Spaghetti sauce in Chicago

Lou and I cooperated with Peter and Taylor this Labor Day week-end. On Friday, August 31, I picked two bushels of Roma tomatoes at Witte's Farm in Cedarburg which we took to Chicago on Sunday. By the end of the day, today, September 3, we had processes 45+ quarts of spaghetti sauce.

Celebrating completion of the spaghetti sauce canning project

Celebrating Taylor's birthday in Chicago

Used bike - new tires

Lou and I spent Thursday, August 30 at Peter and Taylor's new apartment in Chicago. Taylor wanted a new/used bike. She, Lou, and I stopped at a used bike shop and found this Schwinn.

Week-end of August 17 - 19

Fresh peach pie

We had a great time celebrating Den and Marilyn's anniversary and Marilyn's birthday at the farm. Some photos are uploaded here. In place of a birthday cake, we had fresh peach pie. As you may know, Kathy Tennessen's name was pulled at the Phillips Triathalon in July 2011. She won $100 of Park Falls Chamber of Commerce Bucks. Norb sent the bucks to us at the farm in July. Even though the Chamber Bucks had expired, the Park Falls South Side True Value Hardware honored them and Lou suggested we get a new grill for the farm because the one we've been using was our old one from Shorewood; the wheels were falling off among other problems. So, on a rainy day, Lou and I drove to Park Falls, Chamber Bucks in hand. The farm now has a new Weber grill!

Pauline visited for the week-end. She spent Friday and Saturday evenings with her Phillips High School Classmates - her 60th class reunion. On Sunday, Pauline and I met Joanie Bruner and went to Mass in Prentice and from there, we all had brunch at Hill of Beans on Timms Hill.

Pauline and I drove back to Milwaukee on Tuesday, August 21 to get Pauline back to Oconomowoc in time to get organized for her trip with Dee and Joanie to the Paraolympics in London. They leave today, Sunday, August 26 from Baltimore.

Pauline and I harvested some garden treasures before we left on Tuesday.

Corn and Garden

Winter Heat

July 2012

Our recent trips to the farm have been both productive and relaxing.  The potatoes were hilled a couple of weeks ago and they look great.  The product Norb used on the potatoes seems to have eliminated most of the bugs.  To make sure they contiue to be kept under control I applied an organic approved spray on Sunday July 22nd.  The garden looks as good as it ever has.  Marilyn spent a lot of time weeding and I roto tilled most of the places I could get to.  The normal up keep of the place continues.  The barn roof needs to be replaced, jeep still does not run right, the chain saw needs repairing, a sprocket on one side of the lawn sweeper is broken, the house could use some paint, and on and on.  Mariann and Lou have been up there a lot and Lou is keeping the lawns mowed.  It's a great time to be up there as the beans, peas, and cukes are grown nicely.  The field corn must be 10 feet high and looking great.  I would guess it will be harvested by September 15th when the 14th annual Barn Again party will take place.

One more shorter Carpenter Creek video

More video of Carpenter Creek taken spring 2011

Video of dam that blocks Carpenter Creek from running through our land. This video was taken in spring 2011 when a lot of rain kept the creek running in spite of the dam on property east of our land.

Link to sawing wood with a John Deere H - Memorial Day week-end, 2012

May 15th-16th

I made a quick day and one half trip to check out the lawn and asparagus.  Both were doing great, the asparagus had already gone to seed but there was still some usable that I cut.  I also worked on the garden and it is pretty much ready for planting when the crew gets there for Memorial Day weekend.  I didn't bring any food along so for lunch on Tuesday I found a box of Kraft Dinner.  It didn't have much flavor so I decided to check the date on the box.  It wasn't there when mom was alive, but she may have purchased it.  The sell by date was 2/7/2007.

April 30 - May 2

Some more projects were finished on the farm, most notably the 3rd rebuild of the jeep carburetor which appears to be successful.  I feel like Jim from Jim's Carburetor and I are on a first name basis after watching his U-tube video on repairing a Carter YF carburetor.  I made a trip with it to the Maris residence, started the lawn mower and mowed the lawn.  Rain was predicted but it never appeared so the farm lawn is also mowed.  I turned on the water to the barn and had one leak in the Bunk House.  Some water evidently remained in the facet and froze.  It's an easy fix, all I need is a new facet.  The asparagus is up on the south side but I could not find a plant on the north side.  I forgot to pick it before I left so the next person up their will have a meal or two.  As Lou noted on his last trip, it's almost impossible to get to the back 40s with all the land plowed.  We will have to take to John Pesko so he can leave us an access.  Dennis

April 12, 2012

I met Barb this past weekend and started a lot of spring projects.  Barb had done a lot over Easter weekend and continued to get the flower beds in order at both places.  Some mulch was placed around the Maris Southeast corner and in front of the farm house.  The oil was changed in most of the equipment (the boat is ready to go) and some blades were sharpened.  The jeep continues to give me problems so I pulled the carburetor and brought it back to rebuild.  The front lawn was mowed but the rest was still not very high.

Jeremy (John's son) Pesko was plowing the fields when we arrived.  They did have some problems but he said it was great plowing and not hitting rocks.  They had hauled manure before plowing so the smell was that of a farm if your a farmer, and like shit if your not.

Visitors, April 14-15, 2012

Bob and Cheri Page and Mary and Al Jacobson spent the weekend with us.  Roy and Midge have joined us in the past but Midge passed away this spring and Roy had chemo on Monday and was unable to come.  We have had some wonderful times with the group in the past and missed them on this occasion.  The weekend was spent playing Rummikub, Farkle and Sheepshead.  All is well at the farm but the asparagus still has not grown much.  Not much work was done but some batteries are now charged and most of the equipment runs.  Dennis

April 16, Visitors

The Page's and Jacobson's were guests at the farm the past weekend.  Roy and Midge Lamberty have been guests in the past but Midge passed away this spring and Roy had Chemo today and couldn't make it.  The wood fire kept us warm and we spend most of the weekend playing Rummibuk, Sheepshead, and Farkle.  A few spring projects were started like charging batteries and starting equipment was started.  The asparagus is not growing much but making an attempt to peak out.  Dennis

Easter Weekend, 2012

After a couple of months with no visitors, the farm house was in great shape, taken care of very well by the beattles, not the singing kind.  Barb and Marilyn color some eggs, we relaxed and worked on a puzzle that seems impossible.  On Monday John Pesko stopped over and we toured the farm.  I signed the paperwork which gives them the rights to lease the land for 5 years.  They are reimbursed for using sound farm practices which is a government program and they are giving us that amount plus a nice price increase from the last lease.  Dennis