Meadow View

Our farm is located in the township of Otter Creek.

We had thought we would name it Otter Creek Farm.

But, it had a name.

When first built in 1857, it was said that from every window you could view a meadow...

thus, Meadowview Farm.

This farm had been in the same family for well over 150 years -- we did not assume that the name was something we could just take.  So, when Lois Hall, the last owner, stopped by with a picture of the farm, she also gifted us with the name.

Meadowview Farm. 

Do you have a name for your home? 

Apple Time

  

Apple time is here again.

Each night I pick a wheelbarrow full of tree fall and set it at the end of the driveway.

Neighbors stop and take them -- for their chickens, for the deer, maybe even for applesauce.

All the weekend apples are donated to the Elk Ranch at the edge of Osseo.

Each morning I cut up apples to feed the goats.

And, Dave's apple pies -- delicious!

It is apple time again!  Autumn is arriving!

P.S. I am having difficulty deciding on an autumn template for my blog....

today it is the quilt - tomorrow, who knows?

Do share your favorite thing to do with apples.

Boys & Girl

Three little boys sharing one little bowl of milk.

(Shadow---Pumpkin---Chippewa)

One little girl - bowl to herself.

(Whisper)

As it should be...

Can you feel it?

We sat on the top steps of the barn stairs tonight...

watched a flock of several hundred birds swirl

and land at the top of the cottonwood tree -- they're getting ready.

Can you feel it?

Walked behind the barn to the pumpkin patch --

blossoms galore turning into round bumps.

Soon they will ripen to orange....maybe even a white one or two.

Can you feel it?

The dark begins by 8:00 -- farm security light on earlier. 

The goats & kittens play with haste, catching every ray of day.

Can you feel it?

Change....it is in the air.

Multiples

Lately I have been drawn to "multiples"-- many of a like item.  

Here are two finds from just this morning while out antiquing on a day off!

         

    Print stamp words 

 

Monograms

What have you found out antiquing this month?

Barn Sale Readiness Underway!

Yes, as described on this dial....the summer has been indeed "warm    hot    very hot"....

but perseverance always wins!

With sweat in our eyes, we hauled out over TEN 33-gallon bags of dirt from the haymow.  Now we are tweaking the space, still struck by the jaw-dropping beauty of this 100 year old beamed loft!

Arriving this morning was this beauty of a Monarch stove...will be "done up" in autumn majesty for the sale!

And here is a teaser from my Saturday buying trip of the smalls coming into the house for prep...

hmmm, what ever could be in those bags? 

All medium to large items go directly to the barn --

where two OVER-FLOWING barn stalls can't take in another item. 

Suddenly I can picture the hayloft awaiting the arrival of shoppers --

"Heartland Style" is the theme!!!

Words borrowed from the September, 2008 Country Home magazine:  "Fields and pastures of green and gold, weathered red barns, tilled brown soil, and clear blue skies make their way inside...It's all so accessible, yet here is artistry inherent in the everyday.  Just as regeneration comes each year to fields outside, materials in a heartland home find rebirth, living many lives and proudly wearing their patina of age."

I

Join us on Saturday & Sunday, October 9 & 10 from 9:00-5:00.

Click on the "Barn Sale" tab on the right for all the details.

home

I have lived in 6 places my entire life - all in Wisconsin: My childhood home in Monona, a dorm room in Waukesha, two apartments in Madison, our house in Sun Prairie, and now here in Augusta. 

Each place has been cherished - has been home.

Last week, I sat on the porch with my 22 year old son.  He is living in Madison this summer -- making enough money to pay his rent when he returns to school this fall in Eau Claire.  We talked about home & what that means to him.  He grew up in Sun Prairie, left there when he was almost 20 -- but he agreed, western Wisconsin was his home....this is where he wanted to be at the end of the day. 

We all come to "home" in our own way.  And, sometimes home finds us.

Dave & I stumbled upon this farm just four years ago.  We had passed this way many times on our way to our property in Winter --- and on that particular day, we found our way down this long driveway onto the grounds of this vacant farm - I believe she had called for us.

"I hear her voice in the morning hours she calls to me....country roads, take me home." (John Denver)

What does home mean to you?

cool thoughts...

cool

 

                                                                                calm

                                             




       wet

serene

Sending cool thoughts your way...

corn & cows

For almost 50 years I had lived in a neighborhood. 

Grew up in Monona, Wisconsin...raised a family in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin -- both in a neighborhood with close, kind neighbors.

I was always used to looking out my window at a neighbor's home.

So, now it still takes me back when I look out my window at new sights:  corn & cows.  The cows are somewhat rare -- fields need to be harvested or low, and neighbor Tom's cows need to be in just the right part of the pasture.  But it has happened --- looked out the window, and there is a cow.

Meadowview Farm used to be a dairy farm...with about 25 cows. 

The stanchions still stand in the barn with the water cups at the ready. 

But now, the only cows in residence live on a shelf that looks out to the barn. 

A shelf created as an alter to the family that wakes at dawn & ends their day with a dairy herd.  

Cows & corn -- feels as if it has always been....  

Tell me about your favorite view.

Who's that walking on my bridge?

Special arrival last Saturday!  Two bridges for the goat pasture...

One little Billie Goat Gruff on the bridge (Ralphie).

One little troll named Cork hiding near the Goat Cabin...look out Ralphie!

Cork the troll was painted by Jan Disch & gifted to the farm this year to keep the goats company...all animals have found him far more a protector than a threat - and I think Cork finds that quite O.K.

Time stood still...

The first time we walked into the house, we were struck by a departure...as if someone had run to the store & never come back.  The house had waited for a return for what must have been 30 years and was both surprised and grateful for our arrival. 

We walked carefully through the rooms strewn with furnishings -- making our way through what had been a life.  And, we slowly filled the trailer that awaited outside:  old bed frames, painted wash stands, chairs, books, dishes.  Although permission had been given to us to enter & take ---there was something sad in so doing.  This life, this locked house, this abandoned time.

**The clock above was taken with permission from the house that time had left behind.  Many of the furnishings will provide the backbone to our Barn Sale this fall...including the farmer's overalls -- wrapped & tied in paper, just cleaned 30 years before. 

They will be hung with pride, waiting for him, ever waiting.

Happy Happy August!

"Now every time I start to feel like that,

I roll my heart out like a welcome mat. 

Laugh when I feel like it.  Cry when I feel like it.  

That's just how my life is, that's how it goes." 

(Words from "Happy Girl" by Beth Nielsen Chapman)

So....honestly, between heat, humidity, "tired of yard work", bugs, and a groundhog that I do believe may be camping out under my back steps ------ August is not my favorite month of the year.

But -- I do need to recognize what I might own in this (and must also keep in mind February) -- so I mark this new month with change & an attempt at an attitude adjustment,  *And a new look to my blog!

So (happy sound in her voice):  "Welcome August!"

Tell me something wonderful!