UPDATE: NANCY ADCOCK WINS THE ALMANAC. WOOHOO!
“Your Mama wears combat boots to church.”
Rebekah, as a 6th grader
May Farm Report from Rebekah’s Farm
Ah, well…..the thing is…..the farm is coming along…..not so much.
-
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”.
I have always wanted a Farmer’s Almanac! Little by little, everything will come together. It’s the journey that matters! Bless your happy weeds…Cindy
Whew! Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you! I love all that you have going on, though. Chicks and wildflowers AND boots and horses….. It all sounds so wonderful. The Mortgage Lifter tomato seeds are the only ones of your collection that I recognize. They’re actually very, very good tomatoes.
I love your blog with all the information and your experiences which are so valuable. It gives me courage to continue with my farm project. I’m breaking ground on my farm house next month. EEEE! 🙂
It will come together soon just enjoy the process! I think i live close to where you live and understand about the rain! Hang on it should stop soon and we only should get a shower here and there till this fall. Love to read your blog and love the boots! never saw green ones before i say wear them everywhere
Why would your shoes and socks get wet when you have a perfectly good, new pair of combat boots!
Almanac sounds wonderful;please pick me!
Hope your seeds sprout and garden grows as well as your weeds! The teenage stage of chickies can be so frustrating, especially with them in he house. May it pass quickly. Oh, and you are spot-on with the comment about the chicken house taking longer and costing more than ev imagined!
Have a beautiful week.
Just read your post, lovely. Suggestion if you want to make your enchiladas heathy and not use so much cheese and if you like cauliflower, you steam them mash them and then add your cheese. Just a suggestion. Have a wonderful Day!
Maria
I think that maybe you should go small on the garden this year! You have enough on your plate, and this year will give you some time to talk to the neighbors about how and when they do their plantings. For example, it takes awhile to start tomatoes and get them ready to set out. We don’t actually plant the garden here in eastern WA until about the 1st of June. We still might have a frost coming tomorrow night!!
I once had an Arabian horse named Sheik. He was a beautiful palomino and I was a novice rider. My experienced horse mentor could jump on him and make him do wondrous acrobatics. I could not…I would suggest that you do some equestrian classes while your beauty is being ‘trained’. Confidence is something that your horse will recognize..Good luck!
Your life is my dream.
I so enjoy reading of your beginnings into rural living. We have purchased my husband’s family farm and wish desperately to move there but finances are holding us here in town. Keep plugging away, your doing great!
As I was always told – when one is busy, one stays out of trouble – YOU ARE ONE BUSY ONE!! What fun to read about it. So sorry sweetheart is having issues, hopefully the teacher will give him an attitude adjustment and he will be so happy to come home and be all that you know he can be. Love the boots, I had a pair back in the day, but mine were boring black, love the green . Chick chick chick another great love of my life, sorry for the loss but the others seem to be great fun. I once did the ‘chick before the house’ and ended up building a quick house, it is a house that I moved them outside before the real house was ready and also so that they could come inside at night, just a wooden crate,chicken wire and a run, oh the memories you bring back for me, thanks! My garden is still sitting in the kitchen, cold,snowy late into planting time and now we are getting rain, not really complaining because we have drought for years, so will put things out when I can. JEEPERS IF ONLY I HAD HAD AN ALMANAC – maybe I would have known that gardening would be delayed. Anyway whom ever gets the Almanac – congratulations and what a sweet idea of sharing with others. God Bless
Hey Rebekah,
I always love your blog. Your pictures are beautiful. I think your middle picture of your "weeds" is Creasy Salad. We love it cooked and served with vinegar and a Big slice of cornbread. Check it for sure before you try it:)
I would love to win the almanac.
About the garden situation, I finally was able to get my garden in last week but we have had nothing but rain, rain, rain also here I Mid-Missouri.
Have you ever considered raised beds. That is what I did this year and you don’t need a tiller. It is a lot easier than tilling up a garden every year. I have about six raised beds and you can add to them every year. Make walking paths in between. I really like it better than a traditional garden which I have had for years. Much easier for this "over 50" girl.
You are one busy lady. We haven’t planted a garden yet because of the weather. We have planted the brandy wine tomato before and it is very good. Like the idea of the cauliflower in the enchilada recipe you posted. It all takes time and nothing happens fast enough when you are on a ranch or farm. Keep plugging away – that is what I do.
I LOVE all the adventures you are having! I live vicariously through you since buying a farm is not an option for us. Thanks for sharing!
Oh dear, I hope you do not become disappointed in the results of you grdening experience – that is a VERY BIG bite for the beginning.
It is wonderful to grow one’s own food. We have gardens, small orchard, & berries on our lot in a very rural eastern WA townlet. I also have chickens for eggs, but I must tell you that we do eat our chickens when they have come to the end of their producing life. This does not mean we respect them any less or care for them in a haphazard manner. And, yes, they do have names & personalities all their own.
But, everyone has their own ideas about this. I am glad you are having your horse trained. It is a good thing to be able to have a "horsey" friend to ride and enjoy.
I hope you change your mind again about eating chicken. It is SUCH a gift to be able to raise your own NO CHEMICAL fed chickens for your family table. Enjoy the clean meat and maybe the FRESHEST eggs in the world when the time comes, and be happy to have it.
The almanac offer sounds wonderful. Hope it is Moi!
So happy I stumbled upon your blog! I am a newly minted citygirl farmer and loving every minute of it. We are fortunate not to have the rain you have had so I was able to build 5 raised beds and a compost bin over the last 2 weekends and get my lovlies in the ground. I can’t believe I still have some room, so off to the store for more seeds! I would love to have an almanac if that were to happen. Best of luck to you and hope you dry out soon! Kelly
I can whole heartedly second Jans suggestion of getting more training yourself while your boy is at boot camp. A less schooled horse with a novice rider who figures out he has a novice rider may go to school and come home smart, but he will remember your skills or lack thereof! It’s not so good if he is aware he knows more than you, so surprise him with more skills of your own! Good luck!
I love reading your blog and am in LOOOVE – did I say In LOOOVE with those combat boots….how cute…just LOOOOVE the color!
Rebekah, love the boots, and I hope your lovely horse learns some manners, also I love the turkey. my friend back home in La. had one come up on her property and he actually ended up living there and being a great protector over her hens. She named him "Gordy". I hope you get all your seeds planted if not this year put them in the fridge and they will be good for next year. Happy farming, and love seeing all of the updates on your new farm. Be Blessed. neta
Rebekah,
The simple life is not so simple! You are doing an amazing job! Keep it up. Your Mama!
I would love an almanac and I love the Greenhorns!
I think you may be a little too late with some of your seeds, but some of the shorter season crops would be fine to plant now. Maybe you will just have to shop at farmer’s markets this year and garden next year. I am sure your seeds will still be good. Just store them in a cool, dark place.
I love your boots!
I wish you much success and I am sure it will all work out eventually. I love the combat boots and the permission that you have given yourself to wear them. The chickens are cute as can be and I agree with you and your daughter; chicken would be off my menu (I am not a vegetarian but don’t eat much meat for the same reason I love animals too much). I am sure you will be riding your beautiful white horse in the very near future and you will feel so free and happy when you do. The garden problem is one that I have going on as well; maybe next year. The dream that we have is a big wonderful dream and the good thing is that we have actually taken the step to live it, the sobering part is that it is going to take work, money, patience and time…but we will get there. The journey is the destination anyway. Much success to you and I love the chance to win a copy of the almanc. Thanks
hi,here in the real world,my farmgirl dreams are on hold this year,if you remember the Allen Jacksons tune.But I will ask Spirit to help you with all the work,maybe you should hire a hi school girl to help you. carol
The list of seeds you bought are really interesting. It would be fun researching some of them.
I love the way your new farm life is coming together.
Where did you get the beautiful combat boots in that color?
Beautiful pictures! Count me in for the giveaway please!!!
I need a farmer’s almanac. i have planted a porch container garden with gro-boxes (brand name) and they are great. Maybe you could start there and work up to the big one. Rain here in Clemmons, NC has been over-abundant too. Unfortuneately we know how easily we slip into drought to complain. i have a big troy built tiller that we don’t use. Interested? lol have a great day. nothing was ever done in a day.
Beka- love your boots and stories. We have a little dog -remi– who like your beloved horse — forgets the rules and though he tries to be good, he just forgets the rules. Fortunately he gets by on his sweet looks and personality. Would you believe my family may actually need a farmer’s almanac? A very slight distance from our current house but quite a change is in store for us– holding my breath til may 31… But Steve is very excited.
hi Rebecah, I’m a first time chick mom too (thanks to MJF & a friend who thought it would be a win win to give me 11 orphaned 2 day old babys); now they are 14 days old & in the house as are yours; not cuz they dont have a coop; cuz mama is afraid something will get them ; ) anyway, rosemary essential oil is helping w/ the smell & it is good for the chicks! might give it a try…
I so look forward to reading your updates, Rebekah. I am living through your life—doin’ all those things I’ve dreamed about. I hit my big 60 this year and guess I’ll just have to be satisfied with your virtual farm-life. (I have made a request to the FATHER, that my mansion in the sky is a rambling old house on some land where I can fulfill my dreams. So for now, I am contentedly living in the old part of Omaha with my hubby of 40 years and our dog, Matty–caring for our plot of land, home, and reaching out to those HE brings across my path and serving HIM the best I can. See you in the skies!
Enjoy your blog so much…and understand…three years into a country home from the big city for us…don’t know if we will make it! It is challenging…to say the least!
Love those blue boots and ___where can I get some___ (do they have to be painted with shoe paint?)?!!! The Green horns sound neat and I love almanacs! Mr. Snow will be a quick leaner since he is a smart guy, and he will come back to you Ready To Ride! It is quite freeing to be a woman of a certain age able to do what you want without wondering what others will think. When you become 60+ you are nearly invisible, but I guess I have always had an independent streak a mile wide. Good luck on the garden drying out enough for planting! Mary Beth
Just reading your seed list made me weak in the knees. I say save the bulk of it for next year, buy a few tomato plants and enjoy the farmer’s market. Squash is easy to grow from seed, and you’ll want a cucumber plant or two, and some bell peppers. Some herbs of course. The greens you can plant later for fall. See, it’s already getting carried away!
Google chicken moat. I’ve never done it, but it looks like three birds with one stone. It’s a protected chicken run, deer deterrent (because of the double fence) and pest control at the same time. Love the almanac. Count me in!
Here’s to boot camp!
love our mini NE TN farm with chickens and garden and fresh air and yes, we have had lots of rain too. When I have to slog about outside I wear my LL Bean mocs (they are waterproof) … feet and socks stay dry. Hubby wears his Bean boots. Check out the neat stuff they have, you’re bound to find some waterproof things.
Hope the horse comes home from boot camp with a respectful attitude.