Mental Farmer

It’s July, the weather in western North Carolina is mild, and summer is sharing the love!

A little over a year ago, John and I had the privilege of visiting an old plantation in central North Carolina. It has been in the family of a friend of my sister’s for generations. They care for their slice of history lovingly. My sister and I took a lot of pictures that weekend. We […]

Since moving to western North Carolina I have run into John and Melissa at social events in Weaverville and Marshall.  In fact, I ran into them at the soiree I wrote about a while back and they invited me to visit them at Highgate Farm.  This was back in October; but I assure you the […]

This story is over a month old; obviously I have fallen behind in my blogging.  Toward the end of July, my sister invited me over to make peach preserves.  She bought a bushel of South Carolina peaches and it was time to do something with them.  I got lucky – by the time I got […]

We had a visitor this week.  I was making supper and John was watching TV.  Our cat Amos was lounging on his perch in the picture window.  Suddenly Amos sprang to his feet, hyper-alert.  John looked out the window and saw a black bear!  The bear was good-sized; he sauntered by the front porch, sniffed […]

Sweet Pea has taken a liking to Clyde Edgerton.  I was outside reading, and set my book down to do something else.  She quickly took possession.  After perusing the cover of my book, she flew up into my lap, then my shoulder for the first time.  She is aptly named, she is a real sweetie.  Always running […]

I have poison ivy in 6 places.  Ear, neck, cheek, chest, wrist, bicep.  ITCH.  Not sure where I picked it up, but I hope it was not in the perennial garden last Sunday, because I spent the day out there today battling briers and vines.  If that is where the current rash came from, I […]

LOOK WHAT WE ARE GETTING!  We are beginning to build the dream, a little biddy bit at a time.  See that chick with the black and white wings?  That’s our new Plymouth Barred Rock. (The others belong to my sister.) See that little bald eagle?  She’s coming to live with us too, along with two iridescent […]