“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” ~ Eleanora Duse
Green Hill Farm is wonderful this time of year. I truly love living here in the springtime. It’s as if the whole place just comes alive: trees budding out, pastures greening up, and bits of lavender, yellow, and pink from blooming flowers and trees dotting the landscape. It’s just so uplifting. We’ve had gorgeous weather, and today, I noticed my asparagus is coming up. It’s really exciting to have something nutritious and delicious just show up in the kitchen garden every spring. It’s such a treat! Of course, there was a lot of work initially to establish the asparagus, but that’s another story plus an asparagus recipe you may want to read about here. Anyway, we’ve enjoyed some beautiful days and serene evenings on the farm this week. Here’s a little of what we saw.
Farmgirl with Scottish Blackface sheep A while ago, I wrote a post about having the “winter blahs” and various methods that help lift my mood. A couple of these mood enhancing strategies included music and dancing. I even joked about installing a disco ball in the sheep shed, especially since I enjoy bee-bopping to radio tunes as I do farm chores. Well, a while ago, I was gifted with not one, but two disco balls: one for the the sheep shed and one for the house. 🙂 Here’s the thing: Whatever your mood…whether it’s the “winter blahs” or the “dog days of summer,” all you need is a little music. So, go ahead, put on your boogie shoes and come on over to Green Hill Farm. Because, the disco ball is up, and this farmgirl is ready to dance her way right into fall. 😉
Apparently, huge temperature swings are something that we’re just going to have to get used to this time of year. Lately, we’ve been experiencing what I like to call “yo-yo” weather. Our forecast this week is 65 degrees F. today, 72 degrees F. tomorrow, and snowing on Saturday. This weather isn’t great for people, but it’s especially not good for sheep and chickens. Their bodies acclimate to the cold, winter weather, and when there’s an unseasonably warm day–they may feel overheated. After a week of balmy, warm days, a 40 or 50 degree drop in temperature is jarring to these animals’ systems and may cause illness. So, to help, Farmguy and I feed the sheep and chickens extra grain to supplement their diets, especially on cold days. Yesterday, I was feeding the sheep their afternoon grain, when I noticed the grain bin was getting low. Well, let me just say, getting caught with no grain on Green Hill Farm is definitely a no-no. Anyway, it reminded me of a lesson I learned last year. And, I thought I would share it again. 🙂 Last weekend, Farmguy and I gathered our sheep for their spring shearing. We’ve had a number of warm days since early April with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, and the sheep were appearing a bit stressed by the heat. I was happy to finally get a shearing date, but also a little nervous about rain as […]
Sleeping Beauties…
Some of you who read this blog may remember my fondness for England. It’s because of my time spent there as a student that I came to love so many aspects of that “green and pleasant land.” One of the memories I treasure is the beautiful Scottish Blackface sheep grazing in the fields and meadows. It was this lovely, bucolic […]
Feeling grateful…
“There is no rational reason to remain a pessimist in a world full of so many miracles. If you don’t believe in miracles, perhaps you’ve forgotten YOU ARE ONE.” ~Karen Salmansohn
This post is dedicated to one of the strongest and most vivacious people I know– my dear and sweet friend, Rhonda, who happens to be feeling a little under the weather currently. You’ll be back to your Dancing Queen self before you know it! Love you! xoxo
That Still and Settled Place by Edward Monkton In that STILL and SETTLED place There’s nobody but you You’re where I BREATHE my oxygen You’re where I SEE my view And when the world feels full of noise My HEART knows what to do It finds that STILL and SETTLED place And DANCES there with YOU
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 