This is the emigration story of William George Sodt. In 1881 he traveled with 13 family members to the port of Bremen, Germany to board the steamship SS Salier. Only 11 of the 13 family members made it the US. We will never exactly know why they made the...
Brenda Sodt Marshall
Garden Apocalypse: The Cabbage Looper Invasion
The Cabbage Looper war in Crazy Charlie's pickle patch! Finding cabbage loopers eating our cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts was devastating. We built a 4 foot fence to keep the deer and rabbits from eating our greens, little did we know that butterflies were our...
Cheetah Chase 5k at Binder Park Zoo
Running Wild at Binder Park Zoo The kind folks at Binder Park Zoo asked if we would share information about their annual Cheetah Chase 5k on our Facebook page. We were more than happy to help support them and we thought that we should actually go out to Battle Creek,...
Companion Planting and Frost Warnings
Lessons from the Garden Gnome! Companion planting can be a bit complicated. And yes you must pay attention to the frost warnings. Companion Planting Companion Planting is basically the art of selecting plants that naturally repel the bad insects and attract...
Crazy Charlie’s Pickle Patch – A Raised Garden Bed
Building a raised garden where we could plant our favorite vegetables has been on our home improvement list for a while. Chuck and I were also smart enough to know that we do not have the necessary talents or tools to build a raised garden but that didn't stop us. We...
Ann Arbor’s FoolMoon 2013 Event
WonderFool Productions produced its third FoolMoon event on Friday, April 5th, 2013. And I have to say, each year it gets better! The luminary parade was colorful and creative, Theo Katzman delivered on the Fool's Main stage and the Michigan Beer at Bill's Beer Garden...
The Brown Family History
My dear Aunt Alice is a historian and has been documenting the Brown Family History for over 50 years. Aunt Alice and Uncle Milner’s vacations included detours to cemeteries, courthouses and libraries. She said to me during a recent visit, “Did you know most old towns...
Don’t Fear the Vegan
I just stumbled upon another vegan blogger's site and just had to share! Fear The Vegan! - Great quote from site: Have you ever put all your energy into creating something in the kitchen for others only to have them turn their nose up the instant they find out...
Emma Lewick Woodin
Emma Lewick Woodin lived most of her adult life in railroad towns in Kansas and Texas. She remained connected to her family in Michigan through postcards.