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

Countryside Conservancy

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

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

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!

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

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!