The day we had been waiting for–mostly patiently and largely excitedly–finally came on the evening (well, more like night, it was 10 p.m.) of Sunday, August 18. A beat up moving truck rolled into Matt and Amanda’s driveway and out stepped a dreadlocked man named Georgie and his lanky partner, whose name escapes me (maybe Seth?). They were the bearers of our new living abode, our very own yurt; and they were only 48 days late.
A Farmgirl and her Almost Yurt!
One of the blessings of being a conscientious Farmgirl is the intuitive need to make others happy. This is also one of the curses. Perusing through MaryJanesFarm magazine, we see hints of this drive in all of us–great ways to host a brunch, perfect gifts to make for hosts of parties, or stylish and practical ways to organize all of our duties in easy to navigate folders, drawers or other storage. We are often looking at the others in our lives and how to make their experiences as comfortable, memorable and great as possible. Perhaps this is something innate in all women, but it is especially heightened in Farmgirls all over. It’s what we do–we take care of our families, our animals, our vegetables and our other labors of love. We want to make everyone as happy as possible in any way that we are able. And (overall) we love it.
Jon and Stef Visit Alaska–And these tres amigos were all happy!
Joan says: Oh how nice to have a CSA in your area – there are noises being made that we might get one going in our area – YEA!!! even though I am not physically able to do much I will do all I can to help out, think it will be fun for this old farm girl to have time with the soil. God Bless
Karen Pennebaker says: How on earth do you grow all this in Alaska? I live in a wooded area of West Virginia, where my garden gets bright sun 6 to 8 hours a day in summer due to being in a deep hollow surrounded by the woods…here it is August and our nights have not been warm enough for the tomatoes to do well. Green rocks, that’s what I have…and small rocks for the most part. We have only had about 10 days of good hot summer weather all summer and rain most of the summer…mud, weeds and slow growing veggies!! However, I do have good luck in ANY weather with White Half Runner Beans. They will climb 8 feet (maybe higher, if you put the on something higher) – never did know why they called them "half runner" when they climb better than pole beans!!
Looks like you have a good life there!
Robin Reichardt says: That’s happiness!That blueberry stained grin! Oh to be a kid again up in the mulberry tree, picking and snacking with stained fingers.
Living in the round. What does it bring to your mind? For me, it brings images of living in our future yurt (the yurt whose delivery date has been put off time and time again–but it will get here sometime!). It can bring to mind images of embracing the cycles of life–whether they are long or short. Living in the round can remind us of gathering with friends and family and how circles are often formed when groups of people who love each other get together. It can also conjure up images of all of the roundness around us: the world as a whole, the sun, the moon, delicious fruits and vegetables, eyes in disbelief, Ferris wheels and donuts. A brief Google search reveals, though, that most people refer to this phrase when talking about living in yurts (my original thought)
One of my favorite vegetables in the round, growing in the roundish hoophouse.
But I have a much different reason to refer to Living in the Round: it has to do with the roundness of our physical bodies. So much of our bodies is round: our heads, our eyes, And some of the best parts of our anatomies….
Jan says: Congratulations, Alex! You reminded me of a wonderful woman that I met at a farmer’s market in the small town of St. Maries, ID. I was purchasing organic beets (my recent addiction!) and we were discussing her planting sites in the area. I looked at her hands and saw the short nails, complete with the embedded soil…What I saw was strength! Her glowing face and the twinkle in her eye told all…
Very happy for you and picturing the yurt!
Adrienne says: First of all, I wish you and Evan a healthy pregnancy with no complications. Second, I hope your yurt arrives soon so you can prepare it before winter and the spring arrival of your little one. May you want for nothing. Mazel tov!
Ace says: That so exciting Alex!! Congratulations on your pregnancy from all of us at MaryJanesFarm! 🙂
Laura says: It’s good to see you never stop growing; as a person, a farmer, a woman and now a mother. Congratulations on your living in the round (squared) Lol
Meredith says: Congratulations Alex and Evan! Wishing you all the best!
Congratulations Alex! I can’t think of a better farming companion that a baby! You’ll raise him/her right from the start! Many blessings to you and Evan. Can’t wait for both of your new arrivals… the Yurt and your new baby!
Deb ( the Beach Farmgirl )
Marion says: Alex, this is wonderful news. I love that you are excited and fully experiencing your pregnancy. I love that even in the city you dress and act as who you are. So many women could use you as an example of what a woman is, not the air-brushed models in magazines. You are living the best life, move forward with confidence and enjoy all the happiness coming your way.
Thanks for the post! It’s so inspiring to have another woman in a demanding career take the plunge into motherhood. I wish you the best of luck.
I love farms and farming. Even when it is cold and rainy, or extremely hot and mosquito-ey, I am reminded of some words MaryJane shared with me once: It is so much better to be stuck working outside during less-than-desirable weather than to be stuck working inside on a beautiful day.
Sometimes I REALLY have to remind myself of this great insight, but I usually come around, even in the thickest of mosquitos.
Visiting farms around my community, state, country and world is one of my favorite things to do. I have dreams of one day visiting South America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Australia, India, Africa (the whole world, really) and trekking from farm to farm, getting to see the different farming methods. It would be especially fun to see how similar or diferent the ubiquitous potato is planted, grown and stored the world over…
Anyhow, I’ve been back in Alaska for two weeks now after my visit to North Dakota and Minnesota, and I’ve been reflecting on farm visits.
Evan, My future brothers-in-law and I on the hills outside of their family’s cropland (former pastureland in their dairying days!)
Karen Pennebaker says: Not having room for crops is something I’m familiar with, as we live in the woods and have very little open land. By the way, goat manure can also be put in the garden fresh without harming the crops. (We have goats, rabbits and chickens so we compost all of their droppings to turn our clay soil into wonderful garden loam. I grow things in raised beds and it works well.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures at our farm! I only wish I had been home to tour with you, but it sounds like Scott did a great job! Just to clarify – we have never purchased llamas – we have only provided a home for those bought by others who found out there’s not much $$ to be made from them and needed a place for them to go. But they have provided much entertainment and wonderful fertilizer!
This is such a great post! I am trying to learn more about farming because eventually I will end up being a farm wife in MN and these tours give me a little bit more knowledge.
Hey Farmgirls! A few weeks ago (well, maybe more like two months ago…) I teased you all by saying that I would share some fun news with you in my next post. Welllllll, a few posts have gone by without any news of this news. However, I’m ready, now.
Are you ready?
Drum Roll, please!
Evan and I are moving into the round. That is, we are moving into our very own…
Sukochi Lee says: Sounds like "yurt" will have a happy home there! Enjoy. My niece lived in a two story 900 square foot house in San Francisco for years. Less space=less stuff!
;D
Shari Doty says: Congratulations! We looked at yurts too. We were living in our fifth wheel on my husband’s family ranch. In the photos they look so spacious, but when I measured it out on the ground, it spooked me. So we moved into a mobile home. Living in a small space is doable though. I used my fifteen foot travel trailer as my closet, and stored the bulk of my stuff. Good luck!
Joan says: Oh how exciting and what wonderful friends you have – gee must mean you are wonderful friends too – for sure. I have had some experience with a small roundish cabin type facility – we put news paper up and decorative/very useful blankets at the walls in the winter – kind of like in a tepee that has a liner on the lower half to help keep warmer. We also invested in a inside portable/self containing disposal toilet – does that make sense – those cold mornings/nights were no fun running to LULU. Yes you are going to have lots of great times and I for one can hardly wait to hear about it all. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Alex, I have always wanted to live in a yurt. My husband & I traveled from California to Oregon to visit a yurt manufacturer there. The models were so wonderful!
I will enjoy living vicariously through your experiences!
Best wishes in your new home, CHris
marci says: I have always wanted to live in a yurt! I will love to see the photos and hear more about your experiences.
Try looking at Tiny houses . There are lots of ideas there for storage and living off grid. Even some plans for building that may give you ideas. Good luck!
Hi.. wow, you are so brave. I’d like to visit a yurt.. we have a place in Marfa TX that has a campground with yurts, teepees, and refab’d trailors. Can’t wait to hear more of your new adventure.
Lynn says: I lived in a 850 sq foot house with my husband 3 children and 2 dogs, and my daughter lived in about 500 with husband and 2 children. It can be done, especially if you have a plan to move out someday.
crystal says: Sounds like a lot of fun, yes fun. Living mostly off the grid. Alaska is a beautiful state, my husband and I are hoping to visit there within the next year. He wants to live there, I’m not so sure because of the cold winters. Good luck to you two in your adventures.
Brenda Cassady says: I am 61 years old and I love Yurts. Why? Because they are different. There is a dealer about an hour from us and I love to go by there. I would love to have one as a studio/playhouse. My husband thinks I’m crazy, and that’s o.k. Who wants to be totally "normal". Good luck and enjoy.
Jiggity, Jig! For this post, The Rural Farmgirl is returning to her roots as a Suburban Farmgirl, but we’ll see that I can’t stay away from rural places for too long. I have been spending the last week in my home state of Minnesotaa–for the first time in over a year! Speaking of not being able to stay away from rural areas, I’m actually writing this from the grocery store, using their free wi-fi, because I am “up north” (as we say in the midwest) with my mom and nieces, spending some time at my mom’s internetless farm. Before my arrival, Minnesota had been experiencing weeks of rain. Fortunately, it has ceased and has left everything so green and beautiful! It’s good to be home, and my schedule has been (and will continue to be) jam-packed with big milestones and fun celebrations.
My mom and nieces getting ready for a nature hike at my mom’s farm near Crosby, Minnesota. Notice their outfits? These are true Farmgirls–want to stay stylish but keep out the wood ticks at the same time!
bonnie ellis says: Alex: I wish I had known you were coming. You could visit our farmgirls. I live in Minneapolis and I was an environment teacher on Lake Minnetonka. I am so glad you are having a good time. Family is the best. Bonnie
Once upon a time there was a late twenty something Farmgirl living in Alaska. You see, in Alaska, time changes in a way that is foreign to much of the world. It seems to be the only thing people can talk about sometimes, especially farmers and those who spend a majority of their time out of doors (many Alaskans fit this bill). This changing time comes from the tilt of the Earth and how the sun plays across its surface throughout the seasons. Growing up in the Midwest, the winter nights were long and the summer days seemed endless, but she had never been to Alaska.
This Farmgirl writes about the length of days and nights often, and how quickly she and other Alaskans lose or gain daylight hours. It seemed that she was just an observer her first year in Alaska, but she became entrenched in these changes her second year…this tilt of the Earth directly influencing her Circadian rhythms.
Maybe seems unphased by Ava and Ronan (A couple of my Farm School Students)–perhaps he would like to take over one of my jobs?
Whew! What a day, Farmgirls. I’m finally home and sitting after a day full of: new jobs, new homes, escaped critters, dog walking in the mud in formal clothing, a wonderful evening with some friends, and late night wading through vernal pools…
It may just be the lingering vibe from a “glam rock” themed party I attended last weekend, but David Bowie said it best “Ch-Ch-Changes/Turn and face the stranger.”
Come see some of the strangers this farmgirl has had to face recently…
My bees
What an adventure! You tell it so well, I could imagine myself in your shoes, er, your fancy clothes. In fact, I hope you take pause to realize what an amazing life you’re living. Dream come true, right? Can’t wait to see pics of your next residence. In the meantime, enjoy your house-sitting job.
Pam deMarrais says: Wow, you are soooo adventurous! Taking the bees in your car, in the dark, in the water. Amazing. Crazy, but amazing! I am glad that you were able to stay safe. I love reading your in depth blogs. Thanks for sharing!
Hi farm girl,
I always wanted to be a farm girl too. But I was born in Brooklyn,New York . Not much country,all city. Maybe on the outlines.I sometime go for rides down the country,it is like a slice of heaven.Peaceful,You only hear the sounds of running water,animals,birds,trees in the wind,thats life.Have a good day,God Bless. Lorraine.
Hello all you fine, friendly farmgirls! It’s finals week here at Alaska Pacific University, and because of that…I’m sleep deprived. It happens to the best procrastinators among us year after year, generation after generation. When some people say they are sleep deprived, they are probably surviving off of just a few hours of sleep here and a few hours of sleep there. Since I’m fairly child like, sleep deprivation for me means that I’m getting less than eight hours of sleep per night for several nights in a row. The least amount I’ve slept has been five hours, and I kind of feel like a zombie. I know, it’s rough. How can I hope to be a farmer some day if five hours of sleep leaves me feeling less-than-human? I don’t know, that’s a question for another day.
Anyway, I digress. One reason for this sleep deprivation is some forced civic dutiness I was assigned to complete for a graduate level environmental law class. We had to write and submit an official public comment to a governmental agency regarding our stance on some bill, act or other decision that is recently being decided upon. Of course, this had to be regarding something related to the environment.
Evan and I enjoying a spring ski. It should be a civic duty to enjoy state and national recreational areas on a regular basis.
Thank you for this thoughtful, important post. When my children were young, I took them to many a public hearing on any manner of things. When it was my turn to read my prepared comments, my children would get out their crayons and coloring books. Looking back 30 years, I do in fact know, our voices made a difference, and my children now benefit from some of the decisions made because of the efforts so many of went to back then. Let our thoughtful, educated voices be heard!
Tina Hart says: the words ‘super weed’ freaks me out and scares the heck outta me alone!
Adrienne says: I live in California and was very unhappy that Proposition 37 didn’t pass because Big Ag threatened labeling of GMO foods would raise prices on produce. Monsanto is the culprit leading the fight for their Roundup-ready seeds and I fear the farmer who raises food organically will be forced to use their seeds. My friend has been suffering from pesticide poisoning after-effects and there is no cure. Thank you for what you’re doing to inform and enlighten.
It’s the winter that keeps on giving. Maybe it’s just the winter that needs the last word, when everyone is too caught up in the impending spring and summer to retaliate against the shoveling and plowing anymore. We just give in. We put on our boots and cram our heads into our hats and head out into the white abyss without a dismissive word about the darn winter or cursing the yet-again snow-covered porch. We’ve become complacent with the winter world around us.
The only animals that seem to be protesting are the chickens. They have left their coop exactly once per day for the last five days to eat and drink. Egg laying has all but ceased.
The spring tease a few weeks ago had me excited about sitting on the GREEN grass, hiking in the GREEN wilds and strolling through the farmers market, checking out the GREENS. Im supposed to start a new farming gig in a few weeks, and it seems like the season may be off to an extended indoor start.
To compensate for this lack of natural green, this Farm Girl has been taking in some green news. Some of it has been great, some of it has been not-so-great; but the most interesting of it has been GREEN.
Does a green filter make this shot (from April 6) seem any less wintery?…No. The answer is no.
Joan says: Well now Alex, I can somewhat relate with your winter. I live somewhat on the plains of CO. – WIND/DUST/DRY/BEAUTIFUL. We haven’t had nearly as much snow – sure could use some wet but oh my the COLD and WIND have been our nemesis for many months – now that Spring is here – well so we are told – we are still having blizzards/whiteouts and the bulbs are very buried. BUT hope is always in my thinking and soon all this cold will be gone and I will probably be mentioning how HOT it is. Hope your weather clears soon and the GREEN will follow. Well best get back to one of the quilts I am making – I do hand sewing mostly and all hand quilting so it takes me a long time. God Bless
Merrilyn says: This is absolutely a very long winter. I thought when we moved to Soldotna from Palmer it would be warmer. The major difference is we still get lots of snow but no wind to blow it away. How have the winds been this year? Keep your chin up. Everywhere seasons go through their up and down cycles. We just seem to be in the down cycle for the last couple years. We can always count on Alaska being beautiful in the summer. We live in a beautiful state. Keep writing..
Your Alaska sister
Merrilyn
Thanks for the post. It’s great that you don’t let the white weather lower your positivity. Keep it up.
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”.
This is just so VERY awesome. Love the pics. Love your
fortitude. Can I move in with you?
Awesome article! I was not aware of what a "yurt" was and am completely amazed on the building process. I laughed when you described the incomplete instructions – have had experiences like that in the past! Looking forward to future blogs on your new home!
what an adventure! Thanks for sharing : )
It amazes me how bad instructions are for things (and some come with no instructions at all, which is worse!) – looks like you all figured it out, though. Enjoy your new home. Is there insulation in the walls? I’m thinking "brrrr" when I think of Alaska!
I’m a new Farmgirl (well, probably "old" farmgirl, but new to the Sisterhood.
I discovered MaryJane’s magazine while up in Homer, AK for three months last winter as a granny nanny for our traveling nurse daughter’s new baby —
I loved cross-country skiing on the hayfields — my second trip to AK– what an amazing place! Great blog!
I’m jealous in many ways!! I’ve been dreaming of living in a yurt and living in Alaska for over 20 years!!! What yurt company did you use?
How very exciting!! Can’t wait to see more pics in the future.
Hello Alex,
I want to thank you so much for sharing your & Evan’s experiences during the yurt building process, I am totally in awe of you. It certainly takes a very special kind of woman to live the life you have chose, which I admire to the stars & back, as it is exactly the life I wanted to live, but allowed my Mom to talk me out of it. Never stop living your dreams, the rest of us who want to but can’t will follow your blog and enjoy it immensely! May God continue to richly bless you & your family. Can’t wait for more pics~