Startled, I sat up in bed. “Scott–did you hear that? I just heard glass breaking,” I whispered. My heart was pounding uncontrollably. Living in a 227-year-old house, I’m well-accustomed to the quirky noises that it makes, but this was different. “You were dreaming. It’s nothing,” he assured me. “I was not dreaming,” I hissed. I heard […]
“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” ~Winston Churchill
Farmgirl in Firenze–May 2017 “We talk of many things as we walk and do not realize, as we go through the tiny cobbled streets, pass the crowded cafes and gelataries, that Florence is gingerly working its charm and paving its way through our hearts.” – (source) “Firenze and the surrounding Tuscan countryside are the most sensuous places I […]
“A View to a Kiss,” 20 x 24 acrylic on canvas by Tonya R. Hengerer “Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.” ~Truman Capote “When you wake up every day, you have […]
Farmguy and I had just gotten home from Sunday brunch a couple of weeks ago, when I noticed Clover, one of my favorite sheep, seemed to be limping. So, I immediately walked into the pasture to check on him. While I was trying to figure out which leg/foot may be injured, Farmguy snapped these pictures. Since I don’t usually dress-up […]
For those of you who follow this blog, you may recall that I am a speech and language pathologist. Since May is Better Hearing and Speech Month and ASHA or the American Speech and Hearing Association focuses on autism during the second week of the month, I thought I would share some information with you. According to the organization, Autism […]
“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” ~Pema Chödrön “There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” ~Epictetus “In the process of letting go you will lose many things from […]
Our woollies have been getting a little warm lately, especially since we’ve had a few days around 80 degrees F.–which is fairly hot for late-April. So, after re-scheduling with our shearer twice due to rain, we finally sheared, trimmed hooves, and de-wormed all of our lovely sheep last Tuesday. Now, they’re ready for warmer weather! Clover, Heather, and Ivy […]
“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. That word is love.” ~Sophocles “When we come upon beautiful things…they act like small tears in the surface of the world that pull us through to some vaster space.” ~Elaine Scarry
Farmgirl in Saint Émilion (right bank of Bordeaux) November 2016 Dorothy Boyd, the love interest in the film “Jerry Maguire,” made the following line famous: “You had me at hello.” However, if Dorothy had been a sommelier, she may have uttered these words instead, “You had me at Merlot.” And, with good reason. Merlot, French for little blackbird because […]
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.
