Farm Photo 2/8/08: Handful Of Heart Rocks

Today's Additions To My Collection

This afternoon I finished up an article about Valentine's Day treats for FoodieView (more about that on Monday when it's published) and headed outside to stretch my legs, enjoy some fresh air, and check on the sheep.

A quick lap around the front field and back up through the creek bed yielded all of these heart shaped rocks (though I realize the one on the right is a bit of a stretch). I figure it must be a sign of some sort. Either that or we just have a whole lot of heart shaped rocks on the farm.

Want to see more?
Pictures of my heart rock collection

A year of Farm Photos ago:
2/3/07: Stock Dog Extraordinaire
2/5/07: Hay Checkpoint
2/7/07: Cary Coming At You!

And two years ago:
2/1/06: Reflecting
2/2/06: New Purpose - Visual Pleasure
2/3/06: New Digs
2/4/06: Lucky 13 Likes To Be First Through Any Gate
2/5/06: And You Thought He Just Herded & Protected Them
2/7/06: My Seed Starting Headquarters (and seed starting tips)
2/8/06: There's Something About A Sunrise

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we love good food and rocks.

Farm Photo 1/9/08:I've Been Adding To My Heart Rock Collection

In A Big Way

At 5-1/2 inches high, this behemoth is now the second biggest heart rock in my collection. (The ladybug that crawled into the photo shoot helps to give you an idea of its size.) I found it while we were out enjoying a walk around a neglected section of our property on Christmas Day. I can't think of a more perfect gift from the farm.

Want to see more?
You find several other photos of my collection of found heart rocks here, along with a few stories that help explain why a bunch of old rocks holds such a special place in my heart. One of the very first photos I posted on Farmgirl Fare back in June 2005 was of my heart rocks. I think it's an interesting sign that since then, nearly 200 more have joined them on the little stone ledge that hangs on the front of The Shack.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com

Farm Photo 10/2/07: Love On The Rocks

I'm Still Finding Heart Shaped Rocks

Out of curiosity I did a quick count this morning and was surprised to find that my collection now includes well over 150 heart shaped rocks found on and around the farm. It's hard to believe that two and a half years ago I had less than twenty, though I'm not nearly as picky as I used to be.

Most of the hearts aren't perfectly shaped, but then again neither is life. And when grouped together it's obvious that they're all hearts. They range in size from about ten pounds (it marks the cat cemetery in the garden) to barely half an inch across. They're starting to take over the place.

I recently came across this big heart rock in the middle of the fenced pasture across from the barn. It was sitting there on the struggling grass and sheep pellets like a meteorite that had dropped out of the sky.

Want to see more?
You find lots more photos here, along with stories that help explain why a bunch of old rocks holds such a special place in my heart.

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photos 6/12/07: Life and Love

Hold life in your hand. . .



And keep it in your heart.

I bet you are overwhelmed with the number of responses to your post about New Cat, my mother wrote to me the other day. I've been in tears several times reading them.

I know there aren't words to accurately describe just how touched I am by the outpouring of comments regarding my tribute to New Cat, so I'm not going to try to find them.

Nearly 100 of you took the time to write. Twice I sat down to individually reply to each comment, but I simply couldn't do it. Yes, I am indeed overwhelmed. Your kindness is truly amazing.

All I can say is this. If you're looking for a smile, or if, as Joe likes to put it, you could use a good eyeball washing, I urge you to make your way through the comments. They are full of thoughtful words, wonderful quotes, beautiful images, and personal stories about cherished feline friends.

There are many reasons I keep this blog. Here is one of them, left by an anonymous reader:

Farmgirl, your beloved cat is surely safe with my beloved daughter who was an animal lover without equal. Today would have been her 28th birthday, and I am so glad I came to your site today to learn of your loss. I came to your site today because it comforts me to read about the small things which turn into the great things that make up our lives.

I know that my girl has your New Cat in her arms right now. Her birthday gift today just might be your New Cat. I continue to take the most tender care of my daughter's 5 horses, 2 goats, 4 cats, and her remaining and much loved dog. I am comforted to know that your cat is safe in her arms. I am sorry that your heart is so sad.

Thank you for sharing your daughter with us, and for the marvelous thought that New Cat went off to be a warm and fluffy birthday gift for her. Thank you, Bridgett, for the smiling idea that "New Cat was a concept bigger than just a cat." Thank you, Jessica.

Thank you all.

Bean said, "May the love you give come back to you 10-fold." And as you can clearly see it already has--and then some.

The top photo is one of Whitey's new chicks (which I'll write more about soon), taken not long after it hatched. A small miracle that popped out from inside an everyday egg. But that's what all of life is, isn't it? An everyday miracle.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the peeping foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares photos & stories of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo 3/27/07: A Lot of Love on the Farm

Rosebud, her newborn twin girls, and Lucky Buddy Bear

Lamb Report:
Things have been crazy. There are stories, but there isn't time to write them down. There hasn't even been time to change my hats. I've been wearing them piled on top of each other for days: shepherd, vet, midwife, nursemaid—and undertaker.

Current lamb count: 25. Number of Nanny Bears having the time of their life (and wishing we could have baby lambs all year round): 1. Number of farmgirls who never in her wildest childhood dreams pictured herself at 38 years old, wearing dirty overalls and a big straw hat, kneeling in the hay in an old barn, listening to the rain hitting the leaky tin roof while holding a baby bottle and trying to milk a sheep named Snugglebunny: 1.

Update: Click here to read "A Tail Of Two Mothers: A Mother's Day Story From The Farm" and learn why I was trying to milk Snugglebunny—and why I was able to stop.

More below. . .

Farm Photo: 1/17/07

My Heart Is Embedded In This Place

A Year Of Daily Photos ago: 1/17/06 Afternoon Delight
And This Blog By Any Other Name. . .
1/16/06: Do You See Beauty In The Everyday?
And out of the kitchen came: Comfort Me With Hocks & Gravy

Welcome new visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

Daily Farm Photo 12/2/06: Snowstorms & Snowfall

Hello, December

So we got a little snow. But first we had enough rain in just one day to start the wet weather creek flowing, then an inch or two of some frozen substance that made it look and feel as if the farm had turned into a giant snowcone. There was lots of howling wind, too--the kind that makes you want to dive under a heavy quilt when you hear it--along with temperatures that dipped into the single digits. And somewhere in the midst of it all the power blinked off--and it didn't blink back on for 21 hours.

Twenty-one hours without lights in the house or lights in the barn. No oven, no radio, no computer, no fans to circulate the warmth from the ancient woodstove (our main source of heat) through the frigid house—and no running water, because no power means no way to pump the water up from the well. Then the phone line went dead. Twenty-one hours to think about just how much I heart electricity.

The important thing is that all of the critters are fine. Not exactly happy with the ice and mud and slush and freezing cold, but fine. (And no, Cary didn't get to sleep in the house curled up by the woodstove--but Robin did.) The sun is shining brightly today, and the sheep and their guard donkey are roaming the fields, hungrily pawing at the snow to reach the grass they know is underneath. It's supposed to get even colder tonight, but we're ready for it.

There are strategically placed electric heaters and heat lamps to keep the pipes from freezing, the firewood is piled high on the porch, and the oven is is sending the scent of freshly baked butter cookies wafting through the house as it heats up the kitchen. And there are buckets and bottles and glasses and pitchers of fresh water everywhere just in case.

Autumn was so very, very nice, but it is quickly becoming a distant, defrosted memory. The calendar may say it lasts another three weeks, but the temperatures and the landscape have declared that winter on the farm has officially begun.

A year of Daily Photos ago: Baa Baa Babsie
A year and a day of Daily Photos ago: Warm Wash, Cool Dry
And out of the kitchen came: Onion Flakes & Things For Cakes

© Copyright FarmgirlFare.com, the foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy—and mostly electrified—life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Daily Farm Photo 10/18/06: My Little Girl Is Growing Up

Cary gazing across the field at her flock

Don't know who Cary is? Meet her in A Tiny Tail for Mother's Day.

Most mornings Cary is calling out to me long before I reach the barn. I still greet her with a bottle of milk, and once she has sucked it down, and the rest of sheep have been counted and are headed down the gravel drive in search of breakfast, we give Donkey Doodle Dandy his morning treat and tend to any barn chores.

Then we meander out to the front field together to find the sheep. We stand among them while I breathe in the beautiful scenery and slowly look everyone over and Cary nibbles on grass. The sheep are always busily eating in a way that manages to be at once frantic and serene.

This morning, after assuring myself that everything was right, I continued to walk past the flock toward the next field, checking behind me to make sure Cary was following along. She wasn't. She was several yards back, standing among a group of sheep, happily grazing.

I called her name, and she looked up and gave me a small "Maaaa!" bleat in return. Then she went back to eating, her actions clearly saying, "I know you're leaving, but I'm supposed to stay here."

And that is as it should be.



As I continued to walk along without her, I thought about how much less affectionate she has become, how for the most part she has turned away from me and toward her flock. And just as the words and that is as it should be played through my head once again, I looked down and saw a beautiful heart rock unlike any other in my collection. I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket, rubbing my fingers along its smooth surface, grasping its weight in my hand, feeling its physical presence.

Cary isn't rejecting me; she's simply growing up, as all little lambs must do. I had no idea I would be so affected by this. But I do know that I will always be in her heart, and she will of course always have mine.

And that is as it should be.

Want to get to know Cary better? You'll find lots more photos of her here.

A year of Daily Photos ago:
Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around—Always

© FarmgirlFare.com

Daily Farm Photo: 9/20/06

Heart Rocks, Morning Sun

A year of Daily Photos ago:
Green, Green, Green--But Not For Much Longer

Daily Farm Photo: 9/9/06

My Heart Rock Collection Just Keeps Growing (I Love It)

A year of Daily Photos ago:
Happy Mint & More Handmade Fence

Daily Farm Photo: 7/22/06

After Six Years, I Finally Noticed This Heart Rock Embedded In The Step At The Front Door Of Our House

A year of Daily Photos ago: Big Chip

Daily Farm Photo: 6/17/06

I Heart Homegrown Garlic

A year of Daily Photos ago: Patchy Cat Keeps A Lookout

Hearts & Rocks & Numbers & Thoughts

Sometimes I think I need a heart of stone to live here.

One advantage to living on a farm in the middle of nowhere is that you can sit on the edge of a bunk feeder in the barnyard at sunrise and cry as loud as you like. Nobody is going to bother you.

I had planned to put this photo and its story up this morning, along with some thoughts that have been randomly connecting in my mind. About Lucky 13, who we lost a week ago today. About my brother, who we lost over 100 days ago and who was here on the farm when the first lambs were born last year. About the fact that Snugglebunny (whose eartag is #13) gave birth to the 13th lamb this year and should I give her a name that includes "Lucky" or "13" or would that feel wrong.

About the usual things—love, loss, life.

More below. . .

Daily Farm Photo: 2/14/06

Happy Valentine's Day To You

Daily Farm Photo: 1/21/06

Another Heart Rock For My Collection

Hearts & Cats For Clare & Kiri

This weekend will be the 23rd edition of Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB), a fun event that has grown by leaps and bounds due mainly to my dear friend Clare's nonstop enthusiasm and love of cats. If you haven't already heard, Clare has been in the hospital for the past week after having been seriously injured while trying to save herself and her amazing cat Kiri from an attacking dog. (Click here to read my earlier post about this tragic incident.)

WCB#23 will be a special Get Well Soon Edition for Clare and Kiri. On top of everything else, Clare has not only had to subsist on despicable hospital food, but she has also been apart from Kiri, who is no doubt frantically wondering what is going on.

Weekend Cat Blogging #17

I Heart Patchy Cat


Have you Named That Sheep yet?


Attention Cat Lovers! It's time for Weekend Cat Blogging #17!

Food Bloggers around the world unite each week and share pictures of our favorite felines. See cute cat photos and discover yummy food blogs. You'll find all the links to this week's entries here at Eat Stuff in Australia (run by the adorable Kiri). We'd love to have you join us. Just send your permalink in a comment to Clare (Kiri's slave) at Eat Stuff and add a "Weekend Cat Blogging" tag to your post.

Daily Farm Photo: 8/22/05

Heart Rocks By The Barn

Happy Birthday To My Mom!

Daily Farm Photo: 6/13/05

Heart Rocks