Since I have lived here on heritage farm, I have become acquainted with a part of life that was new to me.  Yet, in my heart, I knew that many people had similar history.   The  story of our ancestors immigrating to this country and starting a new life has captured my imagination in several ways.

Tools made life easier.  Family made life endearing.  Farming and gardens supplied material needs.  Art-styles and needlework added beauty to necessity.  Hobbies of our kin became of interest.

This is to say, then, that I like to capture a piece of yesterday on a piece of paper as I sketch.

Since there are old tools on the farm,  I can sketch them.  My own dad had many of them when I was a child.  When I see them here,  I have an attachment to them from my past.  They bring back fond memories.

Living on the farm opens up opportunities that city- or town-dwellers rarely experience.  Preserving food has fallen by the wayside, so to speak.  But on the farm, we grow, freeze and preserve much of our garden produce and our meat.  These unique activities, bring me ideas for subject matter.

Some days I see beauty in a flower in the yard or garden; it comes from our Creator.  At other times, heirloom plants in the house capture my attention.  Things that He has done or provided may trigger an idea for my sketching or writing.

The buildings in which we work and live also become my subjects.  Those things in our lives that are “normal” and “everyday”, will someday be changed or gone with no memory left behind. 

My family also provides me with subject matter.  Their faces, their unique interests become fodder for creating pictures or stories.

Keep vigilant.  You, too, can look for ways to preserve some of your own heritage and things that God Himself has made.