"Peek a Boo!"

Ahhh, no fun, my camera pooped out on me, so you are just going to have to take my word for it that it is a beautiful day for hiking...I LOVE this time of year! When the leaves are gone  you can see so much more of the terrain and the wild life,   nothing quite compares to playing " Peek Boo" with a Trumpeter Swan!

Here are some cool links that will give you an idea of how we farm here  and make cheese. There are three short videos (average about 7 minutes each) and  one very nicely written article on LoveTree courtesy of Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, enjoy!

http://mspmag.com/Eat-And-Drink/Articles/Features/The-Cheese-Artist/

Part One: Dave and the Animals at LoveTree

http://youtu.be/QkZZ0FjBrmQ

Part Two, the Cheese Making Episode

http://youtu.be/ft1vRGg4a5s

 Part Three:  The Aging cave From Milk To Masterpiece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdc5JppZXo

Also, nothing spurns on a weightloss program as fast as watching one's self
on video...I'm now down 10 pounds and  have 20 more to go, and Dave is down
14lbs with about 20 more to go....:-)

Essential Ingredients: Hard Work and Playtime!

We've  been very blessed  this year to have rain..

Rain makes it possible for our sweet Wisconsin pastures to grow and nourish the sheep, cows and goats.

Fresh grass makes good feed which makes great milk!

It takes a lot of time and labor to move the animals back and forth each day for milking. Fences have to be moved to good grass, and  loose animals have to be caught and persuaded to move to  where you want them to go.

Emma taking the cows back to pasture  

We cant safely graze the animals in this region without the help of our Livestock Guardian Dogs. They help to keep the livestock safe from creatures such as coyotes, wolves, bears, and even the occasional cougar.

Xena, our "grand dam" (13 years old) with her recent  surprise litter of two, nestled into her hillside den

All work and no fun makes for a boring summer! Emma decided to give Peng (our intern from China) a lesson on the finer points of paddle boating at a local lake.

  The swimming is best enjoyed from a platform in the middle of the lake where the lily pads don't get in the way.

Hard work and playtime are both essential  for creating a quality product and a life of quality!

Pizza By the Pond Opens This Sunday..May 13th, Mother's Day!!!!

                
lookin' for.... 'shrooms, fiddle heads, and ramps



I went  " 'shroomin" yesterday...looking for morels.....

 Not here, or it seems , anywhere else I looked. I'm not sure if with this weird weather it is too late or too early.
 However, I did see  some Jack in the Pulpit starting to unfold their cloaks

Since I was striking out with the morels, I figured I would check the bog  to see how the fiddle heads were coming along. I expected to find this 

Instead I was shocked to find this:

Acckkkk!!!
 Three weeks ago I couldn't even find any ferns beginning to emerge and now they are exploding open overnight!
I'll be lucky if I can harvest enough young fiddle heads  for a couple of weeks worth of "Pizza By The Pond" before they all decide to flaunt their green feathers....sigh.

Oh well, the wood nettles arent  quite up yet, and the watercress is just beginning to sprout in the creek...I just never know what I will find  and when, I guess that's what makes wild harvesting most interesting, a bit frustrating....and fun!

The "Uber Beast" Lives!

Here's a sneak preview of what we have been working on this early spring with the aim of  opening up for Pizza By The Pond on May 13th (Mothers Day!)

The first firing of the "Uber Beast!"

All of the stone used in "The Uber Beast"was collected off of our farm and neighboring farms.

Paul Marek (Layers of Stone) surveys his latest work of art. 

We'll post more photos as our "Improvement Project nears completion, hopefully  within the next week!

Drought Continues.......sigh.

The drought continues, whatever snow base we had melted down to slush yesterday...bummer.
We are going to be closed for Pizza By The Pond  at least through February 12.
Please check back for  updates.

No Snow!

Due to No Snow.....Pizza By The Pond will be closed this Sunday (January 15th) Keep checking back!!! :-)

Sunday is Pizza Day!!!!!!

According to the latest weather forecast Sunday is supposed to be AWESOME!!!!!!! Barely a breeze and SUNNY  SUNNY SUNNY!!!!  Our sledding hill should survive today's warmer temps since it is north facing, and there MIGHT be enough snow for cross country skiing for the independent spirit, the trails don't have  enough snow to have them groomed, but this  old snow is definitely packed!  We will have the fire cranked up in the "Grotto" to help keep the chill off, and of course the "Beast" (pizza oven) will be hot and   glowing! Remember...  the Grotto is a warming hut to take  the winter chill off for outdoor   re-creationist's but it is  still basically outdoors. During these warmer days we can get  the Grotto up to approx 45-50F, so dress for it.  If you can keep your feet warm, it is surprising how the rest of you is automatically much more comfortable, bring those little "toe warmer" packets if you got 'em!

Even if there isn't enough snow left for cross country skiing, it is still a GORGEOUS time to hike through the refuge since there is only a couple of inches of snow, and most of that is packed tight.

The local river and some of the lakes still have some open water which means that birds like the Bald Eagles, Trumpeter Swans and Canada Geese haven't migrated. If they aren't here on the property you may be able to catch glimpses of them  just down the road  near the Trade River... you may also be able to catch a glimpse of the resident otters,  so bring your hiking boots and camera, and of course...your appetite!