More Provacative Vegetables

"That looks nice," the strange man on the street said, nodding at me while he paused so his dog could sniff a hydrant. Under normal circumstances, this comment would be ignored or met with a stern look. But this time, the man wasn't referring to me. You see, this happened in Kerrytown, the Farmers Market district in Ann Arbor. And I had in my hand the coolest vegetable I have ever taken away from any produce market...brussel sprouts still on their two foot-long stalk! As I made my way to my car (2 blocks away), I received a few more fresh looks, but the lookers only had eyes for my fresh veggies.




In other vegetable news, I finally came across the Mennonite farmers who sell the amazing carrots again. I asked the man if he comes to the farmers market every week, and where his table usually is (he moved on me!). He assured me they were there every week, but moved around. I said, "You have good carrots." He said "Thanks." I bought two bunches.

Wedding Bells will Ring (Next Year, That Is)!

It has again been a very long time since I wrote. I have been directing my attention to creating a wedding website, after Fiance and I finally chose a date and location to be married.

The wedding will be "Up North," which is, from what I understand, anywhere north of The Thumb (we are now looking at the top of our left hand - a surprisingly close-to-scale, very "handy" representation of the state of Michigan). The wedding will take place somewhere around the upper right corner of the ring finger (how appropriate!). For those who don't wish to locate airport, lodging, and attractions via cuticle and knuckle landmarks, I suppose we will provide addresses and maps, though that takes some of the mystery and romance out of it.

Below is a picture of the barn from a cornstalk-lined road. We hope for a sunny day, but one can never tell in Michigan! (I think I've mentioned before how every state I've lived in claims that saying "If you don't like the weather here, wait 5 minutes." And I can say with authority, that all those states stole the saying from the peninsula state of Michigan (okay, maybe Florida has a valid claim too).

We liked the relaxed vibe of the area, the rustic charm, and the lack of pushiness, among other things. We juxtaposed our visit to the barn with its polar opposite-a visit to Castle Farms (which locals call "The Castle"). It is a wedding factory! Not in the good "this is a great location anyone would want to marry in" either. No, Castle Farms is a faux castle on the state highway (we could hear trucks wizzing by when we were outside looking at some of the gardens where presumably, you must urge the harpist to crank it up to hide the noise). We took a quick tour of the four venues, which are all booked on the same day. And because the Castle books four weddings per day, they choose the time of day you get married based on the room you rent (King's Quarters is 5 p.m. sharp, Queen's Tavern is 3 p.m., no negotiations, military precision) so as not to intersect with another wedding party.

The thing Fiance and I couldn't understand is why so many people choose to get married there. When the (very nice) on-site planner looked at our desired dates, they were already booked for all four times that day, a year in advance! I am sure that when they decorate the castle in the couple's personal style, it is lovely, but the pictures on the internet site are much nicer than the actual venue. We found the opposite to be true with our barn - the pictures on the internet don't convey its appeal and simple beauty.

Fiance is a little worried fall will come too late next year for people to experience the changing leaves.

If that's the case, though, and it's warm, then we may get out on the water (lots of surrounding lakes, including Michigan and Huron) without freezing to death!

No matter what the weather (except please no snow!!!) we are most looking forward to a gathering of loved ones and are excited to let the planning begin!

On a more somber note, the cornfield is gone! The only corn we actually ate went into soups, due to its chewiness. But when fall arrives in Michigan, people start serious corn decorating, so we followed suit, and killed the cornfield (my baby!).

And our doorstep.

HAPPY AUTUMN!