For many of us, the first day of winter disappeared behind us in a flurry of blowing snow. Looking ahead, the word “bleak” may fit many days on our winter calendar. Bleak, really? “Bleak” is a word winter invented (I think). But ok, like it or not, here we go into the season that makes us work harder at making life fun.
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”.
Happy New Year Shery!
In spite of cold and gray it looks like you’re all making the best of the mid winter blues, grays and whites! I’m not a huge fan of the bitter cold either but like you I’ll make the best of it! Your photos are beautiful as always, and I can just hear the jingling of those bells around Lynn’s horse’s neck ringing across the prairie… Love all your " ranchy" buildings too!
Stay warm…brighter days are comin’!
Love and BEACH blessings,
Deb
Happy New year Shery!
Oh how your pictures have made my heart sing! Winter is a different time indeed…but with the promise of spring to follow it is always worth the wait. I find winter to be a beautiful time too, although my old bones don’t quite like it as much as they use too.(haha) The sledding party looked wonderous-it brought me back to childhood days full of winter fun. Thank-you for sharing. Pam
I so agree with Pam, your pictures made my heart swell and sing and brought a tear to my eye. What a wonderful way to celebrate mid winter! You have all made the best of the snow and the cold. Such a valuable lesson your sage advice. Cheer up indeed, to be happy is a choice. Even if you find a park in a city, with children sledding you can be a part of it if you choose.Thank you for the beautiful reminder, you made my day. I should have checked in sooner.
P.S.
Timmy is a stunner, and Dolly wears her bells and bows with great style.
Happy New Year! We are finally getting the snow that has been hitting all around us here in our woods. Hubs has been out plowing our long drive and shoveling a path to the hen house for me. About 1/2 of my hens are molting. A couple are looking really sad to me. My big black hen is almost featherless all around her neck. But she is spunky so I guess it is just taking longer for her to regrow her feathers. They have not been out much as of late. First we had some really fringed cold temps and now the snow is piling up. But they all seem to be making the best of bleak mid-winter days. I am holing up and crocheting and hope to get back to sewing soon. My sewing area is in our walkout basement but we do not heat it much. Loaned my little space heater to a daughter that needed it more badly than I to help keep grandchildren warmer at night. I just might have to have hubs move the machine upstairs for me. So enjoyed your beautiful pictures. Especially the big cow mug with the snow on her face. Reminds me of my Ladybug when she comes in out of the snow. Blessings!
I love these notes and pics. I want to refer to this many times.
Lovely photos, lovely post! Timmy is gorgeous.
Awesome, Thanks from Sunny Florida…Luv the Snow, though haven’t ever had to shovel, plow or endure! Luv your Life, keep lettin us have a peek…Hope to get out west this year, haven’t been in a while! Happy Merry 2011…
Hi Shery
So beautiful to look at, and I certainly get the challenge/opportunity of caring for animals in that kind of cold! In California, where we are, a heavy frost is what we face.. not much compared to you and still slows us down, get’s pretty sloppy, and has us appreciate the other seasons more. Thank you for sharing all year, I so love your blog, what beautiful pictures you share and your honesty is so heart warming, even in the middle of a "bleak" winter.
Happy New Year to you and your family as well.
Love. Terces
I live in an area where the change of seasons is not so blatantly obvious, so thank you for reminding me of the beauty of all the seasons!
I do so love your posts. I always want to make a cup of tea before I read them. You take beautiful pictures and you definitely have an eye for the beauty in winter. Thanks for the reminder that happiness is a choice. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your pictures and activities in your life. Although I dread the cold of winter, you have highlighted the beauty of winter. Love your pictures.
Thank you, Shery, for your beautiful photos! I am the only farmer in the family who appreciates the beauty of winter. In fact, just today, my 11 year old daughter informed me that while the first snowfall of the winter is fun to play in, after that it just gets old. How sad! I now plan to get my camera out and start shooting pictures of WHY my family should be grateful for this beautiful season. Then they can try to convince me why summer is so great…….
Always look forward to your blog. Your pictures are always so beautiful!
Hi, Shery. I couldn’t agree with you more on your lovely descriptions of winter. I am looking out upon a scene of my tall hemlocks and 150 year old sugar maples with are draped in snow with an occasional snow shower when the wind slips through the trees. I have to talk myself into getting into my boots and other gear to bring more wood into my garage today but will then be rewarded with a toasty fire soon after. As always, your pictures and prose are delightful. I enjoy your blog very much. Stay warm!