Archive for the ‘Family - Linda’ Category
January 20, 2010 – Want Ice with That?
Another ice storm fell from the heavens today. Ice is much harder to deal with than snow or rain.
It’s hard to read electric meters. It’s also hard to open garage doors that face in the direction of the wind. It took lots of pounding with a rubber mallet to pound the hundreds of pounds of ...Read more.
January 1, 2010 – Looking Back on 2009
Seems like everyone puts together some kind of year-in-review (and some decades in review this year). I’m not ambitious enough to sort through the last decade, but I will take a shot at the year in review. So without much further ado – the things we’ll remember most about 2009 in no particular ...Read more.
December 18, 2009 – Now this is A Christmas Tree!
This is the year we have been waiting for – the first Christmas tree grown on our farm. This summer Martin and GJ put an orange tag on the best tree after much deliberation.
On our way down to get the tree, we thought we might be in trouble when the snow started rising almost ...Read more.
November 29, 2009 – Putting Bees Away for Winter
It’s time to tuck the bees in for the winter. By the end of this week, the highs are supposed to be in the 20s.
Martin and Linda add the insulated cover to the hive.
Here, they pose after finishing the job – the black cardboard has been slipped over the hive and we wait until spring ...Read more.
October 11, 2009 – Front Page News, Part II
Last Sunday the local paper had the first in a three-part series centered around the program Linda started at MCC. This Sunday was another above the fold front page story. There was also another article about a local food system meeting that builds on the work Linda has done.
Creating homegrown food
MCC runs crop trials, begins ...Read more.
September 20, 2009 – Inaugural Chicken Butchering
Today was the day we’ve been anticipating for quite some time. Two years ago the closest locker that butchered chickens (about 25 miles away) stopped processing chickens. Last year, the next closest locker (about 80 miles away) stopped doing chickens. Rather than drive even further – twice – once to drop off and ...Read more.
September 13, 2009 – Catch Sunday’s Des Moines Register?
I’m not too sure how long the Des Moines Register links are live, so I copied the story below, without the photographs. This story appeared on the cover of the Iowa Life section of today’s Sunday Register. It’s about “Comida – County of Marshall Investing in Diversified Agriculture” one of the offshoots of the college ...Read more.
August 31, 2009 – Flower Arranging
Linda at work in the barn arranging flowers.
The bench is in an old stall with the old feed bunk converted to a high table top for easy stand-up flower arranging.
one year ago…”Masanobu Fukuoka”
August 22, 2009 – Visit to a Local Vineyard
One of Linda’s students has started a vineyard. He’s just getting started, but has a few producing vines in production.
Linda looks over the crop.
A view down one of the aisles.
Some Iowa grapes, about ready for harvest.
We had the chance to take some home – so we did and made about 20 quarts of grape juice. ...Read more.
July 25, 2009 – 1,000 Friends of Iowa Conference
Today we attended the annual conference of the 1,000 Friends of Iowa held in Iowa City.
1000 Friends of Iowa promotes responsible development that 1) conserves and protects our agricultural and natural resources, 2) revitalizes our neighborhoods, towns and cities, and 3) improves the quality of life for future generations. We learned about prospects for increased ...Read more.
July 15, 2009 – Touring Tower Soudan Underground Mine
When it rains, it’s time to do some touristy indoor things, or in this case, underground tours. The Tower-Soudan underground mine is now a state park and you go down the original mineshaft about a half-mile underground.
Here Martin plays with a toy model of the elevator shafts that show how the two shafts counterbalance each ...Read more.
July 13, 2009 – Something Fishy!
This week turned out to be the best fishing week in years at the cabin.
This smallmouth was caught right off the cabin dock.
So was this walleye.
Earlier in the Day Emma and I found a nice rock to sit on and fish with large sucker minnows.
She caught this northern practically before I could get my line ...Read more.
June 30, 2009 – Lake Shetek State Park
We certainly are a couple for all lodgings – from the luxurious Dayton House one night to a rustic cabin without a bathroom or kitchen the next!
This is at Lake Shetek State Park in Southwestern MN. Linda is getting some veggies ready to stir-fry.
Some rice, a pack of cole-slaw mix, some peppers and onions and ...Read more.
June 29, 2009 – Blue Mounds State Park
The 20th Anniversary travel junket to SW MN continues with a stop at Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne, but nowhere near Shirley, Minnesota, although it is close to Marshall.
The outstanding feature of this park is the Sioux Quartzite cliffline that runs along the park. This is the view from near the top of the ...Read more.
