Walking in High Cotton

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Smithfield, VA
Walking in High Cotton

Working. Farming. Writing. Praying. www.walkinginhighcotton.net Sheep shearer, chicken chaser, kid raiser...enjoying the everyday grind...with boots on!

08/29/2026

Down on the utility easements, it's Butterfly Alley.
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Joe Pye W**d, yellow tickseed, purple false foxglove, Goldenrod, boneset and passionflower...it's amazing what grows when you just leave it alone!
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We couldn't even count the pollenators.

08/28/2026

It's amazing how brown it WAS, and how green it is NOW, just 6 weeks later from regular rain.
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We've had significantly less pests and beetles this year as well. I'm not sure if that's because of the early drought weeks, or because my milky-spore treatments are finally starting to show results. They aren't gone, but they are noticeably reduced! 🎉
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This is the first year the Japanese beetles did not completely decimate my roses after the first blooms. I still have leaves, yea!!
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Milky spore is not a traditional insecticide, so it takes a few years (and patience) to get results. At least that's what the directions say. I'm still in the 1-3 yr window, so I don't know if it's working or not, yet. 🤷‍♀️
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At least it hasn't killed any plants yet. Since I don't usually need help in that area, I'll call that a win!

08/26/2026

You know what I've noticed?
People don't write much about parenting teens and young adults.
LOTS of writing about toddlers.
LOTS of articles about those elementary and tween years.
Then it just.......disappears.
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Like we've got it figured out, or we don't need help.
🤣🤣🤣
It's a privacy thing. We only share in small private groups, and even then, very little.
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Not because we don't need to, but because it's hard.
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And here's the catch--the KIDS are not hard.
The AGE is hard.
The PHASE is hard.
The CHOICES are hard.
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We talk about "teens" like THEY are hard, but they're not. (Well, maybe some of them are. 🙂)
It's just that by that age, all the things that happen are so much bigger.
The stakes are higher.
The consequences heavier.
The choices so. much. more. meaningful.
Every moment and every decision seems to weigh a thousand pounds.
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But the kids?
The teens and the young adults?
Really, they're amazing. And they're fun. And they're exciting. (And nerve-wracking.)
And this part of parenting is so much about growth too--of us as parents. As people.
Raising children is a refining fire. 🔥
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We should write more about this part too.

08/23/2026

Trying to have some porch time between the gray sky time. It seems like we went from our crispy-dry Spring to thunderstorms every 12 hours. It certainly turned everything green.
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08/18/2026

Our Ladybug has a birthday today. 🥳🥳
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And wow--life is moving at 22 years per second over here!! ❤️
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Our girl is a bright heart in a dark world.
We learned early that her cheerful demeanor hides a will of iron.
She doesn't set her feet often, but when she does, continents will realign, and she'll still be standing there.
(Or sitting there. In the time out spot. Not apologizing.)
She's proved over and over that she is going to be her own person.
Walk her own path.
Chose her own RIGHT.
And speak her own NO, regardless of everyone else's YES.
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And we are so excited to see what's ahead for her.

08/17/2026

I often recommend planting Liriope around your well cover to "hide" it decoratively.
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It's evergreen, although it only flowers part of the year. It spreads and fills in easily. And it's very hardy and low maintenance for those of us who aren't very green-thumbed. And it crowds out the weeds all by itself. I haven't touched the stuff in 10 years and it looks great.
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It's also very sturdy and will recover fine if you have to rough it up accessing your well pump from time to time. (Yes, well-tested, not just theoretical. Ask me how I know.)
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Makes the lid a nice setting for a bird bath or bird feeder (if you don't have chickens!!).
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Or a cattle dog, if you prefer.
But that significantly reduces the low maintenance aspect of the whole plan.
SIGNIFICANTLY.
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08/12/2026

The figs are ripening.
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And we're not the only ones that noticed that sticky-sweet smell in the air.
I saw the dreaded Japanese beetles, at least 4 different types of wasps, bumble bees, moths, and flies, and nats all gorging on the good stuff.
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We'll have to start picking some early and let them ripen inside so the buzzers don't get them all!
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08/11/2026

These cattle dogs are going to be the end of me!
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Our household has been thru quite a bit of upheaval the last year with all of Grandma's healthcare needs, nurses coming in and out, me being on leave, the kids changing school and work schedules, etc. But we are TRYING to get back to whatever our new normal looks like.
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And these two troublemakers are RESISTING.
(OK, I think the dark one is probably the ring-leader, and the red-head is a willing accomplice.)
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I came home from work today, and they had busted down the baby gate of their bedroom...
Broke into the mudroom (the door was shut)...
Dragged the shoe basket out of the way (because we've been using it to block their shenanigans)...
Pulled their dog food container (holds 100 lbs--on wheels!) across the house to the front foyer...
And helped themselves to an afternoon snack!
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And there was no regret on their faces.
Not one bit.
That dark one even managed to throw a bit of side-eye at me while I was lecturing them.
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I bet if we had gotten a chihuahua I wouldn't have these problems.
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08/10/2026

The drought of early summer broke, and now the summer steams...
And the muscadines are hiding and ripening...And everything is holding its breath thru the late summer heat and deciding what the Fall will look like.
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07/24/2026

Gretchen has been keeping a little secret in her garage hideout by the lawnmower.
🐣🐣🐣
And look at her face!
Momma-Gretchen is not the same friendly-farm chicken as Normal-Gretchen.
Momma-Gretchen is mean.
Momma-Gretche growls and pecks a lot and puffs herself up like a cat about to scratch your face off.
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I kinda miss normal friendly-farm-chicken Gretchen. Sheesh.

Address

Smithfield, VA
23430

Telephone

757-255-2066

Website

http://www.walkinginhighcotton.net/

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