Green Hill Farm Spring 2020 My beloved Clover is the oldest and sweetest sheep on Green Hill Farm. He loves picking through and enjoying the very last bites of grain. I sometimes catch him flipping over the troughs to make sure he doesn’t miss a single piece. So, yesterday, when I saw him bathed in the evening sunlight, it was a little […]
Growing up on a farm as a child afforded many wonderful experiences. Meaningful experiences that shaped my values and inspired me. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old, Dad decided that it would be nice to have fresh milk and eggs. So, he bought a Holstein cow named Bessie and ordered chicks. I remember sitting in our living room early in the morning before school with an old towel on my lap, carefully cradling a warm, fuzzy chick in my hands–marveling at its tiny body and feet as well as the soft, little sounds it made. Every morning over the next 2-3 weeks, I would hurriedly get dressed and eat breakfast so I could hold one for a few minutes before the school bus came. I loved those little chicks! As the chicks grew into hens, they free-ranged all through the pastures and even around the house; but, for some reason, though, they didn’t like to lay their eggs in the coop. Much to my surprise and joy, while walking along outdoors, I would just FIND an egg laying in the yard or under a bush. It was like an Easter egg hunt! After making the discovery that the hens were laying eggs all over the place, I remember enthusiastically running into the house and searching for my Easter basket. “This is going to be fun!” I thought. And it was. The hens free-ranged and laid their […]
Butterbean, Sweet Pea, and Truffle stoically watching their fallen friend. *This post was originally published November 1st, 2018 Although I wrote this post a while ago, I think the story of Rosebud may be a timely lesson–a reminder that we can do hard things, find our strength in the midst of suffering, and decide not to be defeated by circumstances we cannot control. xoxo I squatted uncomfortably in the pasture. My left shin gently pressing on Rosebud’s back with the remainder of weight shifted to my right leg. My left hand disappeared into the coarse wool on her chest, above her heart. As I carefully caressed Rosebud’s face, the feathery sensation of her long eyelashes brushed against my hand as she opened and closed her eyes. Her heartbeat was faint. Although Rosebud was still grazing and eating grain regularly, we recently noticed she had lost weight and seemed to be lying around more. She was nearly 12-years-old now–elderly for a sheep. However, even though a bit slower, she was always grazing with the flock and never missed an opportunity for a grain treat…until Wednesday morning. After feeding the sheep, I walked back to the house, feeling my chest tighten and heaviness gather in my shoulders. Once inside, I picked up the phone and dialed our local vet’s office. A young girl answered, “Bedford Animal Hospital.” I was struck by the contrast of the cheerful, sunny voice at […]
Green Hill Farm Spring 2020 “I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” ~Agatha Christie Sending lots of love and good wishes from all of us at Green Hill Farm! xoxo
Green Hill Farm No more BAAAH HUMBUG…just some BAAAH and a little CLUCK, CLUCK, because the Green Hill Farm Christmas tree is FINALLY up! I’ve been collecting sheep and chicken ornaments for a while now, but I recently have enough to decorate a full length Christmas tree. Oh joy!! 🙂
Farmgirl and Buttermilk Green Hill Farm Summer 2019 PC: Alison Creasy Photography “I do not understand the mystery of grace–only that it meets us where we are, and does not leave us where it found us.” ~Anne Lamott, author Enjoy your week!
One of my favorite sheep, Clover, watching the chickens scratch in the grass and chase bugs.
Butterbean, Sweet Pea, and Truffle stoically watching their fallen friend. This post was originally published November 1st, 2018 It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. However, the lesson is still there. I squatted uncomfortably in the pasture. My left shin gently pressing on Rosebud’s back with the remainder of weight shifted to my right leg. My left hand disappeared into the coarse wool on her chest, above her heart. As I carefully caressed Rosebud’s face, the feathery sensation of her long eyelashes brushed against my hand as she opened and closed her eyes. Her heartbeat was faint. Although Rosebud was still grazing and eating grain regularly, we recently noticed she had lost weight and seemed to be lying around more. She was nearly 12-years-old now–elderly for a sheep. However, even though a bit slower, she was always grazing with the flock and never missed an opportunity for a grain treat…until Wednesday morning. After feeding the sheep, I walked back to the house, feeling my chest tighten and heaviness gather in my shoulders. Once inside, I picked up the phone and dialed our local vet’s office. A young girl answered, “Bedford Animal Hospital.” I was struck by the contrast of the cheerful, sunny voice at the other end of the line to the worried, grayness of my inner landscape. The receptionist informed me that the doctors’ schedules were full, and that no one would be available for a […]
“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.” ~Henry Beston
Clover and The Crew “This land pulses with life. It breathes in me; it breathes around me; it breathes in spite of me. When I walk on this land, I am walking on the heartbeat of the past and the future. And that’s only one of the reasons I am a farmer.” ~Brenda Sutton Rose
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 