
(I wear pink pants so they know their ass is getting kicked by a girl)


Boyne Highlands has an outdoor hot tub - it's like this one:



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

see you next year



Putting the ornaments away for another year is the most melancholy of jobs.

Monday, January 6, 2014

welcome to the polar vortex

 
 
Happy January 2014 - now run for your lives!
 

winter birds with the best hairstyles


I saw all of these birds at the farm this weekend: good hair days, every day


pileated woodpecker


tufted titmouse


cedar waxwing


Sunday, January 5, 2014

take thee a sharp knife



My brother Steve is a talented metalsmith, and made me this knife for Christmas. Then he wrote me this e-mail describing its construction:

"the knife is handmade out of O-1 tool steel.  Hand-forged from a rectangular steel billet  It's a high carbon steel that will naturally rust/oxidize - no sweat. This is normal and expected with hand forged knives.  Rub it with a scrubby pad to knock the surface rust off and dry off after using it and the natural patina will end up being a dull gray/black.  Again, normal. Old-timey knives before stainless steel all do this.  You can sharpen it easily with a kitchen sharpener or stone, or dad's belt sander like he does and that works best.  The handle is a linen/epoxy sandwich called marcita and held on with a clear epoxy and brass handmade rivets.  All the knives I made this year were forged in my crucible forge and on Dad's anvil he had from years ago.  I'll keep making them."

How badass is that.  Plus the duct tape / glove finger sheath.