Country Fêtes

This was a weekend for many people to enjoy farm and rural activities. The Two Cylinder John Deere Tractor Show was held in our small town so my hubby and I took a stroll over to check out the tractors and to share these images with my brothers, one of which has all John Deere tractors on his farm.

I love the 'ancient' look of this tractor and try to imagine what life was like in 1937:

Great head lamp and steering wheel:

John Deere 5020 diesel:

Portable Shingle Mill:

The John Deere tractors arrived in all sizes and were proudly lined up for display:

"Nothing Runs Like a Deere"

Just added:

My brother's family read this post and sent me a photo of their 5 John Deere Tractors in front of their barn, the farm that I grew up on.
I love the way all the tractors are lined up!

A special family in our community is moving out of the area and we wanted to wish them much happiness and many blessings in their new farming community. The neighbourhood had a bbq/potluck for them, hosted by/at the farm our dear friends, Reg and Liz. Many neighbours came out to join in the festivities as well as to enjoy good food and fellowship.



These lovely garden flowers graced the welcome table where cards awaited J&A and a guest book was made available for signing.



I love the setting of this farm and the way the gardens have been incorporated...you can peek here.

Great window boxes:

Rustic and yet elegant:

We left the Barn Potluck/BBQ, then headed over to a 'stag and doe' event for a couple from our church who will be getting married this Fall. There were many games to be played, as well as prizes to be raffled. One of the tables had a display of beautiful, creative cakes of many kinds to be auctioned off. It was fun to watch the cake auction and to witness the enthusiasm the bidders displayed in their very generous bidding. We had the privilege of enjoying the most stunning views as their home/farm is built on a hill over-looking the Conestoga River. As the evening progressed, a beautiful sun was setting over the valley and fog/mist was rolling in above the river, making it look truly magical. (no camera with me)
Oh, and one more thing...
Don't you just love the pretty summer packaging of this cake, Angel Lush?
After our evening 'stag and doe' event, we found this cake waiting for us in our car. So lovely and such a surprise. Thank you to the dear sweet people who were so kind and generous to us! The cake was delicious and was shared at our Bible Study on Sunday evening where many people enjoyed it, so the blessing went around:)

Farm and Country

The countryside is so beautiful at this time of year, and there is much activity on the farm fields. After all the rains we have had, resulting in flooded fields and overflowing creeks, this past week of hot and humid weather has caused everything to dry up and the crops to grow at a rapid pace. The corn is now well over 6 feet in many places and the wheat fields look like they will be ready to harvest soon, almost three weeks early according to my farmer's almanac...you know who you are!
I have taken some photos....no, make that many photos of the fields in this area and created a slideshow to share them.
(pause music playlist, then click slideshow to enjoy)
The crops include oats, wheat, corn, soybeans and see if you can spot the flax field...

These are just a few shots that I had fun editing to make them look like a work of art.

(click to enlarge)

Making hay while the sun shines:

Evening mist on the wheat field:

Rustic windmill:

Farm and Country Slideshow

Sunday Afternoon Drive

After a week of rain, my hubby and I wanted to take a country drive to enjoy the beautiful emerald green fields and the fabulous cloud formation in the ever-changing sky. You are welcome to come along and enjoy the countryside with us...(click to enlarge)

You can view more photos of our afternoon drive in this slideshow (click on slideshow)

This morning a friend of mine, K, was sharing that as she was going to the barn for her early morning chores, she was reminded of Ireland and felt a wee bit of that landscape within her own place with the lovely greens and damp weather. Her conversation stayed with me as we drove and I shared her sentiments on our drive. It reminded me of a beautiful Irish Blessing that I wanted to share with you here...
Blessings to you! (pause side bar music)

Farm and Garden

It has been an unusually dry, warm Spring season with record highs recorded this week alone. I was chatting with one farmer this morning (R&L are my local farmer's almanac)
and he said that it has been a concern here for the farmers that there has been so little rainfall. We talked about the dust bowl of the 30's and don't ever want to experience that here. If people complain about the rain, I use that example as a reminder of what could potentially happen if we didn't get the rains....food for thought! This afternoon the clouds broke and the rains came down in torrents for about 20 minutes, not alot of rain, but something to be thankful for.
Everything seems to be in bloom at the same time here, and the fragrance is just wonderful!
I took a little walk about my yard this morning with my camera for the latest in the gardens, and thought that I would share just some of the blooms with you.
Come and join me on the garden tour:

Weigela and Lilacs:

Sweet Woodruf:
Allium:
Pulmonaria:
Chestnut tree:
Of course the dandelion blooms/seeds without fail here:
Solomon's Seal:
Bleeding Heart:
Mountain Ash:
Purple Columbine and Cornflower or Bachelor's button: Narcissus:
The farmers have been busy this week working in the fields to fill silos (silage/haylage), making the most of this dry and warm weather:

Rows and rows of hay: Sunset after another hot and humid day:

Take Me Home, Country Roads...

I know that I am getting carried away again with all the photos, but the countryside here is truly so beautiful.
I have a rather obvious confession to make:
I am not a city girl.
Yes, I love the odd trip into the city for shopping, dining, and culture, but my heart is and always will be in the country.
You are welcome to join me as I meander my way home from some recent appointments and errands using photos that were taken at random times over the past few weeks.
(click on photos to enlarge)

This bridge is no longer in use, but I am so thankful that they didn't remove it:
a piece of rural history...

The old farmstead is adjacent to the bridge, and the setting is just so peaceful and so beautiful!
The one and only sheep farm I know on my route.
(for Nan) Of course I had to pull over and take a few photos of the lovely, old stone home with the sheep and lambs grazing in the pasture...
As you can see by the sign, this auction was held several weeks ago and is so unique to this area as the farmers gather to bid on hay and straw...
This was also a common sight this Spring, as many farmers baled the remains of their cornfields into large round bales for bedding...

The cows are just being let out of the barns after a long winter....
Slow-moving traffic as we are stuck behind a familiar sight, the milk truck, as we enter our home town again...