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Have you ever had the privilege of attending a cattle auction right on the farm before? We are in the process of shopping for a few Momma Cows to add to our herd.
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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”.
It is so much fun. All the people rambling around. The excitement of the bidding. I don’t know where you live. In Texas there is always a big barbecue.
I bet there are some of the BEST barbecues in Texas. At every auction I’ve been to here it has been hamburgers or steaks. Which are wonderful. But I bet a Texas barbecue would be awesome! 🙂
– Dori –
This looks like fun! I’ve been to auction before and didn’t like the experience. Seeing the cows on green grass makes me smile. When others take pride in what they do that is a wonderful thing. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hello Carole,
I wonder if possibly some auctions are a better experience than others. The ones at the weekly sale barn aren’t near as neat as the privates sales held on farms. I think those are the fun auctions! And the food is free! 🙂
– Dori –
Thanks for the trip to the auction house. I could almost taste the hamburgers and smell the hay. You’re a great writer!
Hello Bonnie,
Thank you – that was the best compliment ever!
– Dori –
Oh boy, you brought back some great memories. We were mostly the seller – oh how I hated to see my ‘babies’ go but go they did so others could come. That was a beautiful surrounding but to me there isn’t a bad look’n spot in TN. – miss it terribly so your writings make me feel like I am there. Thanks and God bless.
Hi Joan,
I thought about that very thing at the auction as I watched those beautiful cows being sold – I bet there were some family members that were going to cry!
I also think there isn’t a bad look’n spot in TN!!! I’m glad my writings can bring you home.
– Dori –
I enjoyed this story very much although I don’t know the first thing about cows. They sure are sweet looking. I cry when I sing the National anthem, too. Thanks for sharing your auction story.
Hello Ann,
Thank you for writing! Yes… those cows are sure sweet animals! We do love them.
– Dori –
Howdy Dori,
Thank you for the shopping trip for COWS! I’ve never done that. I liked that first pretty lady too. She had such a sweet face. I would definitely have to let my husband do the bidding. I wouldn’t be able to control my self! What a fun day for you all and that red barn is so beautiful. I love any kind of barn. Freshly painted, falling down and everything in between. I cry whenever I hear or sing the national anthem. I get choked up EVERY time.
What a fun post! But all of your posts are fun! 🙂
xo Deb
Good morning Deb,
We have so many beautiful old barns in this part of the country. But sadly, our farm was originally a 600 acre farm that was broken into 100 acre parcels…. so our 100 acres did not have the old barn on it. 🙁 We always say how fun it would be to buy one, tear it down and re-build it on our farm. But that’s a pretty big dream!
Thanks for your sweet words… you know you always make my day! 🙂
– Dori –
Thanks for sharing this with us, Dori! I’ve never been to an auction, but fear I would want to bid on every animal (this is how I feel at the animal shelter, too). Those Herefords are smaller than I imagined (not a bad thing, I always imagine beef cattle to be giant for some reason). What beautiful animals! I love how you captured her sweet eye in the first photo. There aren’t many live animal auctions up here, but I’ll have to find one when I’m “outside” sometime–you’ve inspired me!
Hi Alex,
Cows really aren’t that huge… at least the Angus and the Herefords. But our registered Angus bull??? He is HUGE! And even though he is the nicest animal and very, very gentle you can be sure we give him the respect that is due and keep our distance! 🙂
If you ever get “outside” Alaska and come to the South, we’ll get you to a cattle auction!
Hugs,
– Dori –
Hi Dori!
I want to come cow shopping with you! I have actually been to a few cattle auctions – my daddy used to take me to see them when I was small when we would head up to our ranch in the Texas hill country. I loved every minute, and your post brought back such great memories. We never had cows ourselves, but our neighbor friends did, and I still have a cow “collection”. You are living the life! I love reading your posts and I would so love to have a cow of my own! Great fun, Dori, thanks for jogging my fun childhood memories. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl)
Hi Nicole,
Okay, so I didn’t write about it in my post but guess what I did for an hour of the auction? I drove to a little town a few miles down the road and literally did this fast run through 2 antique stores!!! Ha Ha! And got back to the auction and hadn’t missed a thing! 🙂 So yeah… you would’ve really loved to be with me that day! It was the best of both… cow shopping and fast antique shopping! (I even found a couple deals that I bought!)
Wish you could come visit!
– Dori –