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Farm
Journals
Mulberries and Butterflies
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Butterfly Hollow Farm ____ The Path Leading Us Here ____ How The Farm Got Its Name ____ Restoring the Old Farmhouse ____ Where The Beefalo Roam ____ Saddle Up The Horses ____ Saving Wilderness and Farm Land ____ Farm Journals ____ Sharing The Farm ____ Guest Book ____ Site Map ____ |
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Just like we can count on the sun to find its way back to us every morning, you can pretty much make a bet that the butterflies will fill our hollow around the last week in May. I am enjoying them more this year than the past. They've always been a wonder and amazed me, but usually after a few days the novelty wore off, and they would end up being more frustrating than pretty. They aren't bashful at all and think of our skin like a cool summer time drink. And they always seemed to find me when I was working outside on the farmhouse or out sweating in the garden. I was always glad to see them come, but secretly smiling when they faded away too.  But this year, since we are finally living in the farmhouse and we've been able to slow down some, it has been a totally new and wonderful experience. We watched for the first signs of them and began seeing the caterpillars crawling around on our gates and on tree limbs. We began noticing the Hackberry trees becoming thinner and eventually losing almost all of their leaves. Just about everywhere you looked you could find a cocoon hanging with a changing life inside and we knew it wouldn't be long.  Through our website, we have met several knowledged butterfly enthusiasts and one of our new friends wished to have some of these flutter-by's greeting them in their part of the woods. So with their help on packaging and other precautions we successfully built our first butterfly mobile home and had a couple families of cocoons and caterpillars getting ready to relocate somewhere in Mississippi. 
We've had several friends stop by to witness the event this year and some have brought along their children to take part in the magic. It gave a whole new meaning to the process watching their bright eyes as they chased five butterflies around, forgetting about the 40 that were sitting on their head. I loved introducing the mulberry tree to each of them and watching them pick and eat until their faces were covered in purple smiles. 
Yesterday Sharon and I were out planting some more beans in the garden and the butterflies were literally covering us. I guess we're use to them now and enjoy their butterfly massages. I was getting thirsty and went inside to get us both a glass of water when I looked out the kitchen window and almost exploded inside. Looking out the window was the most beautiful picture I had ever seen. Millions of butterflies were floating gracefully, drifting across every inch of my view. They looked like they were dancing in and out of the sun rays through the morning mist. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my beautiful wife as she stood up from planting another seed and began walking deeper into this beautiful moment. Then like a heat flash I felt a lump growing in my throat and realized I was fighting back a tear of Joy. I'm out early today picking up the fallen mulberries and emptying the blankets covered in these superb treats. I don't think I'll ever pick a blackberry again, with all their thorns, chiggers, sun etc. These mulberries taste just like them… no actually better and fall from a tree. The only drawback is that our butterflies love them just as much as we do. So the key is to get out early before the sun wakes the butterflies up and fill our buckets. 
Yesterday's vision has bloomed into a melody today and keeps dancing in my mind as I'm filling the pails. Before long, words begin to flow and I'm singing out loud the beginnings of a new song. There were mulberries and butterflies The last week in May When I stood from the farmhouse window. The way the sun reflected on her As she walked through the garden Then it hit me, I was finally there. At the Top of my mountain At that place in my dreams Where I always wanted to be. I have a wife I'm in love with And a farm that is home. Tell me what man could ask for more?!
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info@butterflyhollow.com
Butterfly
Hollow
Gordonsville,
TN 38563