Volume 3 • No. 23 • New Moon • December 1, 2024
Late Winter Wetland • 12"x9" • 2022
Wetland with Tamaracks • 25"x8" (uncropped) • 2022
Winter on the Flats—Collection, Golden Apple Art Residency, Maine • 12"x10" • 2021
Pastel • Tom Tomasek
A Cedar and Hemlock Grove, Kalkaska, MI
[Content warning—this essay is about hunting. It isn’t graphic, but it does reflect on a rightfully sensitive subject.]
As we made our way through the songs on the Americana playlist, Mike Wolf’s Petoskey garage was bustling. David ran the meat grinder, scrap bag for his dogs at his feet, and Allison perfected the art of placing just enough of her body weight on the vacuum sealer, ensuring a perfect seal. I worked my way around the doe, carving and cutting. Mike offered welcomed instruction while handing me the right tools for the job. Deer processing takes time and energy. Not going it alone helps. Before long, I was viscerally aware of the weight of gratitude and indebtedness I carried. I felt it in my forearms as I hoisted a cardboard box, heavy with choice cuts and ground venison.
“You guys should take some,” I offered. A small gesture, but it was all I could do.
Allison smiled. “Nope, that’s your deer.” David grinned and responded wryly, “I think we’ll manage.”
Later that evening, I pulled out of the driveway. The night sky called for reflection quite naturally. The entire box, filled to the brim, sat in the trunk.
Late summer of 2023, I decided to make a call. With a two-year-old and a two-month-old, adding to our family’s plate was risky business, but curiosity about the Tip of the Mitt New Hunters Guild won out. I was interested in hunting and had processed some deer with a buddy here in town, but other than that, I had no experience to speak of...
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || I have six window inserts left to make—the same style as those written about in Hooray for a Really Inefficient Way to Reduce People’s Energy, featured in Vol. 3, No. 19 of The Whole Field. The ones I’ve already assembled and installed have made a difference. Our house is holding heat longer, and it’s a bit more comfortable. One thing that I’ve realized through the process, though, is that although the inserts are a big step up over new windows in terms of affordability and offer convenience over applying heat-shrink film to windows yearly, there are reasons why the DIY inserts tend to be community buy-in projects. Here’s a breakdown of costs detailing retail prices for an individual versus purchases in bulk. Assembling inserts with others, bulk purchases of supplies (like polyether urethane foam tape), and the camaraderie involved, make sense.
The benefits of working communally to achieve a goal aren’t limited to hunting or the inserts. I recently received word on the NW Michigan Herb Guild going in together on a bulk purchase of 190-proof organic cane alcohol for tinctures and plant extracts. Less than a month ago, members of the Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club who attended the Michigan Beekeepers Association’s Fall Conference shared their gleanings with those who couldn’t attend. Working together makes sense, and I’m glad to work for an organization that supports and upholds those models.
|| 2 || Jo Mackiewicz is a writing professor at Iowa State who now welds at Howe's Welding and Metal Fabrication on the side. She put in years of night studies and training to get the position. I understand the draw—the allure of working with your hands, manual competency that supports others in an undeniably clear way. That's the sort of stuff that Jo does now in the four-person shop:
…repairs and one-off fabrication, not large-scale production of single items. Under Howe's tutelage, I've fabricated skis for the machines that make the rumble strips in the road, shepherd's hooks for bird feeders, fence poles and stainless-steel lampshade frames. I've repaired trailers, wheelchair ramps, office chairs and lawn mowers.
I don't need to read the article to understand the pull of the work. Reading it does help me come a bit closer to understanding some of Jo's daily challenges as a woman vastly outnumbered by men in her trade, though. When I'm doing manual work, I tend to second-guess and make mistakes when there are eyes looking critically over my shoulders. Jo’s account raises the hairs on my arms.
|| 3 || I’ve shared Adam Wilson’s words from upstate New York a handful of times, so I won’t offer details on his backstory. His writing, We Decide to Un-Witness (the title itself a quote from Martin Shaw’s preface to Stephen Jenkinson’sDie Wise), delves into forgiveness and the role of relationship in mending unhelpful patterns of dependance and extraction amidst modern life. Here’s an excerpt from We Decide to Un-Witness carrying a sentiment I quickly recognized from my experience with the Tip of the Mitt New Hunters Guild:
He could just as well have walked into a forest in need of a bit of firewood. After selecting a suitable tree and making his cut, he could have pulled out his wallet and flashed a few bills. “We don’t actually accept money here. We invite you to walk away feeling grateful and then figure out how to be a neighbor.”
The Weft — News and Events
We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!
|| 1 || Request for Proposals @ Hatchquarters. Crosshatch is seeking architectural design services for a stand-alone residential unit, which will serve as the anchor for a comprehensive campus (XH Campus) to follow. Find more details here, or click here for the full project vision.
|| 2 || December’s Buzz—A Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club Presentation and Potluck. 206 S. Oak St, Traverse City, Dec. 12th, 6-9pm. Please bring a dish to pass, BYOB, and join for a presentation by John Stephens: “Polystyrene Hives: How They Are Changing Beekeeping”. Paper products and utensils provided.
|| 3|| Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP) Town Hall Meeting—Dec. 9th, 4pm. The EAP, a partnership effort funded by the USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative, is launching its second producer application cycle, inviting eligible producers to apply to the Expanding Agroforestry Incentive Payment Program beginning December 16th, 2024. You’re invited to a town hall meeting on the program, with topics covered including an overview of the EAP Incentive Payment Program, latest updates, and answers to frequently asked questions. Find out more about The Nature Conservancy’s Expanding Agroforestry Project here, or click here to register for the virtual meeting.
|| 4 || Alluvion Arts: ”Under Pressure: A Printmaking Exhibition”—Curated by local printmakers Brad Kik and Kat Kline, this exhibition aims to educate viewers on this unique and ancient artform by highlighting different techniques with examples of work, process and history. The exhibition is located on the first and second floors of Commongrounds and is on view until January 17th, 2025.
|| 5 || North Central SARE’s (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Farmer Rancher Grant Program—Proposals are now being accepted for grants “for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects.” Find more information on deadlines, Q&A sessions for potential applicants, and other details here.
|| 6 || Produce Safety Trainings, Virtual and In-Person—One-day training courses for produce safety certification from MSU Extension’s Agrifood Safety Department are coming up soon. Here’s a list of upcoming dates and opportunities, along with more details.
|| 7 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Big Fun, Mindful + Musical with Miriam Pico: MINI BIRD, The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, with Rob Smith and Chris Glassman, Joshua Davis, A to Z, Funky Uncle, “Tipping The Pain Scale” Documentary Screening, Grove Presents: TC SOUP, and May Erlewine and the Motivations.
Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.
sponsored by:
Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors is a mission-driven, fee-only wealth management company with a simple purpose: to generate exceptional value for the individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profit organizations they serve. Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors believe in and adhere to triple-bottom-line analysis for portfolio investments, ensuring that they review how a company’s environmental and social values impact its long-term resilience and, consequently, value.
Many thanks to the Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts for their support of this work.
Crosshatch’s The Whole Field is a biweekly (meaning roughly every other week) human-written newsletter. We aim to provide engaging, thought-provoking content that’s worth your time. If you’ve been forwarded this email and want to receive future editions, click here to subscribe to our mailing list or view past newsletters.
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