Land Shark!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Spring

We walk through the woods in early morning, the dogs and I, mist rising from the last of the melting ice. A warm down draft bringing the promise of warmer days to come shimmers through the trees on a shaft of early sunlight, the moist smell of pine and rotting leaves under foot. The dogs dance in this unseasonable warmth. I rename them Muck and Trouble and Bounce. I hope this is more than a reprieve from the season of snow. Because this is New England it's still too soon to tell. But for now, we enjoy the first breath of spring.

No Full Faith and Credit - or COBRA - for you

In the spring of 2004, just 3 short days after Same-Sex Marriage became legal in the state of Massachusetts, my lovely spouse of 15 years (at the time) and I renewed our vows and made it legal - in Massachusetts anyway...

I have found myself caught between the proverbial "rock and hard-place" better known as Massachusetts state law and the Federal Government. Not only has this duplicity made filing taxes a nightmare, but when my spouse got laid off three weeks ago, we counted on my being able to continue to have access to our excellent health insurance through COBRA. What were we thinking? COBRA is a Federal program, and we are not married according to Federal Law. And, because we are married in Massachusetts, our combine income exceeds the amount that would make me eligible to purchase reasonable health insurance at a price I can afford.

You may ask - Whatever happened to the Constitution of the United States? Not too long ago, we as a nation held Article four, Section one of our Constitution, better known as the "Full Faith and Credit Clause", as essential to running both commerce and personal affairs, with the assumption it would apply to any contract we might enter into. Thanks to the "Defense of Marriage Act" signed into law by Bill Clinton, gay and lesbian people who decided to enter into legal marriage are now facing an onslaught of unfair, often confusing and abusive treatment from our Federal Government.

Writing discrimination into law is wrong. While the the decision to restrict marriage to between one man and one woman should be made according to each individual's religious and personal convictions, DOMA erases the separation between Church and State and creates a subclass of citizens who are not equal under the laws of this Nation. In-fact, not only does DOMA discriminate against same-sex couples, but it belittles the state of marriage between one man and one woman which it professes to uphold. If traditional, heterosexual marriage is so fragile it cannot withstand the legal recognition of gay and lesbian relationships, there is something so broken no law or constitutional amendment will be able to fix it.

I'm just here for the cheese

Deep in the heart of the Alabama Gulf Coast, cleverly hidden down a dirt side road with only a tiny sign to indicate its presence, Sweet Home Farm is making some world class cheese. 

In 1984 Alyce Birchenough and Doug Wolbert had enough of Michigan winters and headed south to the fertile fields of Elberta. Alyce received her cheese making license from the state of Alabama in 1987, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

With 60 acres of organically run Bermuda Grass pasture and a herd of 21 dairy cows, including replacements, Doug and Alyce make over 15 varieties of handcrafted raw cow's milk farmstead cheeses. Quality over quantity serves as their guiding principal. Their large international following makes mail order obsolete so, you must visit their farm store, open Wednesday through Saturday, in order to acquire some of their excellent products. Some of our favorites include the Perdido - a Morbier style cheese with a semi-soft texture, and a full rich flavor accented by ashes from the rosemary plants in their herb garden, the Bama Jack - an outstanding sharp aged cheddar,  and the Bayside Blue - velvety decadence with a strong musky blue vein make this cheese alone well worth the trip. No wonder Sweet Home Farm has won multiple awards and is a national icon in Slow Food and farmstead cheese manufacturing. 

Sweet Home Farm

27107 Schoen Rd

Elberta, AL 36530

(251) 986-5663

A Spring with no flowers... well no New England Flower show

How can this be? Here we are in the middle of March and not a bulb in sight. With the onslaught of economic hard times, what has been the first sign of spring for many of us in New England has closed its door for the foreseeable future. Gone are the opulent water garden displays with their towering waterfalls that plummet into koi-filled Japanese temple style pools, as well as the fragrant spectacle of thousands of flowering trees, shrubs and bulbs forced into the pinnacle of blooming decadence for this one week to act as a glorious reminder that winter is almost over!  As the temperature plummets once again to below freezing, I long for the opportunity to shake off the cold and wander through its imaginative indoor wonderland of horticultural splendor. Spanning over six acres, the New England Spring Flower Show has been the third largest exhibition of its kind in the world. While the Massachusetts Horticultural Society has replaced it this year with "Blooms", there is no satisfying  substitute.

Ignition....Lift off!

Today I work the path of fire. With my will, I light the flame of self-determination and creativity. Form follows energy, or so they say, so today I say my vision makes a difference in the world! I write this blog, take my pictures and create my alchemical art. In the butterfly effect, one small action, like lighting a match, can spark a wildfire across the world. What we all do matters! So, be kind and respectful to each other. One small question could spark a revolution!

Alchemical Offering Bowl by Berta A Daniels, 2007 Raku