Growing up in the country and on a farm, it was commonplace to preserve as much of the summer’s harvest as possible. My parents and grandparents worked all spring, summer, and fall planting gardens, picking vegetables, tending fruit trees, picking berries, digging potatoes and then canning, freezing, and storing much of it for future use. I can still see kitchen […]
This beautiful work of art was given to us by our good friends, Donna Tuten and Doug Frassa. I love its colors and texture as well as its composition. The artist, Susan Miller Bradbury is a fine artist who resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Roanoke, Virginia. She enjoys painting with both acrylics and oils. To learn more […]
Originally posted on fourth generation farmgirl:
Having just fed the barn kitties, I headed toward the chicken coop to gather eggs. On the way, I stopped and looked up, closing my eyes. I stood for a moment, letting the warmth of the afternoon sun wash over me. When I opened my eyes, I saw an autumn sky that was clear…
Love my sweet writing companion. 🙂 “If you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work…the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle placidly under the desk lamp…The cat will settle down and be […]
I think someone once said that life is supposed to be challenging. Well, yes, the statement is true enough. But, somehow, many of us believe that things should go smoothly a good part of the time. Most of us work towards this end, and we count on it. Then, when life goes awry, we’re upset, angry, and disappointed. We dread challenges and vexation. I’ll be the first to admit that I work very hard to keep my life on course. I’m an “all your ducks in a row” kinda girl. I follow the rules, keep my word, and act decently–treating others as I would like to be treated. I basically over-analyze most situations, teasing out the pros and cons before making a decision. However, despite my good intentions and best efforts, challenging stuff still happens. Maybe, if we modified our view of challenging circumstances as a normal part of life, we wouldn’t be so surprised and upset when they occurred. Also, what if we stopped interpreting the stuff that happens as positive or negative. It’s happening, let’s try to accept it, and move through it. You know, let’s stop judging the stuff. Of course, this is easier said than done. On the surface, some stuff looks pretty negative–even devastating at times. Which brings me to a quote by Elizabeth Gilbert that I absolutely love: “Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.” What if the […]
Photograph courtesy of Farmguy “For every item that carries the darkness of humanity there’s one that holds the light. And that light is worth believing in. Not just in others, but in yourself as well.” ~C.M. Rayne, The Forbidden Land of Andara “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ~William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. “I am the light of the world.” ~John 8:12
Our beloved Clementine Kitty and Dash are both rescued pets, and they have brought an immeasurable amount of love and joy into our lives. They never cease to amaze us with their intelligence, sensitivity, humorous personalities, and affection toward us as well as each other. Because of our positive experience with shelter pets, I would like to share that […]
“Cloud break,” 16 x 20, oil on canvas by Tonya R. Hengerer “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~ Aristotle
Different Kinds of Happy “It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
My name is Tonya, and I grew up on a 300-acre farm in rural Virginia that has been in my family for over 100 years. After graduating from college, receiving my master’s degree in speech and language pathology, and living and working in a small city for six years, I decided to return to the place of my childhood. Here, in this rural area, on this patch of green, where for four generations my family has farmed, gardened, and lived, I, too wanted to be a part of this continuity. As a fourth generation farmgirl, I have many interests that not only include, but also go beyond the basics of farming, gardening, sheep and chicken-keeping. It is all of this and more that I plan on sharing in this blog.
