a new day & an early spring outing.......

a good day to you, my dear Readers,

It's been quite sometime since I have had the pleasure of putting my pen to paper and sharing with all of you, the happenings here on Deerfield Farm

and of our dear Mr Jefferson and the little Deerfield ladyes.

Our lives here have been full of changes.

My gentleman farmer and I have begun a new business growing our specialty garlic varieties for seed as well as more acres of peppermint and spearmint planted for tea

here on Deerfield Farm.
It has kept us so very busy we've hardly had time to say hello to one another. But even so, we have thought of you all often and fondly as we hurry and scurry with much to do now that
spring is arriving at last.
Each morning our farm greets us wearing her loveliest pale spring green gown with ruffled trimmings of daffodils and crab apple blossoms.

The meadowlarks and red winged blackbirds sing from the trees around the pond.

We're always so glad to see that our old friend, a solitary rooster pheasant, out and about, and slowly making his way along the edges of the fields.

There's the scent of freshly turned earth and green things growing...
Isn't Spring such a hopeful time of year?!

So now that we've caught up just a little, I can begin again sharing what has been happening with the little ladyes and our dear Mr. Jefferson~
~~~~
but first~let me catch you up a little with how things have been going in the doll house....

You see....

It seems that my writing journal had been missing for a good part of the summer and throughout the fall and winter ~and being so busy, I hadn't really noticed.

So, unbeknownst to me, it would seem that our dear & naughty Lydia had secretly made away with it and was writing her own stories along with mine,

complete with coloured pencil

drawings of mustache-ee-ode ladyes in peril ....

....circus clowns...and

"oh, my dear", he whispered into her crumpled little ear,

"how lovely you look this evening...."

the handsome Mr Jefferson bringing wild flowers for

the vivacious & oft-times eccentric titian haired layde who is now......oh my......

well, I am getting ahead of myself.....let's begin again here~

Early one morning, not too long ago and quite by surprise, my journal suddenly reappeared...

well, I should say that I found it most conspicuously atop the stack of books

piled precariously by my chair here by the fire....hmmm...

and when I opened it, well, it was quite clear that Lydia had been a busy bee all those months.

Even so, I'm so relieved to have it again and pleased to have the luxury

of being able to write to you all again.

and so I shall.

It's a deliciously soft spring morning here. It rained during the night and the sun is just now peeking over the hills, the fields sparkling in the fresh morning light.

I'm here on the porch, wrapped in my shawl, a good cup of steaming coffee

beside me while I write.

Looking through the pages of my journal, I have to smile

at Lydia's handwriting filled with flourishes

and her drawings of a fat cat with a mouse walking along the margins of

the pages....

and there's the never ending question...oh, whatever shall we do with Lydia?

~~~~

~ an early spring outing ~

a Deerfield Doll house tale

The little Deerfield Ladyes quickly finished their morning work, which means milking Maisie, feeding the hens & new little chicks, watering the seedlings in the greenhouse and making sure that there's plenty of kindling in the wood box by the kitchen garden door.

They all then hurried in to wash their hands and faces

and put on their prettiest sprigged gowns & new spring bonnets ~

It is the first time wearing their new bonnets. Their eyes are shining bright and cheeks are blushed pink with excitement. It's such a fine spring morning with the sun shining.

and ladyes always wear their bonnets out of doors....

except for Lydia. Of course.

They're especially pleased as this is the first time wearing their new bonnets

since they had woven the rye straw into long flat braids and hand

sewn their own bonnets by the light of the winter fireside~

With their baskets & tiny reticules over their arms,

they are now all gone for walk to look for spring on their way into town from the farm.

The walk isn't too very far....Just a good stretch of the legs.

Each of the little ladyes has a list tucked into their baskets.

Augusta has need of silk ribbons for something secret and sepia ink for marking her dress labels. She wants to stop in to Ms. Fancystitches Millinery.

Ladye Georgianna and little Emily plan to visit Teazley's Book & Herb.
The book & herb is a most delightful little shop along the brick walks

in the center of town.

The moment the shop door is opened and the little bell at the top gives that pleasant tinkling ring, a vast array of scents and deliciousness of new and old books, tinctures and pretty bottles filled with oils of lavender, moss rose and lemon balm, greet the senses.

There is a sunny window seat with lop-lolly stacks and piles of new and old books with stories of every kind. Old high wing back chairs snugged close to the fireplace at the end of the room with walls filled with book filled shelves. Bouquets of sweet peas on either side of the mantle and a brisk fire is crackling.

One may pick a pleasant herb tea to drink while reading the passages from the newest books.

~~~
Mother has taken Lydia and gone to the plant nursery to find several new herbs that she & Lydia have been reading about. They are especially taken with scented geraniums this spring.

They would like to find Lemon & Rose Balsam. To Mother's great surprise, Lydia has taken an

avid interest in the herb garden.

She has been helping little Emily with tending the garden and it seems that she has learned the names of all the herbs in the garden.

While Mother visits with the nurseryman, Lydia wandered down the garden paths,

sniffing each flower as she walked along and swinging her bonnet by it's silken strings...

with such momentum that it let loose and

sailed over the boxwood hedge and right into the path of a smart little carriage and horse on the road.....oh dear!

Lydia looked to see if anyone saw that it was her bonnet that went sailing, which is now

in a puddle crushed beneath the wheel of the carriage.

oh dear...the couple in the carriage look very familiar...

Lydia quickly lost interest in sniffing the flowers....and ducked beneath the hedge.

oh ~what will Mother say now....