Yes, I'm a huge Tim McGraw fan, so of course my inspiration for this post came when I was listening to his song, "Back When". I crack up every time he sings, "Back when a Hoe was a Hoe..."
Click here to listen to "Back When"
It made me think of nostalgic things...my parents farm, my Grammys patio garden, etc. My family is from rural SE Indiana where the gentle rolling hills and hollows create a beautiful canvas. Every farm has a clever name...Pork Chop Hill is the name that displays on the side of my family farm barn; Billy Goat Mountain is another just north of our farm; and Hoot Owl Hollow (Holler, actually) is another close by. My grandparents settled here from Okalahoma, with visions of a quiet, simple life. What a wonderful place, our homestead!
The Old Barn finally succumbed to a tornado a few years back.
My son hung out at the farm for the summer last year!
When I think back on my parent's corner of rural paradise, I think of the acreage before the corn and bean fields, even before the alfalfa fields and before the willow trees. The green lawns decorated with lovely old world peonies...
roses...
tiger lilies...
honeysuckle vine...
lilacs...
hydrangea (close to the old farm house chimney, the shrub stays warm during the cold midwest winters)...
and fragrant cherry tree blossoms.
My Grammy's front patio was a place where everyone would gather and sip sweet tea. It was a peaceful place, even on the hottest afternoon, where the hummingbirds would gather together with the cats...a kind of garden of eden.
My Grammy grew lush hostas
lavender
and trumpet vine.
She was a magnificent artist and pianist. Her piano holds a place of honor in my home today. What fond memories of days gone by.
17 comments:
The space, the big trees, the grass are interesting elements that will make a plot or a farm such an exiting place... ~bangchik
Kimberly: You and Noel both had the posts with similar topic, pleasure and beauty with the simple life. Your post is very beautiful, and very touchy together with the song. It reminds me of my childhood summer vacation in my grammy's hometown...
What a lovely post Kimberly, and the photo of the hummingbird is just stunning!
Kimberly - how cool is it that your son will have fond memories of the farm, as you do. It will be another common thread you will share always! BTW - amazing photos!
Great post. What a wonderful place, it sounds idyllic. You must have some wonderful memories.
Lovely post Kimberly! How wonderful for you and your son to have a homestead to visit! Your photos and story of your Grandmother are all beautiful! ;>)
Just beautiful..
I think many of us share many similar memories of being out in the garden as a child. I hope that I am carrying on that tradition with my own children :-)
What a great post! And your pictures are beautiful too.
Lovely tribute to your sweet memories. Being a native Floridian city girl I appreciated that beautiful peony picture. I've always heard about them but I've never seen one in "person". Your photos are so beautiful. I hope you are able to visit there often.
My grandpa and grandma's gardens gave me the inspiration to garden too and so many plants I see bring back lovely memories of bygone times. I just love that photo with the little hummingbird - its delightful - I think I would have been so excited pressing the shutter button I would have shaken my camera. Hummingbirds are something we just read about in books and blogs here.
Hi Kimberley,
What an amazing place you have, you are so lucky!
Beautiful plants and pictures. If you ever need someone to look after the place when you all go away then give me a call and we will catch a flight over!!
I can just imagine getting to spend time in such a beautiful place! What great memories you have. I have my grandma's piano in our home too!
Hey now, don't forget the fond memories of going all misty-eyed and emotional over Prince's Purple Rain!!! And yes, that Tim McGraw is quite the dude.
What beautiful childhood memories you have of a place and time etched in your heart forever. No wonder you're a gardener. By the way, I love the name of your family farm and others nearby. Thanks for sharing your memories with us.
The memory lane of childhood is such a beautiful place isn't it?
I'm angry now; I want a big old barn with Pork Chop Hill on the side. I bet my neighbours would get the hump if I built one! I've been wondering what to do with my front garden...
Post a Comment