I am a combination of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman (except for the accidental country girl part), MaryJane Butters (the original real country girl) … and Julia Child, the whole-chicken, knife-wielding, wine-imbibing queen of the kitchen! Throw in an occasional dream of being as effective a billboard for God as Kathryn Kuhlman was, and how could I NOT embark on a stab at doing a blog?
Bounty in the making and a sign of the times.
My love for God, food and farm life (in that order) runs my endless reservoir of passion for them all. And, oh by the way, “the reservoir” I speak of is exactly what brought me to these keys as I type what will prayerfully become many more blurbs and bloops of sheer conversational stories, recipes, and photos.
My husband, Pastor Russ, and I own/operate/mow/grow/pray/plow/sweat/eat/sleep and downright love this 4-acre piece of paradise called “The Reservoir,” outside Clinton, Wisconsin. We grow organic food, nurture our “sheep” (not of the four-legged variety just yet) and delight daily in the tasks God presents to us.
And we EAT … My husband – the ever-ready willing to try, best MMMMMMM soundmaker ever, does-the-dishes guy – is the permanent fixture at the table. With that being said there’s our ever present, always polite (unless she’s hungry), “cuter than a speckled pup,” Rez” (short for reservoir). She’s my favorite color too … orange. Yep, she’s a tangerine lab … REALLY! She mans the under-the-table mission!
Rez is unsure of this new “employee” on The Reservoir Farm.
Bithian and Goshen, The Reservoir’s resident mousers.
As the consummate, ascribing cookbook writer, I’m acknowledging these two “warriors of the kitchen testing ground,” commending them for their mmmms and woofing of experiments.
We, along with our hardy band of eclectic Midwestern worshipers, gather each Sunday in our barn for “Gospel and Grub.” A dose of scripture with a dose of nourishment for a fueling of all love tanks, bellies and souls. It’s an uplifting of spirits, a rejuvenation of simpler fulfilling times. Yes, through wind and snow and sleet and hail, through ice and mud … they come and leave peace-filled and full.
My cookbook in the making.
We “keep it real” here. No sugar coating. (We leave that to the lovelies who help with the grub part on Sundays.) Whether a conversation in life, love or the pursuit of happiness, we offer scripture as a means of help. We’re fans of being a man/woman of your word, with fresh-dirt-filled handshakes as contracts, bartering for things, caring for our elders, and looking into the eyes of our children as they talk to us.
Beans from east to west.
We’ll laugh with you, cry when necessary (and sometimes even when it’s not), listen and respond.
We’ll feed you and love you through the storms that may threaten to throw you out of the boat. We will be the constant in your time of peril. We are shepherds, stewards, servants and friends of God – we are The Reservoir.
