Someone stopped by the farm last evening, a neighbor’s cousin from out of town. We were all standing around chatting and he asked if we had visited some local attraction. And I said, “All we’ve done is work since we moved to this farm, but one day!” And he said something that went right through me and stuck to my heart and brain.
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” he leaned in to me. Then he said, “On a farm, the work is never done.”
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”.
Wasn’t expecting this to turn into a how to on a relaxing bath. I enjoyed the story and will try the bath MINUS CRITTERS. Thanks
Oh Rebekah! Remember it’s life’s journey ,not obtaining perfection to the ulitmate end.We are never truly content until everything is in order, so we continually strive. But then we lose those special times of pure simple enjoyment.The farm is your little peace of heaven on this earth don’t make it a “QUEST”. Kudos to you- a tick, a spider eewwww and a mouse, yikes, I guess these will make a true farm girl out of you!
Thanks for making me smile…
I believe the work on the farm can best be described like the ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle: “It’s not the destination but the journey.” Enjoy the journey on your new farm!! And part of that is listening and learning from the locals…which you really do well!!! I really enjoy reading about your “journey.” Thank you for sharing.
Feeling stress and anxiety seems to be a normal part of my life. My husband and I went to a vintage travel trailer rally in Roslyn, WA, last weekend (Anyone remember Northern Exposure? I even met the young couple that live in ‘Maggie’s house’!). We huffed and puffed and cleaned and watered and did everything that it takes to get ready to go. Our 1978 Ford pickup had to have some last minute repairs. We were leaving with a truck that might have some problems!?!?!? Sheesh.
We got to the rally with NO problems, and had a super wonderful time. There’s something about hanging around like-minded folks…Moral of the story is that we came back with a renewed sense of purpose and smiles (large!) on our faces…
Love an Epsom salt bath! I even soak my arthritic hands and feet in it if I don’t have time for the entire bath. There I’ll be on my garden patio, sitting there with my feet tucked into a basin after a hard afternoon of weeding! Nap time…
Chances are your little mouse friend fell into your tub and didn’t come up the drain. Set some of those ‘humane’ traps in your bath room, just in case he has a family…The spiders are drawn there because of the moist and cool environment…
Janice you’ve given me a brainstorm with the epsom soak in a basin outside after gardening while enjoying looking at our hardwork! You see there are 6 of us and one, yes one tub/shower. Now I can shush off the kids while I repose with my no fuss, no muss epsom soak outside accompanied by a nice Kombucha and let them form a line outside the WC! Growing up in a big condo in a concrete jungle did a disservice to me…the learning curve of living in a small 1950’s house has been insane but I wouldn’t go back…maybe one day I’ll be fit to return to the farmlife my mom left behind…I wish I had her green thumb! great comment! Many Thanks, Lisa
AnnaBelle is too sweet for her own good! My sister had a small frog crawl out of her sink drain in SC-I have never had this happen myself, but it would freak me out if it did! Try to take some time off from the to-do list this summer and visit your area- the work isn’t going anywhere!
perfect time for me, We took time out to go to a festival this past weekend and a tractor show and i was feeling a bit guilty….but we got the fencing up we wanted to and got the chickens outside where they belong. Thanks for posting
I agree with the magnesium importance in our diet. We recently received a book entitled “Magnificent Magnesium” by Dennis Goodman, MD. Heard about this watching “Your Health” with Dr. Richard and Cindy Becker. Like the cover says it is the vital mineral that helps avoid heart attacks, lowers blood pressure, stops painful muscle cramps, relieves nagging insomnia and increases calcium absorption.
I love a tub bath! And I had two just last week, one night and then the other! I will try the epsom salts bath. Even though I don’t work on a farm, I work taking care of developmentally disabled women and often have to engage in some physical activity with them like lifting and transferring and supporting and so on. Lots of muscles get a daily workout and I often feel like I’m needing a good soaking bath. I usually add bubble bath but I’m going to try the epsom salts and olive oil idea. I usually read while I soak — the two activities seem to be made for each other in my case. While my body soaks, my mind really gets into my book and I enjoy it more. Thanks for article.
I love tub baths – I have a jetted one, but haven’t been able to use it for the last year or so because I simply haven’t had the strength to get out. It is funny but scary to be stuck in the tub. The first time my husband and I were home alone. Both of us more
or less handicapped, but we finally got me out. When I told my youngest daughter what had happened, she said, “Let’s practice! You get into the empty tub with your clothes on and we will figure out how to get you out”. I told her that wasn’t going to
happen! Now my arms are stronger and I got a full length anti-slip mat for the tub, and some day when someone strong is here I will try it again. In the meantime I love the
handicap shower my husband had built for me. Just step in, nice seat to sit on while I use the hand held shower. Still not as relaxing as my tub! I was glad to hear about the Epsom salt – we have used it in the past to soak a sprain or just overworked muscles.
Love Epsom Salt baths…healing for body, mind and soul. I love to add some essential oils to mine. A little lavender, some peace & calming, some ylang ylang. The list could go on for a while. A great space to pray and make a list of all that I am grateful for. Now the occupants in your tub….NO WAY! I know there is an essential oil that would keep away some of the bugs. Worth checking it out in your case. We only have one life, so live it well… Love following your blog.
I buy Epsom salts two buckets at a time at Sam’s and use two cups of Epsom salts and one half cup of baking soda. The only problem is that now we are on city water and also soaking in all that chlorine and floride. I’m not sure how to remedy that. I’ve heard that adding bentonite clay can help with the chlorine but I’m lazy like AnnaBelle and hate even the thought of cleaning a tub full of silty clay!
My dad’s family is from Kansas. Dad said that his mom used to say, “Ah’m tahred: T-I-X-R-D.” Anybody ever heard that? Don’t know where that spelling came from, but I say to myself now when tahred enough.
Thanks for info re Epsom Salts. I’ll try it this very night.
Love that darling kitty.
I remember my husbands Pop telling us about Epsom salts, I’d forgotten about most of it until this post. It gigged my brain. I think I would’ve screamed the place down having all those creatures sharing my bath. Ugh !!
You have inspired me to begin taking a bath now, I’m more of a shower girl, it’s faster and time is of the essence blah blah blah :). Even though I’m a town girl I can sympathize with the work is never done. Every time I sit for a cuppa or at the end of the day I look around and see other things that need doing, but I’ve chosen the concept of “Rome wasn’t built in a day” this year otherwise I’d never stop.
Savouring the flavor of life
Enjoy life