Monthly Archives: July 2009

Step Into My Time Machine…

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
Have you ever wondered if you were born during the “right time” in history? Certainly I know that I was, but there are moments when I can’t help but to think I would have loved the Wild West.

Continue reading

Hey, Babe What's YOUR Sign?

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
Recently my friend Sarah Sumerlin and I were driving down the back roads between Washington and Oregon snapping pictures. Sarah’s a brilliant photographer and I love to take pictures to remind myself of stories I want to share. It was a perfect time of the day, and we were finding all kinds of things that “spoke” to us. Then out of nowhere, there it was…a sign!

Continue reading

Rural and Raw

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
I have looked into “the raw diet” for awhile now. Well, actually since 1994, when I was recovering after being diagnosed with lupus. Back then, a friend had introduced me to “blue-green” algae and its health benefits. She also introduced me to some really amazing people in the world of holistic health, which up to that point I had never even heard of. I was a very typical American who ate the Standard American Diet (known in the holistic world as SAD), never considering that what I ate and becoming ill had any link whatsoever.

Continue reading

I Love Summer…

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
I just do! I love driving with the radio blaring, windows rolled down, feeling like there isn’t a care in the world. I am the “best me” in the summer. Although I don’t particularly like the heat, I love the rhythm of summer…the backyard barbecues with friends, the farmer’s market, and spending time

Continue reading

Everything Old Is New Again

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
Whether it is vintage clothing, trailers, or albums, it seems that “everything old is new again.” Recently my oldest son, who is currently serving in Afghanistan, sent my husband a push mower. Not the motored kind, but a rotating-blade push mower. It was the perfect Father’s Day gift, one that showed both the practical side of my Marine and the comedic side. You see, my hubby has never had much success with lawn mowers, and it has become a sort of joke in our family. I am convinced that every mower that my husband has purchased in our 25-year marriage must have been built on a Friday.

Continue reading

Snapshots of Summer

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
There is something magical about summer. It seems that there is a mystical rhythm to it that presents itself in the slight breeze, reminding me of those carefree days of childhood. I never desire to go back in time until these moments. But the gentle wind makes me miss the innocence of looking into the garden without knowing how much work they actually are.

Continue reading

Dance Like No One Is Watching

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
I love that little mantra, although I wasted much of my life up to this point not living it. Some of my favorite people and personalities are those who seem to do just that: Dance like no one is watching. I find that I am drawn to those people the most, although oftentimes I don’t jump into the dance, but sit on the sidelines and admire them dancing.

Continue reading

I Am So Grateful

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]

Have you ever had the experience of awakening and just for a moment lying there and thinking of all the reasons you are grateful?

A while back, maybe a year or more now, I decided I was done focusing on all the things that were “wrong” in my life, and that I would greet each day by giving thanks for all the things that were “right.”

Continue reading

Holy Smokes

Some stories are harder to tell than others. This is one of the hard ones. I experienced something I consider to be “hallowed.” And if I had been where I really wanted to be, I would have missed it. Let me tell you what happened.
First off, like many of you, I wanted to go to the maryjanesfarm Farm Fair this July 4th weekend. But being in the throes of a move, I knew I needed to stay close to home. We finally decided to take a couple of days off, though, and head up to our Mountain Farm. The grass must be knee-high by now. The weeds have surely taken over my apple “orchard” and my newly minted plum “pit.” And I’d like to map out that Labyrinth concept in the meadow.
We always enjoy the 4th of July at our Mountain Farm.

Continue reading

So, What Are We Really Trying to Say?

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
“Sayings” almost always distract me. They make me question where they came from and how they originated. Some of them make me laugh. Others make me roll my eyes. And others just annoy me.

Continue reading