On the Farm

Holes

claudiaAugust 18, 2015Country Life, Friends, On the Farm

What’s summer in the country without a good ole fashioned swimming hole? Our neighbor Megan, who grew up around here and knows these woods like the back of her hand, has been telling us about a secret swimming hole she found while wading the Tallaseehatchee, which borders the back of the property. A couple of weeks ago she took us there and, despite the chilly, spring-fed water, we all dove right in — dogs included!

15 Years, 15 Blessings

Fields of Gold

Labor Day Weekend

A new chapter

Chicks of Cerakko

claudiaAugust 14, 2015Animals, On the Farm

Mike is still in denial there are now seven chickens running all around the place…squawking, scratching, but mostly messing up his landscaping. We actually started with eight, but one of them turned out to be a rooster and he’s now living down the road with neighbors Barbara and Charlie. Another (Mabel) has grown up thinking she’s a dog and hangs out with the Danes.

Here they all are: the chicks of Cerakko Farm. If you’d like fresh eggs, just give a holler — we got plenty!

Cute as can be…here’s Gracie!

claudiaJuly 13, 2015Animals, On the Farm

We have a new addition and her name is Gracie! This Strawberry Roan Tennessee Walking Horse made her way to us after her former owner passed away and a very kind woman in Northwest Alabama took in his whole herd to find them homes.

The only hiccup was that Gracie arrived at our farm a day early. I was out of town working and, well, hadn’t exactly gotten around to telling Mike we had a new horse. So when the trailer pulled up to deliver her, he was truly fit to be tied (and we won’t even talk about the battery of angry text messages that followed!). But time heals even the foulest of Italian tempers and now we’re all smitten with this sweet little mare. Plus here’s the kicker: it’s Mike D’Avanzo who’s loving on her the most. 😉

Welcome, Gracie, to your “forever home!”

Linus Love

claudiaMay 14, 2015Animals, On the Farm

Does it get any sweeter than this?

A Mother’s Gift

claudiaMay 10, 2015Family, On the Farm

Our mom wasn’t one to stand on much ceremony. But she sure surprised Mike and me five years ago when she gave us Papa Brooks’ old farm bell on Mother’s Day. Grandma Brooks used to clang this bell to call our older brothers, Billy and Doug, up from the pond where they were fishing. I remember that big bell vividly, seeing it every time we pulled up to their farm. My little sister Janna and I loved ringing it as loudly as we could, only to be scolded by Grandma or some other adult standing nearby. When our family sold the farm after Papa and Grandma passed away, Mom sent Doug over in secret to retrieve the bell. Little did the rest of us know she kept it out back at our family home in a storage shed for 20 years. And on Mother’s Day 2010 she gave it to us as a gift for our farm. Now every time I look at it I think of her — and often tug on the old rope just to feel the bell reverberate in my ears…and in my heart. Thinking of you this Mother’s Day, Mom. We sure miss you..