My inspiration...

Post Script...
         Never one to start at the beginning of a stort, I just wanted to mention that this little beauty was our inspiration for The Briar Patch shop. Oh your right, she isn't at her finest right now, but in the spring...oh the spring. She is a vision, not all shiny and new, but soft and comfortable like your favorite robe. The pussy willow next to her is all dressed up in soft pink, and the grass is a lovely shade of green, she feels that she should be understated and quiet. Like that gentle smile that touches your heart and your not even aware of it until your already in love. That is this sweet little cabin. We built it the first year that Mr. Bob and I started courting each other in the spring of 2003. Roaming the mall wasn't really something we enjoyed, but both of us being "A"type personalities, we needed some way to spend those warm spring days. So, through the kindness of a friend, we assembled a collection of large wooden crates, then promptly disassembled them and the reassembled them into this sweet little cabin. What a great place to get away (althought it is only about 50 feet from the back door) NEVER-THE-LESS, it was nowhere near a phone. We found it to be the best place to enjoy sweet tea, a warm evening , and the soft glow of lantern light. Ahhhhhh, yes..then we got married. Between his kids and mine we soon found ourselves the proud owners of 10 count them... 10 grandchildren. So this wonderful little hide a way soon found new meaning as a playhouse. Not to be detoured, we knew that Nanny needed a place of her own... well you know the rest. So don't judge her appearance by the grey tones of the wood and the rickety fence, believe me...she's still the place to be on a warm summer night.

Scary times at the Briar Patch

Oh! We had scary times at the B.Patch last night! COYOTE in the FRONT YARD! The front yard no less. Now we hear them all the time out back by the woods and around the ditch, but REALLY, now they are just being too bold. So I'm on the couch wishing I was sleeping around midnight last night, (almost a full moon...no sleep for me)and I hear the buzzer go off. We have an alarm down near the little cabin ya see, so I can tell if customers are in the drive. So I peer out the living room window, pretty darn sure no one is looking for larkspur in February..at midnight. Pretty sure...anyway, like a scary movie, I see this form coming up the drive. At first I thought it was the neighbor's dog, %$#**&, dog I thought to myself. I watched for a few minutes expecting to see him relieve himself among the frozen remains of my garden, but no... he came on up the driveway, and as he turned into the yard I could see him by the moonlight..It's a coyote! As big as a German Shepard and just about 8 feet from my front porch. BOB BOB there's a coyote I wispered as loud as I thought I dare to, but no response, NOTHING keeps my Bob from sleeping.

So I ran to the back porch for the shot gun, I"LL TAKE CARE OF THIS, I thought to myself, it's easy...just point and shoot right?? Well, not taking into consideration how heavy a shot gun is, I had a hard time keeping the barrel up and I banged into at least two doorways on the way to the porch, tripped over a box and finally made it to the door. If I can just wait to kill something till I get out the front door...ok gather yourself I think, deep breath.So out the door I crept, he is still just sniffing the ground, I take aim....nothing. The stupid safety is on, ok, I can do this..
ARGGGG, no I can't, how do you get the safety off??
BOB really now you have to get up, it's getting away.. so i scramble back into the house to shake him awake. He leaps from the bed completly disorianted...do I want this man with a gun?? So we run for the mud room to get on our cover-alls as I tell him everything and bolt for the backdoor. Just as we run out I tell him..show me how to get this safety off so I can use this stupid gun. He stops dead in his tracks..I can see him thinking fast...he wondering..do I REALLY
want her to know how to shoot this thing...here behind me..on a moonlit night, in an excited state...maybeeeee not. But in the end he did show me. There we were, looking like a dishelved, slightly scary Elmer Fudds in our golashes and flapped hats. We sculked around for about a half hour but never caught site of him again. But he'll be back! And I'll be ready...I just hope I don't blow the porch post to bits when I BLAST HIS MAINGY BUTT!!

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM A RAMBLING MIND

I was reviewing this blog and a thought came to me (one of many), I wonder how many of you opened up this blog and wondered to yourself..who the heck is The Briar Patch?? I'm not suprised, you see it's so like me to start things right smack dab in the middle. You see, I'm a rambling thinker. You know the kind, we get that far away look in our eyes if your talking to us about any one subject for say .. more than 5 minutes. In the span of that 5 minutes, I have thought of no less than 10 other subjects and I can't wait to blurt them all out at once, or else I will forget. I'm not really so forgetful, as I am scatter-brained. Yes, I admit it, my mind works kind like a ticker tape, one thought is barely formed and another one comes marching past. So I don't know that I forget, I simply don't retain..after all, how much storage does one person have? All my space is apparently used up with bits of usless information and all new stuff has to fight for space. I'm brain cell challanged.
So like most things, I started this blog in the middle of the story. So please, let me start over and I will try to keep some order to my thoughts. The Briar Patch came about out of my desire to work from home, keep my grandkids a couple of times a week, and play in the dirt. Now I could have done all those things and my sweet husband Mr. Bob would have supported me in the manner I am accustom to , but I didn't feel like that would be fair. After all, I am healthy (thank you Lord) and able to work, so to ease my guilt I decide to start a business.
We spent the summer of 2004 building a sweet little 10' x 12' cabin, up near the garage (so we had access to electricity), complete with a front porch and home made shutters. I painted it barn red (what else?) and fitted it with an old tin roof. We stood back and looked at our sweet little creation...ahhhh. Then it hit me...ah how are we going to move it? Well, we did the only thing we could do..we rolled it on logs. Hey, that's how they used to move houses isn't it? Down the driveway we went, almost a thousand feet, to the end of the field next to the road. The neighbors thought we were crazy, there it sat...all alone. How sad! But never fear! I have a plan.
Break out the tractor! We cranked up old Oliver, and with diesel smoke rising above our beloved little cabin , I climbed aboard. Like a woman possessed, I lowered the plow and dug up an acre of wonderful sweet smelling earth. All that summer, I tended, amended and planted that acre. Rows of perennials and ornamental grasses all evenly spaced with a path of wood mulch between each row. Up near the barn we dug up another acre and planted it with with the same plants. That summer we watched our gardens grow, and by the spring of 2005 we opened the doors of the Briar Patch. TA DA! We're in business!
The first garden, out behind the cabin, is our "Show garden". A place for customers to wander among the plants and see how they look when they are fully grown. The garden next to the barn is where we sell plant starts right from the ground! Folks took to this right away, and we're very receptive to the idea of having their new baby dug up right from the ground so they can plant it right in their own garden. This works out very well,because the plants are already acclimated to the garden temperatures and are less likely to go into shock. So that's how it all started. Stay tuned...I haven't told you about the Market Place! See ya...

Southern Ladies

Ahh Southern Ladies..ya gotta love 'em. I have two elderly aunts from Mississippi, and they are a real hoot! My sweet ole Aunt Mary can seem to say anything and as long as it ends with "Bless her heart", she can get away with it. You know what I mean, for example , we were goin on about someone she knows and she makes the remark,"that girl is as dumb as a mud fence...bless her heart. You see what I mean? Now, that remark wouldn't even hurt me if it were followed by those sweet words..bless her heart. This is my new matra..although I strive not to hurt anyone's feelings, I promise to always make it better if I can.

Junk Evolution

Did you see that article in the South Bend paper about the new shop Junk Evolution! It's a great new shop that deals in STUFF! Ohhh, I love stuff. I buy all this great stuff from auctions and don't know how to use it, but now...that old red wagon I bought, will soon be a coffee table . What a great idea. It's great to connect with others that think like you, that doesn't happen all that often.

Exiting News

WaHoo!! I just got a call from the Visitors Bureau, The Briar Patch got selected to be included in the Art & Earth Trail section of the Marshall County Visitors package. How exciting! The Art & Earth Trail is designed to feature local artsians and establishments that are eco-friendly and showcase locally grown, or created products. I'm not much of an artist, but we do grow and sell perennials here at the Patch, all eco-friendly, which means we use free range chicken poo-poo for fertilizer. All good for the environment and it makes the chickens feel useful. Any way..just had to share the news. Watch for us in the visitors guide.

Folk Art Show

I am getting excited about the Folk Art Show to be held in June. I know it's early to think about it but there's so much to do. Last year's was a great success. We hold it here at The Briar Patch Farm in LaPaz. We bring out Rackety Boom, the old 1940 International Truck, and the grandkids serve lunch right from the tailgate, what a kick.If you like a day in the country, you'll like this. Maggie the bloodhound was there to greet everyone. You don't know love until you've had a great big bloodhound love on you. Of course you need to be sturdy on your feet..she's a leannnnnner. I'll keep you up to date on the details. Plan to attend!

New Quilts

Oh, I just got a shipment of beautiful new quilts that we put in at Late Bloomers. They are soooo pretty, very girly, with old fashioned flower print on one side and ticking on the back side. I couldn't stop with just one! I admit, I have a weakness for quilts, mostly old ones. When they are worn and soft and faded....ah, someone has loved these at one time and I can't resist.But,it's not bad for a vice, do you think? Be sure and check out Bloomers...Romantic Vintage...what's not to love?

Face book

Hey friends, just started a facebook account. Log on as a friend and I can keep you up to date on the goings on at The Briar Patch and Late Bloomers too. Like for instance, I just got a call last night from the Marshall County visitors Bureau, and we (Briar Patch) are going to have a write up in this years Arts & Earth Trail magazine. How exciting. God has blessed me so much, I don't know where to start.

Late Bloomers

Exciting news! I just opened a new shop in Argos, Indiana. Late Bloomers, that is soooo me, we sell what we like to think of Romantic Vintage items. Argos is a small town but we have high hopes to revitalize it soon. This summer watch for an old fashioned Block Party! We're gonna get neighboring stores all together and have a town wide sale. We will be having a fund raiser for the Heminger House, a local women's shelter.Lot's of exciting things going on. Keep in touch to learn more.

Small Town Living

Exciting News!! I got an article about The Briar Patch published on the web! www.stliving.com, check it out. My 15 minutes of fame, if it gains me nothing else..it impressed my grandkids. gotta go