LOCAL FARMER'S MARKET

HERITAGE FARMER’S MARKET an old fashioned gathering place.

January 23, 2012

Our weekly treat is to have lunch down the road at the local Farmer’s Market.  Our friends, Doug and Donna run the farm to fork market and restaurant.  Doug raises the beef and pork.  Donna is a veterinarian skilled in monitoring the animal’s health (including Doug’s health).  Chef Wanda prepares the best au gratin potatoes this side of Heaven.

Cheryl raises hundreds of chickens and turkeys; the juiciest, most flavorful, this side of Mars.  (I couldn’t use Heaven twice.)  The grocery shelves are filled with local milk, honey, jams, homemade bread from The Abbey, all the best this side of Pluto.  (I couldn’t help it).

This is The Heritage Farmer's Market, Rt. 9, Pekin, Illinois.  Try shopping here for your fresh groceries.

Everyone is greeted with a “How you doin’ ” or “Hey, nice to see you.” Barn siding lines the walls, an antique ice box and round oak tables decorate the eating area. Pictures of Doug’s cattle are displayed on the walls. My favorite room is the bathroom! Its all countrified with toy tractors and a pair of red long johns hanging on a hook. Take your camera!

Doug visits with customers sharing stories about his week of feeding cattle, driving tractors, hauling hay, and of course the weather. Bankers, moms and kids enjoy his stories about a life I have missed for many years.

This week, Doug told about a momma cow that came charging toward him in the pasture. She stopped, looked back over her shoulder, and trotted back to where she came from. Doug and his dog, Breaker, followed her. She led them to a steep ditch and he saw a newborn calf at the bottom with its front leg stuck in the ice. Doug crawled down the bank, lifted the calf up, and carried it to its momma. Be aware this scenario was very dangerous. The cow could have charged him at any time. Doug called this his “Lassie moment.” The cow was grateful for his help and since then she has been friendly in the pasture.

Living life at “ground zero” so to speak, one on one with the elements of nature, keeps a person real. Going to The Heritage Farmer’s Market is my church of choice. People share a respect for each other and help one another. This is how I was raised. I feel nourished physically and spiritually at Doug and Donna’s Heritage Farmer’s Market, Pekin, Illinois.

                           http://www.heritagefarmersmarket.com

Below is a photo of the Kilgus Farmstead milkcows eating lush green grass.  Love the chocolate cows...........and their chocolate milk!




Mooooooo!

BIRD WATCHING IN JANUARY

This year, we moved the bird feeders to the front yard.  I can see them much better from our living room window and office window.  How do the birds keep those iddy-biddy-widdle-wegs warm?  It amazes me.


We feed a mix of fruit and nut and also oiled sunflower seeds.  They devour the dried fruit with nuts.  It smells so good I could almost devour it with granola.  It smells like almonds to me.



The beautiful red cardinals feed early morning and before dusk.  One afternoon there were sixteen around one of the feeders.  I would not lie to my best friend..........honest there was. Our cats sit in the window and chatter and twitch their tails.  The dogs also watch from the window.






                   Sorry, I don't have a picture of my camouflage pajamas and twigs in my hair.

                      What a cutie with red dot and speckles.  I will name him "SPOCK".  I have no idea        why.  It's just a good name.

            Notice the orange baling twine holding up the feeder.  I could not survive without it.

                                  I think I'll name the two above Mr. and Mrs. Dither.

                                                       ....the Triplets.

Today I tried to snap some pictures.  I snuck outside and hid on the front steps in my camouflage pajamas with branches in my hair.  I didn't fool them.  They noticed me.  So I went inside and peeped through the front door.  I took some pictures but the birds were shy.  Only a few at a time would come to the feeder.

Then I took some pictures through my dirty windows.  See if you can tell the difference.  Feel free to be honest about this.  I am comfortable in my own dirty house. You won't hurt my feelings.


Thank you God of Birds and all things with feathers and  camouflage........  You made my day.

FALL RITUAL

January 18, 2013

I made reminder notes to myself with great intentions to tell you about closing up our pond for winter, gathering up all lawn ornaments to store inside, and planting a few spring bulbs to surprise us in April.

If you managed to accomplish some spring preparedness, I'm very proud of you.  Please tell me how you did it. You are my hero. Our yard went from this warm day...... 

                                                   to this frozen tundra.................way too fast.

Removing the pond pump:

Winterizing the pond is always a melancholy event at our house. Through the winter, Dennis and I miss the sound of the rushing water over the rocks. We say goodbye to the frogs as they pack their bags and head to Arkansas. We pull the pump from the pond and take it in the basement for storage.

I scrub the pump with a brush and spray it with the garden hose. Then I place the pump inside a 5 gallon pail and fill the pail with water. The water keeps the seals from drying out over the winter.   It is stored in the basement.  Of course it is a lot less work if you carry the pump to the basement, then carry a pail of water to the basement. Don't put the water and the pump into one pail and carry it down the stairs.  The waves in the pail start to sway as you walk down the stairs and some of the water crashes over the side and onto your pant legs and the steps. I'm just saying..............it could happen. Wear protection! 

Our fishies: Deuce, Whitey, Stubby, etc.

The goldfish are tolerant of Midwestern winters. In fall, we feed them a lower source of protein as their bodies adjust to the cooler temperatures. Once the water is fifty degrees we stop feeding until spring. When the pond begins to ice over we add an aerator and place a heater near the deep end. This assures the pond will not freeze over and allows the pond gasses to escape.  I relate this to your sibling who "passes gas" and pulls the covers over your head.................I'm just sayin'.  You get it now, don't you?

The fish begin to move slower and slower as it gets colder, until they become suspended......I call it the “fish trance.” They are feeling very s-l-e-e-p-y and remain that way until spring. Actually, I am feeling that way too.  So I'll just hang out here with my head on the keyboard until next timeeeeeeee.  No, don’t pull the covers over my head!  Ewwwww.

                                        This is the "dog trance".......

Dig it,

Mary