iorld's
jaguatt I,'eater-8 Years Running
Only Michigan Dealer to Win The Prestigious "Pride of jaguar"
Awardfor Excellence in Sales & Service
admire. Their feathers are soft, smooth,
and their eyes rimmed with a golden
blue. Fink tells one bird, "You're beau-
tiful."
Everything has a story here. There
are the Polish chickens, who come
with a collection of feathers atop their
heads, eerily similar to those distaste-
ful, round hats worn by grandmothers
in the 1950s.
Near the back of the farm is a tim-
ber-framed barn, moved there from
nearby Milford where it was about to
be torn down to make room for a sub-
division.
The barn was disassembled on site,
board by board, then transferred to
Kensington. It was raised with the help
of a professional barn builder, and "we
offered a workshop where people came
to learn and actually build the barn,"
Fink says.
About 100 volunteers came to help
with the program, which Fink was
instrumental in planning.
Held together entirely with wooden
pegs, the barn is made of wood as
much as 300 years old. Today, it is
used to teach about the history of
barns and as a home for the draft hors-
es.
Often, the horses take visitors on
carriage or sleigh rides. Their photos,
many of which Fink took, hang across
the top of the barn.
Kensington's farm is not just for
show. Animals born here (like Piggy
Sue's seven piglets, all happily snorting
beside her) are sold, often to smaller
farms or to children who raise them as
4-H Club projects.
It's also an amazingly clean place. _
The hay is sharp yellow-brown and
crisp, and the animals all are freshly
groomed.
There's an herb garden, too, that still
blooms, though it has been cold for
some time now Here, children are
encouraged to touch and smell the
fresh lavender and the soft lamb's ear.
At the office, a stuffed scarecrow,
with a floppy white head, still stands,
left over from a Halloween program.
Fink is thinking Chanukah these
days. Since coming to Kensington, she
has managed to bring plenty of Jewish
life to the farm. In December, visitors
don't see just a Christmas tree; there's a
menorah, too.
"I do what I gotta do," she says.
Fink often will lead tours of Jewish
students, coming from local day
schools and Sunday schools. Like all
other children, they huddle around
Piggy Sue and her hungry babies; but
here they get an extra lesson.
They've learned that animals, like
pigs, that don't have split hooves and
don't chew their cud aren't kosher.
Then they actually see one. "They get
to see what the Torah teaches," Fink
says.
In her other life, Fink lives in a
condo in West Bloomfield. She takes
care of her husband, who has multiple
sclerosis, and is close with her mother.
Fink says that some may regard her
decision to work at the farm as odd,
but not her mother, "my biggest sup-
porter. She's very accepting of all my
funny habits."
What Fink cannot abide: shopping
at malls. Instead, she yearns to be here
at the farm, where life is real, all the
time.
"I like to get away from the hectic
world," she says. "Here, everything
takes its time. It's very grounding and
it keeps life in perspective."
99
All Wheel Drive, Leather, Full Power
Lease For
.
Month
MSRP $29,995
A, X & Z Plans. Welcome
1815 Maplelawn, in the Troy Motor Mall
1-888-225-4857
www.jaguaroftroy.com
•Lease includes 39 months/32,500 mites, 52599 due at signing, includes 1st month payment, acquisition fee and SO security deposit. Must have
approved credit, plus tax, title & plates. Lessee responsible for excess wear/t3ear and mileage at 20c/mile over 32.500 miles. Offer Exoires 11/301133
❑
Below: Piglets take a nap.
L114:11
Friday, Nov. 28 - Saturday, Nov. 29-
Sunday, Nov.30 -12:00-4:00 - Sunday Hours thru Dec 21st
exduding selected and new pre-spring merchandise, previous sales and special orders
g
Orchard Mall • Orchard Lake Road at Maple • West Bloomfield • 248.626.0886
est S de Car
at st Side Pr
747480
20750 Hoover Road (3 miles south of 1-696)
Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
and by appointment
Call Mickey at 586-756-2400.
.
e
cep
0-0°°' s
Flooring
Warehouse
We set the floor on prices.
11/28
2003
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