What's in a name? A lot!

This is my 3-year-old granddaughter, whose middle name is Rose.  This means a lot to me, as you can imagine, not only because it's my name but because it was my grandma's name. These things add a sense of continuity to a family and give a child a sense of belonging.

My dad always said that my grandma Rose loved the rain. "She would use any excuse to get out in it," he'd say with a chuckle. Well, I love the rain also and like walking in it and love sleeping while a storm rages outside. Perhaps my granddaughter will! And then someone will say someday, "You know your grandma Rose loved the rain too!"

Split-rail Fence 

This is a split rail fence like they used to have on my grandparents' farm. I remember them a bit more weathered than this. They were great for keeping cows and horses in and sometime for keeping them out of a garden, for instance.

I understand they were especially used in areas where there was a lot of timber (like West Virginia) and could be easily assembled. Another plus was that you didn't need any hardware to put them together. 

I remember climbing over these and playing on them as a girl and am very nostalgic about them. They have a poetic beauty as they run alongside a field of green. Don't you agree?