Colorful, Mini Milestones, and Other News Fresh From the Farm -

Inside: Nature showing its true colors, A Rural Girl Writes turns two, and thoughts on waiting. . . Check out all the latest news fresh from the farm.

Peach blossoms and an old barn in the spring. — Peach blossom time on the farm.

Nature Showing its True Colors

Waking up from winter, it amazes me how much color comes back into the world–and how hungry I am for it. It starts with green, pale at first, growing in intensity as the days get longer. Then little jewels of yellow and purple pop up from dandelions and violets invading the yard between mowings. Trees join in the spectacle, sprouting leaves and budding, according to their kind, my peach tree and redbud lending pink flowers to the mix.

What catches my attention lately are the cardinals, landing on the lawn, their vibrant red such a contrast to the green. Today I saw a robin out back by the hydrant, with orange belly adding to the palette. The other day a bluebird stopped by long enough to perch on the fence.

I’ve got a basket of pansies just outside my door, doing their part to show off–more shades of purples and yellows, unique in their color. More flowers are soon to gather ’round my porch as well, doing this dance we call spring.

And I find, after shedding my heavy coat of winter, my heart is lighter when I take in the beauty all around me.

A Rural Girl Writes Turns Two

Happy Birthday A Rural Girl Writes! — Happy Birthday to us!

ARGW turned two the end of last month, and I find that I’m still so thankful you tune in to catch up on what’s going on in my little corner of the good green earth. Readership has grown steadily and continues to do so. And while I haven’t gotten too wrapped up in analyzing what’s working, what needs work, I find it interesting to see which posts do well and which ones have been more mediocre. The best posts seem to always be food related–a girl’s got to eat, right? Most of my traffic comes from searches at this point in the game rather than social media. Probably because I haven’t been as consistent in those avenues as I should be.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, I have a question for you. How can I serve you better? What would you like to read more about? Please feel free to add a comment, or, if you prefer to write via email, send it to amy @amyharkemoore.com. Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, curious as to what the number one post is from the past two years? Click here for a peek.

Thoughts on Waiting

Waiting in the drive-thru lane of life at the moment, I’ve discovered something. . .

I don’t like it!

Yes, I know. Join the club, you want to say.

But I’m dealing with unresolved issues, I answer defensively. Issues that have made life hard for my family. I’ve been waiting for some time now. Waiting for prayers to be answered. Situations to change. Knowing everything is going to be all right–even better than all right–at some point in the future. I’m assured of that, and yet, yet, I don’t know when. And I’m tired–so very tired–of waiting.

A friend offered the perfect analogy the other day to my situation. She told me about how she and her husband were hiking in Colorado recently, heading up a trail to see a waterfall. As they kept going higher, they could hear the falls in the distance. Sometimes the falls sounded closer or farther away, depending on the twists and turns of the path. Sometimes they wondered if they should go a different way, if they were on the wrong path, but they followed the directions they’d heard would get them to the falls. They continued on, getting tired and more tired, climbing higher, and it seemed like they’d never get there when, all of a sudden, they arrived!

The falls appeared–the view they had been waiting for.

So I think I’ll keep heading down the path, listening for my own waterfall in the distance. One of these days it’s bound to be around the next corner.