. . . there is beauty and peace on the farm!
In the Mist of Crisis and Turmoil
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Tag Archives: beauty
SERIOUSLY
It’s really JUNE 2018??? I thought sure that May would slink by slowly and it rained most every day leaving us with a total of six inches in the rain gauge. May was wet but beauty abounded on our farm and I’m going to show you just a touch of it!!
Pink rose from my daughter.
Pink Sweet William. It’s a perennial for me and this area is three years old and it’s reseeding every year.
Dark pink with outer layer of light pink Sweet William
I have a small area in my rose garden with Sweet William which was my grandmother’s favorite. I have several colors of this plant in the rose garden.
New rose in a beautiful deep pink/scarlett.
Mauve and cream bearded iris.
I have peonies blooming all over the yard and along the fence as you enter our yard gate.
I think this is one of my favorite with the pale mauve and pale pink.
Yellow and white iris group
Vibrant purple iris
A different yellow and white bearded iris
White and purple iris
This view shows that hint of yellow-orange.
Lavender iris with a hint of orange-yellow in the bottom of the petals.
I absolutely love this color!Peach, orange and yellow, great idea for a quilt.
This red rose has continued blooming since Mother’s Day and I think it will all summer as long as I keep pinching off the spent blooms.
The wild rabbits killed most of my roses during the winter so my wonderful children gave me 10 new roses for Mother’s Day. This beauty is one of them.
Pink and lilac bearded iris. I love iris but when it rains the blooms only last about a day.
The glass shimmers when the sun hits them and they’re a little subdued when the sunlight is not hitting them.
This is one of my new glass flowers, a new hobby. I make flowers for my garden out of old dishes. They add color between the different seasons of the flowers.
A touch of red
A touch of gold
Darker pink columbine. Hummingbirds love all of these beauties.
First year of white columbine, even more delicate! I think there is a yellow columbine and a red that I need to add to my collection. I’ll look into that.
Second year of pink columbine, so delicate.
Gorgeous blue columbine. I started out with one little columbine plant about four years ago and now there’s a multitude of them!!
More columbine
Yellow-white bearded iris
A different yellow and white bearded iris
Gerber daisy in a hanging basket that Eddie got me for Mother’s Day. One week later it had out grown the basket because it had four plants in it. I separted them into two large pots beside my front steps.
Gerber daisies after repotting.
A bouquet of peonies
A bouquet of salmon iris
An unusual iris bud of dark purple
Two year old rose that the rabbits didn’t destroy!
A wheelbarrow of marigolds and zinnias
Old fashioned rose that has been on the farm for over twenty years and every year it’s pumps out the blooms
Dahlia
Old rose bush full of bloom and blooms most of the summer.
Yellow now but as the bloom ages it turns white
Siberian iris-this grows so fast that I have to divide it every spring. And this isn’t all of them but I think you get my point about May flowers!!
From Inside the House
This morning we woke to snow on top of last weeks snow but we had a beautiful blue sky. Last week we got about 10 inches of snow and the most we’ve had all winter. Over half had melted and this morning we woke to five more inches on top of the leftovers. It was 25* when we woke this morning and now its 38* now. The best part – we didn’t lose any calves this time. Here’s a touch of our beauty in western Virginia and Craig County on the mountain:
It’s melting now and by mid-week we’ll be in the 60’s and rain. It will be a sloppy mess but needed for our crops and gardens. We haven’t had snow like this for a couple of years and we all knew it was time. I’m not saying the spring snows are over but sure hope they are.
We have six more cows to calve from our spring herd and these mom’s and their little ones could sure use a break.
My chickens don’t like the snow either and a few got trapped under the grainery last night and refused to walk through the snow to their warm house but it looks like they all survived and are ready to see some green grass and mud!
Everyone be safe and spring is here even though it doesn’t look like it!!!
Cacti Bloom A Little Early
I brought all of my flowering Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti in the first week of October and now my upstairs foyer is full of color! 
Everything outside has lost its beauty since the leaves are gone and we’ve had so many frosts and freezes! The beauty inside is grand!
CASS Railroad Trip
Hubby and I have had more dates this year than we have had since we moved on this farm. I’m not sure why but don’t question it because I love every minute we’re together whether it’s here or away from the farm.
On September 26th we went to Cass, West Virginia, and took a rail ride that was awe-inspiring and I would recommend the trip to everyone. I’m going to leave you with a little snippet from their website and then a pictorial or our wonderful day trip.
Cass Scenic Railroad, an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railroad that is owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime.
In 1901 work started on the railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain. The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whitaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached to the top of Gobblers Knob, and then to a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at this location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging out the Red Spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed our day. It was our first ride on a train and I would go again in a heartbeat. For more information, here’s the link to their website, http://mountainrailwv.com/tour/cass-scenic-railroad-bald-knob-trip/ . They provided us a lunch and when we returned from the ride we took in the sites around the depot.
The depot, a souvenir shop and a restaurant are on site at the entrance of Cass Railroad.
Snack shop where the train reloads water for the engine.
New Fencing on the Farm
I’m not sure why but we just can’t seem to keep up with the fencing repairs on the farm. Every year there is a field or road fence that needs replacing. Last year we enlisted the service from a “professional” fencer and though it looked good it wasn’t installed properly. Electricity was running to the metal gates going into the field. We contacted the fencer and he told us he would be back to correct the problem but he never showed and within a couple of weeks someone in the community ran through the new fence and didn’t stop. At this point we had to repair the fence anyway and hubby made the corrections to the electricity himself.
Fencing torn out and repaired.
We do a lot of patching when we can but Dad is tired of doing that and wants to replace now. Some of the bad spots look something like these:
These fences are probably 30-40 years old.
Woven wire that gets bad is usually patched with a couple of strands of barbed wire.
Here’s a look of what the old fencing on the farm looked like before we started the new.
This year we selected a new fence service who gave us a decent quote and hubby thinks his service was excellent. His crew worked as hard as Mr. Price and on days when the wind was howling and terribly cold. Mr. Price was a true professional and hubby says we will be using his services again in the near future.
Mr. Price was quick to start the work and his crew didn’t just stand around and wait to be told what to do. They tore out the old fences, stacked the old wire and piled up the old post which we’ll use for firewood. You can’t beat locust posts for a hot fire in the middle of winter.
Old fence posts and stacked wire ready to move from the fields.
Here’s some of the finished work and I know we will be using Elmer’s Fencing again in the very near future!
Board fencing with high tensile behind it.
Beautiful new board fence behind Heather’s new house.
Isn’t it gorgeous?!?! The next fence project is a line fence between us and a neighbor and Eddie & I are going to tackle it alone probably in the next couple weeks.
Farm work is NEVER done!!
Beauty of Summer
I remember my roses being beautiful last summer but they’ve outdone themselves again this year.
Peach rosebuds yet to unfold.
White rose at its peak.
The bottom was blooming last week and the top was full of buds.
Old Timey Rose and no matter how much I cut it back it bushes out and full of blooms.
The roses are beautiful but when you add a little nature . . .
We have wild rabbits everywhere and sure hope they don’t get in the garden.
then you add a view like this . . .
View from the front porch.
And a view of the mountain
beauty is everywhere!!!
January 2016 Big Snow
It’s been a while since folks in our area have seen a storm like we had this week. I’ve got some time lapsed snow storm pictures to show everyone including Robin Reed our wonderful meteorologist.
January 21st – day before the snow started.
January 22 – Snow started falling sometime before 6:30 a.m. It started heavy and then by mid afternoon it quit.
January 23rd – We got about 6-7 inches the day before and woke up to this on the 23rd. The wind is howling and the wind chills were in the single digits most of the day and night.
Today this wind is very limited, the snow has quit falling the and the beautiful fun is shining.
All of the outside animals are doing fine but cold. Eddie is trying to feed the round bales but they won’t roll out because the snow is so dry so he’s feeding the cows 6-7 bales instead of the normal 2-3. The snow drifts are up over the cows bellies but the blessing is there are no babies due until March and April.
Prissy and George are doing well and taking care of Miracle. They tend to lay on the side of the haybale away from the wind. If not for the older orphans Miracle would have a time getting through the snow because it’s over her belly!
Here’s some more scenes of the last three days from the front porch and the kitchen window:
Visibility outside is almost non-existent with the wind blowing the snow but this guy found the bird/squirrel feeder.
The feeder is full of scratch feed and peanuts.
I’ll have to wait for the snowblower to come through the yard because the yard is drifted over my knees.
Look at that beautiful blue sky!!
Beauty of nature at its best!
Can’t wait to get to the henhouse and check on the girls, Rooster and Fred! Roscoe may even come out of hibernation with this beautiful sun shining and the temperature has already risen to 30 degrees. I’ve been watching the orphan calves this morning and Miracle tends to stay between Prissy and George for their body heat.
Stay warm everyone and pray this will be the ONLY storm we have this winter even though it’s only January!!
Retirement adventure #1 – Dismal Falls
Well it’s been two months of retirement and I stay so busy. Hubby and I have decided to try to make a point of taking a day trip alone at least once a month and I wanted to share our “1st Retirement Adventure” with you. I packed a lunch and we loaded up the cameras and took off for natures beauty that surrounds us that I either had not seen or it had been a long time. Our first trip was to Giles County and a little place called “Dismal Falls”. I hope these photos express my awe at the beautiful little spot in the woods that is hidden just off Route 100 and on a forestry road.
Dismal Falls view from the top of the path leading from the road.
Sign beside the forestry road.
There was a large variety of wild mushrooms on the path including these which we call woodfish. We gather these in the fall, flour and fry them up. DELICIOUS!
Path we used to get down to the falls.
Beautiful open forest leading to the falls.
Eddie overlooking the falls and creek below.
Eddie waiting on me to catch up because I was taking so many pictures.
This overhang is used a lot by hikers and visitors. There was a fire pit under the rocks and easy to get under without banging your head.
Rock steps leading down to the water and bottom of the falls.
Firepit under the rocks.
The following are views of the water leading to the falls, below the falls, and the falls. The water is as clear as glass and icy cold. Normally, this time of year there’s not a lot of water in the falls but because of the rains we’ve had all spring and summer they were beautiful. We plan to go back when the weather is cold and the water may be frozen. The falls are not really tall but they’re beautiful and a great outing for one day!!
Dismal Falls view from the top of the path leading from the road.
After the visit to the falls we went up the forestry road and found a cool rest stop to have lunch of grilled chicken, cheese & crackers, and fresh fruit. From there we took off through another road of Giles County called Sugar Run which ran through some awesome forest land and we found this fine creature crossing the road but don’t seem to be able to find out what type of moth he will turn into. I’ve inserted a close up of him and one of him beside my husbands size 10 boot to give you an idea of how big it was.
It has two sets of red antennae.
It’s about 1/2 ” – 3/4″ around.
I’ve seen them, I think, about half this big but never really took a close look at them.
We also saw these structures as we were about to leave Sugar Run.
Several deer, squirrels, a few turkeys and wild birds were seen but I got of picture of this one grazing along the road.
And we passed an exotic farm and saw these along the road.
It was such a fun and peaceful day spent together and not working until we were bone tired. This is why we decided to take an adventure at least once a month. I can’t wait to see what we do in September!!
Walking through a wildflower garden
Fall is here and so are the fall wildflowers. Here’s a few I took photos of just along the driveway from the house to the mailbox.
Wild touch-me-nots, blue mini daisies and more.
I love these but don’t know what they’re called and they remind me of liatris, I think??
They’re not bluebells but the bloom is somewhat shaped like them.
Shaped much like black-eyed susan but different.
Goldenrod, gorgeous but sure does mess with my nose.
These aren’t as blue as they normally are and our neighbor has a field full of them. When the sun hits the field in mid-afternoon the entire field looks blue.
Chicory is popping up everywhere.
These little orange jewels bloom and then have a pod that when touched pops open. The driveway is full of the huge plants this summer/fall.
Tons and tons of bloom and full of teeny tiny bumblebees.
Queen Anne’s lace is huge this year and maybe due to all the rain we received spring and summer.
Goldenrod at it’s most beautiful.
I don’t know what this is but most of it is white with yellow centers like a daisy but much smaller and abundance of bloom. I’ve also found the same plant but blue with orange centers.
Once the weather cools a little and I can get out in the sun there will be an abundance of wildflower and nature photo ops.
Enjoy the summer as long as you can because that cold weather is just around the corner. How do I know?? My hummingbirds have left! 😦
My yard is blooming
No words, just the beauty of my photos, says enough I think!
Peonies and rose
Peppermint rose
Dinner bell garden
Peonies
New Rose
Old Fashioned Rose full of bloom
Another new rose
Trumpet vine
Hyacinth bean
Cardinal vine
Bigger blooms every year
Lupine
Goosefoot fern
Jade plant
Shamrocks
Mother’s day hanging table
Peonies and Iris
Hostas & geraniums
Locust post birdhouse
Iris
Peony 
Peonies and Iris
White rose (old)
Red Rose (old)
Siberian Iris
I have two of these in the yard and I can cut them back to a foot tall and by June they’re back full of green, pink and white. It’s so pretty and covers the ground at the yard entrance with rose petals all summer.
Sunflowers and mole beans
They’re just so pretty!!
Sun flower bloom!
first sunflower of the year
Watching the new babies at play
Now that Annabelle has a new Mom, I thought I would share a few pictures of her and Gyp at play. They won’t be able to do this anymore because the new Mom doesn’t like any other animals near her baby. Annabelle minds her Mom really well though she will still let her come to me for a good rub down. Here’s the babes at play before the final adoption.
They chases each other with Gyp nipping at her heels and Annabelle tolerated Gyp constantly licking her face when she could get to it.
What are you saving it for?
Has someone ever given you something special, made you a quilt, embroidered some pillow cases, or anything along those lines? Do you use them? Do you display them? Are they hidden away for no one to see but you? My Mom used to be like that. My Mom’s grandmother, some of my friends do that and even my husband does that. I made him the nine patch quilt year before last and he was so proud of it. I was proud ot it but it isn’t being used. It isn’t even out where he or someone else could see it. I’m disappointed!! Not because I wanted to show it off, though! I made it with love and to keep him warm! He says he doesn’t want to get it dirty. For heaven’s sake, it’s washable! It’s made of fabric and polyfil. It’s warm!
The following quilt I made for our bed about five years ago and was my first attempt at piecing a complicated pattern. I loved it and I wash it about every two weeks and except for fading a little it’s still like new. I wash it so often because Sassy our cocker spaniel sleeps between us and the quilt desperately needs the washing after two weeks. But, like Eddie’s quilt it’s beautiful, it was made with love and I made it to be used, not stuck in a trunk waiting for me to die!!
I have beautiful dishes that belonged to my grandmother, Eddie’s aunt, my Mom and yes, I show them off but I always use them too! Things of beauty are meant to be used, shared, admired. Don’t stick them away!! They may not be as admired when your gone. They may be sold, passed on, handed down but for heaven’s sake use them!
