Farmgirl and Clementine Kitty Mornings on Green Hill Farm This is how I greet every morning on Green Hill Farm…with sweet Clementine nuzzling my hand and encouraging wakefulness with her dainty kitty kisses. I love Clemmie Cat, and I’m grateful for such a lovely beginning to each day. This may seem like a little thing, but […]
Farmgirl with friend and fellow Tom Petty fan, Rhonda at one of the artist’s last concerts. Philadelphia, PA July 2017 “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill
As someone who has worked with children who have a diagnosis of autism, I was especially moved and inspired by Blake Henkel’s story. Blake is a young man from High Point, North Carolina. While he has limited communication due to an autism diagnosis, he expresses himself beautifully and powerfully through his artwork. Not only does Blake Henkel enjoy painting, but he is also a prolific and successful artist. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to his story, appreciate his lovely, vibrant art…and be inspired. 🙂 See Henkel’s story in this edition of Roy’s Folks. The link is below. http://myfox8.com/2018/01/24/local-man-with-autism-a-prolific-painter/
Edward Hopper American, 1882–1967 Ground Swell 1939 Oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Washington, D.C. If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” ~Nikola Tesla; inventor & physicist “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” ~Proverbs 23:7; KJV
Farmgirl 2017 RdV Vineyards Delaplane, Virginia If someone asked me five years ago what I’d be doing today, I really don’t think my answer would have included writing a blog, taking art classes/painting, and pursuing my WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust based in London) Level 3 Award in Wines and Spirits. But, here I am. Five years ago, […]
Good friend and animal advocate extraordinaire, Ralph Sites posing with dear, little Bizou on the day of his adoption. December 2016 This photo represents more than just a man and a dog at Christmastime. It represents the true meaning of kindness, goodness, service—and, most importantly…PURPOSE. Our friend, Ralph has a family, a job, and a life of responsibilities like many […]
I LOVE wandering around vintage/antiques stores. You know the kind—where there’s everything from beautiful, old quilts to those tacky Smurf drinking glasses you just had to collect when you were a child. The fun thing is you never know what you may find….treasure or trinkets. But, it’s all good stuff! Well, recently, while enjoying a lazy afternoon in one of these […]
Green Hill Farm “Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.” ~Walt Whitman
Blue Ridge Parkway Meadows of Dan, Virginia “One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” ~Henry Miller
Change your thoughts and you change your world. ~Norman Vincent Peale Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. ~Charles R. Swindoll
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 