It is no secret, if I had my "druthers" ...I'druther live 100 years, or so, ago....
with horse and buggies, bonnets and fluffy~full skirts, button~up shoes and parasols...
One can dream, can't she?
The invitation to participate in a Moss family tradition, that comes awfully close to a "Little House on the Prairie" adventure, had this Grammy~girl full of anticipation.
Come with me to Moss Hollow...Mamaw's 200 acre farm....
We gathered 'round the kitchen table, visiting, nibbling on biscuits, waiting for the men folk to arrive....
Anticipation building....
Then came the call to head outside...our wagons were awaiting...
Nothing in my pioneer dreams had prepared me for the sight I beheld. I had never seen such beautiful mules, in all their finery, with the sweetest buggy/wagon/carriage I could have ever imagined....
Sam had out~done himself!
But then...there was another....
And here was beautiful Blackie...so majestic...posing, as I snapped photos...
...he had belonged to Nancy.
Oh, the exhilaration...as we gathered up the old picnic baskets filled with delectable delights..and placed them in the wagon...
along with bags of thermoses of hot cider & hot coffee...mason jars filled with milk and sugar...
and wool blankets, and quilts, and jackets, and work gloves.
Would my skin contain my joyful soul?!
Off we went...pony following the wagon ahead...
beautiful Blackie, with his rider, alongside..
and harnesses jingling like bells...
Be still my heart.
The sun was shining so bright with hardly a cloud in the sky. The breeze kept us cool, as the temperature was a perfect 65 degrees.
Our wagon driver was Bob, a long~time family friend, and his grandson, known as Dill~pickle, was his little sidekick....
Here we are, the back seat drivers....pressing brakes that were not there, as we went down steep hills and around sharp corners...bouncing along all the way, with smiles, and laughter, and stories...lots of stories shared by Bonnie, of what it was like growing up on this farm...with seven siblings...picking apples in the orchard...whistling for her horse, who would come to her extended open hand...
...and then recalling stories of her children's experiences here, when they were little ones, learning to ride ponies, finding their own "hundred acre wood" ....how wonderful to take it all in.
We waited patiently for our turn to head down into and across the hollow...
As we rode along... or...rather...bounced and rocked along...we tried to imagine traversing the country, as early pioneers did....and I had to remind myself, there were no roads, no paths, no trails, no rest stops with facilities...and no Advil to take at night for those achy muscles...goodness! So it was just nice to pretend we were Laura and Mary Ingalls.
All the while, we were searching for cedar trees to harvest for their evergreen branches...wreaths, swags, and such would be fashioned from the fragrant greenery.
While the men cut the trees....
we searched for abandoned birds' nests. It was like an Easter Egg Hunt. I felt such satisfaction to find the first little nest, tucked tightly in the branches of a friendly cedar tree, and then felt equal joy to hear that Bonnie found one, only a few minutes later. (They have both come home with me, to the Franklin house and will be so sweet amongst the Christmas arrangements.)
We continued on...and more trees were found.
As Mechelle held the reins...
her husband, Sam, cut the trees, and his sisters, Kate and Bonnie waited to drag them to the trailer hitched to our wagon...
we are all transported, at once, to pioneer days....is it friend or foe? Squealing begins...this is too much fun...everyone reaches for their pretend rifles...just in case a pretend battle ensues....
Well, for goodness sake....it's family....out for a Saturday ride....
How striking is their group, gathered against the blue sky ....
It is time to move on...children are hungry and restless.
A resting place is found. A perfect spot for a picnic,
and fresh hay for the mules...
The sisters commenced to unpacking the baskets and arranging their contents atop a red plaid blanket. Such a variety of sandwiches, muffins, biscuits, and treats had been tucked into vintage baskets, cigar boxes, mason jars, and miniature crates. We had to pause for a moment and gaze over the array of red plaids, gingham ribbons, festive plates & napkins....
I had packed my picnic basket (acquired from Susan Branch's Vintage Finds)...
with Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits (Susan had posted the recipe on her blog)....
This most adorable feast, presented on the back of Sam's most charming buggy, was almost more than I could take in...
Enough pictures. The children can wait no longer....
The Santa cookies looked so yummy, little Dill had to have just one...
This sweet girl is one of my youngest blog fans...Brianna, but everyone calls her Bri...she tells us...
She's one smart little girl!
We spread our quilts and blankets in the shade...
and consumed plates full of goodies....
...and then, shamelessly hovered over the buggy and nibbled on the cookies and olives and okra and ...just one more cracker with Mechelle's delicious homemade pimento cheese...and...just one more cup of cider...
and we're all smiles...
And Mamaw is happy that Tim, who became her son-in-law 30 years ago...remains so...even though her daughter, his Nancy, is no longer with us..
and now considers me family...
showering love and acceptance all over the place.
Our tummies are full..
...and so is the trailer.....
The baskets were retrieved ...
and we made our way back to the farmhouse.
The cedar branches were then clipped into lengths to use as garland around the porch railing. Bonnie demonstrated and gave helpful tips on how to progress around the rail, keeping the boughs fluffed and draping....
This was the result...
Sister, Kate, came along behind our "assembly line" with strings of colorful lights...winding them carefully around the cedar.
Another demonstration on making a wreath, followed, and I discovered that she used a grapevine wreath, as her base, and green floral wire to attach the small branches. She progressed, around the wreath, laying a new branch atop the previous stem...winding the wire...laying another branch so the leaves covered the stem wound with wire...and so on. This way, the greenery is fluffy...all that has had wire wrapped are the stems...
She crafted the beautiful bow...and I will be asking her for a tutorial on that, as well.
The front porch railing received a special touch... boughs filled with blue berries from a giant cedar...
Bonnie then whipped up one last creation...a swag to cover the door....
(after this picture had been taken...the swag was adorned with a few sprigs of the beautiful blue berries and one more sprig of magnolia.)
It was just as pretty, from the inside of the house, looking out....
...and up into the approaching clouds...
Rain would come during the night....we had been given the gift of perfect weather...and a perfect day!
Bonnie snapped this photo after we had left ...priceless....
Goodnight, little farmhouse....
We now enter this Season, filled to overflowing, with the Spirit of Christmas.
May we have thankful hearts, for all of God's blessings.
with horse and buggies, bonnets and fluffy~full skirts, button~up shoes and parasols...
One can dream, can't she?
The invitation to participate in a Moss family tradition, that comes awfully close to a "Little House on the Prairie" adventure, had this Grammy~girl full of anticipation.
Come with me to Moss Hollow...Mamaw's 200 acre farm....
We gathered 'round the kitchen table, visiting, nibbling on biscuits, waiting for the men folk to arrive....
Anticipation building....
Then came the call to head outside...our wagons were awaiting...
Nothing in my pioneer dreams had prepared me for the sight I beheld. I had never seen such beautiful mules, in all their finery, with the sweetest buggy/wagon/carriage I could have ever imagined....
Sam had out~done himself!
But then...there was another....
And here was beautiful Blackie...so majestic...posing, as I snapped photos...
...he had belonged to Nancy.
Oh, the exhilaration...as we gathered up the old picnic baskets filled with delectable delights..and placed them in the wagon...
along with bags of thermoses of hot cider & hot coffee...mason jars filled with milk and sugar...
and wool blankets, and quilts, and jackets, and work gloves.
Would my skin contain my joyful soul?!
Off we went...pony following the wagon ahead...
beautiful Blackie, with his rider, alongside..
and harnesses jingling like bells...
Be still my heart.
The sun was shining so bright with hardly a cloud in the sky. The breeze kept us cool, as the temperature was a perfect 65 degrees.
Our wagon driver was Bob, a long~time family friend, and his grandson, known as Dill~pickle, was his little sidekick....
Here we are, the back seat drivers....pressing brakes that were not there, as we went down steep hills and around sharp corners...bouncing along all the way, with smiles, and laughter, and stories...lots of stories shared by Bonnie, of what it was like growing up on this farm...with seven siblings...picking apples in the orchard...whistling for her horse, who would come to her extended open hand...
...and then recalling stories of her children's experiences here, when they were little ones, learning to ride ponies, finding their own "hundred acre wood" ....how wonderful to take it all in.
We waited patiently for our turn to head down into and across the hollow...
As we rode along... or...rather...bounced and rocked along...we tried to imagine traversing the country, as early pioneers did....and I had to remind myself, there were no roads, no paths, no trails, no rest stops with facilities...and no Advil to take at night for those achy muscles...goodness! So it was just nice to pretend we were Laura and Mary Ingalls.
All the while, we were searching for cedar trees to harvest for their evergreen branches...wreaths, swags, and such would be fashioned from the fragrant greenery.
While the men cut the trees....
we searched for abandoned birds' nests. It was like an Easter Egg Hunt. I felt such satisfaction to find the first little nest, tucked tightly in the branches of a friendly cedar tree, and then felt equal joy to hear that Bonnie found one, only a few minutes later. (They have both come home with me, to the Franklin house and will be so sweet amongst the Christmas arrangements.)
We continued on...and more trees were found.
As Mechelle held the reins...
her husband, Sam, cut the trees, and his sisters, Kate and Bonnie waited to drag them to the trailer hitched to our wagon...
Two beautiful teams...
magnificent creatures...
In the midst of the work...pounding hooves were heard, in the distance...
Unknown riders appear...
Well, for goodness sake....it's family....out for a Saturday ride....
How striking is their group, gathered against the blue sky ....
It is time to move on...children are hungry and restless.
A resting place is found. A perfect spot for a picnic,
and fresh hay for the mules...
The sisters commenced to unpacking the baskets and arranging their contents atop a red plaid blanket. Such a variety of sandwiches, muffins, biscuits, and treats had been tucked into vintage baskets, cigar boxes, mason jars, and miniature crates. We had to pause for a moment and gaze over the array of red plaids, gingham ribbons, festive plates & napkins....
I had packed my picnic basket (acquired from Susan Branch's Vintage Finds)...
with Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits (Susan had posted the recipe on her blog)....
This most adorable feast, presented on the back of Sam's most charming buggy, was almost more than I could take in...
Enough pictures. The children can wait no longer....
The Santa cookies looked so yummy, little Dill had to have just one...
This sweet girl is one of my youngest blog fans...Brianna, but everyone calls her Bri...she tells us...
We spread our quilts and blankets in the shade...
and consumed plates full of goodies....
...and then, shamelessly hovered over the buggy and nibbled on the cookies and olives and okra and ...just one more cracker with Mechelle's delicious homemade pimento cheese...and...just one more cup of cider...
and we're all smiles...
And Mamaw is happy that Tim, who became her son-in-law 30 years ago...remains so...even though her daughter, his Nancy, is no longer with us..
and now considers me family...
showering love and acceptance all over the place.
Our tummies are full..
...and so is the trailer.....
The baskets were retrieved ...
and we made our way back to the farmhouse.
The cedar branches were then clipped into lengths to use as garland around the porch railing. Bonnie demonstrated and gave helpful tips on how to progress around the rail, keeping the boughs fluffed and draping....
This was the result...
Sister, Kate, came along behind our "assembly line" with strings of colorful lights...winding them carefully around the cedar.
Another demonstration on making a wreath, followed, and I discovered that she used a grapevine wreath, as her base, and green floral wire to attach the small branches. She progressed, around the wreath, laying a new branch atop the previous stem...winding the wire...laying another branch so the leaves covered the stem wound with wire...and so on. This way, the greenery is fluffy...all that has had wire wrapped are the stems...
She crafted the beautiful bow...and I will be asking her for a tutorial on that, as well.
The front porch railing received a special touch... boughs filled with blue berries from a giant cedar...
Bonnie then whipped up one last creation...a swag to cover the door....
(after this picture had been taken...the swag was adorned with a few sprigs of the beautiful blue berries and one more sprig of magnolia.)
It was just as pretty, from the inside of the house, looking out....
...and up into the approaching clouds...
Rain would come during the night....we had been given the gift of perfect weather...and a perfect day!
Bonnie snapped this photo after we had left ...priceless....
Goodnight, little farmhouse....
We now enter this Season, filled to overflowing, with the Spirit of Christmas.
May we have thankful hearts, for all of God's blessings.