I love asparagus, not just because it’s delicious and has lots of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I love it, because it’s perennial. No matter how long and cold the winter has been, that dutiful spring vegetable is one of the first signs of life in my kitchen garden every year. And, is it ever welcome! However, I must admit that […]
“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” ~J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~Chinese Proverb
Acrostic poetry by Tonya R. Hengerer “Snow” Softly falling– Not a sound, Only Whirling, whirling to the ground. “Winter” When Icy, cold weather Naturally interrupts The warmth Enjoyed upon Earth Radiated by the sun. “Shovel” Something with which one Heaves snow Out of the way; a Very useful, Everyday tool–mostly Languishing in a shed until winter.
I have to admit that I find this time of year a little drear. Not only is it gray and bleak outside, but it’s also freezing cold. And, to make matters worse, the sun goes down around 5 p.m. The combination of gray, bleak, cold, and dark is somewhat of a downer. Plus, all the merry-making has come to a […]
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer, restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” ~Wendall Berry, The Unsettling of America: […]
When I think of old houses or antiques, I’m reminded of the Japanese philosophy called wabi-sabi. Loosely translated, it’s the art of finding beauty in imperfection, revering authenticity above all. It celebrates cracks and scratches and all other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. Some of the things that I love best about an old house are […]
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.
fourth generation farmgirl 