This is the only picture I managed to take while we were at the fair this past Saturday morning. There were a lot of things to watch and see, I just didn't think to take pictures....oh well. There were cows being shown, chickens and roosters on display, plus a flower show. It was really neat to see the "kids under 8" competition. They were "showing" there cows. I couldn't get over seeing these tiny little kids trying to pull and tug, push and prod these huge cows into a ring, then trying to keep them still while the judge looked everyone over. They did a heck of a job, too!

I do have to say, though, that I DEFINITELY want a farm now. Lots of land for a few cows, goats and chickens. Plus a vegetable garden. Oh, that would be great!!!

Here is a picture of my first ever finished dress that I sewed myself!! Yea! The dress had actually been done for a couple of months now, but I had one tiny bit of hand-sewing to do to the sash in order for it to be completely done. So, Saturday afternoon I sat myself down and finished sewing up my sash. I wore my dress the next day to church and got a compliment on it.

There is a horse pasture that butts up against the back of our property. Every once in a while I go back to there fence and drool while looking at the horses and surveying their land. It's just so beautiful. I love to watch the horses swish their tails and hear them whinny and to look out upon the rolling hills and expansive oaks decorating the pasture. Within the past two weeks the grass has been alight with these yellow flowers. The last time I walked back to the pasture it was just covered with flowers, so I took some photos to capture the memory. I hope you guys enjoy them!

My brakes have needed replacing for a while now. A LONG while. They have gotten so bad that I refused to drive my van anywhere, nor let anyone else drive. So, David sat down to replace our rotor and brake pads on one side. Let me just tell you folks, my husband is WONDERFUL!!! Everyday I am amazed at how he can just set his mind to doing something and do it! He tackled that wheel in no time, well, with the exception of having to go back to the auto parts store to get a bigger rotor than the one originally purchased. Just amazing; I'm the one who taught him how to change his oil, and now he has graduated to changing brake pads and rotors. Sniff, sniff, I am so proud!

Thanks to Luke, my brother-in-law, who helped him along with a few obstacles David had!

We drive into Greenville almost every Sunday to attend our church. I have always thought it a shame we don't take advantage of already being in the city and go to Falls Park in downtown Greenville. It is such a beautiful park. By Sunday, though we have usually spent our "fun" money on something else, so we can't go out to eat after church. I came up with a genious solution to this problem by preparing a picnic before leaving the house. Now I am trying to start a Farina family tradition of picnicking in the park during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Although, this past Sunday was beastly hot, so we will not be going again 'til it gets out of the 90's. We usually finish off our picnic with some ice cream from Spill the Beans. By the end of it all we are all pooped and ready for a nap, but all in all it does make for a relaxing day.

So, after finally getting my roses planted they pretty much bounced back immediately. My hybrid tea roses have produced lusciously fragrant blooms, and my shrub rose has had copious amounts of its small blooms. I am disappointed in my shrub rose, though, as its blooms do not have a scent and it is prone to powdery mildew. I have noticed powdery mildew on a couple of plants around the property, so I need to get rid of all plants plagued with this problem, then spray down my shrub rose with some horticultural oil. Hopefully that will get rid of it.

OK, so I must be totally crazy!

I don't know from whence this impulse has come, but suddenly I have a laughable desire to raise some chickens. I just think it would be so neat.

Upon approaching David about the topic he said I would have to read up on how to take care of chickens before he would even consider it. Over to the library I went! I picked up two books, one of which is entitled "Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance: Reflections on Chickens", by Martin Gurdon. Man is it hilarious!! I've only read one chapter so far, in which the author describes his first attempts at chicken farming. I can't wait to finish the book, and I can't wait to have some chickens!!!