.jpg)
By the light of the silvery moon, around a crackling campfire, our Ranch Farmgirl’s Farmgirl Chapter enjoyed their monthly “hen party”. Come and sit a spell with them. They would love to share the “show & tell” details with you.
-
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”.
Wow! Looks like a lot of fun! How far away are you from Jackson?? lol
This brings back sweet memories as a girl with my Grandmother. Having a garden and canning, and fresh meat from her cattle, chickens and hogs. Riding our horses to round up the cattle (that we were not to do), but we had fun. Riding everyday from morning to dark. I loved going to my Grandparents for most of the summer. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Love it Shery!
Looks like a great night and I love the abundance of " makins " you had on hand for your fall wreaths! Those marshmallows looked mighty yummy too!
We had ourselves a little family " nightlife" round’ our little camp fire on the last eve of summer. We said our farewell to summer and welcomed fall. well, some of us did anyway…my poor hubby will take awhile to adjust to BEACH SEASON coming to an end:)
As for me…this is my FAVORITE season! Like you, even more than spring…I just love everything about it! Thanks for sharing your farmgirl fun with us!
HAPPY FARMGIRL FALL to ALL!
Deb~
Beautiful fellowship, beautiful photos, beautiful quotes!! Memories made, and shared~~~~~~Thank you!
Anita was telling me how much fun you all had at this gathering, one of these days girlfriend, I will actually make it to a meeting! Your photos made her descriptions come to life, thank you. Hugs.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share this event in words and pictures. It looks like y’all had such a great time. Wish i could have been there. Well, in a way, i feel that i was.
Thanks again,
Frannie in texas
Thank you for this post. Keep posting every month out of William Quayle’s book. Another book you might like is "A Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" by Edith Holden. I love this book.
I love it all!! That calendar needs reprinting!!
My very next TO DO item? Researching how to dry teddy-bear sunflowers with the petals on, like you did, before The Cluck comes out and my current teddy-bear sunflowers have lost their fuzzy faces! They’re wonderful!!
Thanks for all the photos, it feels like you brought us all along on your fun farmgirl evening!!
When you read shared the readings from William Quayle’s book – the chapter on September, when he talked about grapes made me have flash backs to my childhood, helping my Mom pick grapes and make grape jelly, and hoping it would be jelly or will it be a year of grape syrup! And making wreaths also! I use to bring grapes to school for me and my friends to eat in home-ec class. Thank you for the pictures!
I wanna come! (can I say, I LOVE your hair too Shery?!)
Ditto Terry’s reply and your green shirt – just love it.
Would love to join your hen party.
What a bountiful harvest you’ve had. I can feel the serenity wrapped around me from the camaraderie (shared here.
Shery, I just had my best friend of 30 years and two new friends from this past year spend the night at my house. We all contributed to our dinner, it was wonderful, and then spent the rest of the evening visiting and crafting. Got up this morning, had coffee together and did some shopping at local quilt and gift shops. I knew I was happy and enjoyed every minute of our time but this post has really made me think how much it meant to me to have these women take time out of their lives to visit my home and spend time together. The only thing I can think is a quote from my favorite movie "Hope Floats", "My cup runneth over." And hubs suggested he could make a fire for us but it was really chilly, rainy and misty most of yesterday, but I am sure we would have enjoyed it as much as you and your "sisters" enjoyed yours. Wonderful post!
Just had to report back – I found the Quayle book on Amazon! Ordered it! Also ordered the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady at Michelle’s suggestion – maybe I can get by with a "but it’s my birthday!" to my DH for the Amazon charges (heehee), but I couldn’t resist the lure of beautiful writing and gorgeous pictures!!!
Thanks so much! ~TJ
Autumn is also my favorite time of the year, and I love everything about it! I so enjoyed
your article, and all the lovely photos! My husband passed away Nov. 13, 2008, and I
have been feeling that big empty space left by his passing, but as I was reading your
article, I felt so comforted – like I, too, was one of the Sage Hens, sharing all the warmth
and camaraderie. I also like canning, knitting, baking, gardening, and making wreaths!
Just seeing that you all were doing all those same things that I love, made you seem a
little closer to me in Fredericksburg, VA. I, too, found William Quayle’s book on Amazon,
and ordered it. I was happy for the suggestion about the Country Diary of an Edwardian
Lady, and ordered it also. Thanks so much for sharing!!! 🙂
Sheri, this time I HAD to forward this blog to my good gal-friend in Lewistown, Mt, who grew up on the plains in Winifred, MT. I know she will love this as much as I do. Thanks for sharing this. I love reading your blogs and that you fall prey to old books as do I is wonderful. cora jo