Playing in the Nursery

BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN A VINTAGE DOLL CRADLE

Currently, my days are pretty evenly divided between sorting through my

numerous collections...and working in

my vegetable garden.

When you garden organically, it's a very time consuming process. 

Even one day missed, can give the bad guys—those noisome weeds

 and pests—the upper hand.

BABY CORN AND CORN HOLDERS

It's almost like having a nursery full of infants to attend to!  But...

truth be known, I enjoy taking care of my

 garden babies.

JUNIOR BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN A VINTAGE PIE TIN

I nuture and care for them, and they provide me with a larder full of

 wholesome, healthly goodness.

INFANT WATERMELON ON A VINTAGE BUTTER PAT

If you've ever gardened, you probably understand the joys of gathering your

fruits and veggies fresh daily.

BABY WATERMELON IN A COFFEE CUP

Not only does fresh, vine- or tree-ripened produce taste far superior to

anything purchased in a grocery store... 

BABY CANTALOUPE ON A VINTAGE DESSERT PLATE

but it's just plain fun to grow and harvest food for yourself.

BABY CANTALOUPE UNDER A MINI CLOCHE

I like knowing that my food is being produced in the healthiest

manner possible...

BABY BELL PEPPER HANGIN' OUT WITH A VINTAGE TEA INFUSER

and that I'm not only providing my family with something that taste good,

but is also good for them.

So...

 the days spent out in the hot sun—digging in the dirt, weeding, and eliminating

 bad bugs—are a small price to pay for all the benefits that are reaped...

especially...

when I also get to have sooo much fun

playing in the nursery!   ; )

Joining LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday, Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday,

Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Bev's Pink Saturday,

Eileen's Seasonal Sundays, and Tammy's Anything Goes.

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.