Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Column contents © Mary Murray. All rights reserved.
Farmgirl
is a condition
of the heart.
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Column contents © Alexandra Wilson. All rights reserved.
Libbie Zenger
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
June 2010 – Jan 2012
Libbie’s a small town farmgirl who lives in the high-desert Sevier Valley of Central Utah on a 140-year-old farm with her husband and two darling little farmboys—as well as 30 ewes; 60 new little lambs; a handful of rams; a lovely milk cow, Evelynn; an old horse, Doc; two dogs; a bunch o’ chickens; and two kitties.
René Groom
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
April 2009 – May 2010
René lives in Washington state’s wine country. She grew up in the dry-land wheat fields of E. Washington, where learning to drive the family truck and tractors, and “snipe hunting,” were rites of passage. She has dirt under her nails and in her veins. In true farmgirl fashion, there is no place on Earth she would rather be than on the farm.
Hi ! Your girls are so sweet, nature-loving, fun-loving cuties !!! I live in the Northeast and have not had any snowfall as yet, and even my first killing frost came in November. Snow does bring extra work, but I always was happier in the winter with a ground cover of snow. And thanks to your insight, I am looking forward to the magic of winter snow. Whenever it comes !!! Happy Thanksgiving !
I’ve been making homemade marshmallows thus last month. They are divine!! Can’t wait to try your hot chocolate 🙂
Thanks for sharing your snow and stories. I also love snow but live in Southwest Missouri.
We rarely see even snow flakes. I truly miss it being from Northern ILL.
I read christmas books and watch Christmas movies to enjoy snow.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I LOVE the snow! (don’t care for icy roads though!) Thank you for sharing your healthy hot cocoa recipe! (Have you read the ingredients on the boxes of the commercial hot cocoa? scary!) THANKS again!
Thank you for sharing your snow stories. I have always loved snow and sometimes I feel that I am the only one who has appreciation for it. You made my day!
Your girls look so happy playing in the snow. Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Super fun posting! God Bless
What a beautiful homage to Winter! In Mt.Shasta, California , the mountain is covered with snow and we are waiting to it to fall below 5,000 feet on this warm and windy Thanksgiving morning.
An hour a day in outside activity is a great idea!
Thank you much for sharing your receipents! I’ll use it as a reward in reverse: go outside for an hour and then I can have cocoa!
Marilyn
Old Edgewood Farm
Thanks Marilyn! Hope your Thanksgiving was lovely.
Today is Thanksgiving Day no snow! sunshine! 56 degrees! Air is on cool side, sort of brisk. Maybe by Christmas we will get snow, some anyway. I don’t expect we will get very much again this year. We may have really cold temps tho. It has been in the low 20’s at night here in Kentucky. Anyway, love your snow, your children are adorable. My home state of New York has gotten snow already according to my family there. Lucky guys! Waiting to see a snowman on your next blog. Love that idea—– of making a snowman!
Yes! Snow men are great! We’ve tried to build a couple but haven’t had the right snow, yet. Hopefully soon!
I am another snow lover and you said it perfectly. There is just something about when it snows that’s so peaceful and perfect. I have been snowboarding in the past when it’s snowing and I love sitting at the top of the mountain and just listen to it snow. It’s crazy but you can really hear snow falling and it’s so calming. We haven’t had any snow yet and I’m actually upset about it. After eating our Thanksgiving dinner last night, we went outside to play. Let me just say, we have never been warm enough to go out and play with out jackets after Thanksgiving. I have also been keeping my windows open because it’s still so warm. It’s throwing my holidays off. I’m ready for the snow! Enjoy it for me!
Ah! that sounds so odd–to go outside after a Thanksgiving meal without jackets. The sound of snow falling is a magical sound, in a way. I hope your snow comes soon!
We have had snow five times, but we also have had 70-degree days. Winter is confusing this year (I am in northern Colorado plains just along the Rockies). I’m ready for real winter. Winter is when I read, catch up on sit-down tasks. I run run run the rest of the year, and until winter truly arrives, I will keep running. Spent a week in the midwest with family and brought back a cooler full of frozen venison…spent the day after I got back making loads of meatballs and meatloaves to put in the freezer for later. It was 77 degrees when I did it, which explains the run-run-run! Winter needs to get here already!! I’m tired!
I hear you Susabelle! I think it’s in our true nature to keep going while the sun shines. Venison meatballs and meatloaves sound so yummy! I hope real winter comes your way soon.