I cannot preach enough about my love of life on the farm. Growing up in the city, I dreamt about this life..I didn’t know anything about it or how I would achieve it..but I knew it was for me. I could feel it. My last year in the city I lived in my own cute little home that I loved, but I cannot tell you how frustrating it was for me to try and garden peacefully while on a busy main road with a bus stop literally on your lawn. Or trying to capture a beautiful sunrise thats hidden behind rows and rows of houses or concrete buildings. Sure, the city offers luxeries I love {shopping, family, take-out}..but, give me the fresh country air. Give me fields as far as the eye can go. Give me space to grow a 2,000sq ft garden that looks small in scale..give me the farm life. I live & breathe it and I’m surprising myself with how passionate I’ve become about it. Its a lifestyle for sure, but its a darn good one at that 😉
Mornings on the farm in particular are my favorite, especially in Spring and Summer (but Fall & Winter are really quite charming as well!) The days are fresh, the sun streams thru the trees, there are eggs to collect and small chores to do..its just..*sigh*…awesome. I often daydream about adding more life to the farm..children, different animals..you name it. I want this place to hum with life and laughter..it only makes it that much better. Knowing I can go out every morning and here the crow of my roosters or the chirps of my baby chicks just makes me smile. Even my father in law, someone who often bugs me about having chickens, says he loves listening to the hens and roosters..it made this place feel more like a farm than ever before.
Every morning, coffee in hand, I walk down to my coop to let my chickens out for the day and do my usual check around the perimeter to make sure everyone is safe & sound and that they had no visitors during the night..
Of course I top their feed off almost every morning..and even that is something I thoroughly enjoy doing. I know that sounds ridiculous but trust me, when you raise these little ones since they were a day old and you see them recognize you and come running to you for food and pets..it melts your heart a little every time..
and then, once the chicks and chickens have been fed & “watered”, its time for a walk with my boys. Easily another favorite part of my mornings. The boys get excited every time and I love seeing my Jakey run in the fields with abandon..he has never had this much freedom and space and he just loves it..
On our walks we get to enjoy dirt roads and plenty of space..and even a tour around our yard leaves us with so much to take in..
and if thats not enough, we get to come across little signs of Spring like this, all over the place!
After my morning walks with the boys, I head back to the coop to check on my ladies to see if they’ve finished laying their eggs for the day. Some days they lay til 3 pm while other days their daily laying is done by 10 am! Its always such a treat for me to go in and collect these. I feel so blessed to have chickens for entertainment and for the delicious food they provide our family. Knowing where your food comes from is becoming more and more important to me, especially after last Fall when I was harvesting from my garden and collecting eggs for the first time..such a great feeling!
The rest of my days are filled with errands, cooking, paying bills, cleaning and helping out on the farm whenever another pair of hands is needed. My life on the farm is by no means perfect but I lay my head on my pillow every night feeling grateful and thankful for the life I’ve been given. Farm life is full of hard work, family, good times and hard times..and its truly fantastic!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. I’m busy making a batch of strawberry jam this afternoon and then its off to make homemade tomato sauce and some rolls of crusty bread..looks like a weekend of cooking and baking is ahead of me while Adam prepares for seeding out in the shop! Life is coming back to the farm after a long, cold Winter, and I couldn’t be more excited!!
I woke up this morning with exactly 2 things on my mind:
1) Ugh, I REALLY don’t feel like grouting anymore but at least today this project could very well be done, and;
2) I wonder why I’ve lost touch with my blog? I mean, I was doing so good last year before dad got sick..why have I truly lost my voice on here?
So here’s how I’m dealing with both of these conundrums. I’m going to go downstairs and finish grouting, like I have been all weekend. But first, I’m going to sit & relax with my cup of coffee. And, I’m going to blog. 2 birds…1 stone.
Last night I was going thru some of my digital files of all the photos I had taken in 2012. Let me tell you, there were a LOT of photos taken! So many have never been shared with anyone, they were just taken and are quietly waiting in the corner until I turn my attention to them and give them a proper place to shine in our history. So many pictures caught me off guard when they involved my dad or things I wrote down about how much we were loving life last Summer..when we had no idea what was about to happen to us this Winter. It made me sad, but it also made me so happy..I’m so, so SO glad we got to just live so much of this last, precious time, without knowing..without wondering..without worrying. We just lived. And it was perfect
And that brings me to Friday night. After finishing a pail of grout with my inlaws, Adam and I ventured outside for our usual night-time chicken visits {every night, rain, snow or sun – we walk to the coop to collect any last minute eggs, close up the coop for the night then venture to the shop to sit and visit with our baby chicks before filling them up with fresh feed and water} and then I saw the sky. Down South from our yard we have stubble fields for as far as the eye can go. Its where I go on my daily walks and its also where you can sit and watch the most amazing weather “shows”
 
and when I saw this view, I knew our first Spring storm was coming and I knew I wanted to sit and watch it roll in. So I asked Adam if he minded venturing out for a little walk with me and away we went, into the deep dark sky. Before I knew it we were walking down the dirt road and I came alive with stories of Spring storms. You see, my mom is not a fan of thunder and lightning. She hid it quite well when I was little but she is a little *ahem* terrified of them..and rightfully so, they can be quite intimidating! But my dad and I? Now thats a different story! Every night in the Spring/Summer when a lightning storm when come upon us..dad would get so excited and we would head out to our covered deck and just watch for the next bolt of lightning and count down the seconds til we heard the loud crack of thunder. It left us with the biggest grins on our faces. We loved it..it made us come alive. And I even recounted the numerous times, once I developed an interest in photography where the lightning storms would come and dad would load me up in his truck and take me to an open space to let me practice my “skills” in photographing lightning..and I can tell you with 100% certainty that I have yet to get that picture! Dad would piss himself laughing at me..the lightning would strike and 2 seconds later, so would my shutter. Always 2 seconds behind..never once right on time. We laughed so hard..and to this day I still laugh about it. But it was one of our things we did together that I will always be so grateful for. And when a Spring storm comes upon me..it ignites these very same feelings..I still come alive with excitement and I still love to just sit and watch the clouds roll in..
Once we came to a nice spot with the perfect view, we found a dry patch in the ditch and sat down to really take in the show. The clouds were rolling in from the West and the thunder was easily a minute and a half behind each lightning bolt. But I gasped every time I saw lightning strike, its honestly so amazing to me. There wasn’t a breath of wind in the air, the silence of the country was truly the perfect setting. At one point, a flock of mallard ducks flew 100 feet above our heads and it was honestly so quiet, all we could hear was the flapping of their wings as they flew overhead..trust me, if that doesn’t make you feel a little spiritual, I just don’t know what will!
Even the boys were in heaven, running and jumping thru the stubble, loving the warm Spring air
We sat and watched the storm for what felt like hours but, in all honesty, I believe we lasted only 45 minutes out there before the sun went beyond the horizon, the wind picked up and the rain began to fall. It was truly a beautiful way to spend our Friday evening together and the memories it stirred in me, warmed my heart.
So here’s what I know for sure:
– I love Spring
– I love Spring storms, it signals that nature is waking up again after a long, cold Winter
– I love that growing up, all those storms I spent on the deck with my Daddio or in his truck, chasing a better view point, built me in to being the person you see today. I didn’t know it at the time but those moments were forming me. They were instilling who I was to become and where I was coming from. A piece of who my dad was broke off and became a part of me as well. It was those small moments, all along. So next time you are with your child, your grandchild or even your spouse..just remember, it doesn’t have to be big, expensive memories. No, in fact, its better if it isn’t. If you take them outside after a Spring rain and jump in puddles or take them in to your garden and teach them how to plant, grow and pick a carrot, it might just be a quick laugh for you to enjoy and revel in, but for them? It could mean a world of difference..it could be building them in to who they will some day become..
Happy Monday everyone!
Its been 2 months since I lost my Daddio. I think about him daily..I miss him hourly.. and I wish he was here every second that goes by. His loss has hit hard, our family has a void in it that will never be filled. But every day, I know he’s there..listening, watching…waiting.
I think about his voice, his laugh..our conversations that we had. I think about how he was always joking, always smiling..always loving. I think about how proud he would be when I do something very “farm girl-like” .. {it was a joke of his when I was 16 and wanting a Jeep that I wasn’t “outdoorsy” enough and now look at me}
I thank him when little things in life work out for me. I wish I could share in celebrations and victories and, although I know he is there, sharing with me, I would give anything to actually see him.
I don’t think about what happened to him often. It still hurts far too much. Although I know he’s gone, I don’t concentrate on that. When I start thinking about it, I get anxious, nervous, stressed and its just far easier to switch my thinking to something else, like when I came home one day {a fully grown adult} to find my mom and dad had bought me ribbon strings and a Barbie basket for my bicycle and then made me ride it around our neighborhood while laughing at me and, I must admit, while I laughed at myself. Its those times I want to remember..its those memories I hold so close. I don’t want to think about sitting next to his hospital bed while he was in a coma, his final hours with us, and me thinking to myself, “I know I’m being selfish but please don’t leave me daddy”. I wasn’t ready..I’m still not ready. I lied to my daddy and told him it was okay to go because I knew he was suffering..but I lied, it wasn’t okay. I didn’t want him to go. And I only wish that was just a really bad dream. Last month I dreamt that my dad came out of his surgery in December and was okay and I felt so thankful that he was alive and healthy, I felt relieved. And then I woke up, and reality hit me..and it hit me hard.
I know with time things will get easier. Favorite songs of his won’t hurt so much to listen to. TV shows, holidays, outings…everything will unfold as it should and I’ll know we’ll be okay. We will miss him and we will cry and it will hurt..but we’ll be okay.
And the main reason we’ll be okay? Is because he gave us a very full life. A life filled with love and laughter and a life filled with memories like these. Enjoy!
I love you Daddio…and I miss you more than ever
The eggs are dyed and hidden, the bunny ears are on..its time for Easter!! I’m in the city with my mom to attend our family Easter egg hunt, a tradition that began many years ago when us grandbabies were just little..here is my eldest cousin, Jenn and I in 1987..
I’m so excited to see everyone again..more pics to come! Until then, I hope you have yourself a very Happy Easter filled with laughter, love, eggs and chocolate!!
Hey everyone!!
We are still under quite a bit of snow here at the farm but the temperatures are rising, the birds are chirping and the dirt roads are drying out..a little, Spring is on its way! I’m getting very excited for the snow to melt so that I can get in to my garden, till up last years stubble and plant my new garden for 2013…I’m hoping it will be just as beautiful as last years 😉 With the warmer weather arriving, my thoughts have turned once again to bettering myself. Those of you who were with me here last Spring may recall my personal challenge, 302 in 152 .. I {like usual} didn’t fully stick with the challenge but this year, I’m really hoping I do. This year, I’m starting early {yesterday} therefore the challenge has changed to 360 in 180..walk 360 miles in 180 days. Thats 2 miles each day from yesterday to the first day of Fall, September 22, 2013.
Yesterday I was really happy to find the dirt road I walk on to be mostly dry {somewhat still frozen} so I gathered my boys and away we went!
This year I do have a more specific goal in mind. My weight has slowly been creeping up over the last 3 years and enough is enough! Thankfully, I have already been able to officially lose 12 pounds {whew!} and now its on to my next goal..another 18. I will take it slowly and celebrate in every small victory, but I know it will be worth it because I know I will feel so much better as the pounds keep falling off. So, if you are like me and would like to just feel better about yourself..I really hope you join me in this challenge. It takes a mere 30-40 minutes out of your day, theres no race, no set speed..just get out and go for a walk! You’ll be so thankful you did!
Me, 12lbs down
And, if you are on Instagram, join me in posting a daily photo of your walk with the hash tag #360in180..I can’t wait to see your posts! 2013 is our year ladies..can’t wait for the fun to begin!
« Older posts
Newer posts
|
and, I prefer to get my miles in right away at the start of my day so that I’m done and can go on with my day!
Glenda J - What a wonderful perspective! I always wondered what farm life would be like. I grew up in small town SK but never experience farm life. Thanks for sharing. Great photos too.
dawn - Hi Dawn!! I LOVE this post so much, life on the farm sounds so good to me. Actually jealous of all that land, farm, chicks that you have. I too dreamed of a farm one day but don’t think a whole farm will happen. Will settle for some chickens though in the future.
Keep writing these on the farm posts please, LOVE THEM! Great pictures too.