Farm Life

Hello, all! I am back from the big mother/daughter roadtrip to Oklahoma '09, laden with many antique and vintage finds from southern Oklahoma and Texas. Clothing-wise, it wasn't quite as successful as I was hoping (many wonderful items, but most were both damaged and very overpriced considering, so I had to pass on a number of pretties), but I did end up with a few nice things. I came across a wealth of beautiful cotton printed skirts from the 1950s and scooped all of them up. I am still deciding which ones to keep and which ones to sell. I am fiendish about vintage cotton skirts, so I was pretty excited to find those. I also found several hats that struck my fancy! (not a hard thing to do, and not a moment too soon for the tea party that my sister-in-law and mother-in-law are throwing on Sunday!)

Here's a tiny preview of what I found...


Yes, ladies, that is a 1950s sunhat with cherries on it. Actually, the hat is period, the cherries are not. But it was still darn cute for $4! As well as the clothing items, I will share more details about some of the ephemera I collected at a very interesting antique bookstore once I get some better photos of everything.

Meanwhile, I will share a few photos with you of my grandparent's farm. One of the things I love most about visiting them is being surrounded by nature, even if it is tended and worked as a farm. They are so far from the city (at least three hours from a large city) that there is very little pollution, so it is always nice to clear my lungs. And of course my grandfather is an avid and devoted farmer (Up at 5am and works sun up to sun down! Not much of a retiree, is he?) so the table is always full of fresh picked organic veggies! (as a vegetarian, I never have any problem eating there!) Though, every time I go out there I do realise what a city girl I am (I can't help it, I am a hyperactive personality and tend to get bored very quickly if I don't have anything to do!) and how much my years living abroad make me stick out like a sore thumb when we venture into the tiny nearby town. But small doses of the farm life are quite nice and pastoral. Here is a sampling of some of the highlights of the trip.

My favourite tree on the farm...and it's hay bail season! While I was there someone came and hauled all 68 bails off (it took about four trips)




Three generations of ladies - me, my mother and my grandmother shelling purple hull peas (like black eyed peas) on the back porch...I felt like I had been lost in another era.


Beautiful cabbage in my grandmother's front garden.


Lovely apples growing in the orchard.


I'm still recovering from the long drive and have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me (July 4th and Sunday tea), but I will try and post more pictures of my hats and skirts by Sunday evening. (hopefully!) I hope you all have a very happy July 4th!