LIFE AT THE COTTAGE

Showing posts with label Around the Farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Around the Farm. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

It's FALL-ing



Each year, there are specific telltale signs letting us know fall 
is just around the corner.  First, our Asian pear tree begins to
yield its sweet, succulent fruit.


And the woodland creatures don their autumnal apparel.


The goldenrod shoots forth like luminous extensions
 of the sun's rays.


The dogwoods begin to blush with a variety of fall colors...


before exploding into the deep autumn shades
 of orange and red.


The saplings—which had blended into the forest, only a few short weeks
before—demonstrate a brilliant display...
beneath the pines.


And the crape myrtles are nearly set aflame.


The pines—daring not to be left out—show that they, too, can join the season's
parade of color.


Truly, with the deep green pines as the backdrop, the fall colors appear
even more splendid.


From my kitchen window, I observe the maple—by the pumphouse—turn from
radiant gold, with hints of orange...


into a dazzling fiery display.


And, of course, every season serves to make the delightful little well-house
appear even more charming.


Alas, all good things must come to an end.


And the breathtaking autumn beauty—that for a few brief weeks,
richly decorated the trees— 


...has now heavily blanketed everything in sight!


No doubt, I'll be working off my Thanksgiving feast
with this.   ; ) 

Friday, July 2, 2010

Fresh Picks - Part 2



Would you like to pick some delicious fresh fruit?  Great!  Then grab a basket, and come along with me.   

Together we'll continue our tour of the Brambleberry Cottage's organic orchard.  Feel free to take some wholesome goodness home with you.


In addition to the delectable plum, peach, pear, and cherry trees here at the cottage, we also have six varieties of apples...

 and more brambles of blackberries than you can begin to imagine.


The blossoms, in the images above, represent three different varieties of apple.


The abundance of rain, we've been blessed with this year, has the trees weighted heavily with their bounty.


A combination of Granny Smith and


Golden Delicious will make the best apple pies you've ever tasted.  But I'm afraid it will be a while longer before they're ripe enough to harvest.


Although, I do help myself to their tasty tartness, even now–especially after they've been cleansed by a gentle wash from heaven.


But, there's no need to wait for the blackberries to ripen.  Please fill your basket; there's plenty for everyone!


The brambles were loaded with pretty pink blossoms this spring.


I watched in wonderment as they faded and a bounty of berries began to appear.


Their rosy pinks...


quickly gave way to deep, vibrant reds.


Now there are more black than red.


Not only will they provide a yummy treat for you and me, but the woodland creatures delight in their presence, as well.

And that's OK.  I don't mind sharing.


Perhaps this little slice of heaven would have been better named Eden instead.

Showing my pretty pink blossoms and fruit at Tootsie's for Flaunt Your Flowers - Fertilizer Friday, Cindy's for Show and Tell, and Beverly's for Pink Saturday.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Fresh Picks - Part 1



There are many reasons I love my quaint little farmstead. 

One of them is the delicious, fresh, organic fruit I get to pick right from my own yard!


It's so exciting to see the orchard trees fill with blooms each spring.  The lovely, fragrant blossoms are a wonderful prelude to the tasty treats to come.


When the plum trees–near the log barn–are in full bloom, it is pure delight to lounge beneath them and bask in their beauty, as I breathe in their sweet perfume.


That joy is paralleled only by the taste of the sweet fruit I'm enjoying right now–picked after a gentle summer rain.


Once the plum blossoms have nearly faded away, the peach blooms begin to burst forth.


The Carolina blue sky makes such a wonderful backdrop for the pretty pink flowers.


What fun it is to watch the fuzzy little peaches begin to form on the branches.


At last!  They're finally beginning to blush ever so slightly. 

None too soon, there will be sweet, juicy peaches to enjoy here at the cottage. 

YUMMM!!!  I can't wait!


The blossoms of our Asian pear tree are some of my favorites.


When they make their first appearance in spring, they're disguised as cute little cottonballs protruding from bright green stems. 


At first, the fruit is no larger than small crabapples.


Currently, they're about the size of golf balls.

It will be late July before the first pear is ripe enough to eat.  But the delectable fruit from that tree will be available through the first weeks of fall.


The cherry trees bloom in unison with the pear.


But, we have to keep a more diligent watch as the fruit of these trees ripens. 

Though they parade a beautiful color in the image above, they're not quite ready to harvest–at that point.


Lookin' better here, but still not quite ripe.


Peek-a-boo; it's a pleasure to see you!

By the time they present this vibrant coat of red, it's a race against time to see who will get the most cherries–us or our feathered friends.

Don't you just love our cheery cherries?!

Be sure to visit again for part two of the Brambleberry Cottage fresh picks.  ; )

In the meantime, I'm linking up with Cindy for Show and Tell Friday, Tootsie for Flaunt Your Flowers - Ferilizer Friday, and Beverly for Pink Saturday, Susan for Metamorphosis Monday, and Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Friday, June 11, 2010

No Other Name



Come; take a stroll with me on this beautiful early-summer morn, and I'll share a little tale with you.



Now cast your eyes upon this lovely profusion of pink and white prettiness. 

This was the inspiration for christening my little cottage the Brambleberry Cottage.


After years of diligently searching for the perfect farmstead, we were blessed to find this lovely, sweet cottage tucked among the rolling hills of a national forest. 

I knew right away that she must have a very special name, for it had taken so very long to find her. 

But the perfect one to equal her beauty seemed quite elusive for awhile.


I pondered quite a few names, over the first few months after moving here.  But none seemed befitting. 

Then, one morning, as I strolled along the edge of the woods of the farm, I noticed that the lovely blossoms had given way to something just as delightful.


The huge brambles behind the old barn...


and all along the entrance to the woods were now weighted with a beautiful bounty of berries.


Over the course of the next several weeks, I was utterly amazed at the colorful transformation that was taking place.


Berries—once pale green—now blushed a sweet shade of pink, with an occasional black one thrown in the mix.


Fields that once boasted precious pink and white blossoms were now bursting forth with bright pink berries.


And in a very short time, the pink turned to crimson.



It was fascinating to observe the brambles of blackberries—visible as far as the eye could see—totally enveloping the cottage.

At last, the name for this little slice of heaven had revealed itself.

She would be called the Brambleberry Cottage.

For no other name could possibly taste sound so sweet!   ; )


Sharing this bounty over at Beverly's for Pink Saturday, Tootsie's for Flaunt Your Flowers, Fertilizer Friday and Susan's for Metamorphosis Monday.