Happy New Year

As I was preparing breakfast this morning, 

I noticed a downy woodpecker on the pole just under the suet. 

He was sleeping! 

He did not move for at least ten minutes. 

When he woke up from his nap, he had his suet snack, then off he flew. 

We have seen him do this before, but not for this long. 

Maybe he was resting so he could be awake when we ring in the New Year tonight!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Cactus

At least ten years ago,

Michael's aunt gave us a giant Christmas cactus

that had sat on top of a chest freezer on her porch for decades.

It was in a huge clay pot with the original sand 

from her farm.

In the past few years, it started to look sad,

so this year, I repotted with all new cactus dirt.

It likes it! 

We have several blooms this year

and they are beautiful.

Let's see how long we can keep this plant happy

and how many more years it can grow.

New Director of Taste Testing

My role as Director of Taste Testing has been taken away,

by a SQUIRREL!

Michael has been creating blueberry muffins for the past few weeks.

After I taste the newest batch,

we take the extra muffins and put them by the bird feeders

for the birds to enjoy a treat.

Last week, we looked out and saw our neighborhood squirrel

taking the muffins away.

He must like them - he took most of them!

This image shows him stopping for a snack before he moves on.

What fun we have with our wild critters!

Wellington Farm, USA

We just met the most wonderful couple who run the 

Wellington Farm in Grayling, Michigan. 

Howard and Gloria Taylor have an historic, working farm community.

They picked up Creekside Grains mixes for their gift store.

It looks like a great combination of farm and baking mixes!

Check out the site, then stop in and take a step back in time.

 

www.wellingtonfarmpark.org/

Moon and Jupiter

http://earthsky.org/tonight

 

I am so amazed at God's work!

 

If you get a chance, go outside tonight and tomorrow night and maybe even a few nights after that.

 

The full moon and Jupiter are neighbors for awhile.

I originally thought it was Mars, but after checking the earth sky site,

Jupiter was the answer.

Enjoy!

Home Grown Tomatoes

When fall chilled the air, 

Michael brought in one of our tomato plants that had been growing in a pot.

He put a grow light on it, and tonight,

we are having a fresh off the vine tomato for dinner!

There are about ten tomatoes on the vine, in all stages of growth,

so it looks like we will get to enjoy them for a few more weeks.

There is something so wonderful about home grown tomatoes!

Small Business

Last week, we received a call from a caterer who is making gift baskets for a major corporation this Christmas. 
She pitched our mixes, 
along with several other Michigan made companies. 

She told them that she preferred working with small companies where the owners answer the phone. 

Since we are one of those businesses, they chose us. 

We are so blessed and so thankful!  

Hooray for small business! 

Thank you to big business for supporting small businesses!

Maple Cookie Story, continued

My friend Tim from Wisconsin sent me 

the story of the Maple Cookie last week. 

Here is "the rest of the story!"

Melvin is his very funny kitty.  

I have posted Melvin stories before, 

but he keeps giving me more to post!

"Saturday was a good day of hunting!!
A nice Buck and a Doe!! 

When regrouping last night I went thru my backpack. 

Since I was busy hauling deer out of the
woods, most of my "snacks" were uneaten. 

I had them in a gallon size zip-loc bag. 

Only out of the kitchen for mere moments, 

I returned to see Melvin dashing into the living
room with a Maple Cookie in his mouth!!! 

He had a choice of several other things, 

but that is what he chose!!!!!!!!!"

Melvin has such good taste! 

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, 

we have elected to follow a different path. 

Unlike major retailers (which we are not), 

we will not be moving the date up to Thursday 

(we will be home with our families), 

no sales start when you should be sleeping, 

and nothing will be offered for only a few hours.

 However, we do have specials 

 that we will be honoring 

from Black Friday until December 17.

If you choose to place an order 

in your pj's and bunny slippers, 

that is fine with us, but you do not have to 

leave the comfort of your home to order.

We will process your orders on Friday 

after we all have a good night's sleep. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maple Cookie Review

This review came from a Creekside Grains friend in Wisconsin. I had to share! 

"Sunday eve, I came in the house, pretty wet and a little cold 

(we had monsoon rains). 

A warm shower felt pretty good, but not as Good as 

the Creekside Maple Cookies made me feel!!!! 

So good, I started singing (at least what I know) 
the Canadian National Anthem!!!!!!!!!

  Deer hunting starts this Saturday and I'll bet some make it in 
to the woods (providing there are some left!!!)"

 

Jay's Sporting Goods Holiday

We are packing a case of Creeekside Grains mixes to ship to Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare, Michigan. 

I was going to ship the order tomorrow and they would receive on Thursday, but...

Jay's is closed on Thursday!

It is a holiday for Jay's!

It is opening day of deer season, so all of the employees get the day off to hunt for the big buck.

I think that is so funny!

If you have never been to Jay's, check out the web site. I especially like the history of the store. 

If you are heading north, be sure to plan a visit. 

It is a great big store, filled with anything and everything that you would ever need.

Just don't visit them this Thursday!

www.jayssportinggoods.com

Breakfast with Mrs Pileated Woodpecker

I woke up this morning to the sound of Mrs. Pileated Woodpecker,

letting me know that she was hungry.

We have to take the suet in at night, so the raccoons don't eat all of it.

The woodpeckers announce that they are hungry in the morning if I do not get up early enough for them.

She was outside my bedroom window, making all kinds of woodpecker noises.

Here is a sample of what she sounds like.

http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/audio/call.mp3

I especially like it when they announce their arrival.
They sound like they live in a tropical jungle,
not Northern Michigan.

 

We have at least three pileated woodpeckers.

We have seen the male and female and think there is one more that hangs out with us, too.

They are sooooo big and so much fun to watch (and hear)!

Cute display from Sassafras

One of our former Miss Heart of Michigan contestants, Brooke,

just sent this image of Creekside Grains mixes in Sassafras.

Sassafras is a wonderful gift store, located at

113 N. Bridge Street in Bellaire, Michigan.

I love antiques, so I especially love the display in the icebox.

If you are in beautiful downtown Bellaire, 

stop in, check out their unique gifts

and say hi from Creekside Grains!

Hot Flash Queen Gets Cold

I needed to drive downstate to pick up an order of buttermilk powder this morning, so I stayed at our family cabin in Harrison last night to make the travel time shorter this morning.

The cabin has a great porch where I always sleep, unless it is really cold outside.

When I arrived at the cabin, it was not terribly cold outside, so I chose the porch sleeping quarters. I grabbed a few (five) blankets, just in case it cooled off during the night. Well....it cooled off, a lot!

It got cold - very cold!

I woke up shivering during the night, so I put a spare pillow over my legs to keep them warm. I woke up later and went into the living room to get my down coat to put over the pillow and blankets, since I had every spare blanket already. The down coat worked and I was able to go back to sleep, but I never really warmed up.

I am the Hot Flash Queen and I love cold, but last night was too cold even for me. Michael said that it was 34 degrees in Traverse City this morning, so I am guessing that it was just a little bit warmer in Harrison.

Next time, I will build a fire in the wood stove and sleep in the toasty warm house!

God's Glorious Sunset

A few evenings ago, I looked outside to see a faint pink look to our wood pile.

Faint pink on our wood pile means there is a gorgeous sunset happening.

I grabbed the camera, ran outside and saw stripes and stunning colors!

 The bright yellow spot in the center was so unique!

The pink stripe kept getting stronger and more intense.

All of these images were taken in about a three minute period.

It was so gorgeous and so quick!

God is so amazing with His colors and sunsets!

I am amazed at His glory!

Last Day at Northport Farm Market

Friday is my last day at the Northport Farmers Market.

Northport is one of my favorite markets.

After a week of long hours working at the kitchen/warehouse or being at the Farmers Markets, 

I look forward to the drive from Traverse City to Northport.

As soon as I pass through Suttons Bay, 

I take a deep breath and enjoy the view

on the way to Northport.

Once I get to Northport,

I enjoy the view of the gardens just across the driveway.

They change weekly, with a new set of perennials. 

 This is where I get to set up my booth, 

right in front of the Depot.

Michael's Aunt Alfreada was the head chef

when the Depot was a restaurant years ago.

 After the market is over, I head back to Traverse City

and enjoy this view as I drive into Omena.

What a gorgeous area to live!

I still have many more Saturday's at the Suttons Bay Farmers Market,

but it is time to say good bye to Northport for another season.

View of the Bay

This is our view of Suttons Bay, where we are at the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

Last Saturday, we had lots of drama in the skies.

I could not concentrate on setting up my booth until I walked over to the waters edge 

to take these photographs.

 I love the single ray of light shining from the clouds.

  These clouds were so ominous.

For a few moments, we had a circle of blue sky

before the rains came. 

The rainy day was not good for visitors to the

Farmers Market. It would have been a great day to 

stay inside and read a good book!

Amy and Mary's adventure

 I met the most wonderful young ladies at the Leland Farm Market today. 

They were land bound today because of the high winds.

Check out their blog for all of the details.

http://lakemichiganinadugout.blogspot.com/p/expedition.html

Birthday S'mores

Michael and I took an overnight mini vacation to our family cabin.

We were celebrating our birthdays (mine was on Wednesday and Michael's was on Friday), 

since we were working way too much to celebrate on our real birthdays.

Michael decided to make a mini fire and roast marshmallows and make s'mores!

They were so good!

Nothing like a fire roasted marshmallow and chocolate on a graham cracker.

 

Add a beautiful sunset over the lake and gorgeous weather,

and we had a great evening.

I found an interesting fact about s'mores. 

 "While the origin of the dessert is unclear, the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in the publication "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" of 1927. The recipe is credited to Loretta Scott Crew, who reportedly made them by the campfire for the Scouts. It is unknown whether the Girl Scouts were the first to make s'mores, but there appears to be no earlier claim to this snack. Although it is unknown when the name was shortened, recipes for "Some Mores" are in various Girl Scout publications until at least 1973.

I knew I liked my name for a reason!

Catastrophic Crop Failure

We have a Honey Crisp apple tree.

The tree is about seven years old and has produced three apples so far.

Two years ago, we had one Honey Crisp apple on our Honey Crisp apple tree.
We picked it too soon and it was not sweet enough.

Last year, I blogged about our success with the perfect picking day.
It was the best apple!

This year, we had a catastrophic crop failure.
The winds last week tossed our lone apple off the apple tree.
Michael found it on the ground when he was mowing.
As you can see by the image,
the apple is not ready yet.



We were so looking forward to our lone apple picking party.

Our other apple tree gave us fifteen apples last year and they tasted great.
This year, the heat wave in March caused it to bloom.
The frost a few weeks later damaged all of the blossoms,
so that tree is empty this year.

We are appleless this year!

Now we have to wait until next year.

Salad Bar

 This was what our flower pot looked like in June. It had lots of pretty flowers in it.

This is what our flower pot looked like last month.

Our neighborhood deer decided that they liked the flowers for their midnight salad bar snack.

 

This is what our flower pot looked like last week.

Just when the flowers were growing and getting pretty again, 

they were eaten to the base again.

 I am not sure how, but this flower escaped.

At least we have one pretty flower in the pot.

 At the same time as the first flower pot massacre,

they devoured the sunflowers, too.

Yesterday, while I was at the farmers market, 

I was sad to see the beautiful sunflowers at the market 

that we do not have at our house.

 

I had to photograph them, just so I could remember how pretty they could have been

in our garden this year.

 

Next year, there will be a solution.

I am not sure what it is,

but there will be a solution.

At least I can enjoy the sunflowers at the market

and my zinnias that the deer do not like.

Welcome Old Mission General Store

Welcome Old Mission General Store to our line of stores that carry Creekside Grains mixes.

 

We have been a fan of the store for over twelve years.

 

Every time we visit, we find something new, 

even though it may be an antique!

 

An antique refrigerator/ice box just arrived last week

and it is huge!

If you are in the neighborhood of Old Mission Peninsula,

situated between East and West Grand Traverse Bay,

or on your way to Old Mission Lighthouse,

stop by Old Mission General Store and say hi to Jim and Marcy!

 

http://www.oldmissiongeneralstore.com

 

Goat Stampede

 This is our second annual trip to the Northwestern Fair to eat junk food and watch the Goat Stampede. 

If you have never been to a goat stampede 

(they call it a goat run, but we call it a stampede), 

you have missed an adventure!

 So, what is a goat stampede?

Every evening at 8:00 PM, 

the goat owners take their goats out of their pens where the goats have been all day. 

The goats need to be exercised, so 

the goats and their owners go to the arena.

On the count of three, all goats and kids (people kids) start running to the other end of the arena.

 

Some goats run full speed ahead, while some need to be pushed and prodded to move.

 This very nice goat had made his first run and was preparing for the second run.

 This chubby goat did not want to run.

He was more interested in escaping under the fence, 

which he succeeded twice.

A fun time was had by all!

French Toast and Sugar Cookies

I got to spend Sunday with my mother at our family cabin.

I made her french toast for breakfast.

I noticed something in her hand that was not french toast. 

It was a sugar cookie that Michael had baked for her.

 I have never had sugar cookies with my french toast before,

so I was a bit surprised at her breakfast choice.

 Mom loves Michael's sugar cookies so much that she only asks for them when we visit her.

Michael makes so many other interesting flavors, but Mom still wants the sugar cookies.

She always adds that she will not share, 

but, 

after one day of enjoying the two dozen or so cookies, 

she will break down and share!

I had fun visiting with Mom and (don't tell!) stealing her sugar cookies when she was not looking

(except for breakfast - french toast and sugar cookies are not my breakfast of choice)!

Father Fred Benefit Run

Yesterday, we rode in the 20th Annual Father Fred Benefit Motorcycle Run. 

Hundreds of motorcycles participated. 

Even though we thought it would be a hot day for the run, 

we enjoyed the cooler temperatures of Old Mission Peninsula. 

My favorite part of the run is when the motorcycles pass each other at the

Old Mission Lighthouse.

 

My second favorite part of the run is the hundreds of people who line the streets 

to wave to us and cheer us on.

From babies to elderly, they wave flags and clap and give us so much encouragement.

I look forward to learning how much the Benefit Run

will be able to give to the Father Fred Foundation this year.

www.fatherfredfoundation.com

Welcome back Brontman family, again!

My summers are more complete when the Brontman family arrives in Northern Michigan! Mom Susie came to the Leland Market today. I will get to see the rest of the family at Suttons Bay on Saturday.

The Brontman's have been Creekside Grains enthusiasts since we started the business four years ago.

We catch up on the latest news and get to enjoy each other's company, if only for a few minutes at the market. It's a good thing that email exists. We can always catch up in the winter via email.

Welcome back!

Antique Cash Registers in Lexington, Michigan

I was just talking to Kim at the Lexington General Store in Lexington, Michigan. They carry several Creekside Grains mixes, and placed an order for more mixes today.

When I asked Kim if they used bar codes in the store (we put them on the mixes for easy check out and inventory), she laughed and said that they do not. They use a 100 year old cash register! I love 100 year old registers! 

I saw one in an antique store last month, and would love to be able to use it. Since we do not sell retail, except at Farmers Markets (which is hard to carry a 100 year old cash register to), I am glad that the Lexington General Store does. I hope it lasts 100 more years!

If you are in the neighborhood, stop by the store and say hi! You will be glad you did.

LEXINGTON GENERAL STORE

7272 HURON AVE.

LEXINGTON, MI  48450

810-359-8900

Let's Go Swimming!

Comment of the day from a four year old at the Northport Farm Market last Friday...
Four year old, "Dad, let's go for a swim at the pool."
Dad, "What pool?"
Four year old, "That pool!" As she points to Lake Michigan!
Quite a big pool, unless you are God!

The Wedding

We have been quiet on the blog for the past few weeks, in preparation for Michael's daughter's wedding.

Kyle and Onica were married on July 5 in Traverse City.

It was a very hot day, but everyone enjoyed the ceremony and reception.

Onica was a beautiful bride, with a handsome Marine Lieutenant at her side.

Kyle and Onica are now on their way to their new home in Oceanside, California, 

where Kyle is stationed at Camp Pendleton.

We are so proud of both of them, and so excited for their future!

Mad Momma Kildeer

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the Family Kildeer, with babies scattering all over the driveway. Michael and I have had loads of fun with the Kildeers since then.

Last week, we decided to take our evening stroll along the edge of the railroad tracks. Mrs. Kildeer had another plan for us. When she saw us coming, she did the usual run away and fall down and look like she broke her wing. She decided that we needed more warning, so she stopped, puffed up as big as a little Kildeer can get, and stood her ground. If you have ever seen a mad Kildeer before, you will know how hysterical they can be. She was so intent on us leaving her babies alone that she stared us down in her puffed up stance. Well, it worked. We moved to the other side of the tracks before she would stop her mad momma routine.

I am still not sure how one tiny Kildeer can stop two large adults in her path, but this one did. We still laugh about this funny little bird!

Mrs. Kildeer has relatives or friends on Williams Road, where we usually walk in the evening. They all have the same broken wing, fly away from us routine, but none of them have done the puff up/stare down trick.
These funny birds are so much entertainment! Who needs television when you can get real life?

We Saw it Again!

Since it is such a hot night, Michael was outside playing with a new glow in the dark toy. He asked me to come outside and watch him fly this toy. After enjoying the toy flight in the clear night sky for a few minutes, I suggested that I should check to see when the International Space Station would be passing by. It would be a great night to watch the flight. I had no idea if it was even in our range. It has been a few months since we last saw it and I lost track of the schedule.

What great timing! I checked the web site at 10:20 PM. The next pass by was to happen at 10:20 PM! I flew out the door, checked the sky and found the International Space Station, right on time! I missed the first minute of the flight as it came over the western horizon, but I got to see it for the three minute duration as it disappeared over the trees in the eastern skyline!

This marvelous machine amazes me! There are people on there! They get to live in space! Wow!

Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound) sighting

Last evening, Michael and I decided to treat ourselves to a dinner out. It had been over a year since we dined at our favorite restaurant, Old Mission Tavern on Old Mission Peninsula. After dinner, we stopped at the Old Mission General Store to visit with the owners. Marci was shocked to see us, since the weatherman was calling for fierce storms any minute. Marci thought we should be heading home for safety.

Since it was not raining yet, we decided to take the quick drive to the Old Mission Lighthouse. As we were heading to the Lighthouse Park, we saw a large white dog in the road. We decided that we would check her out on our way back, if she was still there. She was there, still in the road. Being the dog lovers, we were very worried about her.

I got out of the car to see if I could get close enough to see her dog tags. She was not interested. Two other couples also stopped to see if they could help. One woman almost got close enough to catch her, but doggie had other ideas. Off she went, just far enough from us so we could not catch her. As this chase was going on, the skies let loose and the thunder rolled and lighting flashed and the rain came down, down, down. One of the couples gave me a piece of smoked fish to lure her to me, but that did not work either. We were soaked, with a scared wet dog and no solution.

Aha! Let's go back to the Old Mission General Store to see if Marci knows the dog! We described the dog and immediately Marci knew the dog and her owner. Marci called and got voice mail messages, but left details about Miss Dog's whereabouts. Our job was over. We could go home now. We were still worried, but knew there was nothing more we could do.

Praise God! We called the Old Mission General Store today to find that the owners found their beloved pet and all was well.

This photo shows a pretty dry dog. Our real life dog did not have the luxury of looking this pretty last night, but I am sure she was beautiful to her owners when they found her!

I love happy endings!

Roses

 When life has made me a bit grouchy lately, 

I had to remember to stop and smell the roses.

These roses grow just outside of our basement door.

We have tried for years to cut the rose bush back

because it is too close to the door and has a tendency 

to jump out and scratch us.

We finally gave up trying to tame it. 

This year, the bush gave me a great gift

of the sweetest smelling roses, ever!

I do not know the name of the roses, but they are soft pink and white.

I have the vase in my office and it is such a sweet scent!

Matthew 6:28 See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

What a great reminder from God to let go and smell the roses.

Venus and the Sun

We found Venus today, hanging out in front of the sun. 

We did not take this image, but it looked very similar to this. 

Venus was closer to the center of the sun when we saw it! 

Genesis 1:14-18 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Yes, God, it was good! What an awesome God we have!