Stories from the Farm
September 14, 2019 ~ About 5 miles from here my great-grandparents had a working farm where they raised 11 children if I remember correctly. One of them being my grandmother. (My grandfather grew up on a farm a mile or so away from there.) That farm stayed in the family until the early 1980’s. Then it was sold to an artist named Cliff Monteith. (http://cliftonmonteith.com) Mr. Monteith became very good friends with my great-uncle who would go sit in the yard and tell Cliff the stories of the farm. I do believe Cliff knows more about that farm and the children growing up on that farm than any of us does.
Clifton Monteith Furniture
My wonderful cousin/friend, came over the other night with a special surprise for me from the farm. She told me to close my eyes and open my mouth, which I did. (Pretty trusting right?) When I bit down on what was in my mouth I experienced the most sublime taste and texture. The taste was sweet without being cloying and the texture was a perfect combination of softness and firmness. It was morsel of juiciness that made me want more, lots more. It was a greengage plum that grew from a tree on that farm my great-grandparents planted in 1938.
Greengage plums are not supposed to grow in this area but somehow this particular tree does. The tree is not in good shape and Cliff does not know how much longer the tree will last but he is doing everything he can to help it live an even longer life.
Yesterday, my cousin and her partner, Mark and I went to the farm to visit Cliff because I wanted to thank him for sharing those plums with me, and my cousin wanted to take him some of her honey from her bees.
Greengage Plums
We were greeted so warmly by Cliff and his wife who gifted us with greengage plum jam. We were taken to the plum tree so Cliff could show us what he was doing to try to save it and also showed us where he had planted the seedling greengage plum tree my cousin had given him as a gift. After hearing some more stories from Cliff about the farm as it was when my great-grandparents were there he took us on a tour of his art studio.
Cliff’s newest passion after his furniture making is Kintsugi: the art of precious scars. It’s a Japanese art and practice that highlights and enhances the breaks in ceramic items thus adding value to the broken object. It’s called kintsugi (金継ぎ), or kintsukuroi (金繕い), literally golden (“kin”) and repair (“tsugi”). The technique consists in joining fragments of broken pottery together and giving them a new, more refined aspect. Every repaired piece is unique, because of the randomness with which ceramics shatters and the irregular patterns formed that are enhanced with the use of metals.
The essence of resilience is demonstrated with this art technique and is the philosophy behind this ancient art form. The usefulness of an object does not end if the object breaks. We can beautify the object where it has been broken and make the object more valuable. The philosophy as it pertains to us is that "each of us should look for a way to cope with traumatic events in a positive way, learn from negative experiences, take the best from them and convince ourselves that exactly these experiences make each person unique, precious".
So today I am grateful for the lessons learned yesterday about my own families history and about the practice of resiliency.
Nature's Way
August 23, 2019 ~ Since we moved up to the Traverse City area, time for me has become earth time not calendar time. I feel like I have become very in tune with the cycles of the earth. Just in the last few days I have felt the slide into autumn. Not that we won’t have plenty of sunshine and warm weather to come but I can feel the energy outside and my own energy slowing down a bit.
I’ve just finished putting a peach crumble into the oven. Bought the peaches at the farmers market which is now bursting with the harvests of the season and it will only get better going into September.
This area is rich in the tradition of agriculture both traditional and in the new wave of younger growers coming to the area. Next week we will be helping my cousin put up a new bee shed to house her hives she has been cultivating for many years. She learned beekeeping from her grandfather. She is in year two of a five year plan for a chestnut and hazelnut tree farm. She also has a cranberry bog on her property and is growing other types of berries. Everything on her farm is all organic. Can you imagine the hazelnut honey? Can’t wait. My cousin has had the foresight to start this farm a couple of years before her retirement to take advantage of the huge farm-to-table restaurant scene in the area. She is one of many learning the new ways of farming sustainably.
Every time I visit one of the many farmers markets in the area I am grateful for the abundant agriculture in this area. And I am grateful for the seasons especially for the harvest season.
Everyones Story
August 5th, 2019 ~ I have always believed and had faith in the goodness of the human spirit. Welcoming people into our home as an Airbnb host has confirmed this belief for me.
There are so many people out there doing so many great things. Just last week we hosted a young man who was the producer for a movie having its’ premier showing at the the Traverse City Film Fest. (traversecityfilmfest.org) He invited us to see this movie and we went last night. It’s called Planet of the Humans. He and director Jeffrey Gibbs (jeffreygibbs.org) bring to light the impact we humans are having on our living planet. I pray this movie gets picked up by a distributor as this could have a major impact in our quest for sustainability.
We also hosted a couple from Ithaca, New York. He works for Leathers and Associates. (playgoundsbyleathers.com) This company helps communities build playgrounds all on a volunteer basis by the community. In fact, this was the same company my hometown of Brighton used to build our downtown playscape many years ago. That was one of the best community experiences I have had.
We’ve hosted teachers, social workers, a philanthropist to Interlochen, a comedy troupe, a civic event coordinator, and a retired director of a young adult leadership program (nols.edu).
We’ve had several people involved in higher education and several involved in the arts. Nurses, doctors and first responders have been guests as well as life coaches and business consultants.
All of our guests seem to have one thing in common. Being of service in one way or another. Whether they do it as a living or as a volunteer, whether they are conscious of their service to humankind or not, I’ve noticed everyones story involves some kind of outreach to others.
Everyone who has been our guest has been kind, warm and willing to tell their stories and to hear our story and the stories of our other guests. The connections we have made, watching the connections between our guests, and the things we have learned have been impactful to us. Whenever one of our guests leave we are always grateful to have met them. And we are grateful we chose this path as our retirement.
#tcff2019 #traversecity #planetofthehumans #jeffreygibbs #playgroundsbyleathers #nols
A Young Vision for Sustainability
July 3, 2019 ~ A conversation this morning with a young man staying with us confirmed my belief that there is hope for the future in the midst of what seems like much darkness.
This young man, originally from MI but now living in CA told me his story. He did not go to college but he said he always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. It took him six tries to start a business that was successful but the seventh was a charm. And he is only in his late twenties.
He had an idea to refurbish old computers, which normally end up in landfills, and find outlets to return them to people who have no computers. He is also working with state and local governments to expand wi-fi to areas that are in need for people who cannot afford internet access in urban and rural areas. For every dollar his company makes he donates 40% back into his community. The rest goes for salaries for himself and the 15 people he employs and his overhead. He has taken the new economic model for sustainable and socially conscious business which he passionately believes in and built a successful business using that model.
I was awed by his wisdom and inspired by his passion. He is the future and his type of leadership and vision will be what takes us into a sustainable future. Visit his website and donate your old computers.
This young man is part of new economic system based on sustainability and service. These new businesses that share assets like our airbnb or car sharing or reuse and recycle such as his business are satisfying the needs of humans but in a manner that sustains natural resources and the environment for future generations. We are building an economy that functions in our delicate ecosystem. So if you can, support those businesses while they help sustain the environment and create a new capitalism that works for everyone.
The Bliss of Gratefulness
June 22, 2019
It all started with a ride to an estate sale. It was a beautiful first day of summer. The sky was the most azure blue, the air was softly warm and all the early summer flowers were in bloom. As we were winding through the rolling hills towards Suttons Bay a feeling of deep, deep gratitude overcame me. Gratitude for the opportunity to have this life and to share this with the man I’ve loved for the last 32 years. Gratitude for the beauty that surrounds me.
This feeling of gratitude is filled with joy. I feel like this world that surrounds me was made just for me. But it is a world I want to share with everyone. Maybe this is why we have chosen to do what we do for this chapter of our life. Welcoming travelers into our home is a way to share this beauty.
This feeling of deep gratitude has not left me. I am still experiencing that bliss that started in the space of thankfulness yesterday. Here is some of the beauty I have experienced just in the last few days that I am so grateful for:
A beautiful birdbath I purchased at that estate sale.
The flowers of early summer.
The celebration of culture in the community at the Parsons Center.
Our great Farmers Market.
The beauty of our Great Lakes.
The colors of our inland lakes.
And last but not least the conversation I was just having with a young guest who came to celebrate a wedding with some friends here. We have met so many great people who come to our Airbnb. They all have so much to share with us and we have learned so much from them. Young and old, of many different cultures and countries. We all have so much we can give each other and learn from each other. If we just keep an open heart to do so.
Visitors From Around the World
May 27, 2019 ~ What a great Memorial Weekend! The weekend started off early with a guest from Israel who was here for the Interlochen Festival.
This gentleman attended Interlochen for his junior and senior year of high school as did his siblings many years ago. They are all musicians. His family donated money for a new music building which was dedicated this weekend and it was the graduation weekend of the senior class. Interlochen has a festival at graduation which showcases the students work. This was a 4 day long event and our guest attended it all.
Next came some guests who were here to watch their friend run in the Bayshore Marathon and then a young couple who were originally from Lithuania and he is now a professional basketball player there. We learned that basketball is "like the second religion there".
Best of all dear friends came to visit us. We enjoyed visiting with them, sharing wonderful food and great wine. We did get some time to show them the cherry blossoms in bloom on Leelanau Peninsula. They were peak yesterday!
We also visited the Traverse City and Interlochen Farmers Markets and Leland and Fishtown, one of our favorite places! We are grateful for friends and this beautiful area to share.
June promises to be an exciting month for experiences and we invite you to visit our Experience Weekend page so you can decide which weekend to book with us!
Lake Michigan Sunset
Or
Bonding in Nature
May 21, 2019 ~ My youngest daughter Kate is visiting this week. Mark is gone on a motorcycle trip so this is "us" time. We both love the outdoors and decided to go see the sunset on Lake Michigan last night.
On our way there we came across a large patch of trillium in the woods. Had to stop and take some photos.
This was the first time Kate had seen trillium. It was also exciting for me because it had been years since I had seen trillium, especially massed like this. What a treat that was.
Then it was lake time. The sunset was spectacular and it was even more special because we got to share it.
For me seeing something so beautiful with someone I love only deepens my pleasure at the beauty and makes me feel more bonded with whomever I am with.
I am grateful to live in an area that affords all this natural beauty and when I can share it, it's even more special.
Here's a little video so I can share this with you too.
The Importance of a Spring Rainfall
May 19, 2019 ~ There has been a slow, steady, soft rainfall all day and we finally got to enjoy the new rain chain given to us for Christmas. The sound of it is amazing and it is mesmerizing to watch.
We spend a lot of time outdoors here in the Grand Traverse region. A day to be indoors is a good thing. We get to catch up on inside chores and just sit and watch the storms go by. This area begs you to immerse yourself in the natural world and a rain and thunder storm are wanting your attention.
In one of our earlier posts we mentioned the many shades of green. This rain, which has been needed, has deepened those greens. Everywhere you look is new life and it is good.
I went to a native plant sale sponsored by the Grand Traverse Conservation District yesterday. We have been slowly adding to our landscaping and we want to use as many native plants as we can. We have learned that by planting native species we support an amazing diversity of butterflies, moths, and other insects that are food resources that birds and other wildlife require for their survival. When we plant native plants we support our local farmer – incorporating more native plants into our home landscape helps attract pollinators that increase crop yields, as well as insect predators that reduce costs for pest management. This is a large agricultural area and is an important part of our economic base. (We'll share some more fun facts about agriculture in this area in another post.) And native plants are our natural heritage. They’re part of what makes this region a unique and inspiring place. So if it's not raining tomorrow morning we'll get those plants in the ground.
And now the sun is out, can only be Michigan, right?
Today at The Grand Traverse Experience
May 14, 2019 ~ Today was a good day! You know those kind of days when things just flow? It was like that. We were able to hang a rain chain my bf gave me for Christmas. Have wanted one of those for a long time. We added a bowl at the bottom to weight it. Now I can’t wait until it rains so I can see how it works and hear the water flowing through.
I planted some dwarf lady’s mantle, lavender and a tree. I moved some other plants around, fertilized and did some weeding. Lots more weeding to do though. This place just calls for lots of flowers and plantings and the earth is calling my name.
When we moved in at the end of November there was snow on the ground already and I had no idea what had been planted. The previous owner had moved out in August so there was no fall work done. Not that I even knew what was supposed to be done if I could have gotten through the snow.
For the last 25 years we had lived above our business on Main Street in Brighton so gardening had not been on my radar. I had done some gardening before moving to Brighton but it has been a long time. And I am not as young. I love to plant and plan and dig but I can only do so much a day now before I know it is time to call it quits. It’s a work in progress and I plan on putting in more beds as time goes on. In fact, I have a landscape architect who specializes in native plantings coming out to help me create a five year plan. Is that ambitious or what?
Visiting lots of farmers markets and nurseries. There are so many. And I am gleaning so much knowledge about what and how to plant. We are so fortunate to live in an area with so much to offer this way.
Now what to do about the sprinkler system. Never had one, don’t know anything about it, so that is another whole new learning curve. Time to get on You Tube I guess.
May 10, 2019 ~ Spring is finally starting to settle in here in Northern Michigan. It is a little behind schedule this year but to us it feels perfect. The beauty is busting out all over. Spending time outside I can feel the soft air as it moves through the trees. All the greens are starting to show, and the wild and cultivated flowers have appeared. The lakes, big and small have taken on that deep turquoise blue and the trails are hikable once again. We can feel the restlessness for the summer days emerging. We also know that summer in this part of the world means a lot more busyness, so we are relishing these quiet days of Spring.
Living here I feel connected to the earth and nature as I never have before. This is our first Spring here. Having moved here at the end of November we experienced what the locals described as a very harsh winter. And I guess it was. Unrelenting cold with lots and lots of snow. Winter showed its’ beauty to us as white, white snow that stayed white. Pines with mounds of white. Deep silence on the trails with only the crunch of our footsteps on the snow.
Sitting in front of the fire or doing projects inside when the wind was too fierce to venture outside. I enjoyed this harsh winter but I am so enjoying the verdant greens and soft air now.
One of the things this area has an abundance of is places and ways to be outside. With the many state and a federal park nearby there are trails galore. Trails in the woods, near the water and through meadows. Natural beauty surrounds us here and we are discovering how regenerative that can be.
Here are just a few of our favorites:
Let us know what your favorites are!