We drove up to the Farm today for a dual purpose visit. Firstly, it was long overdue as we have all been slammed with responsibilities and secondly, to bring Janice early Mother’s Day and birthday gifts.
Dark clouds were rolling in and the wind was blowing to beat the band as we traversed the river bridge and pulled into the driveway. We joined Dad, Jill, and Janice eventually Levi and Josh on the porch of the cabin and watched the storm gather. When we left Franklin mid-day, the temperatures were in upper 80’s so I showed up in summery shorts and flip flops. As we were sitting on the porch, the thermometer began to drop drastically so I actually had to grab one of Dad’s long-sleeve flannel shirts to combat the chill.
Once the storm abated, Josh and Jill wanted to show us the chicken coop they are constructing out of Levi’s old train swing set/tree house area. The tree house itself is unusable but they are converting pieces and parts of the “train” into the coop. Unlike previous coops, it will be closer to the house and more convenient for feeding, watering, cleaning, unlocking each morning and locking up each evening to protect the chickens from critters.
As we were walking over, we noticed something new in the landscape. Apparently, while cleaning out some overgrown parts of the farm, Josh and Jill found this tobacco picker and thought it would be of architecturally interest in their landscaping that’s also tied the history of the farm.
Leaving the soon-to-be coop, Dad and Janice showed us all the wildflowers that they had planted in their raised beds that were just starting to poke up through the ground; zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers, carnations, wildflowers along with a few tomato plants thrown if for good measure.
Back in the cabin, Janice opened her birthday and Mother’s Day gifts from which she seemed to really love, a hand- carved Bavarian figurine of a girl holding a lily-of-the-valley (Janice’s birth flower), a book on “How to be a Wildflower” and a mug in the shape of a VW van covered in orangey wildflowers.
We had a nice visit but kept it short. Since it was Sunday afternoon and Levi had school in the morning we skedaddled so everyone could get ready for a new week.
I received this text from Janice when we returned home:
5:37pm: Have already put the sweet little girl in the secretary. Will think of you when I walk by and it will make me smile. A gift that keeps on giving. It looks like something Virginia would like for her birthday. What flower is for June? Thank you for the book, which has wonderful words, it paints pictures….I will set it out and read it often. Thanks to both of you. Enjoyed the visit. Come down some Friday or Saturday night and we can play cards and grill hamburgers.
