Deb,
I love your photos of the morning glory! And your sentiments are "right up my alley", too. How much less stress to one if one can count one’s blessings instead of dwelling on the negative. Thank you for the great message.
And, here, too it’s good, just wanted to re-inforce your message.

Thank you! Glad to hear it’s sunny in your skies right now. Thanks for the ‘ re-inforcement too!  Happy Weekend…xo Deb

Hey all you farmgirls in the path of Sandy,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you this next week.
We had friends in Montana that had a nursery.
She told us that the trees that were out in the heavy winds, rains, storms were the strongest. The roots were deeper, the trunks were thicker and the
branches were stronger.
The tress that were sheltered were weak.
We are like those trees, with winds that shakes us and try to break us,
we are stronger for it!
Your Ozark friend, Diana, Noel Mo.

Thanks for the encouragement, Deb, and I just have to tell you that I LOVE your pictureat the end. How beautiful you are! Thanks for all your postings.

Deb, I have so enjoyed watching you develop your beautiful flower garden through the year. And how wonderful it has turned out! Your photos have been just perfect!! And your words are always so inspiring. You are appreciated so much. Also loved seeing your lovely photo at the end. It’s so amazing how much we get to "know" you through your blog.
Will be praying for your and your family’s safety along with others in the storms path.

Stay safe Deb. As you said "batten down the hatches"! Hope you, hubby and the kids are in a safe place.

love the pics,

Hey Deb,
Sandy’s hitting us too…and they say it’s coming hard and fast! Hope you and yours stay safe at the beach!

Good positive words for dreary weather heading everyone’s ways!

Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl Blogger)

I hope you fared well in the hurricane and are safe and warm. I live in New England too and our shoreline got particularly hard-hit.

I was so happy to have found your blog thorough Deborah Jean’s Dandelion house and wanted to stop by to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/clever-chicks-blog-hop-6.html

I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick

If you could drive a tractor before you could drive a car.

Good one Nicole! 🙂

you might be a farmgirl if

YOUR HEART IS STIRRED TO RAPTURE…..OVER…..
—expanse, seeing the sky kiss the ground
—the vibrant colors of earth and sky and…well, of anything that grows
—textures…. and smells…the dry,cutting roughness of musty hay bails or corn stalks; the silky coat of a cow that carries the scent of "country"; the smooth skin of a veggie that "reeks of just-picked freshness"….
—creatures–large and small living in their corner of the world, fulfilling the reason they were created
–hand-made, seeing the beauty of anything that was touched and handled, designed and formed as an expression of an individual’s unique personality

If you live in the city and the farm comes to you with 18 city-wide farmers markets a week supplied by farmers who grow their crops and create their wares within 50 miles.

You might be a Farmgirl if seeing your hens come out of the run wings flapping heading straight for you and it makes you smile, laugh and cry almost at the same time. My grandfather was a dairy farmer. I spent a lot of time when I was a young child walking around some really docile "Marys", but one of them was my Auntie. Thanks for the stroll through the barn yard!

awwwwww all of these are farmgirl things. Lovin’ it here in Oklahoma!! fall is best season, all the gorgeous colors!!!! and doe deer with their babies feeding in our front yard!!

I love cows too! I told my granddaughter that whenever you drive past a pasture of cows you have to open the car window and yell "mooooooo." My husband thinks I’m nuts but we laugh and laugh and have a great time.

… if you walk into a barnyard and realize you’ve discovered long lost kin … dred souls. Who doesn’t love a cow’s eyes! I always want to kiss a cow when I see one. Does that qualify as an if?

Hi MJ!

You bet it qualifies! Since I don’t have a cow except for " Mary" will you kiss yours for me?

I love your energy !! Thanks, Deb, for your inspiration. I have loads to do, inside and out. Have to clean and prepare upstairs bedroom of #1 son for #2 son. (#1 son is in guest room as a transition from community college to "sleep-away"). And all my outside gardens need cleaning and transplanting. It’s rainy today in North East, so may have to make progress on inside first !! Thanks again, for the "kick in the pants" Lol. Your decorations and flower arrangements are gorgeous…

Happy Fall Laura! Well, thanks.. Yes, still loads to do but all in good time right?

Enjoy and have fun! Thanks for reading! xo Deb

Lovely as always~ We have has such a wonderful Indian Summer here! Fallish mornings, and summertime days. The tomatoes are happy, as am I, as I didn’t want to have to make green tomato relish this year! Happy Autumn to you my friend!

Hello dear Julia! So great to hear from you… Sounds like fall has arrived in true western fashion… slow, warm and beautiful just how I rememer it! Enjoy it all!

xo Deb

Aren’t we all just such busy farmgirls – lists – always with the lists but they do help keep me together. Yard winterizing – got it started and then after no rain for months – we got rain – YEA!! so back inside I came – had decided to get at the Fall cleaning & decorating – WHEN – I got a surprise – don’t know why but the builder decided to carpet the bathroom & closet – not what I had ordered – SO this week it has all been put to how I had envisioned – YEA!! but that meant EVERYTHING out/off the walls – so lots to do there – now today it was dust EVERYTHING and put it right – a bit more to go because of course I decided some ‘getting items on to the thrift store’ was necessary. During the install, I got busy with some repainting needed in the great room and the kitchen – ahhh much better – got back out to do more fix’n outside. NOW the next task – starting tomorrow – is to completely void the great room of all items – having wood laid in about a week – so my Fall decorating will mostly be Thanksgiving but feel so blessed to be getting the floors we had wanted. Thanks Deb for confirming that LISTS are just part of living. I pray that your Aunt is doing much better and will continue to improve.

Hi Joan! We sure are…Oh boy, you’ve got some fun ahead once your new floors are down… perfect fall project.. Just in time for the holidays! Lots of work, but worth it… It will be so cozy! thanks so much for sharing your list and the prayers… My Aunt is doing well and is cancer free right now!

xo Deb

I heard a couple of guys talking about this in the New York subway so I looked it up online and found your page. Thanks. I thought I was right and you confirmed my thoughts. Thanks for the work you’ve put into this. I’d love to save this and share with my friends.

Oh what wonderful times/memories y’all have and now a whole new life to make more. So proud of you doing the home schooling – it is a huge undertaking but you know how to do it correctly. My grandchildren have been back to school for 3 weeks now, which means I too am back to school – well 3 afternoons a week – that’s about all this ole lady can keep up with. My youngest is in 2nd grade – wheweee they are busy little people but the teacher – a nice young man is getting them rounded in – he really is a very good teacher in may ways. Again thanks for sharing – happy holiday.

Hi Joan! Good Grammy you are for looking after your grandchildren. My mom did a lot of that for us too when our two were little! Enjoy and don’t let’m wear you out too bad! Happy Labor Day! xo Deb

WOW Deb, I see the next Mary Jane in that cute young lady. We will all be clicking on her webpage to see what she has done new. I saw in Sheri’s blog where you are looking for a Shasta 61′, I will keep my eyes peeled and let you know. We are taking ours on its first trip in another week or so, out to the OBX. We were going to Boston but decided maybe not so far on the first trip. Will let you know how it goes. Be Blessed. neta

Hi Neta,

I think you might be right! Boston? If you ever travel that far north look us up… We are on the way! thanks for keeping your eyes peeled for me.  Happy trails and you know I want the full story when you get back ya hear? xo and blessings to you!

Deb

What a blessed young lady. She’ll have the best of both worlds…having been properly and thoroughly prepared for the latter by you. I love the music composition page. She HAS TO have music in her soul … to be called to write what she hears inside :o) You’re a 10 on the momma scale and you’ll be blessed many times over in the future due to your investment in your children…and so will they.

Such kind words my dear Shery…:) brought tear and a smile as I read them. It’s been the joy ride of all time to homeschool our kids for sure and a blessing beyond words really…She possitootly DOES have music in her soul…she sang before she talked!  thank for stopping by my friend! xo Deb

Deb, WOW, your gardens are looking GREAT! I like the idea you did with the tiles for the borders of the beds. I have just been out in mine this morning trying to clean up a bit. Tomatos are looking very scraggly so I did alot of pruning I just couldnt bring myself to pulling them up with little green ones still hanging on to the vines. LOL! Maybe with all the cleaning they will get some fresh air circulating and make me some more of those great tasting maters. HA! Enjoyed looking at all your flowers and will probably go back through and linger a little longer in your gardens. Be Blessed Neta

Hi Neta! My tomatoes look kind of ratty too!! Lots of fruit along with tired yellow leaves…Perhaps I’ll do what you did and give them a little ‘ airing’! Hope it helps! Thanks for the note!!! xo Deb

Oh my your gardens and photos are fabulous ! I had Cosmos like your first photo last year ! My gardens are doing better now that we have had rain after a long drought and the temps have cooled a bit , but I did loose more then I wanted to ! Each year I change up what I plant and keep a gardening journal so each year I can look back on it all ! I am yet to try raised beds . I couldn’t live with out my flower gardens ! Have a wonderful day !

Thanks Elaine! You and me both! Good luck with your raised beds!  That’s great that you keep a journal from year to year too… Happy Weekend!

xo Deb

Hi Deb,

Your flowers are a joy ! Thanks for sharing. I am happy to see the "fruits" of your labor. I was always a flower girl too, and slowly working on adding the edibles (vegetables and fruits), but flowers will always be my first gardening love. I was just thinking about saving seeds for next year, especially some of my zinnias that I especially liked this year, and a mexican sunflower that is very cool. Is the procedure similar for saving the seeds for these varieties? and is a glass jar the best way to store seeds?
as always, I look forward to your farm girl blog,
xo

Hi Laura,

I did a little googling and found this great info on saving and storing zinnia seeds.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4575731_save-next-spring-flower-seeds.html

Hope this helps! Thanks for visiting!

xo Deb

Your flowers are so beautiful! We have had drought in our area my zinnias and
sunflowers are pretty pathetic. I hated watching my herbs shrubs trees flowers vegetables all dried up. It was joy to look at yours just so pretty. zinnias
are my favorites cut flowers. May try dalhias next year love the colors.

Hi Cindy!

Oh, I’m sorry to hear of your dry weather and your poor flowers…it happens to the best of us! My dahlias are getting beat from rain today… 🙁  I’m cringing inside!!!

Good luck with your dahlias next year! You know, they enjoy growing in pots too and  would make a wonderful spash of color on sunny patio or a deck! Thanks for your note! xo Deb

Beautiful flowers and I enjoyed the stories that you wrote too, God is good!

Thank you Tanya! Blessings! Deb x0

Oh what memories you stirred! I too have been on the beaches and in the water along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California; Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, the Carolinas, the New Jersey shore, Florida Keys, Aruba (scuba diving too), Hawaii (North Shore of Oahu Pipeline–didn’t surf but watched the surfers on Banzai), Kauai, Tahiti, Moorea (scuba diving), and my favorite dive spot, Truk. For a year, I had the pleasure of living in Long Beach, CA on Pacific Coast Highway (or PCH) right across the street from the ocean. From the apartment window on the 10th floor, I could see from Pacific Palisades to Dana Point. Ah!

Deb, I was wanting permission to copy some of the photos you post in your blog. I love the ones at the cottage. The east coast shore has a special place in my heart and currently i live in Washington State, so couldn’t be farther away. Love your blogs! Marie

Oh, Deb, this was just what I needed. I;m green w/evny for your beach cottage. But still terribly thrilled for you and your family. Enjoyenjoyenloy.

Hi Deb – My favorite beach is Siesta Key near Sarasota, Fla. It’s named one of the 10 best beaches in the USA & has the softest, coolest (doesn’t get hot), whitest sand I’ve ever seen. Secondly, Lake Superior doesn’t have beaches like you’re referring to but, I love it. It’s more of a nature experience then a beach experience. Barb
P.S. I have always longed for a little camper like the one in the picture. Someday………….

What a fun time I just had reading your goings on – my favorite beach – the next one I get to dip my toes in – live in the middle of dryness and long for the beach. Oh my the glamping – if only I was able – her name – that is a long list still and a pipe dream, mostly I’m thinking of having a little building built in my back yard that will be my get away spot. Then I will go there to read about all the wonderful glamping and day dream away. Thanks for the great time.

2/13/2014

Oh Deb you are always a great read in all the ways a read should be and I love your flowers – I’m going to do better next year. Thanks for the visit – enjoy the shore. And thanks for all the great advice on the painting of my chairs.
God Bless

Hi Joan! Nice to see you here on the shorelines! Thanks so much for reading and good luck with your chairs! They are going to be great! Post on facebook when you are done and share with me! I want to see them finished! xo Deb

Good morning Deb, I hope you are relaxing on the beach listening to the waves roll in and out. (I hope it is cool there) lol. My son started writing rap songs when he was young and then he went on to become a youth pastor and now an evangelist. Rap isn’t always bad. HA! (That son is now 37 years old.) Every now and again he still will rap something out while he is speaking to youth groups. lol. I pray the Lord’s blessings on your son as well. He must get his writing from you. I love reading your blogs. Be Blessed. Neta…oh by the way will be sending more finished pics soon of the camper, got the floor in now. just a few more things my husband has to do, then I can get in there and glamp it up!! can’t wait.

Oh Neta… I’ll have to share this story with my son. I know he will be inspired to hear this! Thank you! You’re right! Rap isn’t always bad! Our son’s old scout den leader is the sunday school teacher at our church and she has heard some of his music and wants to share it with the pastor. Who knows where it will all lead… it’s the journey that counts. I’ll be waiting for those pics of your camper! What fun Neta! Thank you for the blessings and right back atcha!  Hugs! Deb

Ahhhhhhh, the aprons are a precious sight to wake up to this morning, thanks for sharing!!
I love to make my own and collect vintage ones to hang in my kitchen.
My latest is a gardening apron, with two huge pockets to put my produce inside while picking, much easier than having to tote a bag thru the garden rows! You just slip all your little gems into the huge pockets and you have your hands free!
Happy Summer!! Diana

Hi Diana! So glad you enjoyed.. your gardening apron sound darling and handy too! Thanks for the visit today! xo Deb

Wow, thanks for the great inspiration today and always! I love that you found a great friend through some trouble! Kudos to all your hard work getting ready to blossom. Can’t wait to hear about it on your next post! Also…lots of folks at Farmers Markets use recycled food jars for their flowers, just a thought!

Much love, Teri

Hi Cuz! I’ve been saving jars for just that reason…GREAT MINDS!!!

Love and hugs to all! xo Deb

Hi D-Boz! Love the aprons!!…and the story. Adore the photo of you in the garden … reminded me of photos of Tasha Tudor. OH, and I just bought a Sundown coneflower yesterday. Your yard and garden look divine. Our landscape hereabouts is desert-like. Only my gardens are green. So sad, wildfires everywhere. Enjoy your greenGreen world; I sure have in your photos. Blessings from the west, Shery

Howdy Shery my sister in the wild west! I’ve been watching the news and praying about those fires… So sad indeed…I remember the wild fires well… we had one blaze across a corner of our land in the high desert just before the fire was contained. Nothing at all compared to what folks are enduring this time…I bet your rusty buckets and barrels are brimming with blooms… LOL! I need to pop by the ranch blog for a visit! Thanks for coming by… farmgirl hugs from the east!

Deb

Shery speaking of Tasha Tudor….oh yes, you in amongst the flowers so reminded me of Tasha. My personal favorite apron is a long blue check in the "Tasha style." When I put it on I’m transported back in time. There’s something so homey about aprons!!! Thank you for sharing Lori’s site.

Hi Victoria, well if you must know.. I was barefoot gardening.. just like our dear Tasha used to do…LOL! Glad you liked Lori’s site and thanks for reading! xo Deb

My cosmos are just starting to bloom here in Michigan! I saw mine and wondered how yours was doing! I loved the apron’s by Victora. I have always liked the ones that slip over your head and cover your whole shirt and hanged down. I bought a homemade one last year at a Car and Craft show that is held every 1st weekend in June here. I always love your blogs! Stay cool, been hot and humid here!

Hi Kimberly! Thanks for the visit and you keep cool too… we’ve got the air on today! Whew! Enjoy your cosmos! xo Deb

Hi Debbie,

I so enjoyed your post and the lovely flower pics! As I was enjoying them, they reminded
me of one of my favorite scripture verses-Philippians 4:8- …"and whatsoever things are
lovely…" and of course, your post is of a .."good report…" I, too, am an apron girl, and
I love the ones posted! And, yes, I did visit Lori’s blog; very nice. I find ALL your post
so inspiring. Thank you for being a blessing!

Love,
Marilyn

Hi Marilyn! Your kind words are a BLESSING to me!  It’s always nice to hear these pages bring light to others… THANK YOU! Farmgirl hugs!!! xo Deb

Lovely post, full of my favorites: family, fun and fabulous photos! Blessings upon you!

Thanks for reading Becky! xo Deb

Thanks for the lovely morning walk! Now time for tea! 🙂

Sounds good Julia! Iced or hot? xo Deb

thanks, Deb, for that virtual tour of your heavenly spot on earth. The pix were great, and could almost feel myself in the sand and water…the horseshoe crab was awesome, however it brought up a stab of childhood fears, cuz when i was little and walking on the beaches of fire island, ny I was told to watch out for them, because they could stab up through your foot with their spiky tail, is that true?
Anyway there are no beaches in my life at the moment, so I appreciate the visit. And I too have 2 teenagers, both with permits, and the older with a "serious" job that I have to help him get to, and know all about the need for juggling and flexibility 🙂 it’s been a pleasure!
~Laura

Dear Laura, Oh my goodness that’s a shame someone told you such horror as a child! I guess you could get a sufficiant poke of you hit the tail just right coming down with your foot but in my 25 years walking that beach it’s clam shells ( dropped by the seagulls )  we watch out for. They  can give a cut deep enough for stitches…We all have to juggle one way or another don’t we?:)  Thanks for the visit! xo Deb

How wonderful! Thanks for taking me along:) You are so blessed to have such an amazing Farmer’s Market. When my husband and I were in Kauai, we loved going to their markets. We met Tim, the Coconut Man. He would wack open a coconut for you and insert a straw. He was adorable. You could just imagine him climbing the trees. Anyway, his motto was, "It’s Good to Know Your Farmer." I loved it! My in-laws sell their veggies and they use that slogan now. It is so very cool that you get to know your farmers AND your baker of Chocolate Buns!!!! lol……Thanks, Raynita

Howdy Ranyita! Kauai’s farmers market must have been amazing… Love the Coconut Man story! I think we need to  find a recipe for Chocolate Buns! 🙂 Thanks for the visit! xo Deb

Farmers markets are such fun and I’m usually at one a week. We’re blessed in the San Francisco area with five on Sundays (the entire city is 49 square miles so you never have to travel further than 7 miles); two on Tuesdays, five on Wednesdays, two on Thursdays, one on Friday and four on Saturdays. My favorite markets have cooking demos with seasonal fruit and veggies including the recipes on cards so I can try them at home. Some have entertainment with local musicians, some raffle a big basket of local products every week, and everyone has fun. Stay local and support your local farmer.

Hi Adrienne, Oh I can imagine all the farm goodness you can get your hands on in San Francisco. We traveled there many times while living in Nevada, but I never went to a Farmers Market! There were a few venders cooking yesterday as well and a few of them DID include recipe cards! Stay Local! LOVE IT! Thanks so much for the visit! xo Deb

Hi – Megan (my sister, yes there are 3 of us!) just forwarded this link to me (i do the marketing/advertising/social media stuff for the market) – what a great blog entry and terrific pictures! I posted a link on the Plymouth Farmer’s Market Facebook page – hope we can steer more readers to your blog. It’s great! Thanks again – so glad you found things you liked! If you haven’t yet, you should try Jenny’s cheese buns…!
– Kara

Hi Kara! Nice to meet you! Thank you! I’ll be back for the Cheese buns next week! We ( MJF) appreciate the share! Thanks for stopping by! xo Deb  

Hey Deb, great trip to the Farmers Mkt. Ours has been a little slow this year. Lost some of our people due to them moving away. I love getting my veggies and bread from FM, as I love the idea of supporting our local farmers. Prices do not seem high to me, because the benefits of eating healthy so outweighs that cost. Had a good time at your FM. (by the way, I have a surprise in the works, if everything turns out I will send you pics to your email next week.) hint…it has to do with glamping…. love ya be Blessed Neta

Hi Neta! Oohhh just what fun and creative thing are you up to now? I agree, the value of what you buy at a Farmers Market is priceless really. Especially when you consider not just the hard work, but the knowledge that goes into being a sustainable grower….I’ll be keeping an eye on my inbox! Hugs! Deb

I need to get there earlier next week. I wasn’t able to go until 5 and I was so hoping to get some of those strawberries. I did get some awesome honey ginger balsamic vinegar and some really great raspberry jalapeno jam.

Hey Paula! I tried that balsamic vinegar too…I want to explore her items more next time as well…and if it’s the same gal I’m thinking of her Olive Oil Orange Cake was sooooo good! Hey, if you see me there sometime, come say hi! Thanks for the note! xo Deb

Our Farmers Market had opening day last Saturday and it was a pretty good day. I am a vendor there, selling my "Farm Fresh Aprons" and other things there as a crafts vendor. My hubby is there selling his woodturnings and handcrafted knives. This is our 6th year as vendors, but our market has been going for decades. My dad took his farm produce, home made cider, etc. years and years ago. My daughter (as a grade schooler and is now married and has her own family) would go with him on market days.
It’s the social event of the week and such a fun place to be to meet and greet . . enjoy the company of folks. Ours has wonderful produce, baked goods, a couple who have tasty breakfast burritos, another vendor with decadent cinnamon rolls, a local coffee roaster with brewed by the cup and packages to buy to take home. There are a variety of craft booths, meat producers, honey . . . community booths promoting a local community endeavor. And we have some of the best music!!!!
Tomorrow we go back again, for day two. I’m praying for good weather with no wind and another good day of sales.

Hi CeeJay!  It’s an honor to have you stop by! You are one famous farmgirl! 🙂 Your Farmers Market sounds wonderful too!  Best to you this season with your farmgoods! I bet you’ll do real well! 🙂 Thanks for the visit! xo Deb ( who loves breakfast burritos)

Love my local farmers market. Same market, same location I started going to with my mom over 45 years ago. Some of the farmers are still the same, too.
Our market opens the first Saturday of May thru the end of the year, yes, December. During the growing season they are open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday each week. Plants, usually start our season; but then the asparagus becomes ready, strawberries and on thru the year. Late summer, early fall market is my favorite. Apple time, although this year our local orchards got hit by a hard freeze in April after a week of 80 degree temps in March that has resulted in 90% of crop loss, apples, cherries both tart and black sweet, peaches, pears, all of it. I wish I had dried more of last years crops.
In the winter the local Organic only market is open every other Sat and so I can still get fresh eggs, and greens even in the winter.
Bless the farmers who but good wholesome food on my table each day.

Amen Carla! Thanks for your note! xo Deb

Deb,

What a fun post! Wish I was there to walk with you and catch up. Lucky Pat! Funny about the rocks….balance has become my mantra this summer, trying to find it with three small children, summer break and a husband working out of town part of the week.

You rock!
Much love, Cousin Teri in Napa

Awe, thanks Teri! Keep smiling!

much love to you all too!

xo Deb