“Barbara,” 11 x 14 oil on canvas by Donna Whitmore Tuten This painting of my favorite chicken was given to me as a Christmas gift by our sweet and thoughtful friend, Donna Tuten. Donna is a talented artist with a wonderful range of ability. She paints everything from portraits to landscapes beautifully, and I think she did a fantastic […]
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 […]
The Tuesday Tune for today’s post is one of my favorite hymns. “For the Beauty of the Earth” is a Christian hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint, M.A. (1835-1917). Folliott was born at Spa Villa in Bath, England and was educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge, graduating in classical honours in 1871. “For the Beauty of the Earth” was first published […]
A little over a year ago, my dear friend and talented artist, Donna Tuten graciously invited me to paint at her art studio at 202 Market Square in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia. She suggested that I bring a photograph of a painting I admired, and she’d give me a mini art lesson. We would also have lunch and visit. It sounded […]
I would like to dedicate this post to my husband’s 102 year-old grandfather. He is affectionately known as “Bump” or “Bumpy” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because he always bumped foreheads to say goodnight when tucking them into bed at the family’s summer retreat in Maine. “Camp,” as this summer place is lovingly called, has been an important part of […]
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 