Kickapoo Country Fair Weekend!

What a great day we spent on Sunday at the fair. It never disappoints. So many things to do and see that we can't fit them all in in a few hours time. One of these years we will be living our dream & be able to go to the fair both days.
 The highlight of the day was seeing Michael Perry in the Word Tent. That is where the authors speak about their books. We've seen others in the past, but Michael Perry was by far the funniest. If you have read his books, you know what I mean. He has written Population 495: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, Truck: A Love Story, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs & Parenting as well as an essay collection, Off Main Street.

Michael Perry

Not only does he write, he has a great band. Later in the afternoon, Michael Perry & the Long Beds played for an hour on the main stage. We ended up buying his two CD's and listened to them all the way back to Illinois. During our book signing turn, he remarked on how we must be from Chicago due to the accent. He is a Wisconsin boy, but I didn't notice his accent :-)

Michael Perry & the Long Beds

In between the Word Tent & the band we walked around and looked at the displays, old tractors, baby animals and ate some great food. A company from Wisconsin called Xperience Green had a great product on display. They are solar powered warm air heaters. Check out their website. We are keeping this in mind for the farm.

After walking around & eating veggie egg rolls and drinking fresh lemonade, it was nice to sit down & be entertained by the band.

It was a very "up" day for us. Steve made the comment "We belong up here. We need to live here soon." I really needed to hear that. With so much going on this spring and so little getting done at the farm, Steve has been very stressed out. When stress enters your life & consumes you, it is hard to think about the present let alone the future and hard to be happy. I am always reminding him that what you think about is what will come to pass, so think about our dream of moving to the farm in the rolling hills of Wisconsin.  

British Car Trip With a Visit to the Farm

Thursday afternoon we left for our annual British car trek with the final destination being Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the vintage car weekend. We went with our friends Bob & Pam who haven't had the chance to see the farm since right after we bought it. So much has changed since then. The barn was kinda nasty back then. The basement floor was dirt with manure & dead rats laying around. Yuck. We were in the process of having the well drilled and were still using the sawdust toilet. They were troopers for coming to see it then :-). Now, even though it is far from finished inside, it is very livable. It was dark when we arrived. A beautiful clear night after the hot, uncomfortable day with temps in the nineties & very high humidity. We grabbed the lawn chairs and a few beers and sat out back & stargazed. We were watching for shooting stars & satellites &  each saw a few. Then the weirdest thing happened. Three of us saw a satellite & then a bright (like flashbulb in the sky bright) light. So we discussed what it could be. A spy satellite taking our picture :-) or a satellite colliding with space debris. All we knew is that we had never seen anything like it before. Without Internet access (my computer was fried by lightening a few weeks back), we had to wait until we got home Sunday night to look it up. So this is what I found out. It was probably an Iridium flare. These are communication satellites. The antennas are the size of a door with a mirror-like finish. when in the right position, they reflect light from the sun. Thus the flash of light. Okay, so the space aliens or the government isn't watching us. After a beer or two, we were off to bed dreaming about our big trip across the state the next day.
We got up fairly early and went straight for the garden where we picked our breakfast. We picked blueberries, new potatoes & spinach along with zucchini & yellow crook neck squash.

Bob helping out in the garden.

Steve digging potatoes.

Me with some blueberries. That's Bob & Pam's car by the barn. Cute!

Shep, the Amish dog, hung out with us while we worked.

  Thanks Pam for taking all the pictures. (My pocket camera quit working :-()

Steve & Pam went up to Eli & Lizzie's to get fresh eggs. The meal consisted of eggs on toast with wilted spinach, hash browns & blueberries along with a couple cups of local Kickapoo Coffee. After packing up, we headed into town & stopped at the Viroqua Food Coop for snack & some iced coffee drinks. It was already getting hot at 11am. The area has been getting some torrential rains lately and we drove through parts of the Kickapoo watershed & the Baraboo River valley. You could see the swollen waters had left the banks but luckily no roads were impacted. We stopped for lunch in Montello at The Stonecutter restaurant. We did the same thing three years ago. The owners are very friendly & the sandwiches were great.

The Stonecutter

A couple hours later, we were glad to get to out of the hot sun & into the shade of the campground. That is until we were swarmed by mosquitoes. All that rain makes for lots of mosquitoes. After putting on bug spray (homemade, of course :-), we put up the tents, blew up the air mattresses and headed into town.

Bob setting up the tent.

It is always exciting on Friday night in Elkhart Lake. All the race cars come into town and park on the street so everyone can see them up close. Then, a couple hours later, they all take off, some a little faster than others. There are usually police watching so no one gets too out of hand, but that doesn't stop the crowd from cheering them on. We met up with Bob & Pam's son Charlie & wife Leslie along with Leslie's mom, dad & little brother in town before heading back to the campground.

                                                                               

Charlie, Leslie & family

After going to the race track to sign in as workers (Steve & Bob) and guests (Pam & I) and look at some of the displays, we headed back into town for the Farmer's Market. It gets bigger every year.

Love all the colors of carrots.

Pam & I spent the day at the beach in town talking, reading and people watching while the guys went back to the track to work gridding cars. We got the better deal, believe me. It was hot at the track but on the beach, we sat in the shade with the breeze blowing on us. Nice.

Saturday night in town is a car show & judging. Most cars are vintage. Anything from old Porsches to Mini Cooper wagons. It's fun to walk around looking at all of them.

Bob with an Austin Healy

We were back at the campground by dark. There was a storm brewing to the north that looked to be a good one. We sat at the campfire a while and went to bed by eleven. About 1:30 am, the tent stared to rock. (No, not that :-). The wind came up fast & then it poured. The little rain flap on our tent couldn't keep it out so we had water dripping on our feet. It lightening & thundered quite a bit but calmed down enough to get back to sleep. Charlie & Leslie weren't so lucky though. Their tent pole pierced the top of the tent so they had to sleep in the car. It was still raining in the morning when we went out for breakfast & we decided to leave for home. Pam & I knew that the guys felt guilty about not staying to work at the track & about a half hour after we got on the road, they decided to go back & work. It turned out to be a nice day. Hot but not rainy. They worked two races, we ate lunch, then back on the road for home. I have to say that I felt like I was roasted over an open fire by the time we got home. Riding in a convertible in 90 degree heat with the sun beating down on you is hard. But we always have such a good time, it is worth it. Something we look forward to every year. Good friends, fun little cars, the beach & a racetrack. Who could ask for more.

A cutie in her own vintage car.

Minnesota...I Miss You

Yes, we just got back. But this is a place I could stay all summer long and not get tired of it. Beautiful sunsets are only a part of it. It's the lazy days sitting on the dock reading a book. Or fishing while the loons pop up near the boat or call out in the distance with that eery cry. Maybe it is the fact that nothing is planned. No schedule to keep. Get up early or sleep in late. Your choice. No phone ringing, or TV or computer to distract you. Biggest decision? When should we go to the Sun N' Fun for a malt? And not just any malt. This is THE malt & I have had many over the years. Nothing compares to it. I think it has to do with the amount of malt powder they put in it. And that they make them in the old time green mixers with the metal cups. And the fact that we get served at the counter on old fashioned bar stools. The owners have also added a section of candy and pop from the 50's, 60's & 70's. How about an Orange Crush or Dog N' Suds Root Beer in bottle? Maybe some candy cigarettes or Jujubee's? Maybe some wax lips or some Pop Rocks?

                             A nesting Common Loon (taken with a zoom lens).

And then there is the campfire. We waited until the night before we left. Gathering twigs to get the fire started. Pulling up the metal multi-colored and slightly rusting chairs. The first smells of the birch logs burning. Two trips to the cabin for the graham crackers, chocolate bars & marshmallows along with the hot dogs (veggie dogs for us) , buns, catsup, mustard and roasting sticks. Oh yeah. Don't forget the beers and water.
Ah, but what about the mosquitos, you say? Yes, they can be bad but we have plenty of homemade bug spray & a mosquito zapper that looks like a tennis racket. Ir was a little cloudy this year but most years we go out to the end of the dock & lay down and watch for shooting stars. This year Steve, Shane & I did this at midnight on Thursday. It was a clear night with a waning moon that was just starting to come up behind the trees. Even thought the moon was starting to light up the sky, we still saw plenty of stars & one shooting star. Wish made. Hopefully answered.
We had no rain this year but a lot of wind. It didn't stop Addy & Noelle (our great-nieces) from swimming every day though. By the middle of the week it was in the eighties and the wind switched directions making it calm on our shoreline. Perfect for getting on the rafts and floating around, soaking up the sun.
Steve did miss out on some fishing & biking time this year. He hurt his back while taking the trailer off of the hitch on the first day there. His back had started to bother him a while before but he never made it to the chiropractor before we left. It tightened up as soon as he set the trailer down. So with forced relaxation, he read a couple books instead of riding his bike on the trails like we usually do. By mid-week we decided to rent the pontoon boat so he could get some fishing time in. If I ever live on a lake, I will definitely have a pontoon boat. How nice to be able to walk around & sit in comfort while you fish. On Thursday his back was feeling better so he went out in the smaller boat with Shane & me and was also able to ride his bike into town and on the trail the last full day there.
I have only missed three years of my life going up to the same lake. So that is 50 years of vacations there. No wonder it feels like home.

Shane with a large mouth bass

So Much Rain at the Farm

We are back from Minnesota. We spent Saturday & Sunday at the farm, leaving Monday morning. It started raining Sunday afternoon. I mean it just poured! It was getting darker & darker so I looked out the west facing window & I wasn't able to see the neighbors farm. A sheet of gray rain coming at us. It didn't stop raining until Monday morning. In the weeks before that we had several inches of rain too. We had to have more gravel brought in for the driveway. In a hard rain, the water rushes down the hill & cuts gullies through the driveway. We have to work on the channels for drainage soon. On the way to Minnesota we stopped at the farm overnight. I noticed the computer wasn't working but it is old & I thought it finally just quit. When we were there this weekend, I tried turning on the printer/fax machine & it was dead too. When trying to hook up the laptop I couldn't get connected so I checked the phone & it was dead too. Our neighbor Jim came over & he said that there was a lot of lightening & one was really close. Maybe that is the problem. There is also a sensor on the solar hot water tank that is flashing an error code. I hope that is not something serious. We are having that looked at today. So next time I am up there during the week, I will have to have the phone company come out top fix the problem & will also have them hook us up for wireless. Then I can just bring the laptop with me. I have another printer I can use, it just doesn't fax. I do work for the shop when I am there during the week, so I will have to go to town to fax if necessary.

                                                    Steve loading up the bikes in the rain.

The garden is doing great & is almost all the way weeded. The Amish neighbors have been trying to keep up with it between the raindrops. There are a few things that just didn't grow because of the weeds, but there is still alot coming up. We picked blueberries, raspberries, Nanking cherries, radishes and lettuce last weekend. There'll  be a lot more blueberries  & raspberries to pick this weekend. I am freezing the cherries for later use in jelly.  The garlic is also ready to harvest so I am hoping it will be a rain-free weekend. Don't know how I am going to get everything done in two days but I'll try my best.
Work has been so busy this spring that we feel like we are ignoring the farm. Steve is stressed out about getting jobs done on time. He relaxed on vacation, actually more than he wanted to since he hurt his back the day we got there. (More on that in my Minnesota post later).

                                                             Daddy Tim with Jaelyn

Mommy Kristin with Jaelyn

                                                     Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

A Busy Time

First of all, I would like to thank Debbie at Happy Days and January and Steven from the Caffienated Globe for the The Versatile Blogger award. It is an honor that I have been double awarded :-).

The award comes with rules. Some of them are: I must tell 7 things about myself ; and I must pass along the award to other blogs which I have recently discovered and think are fantastic. I'm happy to
to do this....here I go.
About Me.
1. I am a bit shy. Not one to small talk, I have trouble thinking of things to talk about. (OK. Not with everyone :-)
2. When I was little & there was a bad storm, I would always get my piggy bank (and my favorite doll) to take to the basement. I couldn't understand why Mom & Dad didn't take their money too. I was going to take care of everyone if our house blew away :-)
3. I never felt more loved when growing up than when I got hugs from my Grandma Prott, my Mom's mom. Unfortunately, she died when I was in second grade. My mom & dad weren't affectionate. After we quit getting bedtime kisses around 2nd grade, I didn't get a hug from either parent until I had my first born, Kristin. Of course, because of that, I am very affectionate with my kids.
4. I am picky about what Steve puts on the kitchen counter. Somehow, his lunch bag always seems to end up on my glass cutting board. Now this is a lunch bag that goes in the work van with him on jobs and it is pretty dirty on the bottom. No matter how many times I say it, it always ends up there. Of course I am always washing the cutting board.  I tell him he is lucky I am not a nag :-)
5. When the kids were little, I babysat. I was always looking for things to keep me busy while at home so I used to clean the stove with a toothpick. Wow! Not any more :-).
6. I love Minnesota! Our annual vacation up north is my favorite time. It is like home to me. We stay in the same cabin every year. Dread the day that the owners tell us they are selling the resort.
7. I want to be an accomplished bread maker & fiddle player some day.

There you have it. I had a hard time thinking of things to write. Debbie named three other blogs & January named fifteen. Sorry January, Debbie is who I am going to follow on that one.


1. Lisa at http://anotherdayinparadisesortof.blogspot.com/. Lisa blogs about life in Ohio with her husband Chris. They have an acre of land & grow an awesome amount of fruits and veggies.

2. Julia & Suzi at http://aprongoddesses.blogspot.com/ They have giveaways, recipes & of course, aprons.

3. Deborah at http://antiquityoaks.blogspot.com/ and her adventures on 32 acres.

We have been so busy lately that I have a hard time keeping up with everyone's blogs. I do drop in & read but hardly ever have time to comment. Sorry. I know how I love it when I get comments.
Since the closing, we have settled in in our new place. It is close to work & small quarters. Nothing much to clean. Good thing, because I am working more now than ever. We are super busy at the shop. We hired my brother to help us too. He hasn't had work for a while, being a union plumber. He worked new construction which is non-existent around here.He has been a great help to us. My sister is still working for us one day a week so I can do all the running around I need to accomplish. I just got back from a quick trip to see Kristin, Tim & Jaelyn. Jaelyn is growing so fast. She is almost six months old.

Such a little ham and she is jabbering up a storm!

Last week, I took a quick trip to the farm to mow. Got there at noon. Mowed for a few hours. Weeded about an hour. Talked to the Amish neighbors, went to the food co-op & the laundry mat. Left at 8am the next morning. Whew! No wonder I am tired. I picked strawberries, garlic scapes. lettuce and radishes while I was there. The weeds have gotten out of control. There has been a lot of rain lately & the Amish neighbors (who I am paying to keep it weeded) haven't been

able to keep up with it. The garlic really needs to be weed-free in order to get it's final growth spurt in. Hopefully they aren't stunted by the weeds.

The potatoes are getting tall, but it is hard to tell because of the weeds. Blueberries are covered. Sorry birds!

This weekend we are leaving for vacation. I will be driving up to the farm Friday early in the day to mow and Steve & son Shane will join me in the evening. If the weather is nice, maybe a campfire & a few marshmallows. The next morning we are off to Minnesota.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

A Smile to Brighten Your Day

Farm Stuff

Garlic Chives Blossom

The few days I spent at the farm between the weddings was spent mowing and planting the garden. We  had the drywaller come while we weren't there to do the ceiling. It looks really good (which is a relief) and saved us a lot of time.
Gardening update... neighbor Jim came over with his tractor & plowed two long furrows for potaoes. That saved me so much time. I planted Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Rose Finn Fingerlings & German Butterball. Most of them are coming up already after a week and a half. Next came ten kinds of beans (Lazy Housewife, Calypso, Ireland Creek Annie, Hidatsa Shield, Hidatsa Red, Charlevoix Dark Red Kidney, Boston, Lina Ciscos Bird Egg, Fiskeby soybean , Envy soybean), Purple Top White Globe turnips, Lacinato kale, Silverbeet & Rainbow chard, radishes (French Breakfast), sunflowers, cilantro, beets (Detroit Red, Chioogia), zucchini (Black Beauty, Cocozelle Bush), cucumbers (Double Yield, Poona Kheera, Parade), pumpkins (Small Sugar, Young's Beauty, Dickenson) and squash (Jauneet Et Verde, Verte Et Blanc, Table Queen, Summer Crookneck, Waltham Butternut, Long Island Cheese).
Then & planted some flowers. Feverfew, Crane's Bill, Rudbeckia, Carpathian Harbell & Astilbe. That was all in one day. The next day I planted transplants. Peppers (Habernaro,
Sheeprose Pimento, Golden), tomatoes (Cherry Roma, Beam's Yellow Pear, Amish Paste), eggplant, leeks, brussels sprout, cabbage (green & red). One to the herbs of oregano, basil, chocolate mint, hyssop & plain & curly parsley.
This was all planted on half the garden space. The other half I planted in organic clovers (Cinnamon & yellow). I plan to leave this area dormant until we move up there. Clover will help bring nitrogen into the soil and hopefully keep the weeds out. After I broadcast the seed, I went over the soil with the golf cart to compact the seed so the birds wouldn't eat it all.

Clover is coming up.

I still had a few things left to plant before I left the next day, so I planted peppermint, Black-eyed Susan and ten Blue Spruce pine trees I received for joining The Arbor Day Foundation again. Oh, I also put down 5 bags of mulch in the flower border.
I was totally whipped after a hard day of mowing and two full days of planting. I left the next morning for home to start packing again. Can't wait to settle down again into a semi-calm state :-)
We were at the farm this past weekend (Memorial Day) and moved a lot of our stuff. After unloading the van & trailer, Steve started mowing & trimming and I went to work in the garden again.
Here is what I planted on Sunday...
Lettuce-Gold Rush, Slobolt, Barcarole, Jericho
Spinach-Monnopa, America
Carrot-Scarlet Nantes, Scarlet Keeper, Dragon
Two other squash-forgot to write them down :-)
Eggplant (3)
Onion sets-yellow, white & red (60 each)
Tomato transplants-Amish Paste, Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry
Pepper transplants-King of the North, Wenk's Yellow
Nasturtium-Black Velvet & Ladybird (edible flowers)
More mints-catmint & peppermint

I tried something different this year in the garden. I pla nted onions throughtout the garden & leeks bordering the one side of the garden by the potatoes. I am hoping that plants in the allium family will help keep away pests when mixed thoughout the garden.

The garlic is huge now. Should be getting scapes soon. After the garlic is harvested in July, I will be planting the fall crop of lettuces, etc. where the garlic was. The beans are all up too. Strawberries are getting started. A few ripe ones on the vines and there are a lot of blueberries on the bushes. We covered them with netting before we left for home so the birds won't be the ones enjoying them.

Columbine

I am done ( I think) planting the garden. This coming weekend is the final move of excess stuff to the farm. The townhouse here will be empty and I will be cleaning it next Wednesday before the closing on Thursday. We are very lucky to have sold it when we did. Even though we lost a lot of money, it could be even worse. A short sale went on the market last week for $40,000 lower than what we got. It is a terrible time for real estate around here now. We are thankful we didn't end up paying the bank to get rid of it. An option if we wouldn't have sold it was to rent it out, but we didn't want to take the risk of a non-payer when we are on a lower income at the farm. That would hurt the budget.
So I have written enough and taken up an hour of packing time. Have to get busy now. Hope everyone is having a great spring!

                                              Garden is planted and beans are up.