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Living with the seasons. I have thoughts. • In t

Living with the seasons. I have thoughts. • In the US, it’s easy for most people to stay warm and in well lit spaces and eat whatever foods they want. But your body knows better, and the animals and plants around you know better. The days now are about the shortest they will be all year. It’s getting cold outside in northeast Ohio. Men are inclined to grow beards, and animals that are outside with fur or wool are at their fullest manes. Hens stop laying eggs (I’ve gathered two eggs all week), so like all foods, they too are seasonal, despite what the LED-lit aisles at the supermarket show you. Those of us who heat with wood are in full effort now, moving the solar energy captured in wood splits from our wood stacks to our wood stoves. • It’s a time too for gratitude of the harvest. I was honored to make pies and bread, and Lordy, so many dinner rolls for so many of you for Thanksgiving. Whether you knew it or not, the eggs and flour and butter I used were all as local as possible, either from the farm or Ohio or nearby in PA. I hope your gatherings were kind and fulfilling. • Perhaps now give yourself some rest and some grace. Don’t worry about shaving your face or your legs for a while. Go to bed earlier. Sleep longer. Appreciate the foods that sustain you. Hug those you care about and listen to those who you know less well. Practice gratitude often. • Winter solstice will be here soon, the shortest days ahead. But by the 28th of December, we will gain a minute of daylight. And by the 31st, a full five minutes. By the end of January, the days will be notably longer, the hens will be laying more eggs, and the work of the new year will be calling your head, heart, and hands. Plenty of time to be busy. Let this now be a season of embracing, not racing. Of rest, mindfulness, and thankfulness.

Curry tomato sourdough loaves. One of my favorites

Curry tomato sourdough loaves. One of my favorites to make and eat. The light hit them beautifully this morning, so here are a few pics. All handmade, all organic flour.

Black bagels just in time for Halloween. I had wan

Black bagels just in time for Halloween. I had wanted to experiment with activated charcoal to make black dough, and my dear friend @taralynnmascara happened to order bagels. Being a fan of new things and the biggest fan of Halloween that I knowCm, she was down for trying these out. These are pumpkin bagels blackened with food grade activated charcoal. There is a definite grit between the molars with these, but they look cool AF. Also, if you live in North Kingsville, vote for Tara! I can't imagine a kinder, smarter, more badass Mayor than her.

Chris and I had a blast talking with Lisa Sands @c

Chris and I had a blast talking with Lisa Sands @clefoodcast about our farm, Chris's artwork, intentional living, local food, mindfulness, and more. Just through the course of the conversation, we mentioned 15 area people and businesses, which is so heartening as I reflect on our community of friends. And what a cool thing that @chefdouglaskatz sponsored the episode! Give it a listen if for no other reason than to hear Chris's ASMR voice.

@copperleafstudios with one of four new ducks that

@copperleafstudios with one of four new ducks that we welcomed to our homestead today, courtesy of the one and only @mark_winchell ! We have been connected with Mark for years through IG but today was the first time we met him in person. His energy and his homestead were even more vibrant in real life. | We are so happy to welcome these khaki campbell ducks to the farm. We have missed having ducks here! and these ducks are super sweet and calm, and wow were they happy to get into the pond!

feeling Fall in all of the sourdough. Gluten-free

feeling Fall in all of the sourdough. Gluten-free herbes de provence with stenciling. gluten-full pumpkin rosemary. country batards. all available @ashtabula_harborgardens today (except that last little batard, which Chris and I are demolishing)

My go to orchard for cat visits, winter squash, ci

My go to orchard for cat visits, winter squash, cider, and amazing apples is Kiraly's. It's about four miles from our farm, and it's been operating for 100 years. Reasonable prices, good people, and a charming 15 year old barn cat named Stubby.

You can eat local food if you make the effort, and

You can eat local food if you make the effort, and sometimes the effort is even less than going to a giant store. This breakfast is 100% local. Eggs, garlic, potatoes from the farm. Bok choy and broccoli raab from Ashtabula. Mushrooms and eggplant also from the county. Absolutely delicious and nutritious. Whatever I did not grow or raise here, I bought at @ashtabula_harborgardens If you shop there first, you can get so much local produce, cheese, grains, beans, and more, you’ll need way less at the places with glaring LED lights and PA systems.

Did some baking with @helloemkeen and to no one’

Did some baking with @helloemkeen and to no one’s surprise, she’s got mad skills. Much fun hanging with Em always.

The world is harsh enough that I try not to add sa

The world is harsh enough that I try not to add sadness to it via IG, but I also try to give you an honest view of farm life. We have life and we have death on the farm. The whole cycle happens every day. • The hen in the first video is the one who snuck off for a month and emerged from the grasses with four little peeps. A couple of nights ago she was killed by a raccoon, one of the babes too. She insisted on staying on her nest with the little ones outside, and so it is always a risk to let them do that. We were able to catch the remaining three chicks the next day, and they are safely with a dozen and a half other little ones now. • The second video is the hardest one to write about, certainly the hardest to talk about in person. My dear little Beatrice, the most charming, personable, and independent chicken I’ve ever been around was also killed by a raccoon this week. She usually slept in our outbuilding but now and then, like most bantams we’ve had, she’d want to sleep in the bushes, yielding to instinct and ancestry, I suppose. A few days ago I found her feathers scattered around, and I knew what had happened. I saved a few of them; if you met her, you know that her feathers were magnificent. I still listen for her chatter when I go outside, and I don’t imagine that will fade anytime soon. She was a sweet and sassy, loving and curious soul in a tiny chicken body. I loved her quite a lot and will miss her dearly.

How about a day to give yourself some time away fr

How about a day to give yourself some time away from everything and rest and restore your mind and body? How about making connections with amazing people? How about bread bowls with hearty soup, sourdough pizzas, and a campfire with s’mores? How about yoga and mindfulness with @helloemkeen and qigong with @mindsetguidancewithpaul and a sound bath with @mc_yoga_and_sound ? How about meeting some baby chicks and adorable new sheep? How about time with the wondrous @copperleafstudios ? • Sept 16th is the day. Our farm is the place. We are hosting our second ever Mind and Body retreat and we have two spots that just opened up. Initially this retreat was sold out entirely to people on our waiting list from the first retreat. Link in my bio to my website will get you to the links for more info and to signup. And because one of our goals is to make these affordable, we maintained the early bird pricing for y’all. • DM me if you have any questions. It’s going to be a great time!

We love living in Ashtabula county. There are so m

We love living in Ashtabula county. There are so many good people, such marvelous food, the gorgeous lake, the wide open skies, the relative lack of light pollution, the willingness of people to have real conversations, the entrepreneurial hustle that does not rip nature to shreds, and so often on the weekends for us, the wineries, which typify many of my previous points. @kosicekvineyards is one of our faves. Marvelous people, kind and welcoming family, delicious and varied wines, calm vibe, and sunflowers. Like 50,000 of them this year. So many pollinators. So much beauty. We are grateful.

Four beautiful Icelandic sheep arrived at the farm

Four beautiful Icelandic sheep arrived at the farm today! I know they look like goats, but they are Icelandic sheep. Kinda a goat-influenced sheep. The one with the biggest horns is the Mom, Chicory. The one that looks like her with the slightly smaller horns is Chickadee. The one with the blackened eyes is Comfrey, and the one who won’t look at the camera is Yarrow. Many thanks to Kyla and Beth from @oxboworchardohio for not only raising them, but also delivering them along with useful pointers and snacks too. • I’m absolutely giddy that they love mugwort! I could weep. • Much learning and much sweet sheepness ahead!

Cuteness overload for your evening scroll. Sound u

Cuteness overload for your evening scroll. Sound up to hear these four chicks and their very protective and watchful momma. Just hatched three days ago in a thicket of asters and golden rod, these four are already dinner time champs. Chris said they came up the sidewalk looking for me to bring out snacks. It worked.

@copperleafstudios and I were so excited when @hel

@copperleafstudios and I were so excited when @helloemkeen came up with the idea of Fall Yoga at the Farm. Yoga on the platform in your flannel and then a campfire to make connections and have some hot chocolate or cider. Come hang out, get centered and stretch, and meet some fab people. I’ll put a link in my stories or you can go to Em’s website emkeen.com) Chris and I will be out there on our mats right along with you!

It’s been a magical week on the farm with 13 chi

It’s been a magical week on the farm with 13 chicks hatched in the incubator, five of them this morning alone. Truly a miracle to see something alive emerge from an egg just sitting in a hot box for a month. It’s been fun for @copperleafstudios and me to finally hatch birds at the farm and have a connection to them from day one. And having @helloemkeen here with us, with her boundless sense of wonder and gratitude, has been beyond fulfilling. • Hopefully Peaches, Chippy, Madge, Butters, Ruth, Laverne, and Shirley all turn out to be hens and not crowing machines. But time will tell. First we’ve got five more chicks to name and lots of TLC to deliver.

Sound up to hear the thousands of bees in the pige

Sound up to hear the thousands of bees in the pigeon peas. This is one of the most incredible things we experience on the farm every year. No other native plant we grow attracts bees like these do.

It was a meal and evening to remember @denas_table

It was a meal and evening to remember @denas_table last night. @copperleafstudios have admired Dena’s food and farm from afar for a while now, and so we were thrilled when she announced her first farm to table dinner. The food was so delicious and the conversation so good at the table that I forgot to take any pictures of the stunning tomato galette, or crunchy salad, the fried green tomatoes or potato salad, the marvelous fried chicken from @fairviewmeadowfarm cooked perfectly by @drcoryfisher, and certainly the berry shortbread and sweet corn ice cream that Chris nor I will ever forget eating. Absolutely incredible. • It was a delight to meet Lilly and Michael, and certainly Bey and all of the other beautiful chickens. The barn is magical and the silo is dreamy. I’m a sucker for the strong grace of a barn basement ceiling, and this one did not disappoint. Also, the garden is gorgeous and somehow weed-free. Where they find the time for such upkeep I’ll never know. • What struck me in conversation was that every single person adored and admired Dena. They all raved about her cooking but even more about her warmth. What a gem of a human. • Congrats on a beautiful, soul- and belly-filling event, Dena! Much love to you.

A week ago we held our first ever Mind and Body re

A week ago we held our first ever Mind and Body retreat at the farm. I still struggle with words to describe the, well, I don’t know what to call it. The service, the healing, the connection, the energy, the Love. When I was a kid, I lived through some trauma and would not tell anyone I loved them for years. It was a protective act. I know that now. I was a kid and then teenager and then young adult back when therapy was not a thing. So you worked through it. Or you don’t. I did with a lot of people who loved me unconditionally. • Fast forward to last weekend. So many people I’d never met in real life. So many helpers. So many healers. So many people who loved everyone around them instantly. I so often thought of my Mom, who loved people so easily, and how she would have adored the 545am conversations I stumbled upon when I went to let the chickens out, the laughter over food, the hugs and hugs and hugs • People needed this day, these connections, this Love. I did. I felt it. I healed along with everyone else. • The two souls in this picture, though, on the night before the retreat. They made it happen. @helloemkeen with her brilliant light that shines Love and vulnerability on everyone she meets. And @copperleafstudios who is undeniable when she has a vision and who has Loved me through some hard days in a way my Mom would have marveled at. Much love and much respect, Em and Chris. You two, wow. The power. The connection. The Love. Here’s to more and more and more.

Happy birthday and happy anniversary to my brillia

Happy birthday and happy anniversary to my brilliant, gorgeous, powerhouse wife, best friend, everything: Chris. You deserve all of the love you receive today and every day because you give of yourself so freely to all of us. You make everyone better and you help us all see our beauty and strength. Today, it is all about you and yours! Whether in a covered wagon or a potato patch, on a tall ship or spending time with my beloved dog Sammy, I’ve loved you more every day in every situation. And 10 years ago, to share our vows both written and shared through our gaze, was a moment that will be in my heart and soul forever. Happy birthday and happy 10th anniversary @copperleafstudios @make_something_meaningful Girl in the Gray Sweater and every other brilliant incarnation you have. Endless love for you.

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