There is a little slice of heaven in Livingston, Texas. It's a place where life slows down and you can forget the craziness of life's demands. It is not fancy or flashy. It is warm and inviting. We call it The Farm. My mom's best friend inherited this lovely place on 90+ acres about 8 years ago and she and her husband always graciously invite my family out to visit whenever they make a trip down to south Texas from Abilene. I cannot thoroughly express my gratitude to Mike and Aby for allowing my boys and I to be a part of the wonderful experiences that are a part of The Farm. To my boys, these lovely folks are known as Aunt Aby and Uncle Mikey because they take my kids in and love them as their own. I'm eternally grateful to have a place away from the city that I can bring my kids. A place where they can run and explore and use their imaginations to their full potential. A place to see so much beauty that is the creation of their Creator.
Just the driveway is enough to take your breath away...
And then the farm house. Small and quaint and peaceful and lovely. When sitting out there, there are no worries, no cares, no stress. Only calm and peace. Many of conversations filled with laughs and wonderful memories have taken place on that little front porch...
Most rides on the four wheelers for me include the greatness of lots and lots of mud. But occasionally, I will opt for a clean joy ride just so I can take in this kind of gorgeousness...
I don't actually consider the cows "gorgeous" but the calves (not pictured) are at least pretty cute. Don't hang around them too long though. You'll be tempted to go spend a fortune on a butter churner thingy and take "farm living" to the full extent of it's possibilities.
And this looks like the perfect spot for a chicken coupe if you ask me (see what I mean about taking farm life to it's full extent?)...
This does zero justice to real life but it's here anyway. There are butterflies EVERYWHERE at the farm. With all different color patterns. But they are jerks and refuse to land and stay anywhere long enough for me to snap a picture so this was the best I could do. Actually, that's true for the wild life too. Lots of deer and colorful birds but the only animals that would actually let me take a picture were those dang cows. I suppose they deserved a spot on the blog just for that reason.
I mean, even the old falling apart buildings somehow come across as intriguingly beautiful. Maybe that's just me but I stand by my statement anyway.
I feel like I really understand life on Little House on The Prairie when I get to go pick these delicious berries out in the pasture. No, but really...
And it's just not farm living without rain washed clothes hanging out on a clothes line!
The boys do not go looking for bugs when they are at home. But on the farm, they suddenly transform into the bug whisperers. They found a locust and were moving it from one stick to the other and they thought it was the. best. thing. in. the. world.
And this is how you wind down after the exhaustion of bug collecting...
If you're a 7 year old boy lucky enough to score a tractor ride with Uncle Mikey, your bucket list is completed in just one day.
If you're a 4 year old boy...same as above..
It's a small victory in the world, but finding a tree in south Texas that doesn't have a 1,000 mile trunk shooting straight up without any climbing limbs is HUGE for me. I love love love that the boys can enjoy the simple childhood pleasure of climbing a tree when they are at the farm!
In the words of Aunt Aby, "A family that rides together stays together." Gram and Grandpooh have proven this theory to be pretty accurate so far.
Of course wagons also have uses other than being pulled behind a four wheeler. They can also be operated manually as discovered by these two crazies. Who knew?
And nothing says male bonding like building a giant fire together..
Oh look, more bugs! "Can I keep the roly poly, please??"
Sometimes, we actually go INSIDE the farm house..
Out of all the kitchens that ever were, this one is 3rd in line as my most favorite ever, only behind my 2 grandmothers' kitchens.
On the table, there is a "farm talk" journal. It's filled with stories about the farm from people who have visited.
This past weekend, Korben made his first entry. I'll end this post with his simple words and one more round of "thanks" to Mike and Aby (and everyone who gathers at the farm) for loving so well. These are the memories that I long for in life. For myself and especially for my children. You are a dear people and we love you so very much.
No comments:
Post a Comment