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.”
Ha, that made me laugh. 🙂 I tend to enjoy sayings, even if they are a little off the wall. My mom always used to say, "If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all." A good motto to live by.
Noeletta says: "Reap what you sow!" This is one our family uses often, mostly in the content of relationships. It is kind of a warning to nurture all relationships. I have seen first hand what can and will happen if you take your relationships for granted.
Kathy Aubrey says: I like "Don’t put all your eggs in one basket". You can take this so many ways. Eggs, Money, what you do in you volunteer time. I think that I spread my time to thin and don’t get to do the things I want to do. In that case maybe I should put all of my eggs in one basket
Kathy
Gary says: Ahhh… more Memories Rene’…
I also like the expression: "Bloom where you’re planted", which is kinda what I’m doin’ while I wait to return to my Smokey Mountain Home.
My Ganny had some expressions that were social in nature, and you needed to know what they meant to function well in her circle of Friends on the neighboring farms. If asked to "stay a while", it had better be a short visit, but if asked to "stay a spell", you were wished to stay a long time. There were also suble distance sayings, like "a piece" meant it was close by, while "a fer-piece" meant it was a long way, as in ""hits up th’ road a piece".
My Uncle Loyd (known as "Sod") was a dairyman in the old tradition, and I loved to go there in the Summer (before airconditioning came along) because he had a "Cold Room" in his barn over a spring to store the milk in, and I could cool off in there. He had some salicious sayings, which always prompted my Mom to snap: "not in front of children Sod!"… like his reference to the Preacher as "having more mouth than a poor hog has rump."… I never did know what a "poor hog" was, and my Mom declined to discuss it.
Thank You for yet another walk down Memory Lane, and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
LizB says: I had the opportunity growing up to live in many different places from coast to coast. But having moved to South Dakota I have experience new sayings unique to this area. It seems that most of the folks I talk to about going somewhere seem to think South Dakota is in the south? I will ask them about going to a town north of us and they will say they are going down to that town and if I ask about a town south of us it is "up to that town". I don’t know why but it just comes out that way. And the upper Midwest seems to leave out a word or two. If asking about going with someone somewhere, the question is stated "are you going with?" With what? To where? It makes me jiggle everytime I hear it. And just a side note. We really know we are our mothers child when we hear her words come out of our mouths and it suprises us! You just have to love it, don’t you.
I too am a lover of words. That dog won’t hunt is a good one but to give it the proper punch it has to be said, "That "dawg" don’t hunt", making dawg a two syllable word.
Out here in the west you hear "Smile and Cowboy up," which means stop complaining and "Git er done." I also use the saying, "Who told you life would be fair?"
So smile and Cowboy up.
Diana C
Claire says: I’ve always loved "Bless her/his heart!" complete with the southern drawl that I know only as normal. It can be a saying of sympathy or one of criticism and both ways are charming in their own right. I am a southern girl, born and breed (as we say) and have always found "sayings" to be one of the more favorable attributes of the South.
Thanks for another fun, thought-provoking blog!
Reba says: I started grinning as I read your blog thinking of some of the funny sayings that you hear in the South where I’m from. Recently I taught a financial class and three of my sisters were in the class. I had a lot of quotes and one in particular that my mom stated to us most of the time when we were cleaning house": "If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all." As I started to speak, my sisters finished the sentence. It was hilarious. The class just looked at us like "we had lost our minds." "Hey if you can’t run with the big dogs, get back on the porch." Have a great day!
Brook says: Fake it til’ you make it! I think I first heard my mom say that….or I learned it when I went through three months of in/out patient treatment for Anorexia and Bulimia….It works though…..!!!!
Sharon Stout says: I love the saying, "You teach people how to treat you." If you carry and conduct yourself with respect for yourself and others, you will be treated with respect. If you conduct yourself in a lesser fashion, you will be treated accordingly. "Bloom where you are planted" is a great way of saying "Make the best of any situation". I am a big fan of sayings (just ask my 17 year-old daughter who can quote my sayings just as I am about to say them :).
My Dad has a good saying, remembering it well from my youthful teenage(read lazy punk) years when asked why i hadn’t accomplished a little something, "If you have 5 minutes to to a ten minute job, you’d be half done."
My grandmother from OH used to say "she’d split (it) half in two" meaning she wanted to share something with you. We used to tease her that if we needed four servings, we’d be split in "quarters in four."
My friend’s hubbie has a really good saying when someone balks about personal matters, looking for support for their side of the arguement, he replies, "Hard tellin’, Not knowin’"
but my all time favourite (that i can repeat in public domain)is my aunt’s. If see sees someone wearing fancy red shoes, she’ll say something like "where’d they get those shoes? Them’s ‘Going-To-Hell’ shoes." :o)
Rachelle says: We have had chickens now for a year and the saying that I now understand is "madder than a wet hen." During last years hurricane, Ike. We experienced what mad hens look and act like! :o)
just experiencing some of the farm life you can understand where some of the sayings came from.
I also like, "Lord willin and the creek don’t rise" If you have ever experienced being flooded in by rising water you can totally understand this one!
Thanks!
When I was a young-adult (and I use the term adult loosely) my dad used to tell me, "I can give you two slops and a flop" meaning I could come home and he would feed me and provide shelter but the rest was up to me. An Okie of the purest kind, he has lots of sayings, in fact, my sisters and I compiled1250 a list of Dadisms a few years ago for his 70th birthday. "Life ain’t fair" he said a lot, and "I hope you never have any less" But one of my favorites I heard from a lady I worked with who was from Louisiana. When we were done working she would always say "Let’s get the heck outta Dodge" I adopted that phrase and say it often.
Chris says: When my sister & I fought, my mother use to say "You two better learn to like each other. One day it will be the two of you against the world." She was right, as aduts we are best friends. I mentioned that phrase to one of my great-nephews recently and he told him his dad says the same thing to him & his brother. She also loved to say "You made you bed, now sleep in it." Roughly translated? You married him, now make it work. Or, you created the mess, either live with it or clean it up yourself. A number of the sayings I read in your article & in the comments ring bells as well. I still use them today.
One of my all time favorites (which I use quite often here in Texas): "Busier then a three legged cat coverin’ up poop ".Thank goodness my two mousers have all their legs !
Nan Clifton says: I was lucky enough to have my grandparents live with us while I was growing up. My grandparents were from Norway and many of thier customs and sayings go back to the old country. Two of my favorites from my grandmother are "God never gives us a cross to heavy to bear, but sometimes he sorely over estimates my strength." and "God answers all prayers sometimes the answer is no."
Linda says: My dad used to have a couple of sayings that I’ve only heard him use. When he would bring up an interesting fact or tidbit he would say "Put that in your pipe and smoke it" or he might say "How ’bout them apples?" I think these sayings came from the time he lived in the North Georgia mountains.
Pat says: Being a Southerner by birth, I grew up with a lot of sayings. Since so many of us move around to different sections of the country, in the South, you hear "If the cat had kittens in the oven, it don’t make ’em biscuits". In other words, you can move some place but it won’t make you a "Native". I used "As handy as a side pocket in a shirt" just this weekend and if you believe in doing it right the first time then you don’t want to "..lick your calf over".
carol branum says: hi rene, i work in a beauty salon,i have a lot of sr citizens,so i hear them all,everyday,one i like a lot is…she thinks she ms astor…ms aster in case you dont know was a new york ritch socialite in the 30s or 40s….if you cant stand the heat,get of the kitchen is from my home town,birthplace of harry truman,and we use that a lot here,i know of several more,that arent so politically correct these days….have you ever heard the dorthy parker quote,you can lead a whore to culture,but you cant make her think?,…blooming were i am planted,the mo farmers daughter,carol branum lamar mo
SusieQ says: On fathers day this year I think I heard the perfect saying. You make a Living by what you Get but you make a Life by what you Give.
Barb says: My Dad used to ask me, "If you don’t have time to do it right, how are you going to find time to do it over?" These words have made me take a few extra minutes to finish something properly.
I also had a boss many years ago that gave me some great advice: Ask yourself "why am I not going to do this task?" If the answer is "because I don’t feel like it," -do it anyway.
Barb
Flassie says: I asked someone one how they were doing one day.
That person said, Oh, I am finer than a frogs hair.
I looked it up and found it said a different way
with a little more added to it.
I am finer than a frogs hair split three ways.
Meaning: Doing well.
How about: Slower than molasses in January.
The way the prices are going up we could be saying
this one: Now that’s higher than a cat’s back.
Theresa says: My grandmother would always say to me "It will never been seen on a galloping horse." People don’t really pay that much attention about the little details, so don’t spend your time and eneregy on fretting over your faults. I was very critical about myself especially my looks. My grandmother would look and me and smile. She saw me as perfect as any grandmother would see her grandchild.
Pam says: "It won’t last forever" is what my husband has said to my daughter throughout her life. One day when particularly exasperated by an event in her life, my daughter said back, "Dad, I’m going to put "It won’t last forever on your headstone"! She’s right, it won’t.
I have heard about many of the benefits of eating honey, but I seem to be allergic to it. I recently heard that most bees are force fed corn syrup to keep production levels up. Daughter and I are terribly allergic to corn. Do you know where I could find honey that came about naturally?
Calina,
I would go to http://www.localharvest.com and see if you can find a local source. get to know the bee keeper and his/her proceedures. You may want to try AGAVE NECTAR it is a natural sweeter from the Avave plant. by "honeytree" as an alternative.
Cindy says: This is so true about all the food we eat! I grew up on a farm. Mom milked our Jersey cow, Penny, every morning and night. She came in the house with the fresh warm milk, and strained it into a stainless steel milk jug and put it in the frig. No pasterization, no additives, no nothing. We drank that wonderful, sweet milk, sometimes still warm – sometimes ice cold, either way, I loved it! In the morning there was always a thick layer of delicious cream on top that she would skim off and churn into the most delicious butter. Or we would use that cream to put on our Rice Krispies in the morning with fresh red raspberries picked from her raspberry patch. The butter was slathered on her hot homemade bread or rolls, fresh from the oven. All the food we ate was fresh, and natural and delicious. Eggs! Right from the chickens! How much different they taste than the one’s from the store, even if you buy the organic ones -they just don’t taste the same. We didn’t worry about cholesterol or fat, there was too much work, you needed those things for energy! I was so healthy as a kid, we hardly every got sick, and if we had a cold or flu it was over in a hurry. We never took antibiotics, we just has some some good ol Ma Browns cream rubbed on our chests to relieve the congestion. Mom wrapped you up in a blanket and put you in the lounge chair next to the wood stove so you could put your feet up next to it, and you sweat out the cold! Now that I’m in my 50’s, I am so unhappy that the government has decided that raw milk and alot of the food we eat is no longer good for us, and has banned farmers from selling it. Everything that is good in our food is pasterized out, or some additive put in it to "save" us from eating food as it was intended. Wouldn’t they cringe to see us as kids going out to the garden for a snack, eating fresh tomatoes and strawberries straight from the earth with no washing, sometimes still with a little dirt on it! Horrors! What I wouldn’t do right now for a glass of that fresh milk along with a handeful of homemade cookies!
Although I eat raw honey from a local farmer, I didn’t realize that the honey on the shelf doesn’t always have the same benefits. Thank you for sharing that very important information!!
O'Dell says: honey….well, I guess I’ve learned something here today. I was not aware that honey had an expiration date. I thought honey kept for many years. Did they not find some in the tombs of Eygpt or some such place that was thousands of yrs old? I will check at my local farm where I buy veggies- they do have their own honey. I was also not aware that it would be labeled "raw". I have not purchased it in the past because of the cost, but know it can be wonderful for sore throats, and I would imagine it perhaps is good for your heart? I had read that bee stings can help cure arthritis, and use a bee balm on my sore knees, which seems to help. I like to think that as each year passes I am getting better educated on my health…and pass this info on to family & friends that will listen.
I have developed asthma the past yr and wonder what might help me with that, other than the medication I use now in the inhaler. I am not happy that it is a manmade chemical, but it does help considerably. Do you know if there is anything "natural" that might also help me?
thank you….love your blog….O’Dell
O’Dell
You are correct that Honey has a very long shelf life. What I was referring to is that over time ( just like enzymes) it can loose its potency. For the "best" get the "best" date availlable.
Gary says: Rene’… you are right on target with this well spoken/written and timely Bloggie.
I couldn’t agree more, and while I do trust the Bees, I also believe the usda and fda have "other" interests than our health and well being, and they are not deserving of our Trust.
Raw honey is a wonderful food, and it is also the only food that never goes bad, although the enzymes you mention do lose vitality over time.
Other foods have been similarly maligned by BIG agri-business in concert with the fda/usda in the interests of their chemical concotions and corporate profits. Eggs are the best example, for they are truely the most perfect food in all of nature. The latest research (from England) has concluded that consumption of eggs has absolutely no impact on serum cholesterol, and guess who funded those earlier studies that declared eggs to be "bad" for us… yep… BIG agri-business and the feds.
It is also important to seek organic when it comes to eggs and dairy, as the factory farm products (now illegal in California due to Proposition 2 passing) contain extremely high levels of antibiotics, chemical stimulants and hormones including rBGH.
Hmmm… now I’ve done a rantlet also ‘eh…
Thank You for reading, and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Kimberly D says: If you have allegees you should eat honey from your area. I use to sell honey, and people would ask me if it came locally because of their allgees.
Also I grew up drinking milk fresh from the cow and am almost 43…now that was milk. My best friend and I would pass a jug around drinking it till it was gone…….yum! My mom would go buy eggs right from the farmer, so fresh they still was "dirty"…lol we just washed the shells. My parents would buy half a cow for winter. Big difference in taste with the beef you get in a store. I worked in a grocery store and the butcher told me the trick to make the hamburger look more red was to mix kool aid in it. You don’t taste the flavor of the kool aid.
My sisters and I were just talking over the 4th about the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits our grandmother used to make for us whenever we visited her. She had a huge farm kitchen and even though she had an electric stove for years she loved to use her old wood cookstove to make this. I think I am going to find some local, raw honey tomorrow and try to resurrect the old recipe
This is so true !
Most folks want to live a healthier life, but are fooled by these marketing tricks.
It is very aggravating.
I spend about half (or more) of my time teaching folks about organic gardening and natural living in a few places, namely my Squidoo writings.
So many people think that if they see "natural" on the label, it is true.
I show them to read the labels to see what it REALLY is.
By the way Rene, I found your blog through twitter, I am Relax_Naturally
Thank you for teaching folks how to be more natural too 😉
Organically Yours,
Diana
Hey Diana,
Thanks, See you on twitter…
doreen says: Thanks for this information, Rene. I attended a lecture earlier this summer given by an MD who is the head of alternative and preventative medicine at the University of Michigan, and he said that honey won out in head to head trials with leading cough medicines for suppressing a cough. It works for me, and it’s delicious!
God save us from the Food Police.
Ah, even though I am a wee bit afraid of bees (when one buzzes by my head I usually let out a little AYEEE!) our family made it a point to have a SUPER bee friendly garden. We even talked our neighbors into doing the same, and when we’re out in our front yards…we often talk about how many bees we’ve seen out and about. Happy to report, at least in our little neck of the woods…the bees are happy and plentiful!
🙂
Totally agree!
Living rurally as I do, surrounded by orchards, I know well how important bees are! I always hope someday to get a hive too! Sometimes a whole hive will leave with their queen and take up residence in a pasture close by. Sometime I will have a home ready for the bees when this happens and maybe I’ll have my own yummy honey!
I use raw honey almost exclusively and I adore bees. The occassional sting is worth it.
diana dejane says: Great story and comments! enjoyed it very much
Tana says: That is all we can do. Work at changing our little corner of the world. Enjoyed your blog today. Check and see if they have classes in your area about being a bee keeper. I think you would enjoy the knowledge even if you decided not to keep bees. Thank you for your thoughtful insight.
Amy says: I love having the bees around my yard and do my best to keep them happy and safe. I’ve taken the time to educate my children on why its important not to harm them, but PLEASE don’t tell me I have to like the wasps! I have no desire to keep them happy.
Thanks for writing. I enjoy your blog. -Amy in North Idaho
Gary says: Excellent and timely Bloggie Rene’…!
The February issue of "Mary Jane’s Farm Magazine" was all about Bees and honey, and it’s a real keeper. I opened a dialogue with one of the subjects Sherry Cockerham, a BeeKeeper in my Home State Tennessee, and have learned a lot about this since. Independent BeeKeepers struggle to make ends meet and take care of their Bees, and they both deserve and appreciate any donations to help with costs, and of course patronizing their products.
Monsanto and it’s GMO products kill millions of Bees each year, because the plants contaminated with GMO kill any Bee trying to polinate them. I had sent you an e-mail with a video about GMO a few weeks back, with a link to a good video explaining the problem.
You are absolutely right, as we each need to mind our little corner of the world and do what we can to make things better.
meanwhile…
GosSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Wonderful topic. A friend and i were just wondering the other day if CCD was a "thing of the past". Around here in the South Sound area, the bees seem plentiful in our yards.
I read some advice a few years before CCD hit the presses about getting the most out of the bees in your yard, in terms of pollenization by planting many bee attractors at the perimeters of your yard/garden. We have a 17K sq ft yard with all the usable property in the front yard. The grass we had did nothing for the bees, so we converted some into a flower/kitchen garden and we converted more into a 400 sq ft veggie garden. Row of raspberries and an English Laurel hedge scrapped for a hedge of mugo pines, lavender, and blueberry bushes and we’re pretty well finished for now. With lavender near the blueberries in the front hedge, i started looking down across the yard wondering where the next lavender or lupines should be. Now i have them strategically placed in all corners of my yard and kitty corner from one another. The increase of bees in our yard is amazing: mason bees, honey bees, hornets, and bumblebees. The difference is amazing. And all because we gave a little priority to planting just 8 of those little bee magnets.
We’ve also encouraged the clover in our yard, because here that is usually one of the first flowers up in the Spring and the honeybees *love* it!
Good luck to all of you in your quest planting your bee garden!
Brehmblebee says: Living here in western North Carolina mountains surrounded by acres and acres of pasture and National forest you would think I would see more honey bees. Not so… I see less every year. With the wipe out the wild flowers and native trees program run by both the state and counties, massive amounts along all state maintained roads are mowed down way beyond any necessary clearances. Farm lands are disappearing at an alarming rate and being replaced with now abandoned new construction sites. Although where I live is really one of the most beautiful places in the world and is classified as a rain forest and named the seed bed of the world it is very poorly maintained. If this is happening in your neck of the woods, call your local and state road maintenance departments and let them know how you feel about this issue. On a lighter note, I was recently stung by a very large bumblebee while strolling barefoot in the clover on a very painful bunion! The pain was horrible for 3 hours and nothing helped. Well, that was 3 weeks ago and my bunion has not hurt since!!! My husband told me of how when he was a child he and his cousins would collect honey bees in a jar for his grandmother. She then would turn it upside down and open it placing it over her arthritic fingers and let them sting her. This brought amazing relief from her suffering! Now, I am not suggesting you do the same but… it sure worked for the Carolina farm girl’s bunion! Perhaps there is some science to this someone is aware of?
I really enjoy finding people working for the same goal! I love bees too. I am working on getting a hive for next spring.It takes a little more effort than setting out a box. Living where we do, the bee association people told us we have to have an electric fence to surround the hive. My girlfriend asked how that would keep the bees in the hive. I almost choked on my tea! Bears are pretty common around here, and you know how bears love honey. The electric fence keeps critters out.
I hope you enjoy your pollinators!
Helena says: The bees were so many this year at our home in Pa when the locust trees were in blossom. They were so busy they never noticed me on their daily rounds when I was hanginglaundry on the line. I was even able to "touch’ them ever so gently on the trees. Beautiful !! Such a simple creature with so much to offer us and we barely notice them. Lately I have been taking more time to just sit and watch my garden. It’s a busy little place to vist and reminds me that it’s not .."all about us" in this world.
Melissa says: Great blog. My family and I have been "keeping" bees for about 4 years now and have really enjoyed learning about them! "Beekeeping" is probably really a misnomer, perhaps "Beehosting" would be a better name. You try to provide a welcoming environment but sometimes they stay and sometimes they choose to move on. They are amazing little creatures that you could study for years and still only know a fraction. There is a really great book called Fruitless Fall that anyone interested in bees & CCD should read.
Really enjoy your blog.
sharon says: Is there anything quite as joyous to observe as a bumble bee deliriously snuggling into an open flower and humming exuberantly as she does it?
I missed the February issue about Bees. Darn. Maybe I can get a back issue.
We just had a swarm of honey bees move into one of the squirrel houses my husband built. We are so very happy that they are here! My husband is so excited for the benefit they’ll provide for our fruit trees next year.
I sure hope they enjoy their new home.
siounique says: I love bees, wish i had a have at my place. I have only been stung once and it was my fault i stepped on the poor worker barefoot in the back yard when i was young. They say they sense fear and sinse i have no fear of them that maybe why they can be right next to me and never bother me. I hope more of us organic farmgirl can provide a safe place for bees to live organically.
Barb Knopp says: Grandma will be teary too when she reads this. It is wonderful that you have warm and fuzzy family and friend memories.
Mom
Claire says: This made me laugh out loud! Thanks.
Betty J. says: Rene, I, too, had a grandmother that lived a really rough life, but never complained. She started out in a soddy and came up from there. She died when I was a teenager and I miss her still. Grandpa was the same for me. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. I never knew my father’s side of the family since he died when I was an infant. I often wonder what it would have been like to have him around.
Bless you for your lady-like endeavors. We need more of that these days.
Betty in Pasco
Natalie says: Rene –
Your insight is so fun – and so true…I too am surprised at the woman whose words come out of my own mouth – it is my voice, but it can’t be my words! I had to laugh at the fact that I know who Odie is.
Fun piece – a grand tribute to your grandma…well done!
Nat
Renee darlin’ you aren’t the only one…and while I have some friends wh seem born Maxine’s and think it hilarious (when it’s really not) I can relate with you on the fear of becoming her. Age is supposed to soften us, right? Well, for some of us who feel we have seen, done, and lived thru too much, it’s just eaier to live with an expectation of disappointment. I am the sort that doesn’t let them get too close so that they have less opportunity of doing so…but I have found that I disappoint myself! *U* So, I have decided to pray for the love of Christ in my heart to love people for me. I simply can’t do it. I don’t think there’s much to be done about the "girls hanging down" at this point besides a dreadful surgery I’m not willing to go thru. Besides, I could buy so many chickens, goats, sheep, etc. with that kind of $$$!
Charlotte says: As always, you made me laugh out loud especially when I think back of how often lately my "outside voice" is talking instead of my calm "inside voice". Maxine is definately alive and well in many of us with the pace of our harried lives. It all goes back to your thoughts on "Refueling" and I believe simplifying to be able to find what we truly need to find that sense of balance.
Thanks again for making us laugh while we are still shaking our heads in agreement because it touches us in our every day lives! Keep smiling!
Gary says: Beautifully written from the Heart Rene’…
This Bloggie will ring a familiar "Bell" in anyone, and would likely make Grandma Doris *Smile*…
Gary
in Tampa
As usual, God answered your prayer before you even spoke it. You are not Maxine – not yet, anyway. You are way too funny and way too pretty. I do love your blog and will keep coming back, and let me tell you, that’s saying A LOT because I typically don’t read blogs – not any. Keep writing Rene’. I feel like I’ve made a new friend.
Marilyn,
Thank you for you kindness. I love to write and I am especially glad when it speaks to others. Thanks for letting me know that I am not Maxine yet, I keep beating her off with a stick :)… friends indeed!
What a blessing to have those women in our lives to be examples of goodness and optimism–and to have others treat us way more graciously than our Maxine-like tendencies deserve!
Loretta Hoffmandname says: It is an extra tough Monday morning for me. Thank you for sharing a peice of your life. I am the one on the other end of the adoption. My daughter is 10, we home school so
working is just a part of her life. We moved onto this little 5 acre farm 2 1/2 years ago. We adopted her when she was 6, but she had been with us since 9 mo. Your writing causes me to wish I could have one day of your time.
So great to hear from another women who acknowledges her
Heavenly Father.
donna says: My Granny was 5 foot tall and weighed 98 pounds with a soaking weight towel on her. Her silver hair reached to the ground. She wore it in a beauitful braid warpped around her head. Her life was hard. We lived in Oklahoma at the time and she had gone thru war times, dust bowls, and she never complained. I too am adopted. One of her sons, was my dad. They were so happy when I came along. She lived by the farmers almanac. I have seen her eat buttermilk and cornbread for supper for that was all she had. Her garden grew better than any ones. Her vegtables were all organiac. Before it was popular. Vinegar is the best cleanner. She loved ice cream. You are right I dont want to be Maxine. I want to by my granny.
Charlotte Mordaunt says: Rene….
How true this is. I just recently returned from a refueling trip to Boston where I met one of my greatest friends! She had flown in from Colorado and I had driven in from Syracuse and we were there to refuel and celebrate her 40th. For that short weekend, we just laughed and toured and acted like tourists with no cares in the world. On the drive home, I realized that I have too often left myself last on the list of To Do’s. This trip reminded me how important it is to move me up on the list. Thanks for the great writing and the simple way that you seem to capture the spirit of all of us out there! I love reading your blog and look forward to every new entry!
Thanks Charlotte~
Glad you took the time to re-fuel!
Marylin Rhoads says: My heart lurched when I saw Spokane River and camping. I grew up in the Spokane Valley and the river was a big part of my life. Skipping school (oops) and spending the day on the rocks, riding bikes with my best friend and sunning ourselves on an old dock on the river, feeling the roar of the falls and the spray on my face, rafting down the river, fishing,and on and on. Thanks for the pictures, I felt myself unwind with you. I live in MN now, land of 10,000 lakes and don’t get back very often. Thank you for jogging my memories.
Oh Rene’,
So glad you were able to join us for "re-fueling".
It really was wonderful to have you join us.
I have sat many an afternoon…"decompressing" at one of the picnic benches near the waters edge,,,,much needed as a California transplant.
Isn’t it amazing how we can cram 30 hours of "stuff" in a
24-hour day!?! That’s why taking time (re-fueling) for ourselves is very thereputic.
hugz
>^..^<
This is such an important post, and I so related! Just a month ago, I had my refueling escape when I went to my 25th high school reunion. The gift of being away from the daily responsibilities of home and kids, and especially being with dear, dear girlfriends: nothing like it. I came home so renewed that my husband was telling friends that I should go away more often (this was the longest I’d ever left my two kids, 4 and nearly 8.) Now I just have to see if I can hold him to it! A next get-together with some of those HS friends is already on the books for next month–I cannot wait. This time, I’m hoping some of them will come to me, to see the natural beauty of the rural place I’m lucky enough to call home. Though I won’t leave my chores behind on this visit, I’ll get to share them with my sister-friends, and I suspect that doing so will cast them in a new light–I’ll let you know!
SusieQ says: My life is like holding on to the wagging tail of dog. Once in awhile I just have to let go…. the dog always comes back…..
Kaye says: Wow! Can I ever relate to the idea of decompressing for a few days, and recharging my batteries. These days, I tend to head over to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. I’m a member, so I go several time a year. Being a history buff, it’s great to take that giant step back to a much simpler time, and just bask in the peace and quite. My long-range plan for when I am Finally retired, is to volunteer as a costumed interpreter. For me, the two hour drive would be as nothing to the fun and satistaction of interacting with visators, especially the kids, telling them about the village and it’s time in history. That would be like a perpetual vacation. Ahh! I always feel better when I come back from one of my weekend jaunts to the village.
Cassandra says: Thank you Renee! I needed the re-fuel reminder! I have been contemplating how much I want to get away for a few days but..how oh how with all the things to do! You’ve inspired me to just do it!
Cassandra,
I hope you do. I have found that life seems easier with a "full-tank".
Dawn says: This completely reflects my previous email to you. I too, am finding it okay, to just "be". Although, I have to be reminded as well! Your writing is lovely. Thank you for the mini mind vacation!
Just two weeks ago came back from a rejuvenating hike in the mountain of Cathedral Gorge south of Ely, Nevada. The magic of the entire park is imprinted in my soul forever. The pics can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crudeco/3596500767/
The wonder of our natural surroundings still un captured by so many people, so many of us have know idea of what our America has to offer, and usuallly for free.
Reba says: I just enjoyed two weeks of visiting out west (and MaryJane’s store). Coming from the Southeast where everyone is crowded and homes, much of the time, are side-by-side I realized how small things are in the "vast-ness" of the beautiful views of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho as we drove through. It made me think much about what SEEMS important and what IS important. Like you said, the trip home was harder than I thought it would be. I’m missing it already.
Gary says: Beautifully said/written Rene’…
Your words ring True, and have been echoed throughout the Ages. Reserving (not "taking") time for our Spiritual regeneration, and sharing that time with Family and Friends, is an act that centers all the other parts of our Lives.
Yes, I can purchase a box and flip a switch and the troubles of the World will flood into my Home, but that doesn’t mean they belong there, and as for the weather report, well it’s right on the other side of my front door ‘eh.
This time we reserve is the essence of Sabbath, and there is a ancient Jewish saying about Tradition: "When you swap Tradition for "progress", you often wind up with neither."
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
I love that Gary, Thank You! I think I will stitch it onto a pillow 🙂 thanks for sharing it!
Suzy Lowry Geno says: As a writer who also works from my home farm, the wife of a husband whose recently had two major heart attacks, and the chief-operator of this 15 acre homestead, I can totally relate to your analogy about the cart going downhill out of control….I’ve read and reread your experience on the river and I thank you for "taking me there" with you for just a little while via your wonderful writing…Tonight I especially needed to "refuel" and you have helped!!!
Suzy,
I am glad that my writtings could help a little. We all need refueling from time to time.
lauren says: Rene!
Thank you for sharing and the the photos are great! I could almost hear the rushing of the water! Refueling is exactly what I need! This drove that point home. Blessings from the south, as we both continue to reach our goal of filling our life "tank" with all the right stuff!
Lauren
Rene, you are so right. I had the most wonderful time with my girlfriends that weekend! We just had a ball and laughed until we cried, both of which are very healing! The Farmchicks show has become an annual get-away for us and the bonus this year was being able to meet you and Maryjane and the sister’s on the fly group. I left a message at home that night that it was "the best day of my life"!!!!!! getting away and distancing yourself from everyday life makes one appreciate that life even more, for me anyway! Getting away is great, but coming back home, to that cozy little nest, is even better.
Thank you for your hospitality and for letting us drop in on your camp! It was a joyous visit and a wonderful memory that will always be close to the surface of my heart! thanks for being a part of that!!
Holly
Holly,
It was a joy to meet you and the girls as well. I hope we will see you at MaryJanesFarm Fair July 3-5th!
Great post Renee, and I must say, you gals in Prosser have the greatest community ever! Not hard to make friends there at all! Love it! Hey! Where’s my blog? It’s not on your sidebar. I’m pouting.
I’m checking out signing up to sell soaps at your farmer’s market twice a month…hope it works out! Too fun there!
Noeletta says: Once again, nicely written! You indeed are a special person and you deserve to have special friends. You know the saying you reap what you sew, for you that includes your friendships.
Gary says: Very well said/written Rene’…
Our Friends, though few in number, are a vital resource in Life. We nuture, encourage, kid and prod, and help each other to be our Best. While they may not always say what we want to hear, they can be Trusted to tell us the Truth (as they see it), and vice versa.
Over the decades, many "friends" have morphed into acquaintainces in my Life, as have I in theirs, however five have emerged as Lifetime Friends, and for them I am Eternally Grateful.
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
suzy says: Rene’, I was very moved by your story. I lost my very best friend in the late seventies. I have often thought what it would have been like if she were alive.For many years I was afraid to get really close to my girlfriends. I finally realized My friend who passed would not want me to live that way, she was such a giving and thoughtful person. I now have several really good friends and one I consider my best. We encourage each other and we both know it’s never too late to call if we need one another. Good friends are truly one life’s greatest treasures. And on a not so sappy note and gotta go pick peas ! Love to all, Suzy (Texas)
Hey Suzy,
Not sappy at all… Sorry about the loss.. I know how they can leave those life scars…You’re right though she would want you to have friends as they make life so much richer…..
O'Dell Merchant says: Hi Rene’. I just received my first issue of MaryJane’s magazine….just love it! Your note made me think of my last visit with my l yr old granddaughter. I read a picture book of farm animals to her, making all the sounds of the animals. some she tried to repeat after me. Then we went to her mom’s chicken coop and she showed us the baby chicks. I then repeated the "peep-peep" of the chick, and the look on her face, when she realized I was making the sound of the chicks in the book! She gave us a big smile and laughed. It was cute to see her connect the story with the real thing. She then took one little finger, to pat the baby chick. I just love being a grandma! (I grew up in an old farmhouse in CT…and like you my early years were not without some real pain. But having grandchildren (5 in all) helps make up for it…and I feel like a kid again with them!
Keep up the fun stories……O’Dell M.
Noeletta says: This is a little bitter sweet. I hope that we will be able to always laugh and play like children, even at 72! 🙂
Gary says: Wonderful Bloggie Rene’…!
Your photos capture the sense of High Adventure, which enriches the lives of Country Boys and Girls.
I remember vividly going to the barn long before dawn and milking… rolling the cans down to the road on a cart to be picked up by the Dairy truck, and picking up yesterday’s empties with milk money envelope inside, while Ganny gathered eggs. Breakfast from Ganny’s cast iron wood stove, with a pitcher of still warm milk and bowl of ice cracked from the block in the ice chest on the table.
Thank You for the walk down Memory Lane…! and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Oh Rene,
So true!
I taught Pre-school for 10 years and I truly believe that children need to be children…they grow up soon enough and have to deal w/the issues of life,,,but for now let them play!
There are days when I am out in my ‘garden of weedin’ all grimmy & stinky and I think,,,Ah! it feels good to be a kid again!.
We as a society are losing sight of "teaching Children how to play", not just computer games but actually get outside with a brown paper bag, fill it w/nature stuff, dump the goodies on a table to assess their finds and then glue all those wonderful goodies on an old ceral box that has been cut into squares perfect for holding mini pinecones, twiggs, leaves, snail shells…well you get the picture…In fact I think parents miss out on one of the most wonderful joys & blessings,,,,playing outside in the sunshine with their children….on that note I think I will go out side & be a kid again,,,,I know, I know, don’t slam the screen door!
hugz
>^..^<
I’m admire you for not letting your formative years determine who you are. So many suffer all their lives over a tragic childhood instead of working to put it behand them and creating a new "me". Kudos.
Hedy,
Thank You for that! I feel blessed that I learned, somewhere along the way, that I get to wake up every day and choose who I am and what my life and the life I live will be like and look like. Often, I think we forget that "we" are in the drivers seat. We have a section in the MaryJane Magazines called "Every Woman has a story". And nothing is more true. We all have one and either we are writing it… or we are allowing someone else too. I just decided to pick up my own pen… Blessings to you!
SusieQ says: I love the story…. and I love the last photo….. that is so him…. thanks for sharing….
Wonderful story!! 5 of my 7 children are adopted…all from backgrounds that were very awful…none as infants, and I am amazed and inspired by them each day.It is wonderful to hear from an adopted kid’s side how things are and to see what a great person you turned out to be!
Summertime is a wonderful time to see them really cut loose and be kids..and what kids!!!
I LOVE that my oldest daughter’s NAME is Summer (wish I had picked that myself!!!)What a fun season to be named for, right? It really fits her too! I work at an elementary school and love that I am off work when the kids are out of school..we work together in the garden and play together…fishing, and exploring. I guess Moms will be kids too, right?
Jenny,
I think I do the mom thing "best" when I am willing to look at life through the eyes of my children.
Reba says: Great blog, Rene. I was blessed with one child (now 28 years old). She has taught me much about life. She has been a very patient teacher by the way. I could only have one, so I love life everyday knowing that she is in it, regardless of what may happen. To look at how she has responded to the environment and others around her showed me lessons in freedom and being spontaneous and what love is really about.
Michele says: Love it Rene’,
But its not only the kids that look forward to summer vacation.
I remember when my girls were young and I couldn’t wait for school to be out. No more schedules, no more tears while one of them struggled with home work.
And the freedom for them to do, and be, whatever they chose everyday.
My girls and the neighborhood kids would put on elaborate stage plays ( think "Annie") where casting and rehearsals would take weeks of their time and we parents were rewarded with big Kodak moments when they finally had opening night in August.
The best part about summer for me was once again being the most influential person in their lives, at least for a few months, I didn’t have to compete with teachers and scout leaders, etc.
Oh, for those carefree days
Michele
Michele~ SO true. I am one of those moms too.. Love the more relaxes scheduels that come with the summers.
Missy Tollison Henson says: I just got my first magazine and I love it – it is so much like me. I love growing my own food, raising chickens, letting my kids run around all summer barefoot, hanging sheets on the line and living a slower paced lifestyle. This magazine suits me just fine!! My dream is to one day have my own working farm and orchards and have all my kids and their kids help me around the farm! Great job on MaryJanes’s Farm!
Thanks Missy!
Missy Tollison Henson says: I just got my first magazine and I love it – it is so much like me. I love growing my own food, raising chickens, letting my kids run around all summer barefoot, hanging sheets on the line and living a slower paced lifestyle. This magazine suits me just fine!! My dream is to one day have my own working farm and orchards and have all my kids and their kids help me around the farm! Great job on MaryJanes’s Farm!
Thanks Missy!
Charlotte Mordaunt says: What a great entry…..my daughter is 8 and just started riding. I thought I was going to the farm for her and I found myself falling in love with the horses almost more than she has! There is definately something special there….a kind of peace to the rhythm of life.
At five years old, I convinced my parents to let me ride a horse, while at an uncle’s farm. I was ever changed and knew that a farm,the country, a garden, horses, chickens, goats, cats and dogs were in my future! Our horses are gone now, of old age, but they remain a highlight to my life!
Catherine Strickler says: My first love, or my first horse – My first love was named Billy and he was the tall boy (at least I thought so at age 6) and in 8th grade – I was in 1st. He was the oldest at our little country school on my father’s ranch and I was one of the youngest – along with his sister, Rosa Bell. They rode horses to school and I admired him greatly as he was always rescueing us from some misadventure during recess. I am sure he never knew of my crush, but it filled my daydreams brimming full during weekends and vacations.
My first horse was tall (he really was a Thoroughbred) and a red sorrel with one white hind foot and a star in his forehead. Fox had been my father’s horse, and then my mother’s and then mine. He guided me through my first rodeo performance, many roundups, a few budding romances, hot days of searching for favorite fishing or swimming holes and many times down at the shop for a shoeing job. I can still smell the warm horsey fragrance of his neck and feel the softness of his nose as we nuzzled each other. He was patient while I grew until I could get a foot in the stirrup without a stump or corral rail to stand on. I will always remember how he pranced after a good tail pulling session and can still feel his stride as we rode the dusty trails of our Wyoming home.
Gary says: Excellent Bloggie Rene"…!
My Mom and Pop got me a Shetland pony, "Buckshot", when I was 5 years old, and built him a tiny barn in our field. They always made sure I had Critters in my Life, and for that effort, I am eternally Grateful.
Our relationships with Critters hold a Special place in our Heart… a place where even Family can seldom go… it is the Domain of God himself… Unconditional Love.
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Heather Scholten (Pickles) says: Oh my gosh Rene’!! It’s like you were reiterating my love story to the letter. My first horsey love was Chief. From the moment I saw him, I knew I had to have him. We had an amazing connection with each other. I miss him dearly! Thanks for your post!
~Heather
Carol says: I got a pony when I was 4 years old. His name was "Beanie". My dad bought him for me and to bring him home my dad walked in front of him leading all the way home 4 miles with me riding him………. I was in little girls heaven. I loved my dad for moments like that. Thanks, for bringing back the memories.
Carol
Glenwood, IA
I too have a love affair with horses. First my mare, and then when she gave birth to a beautiful filly, I was totally smitten. She’s 4 years old now, and there’s nothing better than a kiss & a hug from my Lillianna! They soothe the weary soul & renew the spirit!
Mary Helen Rappole says: I remember so clearly when my Dad put side stakes on the borrowed pick-up truck and drove thru the night, to purchase my horse, when this 10 year old girl awoke the next morning, there was "Silver", saddle, bridle, blanket all for $75. Silver was white, big Roman nose, brown ears, 20+years, but oh how I loved him. I could lay in the manger and he would eat hay around me!
carol branum says: hi rene, my first horse was named princess,it was a blond palimino,how i loved her…have a great day,ive been working a lot havent got to read you blog for weeks, going trough withdrawal ha, carol branum
Thanks Carol.. Love those Palimino’s…. Love them!
DiAnna says: As a young girl my dream was to own a horse. When my family moved to my Mother’s home area of rural MN my sister and I started saving for our first horse. Our stepfather worked construction and saved his change for us each week. I remember the coin holders similar to the coin folders that collectors use. It was in the shape of an owl for wise savers. We filled those folders with dimes each week and dreamed of our horse. One day we found a horse for sale for $100. She was a paint/quarter horse named Gypsy. The problem was we only had $90 so my stepfather gave us the other $10 (in reality he supplied all the money with all his change each week.) We did not own a saddle so we learned to ride bare back. The problem was we were small and she was large. We would stand on a 55 gallon barrel to mount her. One day Gypsy had a baby filly that we named Tonka. My little sister became the owner of Tonka and became a prize winning rider. She broke Tonka on her own while Tonka broke her foot twice due to the fact we never wore shoes in the summer. These are wonderful memories where all the kids in the neighborhood (five mile radius) would get together, pack a lunch and ride horse all day. Our parents never knew where we were all day but no one ever worried about kids being harmed. My sister is gone now but the memories of all the fun we had because of a $100 horse are still there.
I too am in love with horses. Have not had one to call my own yet but I will not give up hope for a big four-legged best friend.~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
Bette in Plant City, FL says: Rene’—-you are a fantastic writer! When I first started reading your story I thought of my yearling, Jo-Jo Thunder, then my "it’s complicated" boyfriend….I figure I’ve got my priorities straight!
I work to feed my three babies (angels in fur coats) & myself but would never consider that a burden. There’s no equal to wrapping your arms around their sinewy, sleek neck, tangling your fingers in a silky mane, feeling the warmth of their flesh and that soft, wet nuzzle on the back of your neck that sends tingles racing up and down…and then the nickering….just heard them now….must be that sacred connection & carrot time…gotta go. They hold my heart and, yes Gary in Tampa, I resonate with your thoughts that God gave them to me/us to teach His unconditional love. XO
connie bergstrom says: I remember bringing home my first love from Kooskia, Idaho,it seemed like the longest drive back home to Moscow to get her home! My neck still hurts from turning around to make sure she was still in the back of the truck on that dark rainy night. Sheba turned into my best friend and raised me up all the way out of high school before she finally passed on tho that big cloverfield in the sky. to this day even 15 years after shes been gone I miss her tons.
sharon says: How fortunate you are to have a neighbor who could gently guide you to the wise ways with grapes and how lucky for this reader to be reminded just how this applies to life. So true, so true. Here’s to quality and true joy in each day’s opportunities.
Jenny says: I just can’t tell you how much I needed this post today. Truly, truly needed it. From one gardener to another, thanks for helping me keep some things in perspective. I think I love you. 😉
Isnt that an old partiridge song? I think I love you but what am so afraid of.. I afraid that Im not sure of a love there is no cure for…. Now you have Rebekah and I singing that stupid song….. thanks! :)..
meredith says: AMEN!
p.s. please write your book. 🙂
Gary says: Brilliant Bloggie Rene’…!
Your "Grapevine-Parable" is very thought provoking and well spoken/written. Life is much like a grapevine, and yours appears to be very productive young Lady.
Your grapevine photos are beautiful, and since they live hundreds of years, one day your Grandchildren may tend that same vine, speaking of you, as they harvest fruit you planted today.
Beautiful… just Beautiful…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Thanks Gary, I keep my clippers sharp LOL 🙂
That was wonderful, I didn’t expect it, yet it was just what I needed. And, like Gary said, please write your book! Linda
Thanks Linda.. all the encouragement has been such a gift!
Reba says: Thanks Rene. I needed to be reminded of these same lessons for myself while listening, crying, and talking with a sister that is currently going through divorce after 38 years of marriage. It is so hard to know what to say. I am learning much about listening, as you listened to someone wise about your vines.
Reba,
I am so sorry to hear about your sister. Such pain. I went thru ti with my little sister a couple years ago, as much as we would like to wish that there would be some magic pill for the pain they are in, there simply isnt. But healing does come. Often times just listening IS the medicine they need.
Blair says: Wow Rene- I just love your blogs.
When I turned 29, I was kind of bummed that it was my last 20th birthday and that being 30 soon, I would officially be an "adult".(other people would view me as an "adult") I just didn’t feel that I had made the most of my 20’s and was disappointed in myself for not taking advantage of those years. So I made the decision to "prune" my life; Not be afraid to make big changes, Do what makes ME happy, makes me grow into the person I want to be, not necesarily the person others think I am or should be. It has been so liberating and I am happier now than I ever have been. Setting aside the fear of disappointing others has really made me get to know myself and truly enjoy my life. I am still a good employee and daughter and friend, I am just a better friend to myself than I ever have been in the past.
So like your grapes, I was doing pretty well as I was, but a good prune was in order to ensure the very best fruit had room to grow.
Awesome! I am so impressed that you were able to learn that while young.. I am a "late bloomer" I suppose. It took me into my 40’s, but like you I am a happier and healthier person for it…
Noeletta says: Kudos!!! Love, love, love it! Now we all just need to live it. 🙂
Roma says: Dear Rene, Reading your blogs this afternoon made me aware again how things can clutter our lives and rob us of our peace. My husband and I are moving for awhile to Montana to care for our new grand-baby. While packing up needed things, for the next few months, I discovered so many unneeded things in every place I looked. So much stuff! Stuff filling every drawer, closet, and cubby there is to find. Pruning away the "stuff" has been a hard thing to do. (Thinking that I need all that Stuff) Finally I started bagging up all that unneeded stuff and put the bags out on the back porch to be given away. I’m a quilter and we quilters love fabric. Any 100 % cotton is like chocolate to a quilter. We love buying it, looking at it and sometimes even making a quilt with it. Purging fabric is like pruning your grape vines. It’s painful, but finally getting the bags out of the house to be given to a local church to make quilts for others, I looked around my house and felt renewed energy. Less clutter, more room to breathe. Thanks for the reminder that pruning or de-cluttering is fruitful, refreshing and liberating. Now, if I can resist going to the quilt shop. Thanks my new friend.
I know too many people who live their lives the way they think other people expect them to.I always encourage them to be themselves and not let society dictate there path.It’s not an easy path to chose,be yourself is the best advice you can give someone but the hardest to follow.
grace brown says: Oh Renee, what a great analogy….
hugz
Leanne says: I, too, so hope you write your book!! I love the Chapter titles and could write my own stories right along with you! We are getting ready for a garage sale, and I find myself sincerely wanting to open up our entire house for people to walk through and take what they want! If only it could be so simple – I’m not sure my three young-ones would be appreciative that mom just wants to simplify!!! But, you are so, so correct that pruning away the negative and weighty items will just lead to more beautiful fruit in the end! Thank you for your ongoing direct, as well as sometimes subtle messages that reach our hearts!
Catherine says: This has been a meaningful Blog. How hard it is to make the cuts later. And talking about clearing clutter. I had a house fire once and it all was gone instantly. What a spiritual experience. Things are replaceable, and to get rid of so much that isn’t needed, how cleansing. Even in relationships it is hard to make the cuts now, when able the fruit is so much better later.
I think I am having a "god moment"! I just blogged about this the other day. How life is like gardening. I am allowing my inner farm girl to come out. Three years ago we bought a 120yr old farm house with a few acres. I have enjoyed planting and preserving and getting to know my farm girl neighbors. I have learned that when you work hard for something it is more appreciated and valued. And a simple life is a more refreshing one. Thank you for sharing your insights.
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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”.
Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear this message today.
I was so ready for this article! This is the first time I have read your blog, but I am definitely going to have to follow you now because you spoke to me! I also am in a place in my life where I need to do some mental and spiritual ‘housecleaning, and you have the right idea. The realization that only you are responsible for your own happiness is something that hit me hard about a year ago, but once I accepted it, I felt such freedom! It is very empowering!
Amen, Sister!
Love it!
I agree in ways I cannot explain. I am trying so hard to pull my weeds and let go of the things that hold me back it is difficult and I am doing the best I can. The great thing about gardening is that if you pull something out that you weren’t suppose to you can always replace it with something even more spectacular. And in the end life and gardening are building, growing, fostering, learning and just plain respecting the life we have created. Thanks for the great post.
Well said Rene’…
I have a feral Kitten, "Midnight", who adopted me, and he begins each day with an Attitude of Gratitude.
I didn’t want to get a Animal Companion until after my move back to the Smokey Mountains, but he is a stubborn lil’ Cat and was quite Insistant that we be Friends.
Before he came, I thought often about the delays I have experienced in my plans to move back to the Country. I believe God sent him to show me how to settle down and appreciate the Good, which is given in each new day.
So here’s a Smile to the day we’re given, and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Rene’, you are such a blessing. God has gifted you with a tender heart and oodles of wisdom, and I praise Him for sharing you with all of us.
Your words are a light unto my path, and I am grateful for each message you bring.
Pam,
I am so touched by your words. Thank You so much for them.
Rene-
I totally agree with you on this! For more than 30 years I had such a hard time being able to say that I loved my dad. I just didn’t! But I finally came to the place where I realized that he gave me the best he had. He isn’t perfect, but the Lord has helped me to see just how much my dad did give to me, and even though there was a lot of hurt attached, it was what he had to offer. I used to hate to hear people say that I was like my dad in any way…now I’m proud. He is a strong man and successful. I’m proud to be his girl and I know that he is proud of me and the grandkids I’ve given him.
I’ve heard this kind of thinking called "treasure hunting"…when you struggle with something in your life, look for what might be the gem in it all. Sometimes you have to wait awhile to see the fruit of it, but if you’re paying attention, you’ll find it!
Love your heart and your spirit…I miss you already!
Carrie
Carrie,
I have said so often, that "people cannot give what they dont have". Most of us find out that those that seemily failed, did so from a place of just not having it… not from Not wanting to give it.
I love the concept of treasure hunting….. we can all find some little treasure.. cant we? Something we can hold onto.. plant until it goes into that life changing gratitude. I loved meeting you! You are simply the best of the best.
This is just what I needed to hear. I have a great job, but I hate working all night. Lately, I’ve been trying to just be grateful for it. The thing that really bothers me is having to sleep when it is so beautiful outside this time of year. I keep thinking that I’m sleeping my life away. I have tried to ignore that thought, but the feelings that go along with it are difficult to ignore. I’m going to try harder to find a new way of thinking because I feel things won’t change until I learn to love this way of living, or at least accept it.
I’m going to copy your words and put them by my bed so I can see them when I wake up. Thank you so much. I love following your blog.
Rene-
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and wisdom. You’re a blessing.
I too have taken responsibility for my own happiness lately and it is sooo freeing.
Along the way, I realized that the opposite is true, too. I am not responsible for other people’s happiness. I work on being the best mother, spouse and friend that I can be.
If that isn’t enough for some, well, I guess I try not to let that be my problem.
And I try to give others the same grace I need for myself.
Blessings on you and yours!
Rene,
It is the first time I read your blog and love it. I too was a farmer when I grew up and the farm is the best place to be. I have the best memories in the whole world. When we drive to the country and see all the beautiful scenery I think of the city people(Some of them) that never left the city and miss all this lovely nature. I get up in the morning and admire my flowers and thank God for having them and be able to see them.
I grew some potatoes this year in my flower beds here and there and I feel like I am farming again. Just love it.
God bless you and your family.
Rene,
Love and Gratitude. My mantra. Full of Love and filled with Gratitude. That is how I survived the death of my youngest daughter, Sian.
Yes, there have been (and still continue to be) other trials and tribulations, some mountains and others mole-hills. Like you, I gave/give them each the grace they deserve and I move on. Life is too short to shoulder all that weight! Being weighed down by the heaviness of it all, you tend to miss a lot of things. They can just pass you by…
If you live in the moment, each moment, no matter how painful; you come to appreciate the gifts it can bring. Forgiveness does wonders too! It is healing and freeing. And never forget to forgive yourself as well – we can sometimes be our own worst enemies.
Also, let us not forget Hope. "Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life". We all should write that one too on the bathroom mirror for inspiration!
My family has a little ritual we do every night before my eldest daughter goes to bed. This is how we coped with the pain of our loss and made sense of the utter chaos we found ourselves in. We do ‘Gratefuls’. We each take a turn sharing things that happened that day that we are grateful for. Trust me, even when you’ve had the worst possible day you could ever imagine; you can find something – be it a tiny thing, or something you may think seemingly insignificant – to be grateful for. This thing could be ANYthing! Like; the sun was shining, a butterfly flew by the window, a stranger smiled at me today, I felt the rain on my face, or; I made it through this day, and; I;m grateful for you. My daughter can come up with some really amazing ‘gratefuls’ – Universal love and gratitude come so naturally to our children and should be nurtured!
This, this does such wonders for the soul – filling yourself with Love and Gratitude! Breathe it in and let it radiate from you!
I am grateful for the many blessings I have and continue to receive.
I am grateful for the good, and the bad. The joy, and the pain and for all the patience, grace and wisdom I have gained from experiencing all of these things.
I am grateful for the darkness, without which I would never know the light.
With Love, Light, Hope and Gratitude,
Cindy
Today your blog came into my in-box. What fun I have had looking at your essays. They sound so like the farm-girl that I am way over in Maine and the little messages I write in my own blog about the world outside my window. Our country is a big one and it goes to show how alike we are no matter where our wild world takes us. I enjoy a natural business with a partner who sees through the same eyes. I will peek in on you often to see how life on the other side of this great country of ours is going.
Rene,
That was very touching,and so true.If we all hold on to pain from the past we will never move foward to have a peaceful and positive future,even if it means letting go of someone thats makes the pain…let go and be free to love youself your life and all the good it has to offer and GOD knows there is so much life has to give us if we just open up to it.
P.S. I turned 50 yrs old and really learning so much about people and what makes them tick and to be gratfull every day I awake.
Thank You
This is an old blog but I just found this blog and i’m so glad I decided to read all of these because this is exactly what I needed to hear and God Bless You for giving you know knowledge to write such a thing and help others. Have a blessed day.