April Monthly Moos {It's The Little Things}

Saturday, April 26, 2014



Spring is here.  The Dogwoods are in bloom on the farm!

With it came the realization once again that it is the little things that make such a difference.  My Monthly Moos column this month isn't about any big thing going on around the farm... just a lot of little things that bring happiness to all of us around here!


I love the Dogwoods.  We have a lot of them around the farm, mixed in with all the other trees in the woods.  But their white blossoms really stand out.  


My spring crops of lettuce and peas are up and doing beautifully.  The lettuce is a little small for picking, but not too small for nibbling on when I'm working in the garden!  


Our wild blackberries are in bloom.  I can't wait until we can don our long sleeve shirts and gloves to pick them!  (Notice those evil thorns!).  We are on our last little jar of wild blackberry jam.  


Eldon worked hard through the winter to clear our fence lines of the little trees and other scrubby stuff that loves to grow on the fences.  But we couldn't bear to remove the blackberry bushes.  So, we do have quite a bit of fencing that looks like this - taken over by the wild blackberries.  



The other clearing that Eldon did this past winter was removing trees and making a few little roads through the woods in different places.  The woods are so thick that it is hard to get in to check the cows and things.  I love this little road - the other day as I drove our Ranger through here with my little grand girls, Jillian was saying, "Go faster, Gram" and it certainly gives you that feeling!


I was walking along one of these little roads through the woods today and heard some rustling in the bushes.  These little mischief makers jumped out!  Love our sweet little calves.  (However, with my heart pounding I honestly thought they were little bears when they first jumped out!)


And speaking of cows.  They aren't doing too much except for eating that rich green clover and napping!  Talk about happy!


I love our farm this time of year.  Our little dirt road that winds through the woods and up the hill to our house is one of my favorite sights as we pull off the highway.  It says home to me.


And then you come to the dreaded gate.  After three years of stopping to open and close the gate Eldon finally had time to install a solar powered automatic gate opener for me!  I know exactly the spot along the dirt road that I can hit my clicker and I never even have to slow down.  This may seem like a little thing... it's actually a pretty big thing!


And to finish out the month... we are building again.  This time the garage and shop!  I'm hoping that I won't have to help quite as much as I did with the house.  I plan to have a summer full of gardening and canning!

I hope Spring has sprung for you too and you have the same feeling in your heart that I have - that it only takes little things like green grass and flowering trees to put a big smile on my face!  (And a gate that opens automatically!)

11 comments:

  1. Tennessee looks so pretty in the spring! Love and hugs to all. Becky

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  2. Omgoodness... Beauty, Pure Beauty... I would have had to leave the Blackberry Bushes too... I love to make Blackberry Preserves... do you strain yours or leave the seeds? I leave the seeds...
    My heart would have raced too...
    Enjoy... I love your farm and I am sure you do too... Happy Sunday Dori....
    Connie in Kentucky...

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    1. Connie, I did leave my seeds in the jam. However, I also made some jelly and strained the seeds off of that juice of course. I have a hard time knowing which I like best actually. The jam or the jelly! I kind of the like the seeds in the jam. And since our wild blackberries are tiny the seeds are super tiny so they kind of add a nice texture to the jam!

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  3. Do they let you pet them? I would go and kiss them and pet them?
    Hee hee
    Lisa
    Leeshideaway.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Lisa! No they don't really let us go up and kiss them! But I would, believe me!! They are very inquisitive and actually will come right up to us but if we start to pet them, it's all over. If we ever end up with an orphan that we bottle feed it will be a different story though! :-)

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  4. Ha! I know about the "little things". When we moved into the house we have now...a lot of work was needed, but the one surprise thing my husband did for me, while I was away taking care of elderly parents, was to put in a new garage door with a remote control....such luxuries I was able to enjoy again! Love your pictures.

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  5. I love this post! So full of the Springy things that make you smile! Yes, convenience is always good. Kathleen in Az

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  6. Hi Dori ~ Thanks so much for writing about & showing us pictures of your life in Tennessee! I also love to garden & be in my kitchen making yummies for my family. We should have enough blackberries in our backyard to make blackberry preserves for the first time. Yay! Can you please share your recipe with us, and do you remove the seeds?Thank you! ~ Laurie in California

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    1. Laurie, I do not remove the seeds from my jam. Our wild blackberries are really quite small and so the seeds are incredibly tiny - they just add a nice texture to the jam. However, I also made jelly and strained the seeds from that juice. I'm actually usually a jelly person more than jam... but that wild blackberry jam is incredible! I will share the recipe.

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  7. Such a beautiful area - you are blessed! And I got a kick out of your description of using the new remote fence opener and "I never even have to slow down" - I can relate! Yup - the little things!

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  8. I love dogwoods too. Your driveway looks so quiet and inviting, even the cows look content! You and Eldon have created a beautiful home. The garage and shop will make it even better.

    Esther

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