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Curse not the month of bluster and tumbling bonnets, for it takes a blast of many trumpets to loosen winter’s claws of ice. Ancient Jews held a festival in March in which trumpets owned the air. A jubilant chorus of brass marked the end of a season and the beginning of a new one. Indeed, there is something victorious sounding in the blowing of a horn!
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”.
Hi Shery,
I’m not big on windy days, either. Here in Connecticut, a big wind could mean serious injury from a big snapped tree branch.
I love the way you displayed your vintage postcard collection – very clever.
By the way, how is your little dog – the one the deer injured a few posts back?
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl Blogger)
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Hi Nicole! Thank you :o) My little Dotty is just fine…she has a scar, but the injuray area is now haired over. She’s wised up and decided that barking at the deer is only safe up on the deck. Hugs back at ya. shery
I Love your Featherweight! I have one that looks like it. The Most Wonderful "Romantical" 🙂 gift my sweet husband ever gave me, was finding one at an antique mall while he was driving home from a business trip. It was in the case and looking loved, but in Very Good Condition. He came home, went and bought wrapping paper and a card, and brought it around the corner to surprise me when I got home from work. I had been looking for one for quite a while, and it was an especially Wonderful Treat. I’m with you, sew ahead and back, that’s all I need. Thanks for the post.
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Nancy, To get such a gift from your husband is soooo sweet and thoughtful. I bet your little heart went bumpitybump instead of pitterpatter :o) shery
We also have a WIND problem here in the lovely Spokane Valley (AKA Greenacres). Supposedly has something to do with the currents involved from the Rathdrum prairie sort of east of us. My dad even built walls around the swimming pool area so that that *!*#** wind wouldn’t bother him so much. Long after dad passed and we moved into my folks old home we still comment on the scarey nature of those wind currents. One beautiful summer day, my hubby and I went shopping. I had forgotten to put down my umbrella covering the table in the corner of the HIGH walls out back. We found the umbrella about 150 feet away in my mom’s backyard next door. All this and on a perfectly quiet beautiful summer day! It always makes me laugh to say my dad’s quote: "This wind won’t blow in my whiskers much longer!".
Love your little sewing machine and your blue box. After you paint and sand, what type of product do use as a glaze and how do you apply it? The ‘glazing’ part of this technique has me a little confused (I’ll just blame it on the WIND..) I read the article that you wrote regarding the couple that repurposed furniture in MJF magazine. Just haven’t used a glaze before…I have two pieces to work on in my sunporch.
Happy spring!
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Hi Jan, I just used Old English scratch cover to darken the box, rubbed off the excess, let it dry and then prayed it with Deft spray varnish – satin or semi-gloss. shery
Shery,
I laughed out loud with your "fence episode". Not laughin’ at you but with you. I live in a plains area where the wind is pretty consistent. Come March, it kicks up a notch, but all that darn work outside still has to be done. I am reminded of chasing a feed bucket clean across the pasture and trust me I was mighty thankful no one was close to hear what I was saying as I stomped after it! Wonderful spring days to you and yours!
I’m with you, Shery. HATE the wind. I live in "Simi Valley", which is a Chumash Indian word for "windy". Yep, hate it.
Loved the "furry accordian" cat metaphor, sounds about right!
This "winter" in Southern Cal I’ve had flowers outside my window all season- we haven’t had much of a winter. But I lived in the midwest for 10 years and I sympathize with everyone who is having spring fever right about now.
Hope your winds let up and the cats can go out!
Sure enjoy your blog. Thanks so much…
cg
Yes, the seed catalogs are worn out and I’ve already got some of the seeds – love Heirloom Seeds. Starting seeds is on my list for this weekend. I’m also working on finishing a playhouse/shade house we started building last year – time to get it painted and finished. Big veggie garden plans this year. My dogs won’t tolerate chicks – my mom raises those! 🙂
Hey there Shery girl, pull up those big girl panties and blow caution to the wind!! You know I love ya 🙂
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My big girl panties are bigger’n you remember ’em! ;o) shery
Shery,
Living in mid Florida I envy what you and others are experiencing. Must admit also that the wind we have been having just enhances the "laundry on the line" freshness I love.
You have whett my desire to search for my basic sewing machine, and perhaps make that quilt from favorite old clothing!
Thank you
Hi Sherry,
I love reading your articles!!! I so love the photos you use also. Like you I don’t like the wind that much either. It chaps my face, makes working outside so much harder than it has to be. Everywhere I live is out in the open just enough to be constantly windy…..
Dolly
Hi Shery!
Oh, I just love your posts! You always take me someplace I like to be, but, like you I prefer a place minus the wind.
I remember March being our windy month in Nevada too. Now that I think about it, August and September could be windy as well…Here on the shorelnes, the wind is fierce and feared especially in October during hurricane season. These last few days have been like late spring with record high’s in the 70’s three days in a row…However, I understand its’ about to come to an end..we might be back in the low 40’s by Monday. I HAVE worn out my seed catalogs and purchased the first cut flower seeds for the season. I’ve vacillated between a green house and a hoop house for extending my growing season. But the best part of these last few days is that my Backyard Flower Farm is underway! Two 4×12 raised beds are completed ( only 6 more to go )! I am more than excited about this new farmgirl adventure! My hubby and son were in hysterics’ listening to me babble on about how wonderful it’s going to be while they worked away.
We share another thing in common. I too am a bit of a technophobe. I don’t want or need most of what is offered today in the world of electronics and I adore your sewing machine. What could be better than that? Sorry about that bump on your head… the best thing to do on a day like that is try again tomorrow! Some days it’s just not worth it to force the issue what ever it is! LOL
Love ya sister! Hold on to your hat ( visor )
xo Deb
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Thanks D-Boz! Can’t wait to see your garden project later on when you have plants coming up. I opted out of the Govt greenhouse option as it is a hoop-house and I had severe doubts as to the wind-hardiness of it. shery
Hey Shery!! Another amazing write up, I totally feel your pain when it comes to WIND, I live in Saskatchewan, Canada where the weather changes every time you blink!! This past Monday we had a huge storm with freezing rain and up to 90km/Hr wind, Tuesday and Wednesday were well above 0 degrees and this morning the snow started and it has been for about 12 hours now!! Calving is proving to be a bit of a challenge as well, today we lost a set of twins because the mama took off to a far corner of the pasture and with a white out blizzard we didn’t know she was there, when we found her it was too late 🙁 Not sure when you guys calve there but GOOD LUCK with it!! :). P.S Glad to hear your little pup is doing better!! Lacey
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Hi Lacey, Awww, sorry about your losses. I hate that and we, too, have had spring squalls that take a toll in that regard. I loathe the waiting game you play until you can go out and see if there is any damage control you can do…or just cound the losses :o( We don’t start calving until mid-April. The weather can still pose a threat, but you don’t get the long-term frigid temps. We don’t have barns at the ranch, so we HAVE to work with nature. There is no real profit in pushing time. Thanks for the well wishes…right back at ya girl. shery
Sometimes I think the wind is Mother Nature’s Puck–tweaking us humans who try to outwit her with gardens and fences and outdoor things. During the summer, though, it is Mother Nature’s balm, taking the sting out of the summer sun.
I love your sewing machine! It’s just occurred to me that I have a collection of old machines. Hmm.
Thank you for such a great start to my day!
Hang on to your hat!
Nancy
liveasavorylife.com
I am still sewing on the sewing machine my father gave my mother as a wedding present back in 1954! Several years back my husband got me a brand-new machine with stitches galore, but the time-tested Singer 301A is my machine for anything from upholstery to mending, to quilting and clothing construction.
Always enjoy a visit to your corner of paradise out West. As a transplanted Indiana farm girl here in New Jersey who grew up with a horse and cows, I look forward to all of your posts and pictures of life out on the range. Thank you for sharing and I only wish I was a little closer to Wyoming so I could stop by and swap howdys with you!
Susem
Shery, you reminded me I have my Mom’s Feather Weight. Nice machine. Also have and use a treadle. Ok, also have a plane White and a fancy Janome…hmmm Well, I do sew a lot. My fav is the treadle. Go figure.
Spring sprung too early here and now is soooo cold. Daffodils were fooled. Hope the apple trees make it to apples in the fall. But, the seasons changing is a major reason we live here in the north, right?