| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sandra |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 07:13:11 AM
Greetings Farm Sisters!
This is a beautiful website, serene and comforting. I've visited several times in the past but just realized there were forums. DUH! I'm not the brightest apron in the wash <g>.
I'm Sandra & with Dave, my husband, we live, own & I work Thistle Cove Farm in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia. I breed & raise rare American Curly horses, Shetland, Romney & Merino wool sheep. I'm the low tech geek (farmer/shepherd) & Dave is the high tech geek (computers).
I use the fiber from the horses & the wool from my handspinner's flock to spin, knit, weave, dye & felt functional & beautiful garments. Thistle Cove Farm is the smallest farm in our valley (where Lassie was filmed) & I've turned to tourism to increase our farm income. Every year hundreds of people visit our farm to learn about our region, our heritage, our culture & to watch as I demonstrate the fiber arts. Visitors are given the opportunity to pet & feed our sheep & horses & to try their hand at spinning on a drop spindle...just like Biblical times.
I was brought up by parents who farmed & taught me how to garden, put up (can, freeze & dry) produce, sew, make a home, be self sufficient as much as possible. My Daddy was raised on a homestead in West Virginia & raised sheep as a boy. His great, great aunt was a spinner, knitter & weaver so I've got a racial memory which explains my love to sheep, wool & making do.
I'm a farmgirl from way back, helping Aunt Bonnie bottle feed lambs, helping Aunt Esther pack Uncle Clarence's lunch & then walking the mile to the mine so he could have a hot meal at noon, helping Grandmother pump water. Both Mother and Daddy are mountain folk who moved to a city because that's where Daddy found a job. Even when they moved, they took the country with them. Mom taught me how to can when I was 13; the first thing I canned -with her supervision- was fox grape jelly from grapes I found when I was exploring. We've always had a garden, fruit trees & a bit of room & now, all of us - parent's, brother and sister - have moved back to the country. I'm the only one who has livestock & I love our farm, our animals, our way of life.
I wrote an essay in honor of my Mother; to read it, please visit http://www.mtnlaurel.com/memories/cats_head_biscuits.htm .
Perhaps it sounds as though there weren't as many strong men in my life as strong women. That's not the case but the Granddaddies, Uncles and Cousins have had a tendency to die earlier than their women. Maybe that's what's made us strong; it's certainly helped!
To visit Thistle Cove Farm, go to http://www.thistlecovefarm.com . If you're ever in our area, yell howdy and stop by.
It's a pleasure to be here, Farm Sibs, I'm looking foward to getting to know you all, to share, to experience, to learn.
God's agape & shalom on us all...
Sandra
Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm...a grasp on the past & a hold on the future... |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gardenlady |
Posted - Jan 21 2005 : 6:09:56 PM
I hope I'll get to come one day and visit you at your farm, Southwest Va. is where I plan one day to teach about Horticulture and self sufficiency. |
| Kim |
Posted - Nov 15 2004 : 5:12:05 PM
Hi, Sandra!
Loved your website, too! What a beautiful area. It's going to be a pleasure getting to know you!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
| MeadowLark |
Posted - Nov 15 2004 : 07:22:57 AM
Welcome Sandra! I love your website! You seem like a very kind and caring individual with so many talents. Thank you for joining us! I would love to learn about the craft of spinning and weaving. Your sheep and horses are beautiful! I raise heirloom Dexter minature cows originating from Ireland. Your farm and home is so peaceful. The tribute to your mother in the cat's head bisquits was very sweet and moving... Women like you are indeed a treasure!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Nov 15 2004 : 07:04:04 AM
Sandra, Another hint to quick finds: to find a topic you have rcently posted in, you can also click on members up in the right corner of the page. Find your member name, and click on it. In your member profile will be a list of the most recent topics you have posted in. Then you can see if anyone has replied to you since then by clicking that topic. Is that clear as mud? :)
jpbluesky
Love those big blue skies and wide open spaces. |
| Clare |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 4:13:58 PM
Once you've had a good look around, Sandra, if you click on the "Active Topics" at the top right of the page, you will see everything that's been posted since your last visit. The other alternative is to "subscribe" to topics that are of interest to you.
It'll take awhile to read everything that's been posted since this spring, so I wouldn't worry about it. Topics seem to recirculate and you can catch up that way. Enjoy!
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
| Sandra |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 3:30:00 PM
Many thanks for the warm welcome. All ya'll sound like fine women and you're always welcome here. JPBluesky, thank you for that nice compliment and Idahospud, thank you for your fine compliment. Clare, thank you for your warm welcome and the proverb...I love it and have already passed it on.
I'll repeat, I'm a low tech geek and tend to get lost around forums. If I don't respond to something, it's because I've gotten lost. I can find my way out of the wood but these forums are something else. How *DO* ya'll keep track?
Sandra @ http://www.thistlecovefarm.com...a grasp on the past & a hold on the future... |
| Idahospud |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 09:04:41 AM
Sandra! It is wonderful to have you here! You sound like just the kind of woman I would like to sit at the feet of as you tell me about your growing up years and teach me how to weave. While I am adept at learning from books (generally!), it is always easier to watch someone and help as they teach--we have a bit of a geography barrier but I'd still love to hear about what you have made and what you are working on. It sounds like you have a rich heritage of learning in many areas and I look forward to learning from you!
Welcome! |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 08:55:09 AM
Welcome Sandra! I can see we have much to learn from you. The photos of your farm are beautiful and it would be nice to sit on that porch and watch you weave!
Glad you have found this site.
You are definitely a Proverbs 31 kind of woman.
jpbluesky
Love those big blue skies and wide open spaces. |
| Clare |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 07:34:24 AM
A BIG, HEARTY welcome to you Sandra!  Your farm sounds fabulous! Kudos to you for sharing the knowledge too! So nice that you give back through Heifer International -isn't that a great group?
I hope you'll take some time to explore our website. You will find that there are alot of kindred spirits here that enjoy all of the things that you enjoy. Here you do not have to be a computer geek to be able to fully participate, nor the brightest apron in the bin  , our aprons are more likely to be well worn and a bit faded or stained because we wear them so much and love them to pieces!
You should add writer to your list of specialities too Sandra!.. The tribute to your mother was very well done.... Much the same type of relationship that I have with my own mother.
I will look forward to you sharing your ideas with us, Sandra. We are a diverse group with all sorts of opinions and beliefs, but the biggest thing is we respect our differences... as we are all used to be being different in our own culture. Here's to FARMGIRLS!!
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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