My in-laws were visiting the last few weeks from Denmark. They’ve been here many times, visiting New York City more times than we can count. So, last weekend, I decided to head the other direction to one of my favorite places, a true taste of New England…Old Sturbridge Village, in Massachusetts. Farmgirl road trip!
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”.
Hi Nicole!
Wonderful blog! We visited there a few years back when our children were very young… Reminds me of Plimoth Plantation here! We love living museum’s too. So much to learn and it’s fun! Thanks for the " farmgirl roadtrip"!
Deb ( your BEACH blogging sister from MA. )
Thanks for the great info on Sturbridge! We are going to MA in August on vacation and were wondering if it was worth going out of our way to visit – now I’m sure we’ll add it to our travel plans!
Hugs,
Luanne
"beekeepersgirl"
What a beautiful place. Looks like the "Walton’s" farm. Love the photos…broom…..and the tin candle holder is just darling. What wonderful memories!!!!Hope I can go someday too!
Years ago??? When our children were 4 and 7 we visited the village with friends for a day. It was delightful, relaxing and educational. I would love to visit again and bring my grand children.
It has been a very long time since I last visited Sturbridge. I have a Stitch and Bitch group that always wants me to find something different to visit. How perfect is this? With an interest in self-sustaining, I think everyone might find something of interest. Thank you for the reminder.
I have been reading "Farmgirl Connection" for about a year now, this article inspired me to write my first comment! It looks to me like you had a wonderful "farmgirl" outing! I would LOVE to visit OSV (we’re from the midwest, probably won’t happen soon 🙁 Enjoyed your post, I don’t knit, just crochet, I also practice the art of canning, I also enjoy bread making (without a machine, the kneading of the dough is the joy of breadmaking) I could go on and on… you truly seem like a "sister" to me.
Hi Patricia! Thanks for reading, what a sweet comment-you made my day! The Farmgirl Connection certainly makes the world a smaller, sweeter place to live! Hugs! -Nicole
When I lived in Scituate, Rhode Island my family would visit Sturbridge Village in Conn. often. My parents visited and Mom walked through much too fast for me. I wanted to go back one more time but we moved by then. There is so much to learn and observe of a time past. My daughter, when she was younger, and I volunteer at two different living historical parks. I weave and spin and she had assisted with preserving fruits by sulphuring them and helping in the kitchen with the great iron stove. It is very gratifying and we learned many useful skills. Keep up the good work!
Ellen, how neat that you can be a part of a living historical park! I think I would enjoy doing that, too! Thank you for reading! -Nicole
How cool! I absolutely love visiting historical sites and reenactments. Every Christmas, my family participates in Civil War period dance reenactments that happen at various festivals throughout our state of TN…it really is a lot of fun! 🙂
I’m glad you and your family had a good time! Thanks for such a great post. 🙂
Blessings,
Shannon
Shannon, thanks for reading! How fun your dance reenactments must be! Sounds like a really neat family tradition, too. -Nicole
Thanks for sharing! I would love to take my girls cross country, from Kodiak Island AK to OSV, what a wonderful hands on piece of history.
Nicole,
I share all of your sentiments about "OSV"- my family and I spent this past Thanksgiving there and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I could actually set up permanent residence there. I too have 2 lovely tin wall sconces that my kids made for me…and I treasure them!
Thanks as always for sharing your wonderful story.
Farmgirl Smiles,
Laurie
Farmgirl Sister#1403
Laurie, I haven’t yet been in the fall…I bet it’s a fun time to go. There’s always something neat to see or do. Thanks for reading. -Nicole
Wow Nicole! What a fabulous time I had-it was just like BEING there! I will definitely put Old Sturbridge Village on my wish list of places to visit! Thanks for your wonderful writing!
Patsy- thank you! It’s a blessing to share with all of you! -Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I love Sturbridge Village! I haven’t been there in years, so your post serves as a reminder – maybe later this year in the Fall or around Christmas time as you mentioned. Can’t wait to see your broom in person!
Ali
Farmgirl #12
Ali, I’d like to get our chapter together for a Girls Day Out…we can all go together as a chapter, too! -Nicole
I loved Sturbridge Village when I visited there in fall years ago. Thanks for another wonderful blog with an update on the Village. I may have to plan a visit to there next year when I am back home for a visit.
Love this blog, and this article really made me want to read a book on history (Little House on the Prairie comes to mind) or visit a working museum. We have some in Florida,too, it’s called a "Cracker" village. Thanks, Nicole, you’ve given me some ideas to add to my bucket list, ha!
Mary Ann, Love Little House books, too! I can’t wait to share them with my daughter. She already loves the reruns on tv when we catch them. Thanks for reading! -Nicole
Nicole, Being from Scituate, MA, Sturbridge is one of my favorite places to visit. I love, love, love it in the Fall. Thanks for sharing with all of us, just makes me want to go again.
Your broom is really neat – also love the candle holder your daughter made – what a treasure!
Hugs, Ruth