LINDISFARNE

Make an EGGNOG

Flight

Get creative with our infamous eggnog! Add nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, maple syrup, ginger...

alderalder

Dairy Farm, Country Store and Ice Cream Parlor

Open Daily 10-7 | calderdairy.com  9334 Finzel Rd., Carleton | Call for tour info 734-654-2622 | Home Delivery 313-381-8858

We get by with a Little help from our Friends

C A N D Y CANE ICE CREAM TOO!

BOARD | BREED | GROOM 7994 Billmyer, Tecumseh | goldenacresmichigan.com 517.423.3004  Reserve Early for the Holidays!

BOARD | BREED | GROOM

Let us help you build a better tomorrow with a low cost insurance plan!

• Medicare Supplements • Medicare Advantage • Part D Rx • Dental/Vision • ACA and other

Individual Plans • Small Group Plans

A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. - W. C. Fields

Merlin K. Rajala

CLU

517.423.3400

Gary Griffin

CLU,CHFC, RISP, LUTCF

419.266.3183

Call/Email for Appointment 517-423-3400 or fax a request 517-424-4811

boulevardinsagency.com

info@blvd-ia.com Bidwell Exchange 102 W. Chicago, Ste 103 Tecumseh

LINDISFARNE

By Mary Kay McPartlin

Growing up in a suburb of Flint, Andy and Cathi King had similar experiences connecting with the natural world. “I grew up in suburbia,” said Andy. “We had a wooded area and fields near our home. Being out in nature is something I have always enjoyed.

“I had a similar experience growing up near a big woodlot,” Cathi said. Raising their children in Plymouth, there was also a section of woods near their home. It was a small piece of the natural world that continued to encourage their curiosity.

The pull to living closer to nature has grown for Andy and Cathi. In the Fall of 2013, they moved to an 80-acre farm in Tipton, and shortly thereafter, Cathi accepted the position of pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Tecumseh. “When we first came out here, we felt the sacredness of the space. We were drawn to the ponds and the variety of trees and meadows. It felt like we were up north,” Cathi said.

“Our original vision was to create a residential intentional community based around sustainability,” said Andy. “That’s why we have as much space as we have. The vision of creating community has evolved.”

“A few years ago,” added Cathi, “we began offering events to invite people to gather together to experience the land. From overnight retreats to contemplative photography, we’ve hosted a wide variety of educational, spiritual, culinary and artistic events.” Last December they hosted a winter solstice event. “We created a candlelit walk through the woods after dark and a gathering around a bonfire with mulled drinks,” she said.

Some of the educational activities they’ve offered are food-oriented, as a way to connect people to how they can eat what is grown locally. The Kings have introduced people to foraging for native edible food, like autumn olive berries. They hosted a garlic festival, teaching visitors how to plant and harvest it. “We got creative during the pandemic, offering self-guided meditative walks, marked with signs to offer visitors peace in a stressful time,” Cathi said.

Although they’ve hosted church events with people from First Presbyterian, Lindisfarne is a separate entity. “This is our homestead not connected with the church,” said Cathi. “When we do a Lindisfarne event it is open to the community.”

They named their farm Lindisfarne, inspired by a local artist who introduced Cathi and Andy to the Lindisfarne Gospels, a pictorial representation used to teach the Bible to a mostly illiterate world in the eighth century. Lindisfarne is also a tidal island off the coast of England connected by a land bridge during low tide. The Kings liked the idea of their homestead being a bridge from a busy world to the healing and refreshing quality of nature. “Lindisfarne had a lot of connections to what we were trying to be here,” Andy said.

“We began to build on the natural beauty,” said Cathi. They placed benches alongside three existing man-made ponds, added several new walking trails through the woods, created a 400-foot diameter path in the shape of a peace sign through one of the meadows, and installed a labyrinth with a gazebo for spiritual reflection. “It’s always been important to us to enhance the sacredness of this place and to offer it to others.”

“We also transformed elements of the existing infrastructure,” said Andy. From old deck boards to an old trailer in the woods, the Kings find a way to use nearly everything. Observing nature and seeking to mimic how it operates, Andy looks at every item that crosses his path and ask the question, “What can be done with this? It’s fun to be creative and repurpose items that might otherwise be thrown away. In nature, there’s no such thing as waste; everything is recycled.”

The previous owner raised deer and used a high fence to keep the deer in. Andy and Cathi use the same area to build a vegetable garden, using the fence to keep deer out. A wood-burning boiler system heats the house, completely sourced with wood from the land. Additionally, the Kings installed a solar array to provide 100% of their electricity needs. “We are more and more living off the grid,” said Cathi. “We are attentive to eating what we grow and what is seasonably available. We’re learning older practices that are less energy intensive on the planet and more satisfying personally.”

“I had no farming experience in my family at all,” said Andy. “Living here is definitely a confidence builder. You try different things. You never know what you are going to learn,” he said. “Often something totally different happens that you didn’t consider. It forces you to be more comfortable with the unknown.”

Cathi sees a change in Andy’s attitude and outlook from when they first arrived. “It was a hard winter eight years ago,” she said. “We had a ton of snow. From then to now, Andy has developed a huge amount of personal resilience. He has learned a lot about what needs to happen. Andy is primarily the hands-on guy regarding the land. What this place is for me is different than what it is for him. For me, it is a place of peace and renewal. Like the tide, whenever I drive up the driveway it’s an exhale. When I drive down the driveway it’s an inhale.”

What’s next? “We plan to offer another Winter Solstice outdoor event this December and possibly a black and white contemplative photography walk in January,” said Cathi. “Additionally, through the pandemic, we hope to offer opportunities for people to get out and walk or snowshoe or do some cross-country skiing.” The Kings are also looking to collaborate with other farmers in the area interested in teaching small backyard vegetable gardening to increase self-sufficiency, connection to the land and local food sourcing.

Lindisfarne is not open to visitors every day. Community events are posted on the Lindisfarne Bridge Facebook Page. Proper social distancing and safety measures are part of all events scheduled during the pandemic. “Come and experience the beauty and the healing,” said Cathi.

“Let nature do what nature does best,” Andy said. “You can take the mindset away from here. You can take the experience of being here and incorporate it wherever you are.” n