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!