Coal, Fog, Cream, and Drambuie (Buie) Now Reside at Cold Comfort Farm

Yesterday, Cold Comfort Farm became an animal farm!  Yes, we've always had our two cats, Cleo and Tea, but they don't count as live stock.  We decided to attend a live stock swap in the nearby tiny hamlet of Trout Creek and came home with four live stock - Bunnies.  Before you start laughing too hard - rabbits are very important to gardeners.  They are little lawn mowers and pooping machines, creating instant fertilizer, that doesn't have to be composted.  For the scoop on using rabbit poop "berries"as fertilizer, click on this link: Information on using rabbit poop fertilizer

Our plan was to just look and...you all know how that goes!  We drove to Trout Creek, MI - the town used to be a large logging community in the 1910s and 20s (near Bruces Crossing) and now has more closed buildings than open ones.  They do have a post office, library, and a little quaint museum on the town's history. Next to the museum is the park which hosted the stock swap.  They had ducks, chickens, rabbits, and other crafts - thank goodness they didn't have sheep or horse - or we might have bigger live stock today.  Mark was lucky!

Fog, left and Drambuie (Buie),right

As I wandered, I saw the most beautifully soft Rex Rabbit kits.  OMG!  They look and feel like cashmere!  Rex rabbits are a French breed, very docile, and intelligent. They are not a meat breed; more often raised for pets or for their pelts.  They actually make very good house bunnies, yes, I said house bunnies - they can easily be litter box trained and behave similarly to a cat and are very clean.  Here is a link if you're interested in learning more about them Rex Rabbit Information .  We purchased the two male rabbits (brothers) as they were laid back bunnies.

I then met a women with meat breed rabbits - Flemish Giants (they average about 15-20 lbs). Many of you know that we (The Bondie's) raised rabbits and even had an A-frame rabbit hutch in our back yard - we even bred and raised babies.  I have wonderful memories of our rabbits and maybe that is what took over my mind; however, I do know that these rabbits would be a benefit as little fertilizer factories.  We could also sell the offspring of the rabbits...so we purchased a breeding buck and a pregnant doe, who is due in about 32 days.  She will have between 6 to 10 babies and, since she has had litter's before, she will be a great mother rabbit.

During the drive home, I took photos of the bunnies and texted Keva and Lauren asking what the grandkids would name them.  Liam gave, "Carson, Cole, Case or Chloe," he is all about "C" names at the moment.  The little girls gave, "Fog, Moonlight, Orange Juice, and Ice Cream."  I thought some of these are very cute and appropriate.  SO...here are the photos and names we chosen:

Cream

Coal

The Flemish Giant's name are Coal (instead of Cole as Liam suggested) and Cream (instead of Ice Cream as Roo suggested)...the kids won't know the difference.  We are now looking forward to the birth of some little bunnies.

About a week before the due date, I'll put a nesting box in Cream's cage so she can build a nest, pull the hair out of the fur ruff under her chin and get ready for their arrival.  When they arrive, they will be named by number, as they will not be kept, so I don't want to get attached to them. Those kits will be about three weeks old when Keva's family arrives for a visit. 

Mark built a 6-foot diameter chicken-wire ring that we will move around the yard and put the bunnies in everyday and let them run around and mow the grass! What I'm really looking forward to is the Bunny Berries and Bunny Tea for my garden plants and trees!

May Miscellany From Cold Comfort Farm

Each month, I find that I have photos and videos that don't fit into any specific category or that aren't interesting enough for an individual post.  So, I decided that I'll combine them each month onto one posting.

Our Canadian geese are back this spring. I was standing cleaning up breakfast and watched them preening, diving, rolling, and even dancing on the pond surface - I've NEVER had the opportunity to watch anything like this.  I grabbed my camera but, of course, the geese were finished showing off and got to work just floating. 

Cleo and Tea, our cats, love to have them here. Cleo stalks them (tail in the air - stupid cat) as they laugh at her and swim away. Tea moves slowly and quietly in a non-stalking manner, as close as they allow, and then lies down to just watch them. I'm surprised that they will allow Tea to get within 4-5 feet from them without waddling away.

In the following video, you will get to see them diving and rolling as they took their morning bath:

Mark is still working to break up and take out the barn floor.  You can see here in the next three photos that his gloves started to wear out within days. 

Thank God for gloves - better the gloves than his hands. 

He hated to ruin several pairs of gloves so, as they deteriorated he asked me to tape them, so I have been wrapping each finger...and have several times.  He is bound and determined to keep these gloves until the job is finished, so look for a photo of them at the end of the project.

We've had wonderful by-products from this renovation.  The stamp-sand gravel that was under the floor Mark spread on one of our farm roads that was needing to be leveled, now I smile when I drive that road.  The natural rock is being piled near a wall that needs to be built and the cement chunks will help a neighbor reinforce around her fence posts.  I LOVE re-purposing resources - it is the way of life up here.  Everyone borrows, gives, and gleans happily - neighbors helping neighbors.

Remember that I said that we have LOTS of artists living here -  I even did a post about the Calumet Art Center last week...well, a gentlemen in my weaving guild is a carver and a weaver.  Many of his pieces are his woven creations with wood carved embellishments.  Here are two of his actual carvings that I LOVE, especially the tree. 

The last photo today is of Mark's Christmas gift, FINALLY finished.  I want to thank the Mitch Bartnick (Sr) and Mitch (Kev's husband), for building the frame for Mark's map.  It is a big frame (4' x 3') for this map of the waterways near our farm.  It covers the water surrounding the Keweenaw Peninsula - Lake Superior, Keweenaw Bay, and Portage Lake.

The weather here has been beautiful here, 40-50 degrees at night and mid 70s during the day.  We are starting to set fencing for the veggie garden and set the plants or seeds, clean out the cathedral wind break (future blog), plant bushes and trees...and of course, continue making cheese and milking cows, when needed.

We have full days but sleep very well at night.  We are both very surprised how fast the time goes and that it is past Memorial Day already.  Mark and I wish you all the best this summer - Have Fun!

Making Dandelion Wine

Some plants have always been thought of as weeds and we've sprayed to eradicate them, but they are actually very good for us.  A few years ago, I learned that dandelions are very healthy to consume.  Here is a website about the benefits of dandelion plants - and the best part is that you can consume the leaves, flowers and even the roots:  11-health-benefits-of-dandelion-and-dandelion-root/

While living in Columbia, I would have loved to try to make dandelion wine but since we sprayed our lawn, I never felt it was safe.  Here on the farm, I know these plants are safe to consume, so I dove into the project.

I don't know how we all would live today without YouTube.  I searched for a recipe for the wine and decided to use the link I attached; however, there are several to choose from. I just thought Erin was funny and she made it look very easy: Erin Bried - Dandelion Wine.  I decided to start small and make only one batch this spring.  We have  LOTS of dandelions up here all summer and if the wine, which should be ready late July, tastes good I'll gather more and make much bigger batch in early August.  Hopefully that batch will last us all winter.

It didn't take long in our yard to pick 2 quarts of just flower tops.  I rinsed them good, making sure no bugs had hitched a ride and poured boiling water on them to create a tea.  After letting them steep for three days, I strained the flowers out using cheese cloth (always have on hand from making cheese).  I squeezed the lump of flowers in the cheese cloth to get all the liquid out in order to get the best part of the dandelion, then added the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and the yeast mixture.

Once all that is stirred well, I poured it into a big gallon jug...and two extra recycled wine bottles, topped them with balloons, and set them in our pantry to ferment.     

You can see that Mark or I check them twice daily as we have to release the pressure out of the balloons or them will pop - it builds up quickly.  In six weeks, we should have wine!  I'll let you know how my first attempt at wine making turns out.

Always remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained!   And what you gain can be VERY tasty!!!

Calumet Art Center - A Wonderful Place To Play

I've met more artists living here than I have met in my entire life!  Maybe it is because the cold winter months provide enough time for those who are not "outdoorsy" to hone a craft, or maybe artsy people move here just because the location provides inspiration...but really, does it matter why they are here - they are here. 

Nearby (nine miles north of Houghton) is the little town of Calumet.  It is the art center for the entire Upper Peninsula...and probably all of Michigan.  It has theaters (live theater), small shops owned by artists, galleries, and a wonderful little place that aspires young and old alike to jump into the arts and PLAY!!  Neighbors and visitors are welcome.

Gift Shop and Gallery

According to their web site, The Calumet Art Center combines human creativity and scholarship to strengthen and appreciate historic and cultural values and encourages unique expression. They offer memberships, private lessons, classes (no membership needed to take a class), loan equipment (that you may not want to purchase until you have tried the art or craft), and they even have staff on site to assist you in all aspects of art types they have to offer. They teach everything from spinning, weaving, knitting, pottery,

I know, this post sounds like an advertisement for the center, but I can't help it - I've taken a weaving class there and I think the place provides a wonderful service to the community, area and state.

The Center is very quaint, residing in a small old church. The group has a bare-bones budget but you'd never know it when it comes to service and dedication. You can visit their web site Calumet Art Center for unique art. 

Here are some photos from their basement shop, gallery and equipment lab.  They even work with kids - boy, would I have enjoyed their summer camps!
 
They even have floor looms they will loan out, if you want to try your hand at weaving cloth or rugs. 

They have supplies out the wazzoo!  They accept donations of supplies, equipment, and of course, money - and the community benefits from it because they are non-profit. 
 

They have some amazing hand made cards - see below:

Here is where they hold some of their classes - kids and adults.

Looms and warping boards galore!  I just learned how to weave the most wonderfully thick and beautiful Finnish wool rug.


I'm happy to live around artists - they are fun folks, quirky (I'll give you that), but they seem to laugh more and that makes living all the better!

Now, go out and add a little art to your life, if not, find an artist for a friend and enjoy life!

We're BAACK

I know it's been awhile since I've posted.  During the silence, we went on vacation - taking the sleigh to St. Louis to have headlamps installed (the old fashion kind that uses real candle power), picked up some big stuff to bring back, visited our kids, grand kids, and friends celebrating three birthdays and Mother's Day.  It was a great trip!

Upon our return, we've worked on the garden, which I'll talk about in another post, milked the neighbors cows, and drove to Marquette to pick up farm stuff.  I've also attended a two-day weaving workshop, so we've been VERY busy.   Today and tomorrow I'll be making cheese. 

Instead of me writing this blog today, Mark is going to be a guest writer, for he has an "Official Report" on the farm that I think will make you smile.

Report on the Continuing “Archeological Dig” at Cold Comfort Farm

Last week, a not so rare find was discovered during the continued excavation of the stone barn floor at Cold Comfort Farm.  An atypical, but curious, find was made after strenuous digging.  A mandible section of the elusive and very common Horreum Solum (Latin: barn foundation) was unearthed.

Its condition was in remarkably good shape considering the short time it has been buried under the barn floor - at least 80 years.  On close examination, one can discern from this section of “teeth” that the floor had a steady diet of bovine egesta (common cow shit).  There is marked plaque buildup due to the complete lack of available dental hygiene services in the early history of the U.P.  Additionally of note, is the lack of dental carries possibly due to the high pH of the local soil and the availability of, “so damn many rocks” in the soil that slowed cow grass consumption and digestion. 

From an orthodontic perspective, a good set of dental braces would have helped align and straighten this section of teeth and help to position them with regard to a creature’s bite.  After the computer modeling is complete, I am positive that we will discover that this horreum solum had a very irregular smile which contributed to its already ugly appearance. 

With the continuing excavation of the barn floor I am sure that additional unremarkable discovers will be unearthed, covered in bovine egesta!