gourd gracious

So I know the one thought that's been on everyone's mind...nagging at you like an itch you can't reach ....a real head-scratcher for sure...

What do we do with all the pig manure that accumulates??? Answer...we compost it. Sorry to disappoint. I could make up something extroidinary like we are running our town on methane...but,sadly this is not Thunderdome.

However, the most exciting tale is that springing and sprouting out of the manure are the most amazing collection of gourds and pumpkins. All those chunky seeds all but forgotten from last Fall's feedings until Spring and Summer brings them back to life....a constant reminder that you reap what you sow!

last but not least

The New York Applefest is coming to Warwick !

The first weekend of October is apon us and so are the apples and art! Due to popular demand the "Bounty" Gallery exhibit has extended through this weekend . I will be at the gallery on Sunday October 7th. ......so if you come for the apples stop into the Country Life Gallery for a visit!

with gratitude

jill wiener, jennifer lanne, jen o'connor

With many thanks to ALL who made this first Gallery event a spectacular success!

to market

Just a reminder to come visit me this Saturday the 15th from 2-7pm at The Country Life Gallery in Warwick, New York. I'll have a "Bounty" of original artwork on display accompanied by a showcase of Earthgirl Pottery.
I'd love to see you there!

farm

Down the road a piece is a farm I frequently pass by.

To most speeding by it's just a blur out the window...mostly appreciated by foot.

It's not picturesque by most standards. It's a well-worked farm.

Barns with wrinkled siding, age spots galore....tin roofing unmatched and rust-ridden. Outbuildings broken and sway-backed. Vocal, twin silos like steam whistles with the wind.

All this anchored by a sturdy farmhouse that never really had a heyday. A farm with alot of dirt and grit under it's nails....... a crazy quilt of living space all stitched together by rolling fields and pastures.

But to look at what really matters...fields tended to with diligence and perfection.

Rows mowed straighter than a baseball field. Corn rows planted neat as pins....topped with silken tassels that flutter in the breeze. Antique tractors still going strong. Sights and sounds of content livestock.....4-H ribbons visible through the barn door. Hard work paid off.

pillow problems

Yup, I've got it......a thing for pillows. Squishy, down-filled, plump vintage florals, smooshy ticking stripes, velvety trimmed or ruffly.

My poor hubby.

I guess it's the way they magically transform even the more sterile space into lushness.

Oh, how I long to dive head first into a cushy cavern of overstuffed fluff! Not to worry! I haven't lost complete control of all my mental facilities...!

I dread that I soon may have to sit, sleep and relax on the floor as every available space will be occupied by perfectly parked pillows......why, fear not! There's always options...floor pillows!!!

windfall

It's the time of year I spend my evenings whiling away the hours in the apple trees.....It's not what you think. Erase the image of the dreamy ,English country-side , Jane-Austen vision you may have. The hammock sways empty.
It's me on a slippery, mossy slope bent like an ancient woman picking up the bruised windfall apples.
These little knobby gems pelt down from the sky with the rustling of the slightest breeze....easily filling bucket upon bucket. The day awaits that I will be beamed in the head by one of these emerald orbs.
And like Snow White... why, oh why can I not resist the temptation to taste one of these sour treats? They trick me every year with their plump apple-y appearance.....only to leave me with a sour-puss that only years of botched face lifts could achieve.

So why the self inflicted torture of collecting these crabbies you may ponder? I suppose it's the thought of all those little sour pretties being left unwanted that bothers me. Or perhaps the happy squeals of the pigs when they see me coming with a brimming bucket of windfall goodies.