Heritage Farm is home to (as my husband says) too many cats.  With the birth of two new litters this summer, the population has grown.  We like to have them around to keep the number of rodents down… provided they hunt. The younger cats and kittens are a delight to the young children who visit us at the farm.  They like to hold them close and pet the kittens. So you can … [Read more...]

I stopped in my tracks as I read the sobering words; “It’s habits that can imprison you and it’s habits that can free you,”  declared author Ann Voskamp. Which is it for me, I wondered. Both options are pretty extreme in my opinion. Imprisonment or freedom? And the choice lies within my habits? Could it be true? During my 12-year-old family Christmas, my 19-year-old cousin … [Read more...]

Vacations can be at a beach, in the mountains, in farmland, the ocean side or even in the desert.  Whether touring, fishing, boating or shopping, a change of pace can energize some and wear out others.  As farmers, our lives have been spent pretty close to home, but a few short weeks ago, we took a long overdue trip to visit my husband’s brother and his wife in the 48th state … [Read more...]

I wish you could have been in my silo farm store with one of my milk-moms the other day because she asked the most brilliant question that we all need. She had just finished an overnight nursing shift in the ICU (can we just say WOW?!) and came to pick up milk before she even went to bed (can we say WOW again?!).  As we talked, it’s like she read my mind. I’m wondering if … [Read more...]

I love to read books to my kids. It seems that a very common theme in children’s books is farming. It’s often a story about the farmer and his trusty tractor, or about how the blue truck and the farm animals save the day. Sometimes it’s counting veggies and learning shapes in the perfect garden, or one that I remember reading as a kid, the kitten who got lost and has an … [Read more...]

Many folks like us have an apple tree nearby. Some years the blossoms are profuse. Apples may or may not grow as a result. Bugs and other maladies can affect any plant or tree as it seeks to produce fruit. And when fruit appears, bugs may still mess with the crop. But this year turned out to be different. Our fruit trees did the unexpected. Tree branches hung low under the … [Read more...]

Science has proven that emotions are created by thoughts. Pause there. Did you actually digest that? Here it comes again: science has proven that emotions are created by the thoughts that we think. This means the feelings we will experience today come from the thoughts we are thinking. So, how are you feeling today? Maybe you’re anxious? Discouraged? Disappointed? Feeling … [Read more...]

It was a perfect evening. You, dear reader, know what I’m talking about. There’s a certain feel in the air, a certain smell on the breeze, and the open space in your life has popped a little dream into your head. What is that dream? Maybe it’s a longing to go on a hike in the park, head to the fishing hole, or go out with friends. For me, it was to be soaring around the skies, … [Read more...]

Memories can come at any time.  But today as I have been out in the garden, memories invaded my thoughts.  As I picked each buttery-colored wax bean, I thought of my mother.   Even when she lived with me at the age of 94, she helped me snip beans.  Along with the beans, I brought in a fine bouquet of gladiolas to please her and to perk up the scenery in the house.  Though … [Read more...]