~ Goings on ~

Hello Friends & Folk ~

Happy sunny Thursday to you all....

for those who might not know,

my dear friend Joan's husband Arthur is in the Neurological ICU undergoing extensive testing ~

he had a severe seizure two nights ago which led to a trip via ambulance and a visit to the ER.

at the moment, they believe he suffered a large stroke at some point ~

 but are not sure when, as he has been asymptomatic with no signs of ever having one.

the seizure may have been caused by a brain tumor,

 and a CT scan has shown a tumor there and a mass on his lung as well.

Needless to say, Joan won't be traveling with me to the Woolwright's Hook-in on the 18th...

and I am so sad that she will miss it, but the most important thing to do of course, 

is for her to be home with Arthur while he is being treated and recovering.

Please continue to hold them both in your hearts, thoughts and prayers

as they are the kindest, most loving couple and the very sweetest friends.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

...So very happy to see the daffodils popping up in our woods behind the farmhouse again.

I wait every year to see & smell them ~ they are such cheerful little flowers ∞

 having not tilled the gardens yet, but keeping my eye on the 'volunteers'...

~ I see that a patch of broccoli is growing near the base of our birdbath!

wonder if our wild bunny's will snack on this before we get a chance to try it first?

{ I wouldn't mind if they did...} 

soon enough I will be pulling the chickweed for the chickens, ducks and peacock

but for now I am enjoying the sprouting green, be it beneficial weed or purposeful plant.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

here is a new thing we did recently;

along with new business cards, we purchased magnets for the sides of the van!

 aren't they fun??

{{I highly suggest Vistaprint.com for printing needs}} 

 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

 here is a 'throw down' of the Lancaster Barnyard rug that I've been hooking,..

I'm hooking the flower in 3 different as-is wools ~

very similar in value, but the hues are a little different...

one is much darker than the other two, and yet one is more turquoise.

I love the old look the blue adds ~ 

and you can see that I've outlined the flower in black...

I've decided to hook the background in a 'black olives' color 

that is just awesome in making the other colors pop.

{{ not sure what I'll do with the border yet?? }}

• • • • • • • • • • • • • 

...and here are two happy donkeys ~

just to make you smile a bit.

 Have a beautiful day everyone, 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ On Christmas Eve ~

Since I was a child,

I've long believed 

 at the stroke of midnight 

on Christmas Eve ~

the Animals gather from farm & field

to offer their voices ~ 

to us 

which they yield:

"a Happy Christmas to one and all"

... then head wearily back to their stall

or branch, nest or burrow

deep into the night

and whisper a sleepy 

"...to all aGood Night!"

 ©L.Brechlin 2016

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

 

Well, that's they way I see it anyway...

what better time for our beloved fur, feathered & finned friends 

~ to become magically outspoken but on Christmas Eve?

I remember fighting sleep each year

waiting for a chance to hear

 tiny voices from our kittens ~

that I imagined would sound something like a

baby talking in a high-pitch.

{but, then again at that age I believed I could hear the stars twinkling at night too}

✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴  ✴

My love for animals has no bounds,

and I will gladly sacrifice any morsel of food I have to one who is hungry ~

or happily kneel in dirt to gently pat one who may be scared or hurt.

oh we could learn so much from them...

if we'd only listen.

here are a few {ok, ALOT} 

of my favorite antique Christmas postcards depicting animals ~

found these all on Pinterest...

my very favorite, of course

are the kittens & cats:

~ for my dog-loving friends:

 

 

and various others ~

 

 

 

 

and remember

all of our woodland friends too:

 

 Happy Christmas Eve to you!

Blessings from the Farm ~

 Peter, Lori & Hannah

~ My Heart ~

Home is where the heart is...

Home is where they love you ~

Home Sweet Home.

Good Morning Friends & Folk,

and happy Wednesday to you all!

What a crazy-busy moth December is for our family...

online sales, open houses, birthdays & Christmas celebrations surely keep us on our toes!

are we tired? yes, a smidgen, 

~ but we wouldn't want it any other way.

keeping our hands & hearts busy is what we love to do ~

♥

I know how busy you all are too this time of year

with baking, decorating, shopping, cleaning & wrapping gifts...

but please,

make sure you spend some time doing something you love

... a gift just for yourself

I have been designing more hooked rugs lately...

{{ really getting back to my first-love of rug hooking & working with wool }}

and will be offering not only paper patterns {mailed & downloadable}

 but patterns drawn directly on linen for you too!

here's one in progress on my hookinpunch frame,

 a simple design called 

"This Place"

 

a very primitive design ~ and nice size at 13" x 25"

hooked with muted colors and random dark background...

BUT the border will be very different from what I've ever hooked before, 

a super-scrappy hit or miss border using very old looking tones 

of textured wools from my scrap baskets.

 

... you can see I've drawn in my 'squiggle-lines' with my sharpie ~

these are just a guideline for the direction & placement for my rows...

{{ which may or may not change as I'm hooking them! }}

HA!

 

I may try to get a little Frying-Pan Dyeing in this afternoon,

after all of the orders have been packaged & shipped today...

I'll share photos of my dyeing using that method soon...

did you know I'll be holding a class on Frying-Pan Dyeing here at the Farm Shop??

class is on February 18th...

I have only 2 spots available as I am limited to only 6 students. 

if you'd like to sign up for the class, please email me

notforgottenfarmwitch@gmail.com and I'll make sure to save a seat for you! 

a fun class, and an easy dyeing technique!

also, on January 21st I'll be teaching a 'Hook a Sampler" class 

at the Farm Shop as well...again, limited seating and its filling up quickly!

I hooked this rug, below,

 in 2003, when we first moved here to Virginia from Connecticut. 

I usually bring it with me when at shows to display in my booth or on my table...

Here are a few random photos of the outside of the Farm Shop for you ~

we just love where we are...

quiet & peaceful

❤ 

 

~ a smattering of simple decorations ~

~ the 'Privy' ~

 ~ silver bells ~

 ~ good old stuff ~

 ~ dried gourds & grapevines ~

 ~ Pinocchio & Daisy ~

{love donkey-butts!}

 ~ the Farm Shop ~

I'll be teaching a private punch needle class here this Saturday, the 10th...

... but the Farm Shop will be open for those who wish to come for a visit to shop a little ~

 

Blessings from the Farm ~

 Peter & Lori

~ Picture Walk ~

After our daily chores & all of our work is finished,

Peter & I head out for an evening walk most everyday now that the weather is warmer ~

we grab Roxy, and head on up our dirt road toward the big field and woods….

usually I forget my camera,

 but last evening I remembered to take it 

~ because I wanted to snap some pics of our iris again this year.

our lily of the valley is naturalizing beautifully

and I always pluck a few to bring with me on our walk :)

our once-strong strawberry patch needs to be re cultivated,

but for the moment

some survivors remain and show their sweet blossoms ~

our woods are filled with dogwoods…

some sparsely flowering, 

others heavily-laden with their distinct four-petaled blooms ~

I like to leave a sprig of flowers on Judith Proffett's {Proffitt/Profitt}'s grave

she lived here long before us 

and now rests eternally in the graveyard here on our property…

yucca or 'ghost-lily' plants are found in this graveyard too…

the local folks here told us that a ghost-lily was always planted where someone was buried…

{not sure of that though…} but they are a beautiful plant!

a view of the graveyard ~ with our big field beyond...

as we turn to walk back, Peter & Roxy share a quiet moment ~

we don't allow her to go in the graveyard,

nor is she allowed up by the road

so she sits and waits patiently for my return from fetching the day's mail ~

good girl

{just realized she has one lone blade of grass on her tongue!}

our woods are filled with winding-vines of wild grape ~

they wrap themselves to anything that doesn't move

so there are lots of trees here that have this twisted-look to them… 

also in our woods are patches of wild lady slippers…

I love these and eagerly await their arrival each spring.

there's our humble farm-shop

and a new sign that Peter & Chris made…

passing by the donkey paddock 

and there is our lovable Pinocchio standing in his favorite spot near the barn ~

anyone know what flower this is?

I can't remember….

the fragile wild poppies have return again.

they stand only about 5 inches tall and are as delicate as can be…

this is why I don't weed until after May!!

narcissus ~ beautiful

and, 

my small patch of rhubarb is coming along nicely!

can't wait to make jam again ~

Hoping the rains we've been having have brought your gardens strength and nurturing ~

have a beautiful day my friends!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori