Books, Bedlam, and A Lively Hope

Barnyard Buddies

Furry and Feathered Friends is the theme for week 6 of the Farm Girl Blog-a-thon!

My husband and I have talked about maybe getting a goat or two once things get settled on our farmette, whether it be at our current location or a future home. It was a bit of a coincidence then, that our puppy Buddy, a mixed breed, often resembles a goat in both appearance (when his ears lie horizontal) and most certainly in eating habits.
Buddy.
Will Eat.
Anything.

Here he is now, mowing our pasture...


He will make a good farm dog. His senses are keen, and he can dig a hole faster than a backhoe. Our other dog, a Boxer-mix we call Scrappy also enjoys eating ground clover and winter wheat.

"Thanks for the snack, ma!"

This is the final week of the Farm Girl series. Whew! I made it! It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed reading everyone's entries.

It was a wonderful surprise to learn yesterday that I was the lucky winner of the Farm Girl prize drawing! My afternoon wasn't going too well and it really helped lift my spirits. Many thanks to the Garden Goose for hosting such a fun blog-a-thon.

Getting Crafty

Getting Crafty is the theme for this week's Farm Girl Blog-a-thon!

Now I must admit, there isn't a lot of time for craftiness around here lately. Not unless you call tilling a huge plot while tearing down and rebuilding a hundred-year-old house "crafty." Of course, I sew my own dresses and most other things around here, and though that is enjoyable, it is more of a necessity than a creative endeavor. When it comes to craftiness for farm girls, my mind wanders to women who make useful things out of scraps or find a new practical use for everyday items. That seems like part of the farm girl ethic. Here is a couple of mine...


For working outside and even around the house, I wear these headcoverings made out of fabric scraps. They take ten minutes to make and are easy to tie on or fasten with a couple clips. When they are as dirty as I am at the end of the day, they can be thrown in the washing machine with everything else. They are great for keeping the loose little wisps of hair off of my face while doing things.

I like to collect pretty smelling soaps, especially when we travel and I want a souvenir of some sort. Some actually smell too good to use, so I turn them into drawer sachets by wrapping a pretty handkerchief or leftover fabric scrap around the unwrapped bar and fastening it with a ribbon. They make our linens smell nice and fresh.

A Walk through the Garden

Pansies on the front step. Our dog Buddy actually enjoys the smell of these and will  stop to sniff them when he comes outside.


Can you smell the lilacs?


Our arborvitae in the planting stage. We hope these will grow into a privacy hedge, and as they are each already seven feet tall, it is a good start.

Tomatoes! Other seedlings that are coming along are some peppers and herbs. We also have quite a few marigolds to plant around the border.


Due for another round of weeding and a whole lot of lime. It's hard to believe that in less than a week our garden patch will be thriving with life, Lord willing. Someone commented previously that this is a big garden, but let me assure you that not all of this will be our food garden, some will be grass and much of the shady area in the back will be flowers. Remember, it's just the two of us here!

Farmgirl in the Kitchen

Farm Girl at Heart

Week 2 in the Farm Girl Blog-athon!

 As a child, playing hide and seek in with friends and cousins in a corn field. Feeling the brief panic set in when things got too quiet and minutes went by without seeing any one. Wondering if maybe you would never be found and were lost in the rows forever. Feeling relieved when finally catching a glimpse of your friend’s dress as she ran by, and knowing you were safe in the fold.

 Picking bouquets of honeysuckle, morning glory, Queen Anne’s lace, and other “weeds.”

 Running over to the blackberry bushes for a quick snack.

 Picking apples, peaches. Coring and peeling apples, peaches. Baking pies made with apples, peaches. Putting pies in boxes to be sold. Helping count money.

Setting your “pet” turtle free.

Homemade root beer.

 
When the Farm girl becomes a Farm woman, there is a different perspective. Canning, baking, planning, staking, sowing, growing, and of course the glamour of soil analysis, blight, and pest control. But the hopeful heart still looks for:

 The violets and Johnny jump-ups spreading across the grass.

 Consulting almanacs and farm papers for news, ideas, and planning.

 Baking your own pies.

 Hanging out the laundry.

 Negotiating price.

 Early morning harvest. Early evening weeding.

 Waving to your husband on the tractor.

 Always sweeping the floor!

Aprons

Thanks to Amy for tipping me off to this fun six-week Farm Girl blog-athon hosted by Tina at The Garden Goose. What fun!
 
The theme for Week 1 was aprons.


When my husband sees me in my apron, he knows that something delicious must be about ready to go in the oven. And if he comes in and smells something delicious, yet he doesn't see me in my apron, he'll say "Where's your apron??!!" because that must be a key ingredient that makes something taste even better!

I don't collect them, and only have one. A simple, full, blue calico with white trim. It gets a lot of use and hangs on a nearby hook for quick access. The pockets rarely get used. What strikes me as funny is the recent surge in the popularity of aprons,  and how I am guilty of participating in that, too. After all, my mother's apron always looked so....well...uninspiring to me as a young girl, it never crossed my mind that years later in my own kitchen I might be caught wearing one. And Grandma's aprons? Forget it!

Yet, now it's all a fuss if I am baking something while not wearing it. And of course there are practical considerations, because I am practical and like an apron that provides coverage and protects my dress. Although I think they are quite cute, those frilly half-aprons aren't practical enough for everyday cooking. But they really are adorable.

And of course, I would not be a good librarian unless I mentioned The Apron Book  which celebrates the nostalgic rediscovery of something that never really went out of style.