wind in the willows

the willow branches sway
and blow haphazardly
as fierce gusts of wind
blast through the trees

leaves and small limbs
litter the ground
and surrounding area
as the wind continues
to shake and bend the trees

farm animals are
hunkered down safely,
in their barns

the autumn storm
has arrived just like
it was forecasted
leaving debris scattered
across the lawns and
nearby neighborhood

but, inside the old farmhouse
there is a soft glow
from candles burning,
the warmth of the fireplace
and the scent of soup on the stove
which makes coming in from the storm

a safe haven

sights & sounds of summer

sun shines through our windows
casting shadows on the floor.

miss olive the cat, sunbathes

mourning doves coo
birds chirp
wind chimes tinkle

our farm is alive with the sounds
of morning chores being done;
tractors working and calves bellow

flowers bloom
weeds grow
butterflies flit
birds sing
and hummingbirds check out the feeders

the sights and sounds of summer
here on our farm
make me smile
i am thankful for
it all.

life is beautiful.
sit, listen and really look

even the littlest of things...
i never want to take granted!

yes, life is indeed
beautiful.

our Vegetable Garden!

This year my husband got an idea
to plant a garden.

We have not had a garden on our farm
since the first couple years we were married.

Oh, you know we always have sweet corn
but, that was the extent.

He woke up one day and decided he wanted
a garden! :)

So far, I have picked leafy lettuce, butter lettuce,
spinach and radishes!!

We have tomatoes, onion, potatoes,
squash and pumpkins yet to come
and the grandson has his 'own sunflower'!

I am kind of excited for all the pumpkins
and of course zucchini for zucchini bread!! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today, I decided to make a Macaroni Salad for
dinner.
With the weather so nice right now,
I had the urge for some summer time food! LOL

Creamy Macaroni Salad

1 lb. small elbow macaroni
salted water
1 T. celery salt
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. Johnny's seasoning salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. relish
1 1/3 c. mayo
1 T. vinegar
diced green onion (I used 4)
1/2 regular size cucumber, diced
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 hard boiled eggs (diced fine)

Boil macaroni and drain.
Rinse again with cold water, drain and transfer to bowl.
Add celery salt, garlic salt, pepper, johnny's and mustard.
Let this sit on counter uncovered to 'marinate' for 10-15 minutes.

Small bowl, whisk the mayo with the relish and vinegar.

After letting the macaroni marinate.
Add all the diced veggies and eggs to the macaroni.
Top it with the mayo mixture and stir and mix well.

Sprinkle a little paprika on top.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

ENJOY!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

blessings,

happy & content

I have always been a bit partial to cats. Growing up in a home where my dad and brothers had hunting/hound dogs, I have always had a cat!

My love for cats has always been a strong one. I love their independence, the attitudes and really almost everything about them.
In our home now, our cat 'Miss Olive' pretty much rules the roost, and she has me wrapped around her paw! Since being empty nesters, we have poured a lot of our love, attention and affection into this sweet but, sassy tuxedo kitty!
Olive can sit for hours upon hours just sitting in her window seat, watching the commotion of our farm. She also loves to watch the birds from this seat and sometimes will try to attack them through the window. It is quite comical to watch!

Our Olive is strictly an inside kitty, because of our farm and the tom-cats that prowl around, we do not let her out. Olive runs and I do mean she runs, to the back door every time it gets opened, thinking she can escape and that the world is more exciting outside; until the other day when my grandson let her out by accidentally leaving the door ajar. She snuck out and we could not find her for about an hour. She was on top of our roof, scared and stuck in the gutter. I had hoped that this incident had frightened her enough, that she wouldn't try to escape but, sadly enough she still thinks the grass is greener and that outside on the farm is more exciting!?

Maybe there is a lesson in this for us, after all? For some, the grass is greener; the neighbor's house is bigger, their car is shinier, their clothes are nicer, their kids are more behaved, their wives are skinnier, prettier and on and on it goes. When, what we have is more than enough! Just like Olive's home is more than enough for her, she doesn't need anything more to be happy and content!
 

Oh, if we could just be happy and content with our life and all our many gifts!