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Blueberry Hill Inn, Goshen Vermont
I’m so excited to share with you about a recent trip I took that was so much out of my comfort zone – but was such a completely perfect experience – that I’m still amazed!
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Debbie Bosworth
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.’”
Rebekah Teal
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.
Cathi Belcher
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
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.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
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”.
What a precious experience for you my dear friend! I am so happy that you were able to “brave up” and go to this retreat!! That is such an awesome feeling to have after an experience~true joy~ it happens too seldom in our lives. Much love to you my friend!!
Hi Cyndie!
Stepping out of our comfort zone is HARD isn’t it???
~ Dori ~
I was overcome with happiness for YOU. I’m very very impressed you overcame that thought of backing out. As you can see, looking back, it would have been a terrible mistake. Truly, you will NEVER forget this!….bless you and all of them.
Hi Mary,
I have to be honest and say that if I hadn’t paid a deposit and bought a plane ticket I probably would’ve backed out! 🙂 SO thankful I didn’t!!
~ Dori ~
I am.so glad you did not.back out. Looks.loke you had a wonderful time..
Hi Pat!
Me too!!!
~ Dori ~
What an incredibly wonderful experience — and in Vermont! Plus, the gift of 22 more sisters. The love and laughter had to be visible from space! Looking to find a way to make this happen here in OR. Thanks for sharing something so special!
Hi Beth,
It felt like such a once in a lifetime experience for me but I sure hope its not! And you do need to make it happen in Oregon!
~ Dori ~
Wow that retreat sounds like so much fun! I will def put one on my bucket list!
Hi Robin,
Yes; most definitely put one on your to-do list!!!
~ Dori ~
Oh, Dori, what an experience, what a joy and what fun that was. I love it and I wasn’t even there except through your eyes and words and pictures. It was such a wonderful time reading and looking and being there in my imagination. You say you aren’t good with expressing yourself but you did such a wonderful job of it that I felt very much at home there and part of that friendship you developed. Thank you for going there and taking us with you. It was wonderful.
Hi Sandi,
Thank you so much… writing is such a hard thing trying to really convey how it felt! So I appreciate you for getting it! 🙂
~ Dori ~
OH what fun!! makes me want to dig out some of my quilt projects and get back to working on them. 🙂
Hi Denise,
Oh YES!!! You should!!!
~ Dori ~
What a nice experiment for you. All of you ladies look like you had a lot of fun. You now have a trove of treasured moments and lasing friendships. The Quilt is beautiful. Thank You for sharing your time at Blueberry Hill.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
It really was the best trip!!! I hope I get to go again next year!
~ Dori ~
Wonderful experiencing with you. I may have to get my UGOs out and start again. Thanks for the inspiration and smiles.
What a wonderful trip away yu had. I felt I was right there with you. Retreats were going away is just the best. I’m so hoping you were refreshed and delighted and the memories are continuing. Blessings and thank you for sharing.
Sounds like a wonderful experience. I would love to
Do this.