Life isn’t perfect. It’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be REAL: a messy “learning lab” of experiences, mistakes, and practicing our ability to reflect on all of it—hopefully cultivating a positive outlook. An outlook that creates a meaningful, beautiful, and one-of-a-kind life. A life we can share by loving and uplifting others…..and, ultimately, ourselves. So, here’s the thing: […]
I love to travel: experiencing different cultures, learning interesting things, and making new friends. However, after being away for awhile, I begin to look forward to spending time at home again. I long to see our sweet animals, and I miss the routine of Green Hill Farm. Amidst the busyness and stress of our daily lives, the beauty before us is sometimes overlooked. Travel offers a break—it’s fun, it’s stimulating, and it opens our minds to different perspectives. But, perhaps the loveliest thing about it is its ability to re-focus our eyes, so we may once again, see and appreciate the simple things. And, feel a deep gratitude and love for home. Have a wonderful week!
View from Cortona Tuscany, Italy May 2017 “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” ~Dorothy Thompson “Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” ~Carol Pearson “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lao-tzu
Originally posted on The Off Key Of Life:
I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, January 10, 1946 We sometimes have a tendency to glamorize war in books and movies. Those who have been there understand it’s much worse than anything that’s…
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 […]
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 