Strawberry Season

Oh Goodness...

is there anything 

better than a ripe strawberry

picked fresh from the garden?!

It's

Strawberry 

Season

here on the farm.

Vintage Ironstone Bowl

Last year I planted nearly

75 

strawberry plants.

They multiplied.

I have no idea how many plants 

I have now but 

it's a sure thing that we'll

be eating lots of 

Strawberry Shortcake

and other

strawberry goodies

this season.

The freezer will be stocked

and there will be more

jam in the pantry!

While I picked...

my helpers were waiting

outside the garden fence.

Lizzy

Chelsea

Shep

This was one days picking.

The strawberries in the vintage ironstone bowl

in the top photos...

were picked the day after these.

And the season is JUST beginning!

I think I need to find more 

strawberry recipes

SO

if you have any favorites

please let me know...

I'd love to try them!

I never picked today

as it was chilly and windy

so tomorrow I will be back at it.

And hopefully I'll be back 

at painting the house too!

I'm linking up with 

Amy 

over at 

VERDE FARM

for 

and

BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE

for 

Deborah Jeanfor http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com/>Farm Girl Friday

So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of

wine and pop on over and say

HI

to the girls and enjoy 

the other bloggers

taking part.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Maura 

:)

April On The Farm And FFF

Peter in the garden

I'd like to start my post

by saying that our hearts and prayers go

out to all those who experienced the

terrible tornadoes over the last couple of

days especially those who lost loved ones. 

April is nearly over

and I must say that this

has been the coolest and driest

spring I have ever seen here in Kansas.

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day.

Finally!

So I grabbed my camera and took 

a few pictures around the farm.

This is our 3rd summer living in the country

and it still thrills me to see some of the

HUGE and strange farm equipment

working in the fields around 

our farm.

The farmer must have been watching the

weather as yesterday was a fairly

calm day and perfect for spraying.

Today however...is another story

with wind gusts of 45mph

predicted for this 

afternoon!

Later today I'll be planting the baskets

on my bike.

Lizzy followed me around as I took pictures.

So did Olly.

Lizzy looking for trouble.

REALLY!

You can see from the 

photo above that

she's feeling pretty frisky.

Right after I took this picture she 

and Olly started chasing each other

but they were too fast for me to get a photo.

We got some new chickens last 

Sunday.

They are Golden Laced Cochin Bantams.

They are the sweetest little chickens

and have beautiful markings and color.

Above is the little rooster

Kahlua.

Doesn't he have a cute fluffy butt! 

I've named the girls Espresso who is above

 Cappuccino and Cafe au lait.

Below is Kahlua the rooster

again.  

It's Farm Friend Friday again

so I'm joining up with my blogging

buddy Amy over at Verde Farm

Farm Friend Friday

I hope you'll stop by 

and visit Amy and her hubby

and check out the other FFF

bloggers who are joining in 

this week.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Maura :)

Lilacs and Butterflies and FFF

They're here!

Our lilacs are in full swing now

and every time you open a window

or step outside you are greeted with that 

wonderful heady lilac fragrance.

I close my eyes and I am taken back

to my Grandparents home in 

Canada

where they had the most beautiful

English style gardens.

They had two lilac bushes 

that would fill the air with that

beautiful scent that

would drift into the veranda where

I sometimes slept on weekends

and summer holidays.

Funny how a scent can do that...

take you back to a wonderful

memory.

For the last two days I have been

trying to photograph

our lilacs

and some beautiful

Monarch Butterflies that have

been flitting around the farm.

Unfortunately 

the wind was blowing so 

hard that the butterflies were

having a hard time trying to find a spot

to land where they would't get blown away!

I finally got a few photo's

but it wasn't easy.

The wind was so bad that in nearly 

every shot the lilacs are a blur!

The grove of Lilacs as you come onto

our farm. 

This grove is between the house 

 to the left and our south pasture. 

Here is a pretty Swallowtail

I found in the grove

behind the house.

It was very hard to get good lighting

as they were flitting all over

the place trying to find a 

calm landing place.

The lilacs aren't doing well this year.

I noticed that we don't have many blossoms

and they are faded and not as 

colorful and lush as last year.

I took a closer look at them

and I see that our late

frost killed some of the

buds before they opened.

Such a shame but that happened

the year we moved in.

A late frost had killed 

all the blossoms on the lilacs

and the fruit trees on the farm.

So no lovely lilacs or fruit that year

but last year which was our first spring

here on the farm we had an abundance

of everything!

The cottage is waiting for it's new

paint job

and the front porch is waiting for

steps and a sidewalk.

The door is waiting for it's 

new trim boards.

We did manage to get the 

porch swing up though!

Everything is on hold until

we get the picket fence up

and stained and the veggie

and flower gardens in.

There's just no rest for the weary!

I have to keep

reminding myself

that 

Rome wasn't built in a day.

It's not easy ;)

I'm linking up with 

Amy at Verde Farm for

So hop on over and 

check out all the other 

Farm Friends...

I know you'll have a ball.

I hope you all have a

WONDERFUL

Thursday, Friday

and 

Weekend!

Maura :)

Old Farm And Will It Ever Be Done?

This is an old abondoned farm that we pass 

when ever we head into the 

little Amish town not 

far from us.

I always feel sad as we drive by

and can't help but wonder what

it's STORY was.

I bet there were cows and chickens

and farm dogs and barn cats

and the wonderful sound of

children's laughter

in the air.

This old barn would have held

lots of hay and sheltered

many an animal 

I'm sure.

I wonder if there were once horses

pulling a plow in the

fields.

I'd like to think it was a happy

place where people had dreams

and looked forward to a happy future.

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Well...we're still working on our one and

only bathroom here on the farm.

The vanity and sink are out.

This picture above was taken just after I 

took the curtain down that covered 

this ugly shelf thing. 

It served it's purpose though.

This is where the old black 

dresser sat ...my Mr Fixit will 

build a built in cabinet in this space.

I'm still working on the design

but I think it will be much better than

the dresser.

BEAD BOARD!

We're actually further along than 

these pictures show.

Maybe by the end of the weekend we'll be done

but I'm not holding my breath ;)

CROWN MOLDING!

And this is where our new sink

will sit....can't wait to 

see it in place.

I think you'll like it ;)

I know I will.

I'm hooking up with Amy over at

Verde Farm for 

FARM FRIEND FRIDAY

I hope you'll hop on over and say Hi to Amy

and have fun visiting all the 

other Farm Friends

taking part.

Have a great weekend!

Maura :)