s p r i n g

white daffy down dillys in my favorite old ironstone mug

~~~

the first day of spring has come,

but only the birds seem to know it!

it's been chilly and frosty. Everything is in bud,but

We haven't one flower but for a few purple pansies blooming here...

but soon everything will burst into bloom all at once!

~~

these tiny white daffodils are from my garden a few years back, but I love this

picture and it is so cheerful I thought you might like it,too.

~~~

Daffy-down-dilly came up in the cold,

Through the brown mould

Although the March breeze blew keen on her face,

Although the white snow lay in many a place.

Anna B. Warner ~ "Amy Lathrop"

a new life for an old rail fence

isn't this a splendid old rail fence?

~

About this time last year we were looking everywhere for old split rails to make a fence around

the vegetable gardens and flower beds.

A few years earlier, we had seen them in stacks all over the countryside. Farmers and ranchers were taking them down and putting up taller and sturdier wire fences to keep the deer and elk out of their crops and hay fields.

I was thinking then how lovely they were stacked high, weathered and mossy.

Now that we had a good use for them, there were none to be found.

We thought of Craigslist!

Did you know that you can find anything on Craigslist?

I have gotten pallets of used brick, heritage chicks, turkies, heirloom herbs and plants.

Anything and everything, all for sale or barter.

One chilly winter evening by the fire, a look through building materials and antiques for sale

we came across a small ad by a rancher 140 miles to the east of us.

He was selling his split rail fences.

We emailed him and found that he had a few miles of fence...

at such a wonderful price we couldn't get the truck and trailer loaded quick enough.

The next morning, after driving for nearly 3 hours on snowy roads,

we at last arrived at the ranch.

Like many of the old cattle ranches that we passed along the way,

it was old old old.

Beautiful and weathered, we were sure it was the same as it had been for nearly 200 years.

Driving along muddy roads through gates and streams and cattle pastures

we arrived at the ranch house,the old fella was waiting for us.

He came out and introduced himself and his dogs and pointed to the hills beyond his place and said,

"the fence is along that creek past the scrub willows and oaks..".

sure enough, there it was, still standing.

He followed along behind in an old hay truck with the dogs holding on for dear life on the back.

When we reached the fence, I could see it stretched quite aways in both directions.

Beautiful country and a beautiful old fence. Mossy and weathered. Still standing.

I asked him about it, if he had built it...

He said, "nope", he didn't build it, but his great- great grandfather who had come from Scotland

to raise cattle here had built it himself.

I knew then that times must be very hard for this old fellow.

to be selling his great grandfather's

hand split rail fence...

I told him how I dearly loved old things.

That his great grandfathers fence would be loved and taken care of. He smiled and said, "good thing...that'ns an old one for sure."

So we carefully loaded each rail...and piled on as many as the truck and goose neck trailer

would hold.

We paid the old fellow in cash with a little extra besides.

I asked if he'd like to see a picture when we got it put up again and of course he said yes.

I wanted him to know for sure that it would be made useful again, loved and cared for.

~~

So this week the old fence is going up again, along the east side of our garden

where it can be close to where it came from.

I've got 50 asparagus crowns coming that will be planted alongside it. It'll be a nice place for the heirloom pumpkins & herbs I've got started in the green house,too.

I know I'll be thinking of that old fellow and his Scottish great-great grandfather

while I plant and hoe and dream in my garden this summer.

a sweet & simple life

~ Humble has her likeness taken~

When my "A Simple Life" magazine arrived this past week, I was dancing around the kitchen.

I only knew what the cover was going to look like and then, when I was able to hold it in my hands,

I was so taken with how it looked, the picture book look and feel of it.

It is simply a breath of fresh air.

Filled with wonderful early homes, a visit to The Museum of Appalachia,

log cabins, a closer look at linsey-woolsey and how to make your own wall paper boxes,

dreams visited and stories told...

and at last, seeing my story ~" His heart said, "Turn Left" ~ in print and in my hands,

I'm so very honored and proud to have been invited to be a part of Jill Peterson's new magazine.

... looking through it, reading every word,

you can see, it really is a window into her soul.

xo, C

~ ~ ~

Did you know?....

A Simple Life has been so well received that it completely sold out within the first week and is already in it's second printing!

If you'd like to subscribe go here:

http://www.asimplelifemagazine.com/Subscriptions.html

Jill's new magazine is featured in an article written in the NEW YORK TIMES.

Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/arts/design/26antiques.html?emc=eta1.

When you get to this web page, just scroll down past the article titled

‘Tile by Tile, a Mural Is Saved’

and you will see the actual article about "A Simple Life" magazine which is titled:"Rustic New Magazine".

~ Congratulations Jill! ~

~ ~ ~

love spoke....

...last evening,

by the candle lit fireside

our Augusta had a gentleman caller....

they sat side by side and listened to the quiet crackling of the fire

he leaned in closer....and whispered into her crumpled little ear

"oh my dear"..."how lovely you look this evening"...

and then pressed a hand written letter,

sealed with crimson wax, into her hand.

and while bowing low

he kissed her mitted hand,

and bid her good night...and a wish to see her on the morrow.

Inside, he had written in beautiful spidery letters, all in sepia ink

"I love thee - I love thee,

'Tis all that I can say

It is my vision in the night,

My dreaming in the day."

~Thomas Hood~

she could not have been more surprised...

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

~three of my favorite things ~

an early paper Valentine

sawtooth edged & folded

tied with old garnet ribbon & tarnished silver threads

resting on a wool pin keep, all on a lovely pewter plate.

a pretty little what-not, all.

I hope that this day of sweethearts and Valentine's

have brought all that your hearts desire....

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.