Meet The Family

John Adelmann - "Farmer Fox" - Dad

    I was born and raised in rural southeastern Ohio where small town and country living got into my veins.  I am the son of a lumberman and come from a long line of farming folk, as I suppose we all do.  I make my living as an engineer in the auto industry.  My interests include woodworking, family history, hobby farming, cooking, raising my children and just about anything that involves getting outside in the fresh air.

    Portage River Farm is the culmination of half a lifetime of dreaming of a simpler life, of sustainably raising my own food and crafting things that I need with my own hands.  I am so grateful to finally have a chance to make this dream into a reality, albeit one tiny step at a time, and to be able to share these experiences with my wife and children.

Janet Adelmann - Mom

    This beautiful lady, I am very happy to say, is my wife and partner in this venture.  Unlike me, she is a native Michigander, although she has lived in a number of places around the country.  Janet's interests include cooking (at which she excels), a cup of good coffee, stimulating conversation, close friends, curling up with a good book, and knitting. 

    Janet is a degreed accountant and has many years experience working with non-profits and charter schools.  She devotes a great deal of her time to the education and care of our children.  She is rapidly becoming a "foodie" and daily adds to her knowledge of fine food making techniques such as canning, smoking meats, cheese making and artisan baking.

Greatest among our many blessing are our three children: Freya, Sean and Aidan.

Freya Kniaz - Big Sister

    The eldest of our children is Freya.  She is very smart and talented, particularly in music.  She plays clarinet in the Youth Symphony and attended Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp this past summer.  Her interests include social networking with her friends, history, music and reading.  She is growing into an amazing young woman and we are sure she will go far in life. 

    Being thirteen, there are days when she feels more like this:

Next in line is our middle child, Sean:

Sean Adelmann - Big Brother

Sean is imaginative and very creative.  His talents include creative writing, poetry and great flights of imagination.  He is all heart and a joy to be around.  He and his younger brother have the ability to entertain themselves for hours on end creating worlds of adventure and fantasy.  His interests include graphic novels, science, video games and reading.

Last, but not least, is the youngest of our clan:

Aidan Adelmann - Little Brother

Aidan is a fun-loving and affectionate child.  He is popular with his classmates and a continuous source of comic relief in our household.  He has a great sense of humor and an infectious giggle.  He has a great curiosity about the world, is a quick learner and bubbles over with desire to understand everything that goes on around him.

Rounding out our household are our two four-legged family members:

Sirona and Finn

At nearly nineteen years of age, Sirona is the grand old lady of our household.  She is reportedly a Shetland Sheepdog - Norwegian Elkhound mix.  She has been a wonderful companion for me since her puppyhood.  The years are beginning to catch up with her and she is increasingly frail. 

Finn, on the other hand, is a bit more of a challenge.  He is a very large Yellow Lab (he was still small in this picture).  He is approaching two years of age and we are still waiting for him to leave his puppy days behind and settle down.  He is exceedingly smart and a bundle of fun, but he tends to be a bit more opportunistic that we would like.  He and Freya are inseparable.