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Two weeks ago, I lost my precious Dad. I really am struggling to process that he is gone; even though we’ve known for the last month that the end was near. I’m here in New Mexico with my Momma for a few weeks at the home place where I was raised, and I’m so thankful for the time together.
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
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.”
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!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Kind is a nice adjective to strive for. Fair, honest, caring and loving would also be a nice way to be remembered.
So sorry for your loss! God be with you.
I’m so sorry to hear you lost your dad. It sounds like he was a wonderful man, and had a wonderful life. What a great testament to hear that everyone he knew described him as kind!
Wonderful post, as always. My sympathies for the loss of your dad.
So sorry for your loss!
My dad stepped into heaven a year ago August 1. At his memorial service the thing that people mentioned to us the most was my dad’s servant heart. He was always trying to help & always volunteering for anything he could. That is what I want to be remembered for is always being willing to help others. I think that is the best way to honor my dad by following in his footsteps of service.
Dori, I’m so sorry about your Dad. I miss my Mom and Dad so very much. I’ve found something that helps with the grief and loss…..
On clear starry nights, I look at the stars and find the two that (for me) are Mom and Dad….I talk to them and I feel that they hear me. Sometimes there are tears but there is always a warm feeling in my heart when I say goodnight and head inside.
I hope that you can find something like that to help, too. I am in the Blueridge mountains of West Virginia where the night skies are clear. Your beautiful ranch will have a sky like that with stars you could almost reach out and touch.
My prayer is that I leave “peace” in the hearts of my loved ones.
The familiar “God’s Peace” greeting in our lives has always felt so special. Whether times were good, hard, painful, or challenging . . . the simple hello (or goodbye) of “God’s Peace” seems to make everything right.
I hope that my friends and family, my children, especially, will remember me with a feeling of peace in their hearts
You got me to thinking about my own left behind sentiments
For you- you are a wonderful blogger that makes an impact in-mine and others lives
God bless you
I’m so sorry Dori, much love for you and your momma. Kindness, patience, honesty, trying to uplift others. Not just one quality, but kindness has always been the most important to me.
I am so sorry for your loss Dori. What a wonderful way to be remembered, for being Kind. You Dad sounds like a great man.
Hugs,
Debbie
the passing of your dear father. He sounds like an incredible man. How blessed are you to have him as your dad.
Your question of what do I want to leave behind really has me thinking and rethinking how I move through this life. Kindness is the ultimate goal but for me, I need to work on patience and grace first.
Thank you for this thought provoking post. Praying for God’s comfort, peace, and healing in your time of grief.
Dear Dori, I pray God’s comfort for you and your family and friends on the passing of your dad. I’m also the daughter of a dad (who passed in 2001) who was known for his kindness, generosity, honesty, and love of people. We’re so blessed. And, better yet, we know we’ll see our dads again. God’s peace, love.
I have had the amazing experience of meeting 3 people in my life who truly exuded kindness, and every time it rocked me and made such an impression on my soul. Kindness flowing in all its glory is truly an amazing and impacting thing of beauty. I think it shines so brightly to us because this world is so in need of this gift. Yes, I want to be one of the kind ones.
Thanks for the reminder, and I pray peace for you and your family as you go through this season of loss.
Dori,
Like you, my dad was know for his patience and kindness. I have spent my life trying to be known for the patience and kindness he taught me.
May God be with you on this new journey and may He bring you peace as you follow his lead.
Sorry about your Dad. Hope you can take comfort in your treasured memories. May he rest in peace. I want to be remembered as a kind and gentle lady.
Marilyn
Dear Dori,
I’m so sorry for the loss of your father. You can be so proud to be his daughter, as it is evident he taught you his many virtues: kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, sincerity and many more attributes you share with so many people through your blog!
My sincere condolences to you, your Ma and family. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I’m here for you, if you ever need to talk.
Love,
Eileen B.
Dori, my heart goes out to you and your family on the loss of your Dad. Treasure the memories of your hero.
I never knew my real dad but my father-in-law was the father I never had and I told him so, many times; he always called me his daughter, too. He was the kindest man I ever knew.
The legacy I hope to leave behind is in the name of nature, in all the things my husband and I have done over the past 30 + years and are still doing, from creating a nature club on the Texas Gulf Coast to helping preserve an endangered species habitat to building our own little sanctuary in our yard, and providing shelter, food, water and habitat for the little creatures of Mother Nature.
My sincere sympathy to you and your family. So difficult to lost parents. They have always been there for you and know you better than anyone else in the world. Kindness is a wonderful attribute and obviously your dad touched many people in his life with being kind. that is a beautiful legacy. I miss my parents every day and am thankful God gave me a caring Mom and Dad to guide me in life.
What a beautiful tribute to your dear daddy…he LOOKS like he was very kind…it shows in his smile! What an amazing legacy he left behind…truly a wonderful reminder of the attributes we should strive for in this life. God’s blessings to you and your family!
Dori, I’m so sorry for your loss.
It’s very hard to lose a Dad . I lost mine so many years ago ( 42 years!) but I still think of him often. All the lessons he taught me and the ways he inspired me to live my best life . And I still cry when I visit the cemetery .
Just know that you were so blessed to have him and try to think positive thoughts whenever you feel sad.
He would want you to be happy
Janetsue