Leslie Askwith's Blog (6)

A Winter Snowshoe in the U.P.

My daughter and I snowshoed with friends this week. The temperature’s been hovering just above zero in the eastern Upper Peninsula so we bundled up to head out across 110 acres of open field and woods behind their house in Dafter. The snow was perfect for big-footed creatures. Tracks remained where showshoe hares bounded across the snow, kept from sinking by their wide feet and the hard frozen layer created by a recent thaw. We shuffled through the same top fluffy layer, only slightly breaking… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on December 22, 2008 at 1:14pm — 3 Comments

Confessions Of A Local Foods Foodie

Twelve clean white eggs appeared in my refrigerator. Each was such an exact replica of the next that they looked machine-made. “Where did these come from?” I said, accusingly. "You know I get eggs every Friday from Dale." “We ran out,” said my husband, “so I got some at the grocery.” I stiffened, irritated. I've become a local foods foodie, as judgemental about buying non-local foods as anyone who's recently been converted to a new way of doing things. Dale Kriesche is our egg supplier. His hen… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on December 15, 2008 at 9:12am — 1 Comment

THE WELL THAT NEARLY SWALLOWED A HOUSE

It was so cold this past Friday that my friend, Dale’s, flowing well froze. He lives south of Rudyard and said his thermometer read minus 14 degrees that morning. The air had a frigid bite and snow squeaked as it does when it’s very cold. Flowing wells are great for people with livestock or who need ponds. They flow steadily, year around, a constant supply of fresh water from deep aquifers. Dale has a hundred chickens so needs the water for them. But they’re not without potential problems. I re… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on December 8, 2008 at 12:41pm — 1 Comment

WIND TURBINES … AN UNEARTHLY STATEMENT OF HOPE

I visited the Prince (Ontario) Wind Farm this week-end to get a close look at the wind turbines that we can see from the Michigan side of the St. Mary’s River. They jut above the trees, massive gray columns topped by slowly revolving propellers, each lit up at night by a red blinking light. They should be an eyesore, particularly for those of us who prefer nature to be left alone. I’d probably have opposed their construction if given the opportunity. The Canadian horizon of gently undulating hi… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on December 1, 2008 at 9:21am — 18 Comments

VIRGIN WOOL BLANKETS FROM SHEEP RAISED IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY

Our family has agreed to exchange gifts this year that are made within 100 miles of our homes. Local agriculture is something that I passionately support – so when I discovered blankets made from the wool of sheep raised in Chippewa County, I figured I’d found the perfect gift. Lake Superior Woolen Company in Rudyard in Chippewa County offers blankets or mattress pads made from the fleece of locally raised lambs like the ones in the photos that I posted. Eric Wallis (being nuzzled by a newborn… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on November 24, 2008 at 10:12am — 6 Comments

The Secret Goshawk Nest

I can’t say precisely where, but an active goshawk nest has been found recently in Chippewa County, near Raco. The whole thing is somewhat shrouded in secrecy. The find was set off by my friend Carl Meyer’s walk through a stand of large 105-year-old red and white pine trees. We’d been fighting the DNR’s proposed thinning project there and our letter-writing and phone campaign had succeeded in getting them to reduce, but not stop the harvest. He spotted a huge nest that turned out to be inactive… Continue

Posted by Leslie Askwith on November 16, 2008 at 5:45pm — 11 Comments