A quick hello!

There are not enough hours in the day. There, I’ve said it, and I firmly stand behind it.  I have a love-hate relationship with spring. 

I love the perennials that are returning with a burst of color:

I love the simple little pops of wildflowers along the roadside:

I’m amazed that in what seems like no time at all we can go from this, 

to this. 

The hate? Well it begins with the relentless fight against ferocious, tenacious, vigorous weeds holding hands with poison ivy. 

It moves on to fallen limbs from winter storms that are tossed where the veggie garden will be - the safest place to burn said limbs. And moves from there to the rain, rain, rain which keeps the wood too wet to burn, but gives the weeds a reason to do a happy dance around the limbs.

Which are now surrounded by a beautiful patch of cornflowers. Where they came from I have no idea and now I’ll wrestle with the guilt of tearing them out of the VEGGIE garden. Ugh - maybe I’ll just plant around them. That could look nice, right? 

And there friends, is my rant for the day. I’m off for a bite of chocolate-the eternal cure all!  Tonight I’ll catch up on your posts after enjoying a movie with my daughter-a happy way to end the week. 

Oh and one more thing, for those of you who may remember this gal - I’m at my wit’s end…

Courtesy of Google

Grand Jeté in reverse...

Ahhh yes, sometimes, just sometimes, accidents happen. No rhyme, no reason, simply a random act of the universe.

This is the latest, trendy look my daughter is sporting this Spring season:

A highly fashionable, yet often uncomfortable, boot to aid the healing of "a Weber B non-displaced, spiral fracture to the fibula."

I don't allow anyone to tell me ballet isn't a sport...at least not without a dirty look and a strongly worded response. 

She was incredibly fortunate to avoid surgery, and now the recovery begins. After three weeks, she's quite the pro at using crutches! The estimate is perhaps a year until she's fully recovered. Sadly, she was anxiously looking forward to a summer with The Boston Ballet as an RA, so this comes as a huge disappointment. And so we'll be doing our best to fill the weeks with as many mother/daughter "ankle safe activities" as possible to chase off cabin fever. 

The geraniums I stored in the basement over winter are blooming and ready to enjoy some sunshine! But not just yet...I'm still waiting for the first "safe" period to plant flowers. And while we generally would be good to do so next week, there are temperatures still estimated to be in the 30's at night. 

And so, the days are filled with the chores of Spring...pruning, weeding, raking, tossing fallen limbs on a burn pile, and looking at a long list of things that need tending to. 

However; this weekend is my son’s university graduation! Oh my, where did 4 years go? It's an outdoor ceremony, and the prediction is possible rain...packing raincoats and umbrellas just in case. Because photos afterward may find us looking a little bit bedraggled, I will share this one with you...Mother's Day last year. 

They make my heart happy and make me laugh. I couldn't ask for more.

Time to wrap up here, the to-do list is calling!  If you find time to swing by, the May post for MaryJane's Farm just went up last night. 

Here's a quick link:

Rural Farmgirl Post-MaryJane's Farm

Have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Mother's Day to all!

a bit of color…new MJF post

 

There’s finally a bit of color in the Midwest!

Bleeding hearts, 

Violets, 

Dandelions, 

And Poppy’s eyes - no filter!

She’s a constant companion when I’m outside. But then, they all are - the 4 kittens someone discarded by the side of the road, the 1 we bottle-fed when he was abandoned, the 2 we already had, and 1 who comes & goes. Yep that’s 8 barn cats - oh well, what else are farms and barns for? Everyone needs a home! 

(Photo by my daughter)

 

Storms are still brewing here - we unknowingly drove through a tornado warning Tuesday - no alerts, no alarms. Home safe and all was well. 

And with that weather report, I’m sharing a link to my latest MaryJanesFarm post - it’s all about how we prep for these spring and summer storms - so far, they’ve been unbelievable! 

Rural Farmgirl

a catch-up…

I’ve been spending this afternoon reading how everyone has been enjoying these early days of spring…and while I don’t have blossoms to show (there are, however, oodles of dandelions!) I thought I’d share a little catch up on what’s been happening here. 

I’m a firm believer that we’re never too old for an Easter basket.

We had all of the traditional foods, and have been enjoying leftovers throughout the week - yay!

This candle always comes out for Valentine’s Day and Easter - would you believe it’s from my daughter’s first birthday celebration? She’s 25 now! It’s an amazing candle that burns very slowly, but I also don’t let it burn endlessly, I want to keep it special. 

We’ve taken springtime drives to enjoy farms along the back roads (a little side eye from this fella)

and met a new friend along the way. 

While I have definitely put the tatting project off to the side, I thought I’d share some more squares from the large cross-stitch piece that I purchased years ago: May, June, July, and August:

I wish I could say I did these myself; however, I absolutely don’t have the patience. My lot in life is to admire and appreciate the patience and artistry that others have for stitching/hooking/sewing.

The stained embroidery pieces that I found in the barn are now soaking…hopefully some of the stains will lighten (thanks for your suggestions!) If not, I will simply fold them creatively so I can still appreciate their beauty.

As the saying goes, that’s all from my neck of the woods. I’m curled up with Bailey and my favorite gardening books looking for inspiration and wondering what I will put in place of my now flat-as-a-pancake door arbor :(

Enjoy your week friends!

time flies..

How can it be almost April? It never ceases to amaze me that before I know it, it’s already the weekend.

This past week was a week of simple pleasures - doing my best to enjoy (as Gandalf/Tolkien would say) “…the time that is given us”

A birthday for me,

and remembering just how fun it is skipping rocks with my daughter at the lake - she was the champion!

Cold and breezy, we were wearing our winter coats, but it was such a fun morning…accidentally captured our shadows while taking pictures! 

Then, when the temperatures swing from 19 to 77 in March, it’s never a good sign. One day, it was a blinding snowstorm, the next, windows were open to let in the warm breezes. And sure enough, that drastic temperature change means:

And so off to the basement we went - pillows, blankets, important papers, and of course Bailey, who was not budging and quite literally had to be carried downstairs. We were only tucked in about an hour, and while all is well, we laughed sitting there, looking around wondering just how safe a 162 year-old basement actually is in a house supported by tree trunks! 

Yesterday there was time for a little Easter decorating,

lighting a lilac candle - my favorite fragrance, 

and thinking of Spring.

Then, after a little evening drive, we saw this:

 Amazing.

So that’s a peek at our week - and here we go again, a fresh new start is at our doorsteps just waiting for us - time to make “every day” days special, and special days nothing short of extraordinary! 

Friday folly …

Four completely random questions that crossed my mind this morning…

1 - Do hockey fans know that Script Ohio can be achieved on ice? (Yes, yes proud mom here).

It can (cleats are a must) and it’s amazing! Today the OSU band is off to perform at The NCAA Frozen Four…good luck!

(Photo: OSU Athletic Band Facebook Page)

2 - Is there any reason this must be categorized as “GRAY hair?”  I just renewed my drivers license.

Grrrrr -  I know, it’s silly, but why is “salt & pepper” not an option?! (as well as silver or white.)

3- Why is this fabulous old house abandoned??? 

Oh my goodness I could live there and be oh-so happy! Amazing porch, perfect color, but sadly, on a busy street surrounded by businesses.

And lastly…

4 - Am I the only one who thinks having this store open to the public is a bad idea?

My daughter and I popped into a large home improvement store, only to discover the power was out. We were told, “No problem, take a look around; just avoid the chandelier area.”

We didn’t stay long - the doors were propped open for light and there was a storm blowing in. I don’t know about you, but to me this looks like it has the makings of a horror movie.

And there they are, four absolutely unimportant questions for your Friday.

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

oh that weather!

The last week has been a weather whirlwind. So many of you are buried under snow, watching ice melt and then flood your homes, or cleaning up debris from gale-force winds.

As March came in like a lamb (at least here,) I do believe the old saying is true - she will go out like a lion. The temperatures here have ranged from a balmy 70 - so nice the windows were open, to a frosty 15 last night with a fire going throughout the day.

In our part of the Midwest we’ve had winds so strong that what was once this:

is now this: 

And while some barn roofing flew into neighboring fields and tarps surrounding the chicken run were found rolling across the yard, all-in-all, we’ve been lucky. The power stayed on and the old maple trees held fast…always a concern for me. 

Sending thoughts across the miles to all of you who are shoveling out, mopping up, and digging in to clean rubble and waste. I hope you find many helping hands to make the work lighter. 

maybe not…

So many of you cross stitch, rug hook, sew, and embroider – you inspired me to pull out a small kit that has been tucked away for years. I thought in these remaining days of hibernating in an old farmhouse, I would dust this off and give it a try. 

Until I took a closer look at the instructions, or lack there of…

Hmmm, maybe another day, or better yet, year. I just don’t think I have the patience for learning this intricate skill right now. 

And since I can’t revel in a completed tatting project, I’ll share some snapshots of a 4’x5’ cross-stitch piece that I found 25 years ago in a pretty little shop that was going out of business. I love the seasonal squares, and oh my, the hours that must’ve gone into creating it. I’ll just show four at a time as the year goes on…this is January through April.

I keep it tucked in a basket and just change the square that shows as each month passes… this was in an earlier post:

And so hats off to all of you who sew, cross-stitch, rug hook, quilt, crochet, knit, embroider, and wield a needle of any type (yes, tatting shuttles included!) 

Thanks for keeping those creative arts alive and for sharing your talents!