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”.
I share your love of autumn! It’s always been my favorite season, a time to finally rest from the hustle and bustle of summer and harvest. We’re 2 weeks past our first normal frost date and no frost in site (although I have my floating row covers and extra sheets ready to go save tomatoes!). But our ash trees are turning colors (yay!) and my sunflowers are in full, glorious, autumn-yellow bloom! Combine that with a family of scarecrows, 2 sheafs of cornstraw and a little wooden wagon pulling pumpkins and squash in my front yard, and we’ll just enjoy these stolen days of summer and the extra tomatoes and green beans to boot! Kind of a "count your blessings" and "Be Thankful Always" attitude as befits autumn!! (smile)
What an awesome blog! Autumn has been hiding from me too. I thought it was coming but it was not to be. Sneaky and upsetting to have it dangled in front of you then yanked back out of sight again. I am doing like you and getting out the autumn decorations. Maybe if we all do that Autumn will finally come out to play. Your soup sounds delicious! I will try it next time I make soup. I usually make white bean soup with cornbread and fried potatos as that is what I grew up with but I love black beans as well. I did grow up with the beans "ditty". My poppy was always saying it and he was the bean soup cook. Yes, Autumn is in our hearts but it will be here in actuality soon as well. May you have a beautiful and blessed Autumn!
Autumn?? Yesterday Los Angeles was 113!! Beverly Hills was 119!!!!
Rebekah, I share your longing for Autumn. This is the first time in my ?? years that I have wished for Summer to end. But I see a promise in a poplar in our backyard, just starting to change colors. As we know they are one of the first trees to turn. Also the beautiful magnolia has seed pods and leaves falling to the ground. I gather a basketful for the living room table. Rain last night so we can hope to see Autumn soon. We Will all wait together. Dollie
Nope. Haven’t found autumn yet–it’s 107 here in sunny California! However, with your excellent suggestions, I now have hope of finding it. Thanks so very much for such an inspiring blog today! Sure do have a hankerin’ for my Tennessee roots, though….
My great-grandmother used to say "If you want Christmas, you have to make it!" The same must apply to Autumn (at least this year.) You did a great job of making your Autumn. I may just do the same.
Autumn seems to be coming and going here in Maine. One day it’s 57 and the next it’s 85. I’ll be glad when I can pull out my wool sweaters for real.
I’ve been wondering the same thing lately. I haven’t found it yet. Maybe I’ll haul out some decorations too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Maybe you’d like to check out my autumn memories on the farm. This is a wonderful time of year, especially in areas of the country where we have a multitude of colorful foliage and frosty nights. http://farmgirlheritage.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumns-colored-leaves-memories-on-farm.html
Hi,I knew it was autumn this morning when my little dog,a yorkie mix,got under the covers in my bed,it was so cute!It was cool here this morning,and I am just not ready for it,I still have so much outside work that needs to done!But,hopefully we will have more nice days.Dad and I are gathering bittersweet and hedge apples,makeing wreaths of grapevines,and Its just a wonderful time of the year!I love Cinnimon everything,it makes the house smell so good!Have a greal fall!Blessed be,carol branum.
Every day on my trip into work, I see how the trees have changed color. Yellows have been out for a while, a bit of orange and this week the deep reds have shown up.
On my Saturday visits to the local farmer’s market the variety of fruits and vegetable has slowly been changing to fall the fall: apples, pumpkins, corn stalks, winter squash, fresh cider to name a few. The hummingbirds have left for warmer climates, and the ducks and geese have starteed to gather for to begin their migration.
Yes, it is fall……and I hope it lasts for at least another month.
There have been some pretty cool mornings, but condensation on my car windows is really much more of a nuisance than frost. I’d really like frost now and perhaps Indian Summer later. I want to turn off the air and put the fans away and dig out my hooded sweatshirts. These coolish nights and pretty warm days with the general lack of color are not really fall in my opinion. If this wasn’t the end of September and if the kids weren’t in school all we would have is less daylight.
But we really can not do anything about the weather except grumble about it. Last spring my neighbors and I were complaining about the lack of a real spring because we seemed to have instant summer. I think that if you are supposed to have four seasons you should get four seasons.
I love autumn too, but like your neck of the woods, it hasn’t arrived at my home either! Still warm and humid at nights. But, I changed my window boxes to the fall flowers, hung up the welcome signs with pumpkins, scarecrows, etc, and decorated the inside of the house too. Feels a little colder around here — but that’s in my head — it really isn’t. I made broccoli cheese soup and bread to herald the anticipated autumn, but alas, it was 85 and humid! Oh well, the soup was good, even if sweat was pouring off my face.
The cottonwoods by the creek are slowly turning yellow, but that is the only sign of autumn thus far. Last rain was July 27. The farmers are still planting winter wheat in the hope we will get rain. How I long for a cool cloudy day with a slow rain!
I tried for the first time last year the candy corn and peanuts…. YUMMMM!
Thanks for the treasure hunt for Autumn! I’m so glad you finally found it…Here in
America’s Hometown the leaves are already turning… shades of gold and red are popping out everywhere! Farm stands are brimming with pumpkins, corn husks and MUMS!
Pop on over to my blog for another FALL FIX… and read my latest post, happy GLORIOUS AUTUMN! Hope to see you there and thanks for another fun read!
Beach blessings,
Deb~
Hello Everyone,
Don’t know if anyone else has tried your MIL’s Autumn snack mix, but I found at a local big box store(don’t know if I can say the name on here)but it is delicious…it not only has unsalted peanuts & candy corn, but also candy-coated dark chocolate pieces & yogurt-covered pretzel balls!!!!Talk about a great snack!!! And the candy is all Fall colors so it looks great in a candy dish…Happy Fall Ya’ll!!!
Autumn came this morning to my area. There was a nip in the air. I had to turn on my car heater on my way to work. I can’t wait to start raking leaves.
Oh yes! We’ve got it now in New England. My favorite time of year is here!
I celebrated with the first fire of the season today. So did most of my neighbors. The smell takes me back to childhood autumns. I like to keep a fire burning all winter long. I have my woodshed full! I even chopped some of it myself. I’m a farm girl through and through!
I’m going through and reading every one of your posts! BEAUTIFUL!