Do you remember your first “wheels”? Before my first car (an old beat up thing, that even as a “vintage” car was the ugliest automobile I’ve ever seen), I still remember the excitement of a new bicycle.
-
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”.
Loved all my bikes too
…Ilved it . When I first. Saw Murder She WROTE…LOVED THE BASKET ON THE BIKE…. nice blog!
Hi Susana! That’s right! Angela Lanbury’s character rode a retro looking bike with a sweet wire basket! I had forgotten about that. Glad you enjoyed today’s post. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Gosh your post brought back memories of my first proper bike. It was an old brown vintage thing, no gears and like yours I had to pedal backwards to brake. I now have road racing bike me a mountain bike but I’d love an old vintage style bike with a basket and a cute bell too. We actually bought my daughter one last Christmas although hers is a new bike retro in style with gears and although she loves it she hardly ever rides it. I’m hoping she will get out in it more and that we can find some lovely trails to ride like yours. It’d be so relaxing and exciting and invigorating and fun to ride your trails. I’ll have to make an effort to source some out for her nice she finishes her final school exams. Thanks for a lovely post with a nostalgic twist. Happy riding
From Australia
Denise x
Hi Denise! Glad you enjoyed the blog today. Aren’t the new retro style bikes cute? I am so glad manufacturers are bringing them back. You didn’t mention where in Australia you are living, but I bet there’s some wonderful bike trails there, too! Thanks for stopping by! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I’m at port macquarie which is on the mid north coast of the eastern side of Australia. It’s a lovely place, right near the beaches and with a temperate climate.
I’ve just got to research bike trails around here and then make the effort to get out and ride them.
Hi Denise, I just searched your town area on the internet – holy cow it is sooooo beautiful! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, don’t discount the importance of gears and hand brakes! Maybe you live in a place where there are never hills…but I’d be lost without my gears! I have a Trex Women’s Navigator, a crossover bike that features the relaxed ride of the cruiser, but with gears, so I can get up and down the hills! I can’t imagine trying to get around town on a bike with no gears – it makes all the difference for my aging knees!
Hi Susabelle! Connecticut is anything but flat! In my neighborhood, there are a few places I walk my bike up. My new bike is described as a “hybrid” so I think up hill it is a bit easier to pedal, but I don’t have to switch any gears myself. Your bike sounds great. For me, I just like my back pedal brakes and simple “just pedal” gears. It’s awesome you are biking, keep it up! Happy Riding and Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank you for writing this. I got a beautiful, “new to me bike”, about 5 years ago.
It also has a bell, which I love to ring, drives my kids crazy! It has 3 speeds, Perfect!
It is a beautiful blue. I feel sad though because all the chrome on it is rusting.
But it is a wonderful bike.
Happy Riding
Hi Mary, Your bike sounds wonderful. I wonder if there is some way to stop the chrome from rusting? I did a quick online search and found this, maybe it will help. http://www.livestrong.com/article/429080-how-to-stop-your-bike-from-rusting/
Happy riding! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hello Nicole,
I love your story about your bikes. I too, felt like I was driving a car when I rode my two wheeler. My Dad brought the bike home on a whim. He just showed up with this beautiful bike. I agree with you wholeheartedly about gears and braking and so on. My husband and I went bike hunting, and I made it quite clear that I didn’t want gears nor brakes on the handle bars. When I pedal, I want to be in control. Thank you for your lovely story which took me down memory lane.
Here’ s to old fashion bike riding!
Hi Candace, I am so glad you liked the blog. I will be sad when winter comes full force here and the trail is frozen over with ice. I have really enjoyed riding bikes with my family, and also some solo rides. I am so glad I decided to get a new bike, because I’ve already ridden it more than the other one with all the gears and hand brakes that is over a decade old! Enjoy your bike! Happy riding and Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I never learned to ride a bike, but your love for these vintage ones brings tears to my eyes.
Oh, Jennifer, thank you! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, I had forgotten about the picture of you on your tricycle in the ’70’s. You were so cute in your bell bottoms! I did not remember we had taken pictures of you and your pink panther bicycle either, and glad you had them. Seems like yesterday you were riding it. What happened to it, do you remember? I get sad sometimes when I remember you as a little girl. We had some fun times. I really like your new red “cruiser”, always a favorite of my generation in the 1950’s. I love you.
Mother
Hi Mom, Not sure what happened to that bike. Wish I had the 1950s one, though! I know what you mean about getting sad when you think how quick kids grow – I got a little teary eyed when the American Girl Christmas catalog came in the mail yesterday. Remember how excited you and I were to plan our presents for Audrey? That WAS just yesterday. Miss you, Mama. Love, Nicole
Nicole ~ I so enjoy a bike ride around my town or even just the neighborhood. Several years ago when I thought about how little exercise I got in a daily routine, I asked myself what did I enjoy most when I was a child. And, yes, it was my bicycle, so I went out and found one that would work for me. It is lime green, one of my favorite colors and I get so much enjoyment out of it. Now, my grand-girls and I ride together on occasion when our schedules permit. It is such a blessing. Thanks for the memories!!! ellah
Hi Ella, That’s how I felt when I decided to get my bike – it was the thing I enjoyed most as a child. A lime green bicycle sounds so pretty! I love that color, too. Enjoy your grand-girls, and happy biking! Thanks for writing in. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hey Nicole!
I just loved this post. I can so relate to your stories about riding bikes as an adult with hand breaks, etc. My hubby and I rode mountain bikes together for several years, but I’ve always had in the back of my mind to get a vintage bike ( RED ) just like your new one. I’ve seen them online… Thanks for reminding me!!! Love the photos of you when you were small with your bikes… You had some great rides, girl!
Hugs and happy riding!
Deb ( Beach Farmgirl )
Hi Deb!
Thanks! I am just like you when it comes to the color red -drawn to it like a moth to a flame! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I was on vacation when I read your post and couldn’t manage to post a comment from my phone! Finally had time to get back to it today.
I love your new bike. I also love the pictures of you when you were younger with your old bikes! Wouldn’t you love to have those today??? 🙂
I would just love to have a bike. But living on the farm, on a gravel road hilltop… just not conducive to biking! But, how I love yours. Maybe I need it for my porch! Ha!
Loved this post!
Hugs,
– Dori –
Hi Dori! Missed ya, sweetie! Hope your vacation was grand! I am loving my bike, though the rides are getting fewer between because fall weather is setting in, and as of this weekend, it will get darker sooner (ya DON’T want to be at Fairfield Hills after dark). I love your idea of bikes sitting on porches as decor. I think mine will come inside for the winter if I can figure out a corner to place it in! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Lucky you! It’s beautiful!
I live in an area where gears are pretty much necessary. A mountain bike is best actually, but mine is in sad need of expert bike mechanic work. Of course, since winter is coming, no point in worrying about it now!
Enjoy your lovely bike!
CJ
Thanks, CJ. Mine is actually a hybrid, so hills are easier, but I don’t have to fool with the gears myself. I just wasn’t coordinated enough for them, I guess! Winter is coming here, too, and the trails are usually covered with ice for several months. I will miss riding my bike, but will pull her back out as soon as spring thaw comes! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole