The warm seasons have come and gone since the last post here so some explanation seems in order. Happily the farm’s people, dog and extended family have stayed healthy despite the pandemic. As opportunities to play brass music in groups emerged from last winter’s snow the writer found the lure of playing in them irresistible. This led to concerts in jazz, symphonic and brass band groups based at Southwest Michigan College. The new skills required to play trombone in a jazz group put me in the practice room on a regular basis. Poetically, “the Blues scale” was lesson 1!

The summer season included community and St. Joseph Municipal band concerts with the euphonium while my brass band baritone rested. In a just-completed holiday marathon of 8 concerts (over 10 days) by 5 different groups all 3 horns each got their turn to shine.

So, this blog has been neglected. The aerial view of the farm shows areas now filled by Scotch and red pine, with firs and cedars making progress. High winds have damaged silver maples and upper trunks of the hybrid poplars, and even topped some tulip poplars. These holidays will include a first – the cottage stove will be fired with wood from poplars planted when the farm was founded.