What does a future rancher look like? You’re lookin’ at it.
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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 joy you obviously get from watching and assisting the younger generations to grow!I am currently in the midst of a life change as I am months away from retirement and heading to the mid-west for a re-creation of lifestyle, for both myself and family. I, too, will have to live to 108 to live another very fulfilling "second" life! A life more connected to the earth with garden and small collection of critters. Things my daughter was not really able to experience or appreciate will hopefully be enjoyed by raising her daughter in a more rural setting. Bye, bye surburban sprawl!
Sigh…Oh Shery, You know I can’t take looking at all those horses at once! ( smile )
You always get right to the heart of the matter in your writing. What a blessing your blog is for all who might happen upon it. To think some folks are still surprised to see a chicken in someone’s yard, much less REAL CATTLE at branding time. All I can say is what lucky children they are to be learning some of life’s most important lesson’s early in the game!
What a wonderful and blessed life you are living. A life for the greater good! Ours!
Thank you for sharing it here! I loved every word ( and photo ) especially all the palomino shots!
Your middle aged, still horse sick after all these years friend!
Deb~ ( who hears horse hooves in her dreams ) Some day by golly… I just know it…:)
Some of these pix are just priceless–
Shery, Great article, as always. Isn’t there a saying about raising your kids up right and they will find the right way? Something like that. I was watching the news about the oil spill, and how, after generations of shrimping, this generation may not be able to follow those foot steps, and a way of life is gone. Your article brought that to mind, how fortunate these kids are to be able to proudly follow this way of life.
I really like the comment about the toddler being so dirty that it would be easier to start another one! I used to rinse my kids off with the hose before their bath!!
Ok, by far my favorite photo, is the one with the ‘young fellers’ on the left, cows in the middle & ‘old fellers’ on the right…what a great analogy of the old passing on the ‘reins’ to the young….
hugz from the windy West Plain of WA., to the cool breezes of Wyoming…
>^..^<
Shery,
I always enjoy reading your blog! It brings a comfort, much like the whole Mary Jane movement! Bless you forever!
As I age and hopefully mature, I find it fascinating that my perspective on entering the second-half of my life has changed from one of fearing a reversal to my childhood to one of realizing that reverting back to childhood is more about returning to the wisdom and common sense of my childhood than it is ‘losing-my-mind’ ! And quite honestly, losing some of the stressful intensity of my present mind is a welcome relief! 🙂
I plan to one day – soon – be content and happy just being content and happy! I sure know how to create a whole lot of drama in my life that, in hindsight, is rarely ever necessary or beneficial.
Sometimes you just gotta have faith and go with the flow of life, trusting that things will indeed work out as they are intended…with or without our fussing and stewing! Farming and ranching are good growing medium for just such an attitude.
Thanks for sharing your journey with the rest of us. You may never know the hope and peace it brings to many of us MaryJaners!!
Ruthe
Shery, What a wonderful opportunity you give to children to become those traits they learn. And what a beautiful place you have to do it. Thank you for sharing and caring about all God’s critters. Bonnie
Hello,
I always enjoy reading your blog, and dreaming about "my farm". I am a city girl, born and half raised, before moving with my parents to the country. I say country loosely, because it isn’t the country or the city ,but I love it. Anyway, just the other night my husband & I were talking about our children, all adults now, 4 boys & 1 girl. He started out by saying they all had to make their own mistakes to learn and grow. And after a few (sometimes really bad) errors, they have straightened out. We are very proud of our kids & know they will be doing a great job of raising our grandchildren. Not all of this younger generation are screw ups, and even if some have drifted off the path, maybe we "older" adults can be there to help pull them back, not kick them further away. BTW, love all the pics…;-> I’ll go back to dreaming now…..lol
I grew up in Texas, college in west TX, but haven’t seen pictures like this in years. Absolutely warms the heart- thanks so much.
PS- being a Texan- I love that beef, keep it coming
Lisa, CO
Truer words couldn’t be spoken…if only every citizen of the US were to grow up with the work ethic and respect for self and others as the ranch and farm kids do today; the world would be a totally different place! We’re so thankful to be a part of a community such as yours…
I think your message about children is so important and focusing on our responsibilities for instilling traditions and values. I am always so heartened about the state of the world when I read or observe children having fun, learning things about the world, and testing their wings. I heard one of my favorite authors speak last evening, Sharon Lovejoy, and her message was very similar to yours. We should teach our children about the world outside our door, about plants, animals, and insects and about being good stewards. How wonderful to be inspired two days in a row about this important responsibility we have as adults and know that there is indeed hope for our future. Thank you.
I really love your blog. It is my favorite one from MaryJane’s Farmgirls. I feel connected to you, like we would be really good friends. Keep it up! Sharon
Amen, I’m so blessed to have raised my boys on ranches or with work from other ranchers. A good work ethic is in their blood as I see them grown into men. Makes a mother proud to have taught hard work, being independent and responsible and to respect life and what we have been given by a loving father in Heaven. They are my blessings.
jami in Idaho
Our five year old ranch raised daughter is always very proud to know from what animal her meat comes from. She is grateful that a pig has provided her with a pork chop or bacon, a cow has given her a hamburger or her chili is made with elk. An important piece of stewardship I believe.
If I could raise my daughter like this, I would in a heartbeat!! This is my dream life. All of it, the hard work, the sore muscles, the weather, the roughness of ranch life (and the beauty), all of it…..
What a fortunate life you live!
Wow – Shery – fabulous article and photos!!! You are so right. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Idaho – moved away at 19 or so – ranch is still in the family. Noticed that when my niece and nephew could stay on a horse and open a wire gate, about ages 8 and up, they had become economic assets to the ranch – they could move bales, feed stock, check the chickens, work the garden, and later drive tractor in the fields as the men picked up hay bales. My 10-year old nephew drove up on his four-wheeler as we were building a fence on my acreage and announced "I’m here to help!" with the quiet confidence that his help was valuable and considerable. It was.
Wish I could share this article with everyone I know.
You are right, farm kids grow up with skills and purposeful action that can rarely be duplicated in the city kid’s experience.
Well said, Miss Sherry. My kids are grown and gone, but grew up here on Rock Bottom Ranch. None of them have taken up ranching as an occupation/way of life (yet), because living in the City is still a novelty and it’s fun not to have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest store. What ranch life did for my kids:
1) They have never been unemployed. If they need a job, they get one. Ranching isn’t just about animals, it’s about getting up and working every day, whether you want to or not. Rain or shine.
2) Nursing a happy baby is a piece of cake compared to an orphan foal.
3) Even if you are half dead with exhaustion, you can still walk a horse with colic.
4) 5 AM is NOT that early. 6 AM is sleeping in and by 7 AM — well, have the day is gone.
5) They all learned to listen not only with their ears, but with their eyes. A horse can’t tell you she’s not feeling right…but you can see it. The same skill works on people…
and on and on and on.
I’m a little late, but I just wanted to say AMEN!