Sometimes, a carefree morning of harvesting wild berries transforms into a challenge that must be defeated! This happened to me this week with several kids (and one soon-to-be-kid…)in tow. Without those determined kiddos, this Farmgirl would have turned around long before the rewarding finale.
Farmgirls in the making.
Dog days make us all sleepy enough to take some zzzz’s in the most unlikely of places, like in a backpack.
We are in the thick of the dog days of summer. This is different in Alaska than it was growing up in the Midwest. In Alaska, it is “hot” when it’s over seventy degrees. For some reason it feels WAY hotter! Maybe it’s because of the angle of the sun?
Dori Troutman says: Hi Alex,
I just can’t get enough of that darling Ava. I’m thinking maybe I need a new grand-baby! 🙂
Loved your post. I’ve sure been feeling the dog days here too. My daughter and I have been swamped in our flower farming business and some days I’m just utterly exhausted. But it’s funny how I always say at night, “But it’s a good tired”… that’s the farmgirl spirit right?!
When I saw the picture of Ava and the Fireweed my heart started racing… some of my sweetest memories are my little ones on our yearly summer visit to see their cousins in Alaska. I have so many pictures of them in the Fireweed! Someday I’ll get back there. And when I do? I’m meeting YOU for lunch!
Hugs,
Dori
Alexandra Wilson says: A new grand baby might be the ticket! You are absolutely right about it being a good tired–It’s the kind of tired that brings the best sleep, too. A combo of physically exhausted and mentally satisfied.
How amazing would lunch in Alaska be?! I hope someday is sooner rather than later. Best to you and yours.
Susana says: Ava sure is busy. She even looked like she was walking o. Water.
Dog days of summer….are be cause you worked the land like a dog….always trying to stay cool and not itch…. bugs were constant battle for dogs…its that THEIR tails were always swishing away the flys or mosquitos….I. the summer.the humidity always brought the we worst out in the summer. My summer flew by so quickly because my dog and I have been very Busy ….
As my dog has been chasing racoons, birds and squirrels. She caught a female robin and was….
Flogged by the male mate of the robin she chased……who chased her. My fog nearly caught a. Black baby squirrel who bounced off mydogs back and and scurried up the tree to get away from it!. Yes a frantic. Summer….filled with many antics of A frustrated dog! It was hilarious to. Spy on my busy dog. Wish I. Could post her dog days!
..
Alexandra Wilson says: I love the antics! My dog has been quite the huntress this summer as well. She finally gave up on most birds which is a relief to me, but she has taken on squirrels after nabbing her first ground squirrel out in the mountains. We were on this organized hike with a whole bunch of babies, toddlers and their parents, of course. I had even told them all before the hike that Moki chased the squirrels but had never caught one. Afterward, she proudly brought it up to me…it was quite embarrassing even though I know it’s just an instinct thing and totally normal.
I love that you spy on your busy dog and share it with us! They can be such silly creatures.
I work in higher ed, with student with disabilities. This time of year is a HUGE ramp-up to the start of classes in a week, and I’m busier than I can even say! Also, it’s time to do big harvesting here in Colorado, and even though it’s in the 90’s, it’s already in the 50’s at night, so winter is coming and all my summer veggies will be gone. And it is so dry, I’m spending much of my free time watering to keep everything alive. Not my favorite time of year, for the busy-ness, and for the heat. I don’t do heat well (and I came from the Midwest originally, only in Colorado the last four years). I’m looking forward to fall, and winter. It is my quiet, less-busy time. As for the freezer, it’s almost full, and that’s just with this year’s harvests! Going to be canning a bunch, as soon as I get my outdoor kitchen set up!
Joan says: I so loved your posting!! Ava is sooooo wonderful to see. Yeah dog days are hitting me too but picking up peaches and pears today – grown on the Western slope of Colorado and have a lug of cucs to can so still being busy. Hope Colorado treats/treated you well, we’ve had a lot of storms this year. Best get myself away from the computer and get busy. God bless.
Pam deMarrais says: Thanks so much for the wonderful astronomy lesson! I hear about dog days every year, and was told that it runs from July 3rd to August 11th. The farmers say that if it rains the first day of dog days, it will rain a little every day for the length of dog days. I pay attention to that…..and it didn’t happen this year [either].
Your little girl is precious. I love that she is stylin’ at an early age. Shows her strong character. You are a great mom to let her show her creativity!
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”.
Love this! And congratulations 🙂 <3
Fantastic post, love the photos and great story of the day. Sounds like a wonderful memory for all you farmgirls 🙂 I have always enjoyed picking blueberries, we mostly put up cultivated, but usually score some wild ones as well – they sure do taste wonderful! Thanks for sharing
YAY!!! One can never have too many farm babies!!
Love your post from the Ozarks here.
Fall is around the corner, leaves are changing a bit early for us this year, temps are mild
and nights are cool.
I’m giving away bell peppers, bugs ate my cucumbers, made 27 pints of salsa, and
am preparing my winter pantry for this year.
Grateful for another garden, even when we don’t get what we expect, there is always enough to be thankful for.
Hugs from Noel, Mo!!! Diana
Hi Alex!
I’m SO EXCITED!!! I can’t wait for more blog posts with your darling Ava AND another darling baby! 🙂 I think it is very awesome that you aren’t going to find out the gender ahead of time. I love surprises like that!
And your blueberry hike was great – as I was reading every word I was wishing I could’ve been there, hiking in that gorgeous country and picking Alaska blueberries. I’ve had them and they cannot be beat! 🙂 What a gorgeous day.
I hope you know that you made memories to last a lifetime with those little girls. Very special.
Big hugs to you and congratulations!!!!
– Dori –
What fun! So worth the effort. Best wishes on the ALL your continuing adventures!
Nope, this is my only adventure this season and what a great one it was – thanks. Congratulations!!! God bless.
What a great post. I love berries and so glad you finally got to your destination. Congratulations on your new baby as well. Very exciting for sure!!
Wow, that WAS some perseverance. My only blueberry story involved my driving about 40 minutes further into the country to a blueberry farm to pick with my then-small children. My son, about 6 years old at the time, locked the car with the keys in it. In the middle of nowhere. I borrowed a hammer from the farmer and broke a back window. All that for a couple gallons of blueberries. New window cost almost $200. Most expensive blueberries ever! haha!
Great story of determination and reward ! (Fat blueberries and that view !!) and warm congratulations on the ‘soon-to-be kid’ !!!
Such a wonderful adventure Alex. You’ll look back on these days with fondness in future. What a treasure you have where you are and congratulations on your pregnancy. How exciting. I hope you stay well
Hugs from Australia
A Christmas baby, how wonderful. Good luck to you. Wonderful post, put me in mind of many a walks that somehow turned “hike-ish”.