Villa Mir Farm

Buy Your Holiday Tree at Villa Mir Farm

2011-11-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

At Villa Mir Farm, you'll find cut-your-own Christmas trees in a natural setting and in their natural state. Trees with character. Trees that haven't been overly pruned or coerced into perfect cone shapes. Trees that have been nurtured to their full natural beauty.

You'll find interesting varieties: Colorado Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir and White Pine. Trees are choose and cut your own, though grower Paul Kovac will help you with the process. Price is $5/foot up to 8 feet. There are even 20+ foot trees available. Hours are 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday starting Nov. 26, or anytime by appt. if you call 440-285-3629. 10260 Chardon Rd., 44024.

Go green. Buy local. It's easy.

Starting anew...Tomato Season 2011

2011-08-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been letting Laura carry the load on this blog for too long now! As Don and I are now full-time living at VMF and many new projects are accomplished and underway, it's time I stepped up again and started blogging. Hoping to get an actual website up as well in the not too distant future (if I can pry Michael away from the musician crowd!)

OK, a short riff on tomatoes, which are on my mind. Every year I strategize about how to get tomatoes to ripen early - say mid-July. No matter what I try, seems like that first red one just shows up the first week in August, and things only start going gangbusters by the middle of the month. Our daily basket from the garden is looking something like this now - peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. I have 8 different varieties of tomatoes, all shapes, colors and sizes in this year's garden: Roma's and San Marzano's for sauce and canning; Marglobe and Beefmaster for slicing and salads; Green Zebra, Hillbilly and Black Krim heirlooms; and Sweet 100 cherries.

Everyone knows there is nothing like a fresh garden tomato in August. In fact, I just decided this year that there is no point whatsoever in buying tomatoes out of season in the store, because you just can't get anything close the real thing - I don't care if it's hothouse, certified organic, shipped overnight from Israel. Just can't duplicate it!

You can, however, keep some of that fabulous tomato flavor going in the off season, with this little sauce that is quick and easy and good both when its made and from the freezer. Start with about 8-10 good sized tomatoes, maybe 5 lb. Canning or sauce tomatoes are best, but you can use some salad or beefsteaks as well. Wash well, but no need to peel. Cut into thick slices and spread into one layer in a large glass (or non-reactive metal) baking dish. Drizzle with 3 Tb good olive oil, sprinkle generously with crushed rosemary, Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast uncovered in 425 degree oven. After about 30 minutes, check tomatoes - you want all the water to evaporate, leaving the oil to heat and lightly caramelize the tomatoes. The last few minutes are the most critical not to burn them! Check every 5 minutes until the liquid in the pan is getting thick and the tomatoes are really starting to brown (but not burn) around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool.

While the tomatoes are cooking, take a head of garlic. Remove loose covering, but don't peel. Cut the top off to expose the tops of the cloves and place on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap the whole head tightly in the foil. Roast in a 350 degree oven (I use my toaster oven for this) for about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and peel the soft roasted garlic cloves out of their wrappers. Add about half the head (or to taste) to the tomato sauce and mash with a fork to distribute.

This sauce is wonderful on fresh pasta, with just a little cheese. I like to freeze it in dinner-size blocks using a little square container, then pop the frozen squares out and keep them in a large bag in the freezer until I'm ready to use. I can tomatoes, too, but find this easier than canning because you can do a small batch at a time. Also, the roasting really concentrates the tomato flavor - see if you don't think so when you sit down to a bowl of pasta with this sauce in January! Close your eyes - you'll think it's August!

www.paulkovac.com

2011-08-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

Paul Kovac finally has a website that highlights his many talents, thanks to his nephew Michael Valentine for programming and Will Cheshire for the design. Go to www.paulkovac.com and check it out!

Farm & Fun Time Turns 30!

2011-07-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Kovac family has had a long tradition of hosting social events starting with Paul and Caroline Sorn Kovac. They purchased Villa Mir Farm in 1950 and had many parties and picnics to celebrate friends, family and their beautiful property. The tradition continued when their son, Paul, started hosting an annual summer party for friends, family and musicians called Farm & Fun Time. This year Farm & Fun celebrates it's 30th birthday. Anyone who has attended a party and has memories or photos to share can do so at a facebook page called "Farm & Fun Time, in Chardon Ohio" created for that purpose.

New tractor

2011-06-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

Carol and Don are now the proud owners of a new, 38-horsepower Kubota with a brush hog and a front-end loader! Meanwhile, the chickens are enjoying a new roost and getting out in the yard.

Villa Mir Looses Nessie

2011-05-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

There are heavy hearts on the farm. Even as Villa Mir is bursting with the life of new leaves, mating turkeys, herds of deer and the sounds of tree frogs at night, the life of our dear Nessie has been extinguished.

Nessie was not yet a year old and was just starting to come into her training, loved going out to work with the tractor, and was enjoying getting to know the new chickens. But she loved to run and had adrenaline surges that her training couldn't over come. The lure of racing cars on Rt. 6 was a constant danger to Nessie and has claimed the lives of many beloved pets over the years, both on the farm and on neighboring properties.

Nessie will be remembered for her loving and playful nature, and I'll miss her constant companionship.

New Folk Festival Comes to NEO

2011-04-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 7 for a day of great folk music in Kirtland. All the info you need is at blueskyfolkfest.com!

Thinking of Debbie

2011-03-31T04:31:00.000-07:00

Debbie Nims played with Clear Fork Bluegrass Band in the early days. Villa Mir Farm sends condolences on her loss. Harley Allen and his inimitable song writing will be missed by many.

Signs of Spring

2011-03-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Spring has been stirring at Villa Mir Farm, or rather Carol has been! The weather has been cooperating to produce some nice sap runs and Carol decided to seize the opportunity to revisit exactly what's involved in making maple syrup. After crafting an outside fire pit and spending a day boiling down sap, she had a nice pint to show for it. Careful, Carol, that's how our own Scott Hoffman got started as a kid and now look at his operation! Maybe Jack and his friend Kirby, who joined Carol long enough to roast some marshmallows, will be inspired to take up the craft.

Meanwhile, plans for fresh eggs are in the offing with the arrival of baby chicks. They're happy in their little box right now, but those Chardon Chicks will soon be grazing on Villa Mir grass.

Farewell to a Friend of Many

2011-02-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

Cleveland lost a special member of the music community recently. Martin Juredine, who ran the Barking Spider, was loved by many and the community he created at his establishment is an ever growing family. As Paul Kovac said in an article for the Cleveland Scene:

“Martin’s vision was to build a community of people that’s inclusive, not exclusive. The Barking Spider is like a physical manifestation of Martin’s idea, his social experiment if you will. I live 45 minutes from the place, and it’s my local bar. I’ve traveled all over the country and to Europe, and have never found a place like it. Here you are with doctors and lawyers and students and musicians and street people, and we’re all part of this club.”

Here are a few of many tributes to Martin Juredine.

Tim Brennan's Blog

Cleveland Scene Magazine

Chardon Shindig at Jasmine Dragons

2011-01-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

If you like to clog or play old-time music, come to the Chardon Shindig on Sunday, January 30.

From 1-2 p.m. there will be a clogging workshop with Laura Lewis Kovac covering the basics and moving on to advanced steps. Then from 2-4 p.m. Paul Kovac will host an old-time jam session and the dancing will continue. Cost is a $5 donation to cover the facility rental. Munchies and listeners are welcome!

Jasmine Dragons, located at 111 Main Street on Chardon Square, is a space that "creates and explores the science and health of balance inside and out of you and your body." Check out their website for more info.

Let it Snow!

2011-01-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Chardon is famous for being the buckle of the snow belt in northeast Ohio. Carol discovered this website that tracks snowfall in our beloved little town. So far, this winter is proving to be a good one for the white stuff!

Nessie Makes the Cut in Animals of YouTube Video!

2010-12-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Our border collie Nessie made it into this great holiday video! She appears at about 1:13 minutes. Happy Holidays, everyone, and thanks to those who came to the farm to buy their Christmas trees!

Villa Mir Featured in Newspot on Snow

2010-12-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

By: Dave Arnold, WEWS News

GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio - Folks in Geauga County are used to huge snowfalls and find that it's pointless to complain. Knowing that it's going to be a few long months before any possible warm weather relief, many embrace the beauty and make the best of it.

Chardon Township resident Paul Kovac operates a Christmas tree farm on his 82-acre farm that has been with the family for decades. He uses the property for cross country skiing during the winter with friends, as well. He often finds it tiring to hear the seasonal complaints about the winter weather.

"There are plenty of people who complain about the weather. If you're driving through it, I understand that, but if you live in Geauga County, you learn to embrace it. We make maple syrup and I grow Christmas trees. That's a good way to sell Christmas trees...have a little snow on them. Of course, skiing...it gets you out in the fresh air and it's a way to embrace winter," said Kovac.

Businesses making money on a good snow storm, like Alpine Valley Ski Resort in Munson Township, has owner George Shaffer excited about its opening day next week. This snowfall has helped build a top-notch base for the areas rabid skiiers.

"Why sit in the house by a warm fire when you can be out here enjoying this beautiful snow, just look at the depth we have," Shaffer said.

But the local Geauga County snowfall depth seems to have fallen on Burton much harder than most.

"It was catastrophic. I've been here 20 years. I have never seen snowflakes that big and so intense. You couldn't see the water tower, we couldn't hardly see the traffic going by," said the owner of The GunRunner gun store Scott Weber.

As often happens after a large storm, Burton saw the sun come out today, which made for another picture postcard Geauga County day.

Buying a Christmas Tree at Villa Mir is Good for the Sole

2010-12-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

Have Yourself a Simple Little Christmas

2010-12-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Kovac family has always believed in homemade gifts from the heart. Recently the Cleveland Plain Dealer interviewed Jan Oakley and Paul Kovac about Christmases past. Read the article here.

Free-Range Christmas Trees

2010-11-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sound funny? At Villa Mir Farm, you'll find a select amount of cut-your-own Christmas trees in a natural setting and in their natural state. Paul Kovac grows trees with character. Trees that haven't been overly pruned or coerced into perfect cone shapes. Trees that have been nurtured to their full natural beauty.

You'll find interesting varieties: Colorado Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir and White Pine. Trees are choose and cut your own, though Paul will help you with the process. Price is $5/foot up to 8 feet. There are even a couple 20+ foot trees available. Hours are 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday starting Nov. 28, or anytime by appt. if you call 440-285-3629. 10260 Chardon Rd., 44024.

Go green. Buy local. It's easy.

The Great Geauga County Fair

2010-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to The Great Geauga County Fair and had a blast as usual. Started in 1823 and each Labor Day Weekend, the fair features more than 13,000 exhibits. Here are just a few!

Racoon County Music Festival

2010-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Racoon County Music Festival was held on August 14 to the delight of festival goers. There were a wide range of bands performing, with the Joya de Mexico being newcomers and a great hit. When showers interrupted their performance, the band played inside acoustically and sounded terrific. Always great fun was the fiddle contest with the Kovacs sweeping the competition and taking home first and second place! You can check out photos on Racoon's facebook page.

Villa Mir Gets a New Puppy!

2010-08-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Nessie, a border collie named after Scotland's Loch Ness Monster, came to Villa Mir Farm a few weeks ago. She came tail wagging and eager to make friends with the gang of critters already here.

Cheap Thrills

2010-08-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

There are still a few places where you can take the whole family out for less than $25 as we recently did when we went to the Mayfield Drive In in our 1980 Ford pickup truck. The truck used to belong to Pop Lewis and it’s now a workhorse on the farm. But put a van seat and some mattresses in the back and it makes for great movie seating under the stars. We thought we had it good, but there was another family who brought their RV complete with party lights for the triple feature!

Farm & Fun Time 2010

2010-07-30T14:21:00.001-07:00

We had great weather for Farm & Fun Time this year... just a little rain on Friday to settle the dust and then a gorgeous sunny day to follow.

A great crew showed up for the work days; more people camped Friday-Sunday; the 10th annual softball game was a hoot: the fire works were better than ever thanks to Rick and Joe; and Will's addition of a laser light show was a huge hit.

Thanks to everyone for their contributions large and small. We're already looking forward to next year's party, which will be the 30th anniversary of Farm & Fun Time!

Here are a few photos with hopefully more to come.

Farm & Fun Work Day

2010-06-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Friends and neighbors came to help get the farm in shape for Farm & Fun Time. Here are some photos from the day. Thanks, everyone!

Concerts on the Square in Chardon

2010-06-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Clearfork Bluegrass Band kicked off Chardon's Friday night concert series on the square. Visit Chardon's calendar for the summer concert schedule.

South River Vineyard

2010-06-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we piled into the car for a trip to up the 'northcoast' to visit some nurseries and get a bite to eat. On the way back, we stumbled upon a winery Paul had heard about. South River Winery is in an old church which was moved and rebuilt in stunning fashion. Check out their website and drop by for a visit if you're in the area.

Maple Festival Time

2010-04-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Maple Festival. Went Friday night for 'dinner.' Later that night there was an incident on one of the rides. No one was seriously hurt, but it brought the reporters out on Saturday and Jack managed to get in the shot (he shows up at around 40 seconds and adopts the Mom being interviewed).

We also ran into the Hiram Rapid Stumblers, who were busking (or basking) underneath the glow of the Geauga Cinema sign.

More on Eggs

2010-04-25T16:35:00.001-07:00

Villa Mir Farm is situated next to a large Catholic cemetery called All Souls. I often go for walks there to enjoy the beautiful grounds and to also visit Paul and Caroline Kovac among other departed friends. After visiting Eggshelland at Easter, I couldn't help but notice these lovely handcrafted crosses - made out of egg cartons. I bet they were put there by a Slovenian or some other frugal immigrant. I also liked this cross made out of rushes.

We've had a lovely, cool spring in Northeast Ohio. A little too cool for some, as the snow on these lupines illustrates.

Eggshelland!

2010-04-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Eggshelland is in full bloom in Lyndhurst, a suburb of Cleveland. A film about this quirky Easter tradition was just released. Watch the trailer or drop by to see the display if you live in the Cleveland area: 1031 Linden Lane, Lyndhurst, OH 44124.

More Winter Fun

2010-03-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

The sun is warming and the snow is melting. But before winter goes, here are some photos from our neighbor town, Burton, Ohio.

It's Winter, So Enjoy It!

2010-02-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

If you live in Chardon, OH, you're better off if you like Winter and get outside and enjoy it. Villa Mir Farm is ideal for cross country skiing, and the kids did build themselves an igloo a ways back, but this guy in Aquilla has taken igloo building to an extreme. If it keeps snowing, I hope he'll keep adding on!

Giant Igloo

Gingerbread House Traditions

2009-12-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

Caroline Kovac started a holiday tradition in the 1960s that lives on today with her family. She'd make a gingerbread house from scratch using a pattern from the Duffy-Mott Company, which she passed onto her children Carol, Fran and Paul. In 2002 Fran made one for her niece and newphew, Helen and Jack. I've made one every year since and now make smaller ones for Helen and Jack to decorate.

A big part of the Kovac tradition is smashing the house on New Year's Day. We had a holiday party last weekend and smashed the houses in grand fashion as the video below shows. You can also listen to one of the party's jam sessions if you like.

Yesterday we went to see the gingerbread houses on display at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. They were quite spectacular as you can see in this photo album.

For those interested in gingerbread house making, there's quite a bit available on the web. And for those who love architecture, the WebUrbanist has photos of some great houses, as does the site inhabitat, which features some truly wonderful modern inspired houses -- make sure you check out the detailed photos.

Maybe next year I'll venture away from the Duffy-Mott pattern and try something more involved. But then again, if it's just going to be smashed, I might not!

Paranormal Apparently Normal

2009-12-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

I couldn't believe it when I read this article in the Geauga Times Courier about a group seeking permission to conduct paranormal investigations in a cemetery off of Mentor Road. After recovering from reading the article I decided to do a search for more about the urban legend the group was investigating and was surprised to find info on Wikipedia and also a site called Creepy Cleveland. Brace yourself, Carol. Or maybe you haunt these sites on a regular basis.

Tis the Season

2009-11-25T04:02:00.000-08:00

If your to do list includes buying a Christmas Tree, consider Villa Mir Farm! We've got cut-your-own Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, White Pines and even balled trees, wreaths and greens to choose from. The trees have been allowed to fulfill their full, natural beauty rather than being overly pruned to a conform to commercial standards and the rustic farm setting can't be beat.

And if baking is also on your list, consider starting a Gingerbread House tradition. You can get more than you need on that at this link.

Great Place to Live

2009-10-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Nice film clip about Geauga County being one of Forbes best places in the US to live.

Belated Farm 'n Fun Pix

2009-09-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Don's sister, Phyllis Valentine, took some great pix at Farm 'n Fun this year. She really captured the spirit of the musicians and the enjoyment by young and old of this great party! Link to all her pix here. Thanks, Phyllis!

What Makes the Great Geauga County Fair Great

2009-09-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

The crowds

The livestock exhibits

The entertainment

The rides

The tractor displays

The remnants of an old-fashioned freak show

The arcades

The cheesy prizes at the arcades

The tacky merchandise for sale

The democratic party's talking donkey

The dahlia competition

The 'Fine Arts' exhibit (which redefines 'fine' and 'arts')

The domestic arts exhibits

A piece of bread with a blue ribbon on it

Rows of colorful canned goods

'The Hay Show'

The tallest sunflower

The biggest pumpkin

Information on common weeds

Free dopies of The Farm & Dairy

The library's used book sale

The draft horse pulls

The hand sanitizer outside the barns

The giant cow statue

Your choice of food... fried: french fries, fried cheese, fried dough, fried pickles

The Grange Hall food stands

The Junior Fair milkshakes

The Great Geauga County Fair Band

The Geauga Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band

Lame cloggers

Seeing friends and neighbors

The Amish

The hot air balloon launch

Sky divers

Dave Jenkins and his Border Collies

The Monster Truck Show that I'll go to when they switch to hybrids

The fire department water battles

The livestock auction

The All Animal Costume Contest

The dust

Walking 'til you have blisters

Villa Mir Outhouse Makes Headlines

2009-08-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

This spring the Cleveland Plain Dealer called for readers to send in photos of their charming garden sheds. We think our shed has character of its own sort. We found it on a farm up the road where cult leader Jeffery Lundgren carried out some grusome murders back in 1989. The outhouse was back behind a barn that was torn down a while ago. Now the house is also gone and a church has been built on the infamous property. The outhouse from that farm has survived and now serves as our garden shed. You can read the PD article here.

The Square is Alive, With the Sound of Music

2009-08-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently did a story on Chardon's Monday evening jams. The article brought out droves of new pickers and listeners... so much so that the police received a complaint.Seems that a group which was required to have a permit to gather on the square thought the pickers should have to apply for a permit as well. Problem is, there's no official organization or leader :) So the tunes will continue!

You can read the Plain Dealer article here as well as view some video. (The photo here was taken by Tom Ondrey of the PD.) The Maple Leaf also did an article and if you sign up for an account, you can read that here.

Pool Painting Party!

2009-06-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again when the pool gets cleaned out. The draining of the water and shoveling of the muck happened a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately there was no cement work necessary and today an eager gang made short work of the painting.

We've had cool weather so far this spring, but temps are suppose to be more summer like toward the end of this week, so the spring-fed cooooold water will be great relief on hot days.

Fiddlin' Around

2009-06-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had picture perfect weather for the Raccoon County Folk Festival. Organized by Pete McDonald and some other folks it's a great local event for the music community held at a lovely setting in Burton. If you've never been, make it a point to go next year.

Each year there's a fiddle contest where you can hear a wide variety of styles. This year the first place prize was taken by multi-instrumentalist Zach Smolko of Helper T-Cell fame. Who knew such a zaney musician could also fiddle so well.

Farther afield, the summer got off to a great start when Paul, Laura, Helen and Jack took off to the Mt. Airy Fiddler's convention in North Carolina. Helen and her friend Lila played tunes together for the first time. After playing a tune through once or twice, they decided they were rehearsed enough to compete on the big stage. Let's hope they have many more tune sessions to look forward to.

Tree Planting!

2009-04-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of ways to plant a tree - some easy and some hard.

Last fall we hired a guy with a tree spade to move a nice maple to the front of our house. Call us impatient, but we'll enjoy it's leaves and shade this summer. See the clip below.

But not all trees go up quickly. Each spring Paul orders seedlings to replenish his supply of Christmas trees. There are plots all over the farm. Here are some photos of him planting in front of our house (Villa Mir II).

In the Home Stretch!

2009-04-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Carol was at the farm for two weeks late March to early April to help along the finishing touches on the old house. Here's a long overdue gallery of photos of the renovation.

Local Food in Washington

2009-03-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

I'm so pleased to see the Obama family setting the national tone for the value in small-scale farming and gardening. Link...

Knitting on the Square

2009-02-09T07:12:00.001-08:00

The News Herald has done a nice story about Kate Jackson's shop, Knitting on the Square. We're fortunate to have such a great store in Chardon - I can't go in there without buying something. And there's a cozy spot right by the front window where there are always people knitting away and chatting about whatever comes to mind. I haven't availed myself of that yet, but I plan to whenever I get a free moment while I'm in town. I only hope a shop like this can survive in the current economic climate. Her yarns and books are not cheap - they are lush and gorgeous and like the puppies and kittens at the pound, they whine at you from the shelf, "Add me to your stash, please!" Impossible to resist. So hopefully, the clientele will continue, because, as they say, life is too short to knit with bad yarn! Thanks, Kate!

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

2009-02-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been pretty lax about posting lately. Have been in Ohio once since the accident - picking up my car in early January. I hitched a ride with Mike on his way back to school in Pittsburgh - he was kind enough to go out of his way to drop me off. House is looking good - photos after my next trip which is mid-February.

Anyway - a post. Paul gave me a dvd for Christmas which we just got around to watching. Its called "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" and is an autobiographical story of a somewhat wacky Illinois farmer who struggled to keep his family farm and eventually turns it into a CSA farm. "Angelic Organics" is the name of the farm, for those of you who live in the Chicago area you may want to check it out.

The film itself is touching - narrated by farmer John Peterson, it has wonderful real characters (love his mom!) and lots of video from his childhood that talks about the old-timers. The clash between John's counter-culture lifestyle and friends and the locals is both scary and amusing. The 'bug video' is funny as hell! Very 'helper T-cell-esque'! Here's a trailer, and if you want to see the whole movie, you can get it on neflix. Thanks, Paul!!

Carol 1, Deer 0 - Car? Don't ask!

2008-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

My planned week in Ohio started - literally - with a bang. Driving last Wednesday on Route 80 just after dark, and about 75 miles from the Ohio state line, a good-sized doe leaped out just in front of my car, giving me no time to even think about avoiding the collision. I hit the animal at high speed, head on - deploying both airbags and crushing the front of my car. Scary, but I was not seriously hurt, and I'm grateful for that. It was the longest tow I've ever had -150 miles to get to the farm in Chardon, a long time to be talkin' about the weather with the towtruck guy.

State Farm is my insurer - and they've been just fantastic! Their approved repair facility is right in Chardon, they've handled everything quickly and sympathetically. I won't have a car for three weeks, but other than that, considering how much worse it could have been, I'm pretty happy. It is important to note that collision insurance does not cover deer accidents - they are considered an 'act of God' and only covered under comprehensive insurance. Which, I, fortunately, had.

So of course, I've just gotta look up some facts about deer-car accidents. Pennsylvania ranks third in number of car-deer collisions in 2008, according to the State Farm website. West Virginia is first. There are more than 1.5M accidents involving deer in the US every year and 150 fatalities. (I'm assuming those are human fatalities, they don't say how many deer are killed!) State Farm says don't waste your money on deer whistles for your car - they don't work. Most accidents happen in the evening, between 6 and 9pm - and November and early December, which is both mating season for deer and hunting season, is the most common time of year that collisions happen.

Anyway, glad to be safe. Be careful out there!

Robotic Farming

2008-11-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

An article in the NY Times discusses the challenges of building robots that have the capability to sense and respond. Turns out its much harder than researchers thought and there are only a few areas where such robots are a reality. One area that may prove promising is robots for gardening.

"In Dr. Rus’s advanced robotics class, students are designing a robotics garden, a plot of a half-dozen or so tomato plants serviced entirely by robots. Next to each plant is a wireless router that measures soil humidity every 10 seconds and is programmed with a computer model of how tomato plants grow. That information is conveyed to surveillance robots that wheel around the perimeter of the plot on Roomba-style bases, each bearing a metal arm threaded through with a watering tube, a camera to track the relative ruddiness of the fruits, and a pincered hand for weeding, cleaning away dead leaves and plucking off the tomatoes as they ripen.

A plant can call a robot over and complain that its soil is not moist enough, Dr. Rus said. Or a salad-minded person may solicit the system, saying, I need some tomatoes. Find the ripest five, pick them and set them aside.

The project is in its early stages, and the students are still ironing out some kinks in their robots and routers. But Dr. Rus’s hopes are high. As she sees it, the agricultural industry, with its backbreaking tasks and its reliance on pesticides and fertilizers, could use the methodical touch of a robot tuned to hear the plants cry. "

I got to get me some of them! Wonder if they make blueberry-picking robots?

Christmas before Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Christmas tree stands were in business in town this weekend, joining the many who start the holiday season earlier and earlier. But I have to admit I'm just as guilty as I've been spending time preparing to make the traditional Kovac gingerbread house.

I've learned from experience that I have to start Thanksgiving weekend in order to complete the house without staying up to all hours of the night. But this year I've started thinking about it earlier as I'm teaching a workshop at the kids' school. We'll see what the turn out for the class is, but if we have enough entries we should have quite a time smashing them all afterwards - another part of the Kovac family tradition.

Here's a video to enjoy set to an old-time tune by the name of "Breakin' Up Christmas." And if you want some info on how to make a gingerbread house, visit my new Fun Traditions blog that I've set up in preparation for the class. The instructions aren't there yet, but they will be soon.

Carol's adding her two cents: Great post - love the video! Yes, those gingerbread houses were a lot of fun - first making them. The icing is key - it has to be stiff enough to hold together and set up, but not so stiff you can't get it through a pastry tube. Mom always used to make a big drama out of putting the house together - would it stand up? would the roof slide off? Then it would be used as decoration through the holiday, and finally - on New Years Day - we kids would get to break it down. Neighborhood kids were invited too and it looked pretty much like in the video. Along with Laura and Fran, I also kept the tradition alive - here's an old photo with me, David and Elizabeth with one of our fine houses. Now its time for me to start with the grandkids! Thanks for the post!

First Serious Snow

2008-11-17T08:18:00.001-08:00

Chardon got its first serious snow of the winter yesterday, though it doesn't look too bad to me on the Geauga TV webcam, which gives a photo of Chardon square updated every 30 seconds or so. Although the snow is expected to continue into tomorrow, and possibly an accumulation of 10 inches, the News Herald said, "the precipitation seemed to be more of an inconvenience than a cataclysm". Northeast Ohio has seen some pretty bad snow in early November, most notably the lake effect storm of 1996, which dropped about 70 inches of snow over the course of several days around Veterans Day. I remember Mom telling me and Don to bring our boots for Thanksgiving - but amazingly, all the snow was gone by the time we got there for the holiday!

In other news, Chad informs me the heat will go back on in the house tomorrow! Just in the nick of time!

Midge gets her first Collar

2008-11-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

WEWS in Cleveland reports news of a break-in in Huntsburg:

"It all started with a break-in in Huntsburg in Geauga County. A deputy drove by a house near Hunt Road and noticed a car that didn't belong there.

Two people emerged from the home carrying a big screen TV. As soon as they spotted the deputy, they dropped the TV and ran.

The deputy called in reinforcements and the chase was on. "

According to the station, Deputy Juanita Vetter - a former track star who once trained for the Olympics - chased the two down, even after they stole a couple of bikes in their escape. Apprehended suspect Charles See, Jr. said after his capture, "That is one tenacious broad. I thought I'd be able to outrun her."

The car into which they were attempting to load the TV was filled with tools - too much junk to get a large K9 officer, and so - Midge was deployed and promptly located a bag full of Vicodin. Midge, an 8-pound chihuahua, has received much publicity around the world as being the world's smallest drug dog. She is also the family pet of Geauga County Sheriff, Dan McClelland. Congratulations to Midge on her first 'collar'!! Link here to the WEWS news story.

2008-11-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the last two weeks or so. I haven't taken new ones this weekend, but will!

Election Eve

2008-11-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

We're hopeful in the Kovac household tonight. Here are two pro-Obama videos that are worth watching. The first is an ad featuring two talented Hawken students, the second is a video of a great pro-Obama song written by Dirk Powell, who we've not seen in way too long.

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

2008-10-31T14:51:00.001-07:00

Hillbilly Idol makes it to YouTube

2008-10-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

News Flash: Scientists find Nature is Relaxing!!

2008-10-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

There have been several articles recently about the value of taking a break in a natural setting. One reports on a study that found that children diagnosed with ADHD could focus better after they had taken a 20 minute walk in a natural setting, like a park. The same walk in an urban setting or residential neighborhood did not have the positive effect.

In a follow-up article, the New York Times interviewed researcher Andrea Faber Taylor, who explained the study as follows:

"...the human brain has two forms of attention: “directed” attention, which is what we use most of the time to concentrate on work, studies and tests, and “involuntary” attention, which is what occurs when we automatically respond to things like running water, crying babies or wild animals. The problem is that directed attention is a finite resource — everyone has experienced the fatigue of taking a test or a big project at work. Attention restoration theory suggests that walks in nature and views of green space capture our involuntary attention, giving our directed attention a needed rest. "

This is why we have a farm - attention restoration therapy!

Too Early for Snow!

2008-10-27T10:52:00.001-07:00

The Plain Dealer reports 'a few minutes' of flakes this morning - no, not cornflakes, the snow kind. Early even for Chardon! Chad, let's get that heat on!!

October Visits

2008-10-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Quick couple of days in Ohio - first, a meeting with the builders. Construction coming along although now is the point when everything seems to slow way down. All the framing is done, windows in - it is now very clear that the space will be really nice, and so far, no nasty surprises. Here on the left is the view from the 'lake view room' - ok, there's only a tiny bit of lake you can see, but Paul has suggested we go under cover of night and cut a few of the neighbors' trees down and then we could see more. Not too likely to happen! In the front, the new story looks good - we decided to use Ohio fieldstone for the base of the columns holding up the entry roof, and that was a good choice, because it highlights the old fieldstone chimney in the old wing. The top of the columns will be wrapped in wood.

A wonderful surprise was to find that my high school friend Laura Welsh (nee Jevnikar) - with whom I have recently re-connected on Facebook - was also in Chardon for the weekend. We had a nice chance to get together for coffee and to catch up on all our news. Stopped in at Sages Apples to say 'hi' to Bob - gorgeous fall day and the place was incredibly busy!

Then off for 10 days to CA and other parts west, returning to OH - for a conference in Columbus on personalized medicine, then the CWRU board of trustees meeting. Had just a few hours with the family - time to take the kids to a haunted house, appreciate the fall foliage, throw the stick for the dog a few times. Sunday back on the road to CT - nice to be home again at last!

Election 2008

2008-10-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well it looks as though Obama is widening his lead in the overall election, with Real Clear Politics showing him with 286 likely electoral votes compared to 155 likely for McCain. There are still 97 that are too close to call - and Ohio is one of them! The kids and I drove through the county last week on our way to a Halloween haunted house, and took an informal poll counting yard signs (one per house to eliminate the over-enthusiastic!) for both candidates. Starting at the intersection of Auburn and Chardon Rds and ending in Hiram (that's about 28 miles of country roads, winding through the middle of Geauga County), we found: Obama 31, McCain 25. This is probably a bit misleading, as Obama picked up a LOT when we entered Hiram - college town! Otherwise, in the fairly rural areas of Geauga County, I would call if fairly even. Of course we're not statistical in the least - and this does leave out ALL the urban vote. But if you want my opinion, there are many more Obama signs than one would expect in this very conservative area of Ohio, and so I'm hopeful.

I was intending to put out my own Halloween-themed Obama sign, but tenants Ray and Zack (of Helper T-Cell fame) beat me to it - not sure I get why the scarecrow holding the Obama sign has an elephant head, but its cool anyway!

Stairs in

2008-09-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Last week they put in the staircases so I finally got photos of the upstairs. Click here to view those on Picasa.

September 17-23

2008-09-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

The construction crews have a beautiful week of weather to work at Villa Mir Farm. The leaves are just starting to turn, the days are warm and the nights are cool. And the lake has been visible every day. Then there have been the fringe benefits of apples, plums, peaches, grapes and blueberries for snacking on.

Earlier this month when it was hot, Paul told the Amish workers they could take a dip in the pool after work. They were very surprised to find out how cold it is and said to Paul in their Amish accent "You feel kinda different when you get out!"

Here's a link to recent photos. The progress isn't as dramatic now that the outside frame is up, but it's fun to see the dormers take shape, the roof going on and the fireplace going back up!

Making Progress

2008-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

The second story of the addition takes shape! More pics here.

Yummm! Plum Dumplings!

2008-09-14T18:02:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite recipes that Mrs. K used to make is Plum Dumplings, and this year we have a banner crop of plums to work with. So that was what was on the menu for today's Sunday dinner.

My sister, Gail, was interested in getting the recipe, so here it is, complete with a link to photos.

Plum Dumplings

Cook about 2 lbs. of Idaho potatoes. Mash while still hot, with a ricer if you have one. Add 9 oz. of flour, a generous piece of butter about size of a walnut, 1-1/2 teaspoon of salt and one egg. Make a well in the flour and put the egg in the well to prevent it from being cooked.

Knead well until smooth and cut in half. Roll out and cut into 8 equal pieces by cutting in 1/2 and 1/2 again. Into each of the sections, wrap one plum from which the stone has been removed and a sugar cube has been placed (slit plums to pit). Sprinkle with cinnamon and close the dumpling. When finished you'll have 16 dumplings.

Cook in boiling salted water 10 minutes (bring to a boil, then cut back to a simmer). Boil 8 dumplings at a time. They will float to the top of the water when they are done.

Take each dumpling out with a slotted spoon and place it in a baking dish. Pour melted butter or browned bread crumbs over them. You can also make a plum sauce by plainc 2 dozen pitted plums, along wiht sugar, water, butter and cinnamon in a sauce pan and cooking until syrupy.

Put baking dish in over to brown for 15-20 minutes at 350 or so.

From the American Slovene Clubs' "Our Favorite Receipes"

From Deconstruction to Construction

2008-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Amish framing crew has moved quickly from deconstruction to new framing. You can see photos from 9-8-08 and 9-10-08 here.

Rehab Progress Report

2008-09-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, things are moving pretty fast on the house renovation, but with Chad The Builder at the helm, that's no surprise. (He's the same builder that built our new house up the hill.)

Here's a link to pics. It's interesting to see the layers peeled back and to discover wood shakes on part of the old house. Next week the roof is coming off!

Creative Destruction

2008-08-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

At last we have started construction - or really I should say DE-struction - on the old house at VMF! We thought we'd be at this almost a year ago, but the past 12 months have brought a lot of good ideas and needed time for thought and reflection on what we want this to be, so it was worth the wait.

I've always wanted to make this a reflection of my parents hospitality, a place of welcome and good cheer and fellowship where people can relax and enjoy one another's company, or just enjoy the beauty and solitude of nature that surrounds the house. The old house was built - I'm guessing here - somewhere between 1900 and 1920, and we're trying to preserve and enhance the styles of the period in the new construction, and make the new construction in keeping with the older part of the house which will remain untouched (except for a new coat of paint!). We are fortunate that this period was also the heyday of the American Arts and Crafts movement, which articulated a lot of the ideas and values that we embrace at VMF. Rejecting the stuffy formality of the earlier Victorian era, the Crafters believed in open floor plans that encouraged congregating and open dialogue between people. The outdoors and natural life was embraced by the Crafters, and consequently they attempted to 'bring the outdoors in' in their interior designs - many themes from nature, birds and animals; natural materials like plainly finished wood, hammered metal, ceramic and stone; harmonious 'earth' colors. Although our home is not truly a Craftsman style home, we are working some of these elements into an overall plan that celebrates a simple life in harmony with its natural surroundings. We're taking down all the walls in the common spaces (kitchen, dining, hearth area) and knocking out a small bedroom and bath in the main section of the house to make one large 'great room' separating spaces with short walls and large openings framed with old barn beams. We're putting in a kitchen that I know Mom would approve of - lots of room for cooking and congregating - but unlike her design, this will not be a 'one-woman' kitchen, but a place where many hands can contribute to making a meal. Outside we will keep an 'Ohio vernacular' exterior - white clapboard siding, with the traditional dark green shutters, and adding some stone columns that pick up the stone of the old fireplace chimney exterior in the front. Here's a drawing view from the front 'play-yard'.

As of last week, we had interior demolition underway by a crew of stalwart Amish guys, who I'm told are also the rough carpenters and will put the structure back together after they tear it apart. The excavators were in, digging massive holes front and back where new foundation will go in for the front entry, the rear entry and kitchen extension. Paul was careful to move the flagstones himself so they don't get all broken up!

Below is the back side of the house - you can't see the big trench along the side of the house, and the chimney in the old dining room had to completely come out, but we managed to save the interior stone fireplace and with a new firebox and chimney it should look just like it did back in the day.

So while we are looking forward to the finished project, there is meanwhile LOTS of work to be done. I have engaged two willing photographers to document the progress - Helen and Jack get photo credits for these and hopefully many more pictures!

July at the Farm

2008-08-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

July was so relaxing I forgot to blog - so here are some snippets, mostly from when I got up the energy to take pictures:

Jack enjoyed his gifts from Africa, a Maasai shield and spear -

Everybody pitched in to get ready for Farm and Fun -even the dogs - this one really is named "Mr Squinchy-Face"!

Helen is thinking about learning to use heavy machinery -

The blueberries are fantastic this year - Grandson Evan thinks so too - he ate so many we thought he'd be blue by the time he left!

The guys all think Dave's car is really cool! Dave and Claire created the new 'signature drink' of Villa Mir Farm for Farm and Fun - the blueberry margarita!

Carol was inspired by her visit to the Gee's Bend 'Architecture of the Quilt' show that Karen took her to in Denver, and made pillows for the verandah using pieced old work clothes and jeans. Clearfork played the Wednesday night concert at the Chesterland bandstand.

Don and Carol have brunch on the verandah. A large wild turkey has taken up residence and walks the lawn daily - some people have peacocks, but we have turkeys!

A very nice stained glass window was acquired for the new kitchen from an interesting architectural salvage place in Youngstown.

Don and Carol start demolition/salvage work on the house. The last 'before' pictures are taken!

Other than that - Farm and Fun was rainy again this year, but everyone still had a good time. I didn't take any pictures, but anyone who has some pls send and I will post. The Indians stink, but Don and I did spend a perfect summer afternoon at the Jake, watching them lose to Minnesota. We visited Oberlin and I finally got to show Don the campus and get him a whole wheat donut at Gibson's. Now its August, we're back in CT, and getting ready to send Mike off to school and Carol's business travel schedule kicks in again. More later as construction proceeds!

2008-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've heard lots of Villa Mir Farm business venture ideas from the Kovac family. Carol, Fran and Paul's mom thought an antique store in the little barn would be great. A bed and breakfast would also be a natural.

But given the proximity to our quiet neighbors at All Soul's Cemetery, Paul thought a counterpart to All Soul's might be good -- a pet cemetery by the name of "All Breeds." I'm not sure that the Catholic Diocese would appreciate us "expounding" on their memorial garden, but I don't know of any pet cemeteries nearby so it seems like it might be a good market niche.

An article in the Plain Dealer recently extolled a nature preserve "offering people the chance to go green--all the way to the grave." That sounds like a great idea as well!

Funky Looking Clouds at VMF

2008-06-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Countryside Conservancy

2008-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's an article that was on WKYC website on the Countryside Conservancy, a program in NE Ohio that matches people who have arable land with people who want to farm. We've been in the program for about 6 months, and have yet to find the perfect farmer for our land - but we keep hoping!

"Bill Takacs has been riding on tractors since he was just a child on the family farm in Geauga County. Now, the 75-year-old is thinking about retiring from the farm in Bainbridge, Ohio. However, none of his children are interested in taking over. "It's the trend," said Takacs. "None of the kids, my kids or anybody else's kids, wants to take over the farms anymore. It's sad but everybody is leaving." In nearby Burton, Elyse Perruchon works as an environmental consultant. She's always wanted to trade in her desk job for life on the farm. "I don't mind getting my hands dirty," said Perruchon. "I know it will be a big learning process." Elyse's roommate, Stephanie Privison, is ready to move to the country as well. Said Privison, "There's plenty of people who would say that taking up farming is ridiculous. But I happen to think it's very cool." In just a few weeks, the two women will be moving onto the Takacs farm. Perruchon and Privison are part of a new "matchmaking" program sponsored by the Countryside Conservancy. The group is dedicated to protecting farmland and growing a healthy local food economy. The advocacy organization sponsored a FarmLink" speed dating workshop in May, where the goal was land, not love. ..." for the rest of the article, go here.

June at VMF

2008-06-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last week at the farm was a busy one - gardens to put in, lots of mowing and weeds to pull, cleaning the pool, and not to mention the continuing saga of our house remodeling (still in the design phase). Fortunately, despite a few rain showers, there was enough good weather during the week to get all that done as well as attend the Case board meeting on Friday and Saturday.

The garden looks pretty good, and the lupines were especially pretty this year, as you can see in the picture at right. Don't know whether we'll actually get a chance to harvest much this year, but I put in a full garden anyway: tomatoes, beets, bush beans, lettuce, baby bok choi, peppers (sweet bell and serrano), and the Japanese soybeans called 'edamame' that you get in Japanese restaurants - that's an experiment!

Still working on the house design, but now we've added to the 'team' a kitchen designer, John Hall, who is making great headway in getting us a really wonderful kitchen design that is respectful of the 1920's character of the house as well as incorporates modern features of living. I have spent a lot of time learning about architectural and design styles of the 20's and 30's and have found that many of the ideals of the Craftsman movement resonate very well with what we are trying to do at Villa Mir. The Craftsman home typically had open floor plans, with rooms flowing into one another and long views from one room to the other. Although rooms are not always large - and ours are not - they feel spacious and comfortable. Bringing nature indoors is another theme, with extensive use of natural materials - unpainted wood with visible grain, stone, and natural motifs. I like this quote from one of the books I consulted: "The Arts and Crafts philosophy held that an individual is not separate from others or from nature, but rather that the world consists of interconnected persons, each with his or her individual gifts and personal expressive style." Totally in keeping with the intent of the house when we are done! More on this later.

An annual task for June - always a joy! - is to clean the pool. This in-ground concrete monstrosity has been with us since the 1930's or so, is not covered in winter, collects leaves and muck and many sorts of amphibious and reptilian animals, and so what fun we have cleaning it out every spring! For those of you who remember helping with this task, I must tell you that brother Paul has made certain innovations which REALLY help - most notably the use of a power washer (why didn't we think of that!?) that means little hand scrubbing is needed. Its still dirty work, though. Jack and Helen and their friends helped out by catching frogs and releasing them to safety into the creek beyond. Still it was an all-day job, but now it is done and ready for paint, and hopefully we will get yet another season of swimming from it. I, for one, am looking forward to spending some hot summer days in July down there.

Time for Black Bear Sightings

2008-06-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

This from the News Herald:

"Black bears have been going over Little Mountain - and a lot of other places in Northeast Ohio.This is the time of year when 18-month-old male black bears are on the move, being chased away by their mothers, which are looking to be bred again.Consequently this is when bears are most often seen, sometimes rummaging through trash cans or raiding bird feeders.And the Ohio Division of Wildlife is preparing to conduct an intensive survey to help determine exactly how many bears there might be in the region, either as residents or as casual visitors.In 2007, the state recorded 113 black bear sightings in 17 counties.Last year, both Lake and Geauga counties recorded one black bear sighting each."That's actually pretty low for Geauga County. Typically there we see at least a half-dozen or so sightings," said Dan Kramer, wildlife management supervisor for the Wildlife Division's Northeast Ohio office."In 2006, Geauga County had a whopping 19 reported black bear sightings."......more here

We had a black bear on the farm a number of years ago, but that's the only time we've spotted one.

Keep the Cash! We don't need your Federal Money!

2008-06-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

In a report last month in the Plain Dealer, Chardon again grabbed some national headlines by refusing to file for federal disaster aid for the March snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow on the town and caused a delay of the Maple Festival. Basically, some of the township trustees just felt that it wasn't an emergency and why take federal money if you don't need it! How rare is that - sometimes I just gotta love the quirkiness of this town! Here's an excerpt from the PD article - I especially like the part where the trustee drove his Buick to the Maple Festival meeting during the storm and figures if he can get there in his LeSabre, it can't be much of an emergency!

"Some people say, 'You should take the money. It's there,' " Trustee Chuck Strazinsky said. "That's the part that's wrong. The money's to help in emergencies, and that's not what we had here. This was a typical snowstorm for us. Nothing more."
Last month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency included Geauga among 17 Ohio counties eligible for disaster aid for the snow that fell and fell and fell between March 7 and 9. Lake and Ashtabula counties also joined the list; the remaining counties sit in the central or southern areas of the state. The classification allows
communities in those counties to seek reimbursement of up to 75 percent of costs for snow removal and "emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health," according to FEMA. The Geauga County Engineer's Office intends to seek cash, as does the city of Chardon and multiple townships and villages.
Chardon Township Trustee Steve Borowski wanted to join the line at the payout window. At a recent board meeting, he moved to seek the federal money. Officials estimated the township could receive upwards of $10,000 for overtime, salt and other storm-related costs. Strazinsky and Trustee Michael Brown blocked the application by not seconding the motion. Borowski said he understood the sentiment behind the stand. However, he called it a mistake: "If the federal government's willing to help you out, my opinion is you go after the funds. Our job as trustee is to get every penny available."
Strazinsky and Brown called their decision a matter of principle. Brown said that on the Saturday night of that March winter storm, he drove his Buick LeSabre to a Geauga Maple Festival fund-raising event. That's not the sort of journey that's made in the midst of a natural disaster. "This isn't free money. These are tax dollars," Brown said of the FEMA program. "Let's save it for actual emergencies."

Chardon High School Says No to Military Uniforms

2008-06-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

In a somewhat surprising decision, Chardon High School officials refused to allow two seniors who are active members of the military, to wear their dress uniforms at graduation in lieu of a traditional cap and gown. This made the national news, as well as the local paper. After making firm statements that they would not attend graduation if now allowed to wear their uniforms, both Tony Workman and Will McDonnell have now changed their minds and will graduate with their class - in caps and gowns. A compromise has been offered where they carry in the flag in uniform, then change into robes for the graduation ceremony.

What a fuss! While I'm not exactly in favor of rampant militarism in our high schools (or anywhere for that matter!), the rationale from the school was disturbing: "Leaders at Chardon High School near Cleveland said if they allow Workman and McDonnell to wear their uniforms then other students would not want to wear their cap and gowns either." So much for freedom of expression in Chardon!

A Productive Spring

2008-05-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

There are many was to enjoy Spring in Northeast Ohio. Just seeing piles of snow turn to green, and grey skies turn to blue is reward enough for having weathered the winter, but getting outside to work in the dirt is a must.

At Villa Mir II, Paul has worked fast and furious to landscape around the new house. It's great to see things take shape and Paul doesn't mess around. Instead of planting dainty saplings here and there, he's making huge beds and bringing in 5 to ten-year-old trees that make the homestead look like it's been here a while. John Sullivan stopped by recently to help, and Paul bought an espalier that John has been growing (an espalier is a fruit tree that has been trained to grow flat against a wall). Instead of the usual home landscaping specimens, we plan to have bushes and trees around the house that bear fruit.

Carol came to the farm last week. After picking up her son Michael from college in Pittsburgh, she spent time in the perennial bed and meeting with "Chad the Builder" to finalize plans for renovations of the old house to begin in August. As if that wasn't enough to keep her busy, she was the keynote speaker for the Global Healthcare Investing Conference in Cleveland. She got some ink in the Plain Dealer out of the gig. Now she's off to Africa with her husband, Don, where she'll mix business with pleasure for a couple of weeks.

Spring is also a time of new beginnings. Paul and the kids ran into some new neighbor kids a few weeks ago. Remarkably, Maddy is Helen's age, and Hank is Jack's age. They've had loads of fun getting to know each other and running back and forth through the woods between our two houses. Eager to spend every minute together, they have about 12 years of fun ahead of them!

Jean, We Will Miss You!

2008-04-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Villa Mir Farm lost a good friend this week, with the passing of Jean Krizman. Jean passed away suddenly in her home, at the age of 86. The Plain Dealer has a nice obituary which details mostly her significant professional accomplishments and her contributions to charities like the Red Cross and the Slovene Home for the Aged. But they missed the verve and wit and spirit of the lady herself - and that's a shame. She was a long-time friend of my family - one of my Aunt Helen's closest friends - but I only really got to know her in the last 15 years. After my mother died, she became a surrogate for consultations on cooking: how to make potica, whether to use a mixer to make bread dough (she said 'yes'), whose Slovenian sausage was the best (of course, she was biased in favor of Krizman!). She loved a good party - never missed Farm and Fun, and she and friend Molly Strunge stayed late into the night, hoping for a good polka, even if it was played on the banjo! Jean was admirable in so many ways - she became a senior executive at Stouffer's at a time when women weren't expected to rise in the ranks of corporations, she devoted much of her time to worthy causes throughout her life, and she was a devout Catholic who lived her faith without preaching it. So we will miss Jean in our lives - I am hoping that the God she believed in put together a great party to welcome her to heaven, and I like to think of her with a glass of wine, surrounded by her friends and family who have passed on and toasting each other with a hearty 'nas zdravja'!

Geauga Maple Festival

2008-04-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

Well, you know spring is just around the corner when the Maple Festival arrives! Unfortunately, the last few years the festival has been plagued with bad weather, causing an unprecedented weather delay last year after the Easter storm that dumped almost 2 feet of snow on Chardon. This year's festival has been no exception - traditionally held the week after Easter, this was a very early Easter and the region got hit with another good snow storm causing the festival to be delayed for the second year in a row. City officials said the ground would be too wet to support the weight of the carnival rides and it would be a safety hazard. New date is the week of April 10.

Speaking of the Maple Festival, here's a fabulous old film of the 1953 festival that I found on YouTube:

Note the wonderful old cars, the 'four woodsmen' in their racoon-skin caps, the Geauga Theater (which was owned by my friend Laura Jevnikar's grandparents and looks pretty much the same today!), and the shots of Main Street. This film is listed as part of the 'Elmer Gerlock Film Project', but I can't find any more about Mr. Gerlock. Anway, a great old film celebrating our local tradition!

Lambs at Farmpark

2008-04-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

About 70 spring lambs have been born at the Farmpark, part of the Greater Cleveland Metroparks network, and just down Chardon Rd from Paul and Laura's house. Go here for the cutest video of them - almost makes me wish we had sheep again!

Welcome New VMF Blogger!

2008-03-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, that last post was put up by sister-in-law Laura who is now OFFICIALLY a co-blogger with me! We're hoping for some really good storm pictures, as soon as she gets a chance to (a) take pix after digging out the plow guy and ; (b) figure out how to get them into blogger! So welcome, Laura - we're looking forward to a lot of great posts about VMF and the surrounding region.

Winter Weekend Wollup

2008-03-08T19:29:00.001-08:00

Well, you didn't need "Dual Doppler Radar" to tell you that there was a big winter storm across Ohio this weekend. The official definition of a blizzard is "snow with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, for an extended period of time." I'd say we more than qualified!

The snow started Friday morning and steadily intensified into Saturday night. We didn't have to think about whether or not to go to town as we couldn't! Cleveland Hopkins airport closed down and very few ventured out as the snow accumulation mounted to 24 inches.

Here at the farm, our neighbor got his truck stuck. He says he likes to plow our driveway because "it's a good long run." Well, unfortunately, he met 3-foot drifts where the snow had been whipping around our house. It took several sessions, about 6 people and a second truck to remedy the situation.

And all this after a warm spell had brought out the sap buckets last week! But according to the forecast, the snow will melt and the sap will start running again soon.

February at the Farm

2008-02-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

Spent last week in Ohio, combining work, the CWRU board of trustees meeting and a holiday weekend. Some highlights:

Laura, Helen and I visited the annual juried Quilt Show at the Lake Farmpark down the road. What a fantastic show this is, with an extraordinary array of quilts from traditional to very modern - many machine-pieced and/or quilted, but also quite a number that were pieced and/or quilted by hand. There must have been at least a hundred quilts there, mostly from northeastern Ohio. Here were some of our favorites - here's Helen standing in front of her favorite, a blue and violet one that looked like the sea. It always awes me to see the details of a wonderful piece of quilting - I tend to go more for the traditional quilts, and there were many fabulous ones. Look at the beautiful quilting and applique on this simple basket square quilt. Laura's favorite was this incredibly colorful 'mountain landscape' with a riotous field of sunflowers - my photo doesn't do it justice.

Other than quilts, it was Chinese New Year and on Saturday we all went down to Cleveland's 'Asiatown' for dim sum and then visited an Asian grocery with ducks hanging up in the deli, buckets of live critters (crabs, in this case), candy the flavor of vegetables, and other exotic delicacies. Laura bought a bag of durian-flavored candy - against my recommendations - and it was dreadfully stinky! Jack practiced his Chinese (in my day, they taught first-graders French, but now its Chinese!) with the waitress and of course was a hit.

Finally got myself a pair of cross-country skis and so here are some pix of the farm in winter, taken during my first outing. Paul waxed the skis for me, gave me a quick lesson, then sent me off saying, "If you're not back in an hour, Whiskey and I will come looking for you!" Of course then I promptly fell down and thrashed around in the snow for awhile trying to get up - not inspiring in Paul much confidence in my abilities, I'm afraid! Falling down is not fun - not just because it hurts (it really doesn't, so much), but because it's hellish hard to get up without twisting your ankles and hips in directions they simply don't want to go. You can't know what its like until you try to stand up from a prone position with six-foot long boards firmly attached to your feet. But it is glorious to be outdoors with fresh, undisturbed snow, getting some exercise and just being in nature.

On Sunday, the whole family went off to Chapin Forest, where they have groomed trails for cross-country skiing. The packed snow makes it faster to ski on - not so good for moi, as I have a little trouble stopping. Jack has perfected a squatting technique when he goes downhill, where he's almost sitting on his skis and then drags his butt a little when he wants to slow down. No way am I doing that! I get up a head of steam and when its too fast, I fall down. By the end of the trip I was starting to get the hang of a snowplow, but I am still that odd one who prefers to ski UPHILL rather than down! Now I am thinking about knitting for skiing - having observed my bro's taste in knitting hats has inspired me to add one of those 'ear flap' hats to my project list!!

Bald Eagles

2008-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

This from the Akron Beacon Journal today - there are a record high number of bald eagles wintering in Ohio this year, up 100 from just a year ago, including 11 known eagles in Geauga County.

"''Ohio's bald eagle population continues to expand throughout the state,'' said biologist Mark Shieldcastle of the Division of Wildlife.
''Last fall's mild temperatures made eagle viewing excellent this year,'' he said. ''Open water has held Ohio birds, and good weather allowed counters to get out and locate them.''
That total included 426 mature and 223 immature birds.
Immature bald eagles have dark heads, not the white heads of mature bald eagles. The dark-headed birds are generally less than 5 years old.
This year's count included 24 birds in the Akron-Canton area: five in Summit County, four in Stark, four in Medina, two in Wayne and nine in Portage.
Other counties in Northeast Ohio included Cuyahoga with seven eagles, Ashtabula with 12, Geauga with 11, Trumbull with 45 and Mahoning with 13." more from the article here....

In general, bald eagles have made quite a comeback since DDT was banned in 1972 - although for many years they were on the endangered species list, they were removed from that list in June last year by the US Department of the Interior, and now there are bald eagles found in every state.

We have quite a few in Connecticut, mostly nesting along the Connecticut River - as eagles are hunting and fishing birds, they like to be around water. I saw what I believe to be a juvenile bald eagle in our backyard a couple of winters ago - it had evidently picked up some carrion from a roadkill and was hauling what looked like a large rack of spareribs around the yard. This was a huge bird, incredibly fierce looking - wouldn't want to be face to face with him!

Although this article doesn't say so, other reading suggests that a good place to go looking for bald eagles in Geauga County is Headwaters Park in Huntsburgh. For those who would rather see their birds online and let others do the spotting, the Blackbrook Audubon Society, serving Lake and Geauga Counties has a rather nice website where members can post pictures of their sitings - including a couple of eagles!

Ohio's First Ethanol Plant

2008-01-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

Since I know a number of you out there are interested in energy conservation and sustainable energy, here's a recent article from the Toledo Blade announcing the opening of Ohio's first bioethanol plant.

"Ohio opens ethanol era with $105 million refinery in Putnam County
LEIPSIC, Ohio - With a snip from an oversized pair of scissors, Ohio's first large foray into ethanol production officially opened here yesterday in northern Putnam County.

"This is a great day for Ohio," said Gov. Ted Strickland, shortly before joining Poet LLC Chief Executive Jeff Broin in cutting a ribbon to signify completion of the $105 million Poet Biorefining - Leipsic facility.

The plant, with 40 to 45 employees and annual production capacity of 65 million gallons of ethanol, is to begin refining next week. "

more here ........

There's a lot of controversy about ethanol and other so-called biofuels - do they really save energy, do they contribute less to global warming and greenhouse gasses, what are the ethics of taking agricultural land out of food production and putting it into fuel. Today, corn is the big 'feedstock' for ethanol, at least in the US. (In Brazil - the number one ethanol producing country in the world - its sugarcane, but that doesn't grow too well in NE Ohio!) Just look at how the price of corn has risen in the past two years since the federal government mandated - and subsidized - the replacement of petroleum based fuel with 'sustainable' fuels like ethanol - went from around $2 a bushel to almost $4.50 a bushel in two years.

I'm of mixed mind about ethanol and other biofuels. There's lots of interesting new technology in the wings. So-called 'cellulosic' ethanol - the ability to make ethanol from other non-food sources, such as switchgrass, corn stover (what's left over after you get the kernels), and other 'agricultural waste' biomass- is hot right now. People are looking at longer-chain alcohols like butanol, which have higher heat content per unit than ethanol - but the fermentation processes are not as well developed. Companies like Metabolix are working on creating the starting materials for biodegradable plastics from agricultural products - I actually invested a little in this one!

Its probably a good thing that Ohio is jumping on the bandwagon - there will be lots of new science and probably a bubble 'burst' or two along the way for biofuels, but in the longer term, you just have to believe this is going to grow.

Freecycle Network

2008-01-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

I posted this over at the Kovac-Valentine blog, but its too good not to include here as well:

"People, listen up! While in a frenzied post-holiday clean-up I discovered something really terrific and I MUST share! My house is so filled with STUFF that either I thought I needed or someone else thought I needed or I thought someone else in our family needed - I sell it on eBay, pack it up and give it away, but there is some stuff that you just look at and say, 'who would ever want that'. Examples, you say? Try this: - boxes of cords and transformers and adapters to electronic equipment that has long since been discarded - old electronic stuff that no longer works - boxes of glass jars and old kitchen stuff, miscellaneous plates, cups, glasses -my string collection - lots of those plastic things that plants come in from the plant nursery (you throw those away?!! shame on you!) - etc, etc - you get the picture! SO - in my frenzied attempt to get control of all this random stuff that has control of much of the square footage in our house, I discovered a network of people who need stuff and give stuff away. Its called Freecycle - it uses Yahoo groups so you join a group in your area, and then you post what you want to give away and people in the group who want stuff or need stuff email you and ask if they can come over and pick it up! The objective is to encourage re-use of as much stuff as possible, and get stuff you no longer want/need to the people who need/want it. Its sort of an on-line version of the 'end of the road' pile - my brother's idea, you put a lot of crap at the end of the driveway and put up a big sign that says FREE, and by the end of the day most of it is GONE. Amazing! Using Freecycle is nicer, because you don't have to haul it out to the end of the driveway and you don't have to clean up whatever is left that got rained on. I've already had one big boxfull of stuff leave the house to grateful new owners, and I'm working on more. Strongly encourage you all to check this out, especially if you are a string-saver like me! (I just need to avoid the temptation to take someone elses stuff - hmmm, maybe the person in New Milford giving away the yarn collection they inherited from their grandma is worth a look!) Anyway, check it out if you need something or have something to give. In addition to posting things you want to give away, you can post for things you need, but its gotta be free - no trading, no selling. Namaste, peace out!"

Farewell to the Jake

2008-01-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well, in the inifinite wisdom (and greed) of baseball owners, Jacobs Field has been re-named and will now - and for the next 16 years - be called 'Progressive Field'. The Cleveland-based insurance company bought the naming rights from Chardon resident and Indians owner Larry Dolan after they expired at the end of the 2006 season.

The not-so-old ballpark that serves as home for the Cleveland Indians has been re-named, thanks to a new naming-rights agreement between the team and Progressive Insurance Co. of Mayfield Village.

At a press conference yesterday, Progressive President and CEO Glenn M. Renwick and Indians President Paul Dolan said the agreement runs for 16 years with an average payment to the Indians of $3.6 million per year. More here...

Call me an old fogey, but I don't like this name changing game that goes on in the sports stadium world - baseball is a sport of tradition, where respect is earned over many seasons for sustained performance. The idea that anybody with enough cold hard cash can buy their name onto the park - and next year maybe somebody else will come along with more money and we'll call it something else, well, that just doesn't sit well with me.
I say, let's call it Cleveland Stadium, name it after the town whose loyal fans have supported the team through thick and thin since 1915. Or, I'd be ok with naming it League Park, after the original baseball stadium built in 1910, that hosted Cleveland baseball for the next 36 years. Or if you want to honor a player, how about Cy Young Park - remembering not just one great pitcher but all the great players who at one time in their career made their home in Cleveland.
In any case, I don't think I'll be switching my insurance to Progressive anytime soon.

Latest Doping Scandal: 4H Steer Tests Positive for Steroids

2007-12-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

As if all the major league baseball players weren't enough, now we have a drug scandal in the 4H!!! Reported in this week's Plain Dealer:

Three years of judging market steers at the Great Geauga County Fair. Three straight champions off one family farm. But put an asterisk next to that last title. The grand champion steer from this year's fair faces disqualification because it tested positive for a steroid, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The state issued its finding Friday, nearly three months after launching an investigation.

The Huntsburg Township teen who raised and exhibited the animal has been asked to forfeit the auction winnings - reported at $7,743 - and other first-place prizes, including the champion's banner and blue ribbon claimed over Labor Day weekend.
The 1,335-pound steer shown by Clark Adams tested positive for an anti-inflammatory medication known as Dexamethasone. The drug was administered "without the direction of a veterinarian" and made the animal appear more sound, the state reported. The presence of the steroid made the animal unacceptable for immediate slaughter, officials said. The animal was processed for meat after the drug cleared its system.

Clark, 17, and his mother, Dona, signed a form during the fair claiming the steer had not been administered drugs. The boy's father, John Adams, called the omission an oversight. He said on Friday a groomer clipping the steer two days before the fair recommended the drug - which he equated to ibuprofen - to combat swelling in the animal's right rear hock. Nobody thought that it would be an issue, the father said.
Rumors of the positive test started circulating around rural Geauga soon after the fair. John Adams bristled at the notion that his son has been labeled a cheater. .....more

Go Buckeyes!

2007-12-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was in Columbus earlier this week - actually had my flight to Columbus from Newark cancelled, and could only re-book on a flight to Cleveland so I rented a car and drove to Columbus. Its been a while since I made the drive, but I knew I was getting close when I saw a billboard advertising car insurance that you can see here. Sorry Phyllis and Tadd! Those Ohioans sure take football seriously!

Old Chardon Post Office named Historic

2007-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

From this week's News Herald:

"It's official.The former Chardon Post Office was nominated Friday to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building, just south of Chardon Square, was unanimously approved for nomination by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board.The recommendation now will go to the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, where it is expected to be in process for about three months before a final verdict is rendered."At this point, it's been through enough hoops that it would be pretty unusual if it doesn't get listed," said Tom Wolf, public education manager for the Ohio Historical Society's Ohio Historic Preservation Office.The building - a Depression-era Public Works Administration project - served as a post office from 1940 through 1984. Occupants changed a few times during the next 22 years. Then Chardon-based Neece & Malec CPAs acquired and renovated the building."We're really pleased," said managing partner Shawn Neece of the nomination. "It's nice to have the building appreciated. It's good for our firm, but it's good for the city, too."The National Register listing would make the firm eligible for tax breaks on any future renovations.Neece said most of the remodeling already is complete, with newly refurbished terrazzo floors, marble and wood-paneled walls. The postmaster's office is now a conference room, and the stamp vault is used for
storage of supplies. Original hardwood floors, cornice molding and skylight windows were restored.Also remaining are the original "secret corridors" that were installed to allow the postmaster and postal inspectors to covertly watch postal employees."

Global Warming meets the Lake Effect

2007-11-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

Michael Scott from the Plain Dealer posted this ominous warning about how global warming could actually make snowfall in Chardon WORSE!!! Looking on the bright side, the cross-country skiing should be good this year. Frankly, Helen, Jack and I examined woolly bears (a fine old Cleveland meteorological tradition) this fall and concluded the winter would not be too bad. We'll see who's right - the climatologists or the caterpillars!

"Don't get too comfortable -- we're crossing dangerous waters. Oh, sure, we just had the third warmest October on record, and it will be deceptively pleasant outdoors again this weekend. But remember, Lake Erie also sits at a lethally warm 54 degrees. And veteran weather watchers know the freezing 'gales of November' - and lake effect snow - aren't far off. Remember November 1996? An early season lake-effect snowstorm 11 years ago this weekend buried Chardon and other Geauga and Lake suburbs under more than five feet -- five feet! -- of wet, heavy snow. The storm that began Nov. 9 knocked out electricity to nearly 200,000 homes three eastern counties were declared disaster areas. The area's previous worst early-season storm -- the 1950 blizzard -- hit the same week of November that year. So don't blame us for a mistrust of sunny November skies. "The warmer the lake, the greater the
potential for the big event," said Will Kubina, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Cleveland..........more

Season's Over

2007-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

I truly love baseball - even though it can be agonizing as it was this past week watching the Tribe lose to the Red Sox after being up 3 games to 1. As Hall-of-Famer and Dayton Ohio native Mike Schmidt said, "Any time you think you have the game conquered the game will turn around and punch you right in the nose." I guess we got punched in the nose this week! The Red Sox did play well, and all my friends who are Sox fans (and I have many, since we share a common enemy) have been strangely, respectfully quiet this week. Guess they know what it feels like! Anyway, get up off the dirt and shake it off. Time to watch the Series and root for Karen K's Rockies!

One of the things I love about baseball is that anything can happen. I missed Game 2 of the series with the Yankees because I was travelling, but here's how Don - who believes there is some very strange dynamic that causes unusual events to happen in Northeast Ohio- described it in an email to me:

"Don't know if you caught the game last night at Cleveland but it is now 2-0 Indians. The Yankees scored a run early, then it settled down to a duel between Pettite (NY) and Carmona (CL). With a NYY reliever on the mound in the 8th inning, a swarm of gnats descended on the field, distracting the Yankee pitcher, leading to two walks, two wild pitches and a 1-1 tie. This quasi-Biblical intervention - like all wierd natural events in Cleveland - was apparently without precedent. In any case, strong pitching on both sides continued until the Indians finally scored in the 11th to win 2-1. Talk about home field advantage!"

Folks in Cleveland now refer to this as 'the bug game' - in case you missed it too, you can watch the actual bug attack here on You Tube, or if you prefer to see the humor in the event, you can hear David Letterman's somewhat pro-Yankee jibes here. Paul says they were 'midges' not 'gnats' - personally, I think this is a minor detail, the point is, they went after the Yankees!

Niece Helen has become a fan this year - we took her to a game at the Jake when we were in Cleveland in July and she really enjoyed it. The Plain Dealer had a contest to see who could design a new uniform for the Indians, and Helen's entry won (along with 7 others) and was published in the Sunday paper. Here's her creative design, modeled by 'the very modren Travis Hafner'! We're proud of her!

Was in Cleveland last week for the CaseWestern trustees meeting. Gorgeous weather, and unseasonably warm in the mid-70's. Can't complain about that. Could have been nice weather for a World Series!! Ah, well....

Liz and Azeem's Wedding

2007-09-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Wow - can't believe its been almost two months since I posted here. We spent much of July at the farm, and you can catch up on that news on the Villa Mir Farm blog. Farm 'n Fun was a great party this year, perfect weather drew lots of people including David, Claire and the kids, Michael and some of his friends, Carol H. and Karen K. and many others. After the party, Don and I worked the following week to clean out the house and get it ready for construction. This project is going slowly, but I still hope to have it all finished for next summer.

The big August event was Liz and Azeem's wedding. They got married outside of London in Oxfordshire. Don, Mike and I accompanied Dave and Brynn - how many grown-ups does it take to manage a travelling two-year old? Claire stayed home with baby Evan. It was a wonderful time - several days of non-stop festivities, including a religious ceremony at the mosque, a mehndi party, a civil ceremony at a beautiful restored old farmhouse and garden, a reception and dinner in the restored old barn at the farm.

The mehndi pary was great fun - very informal with lots of friends and family. Mehndi is a tradition where a paste made of henna is used to create designs on the body - hands, arms, ankles, etc - and is often used in celebrations and special ceremonies in Pakistan and India. It is temporary, and the designs are incredibly intricate. Liz's looked awesome!

It was great to meet Azeem's parents and extended family for the first time. Joan, Andy and Ben flew in from LA, which provided even more people to entertain Brynn! I also got a chance to wear some of the clothes I constantly buy in India, including the sari I bought 10 years ago and have never worn. Liz looked absolutely gorgeous (I guess brides are 'radiant', not 'gorgeous'), wearing a wedding dress of traditional Pakistani design which was deep red, shot with gold lace and embroidery. Stunning! Azeem wore traditional dress as well, with very cool shoes that turned up at the tip. Even Michael got a new suit out of it and cleaned up remarkably well - who knew he'd look that good in pinstripes?! David has a ton of pictures on the gallery on his website, the one's here are just a few of his shots.

After a short visit in London, we flew home to NY and since then it has been wrapping up the end of summer - getting Mike off to school, a couple of business trips, a few days in Wisconsin at Steve and Kelli's, a brief stop back at the farm. Now we're back in CT and I'm getting ready to head off to Japan as the fall life science conference season begins!

Farm n Fun 2007

2007-07-30T17:43:00.001-07:00

After two years of rainy weather - last year it poured all day long! - we finally got a break and had perfect weather for Farm n Fun this year. Campers started showing up Friday afternoon - of course the citizens of Mohneyville always arrive early to stake their claim to traditional spots. Lots of last minute jobs to be done - trash bins and recycling barrels put out, Paul's funky decorations deployed in just the right spots, and of course, it never hurts to add a few last minute logs to the bonfire.

We had lots of friends and relatives and neighbors and colleagues show up this year. The house was full with 14 of us, including children. Dave and Claire didn't give up after last years' damp experience, and made the 9-hour drive with not only 2-year-old Brynn, but our new grand-baby, 2-month old Evan. Brynn has a great time at the party, and she is working on getting her nerve up to ride a pony!

Mike had to work so he didn't come for the week, but took off the party weekend and made a road trip with two of his friends, Andrew and Buzz.

Friday night - in addition to the first night of Farm n Fun - was, of course the release of the 7th and last Harry Potter book. Thanks to Ann Trupo, who braved hordes of costumed young people at a local book store, we had several copies which were snatched up by true fans. Here's niece Helen reading hers oblivious to the world - wait! She could not possibly have read all that in such a short time! Cheater! She skipped to the end, and .... well, don't tell how it comes out for those of us who read books the old-fashioned way!!!

In addition to Oberlin friends Karen and Carol, Scott and wife Eleanor drove up from Columbus, so we had a mini-Oberlin reunion. Nancy Blum with husband Bill Hurlbut and family came all the way from Maryland - their first Farm n Fun - so we had a large Blum clan together with Jim and all the dogs. And it wouldn't be a party without Jan and Jean and Molly and Pat Shifflett, the Brasses and of course all the wonderful musicians who make this little mini-festival happen. There are many more pictures, courtesy of Jan, Karen and Carol, who have all three claimed the title "Official Photographer of Farm n Fun" - I've posted them on Flickr, and you can look at them by going here. (Alternatively, go to www.flickr.com and search on "Farm n Fun" all in quotes.) Thanks, everyone, for another great time!

July - One Busy Month!

2007-07-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

July was a very busy month at the farm. Don and I drove out from CT on the 14th, and were joined a day later by friends Karen K. and Carol H. who arrived to help road-test the idea of a summer commune for friends, family, and kindly strangers who drop in unexpectedly. We shared a very pleasant and relatively quiet week together, before the craziness of Farm n Fun began.

Took Jack and Helen to see their first major league baseball game - watching the Indians trounce the White Sox at Jacobs Field, which is a terrific place to watch a ball game. Cleveland is in second place in the Central division, which is not too bad!

Mid-week I had to head out to a board meeting in Boulder, but Karen and Carol amused themselves with visits to the West Side Market, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and our alma mater, Oberlin. (Photo credits to Ms. K) Down time was filled with catching up on each others lives, and learning to knit. Here's Ms. H. demonstrating her progress! Karen and I decided next year we'll plan a quilting week and all make squares of our own design and then put them together and tie-quilt it.

Don is usually pretty bored in Ohio, but this year he kept busy playing with my new toy, the husky Husqvarna lawn tractor that I have always coveted and now finally have a real need for! Oh, yes, all the boys had fun with this and I hardly got a chance to use my own tractor!

Friday afternoon, Farm n Fun campers started showing up. As Paul says, this is really three parties in one: first, from Friday night until about 5pm on Saturday - when everyone comes back from the softball game and hops in the pool to cool off. Second, from evening Saturday - the pot luck, the pinatas, the jam sessions - to the evening stage show and the bonfire and then party into the wee hours. And last, Sunday morning - breakfast around the campfire, everyone pitching in to help clean up, and ending with the Frisbee golf game in the mid-afternoon. Next post will have party pictures!

Gold Medal Chairs

2007-07-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day in CT and I am taking advantage of it being too hot to work in the garden to finish up a project for the farm I started awhile ago - repairing and repainting a pair of old chairs that were headed for the dumpster in Ohio. I remember these chairs - and some other matching pieces that seem to have disintegrated or at least, disappeared - from my earliest childhood memories of the farm. In fact, here's a picture my mom took in the mid-50's which I'm sure she took because of the interesting shadows - but darn if my chairs (the two on the left) aren't the subject of her picture!

Anyway, I was remembering none of this when I rescued the chairs - mostly I did it because they are nice chairs, and because Laura and Jan have me thinking 'sustainability' and re-use these days. So I scarfed them up, threw them in the Explorer and schlepped them home to Connecticut, where they've been sitting in the garage until this weekend. The slats in the seats were missing or broken and needed replacing, then of course there was a good sanding, and finally, a couple coats of paint. While I was sanding, I noticed a little metal tag on each chair, which said 'Gold Medal Folding Furniture, Racine, Wisconsin'. Of course I looked them up on the web - the company no longer seems to exist, but they were a popular maker of camp furniture in the 1920's, and in fact seem to have been the company that made popular the folding 'director's chair' style with canvas seat and back. Also made wooden folding cots that were standard issue in the US Army at the time.

And while I was working away, I thought - yeah, I could go to Walmart and pick up a couple of lawn chairs for cheap. And on the back, they'd say (injection molded into the plastic) 'Made in China'. No company name, no city or town - because after all, they're just generic lawn chairs and if they get stained or broken we'll throw them away and buy new ones.

Anyway, here are my finished chairs. I think I'll take them back to Ohio next week, and maybe I'll take another look through the barn for the bench and table that went with the set. They are comfy to sit in - come and visit and you can have one and I'll take the other and we'll sit on the lawn in the shade with a pitcher of ice tea!

2007-07-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been so long since I posted on this blog - in April we had 2 feet of snow and now it's hot, humid July with snow and cold a dim, distant memory! Nevertheless, a lot has been going on at Villa Mir, and here's some of what's happening:

- Upper fields have been tilled and planted for the first time in decades. We have about 6 or so acres of feed corn growing nicely in fields that used to sit idle or be mown for hay.

- We put in a test plot of blueberries, about 500 plants. It will take 3 years to our first harvest, but this should be a very nice yielding crop - a healthy food, relatively pest- and disease-free, with reasonably high margins. We are thinking to make it 'pick-your-own' but we'll worry more about harvest when we have something to pick!

- Plans for house renovation continue. We are close to finalizing a plan that will add a second story to the bedroom wing of the house, with an exterior elevation that looks something like this. Our architect has an extremely cool program that let's him move from plans and detailed layouts to these elevation views. This view - in case you don't recognize it - is from the little yard in front, the 'play-yard' - without the familiar trees and white picket fence, which will stay but aren't shown in the drawing. The interior will be renovated significantly, leaving the old living room pretty much as is, but opening up the kitchen and former dining room area into a very large common space. With the new upstairs - which is all master bed, master bath, and office/sitting room - we only need put two bedrooms downstairs, which of course will have their own bath. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the design and now we figure out how much it will cost and hopefully we start construction late summer or early fall.

Anyway, Don and I have been spending a little time there. I've been in Cleveland several times since Easter for the Case board of trustees meeting and in June for a conference at BioEnterprise on global biotech investing. Don joined me for this trip and we had a great time on our off days, building a stone patio at the pool from 'reclaimed materials' from Dad's junk pile. Pool is clean and got a fresh coat of paint thanks to Paul. We'll be back later in July, to enjoy the pool and pick some blueberries!

Merry Chris....No, wait, it's Easter!

2007-04-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well, the Easter Bunny had a little fun with us this year! We had almost 2 feet of snow in Chardon starting on Saturday and extending all day through Sunday. Here I was thinking we’d see daffodils, maybe get to do a little pre-season work in the garden! Even for Northeast Ohio, this was unusual. As a consequence, the Chardon Maple Festival – traditionally held the weekend after Easter – was postponed a week. And these are people who are used to dealing with a lot of snow! Here’s a shot of the Sunday morning scene as we were digging our way out.

Despite the unseasonable weather, we did have a nice Easter. Phyllis and Tadd came by on their way home to Michigan to see the house and make some recommendations on the renovation plans. Michael took the Greyhound bus from Pittsburgh on Friday and spent the weekend. We celebrated the holiday a day early, as we had to be back in CT for both Don’s and my work on Monday. Serendipitously, Nancy and Lucy Blum were visiting Louise in Hudson, and we enticed them all to come up for Easter dinner on Saturday. Together with VMF regulars Jan Oakley, Jean Krizman and Jim Blum and the Lewis-Kovac’s we had 15 for dinner. We had a big fire in the living room and even though it was more like Christmas than Easter outside, we had a nice time. Here's Don doing the traditional Valentine family 'bunny ears' behind Jan, with Jean adding some needed maturity to the scene!

House plans continue apace. Don and I spent some time with the architect and builder and designer while we were out there, and we now have a pretty good handle on what we’d like to do, and now we just have to see what it will cost! As an old friend of ours told Don once, “You don’t have to be handy with power tools if you’re handy with money!”. Our architect has a very cool program that lets him enter all the dimensions and details and then you get a 3D view which you can look at from all different angles. It helped enormously to get an accurate sense of what it will look like when its done, and its so quick to make changes that you can explore a lot of different ideas fast. I’ll post a picture later on when we get closer to a ‘final’ drawing.

Fe-Brrrrrrrr-uary

2007-03-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Made a quick visit to the farm two weeks ago, on a swing through Cleveland for the Case Western Reserve University board of trustees meeting. What can I say - February in Chardon = cold and snowy. Paul and Laura's new house is cozy and warm - that wood-burning furnace is working well and the woodstove in the living room adds warmth as well as a cheeful blaze. The kids got new cross-country skis for their Christmas present - if I'd had just one day I could take off I would have bought a pair myself. Snow was about 2 feet on the ground, and although we didn't get any serious snow while I was there it was crisp and cold. I've always wanted to try cross-country skiing, and the farm's an excellent place for it. Step out the back door and you've got miles and miles of trail right at your footsteps.

I stayed down at the 'old house', which was cold and a bit lonely. Plans for renovation continue - I met with the builder and designer and we made good progress on some of the stickier structural issues and basic layout. For those who are familiar, the plan is to add a story over the main bedroom wing for a master bed/bath, and open up all the common rooms around the kitchen to make a very large 'great room' and a nice big open kitchen. The living room we're leaving just as it is, and are trying to replicate the 'old' feeling of the living room in the newer great room. The picture at right was taken in the 1950's - I think it will be a challenge to modernize half the house and still keep it looking consistent with the other half. We'll see!

Although I'm committed to keep this place a respite from the busy modern world, I have promised Don a big-screen TV and Michael and Dave high speed, wireless internet. Its the only way I can entice them to come to Ohio with me! So technology is definitely a part of the plan.

When finished, we'll be able to sleep 9 in the house comfortably, with 3 full baths. The cabin (aka, 'the chicken coop') could house another 3 or 4, albeit with more rustic accomodations. I really enjoy working on projects like this - we did two remodeling projects on the CT house and the changes were really worthwhile. I know the house at Villa Mir will be lovely when its done, and at least we won't have to live in it when the construction is underway!

We plan to start construction in late summer, and hopefully will be open for guests next year during cross-country ski season! Stay tuned!

Traffic 'improvements'?

2007-02-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

The News Herald reports that the State of Ohio (and Chardon residents) will pay about a million dollars to improve traffic flow in the town, and particularly around the town square. In particular, they'll allow two-way traffic on the north and south ends of the square. In all the years I've been driving there, you had to go around the square in one direction, and what is the big deal about that? There's never more than a couple cars waiting at a light in town, and reported number of cars during rush hour is about 50-100, that's all. So what's the deal? Bruce Farren (who would be more credible if he weren't living in Florida!) commented:

"For the sake of approximately 200 vehicles over the course of one hour, the historic and traditional town square is going to more closely resemble just about any other faceless town. Town leadership needs to realize that once they have altered the town square to create added traffic lanes, it will never go back to what it was. It will be lost forever. Just so 210 vehicles over the span of 60 minutes -- roughly 3.5 cars per minute -- can move just a little bit faster. That is progress?"

I happen to agree with him. Of course, I'm no more credible because I mostly live in CT, but at least I pay taxes in Chardon! As long as they don't mess with Short Court Street, which has always been a favorite of mine because you go round the square in a counter-clockwise fashion, but in the middle of the east side of the square, you can make a left to short-circuit having to go ALL the way around. But the neat thing is, because of the one-way round about, you make a left onto the lefthand side (the south side) of the roadway of Short Court. Correspondingly, if you get all the way around to the other side, you might want to cut across to the east side, and you make a left onto the north side of Short Court. In other words, it is about a 100-ft space of road which behaves like a British road, not an American one! Just another unique feature of life in Chardon - please don't mess that up!!

Snow Belt

2007-02-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, despite a mild beginning to winter, Chardon - undisputed snow capital of Northeast Ohio - has gotten hit with plenty of the white stuff in the past few weeks. With over 3 feet falling since January 15, and 8 inches alone this past Monday, its back to chilly normal for that part of the world. Link here, not that this is really news!

I admire Chardon-ites, because they just don't get upset about it. I'll call Paul and ask if its snowing, and he'll say, yeah and tell me what a great time he had cross-country skiing and how peaceful it was. No griping about travel and getting around or shoveling and plowing. It is what it is.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day - a very special holiday if you live in Chardon! Let's hope the little rodent has a gray and cloudy day.

Michigan man re-creates Home Town Chardon

2007-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting one - a Michigan man who moved from Chardon almost 30 years ago has created a miniature village which he sets up every Thanksgiving, re-creating his beloved home town of Chardon, Ohio! Although he used 'collectible' buildings from a commercial company, he says he kept the layout as faithful to 1950's Chardon as he could. He says the courthouse building reminds him a lot of the Geauga County Courthouse. Link here

Off the Grid

2006-12-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Jack loading the wood burning furnace. Paul's got an enormous wood pile and built himself a wood 'pavilion' to keep it under a roof and nice and dry. There's back-up oil, but the wood burner does much of the heating. It is amazing that the burner is probably 20 feet from the house, and hot water is piped through insulated pipes into the basement, with almost no heat loss! House should be nice and cosy, because he put in radiant floor heating as well. Given winters in NE Ohio, all of this seems like a good idea!