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…
This post is dedicated to our beautiful and resilient sheep: Violet, Hamish, Clover, Rosebud, Fern, Ivy, Heather, Olive, Button, and Daisy. The glamorous life? Not quite. Farm life definitely isn’t glamorous, but that’s okay. It’s fulfilling. And, it means everything to us. Farmguy and I enjoy interacting with all of our sentient, intelligent, and sweet animals. We also love that […]
Quiet, cold, and crystal clear. This is the Green Hill Farm I woke up to on Saturday morning–the first snowfall of the season. And, there’s nothing like the serene beauty of the country when it’s blanketed with snow. All of the hustle and bustle and noise just seem to stop. I breathed in the peaceful views while realizing that […]
“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 […]
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
“The world is quiet here.” ~Lemony Snicket “You have peace,” the old woman said, “when you make it with yourself.” ~Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Originally posted on fourth generation farmgirl:
Welcome to Fourth Generation Farmgirl’s, “The Weekly Bleat.” For those who aren’t sure, a bleat is the characteristic sound a sheep makes–similar to a baaah. In the future, “The Weekly Bleat” will briefly share happenings from Green Hill Farm as well as anything else that’s considered uplifting or entertaining. This first bleat fittingly focuses…
Different Kinds of Happy “It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
Happy Autumn! “No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” ~John Donne, The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose Mountain Meadows Farm Meadows of Dan, Virginia
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 