Baldwin Cottage and Garden

04/26/2026

Good Morning beautiful people!
Another Foster Friday has come and gone.
I've been fighting with a own sinus' they seem to be creating concrete in my head.
Franks sister Teri was here this week, and we have finally had some time to spend with her, to be thankful for her and to share grief with each other.
*
Francis of A Ye**ty was a success on Friday we passed out 6 of the 8 starters we had on us, yay. And we will be keeping it alive for a while just in case.
*
I don't know if the younger than me folks appreciate just how important it is to have face to face conversations.
It seriously changes the whole dynamic of conversations, for me anyway.
I think the laughter is my favorite part, just hearing someone have a great big belly laugh is freaking awesome.
*
Here at the cottage we have been working diligently to get the plants started and healthy. We have a lot of sweet potato slips and the celery and onions look like they are going to do pretty well this year, but alas we have learned not to count our chicks before they hatch, so to speak. that doesn't mean we don't carry hope around in our pocket.
*
Ya know folks I really struggle with the world right now, we are so damn mean to each other, and I don't get it. instead of helping each other to our graves we are pushing each other down and stepping on each other and just being dicks to each other for beliefs that other people put in our heads, for a feeling of superiority?,
i honestly don't know why,
although I do know it sucks.
Love is stronger than hate, its just not as easy.
Is that the answer?
we all wanna take the easy way out?
Enough I'm hopping off the soapbox now.
Apologies.
I do try to stay positive.
*
I turned off the furnace again today, but the future outlook says I'm not done with it.
Furnace roulette this time of year is always fun to do.
Now I know why I suck in Vegas.
*
OK folks go outside and enjoy the sunshine, even if you just sit down and let it warm your body and soul for a little while.
*
Heidi and Helga like the snow, but they love the spring when they can chase birds, and squirrel's, and woodchucks, and Bunnies they love to chase bunnies.
Maybe we have something to learn for our dogs and cats, grin.
*
Go out and conquer the world today, be the person your granny always thought you could be.
*
Get your hands dirty it helps to clean your mind.
PEACE!

04/22/2026

Good Morning beautiful souls!
Our friend Frank passed away last week, and as we had become quite close it has been a bit of an unpleasant journey, because grief is a bitch and she messes with you at the most inopportune moments.
*
A week later the floors still need to be vacuumed, dinner needs to be made and the kitchen needs to be cleaned again. Dog hair removed from everything.... Our lives are being forced back into our personal normal, even as we fight it.
*
Here in Mid-Michigan we are having some beautiful weather headed our way, highs in the 70's and 80's, which is abnormal for this time of year, and we all know that a 26 degree morning is possible before our last frost date.
The tomatoe plants are getting big, the peppers are getting big and the urge to plant them early is getting big.

I blame it on spring testosterone, the teenage boys are playing their music really loud (in kindness im sure) to share it with the neighborhood, the lead foots/feet have come out of winter storage and the youngsters are speeding around town like they have somewhere important to go, right this very second. grin.
*
As for me, I will be planting in the garden today, onions, leeks, spinach, cilantro, you know the drill frost tolerant shtuff. The cabbages were planted yesterday.
*
Fermenting...
I've gotten in a bit over my head, I have kombucha, yogurt, sourdough started, and today I begin to ferment mustard seeds for home made mustard. Who Knew?
Trying to feed our bodies healthy foods can be fun, it can be a challenge and it can be downright tiresome. Right now I am in the middle of it all. grin.
*
So have a magnificent day, wherever you are and spread some joy, some gratitude and some love. Spread it like fertilizer on those you love and those that just seem to need it.
*
PS I am not proof reading this post if its a bit jumbled, I apologize.
*
Peace

04/21/2026

Frank's famous sourdough starter has gotten quite robust and happy.
We will be bringing at least 6 starters to Foster Coffee Friday, they can be picked up between 7am and 9 am.
Let us know if you can make it.
We will start homing these asap.
Thank you to everyone that has requested some.
The master starter has been named St Francis of Ye**ty. Grin.
Let us know what you name yours.
Peace.

04/11/2026

Good Morning beautiful people,
Another Foster Friday has come and gone.
It was a most pleasant morning and a great group to have a cuppa with, and to chat about nothing of any great consequence.
We had a bit of a rotating door, people stopping by for a minute to say good morning and then get back to their appointments.
*
Some days you really don't feel much like peopling.
I have discovered as long as I get up on Friday morning and chat with whomever is there we have a great day it is like magic.
Today, the world is filled with fear and chaos, these mornings make all of that go away for a few minutes and lets your stress melt away with it.
Life is so good.
*
Here in Mid_Michigan we are looking at a most impressive warm up on it's way, and we are all ready for that. It has been a very cold and bitter winter. Our furnace has needed attention more than once this year. Good news it has enough new parts it might be considered as rebuilt, grin.
*
Many of us are disappointed, after such a cold winter we were hoping for a magical spring where we could be outside, plant things, have a cuppa on the patio and just be still.
Just be quiet for a minute and listen to the birds, or the unfortunate teenager blaring their music so loud your house shakes. My best guess is they are thinking you really want to listen to their favorite song called "smack my bitch up" while your outside enjoying the sunshine and peaceful bird songs.
Again I will say it, Life is so good, and being outside is totally worth a few inconveniences, grin.
*
Planting is much harder under water, however the raised beds are making way for carrots and greens and parsnips to be planted.

We have been working on a couple in house projects during these last rainy days. We got our new peg board up...yay.

We have also begun the summer plant starts, the napa cabbage, the earliana cabbage and the peppers are starting to make me smile....alot.
The celery is doing well and we have a whole lotta marigolds.
*
One of the experiences I still enjoy after moving to Michigan is spring fever, where you are just so ready for the warmth, the plants and the summer that your brain causes you to do irrational things like planting seeds outside too early. Perhaps all the spring testosterone in the air that makes the birds copulate on the sidewalks, and the teenagers lose their minds affects all of us in some small way. see above, grin.
*
We are wishing you a most pleasant weekend, let the furnace rest a bit, have some smiles and laughs with those you love.
Take a few hours and detox from digital media and just enjoy being alive.
PS the sun is out this morning, go out and enjoy it, for it may be several days before you have it again.
*
Spread a bit of love and not hatred, your mama didn't raise you to be an as***le.
*
Peace.

04/09/2026

Helga is having a great day.

04/06/2026

Good morning beautiful people,
*
What an incredible group of beautiful souls that met Friday to share a cuppa and conversation.
It was a surprisingly large group and the coffee shop was louder than normal, mostly because of us, however this caused the conversations to be with those nearest you, and that is not a bad thing.
*
Sincere regrets for those that got there early and left before we started taking photos.
*
Happy Easter, I hope you find all your eggs and don't have any surprises come warm weather.
Mother nature has obviously forgotten to take her meds, our weather has gone from the 20's to the 70's in a week.
But I digress.
Spring in Michigan is usually exactly like this, we just love to complain about the weather.
Its a state law I do believe. Grin.
*
We have started in ernest to get our early starts for the garden, sweet potato, tomato, cabbage, peppers sweet and hot. The excitement grows everyday.
*
Be nice to each other for a few days and see if you like it.
Peace.

04/06/2026

I borrowed this from Facebook, I don't know who to credit, but I thank you. It's been in my photos for a long time, and this morning I need to set it free again.
Have a simply magnificent day.

03/28/2026

Yup

🙌

03/28/2026

12/01/2025

A few sights in paris. Just freaking amazing, beauty everywhere you look.