Happy Trails to You!

In randomly searching online for local day trips to take, I located an animal sanctuary nearby that I was never aware of. Happy Trails Farm is a farm that takes in abused and neglected farm animals. Normally when you hear about animal abuse on the news, it's dogs and cats; you never really think about a goat or a pig being abused....

This sanctuary serves a need that I never had realized before. They work with law enforcement and animal control to take in neglected farm animals, including those roosters from cock fighting, Amish buggy horses past their prime, and goats neglected by owners. They rehabilitate the animals and then try to find them new homes if they are able. The farm offers interactive tours weekends through the summer and was a blast to visit.

I took my Mom for a nice early Mother's Day weekend on the opening weekend of the farm for the season. We had a private tour and got up close and personal with many of the farm residents.It was a muddy day from the rain overnight the night before but we threw on our "barn boots" and made the best of it.

 This goat's name was Grace.... she was very curious what my mom may have had in her purse.

 MaKayla was a beautiful goat but had a birth defect in her front leg that caused her to limp.

 Crispin loved climbing into everything.

 Who would have ever thought I would ever be rubbing the belly of a 1200lb pig!

 Even the bird's knew making a nest here would be living on "easy street."

 You can't tell much here but this former cockfigher's feathers have a beautiful leopard-like print.

It was touching to see that the farm even has it's own pet cemetery on the grounds. When an animal passes on the farm they are laid to rest here with a wooden marker under the watchful eye of a St. Francis statue.

 This little log cabin was the original shelter ever built on the 15 acre farm for it's first 2 pig rescues. Now two new pot belly pigs inhabit it.

I can't remember this sheep's name but once they let her out of the pen she ran and played just like a puppy would!

 It was definitely a fun way to spend a Saturday! If you are interested Happy Trails Farm is a non-profit that accepts donations to assist their animals. Tours can also be booked on their site as well as an online store.

Boots by Ariat Fatbaby Barn Boots, Jeans JCrew Mercantile Jeans, jacket older but similar here.

"Talk Derby to Me!"

No matter how busy I am, no Kentucky Derby can pass without me taking part in celebrating! NEVER!

Nothing else screams that start of spring to me like big hats and spring dresses! The anticipation and research of which horse will win! Mint juleps..... southern food...... you name it! Talk Derby to me and you have won my heart! There is no better more dramatic event to me throughout the whole year....

Dress from Jcrew, Cardigan from Talbots, Shoes from Jack Rogers, Spectator from Etsy.

The Chicks are In!

I have not quite been my attentive self to a lot of things lately.....I fell behind in blogging as I normally do sharing my experiences, I slacked on meeting the "girl's: for our weekly dinners, and I quit calling family as much as I should have..... all of this has been for good reason though! I have completely had my head stuck in a book, per se. For the past year I have been also working on completing my Masters degree and am set now to graduate in only a year and 2 months!

Grandma, however, called me out my absence as of late, so I took an afternoon off to take her to lunch and to the local farm supply store to see the new spring chicks in.... She has always had an affinity for chickens as well as chicks and often will tell the terrible story of how her brother killed her pet chicken Lucy during the depression while she was in town running errands. She enjoyed our time together and even named one of the chicks "Lucy"!

Maple Syrup Festival

Another outdoor winter adventure in Ohio is to attend a maple syrup festival. This year I visited Hale Farms to enjoy the tapping of fresh maple syrup. Of course it was another cold winter day though.... but we braved the cold and enjoyed the pancakes. The farm was available to tour as well as watch demonstrations.... There were things made with Maple syrup I never even imagined!

Girl's Day at the Winery!

What better way to spend a Saturday than with a great group of gal pals enjoying wine? I can't think of one.... especially on March! A group of four of us met in the middle and spent the day at a beautiful winery in Canton, OH called Gervasi. At first we thought the GPS had to be taking us to the wrong address since we were in a residential area but once we found the arch and drove down a long drive, we were quickly introduced to the impeccable grounds of the winery. I could only imagine how much more gorgeous it would have been if it weren't the dead of an OH winter.....

 We spent the entire day there. There are several venues actually on the grounds and other than the hotel, we visited them all. We began with lunch in the "Crush House" followed by a tour that concluded with a wine tasting pairing.....

 We then did some shopping in the store on grounds and had dinner at "The Bistro".

 Our evening concluded with a bourbon tasting in the "Still House" which was clad out to look like an old speakeasy.

 It was a wonderful day with the gals. I would definitely recommend a visit to this winery.... I even plan to try to get back there myself in the fall. I came home with quite the haul as well!

Happy 90th Birthday!

I have been very blessed in my life to have known all of my grandparents, some great-grandparents even, and to have had step-grandparents who were just as doting as the real thing. I am even further blessed to still have one of those grandparents alive. My Grandma Jane is the epitome of the Southern Heritage side of the family right down to the sweet southern accent she still bears.

This year Grandma turned 90! We decided to surprise her with a family get together at a cousin's house telling her we were picking her up to go with us out to dinner. Once inside and she saw all of our family, it took only a second before the tears welled up. She was so touched and surprised! It was just a small gathering but it meant the world to her.

Over her 90 years, she had been through a lot.... lost brothers in the coal mines, divorced, raised my father, was widowed twice, and is her last remaining sibling of a family of 12. She lived through the depression, worked many years as a nurse, and learned to drive when most women didn't....it was only fitting to celebrate her many years and all she overcame.....

I made the arrangements to be "girly" while still fitting her country style. The candles are decoupaged with actual photos of her through the years.

 Including her own baby photo and one where she is holding my dad after he was born.

We even made sure the wrappings her gifts were in were fitting to her roots and style.