This was on today’s “Word for the Day” that I receive on email from

www.gratefulness.org  . . .

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray,

where nature heals and gives strength to body and soul alike.

Today is a glorious day to be out enjoying nature!

I’m tilling up the new addition to our vegetable garden we call the bean patch as we plan to plant all manner of beans there.  We’ll have pole snap beans plus pole and bush for shelling fresh and drying, all heirloom varieties from Seed Savers Exchange.  One variety of pole beans is “Cherokee Black” which were carried by the Cherokee people on their tragic Trail of Tears forced relocation to Oklahoma.  It is touching and thrilling to be heirs to that seed.

I was even more inspired for gardening after attending a farm expo yesterday, Saturday May 4, hearing Will Allen speak on his Growing Power project in  Milwaukee and other cities esp. in poorer neighborhoods and “food deserts”.  Seek out this exciting and valuable work at www.growingpower.org or better still, visit it.

We have been a part of the fair trade movement for many years – we’ve always had fair trade coffee and tea here at the inn but now we’re branching out to include Equal Exchange travel mugs for sale.  We’ve rearranged the Welcome Room and removed the doors from the large green cabinet, painted it and have information and items available in it for our guests. Recently we connected with a Wisconsinite who travels to Cambodia to help at an orphanage.  While there she buys hand crafted items to sell here in the U.S. When I saw the lovely earrings that children made and beautiful cloth and silk  jewelry cases women made, I wanted to have them here for our neighbors and guests to purchase. All proceeds go back to the Cambodian orphanage. It’s amazing that the cost of a year’s college is $600. By purchasing these items we’re contributing to young adults’ education who would not have this opportunity otherwise. Seeing these items I think of those who made them and am grateful we have a way to share them here.

Tuesday morning we got up early to watch the coronation of King Wilhelm Alexander with our guests from Holland. They told us the night before that with the time difference it would take place at 7 a.m. local time.  What a thrill to see all the pomp and circumstance of the royal ceremony!  We watched it live online around the table and then had breakfast!  They translated the important bits and then afterward explained more. It was a real treat to have these Dutch women here and learn more about the Netherlands.

We’ve had three days of absolutely perfect weather here! The spring peepers began singing in earnest last Friday and we began hoping for some actual spring and here it is! We also have daffodils just about to burst into bloom, the crocus are  up in their glorious purple and dazzling yellow. The grass is greening up and the air is fresh and clean… what more could one ask for? Our guests have enjoyed basking in the sunshine, walking the lovely village and country, wooded trails. We are so grateful!

We just got 8 inches of fresh powder today which Robert moved off the driveway. It’s terrific skiing and snow shoeing weather so come on over! It’s a winter wonderland and I just pulled some homemade pumpkin cookies out of the oven – with the penuche frosting they’re really yummy…

Hartman Creek State Park, just 3 miles down Rural Road, is having a Candlelight Ski and Hike tomorrow, January 26, from 5 to 8 p.m. Come for the fun and bring your skis and snowshoes! Over two miles of trail will be illuminated with candles to accommodate skiers, hikers and snowshoers. Come warm yourself in our heated shelter and enjoy cookies, coffee, hot cider and hot chocolate. A roaring bonfire and adjacent grill for cooking are also available. Hope to see you there! 5-8 p.m.

I just finished shoveling 4 inches of fresh powder this morning and put on my snowshoes to show you the beautiful scenery. Conditions should be great for the Candlelight Ski and Hike tomorrow. Robert and I will be there so we’d love to have you join us! There’s room at the inn if you want to stay with us . . .For more information on the Candlelight Ski and Hike call the Park at 715-258-2372 .

We’ve just heard reports that Waupaca County has the best cross country skiing in the state! Come on over and see. Today it was sunny, no wind and beautiful! There’s about 18 inches accumulated on the ground. We’ve got some warm, charming rooms and superb breakfasts just waiting for you!

This is the Riley Crest Farm and you can see the hens and roosters have free range of the place! Bunny only contributes at Easter according to Robert…

I (Robert) have been reading  Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma as might be guessed from the title and it is really shifting our (with Deb) thinking and planning about food.  As a lifelong cook (well, at least since age 6 so that’s 60+ years) I enjoy making and eating most any kind of good, flavorful food. Growing up in the Cajun deep South, I love  the food so rich and varied in tastes from African, Native American, French, Spanish, English and other cultures.  Dishes needn’t be spicy but they must have a full, wonderful flavor. Of course, top quality, fresh ingredients are essential.

In the 1940’s and 50’s, when I was growing up near Lake Charles, LA, most food was, of necessity,  grown fairly locally.  This has changed so completely now that very little in grocery stores is even regional  and much is grown on industrial-sized farms and feedlots.  The situation is disturbing and calls for a change in how we choose and buy our food.

When Deb and I were preparing to be Innkeepers in 2006, we wanted to support local farmers and other neighbor businesses.  We started by getting our organic eggs from Riley Crest (family) Farms 4 miles away and our guests love the superior quality. We also use only Eisentraut Farms maple syrup from their family farm and sugarbush just North of town.  We also have two excellent  permanent farm markets, Turner’s and King Berry, very close by.  Our cheeses come from two nearby excellent cheese factories, Weyauwega Star Dairy (10 miles) and Union Star Dairy in Zittau (20 miles). Hey, this is Wisconsin (=cheese)!

We realize we can do very much better than this and are working to increase our support of local small farmers and bring this wonderful food to our guests.  We are looking at our shopping as well as menus to see where we can make good changes and improve what we serve.   While the food often has a higher purchase price, the benefits from freshness, quality, supporting farm families,  care of the earth and reduced energy, chemical, antibiotic use more than compensate for the extra expense.

We are not purists and will continue to serve bananas and coffee, both organic as well as other products not grown locally or are out of season here.  It will take more global warming than the worst prediction to grow coffee on our central Wisconsin land.  Still, we can look for shifts from our routine choices to better ones.

Our call is to hospitality. This hospitality is to our guests and other people but to all of the earth, the wildlife, plants, air, water, soil.  We are especially blessed here in Rural with an abundance of all these in pretty good shape.  This is, in part, because others before us have been good stewards of these treasures so it is our responsibility to continue the care and apply new learning to our work.

I recommend Pollan’s book to all; very readable and NOT a strident “eat only wild roots and berries” point of view.

Be well and eat well!