Animals
- The Hows And Whys Of Being A Zoo Chef
One of the favorite parts of my day is reading your comments, questions and emails!I try to answer each in some form or another,but every so often a comment becomes the next day's blog post. And so it is, today. Yesterday Tee asked:Can you tell us...
- Starting At The Beginning
Before I say anything else....I have to say...you guys are the BEST! So many questions....so many ideas....so much to say.And although the rest of gray winter looms ahead of me...my mind is full of ideas to share with you.I cannot thank you enough! I...
- Weekend Musings
It was a quiet sort of weekend around the farm.Most everyone, except me, had places to go and things to do. Sure, I had things to do...but they all involved one corner of the farm or another....particularly the garden! I took quite a bit of time and...
- Family Time
We had a scrumptiously wonderful Thanksgiving here on the farm... filled with good food, laughter, and fellowship. The farm was a flurry of activity for 5 solid days. All of our kids were home. Tyler was here. Family.Old friends.New friends. Beautiful...
- Thoughts On A Frosty Morning
To every thing there is a season,and a time to every purpose under Heaven. I have always loved and held onto those words.And now, living on the farm, there are none truer. I have spoken before about the rhythm of life on a farm...the ebb and flow of...
Animals
How I Got Here....
Quite often, when visitors come to our farm,
I am asked if I came from a farming background.
"No," I reply.
But I have to admit I think it is in my genes.
Ever since I was a little girl, I was happiest when I had dirt beneath my fingernails
and worms within my pockets (just ask my Mom!).
I grew up in a very middle class suburban family.
Sure, we always had tomato plants in the summer,
and lots of gardens around the house,
but we were suburban through and through.
On weekends, though, my parents would load me into the car
and set off on a country adventure
exploring the countryside, woods, and streams...
hiking, picnicking and foraging for nature's treasures
which we would bring home and use in some craft or display.
My grandparents are responsible for my love of all things farm, I believe.
My Nana and Papap on my Mother's side were country folk of
Pennsylvania Dutch descent.
They grew up in farm country, and farm work was in their blood.
So much so, that when they settled in a small Lancaster County town,
they tilled their entire backyard, turning it into one huge garden.
They were from a generation who knew self sufficiency and sustainability.
Nana picked and canned and froze and dried....
filling her larder and freezer with a year's worth of food by the end of each summer.
She knew how to grow a chicken, butcher it and cook it.
She knew how to grow a chicken, butcher it and cook it.
It was the trips to their house and the tours of their gardens
that instilled my love for tilling the soil, planting the seed, and harvesting the food.
There was never a question in my mind....
this was how I wanted to live.
And so at the age of 22, in my very first "home of my own",
I started my first garden.
And pretty much every year since then I have planted and harvested.
It wasn't until the second half of my life that the farm became a reality.
Hubbs and I jumped in with both feet...
building fences and filling those fenced in acres with animals,
digging gardens and filling them with fruits and vegetables,
putting up coops and filling them with chickens, ducks and turkeys.
With lots of love and elbow grease and a little time,
the farm grew into what it is today....
our life's blood...
heaven on earth...
home.
This kind of life is not for everyone.
It is a quiet life, at times rather solitary.
But I must say...
time slows down on a farm.
You start to look at life a whole new way.
Little things become important...
the hummingbirds' return in Spring,
fireflies in Summer,
purple asters in Autumn,
purple asters in Autumn,
and the cardinal's red coat against the grey days of Winter.
At the same time, other things become unimportant.
At the same time, other things become unimportant.
My life has come full circle.
My Nana and Papap would be pleased.
I am happy.
PS....I don't always have time to answer your comments, but please know
how much they mean to me. You inspire me to write better,
take better pictures, and strive to give back some of that inspiration.
Thank you for that.
Life is so much more fun when you can share the joy!
- The Hows And Whys Of Being A Zoo Chef
One of the favorite parts of my day is reading your comments, questions and emails!I try to answer each in some form or another,but every so often a comment becomes the next day's blog post. And so it is, today. Yesterday Tee asked:Can you tell us...
- Starting At The Beginning
Before I say anything else....I have to say...you guys are the BEST! So many questions....so many ideas....so much to say.And although the rest of gray winter looms ahead of me...my mind is full of ideas to share with you.I cannot thank you enough! I...
- Weekend Musings
It was a quiet sort of weekend around the farm.Most everyone, except me, had places to go and things to do. Sure, I had things to do...but they all involved one corner of the farm or another....particularly the garden! I took quite a bit of time and...
- Family Time
We had a scrumptiously wonderful Thanksgiving here on the farm... filled with good food, laughter, and fellowship. The farm was a flurry of activity for 5 solid days. All of our kids were home. Tyler was here. Family.Old friends.New friends. Beautiful...
- Thoughts On A Frosty Morning
To every thing there is a season,and a time to every purpose under Heaven. I have always loved and held onto those words.And now, living on the farm, there are none truer. I have spoken before about the rhythm of life on a farm...the ebb and flow of...