Home On The Ranch

Moving here from the big city in California to the farm life is a big difference: It's like night and day. I got so used to busy life, car noises, bright lights, a street that was never empty, and the night that never sleeps, and now, we moved to a place where it is so quiet and time seems to move slowly. Although my kids love this place instantly, for me, It takes such a big adjustment to live in a country living. At first, the silence and quietness somehow bothered me, so every little sound made me think there was a ghost in the house. And the rain, oh the rain, the never-ending rain, is hard to get used to.

But there's also the positive side that I came to love living in this place; the Springtime is beautiful, and nothing quite like it; the fresh, clean air and the Sunlight that goes between the tree and through the green leaves is so magical. I can sit for hours watching the birds fly between trees, and the wildflowers' colors in my yard are so magical.

As for now, I came to tolerate the quietness, it helps me sleep better at night, and after I checked high and low, there isn't a ghost in the house. (Smiling)

Here are some pictures to let you peek at a small portion of our life living in a country!

We live on approximately five acres of land, where the three acres are untouched and still full of bushes of blackberries and big trees surrounding the property. Once in a while, I spotted a family of dears playing around the land; they usually come up in the summertime looking for water or eat from the apple tree in front of the house. And they didn't seem bothered to see us around. Seeing them was such a treat and privilege since I had never encountered this kind of experience in California.

As for now, the land is blooming with a sea of dandelions and fruit trees bestowed exquisite flowers. Their scent embodied in the air surrounds us, making Springtime the most beautiful season. My kids and our dog Casey love to play on the grass, blowing the dandelion while making a wish as much as we can and dancing under the sunset until night comes and time to rest.

In these pictures is an Apple tree with a full bloom of flowers.

My daughter and I walked down the driveway to the street every morning, waiting for the bus to school. Almost every time, we are on the run so we can get there on time, but on the way back, I walk by myself; it is always my favorite time of the day when I can enjoy the morning Sun, the Birds sighting, the beauty of the flowers and especially the Apple tree blossoms. It makes my day a little bit brighter.

Besides wild blackberries and Apples, There're many kinds of fruit trees around the yard, Pears, Rainier Cherries, Persimmons, and Strawberries in the garden. The tree flowers are in full bloom right now, and by fall, the fruit will ripen and be harvest time for us. And just like last year, fall is the time for us to bake and bake all kinds of pie, from the wild Blackberries to my sister's Lana famous (Among the family) Apple Pie.

The pictures below show the beautiful Pear tree blossom and the long driveway to the street.

The first week I was here, I was strolling down the driveway, and at the end of the street, I saw a man coming my way. As soon as he got about view feet in front of me, he asked me, " Mam, did you see Lama around? My lama is missing." for a second, I was confused and asked myself," did he say, Lama or I just missed heard?" And asked him, "did you say, Lama? I was thinking, I come from a big city in California, you don't see Lama every day, and I only see Lama at the zoo, so when someone asked for Lama, I was just a sock, "did people keep lama for a pet?" But after a few minutes and finally, I could compose myself; I told the guy I didn't see his Lama around then he left looking for his Lama while calling it.

So now, let me introduce you to Caramel and Oreo. They are such sweet horses; they love to be groomed and eat all day. And such playful horses; this horse's favorite treat is Apple, so my daughter likes to carry Apples every time she visits them, and they always love to see her since they know they will get their favorite snack.

The chicken and the Guineas birds originally belonged to my sister; she gave some of the chicken to my kids to be their pets. Since my sister is a neighbor who shares the backyard, they love playing in our yards. We had quite an amount of chicken and eight Guineas birds, but the land was also home to Possums and Raccoon. Over time, the Raccoon got the chicken and the Guineas bird. As for now, it is only three Guineas bird left. Sadly, we tried to protect them, but they're wild and sleeping on the tree at night, so there isn't much we can do to keep them safe from the Raccoon.

We build a beautiful Chicken coop for the chicken. So they are always protected and cozy at night inside their little house.

My favorite things to do in our yard are having brunch, lunch, or dinner under the magnificent sky with family and friends and decorating the table nicely with lovely flowers. Since we live a little bit far from the downtown and busy road, there isn't much dust in the air; the air is clean, fresh, and crisp. I hardly see cars driving around the street; the road is practically empty most of the day, making it the most peaceful place to live.

And the Sunshine is always a good reason for us to bring the festivities outside the home. And since Washington has a perfect Spring and summertime, this is an excellent opportunity for us to take advantage of the sunny days and stay outside more often. Thankfully, the hottest summer in Washington only gets to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is a lot less than scorching hot California.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and please leave your comment below!

Much Love,

Joice