the honorable fine pigg schnuffles out a recipient...or two

good morning dear Fine Pigg.

Waking up early was, at one time, for our old friend, The Honorable F. Pigg,

his very best and finest of attributes...

that and making sure

that not one crumb or scrap of anything remotely edible touched the floor too long...

and to keep watch over the little dolls from falling from the shelf where they played at night.

He is quite old now and sleeps in this nest in an old shoe most of his days.

You see, he came from Prussia many many years ago and came across

the Atlantic Ocean to New York City,

he then rumbled along in a nest of wool batting to

where he rested on a small shelf in an old farmhouse in upper New York.

After many years, he then traveled on to

another old farmhouse in Iowa and then on to his home,

a little dairy farm in Oregon...before he came to live with us, his faithful friends.

He is getting a little slower these days....and he was extremely pleased to be called upon to

"schnuffle out a recipient" for a lovely pair of hand made bees wax candles.

"my dear Mistress Crocker, there is not enough fan fare for such an occasion", he snorted!!!

and so, without further adieu, he poked his snout into the end of the tin candle snuffer,

tossed it into the air

where it flipped precariously end over end

and then,

as if by magic

it landed perfectly on his bristled old head.

Right in between his sweet floppy

& spotted ears

"There now", says he, with a smile..."perhaps we can make something special of this occasion"!

and so, with that old tin candle snuffer as his Master of Ceremonies hat

the Honorable Fine Pigg schnuffled out (you can almost hear his accent, can't you?)

the names of 2 fine ladyes,

Donna

and

Kim

These ladyes will each receive a lovely pair of hand dipped beeswax candles that my

little family and I made this past fall in the old orchard.

and now Fine Pigg can go back to his nest in the old shoe...oh...I see he's already left....

thank you Fine Pigg!

Thank you all for your lovely notes of what makes you feel happy this time of year,

in between late winter & early spring. I was particularly happy to see that what makes us all happy are the simplest of things and yet the most valuable to us.

To all of you that live where it is snowing so wildly, we all send our best thoughts and prayers that you're snug and safe.

The sun will soon be out and melt it away into spring flowers.

Christine

Deerfield Farm

~~~

I wanted to thank you all so much for your wonderful birthday wishes & greetings.

Some of you didn't have an email, so I thank you from here.

It was a lovely day out and dinner with family last evening.

~and oh yes, I did get my little tin nutmeg grater

and the lovely tin lantern for the barn is on order!

Won't that be a lovely light to carry out to the barn to make sure the hens are snugged for the night?!

traveling the countryside

my farmer told me to put on my boots and get my hat this morning...

or in his real words "get yer girdle on, Hessie, we're headed to town".

So we left the old homestead and headed out for a ride around the countryside...

and maybe stop at the old mercantile and see what new shipments had come in...

maybe a new pair of satin slippers

or a length of robin's egg blue ribbon...

these store shelves in Old Sturbridge makes my heart just leap

I've had my eye on something special from the tinner...

a new tin nutmeg grater and a lantern for the barn.

I'll be back in the morning ~

I had totally forgotten it was my birthday this morning so will have the

Honorable Mr F. Pigg choose

a winner tomorrow morning!

have a wonderful day!

early February at home

these quiet days of February are becoming filled with the promise of spring.

my little farmhouse sits in the midst of greening fields....

each morning the fields, hills and valley's are

covered with heavy mists in the early morning light.

and even before the sun begins to peek over the hills, the robins down in the

orchard begin their sing~song to greet the new day.

~

inside, candles are lit and my precious bits are illuminated.

a wonderful new-old silhouette that I've had for sometime and found

here and just love

~

an old cupboard in my kitchen, wearing a worn and much loved bees wax heart, hanging from an early old gilt and blackened wavy glass mirror. somehow, just looking at it makes everything right in the world.

and my favorite...

old pewter plate and spoon filled with an old cloth heart

that carries this verse...

"But he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast"

(Pro. 15:15)

I wish you all mists that lift, spring peeking over the hills

& a merry heart within.

~

yrs on this day,

Christine

~

I would love to hear what makes your heart merry this time of year~

please write

and the Honorable Fine Pigg will draw a name

on Tuesday next,

my birthday,

for a little handmade gift for someone.

home

some of my favorite things here at home

Home is a name, a word,

it is a strong one;

stronger than magician ever spoke,

or spirit ever answered to,

in the strongest conjuration.

Charles Dickens

~*~

a note to my lovely friends~

While winter is keeping the fields quiet and my little farm sleepy,

I'm working on dollies here by the fire at Deerfield Farm.

I have several little ladyes that will be wanting new homes soon.

Please don't hesitate to email me anytime and ask me

whose little petticoat or bonnet

is being stitched

and what might be in the sewing basket by my chair~

Thank you my friends,

I hope you have a snug day there in your corner of the woods

Christine

early morning ladye

before the snow started falling early this morning,

the sunrise

barely peeked over the hills

and

came through the old farmhouse windows

for just a few delicious fleeting moments

and this happened....

sunrise smiling through old glass...

wishing you all a happy winter weekend.

A Simple Life~Jill Peterson's new magazine

A Simple Life

Many of you are familiar with the fabulous country books

"Homestead" and

"the Settlement"

by author Jill Peterson,

and know just how wonderful they are.

If you aren't familiar with these wonderful books

and have a love for early homes,

early things and the simple way of life

get ready for a wonderful treat.

Jill has a brand new Magazine coming out in February called

"A Simple Life".

We who love early have been "hungry" for such a publication~

In Jill's words~

"Our mission statement is,

"When your magazine arrives in the mail, it will be like getting a letter from an old friend."

Each Issue will feature 2 wonderful homes, one living history museum, historical essays,

short story fiction about early times,

educational features on various antiques, early projects to make, recipes, book reviews and lots MORE!

I know I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation.

It should be out by Valentine's Day!

I can't think of a better token of affection for yourself and

to give to your friends.

We're looking forward to it, Jill.

quiet days & the lonesome old homestead

I hope that these lovely days of quiet January are just what your heart needs.

I love them, for the stillness and the slowness of them. The contentment in them.

I can dream and draw, make plans, move furniture and clean the

clutter away from my heart

and my old farmhouse,

No hurry or scurry.

My farmer and I like to go traveling the countryside of our high desert

on these cold quiet days of January.

Taking the big 4 wheel drive down winding & muddy roads out into old homestead country

we often come across old homestead houses and barns,

falling down fences, rock cribs marking the 4 corners of the places

and sometimes, if we're lucky,

we find a once beautiful old homestead house.

I like to think of the lady of this old house standing on her porch a 100 years or so ago,

shading her eyes and looking out into the vast openness, looking for a puff of dust.

Knowing that puff of dust

was her farmer with his plow and horses working up a new field.

She would have dinner cooking in the wood cook stove, maybe a venison roast

and few carrots and potatoes, some good biscuits,too.

The scent of burning juniper wood in the air,

a faint blue smoke rising from the skinny kitchen chimney.

The laundry flapping in the wind on a make-do clothesline out back of house.

A few chickens scurrying and scratching around the kitchen screen door.

This old homestead was a once grand place.

At one time it had fancy cut shingles,

glass windows, a wide porch, a parlor, a kitchen lean-to

a garden with herbs and wild yellow roses

and a lovely privy out at the end of a rock edged path

in the back.

It was indeed grand and full of hope.

like the dreams of these old homesteaders,

grand and hopeful.

Until then, we are off, traveling the country side

to find more treasures of our high desert to

share.

I hope that these quiet days are filled with what you need,

peace filled and hopeful

in this new year...

which I'm calling the "aughts"

"aught ten" feels good to me.