Dear Sisters,
There are certain days, events, moments and memories that we all hold dear. Small glimpses of time that stand still in our hearts and our minds when life as we knew it changed forever. That’s how it is for me when I remember the day my farmgirl romance ( insert pretty,curly,swirly font ) began with MaryJanesFarm. In celebration of THE BEST OF 15 years issue of MJF I’m feeling inspired to celebrate too! Continue reading
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”.
Reading your post this morning was just what I needed today because yesterday, I lost one of my beloved milk cows. I also received a lovely letter from Sister Sherrilyn #1350. The concept of Farmgirl and Sisterhood is very powerful and I am so fortunate to have been given the challenge of providing the conduit for so many amazing women to find each other and share their common ground … and old family photos. Yours are fantastic!!! Farmgirl roots indeed! Any chance I can ship a milk cow to your front door?:)
Oh no, MJ! I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of one of your most loved milk cows. A sad day indeed. I love those old photos too. I’m itching to get some of my granny and grandpa ( on my Dad’s side ) and their cattle ranch in Texas as well. Need to do some digging to find out who of my many cousins have some they might like to share. 🙂 They were share croppers before their cattle ranching days so ” farmgirl ” is in my DNA…Now, don’t go tempting me with one of your lovely milk cow’s!!! I have limited ground and I’ve given most of it up to flowers and chickens at this point! So many farmgirl passions, too little ground to grow all of them. Perhaps, one day though! I don’t give up that easy! Farmgirl hugs!
Oh Deb. This was such a beautiful, lovely post. I was smiling all the way through. I love that you still have the letter you wrote to MaryJane in 2010. That’s awesome. I can’t remember when I read the first MJF magazine…. I do remember thinking, “This lady is amazing”! 🙂 What a privilege we have of being a part of the “family”!
I just read Mary Jane’s comment above and literally started crying when I read about her milk cow. Oh, it is so hard to lose an animal – and there is something about those cows that just get in our heart and soul.
Hugs to you, Deb. I genuinely loved this post. – Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl –
Dori,
We most certainly are lucky to be part of the MJF ‘ family ‘.And one big family it is if you include all of our sisters! I got teary when I read MJ’s comment too. Cows melt my heart almost as much as horses do.
I may need to write MJ back and see if she can give me specific housing measurements for one of her milk cows! I might be able to cut down some trees at the back of our lot and make room! Hugs to you my dear!
Deb xo
Love the letters. I know Mary Jane was very up set over the loss of her friend. Animals have a way to our hearts and I’m sure she will miss Her Milk Cow. I’d live to have a mini Jersey but I live in a small town that doesn’t allow them, not even Chickens. Your Blogs a really great and I enjoy reading all of them and I love having all those sisters. Makes my life a better place. Hugs Juanita sister #1020
Hi Juanita! Thank you for your note! It’s always great to hear from you….:) xo Deb
I read an article in the July 24, 2005 Chicago Tribune and bought her Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook on my next day off from work. I’m not sure why I found her life so interesting, but I’ve been a fan ever since. I didn’t see the magazine until I found it on a newsstand about five years ago. I’ve been reading the blogs for about four years.
The thing is that every Farmgirl has real values. We all see the importance of life itself. Despite our living in different parts of the country, things are much the same.
Furthermore, they really haven’t changed much since our grandmothers were farmgirls. Alexandra’s concerns about her daughter are just as real as my concerns about my daughter forty years ago. I get a kick out of your handsome Yankee because I was a Yankee who fell for a Chicagoan. Dori’s grandchildren are about the same age as my youngest grandchild. Rebekah is not the only person who is nervous about snakes. The thing is that in MaryJane’s world everyone’s a bit like me.
Hi Kristy!
You wrote~ ” in Maryjane’s world everyone’s a bit like me”
I LOVE that!
The thing about writing is you never know who’s going to connect with what you write. Farmgirl is just one word yet it connects thousands of us just like that! Pretty amazing isn’t it? Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. xo Deb
Thank you Deb! I will be celebrating 6 years with the Farmgirl Connection and Sisterhood this year. It has been amazing in every sense of the word! I’ve made many new friends and I’ve met many of the farmgirls along the way . . . what a privilege that has been and it’s like I’ve know them forever!
I’ve had the honor of meeting Mary Jane and Meg and spending time with them, they are the bestest, mostest and just real fun! My daughter and I had the privilege of staying the Outpost B&B in 2011 . . . WOW! I hope we can stay there again sometime in the future. We’ve also met Nick, Brian, Carol, Ashley and other staff at the farm (not sure if they’re still there) and the staff at the Coeur d’Alene store!
What a blessing it has ALL been!
Dearest Mary Jane, I also thank you for all you have done for us farmgirls.
And, I’m also soooo sorry for the loss of your milk cow. It is hard to lose our animals! We’ve experienced that ourselves! But we keep on keeping on!
Love to you Mary Jane!
Love to you Deb!
CJ
You’re welcome, CJ! Lucky girls we are indeed! I hope to meet MJ and the farm team one day as well! Everyone’s farmgirl journey is something to celebrate, that’s for sure!
Thank you so much for your note! Keep having fun! xo Deb
Oh Deb, You are right on. Let’s all cheer for Mary Jane’s farm! Another Cheer for Mary Jane, Meg, Carol, Brian and all the staff. THANK YOU!
Hip Hip Hurray! Hip Hip Hurray! Hip Hip Hurray for MaryJanesFarm! Thanks so much for the note, Bonnie… 🙂 xo Deb