Paul & Diane Boykin

One of my favorite things about early spring in Athens, GA is driving home down South Milldege Ave. through the UGA farms. Starting around the first of February the ewes in the pasture start lambing and seeing the little lambs gamboling around the newly green pasture always brings a smile to my face.

On a recent afternoon I stopped to try to capture the frolicking lambs but they were not going to cooperate. However, I did manage to take a few pictures to share of the lambs with their mamas to share with everyone.

Sheep Grazing on South Milledge Ave. Athens, GA

There was one nosey ewe that would not leave us alone. She was clamoring for either attention or food and I suspect it was food that she was looking for!

If you would like more information about the Athens, GA area or would like to search listings of homes in the Athens area, please visit my website at www.BoykinTeam.com

All pictures are the property of Diane Boykin

Imagine for a moment a woodland garden full of camellias, jonquils and hellebores (otherwise known as Lenten Roses). That is what you will find and more this weekend at Piccadilly Farms' annual Hellebore Days. Hundreds of visitors from all over the country will be there to witness this spectacle as they do each year. Sam Jones and wife Carlene have specialized in hellebores as well as hostas and conifers. This weekend showcases the hellebores which come in several colors including red, pink and white. They are perfect plants for shade gardens and the best news here is that deer don't really like to eat them! Anyone can visit and just enjoy the flowers, but I'll bet you can't leave without purchasing at least one plant.

Piccadilly Farm is located at 1971 Whippoorwill Road in Bishop, GA.

You can visit the farm between 10:00 a.m. and 4 p.m. on March 6 and 7 or at the same times any Friday or Saturday between now and the end of May.

Many people driving north on GA 15 toward Athens wonder why there is a huge statue of a horse standing proudly in the middle of a field, often nearly hidden by corn in the summer. Well, the answer is legendary in the Athens, GA area.

It seems that back in 1954, Abbott Pattison, then a UGA artist in residence, sculpted the horse out of metal. The horse's home was to be in front of Reed Hall, and the first night it was placed there, outraged students sprayed it with paint and a mattress was burned under it. After this, the horse was removed and hidden out. Later, L. C. Curtis, then in the Horticulture Department, offered the statue a place on his farm in Greene County, about 18 miles south of Athens. The statue was to remain the property of the University and was to be returned if ever UGA decided that it wanted it back.

The story goes that it was moved on a flatbed in the dark of a December night in 1959 and has remained on the Curtis farm, now owned by Jack Curtis, L.C.'s son, ever since.

UGA football fans enjoy the horse landmark as they know that they will soon be in Athens for the game.

So now you know!

TEN REASONS I LOVE WINTER IN GEORGIA

1. It doesn't last long.
2. You can sit out by the pool wearing shorts and sipping a beverage on a 70+ degree day in February (never mind that 3 days before it was 35 degrees with 20 mph winds).
3. Camellias are in bloom.
4. You can grow a fall/winter garden with lettuce, onions, spinach, etc.
5. Jonquils blooms in February.
6. It's a great time to ride horses without flies.
7. You can play golf.
8. We hardly ever get snow.
9. It's nice to be in by the fire in the evenings.
10. Pansies and violas bloom all winter with their little faces toward the sun.

Oconee County Middle School Chorus

Yesterday I helped my daughter, Gail, with her restaurant's (Miss Gail's Southern Cooking) booth at The Taste of Oconee for a few hours.

This event was a fund raiser for the Oconee County Middle School Chorus and Band. Judging by the numbers of people who kept stopping by for samples of meat loaf, macarooni and cheese and peach cobbler, there was quite a lot of money raised for the music programs.

With everything from bar-b-que to Cajun, shis-ka-bobs to sweets available, no one went home hungary! The band and chorus students entertained all afternoon for everyone's enjoyment.

Gail Wiley of Miss Gail's Southern Cooking

Glenn, Maygan & Debra Townsend of Dickey's Bar-B-Que