My dad's birthday

De begraafplaats van de clan Macnab te Killin

Today would have been my father's 89th birthday. In 1971, his maternal aunt Sandy (Alexandra) Macnab took me to Killin, Scotland, and showed me the Macnab burial ground, where by ancestral right my father can be buried. His ashes currently repose in my brother's apartment. Maybe someday he and I and whomsoever else will revisit Killin and bury summat of me da therein.

Thank you Jacob Baartse http://www.flickr.com/photos/baartse/for permission to use the image.

Channeling David Fife

The Red Fife at 18 days. Jan Zadoks be my helpmeet and guide. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadoks_scale

And OMAFRA, even if they get Zadoks' name wrong. Mason jars at night against the slugs and unseasonal cold. It snowed here yesterday. This a.m. minus 7 C with the windchill. They were sagging against the bitter wind so the jars will stay on today. Supposed to warm up to a whole 11 degrees by Saturday. Fingers crossed.

Stone Boat

Stone Boat
Originally uploaded by photofarmer

We could have used one of these last Saturday. The funny thing is, I was chatting with our neighbour Bernie as dusk fell Sunday. 'Twas then I noticed the humungous boulder in his front yard. His landscaper brought it in on a flatbead from Muskoka and craned it on to his yard. My how I laughed. Not out loud. Not I, descendant of stone farmers. Not I.

Channeling David Fife

I have three, thriving Red Fife seedlings. I once had 120 lbs of Red Fife flour from Upper Canada Village near Kingston Ontario. It nourished us. Soon I will have more, thanks to friends at our local and organic market.

There is a farm in Vonda, Saskatchewan called Loiselle Organic Family Farm, Canada's Outstanding Organic Farmers of 2007. This is Marc Loiselle in his field of Red Fife.




My mother was raised on a farm in Allan Saskatchewan.

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As you can see, the wheat in my family has not fallen very far from the stalk.