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The rain has been falling non-stop for days now and the farmers around here are getting mighty antsy to get back to the fields and finish up harvest (90% of our crop is still out there!) So last night when Adam asked me if I’d like to go on a date with him today, I was ecstatic for a change of pace!! As any farm wife would know, getting a date away from the farm at the end of August is EXTREMELY rare and a time that I surely was going to cherish with my hubby.

Early this afternoon we dropped our little man off with his grandparents and headed out into the rain to begin our day date in a little town called Eastend. Its approximately 45 minutes away from our farm and I had never once been there but heard it was a beautiful little community. And it definitely didn’t disappoint!! Eastend is celebrating their centennial this year and has a rich history worth researching. Their main claim to fame is “Scotty”, the T-Rex that was found in 1991 a mere 15 minutes away from our home! The research centre is a beautiful little building up in the hill and is completely free for visitors to come, walk around, watch a documentary and see fossils that have been dug up from around our area. I myself am not a *huge* dinosaur fan but I was definitely intrigued by all of it!!

The T-Rex centre had a few tours and visitors but, for the most part, we had the entire place to ourselves which was pretty neat!!
I could not get over the massive structure that “Scotty” was..40 feet long, 20 feet tall..
After exploring the T-Rex centre, we stopped by the Stegner House. This place was once home to Wallace Stegner, who lived here from 1917-1921 and went on to become a Pulitzer Prize winner and wrote about this home in 2 of his novels
This home and this town itself is completely covered in various species of rudbeckia, I was completely smitten with it. So much so that I am now convinced I need plenty more in my own yard next year than I currently grow. I mean, how could you not? They are beautiful!
We followed our little tour up with a delicious meal at Jack’s Cafe, run by the sweetest local Greek family that served amazing dishes before sending us on our way back home. We laughed and talked and promised each other this would become a norm for us..little get aways whenever we can!! So watch out..we’re planning to explore this year and you never know, we might be headed out your way next 😉 Until our next adventure….

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You guys, this year my garden has been a true labor of love. Having a small baby, taking on a new/huge yard, creating a vegetable garden in a patch of dirt that has never grown a thing (= very poor soil) and a brutal hail storm meant the odds were against me in ever growing something I was proud of. Every day I would go out and wander my rows and be heartbroken over how slowly everything was growing and how quickly the weeds were taking over. My attempts to weed were often thwarted by a baby who needed me or chores that beckoned elsewhere and, before I knew it, my garden felt lost in a sea of portulaca and dandelions. I felt completely trumped by Mother Nature.

Then one morning, as I was taking out my compost, I caught a glimmer of my garden growing into the one I had envisioned last Winter when it was covered in a blanket of snow. The way the sunlight shone thru the trees, the way the birds sang all around me..it made me hopeful. And then a terrible hail storm came and pummelled my poor little veggies. Sunflowers were shredded in half, pumpkins were left with golf ball sizes holes, berries were demolished…and so was my hope for a producing year in our garden. But, I kept watering, weeding, staking and hoping. And now, I go out and am blown away with how its still growing, still blooming, still producing.

This morning I walked out there just as the sun was rising and I knew I had to capture my garden, weeds and all. Sure, most leaves have been shredded and most things aren’t perfect..but its beautiful to me that, although it has had EVERYTHING against it, its still standing..still growing..still beautiful. (its amazing what a garden can teach you about life, no?)

Enjoy!!

My 7ft tall sunflower “forrest”

These photos just make me smile from ear to ear!
and, of course..my beautiful zinnias

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  • cenobyte - OMG YOUR MORNING GLORIES.

    Delicious.

    I am ridiculously jealous of your garden. I’m’a need you to help me with mine.ReplyCancel

I have been feeling anxious & overwhelmed lately and altogether just plain weighed down. There is a pile of to do list weighing in over my head that never seem to be dealt with and that pile just keeps adding up. Don’t get me wrong, things are good in life..Hudson brings so much joy to our lives, farming is good, Harvest is around the corner…but life just seems to be a little too much for me these days. Lately I spend a good part of my days with my head in the clouds, thinking of what I should be doing, what needs to be done, housework & chores, people I should see, people that I want to see less of..the list goes on and on. I laid in bed last night, after another day had come and gone and I told my husband that all I wanted was to wake up this morning with a brand new start. No to do list, no weights anchoring me to yesterday..nothing..a clean slate on life. Of course we all know that isn’t possible but, for that brief minute we discussed it..my heart felt lighter. I felt hopeful. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face, thinking to myself “its a new day..make it a good one”. I got up with the sunrise, made my bed, poured myself a cup of ambition and got to the task at hand of cleaning my home. Hopeful that a clean home will bring a clean mind. But that anxiety is still there, nestled in my chest.

The truth is, I’m not even sure what to do about it. I have one of those personalities where, if I get overwhelmed, instead of digging right in..I procrastinate. Its a horrible trait of mine. But at least I can recognize it and (hopefully) work on it.

At this point in the day, I have my 3rd load of laundry going, Hudson is down for his morning nap, I have meat out for supper, the dishwasher is going and the house is perfectly silent (my kind of heaven). Yet, here I sit..thinking, worrying, stressing…

I wish I could let yesterdays troubles and worries go. I wish I could just start the day fresh. I really, really want to. I just don’t know how.

I think my biggest issue is that I have SO much on my plate, I haven’t completed one.single.thing. More “things” keep coming, while nothing gets taken off. The garden needs to be weeded, the flower beds need to be deadheaded, the grass needs mowing, the trees need pruning, the house needs painting, the interior trim needs painting, the floors need scrubbing, the kitchen needs to be deep cleaned, the laundry is behind, did I give Hudson his cereal today? Do I talk to him enough to help develop his vocabulary? The deck needs refinishing, the chickens need a new coop, the garden needs new soil this Fall, the car needs to be cleaned and sold, the truck needs to be washed, photos need editing, the bills need to be mailed off, the books need to be sent off to the accountant, did I pay those land taxes? Adams lunch needs to be made for tomorrow, the guest room needs paint and to be cleaned before mom arrives…ugh its exhausting!! No wonder I can’t sleep!
I feel I have finally come to a point in my life where I need to start letting things go. And I need to be okay with that. I need to let possessions go that just fill my home instead of fill my heart. I need to let chores go that can be done tomorrow..or next week..or next month. I need to let past hurts go because holding onto them only hurts me more. And, most importantly, I think I need to let people go. Conflicts and drama don’t add to a good life, they only take away from it. And its high time I realize I can’t please everyone, nor should I want to. My focus should be here, on my farm..on my family. My little man will be 7 months next week, SEVEN MONTHS! How that time flew by I can’t even explain. But, instead of worrying about what others are thinking or saying or even doing..I need to stop looking outside and just focus on whats right here in front of me. Because what Adam and I have going here, is pretty dang awesome 😉
So here’s to cleaning out the junk in my home and in my life. Cleaning out my mind and making way for only the good that is about to come our way. Life is good and it needs to be embraced TODAY! 

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  • Nikala - Hugs! Wish I could come help weed! If you don’t know what to do next, just weed a couple rows! That way you can look back and see the clean, fresh dirt and look at your dirt stained hands and nails and be reminded that you indeed did accomplish something that day! Here’s to happy, clear days!ReplyCancel

  • Dawn Cosgrove - Thank you, Nikala! That is so very sweet of you 😉ReplyCancel

  • Tsila - Nice to read someone writing sincerelyReplyCancel

Recently, Adam and I planted over 100 strawberries in my new garden. We have been dreaming about its harvests ever since!!

60 of the plants were purchased online back in March while the remaining plants were transplanted over from my old garden. Which is funny considering I never intended to have strawberries in my first garden at all (it wasn’t a permanent garden to begin with!) but a transplanted iris from my aunts garden brought alone a runner with it and, before you know it, I have strawberries!!
We worked meticulously together, side by side. Adam would mark off a straight line every 2 feet for rows and would dig a small hole every 6-8″ for me to come along and plant my little babies. We talked about how much we enjoy being in the garden and working together to produce some of the most amazing tasting food we have ever eaten. It was a perfect morning and I was 100% in my element
Each strawberry plant that was transplanted has survived in this new garden of mine and I couldn’t be more excited
and now all thats left to do is water, weed and wait!! But, until my patch starts really producing, I purchased started plants to tie us over and last night, we harvested a couple of delicious homegrown strawberries for dessert and let me tell you, they may have looked “off” but, they were amazing

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