I am not sure if what I feel and know inside will come across in words, but I’ve found that the entire way we tend to look at food and diet and nutrition to be off base.
I had the opportunity to attend a meditation retreat led by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2004 and before eating we said or read the following: This food is the gift of the whole universe – the earth, the sky, and much hard work. May we live in a way that makes us worthy to receive it. May we transform our unskillful states of mind, and learn to eat in moderation. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness. We accept this food so that we may realize the path of understanding and love.
Key points: food is a gift; eat in moderation (don’t be wasteful of your food or harmful to yourself); eat food that nourishes us (I loosely interpret this to be the body, the soul and or the mind); accept the food with compassion (be kind to yourself).
Often times we know what we ought to eat for optimum health, but eating purely for health is not necessarily fun. We also eat socially or we eat for piece of mind or because of a memory of what a certain food (experience) tastes like.
For me, being able to cross over, and understand, really understand in my core, that eating foods that make me feel bad later (whether that be mentally, physically, biologically) is just not worth it…food is nourishment for our soul. And so, I take the time to appreciate a fresh sweet carrot, savor its crunchy nature, just as much as I might a piece of rich chocolate. And, when I am served (or serve myself) something that is not healthy (and that generally means also filled with unhealthy ingredients) I don’t eat it…
As a caveat, when it comes eating sweets, occasional indulgence is healthy, especially if the sweets are made with whole, pure ingredients, just like grandma would have made them!
Just discovered your blog today. Love it. We also grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington, now we are in Puyallup, WA. You know home of the Puyallup Fair, last time we checked it was the 7th largest in the nation! Anyway, life on the west side of the mountains is different than the east side. We are trying to bring a bit of the country life to Puyallup on June 13 &14. We are putting on a big antique show and flea market full of awesome cool junk. We love to repurpose things and have found alot of other people do to. Go to our blog to check it out http://www.funkyjunksister.blogspot.com. We will check back to your blog often!
Take care,
Linda & Dixie
The Funky Junk Sisters
Hey girls,
Thanks for the info… I marked it on the calender. We have our 2009 Farm Fair July 3-5th Farmgirls come in from all over the US… Come on over, we’d love to meet you in person! got to our website and click on the farm fair button… http://www.maryjanesfarm.org
Again thanks for the info
rene says: SharleyAnn,
Beautiful post, thank you. I think there is a lot of value in your words…conecting with eating as a "re-fueling process" is key~ Any chance you could just be a "bug in my ear" until I know it by heart? 🙂
Aunt Jenny says: Wow…we must be long lost sisters!! I am the same way….love to study nutrition, and am really valiant when it comes to my kids, especially eating right..but I tend to fall off the wagon myself (due to the devil bread and cheese mostly..haha) and this weight problem is always still just that…a problem. I know what is right and good and mean well, and eat the right things, and then …well…don’t again. sigh. I AM glad I am not the only one. I feel in good company.
A little birdie tells me that there is "farmgirl" help on the way in the way of a new book… I dont know all the details but I for one CANT wait
Gary says: Your Bloggie on food is head-on Cool Rene’…!
The experience you describe of connection between organic vegetarian based diet, with some free range dairy, is exactly what I have experienced since making the changes.
I am vegetarian and also eat free range organic dairy and eggs, and I buy free range meats to prepare meals for my Cat and Doggie, because they cannot metabolize plant protein and need meat.
The benefits go beyond just a feeling, as I have been taken off two medications since I made all these changes, and like you said… I feel Great now…!
Thank You and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Gary,
Apparently Hippocrates had it right, "let thy food be they medicine". Seems so simple, why do we fight it?
Hey, that’s me too. I have a huge interest in nutrition and holistic medicine. I have lots of books and read a lot of info online. I started a blog this year and this month started a feature called "LillySue’s Health Tip Tuesday". You can read what I have posted on health and fitness if you hit those subjects in my post list. I actually got serious with myself last year and am doing sooo much better. I have now finally got into the habit of thinking about each thing I put in my mouth….will this benefit my body or will my body have to compromise other systems to deal with this. I would love to have you pop over for a visit. apeaceofbliss.blogspot.com Also, are you going to be at the FarmChicks sale June 6th? We will probably be moving over 4th of July and most likely will not be able to attend MaryJanes shindig.
Blessings~LillySue
Lilly Sue,
I can’t wait to check out your blog, thanks for the address, I am heading there now. I doubt that I will make the farmchick event as my head is buried in the "details" of FarmFair July3-5, as well as classes we are hosting at the MaryJanesFarm Store June 4th ~ But I hear it is a great event and I hope you all have a blast. And really, farmgirls getting together, how can you go wrong. Thanks again!
Judy says: I love reading your blog. This is a subject close to my heart too. I too have a load of books on nutrition and natural healing, as well as practical knowledge on the subject. I like to keep up on the the newest trends in nutrition but try to find the middle road in following them. Preachers of all nutrition ilks, really bother me…maybe because I have that tendency too. We just need to decide what we want to do ourselves and I get nervous about getting caught into a way of eating that is "correct". Being in my mid fifties now, I can see the same pattern of being on track, and being off. I guess that’s just the way of life…how quick can we get back on when an event, or thought, knocks us off. So, eat and be happy!
Judy,
Ya, my grandpa ( who is so wise) said, "anything will work if YOU work it".. hahahah.. hate it when it comes down to being that simple :)… Instead of complicated like I think it is…..:)
MichaellaS says: tks for the effort you put in here I appreciate it!
weinyPeenigap says: I am new and wanted to make a my very first thread to acquaint myself. My name is Maryann and I stumbled here by a quick search and wanted to just say hello. I would like to participate in future discussions and look forward to talking with everyone.
Please also check out the farmgirl connection at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org click on "chat with other farmgirls.
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drycleanersr says: Sweet site, I hadn’t noticed http://www.maryjanesfarm.org before in my searches!
Organic Dry Cleaning Dryclean PosLaundromat Sale Bds Laundry
finance personal software says: Thank you for sharing I wish I could go somwhere.
I opine that to get the credit loans from banks you should present a firm reason. Nevertheless, one time I’ve received a secured loan, because I was willing to buy a building.
I was country…when country wasn’t cool…
If I had to choose one song that epitomizes me this would have to be it. Barbara Mandrel’s, “I was country”. (That or “Redneck Woman,” but that’s another post.) I wasn’t really one of the cool kids during high school, although since there were a total of 100 kids in K-12, I don’t know that we really had such a distinction. I had then, like I have now, a very eclectic group of friends, as eclectic as you can get in a small Eastern Washington town in the 1970s (late ’70s), when half the town was family.
Brandy says: I love Barbara! Yes, I too am glad that I "stuck to my roots" I have sewed all my life & my 2 girls would have been naked if they had not worn clothes that I made for them.
My husband & I just planted our first garden in years & even if we only get 1 thing out of it, it was worth all the pain (2 over 50’s on hands & knees…you get the picture:-)!
Can’t wait to meet you at Farm Fair!
Brandy
Brandy,
FarmFair is the place to be, for sure. Make sure to come find me, we will swap farmgirl stories!
Marie Theriot says: I love all that you said. We do need to pay more attention to what we eat and support those around us. I am still looking for someone who grows peas and beans in my area. I remember shelling them as a young girl and complaining but what I would give to have some of those fresh veggies now. I love reading the Mary Jane Blogs and this is the first time that I post something. From Redd in Louisiana
Marie,
What an honor for me, to be the first time you posted. Thank-you. I think things like shucking corn and snapping peas on the porch is a great way to spend time. I think some of the best conversations come out of those moments.
Amen to that.I work at the oldest farm in America still owned by the same family since 1632.We have seen the wheel come around many times.This time I hope it isn’t given up in the name of progress.
WOW, talk about roots! That is so great! 1632 that’s a story worth telling! I know what you mean, giving up never seems to be the best road to "progress" where the family farm is concerned. Thanks for posting I greatly appreciate it!
oooooh, I was raised in Eastern Washington, too! I’m in Texas now, but long for the days when we’ll be back up north. I look forward to reading more on your blog. From one farm girl to another, -Anna.
Anna,
I just know we will be friends. With a name like sweetmissdaisy, how could I go wrong? Thanks for reading the post and I hope that you come back often.. your little "mental trip" to Washington State.
Rene – I was just thinking about this song the past week and thought to myself that it pertains to me and I’m happy that it pertains to you also. I’ve always been country. My husband says that I was born at least 100 years too late! It’s good to get back to your roots and remember how you were brought up. You know they say that you will never forget what you were taught as a child, you might stray from it, but eventually it will all come back to you. I’m happy that my Grandparents, both paternal and maternal, were hard working farm people in one way or another. I will never forget wading the creek to get to the garden and sitting in the middle of the tomato patch and munching tomatoes straight from the vine or the apple mud pies that I use to make under the apple tree in my Grandma’s back yard – they didn’t taste quite like hers but it was good practise. A few years ago I made an apple pie for a family get together and my Mom made the statement that it was as good as my Grandmas. What a compliment! Stick to your roots and keep up the good work.
Thank you! I think that this song is one that plays in the minds of many of us farmgirls… an anthem of sorts. Your memories are so sweet, I feel like I was there too. I spent many an hour on the tire swing at my grandparents place, just watching the world pass by….. Love those old memories! Thank you for sharing yours with me!
Reba says: Hello Rene, It is good to receive your blog as well as the City Farmgirls’. I have been a farmgirl at heart all my life, regardless of not having land to farm. I made all my daughters’ clothes (down to her underwear-that’s how serious about sewing that I was), curtains and crafts for my home (even smocked bedspread and curtains), and just generally had the mindset that I needed to make something. It was more about feeling that sense of accomplishment and having something different. My oldest sisters wanted to get away from homemade with "ready made" things and the latest craze. So I was called "old fashioned" (which I am very proud of too). Now reading Mary Janes’ magazines and your blogs, I realize there are "farmgirls" all across this land. And it is like meeting a new friend with a kindred spirit. My Mom was my No. 1 farmgirl. She quilted, embroidered, sewed, cooked, prepared food during the harvest to make sure that a family of 12 children had plenty to wear, eat, and things to do. We camped at the lake during one summer and actually my Mom canned green beans over an open fire in a washtub. Now that’s Country and Farmgirl to the max!! But I absolutely love it!! Always have. Thanks for taking time to write. It is fun to read.
Reba,
WOW, you are right, your mom is a farmgirls/farmgirl! I am with you, I love reading and "meeting" all the other farmgirls at MaryJanes as we somehow strengthen each other. I think canning green beans over the wash tub is brilliant, may need to try that one 🙂
Gary says: Great Bloggie Rene’…!
and very True…
I grew up in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains, and am eager to return Home there, as my "Journey" of career is over. Life close to the land and shared daily with a variety of Critters, both domestic and wild, is a Good Life.
Oh… a common expression arose from the ‘prank’ of Snipe Hunting": "Left holding the bag." Yep, I think everyone’s first "hunt" involves being left in the woods with a bag.
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Gary, "Welcome" and thanks for taking the time to pass that little pebble down. I want aware that "left holding the bag" had originated from such a deed.. but,I can certainly see how one would get that! as left holding the bag, I was….Guess I should be happy they didnt choose a gag that would be followed by "tarred and feathered" LOL Thanks! I can just picture you back in the Great Smokies.. what a great goal!
BamaSuzy says: For some reason that very song was running around in my head and I was singing it as I fed and watered the goats, chickens, bunnies and ducks earlier this week! You may be several states away (I’m in north central Alabama) but we country girls have the same SOUL! Really enjoyed your blog!
Thanks Suzy – I think that is the farmgirl anthem of sorts! Love that song!
Hi Rene- I really enjoyed reading all about your background and "roots". I live in a small city but there’s this persistent little streak in me that joyfully springs to life at the sight of rolling fields and the smell of manure (I’m not kidding). I come from farm folks; I figure it’s literally in my blood. I especially liked the ‘money follows your heart’ passage… and when I do it’s a roadmap to self sufficiency; wool fleeces for spinning, supplies for soapmaking, and most recently new varieties of tomato seeds.
Please keep writing, I know I’ll enjoy reading!!
Julie,
I will keep writing if you’ll keep reading 🙂
There is truth that it is in "our blood" some how… I say that "dirt is in my veins".
I am a wanna be farm girl! I did play with my friend on her farm when growing up and her family taught me a lot about being on a farm.
Music is so imporatnt to me! It reinvents the happenings in my life as I remember where or what was happening when songs were popular.
I love rock-a-billy, country and anything with good lyrics!
I grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri, the Brenda Lee capitol and Ozark Mountain Daredevils much later.
Thanks for the many reminders of songs that play in my heart. I recently lost my brother and the music is what helps remind me. Its memories help me so much day to day now.
Smiles, Cyndi
Cyndi,
We are kindred spirits for use. I love Brenda Lee – How did such beautiful music come out of such a tiny instrument? I would love to know. I am a HUGE rock-a-billy fan as well. The loss of a love one is hard, but music is a dear friend in those times as well! Thanks again!
Michele Kirkman says: Wow Rene’,
I,m with you. I just feel disconnected if I go to the mall.
I much prefer buying hand crafted from people I know or from Etsy.
My farm girl roots started when I was a little girl. My family were migrants in that we traveled from farm to farm to make a living. As I grew older things changed in my family dynamics and I went to live with a foster family in the country that had a pear orchard. With their family nurturing I have become the person I am today. I respect the earth and all she has to offer and have instilled that in my daughters, and my prayer is that they will pass it on to their children. So yes I was country when country was not necessarily cool.
Florence,
Thank You so much for sharing a little of your story with me. I too was a foster kid who’s life was changed.. here to those of us that have always thought Country was cool!
Jamie Mercer says: I went to a school that had 32 students (9-12) and I had always wore wranglers and they teased me so bad. What gets me now is I am 43 and those guys now are wearing wranglers. What is up with that!! Love your blog and I can relate!! Jamie
I know what you mean I think many of the pictures I have from back in the day were 501 button-up levi’s and white ts.. I was "styling". Great to hear from you! You set the "fashion" way back then.. you must have looked so great, it converted the rest of your classmates 🙂
Susan says: Thank you for writing your blogs. They really hit home. We just moved to a smaller town with a really small yard and for the first time in years we’ve had a garden. It only took me 3 days to figure out why my shoulder and arms are sore. Thank goodness for farmer’s markets — aspargus and morel mushrooms. no room for chickens though. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading. (Growing up I learned to sew for 4-H and used my skills for years…when my son was small I made all our clothes except for workpants and bras…most of my family thought I was going overboard but it satisfied something.)
Susan,
I know what you mean, sore muscles… but boy it "hurts" good, right? I just love our local farmers market here, too. I am growing a lot of stuff this year, but there is always something I "need" at the market…… thanks for posting!
Claire says: Thanks so much for such a great blog! I look forward to hearing more in the months to come. I think you’re right on too about the "rural revival" that’s coming into fashion now. I long to connect back to my early years on big tabacco farm in Havana, Florida. Every wonderful memory and strong instinctual thing I feel centers in those years and experiences, however young I was. I’m on my way with my little mini farm now and I can’t wait for what the next day will bring in my farm girl life.
Take care. Keep writing.
Claire,
Thank you so much! I love the concept of "rural revival" dont you? It gives me the mental pictures of community and folks sitting on their front porches sipping tea and chatting with neighbors. Taking strolls down the tree lined dirt roads and really reconnecting with life and love and laughter….. sounds like a worth while revival to me…. Keep me updated on your mini farm… so cool!
carol branum says: hi rene,I also was country before country was cool,and i agree with everyone on here,i could write and write,but i wont today, i just wanted to say,since no one commented yet, on how cute you were,that is you isnt it?Is that your husband?he is cute too.blessed be,the mo farmers daughter,carol branum
Carol,
Thank You! That is me, "back in the day" and my best friend from HS. I feel blessed we have managed to be friends for a whole lot of years, but I am married to another cutie pie, I am sure he will get his mug on here sooner or later, but I will let my friend know 🙂
Where does the music come from?
As you walk down memory’s trail?
Each word, each phrase, the melody,
Comes clearly without fail.
Place yourself upon the path,
You’ll know right from the start . . .
The music and the memories
Are found within your heart.
~ Sarah Hastings ~
Is it just me, or does everyone hear a soundtrack of their lives in their head? I remember events based on the song that I associate with them. My husband on the other hand, can recall the songs based on the year in which it was a hit. For me, the song doesn’t have to be from the era the event took place, it’s just a song that I heard in my head either at the time of the event or at a later recalling of the event.
nameSheri says: No you are not alone. Not only do I define my life with it’s own musical soundtrack, I quote song lyrics to suit every occasion and am constantly quizzing my kids (grown ups now) on who the band/performer is when a song is played in a movie, commercial, TV show or on the radio. I guess I’m like living with the old show "Name that Tune". Music has always been so important to me – I know my life would be hollow without it.
Hey Sheri,
How perfect, makes me feel "normal" (which is all relative, I know). I am with you, who wants a silent movie.
No! You are SO not alone. I mortify my children (apparently) with my "sound track" all the time. I have so many songs associated with so many memories….even one Christmas as a kid when my family traveled from Idaho to Calif to spend it with relatives and back to Idaho (Glen Campbell’s "Lineman" of all things) and many more. I drive my family (especially 12 year old son) crazy with it.
I am glad to not be alone.
It reminds me of being in the movies with my 11 year old… The Bee movie and Fly me to the moon… LOVED the sound track to both those childrens movies.. Matthew too was MORTIFIED as I broke out in song to a packed room….. of course I busted a move or two as well…..
LOVE Glen Campbell… get your hair brush "girlfriend" we have some singing to do!
carol branum says: hi rene,one of my all time favorites,is julie andrews singing favorite things,brown paper packages tied up in bows,lets see how does that go,when then dawn breaks,when the birds sing,these are a few of my favorite things…in the sound of music,i havent heard it for years,so,i think i will rent that movie at the libary tonight just so i can see it again,the year it came out,in the early 60s,my great aunt florence,a very cultured spanish professer at mssu in springfield mo, she decided,that,mom and i were too country,and that we needed culture,so she took me to a theater in springfield to see it,i loved it,She took mom,to ST.Louis to Yule Brenner on stage,in the on stage proformance of the The King and I,But i didnt get to go coz i got the measles,…yea,your right,lots of music talks to you….blessed be…the mo farmers daughter,carol branum
Carol,
How great to have an auntie that wanted you to experience the finer things. I have found that you can take the farmgirl out of the country, but you cant take the country out of the farmgirl 🙂
Nora says: Yes! What a Day for a Daydream, by the Lovin Spoonful, especially. This was playing on the radio as I was en route to the hospital to deliver my first daughter. I often find myself bursting into song at the drop of a phrase, or singing along in public, much to the chagrin of my children.
I’m a Wisconsin farmgirl at heart, raised in the minor metropolis of Madison, spent a few years dairy farming and lots of years with small flocks of poultry. Looking forward to retiring into the North Woods (God’s Country) in just a few months.
Wow Nora, retiring in God’s Country? What could be better? Well other than having it all done to music. You are a girl after my own heart. By the way, I love that song. So happy and brings a smile. Of course I think every day is a day for a daydream, but…………….Make sure to let me know how retirment life is. I know some great activities you can plug into in the sisterhood program at the farm. Here is the link: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/farmgirl-sisterhood/
Ronda says: Because I have never experienced a Snipe Hunt personally – this story has truly opened my eyes. However, not in a surprising sort of way. You see, I’ve been married to the Mark of the story for 32 years and understand that there is definately a reason that Rene and I stay on the same side of things. Having a support group is invaluable! Thank you Rene for giving me the first hand version of this story! Aunt Ronda 🙂
Terra says: I loved this article..it reminded me of the tricks my cousins played on me when we were kids…
A well-written story, if not objective, but I wonder if Ronda perhaps should have written about "a first-hand version", rather than "the first-hand version". It would seem reasonable not to form an opinion and/or lend one’s support based on just one person’s account. Hmm!
*Mark* says: This "story" (and some of the comments after it) seems to have a lot of questionable material following a statement such as "if memory serves". I am really hesitant to point out that as one of the accused I am over 50 years old and my memory may not be quite as sharp as it could be, but not quite as hesitant to point out that the "victim" is not too many years younger (as pointed out in the article), which could affect her memory. Obviously she is not all wrong, because her description of her "way too cool" and "smart" uncles is very easy to believe!!!
I’m not sure what put the bee in my bonnet (perhaps relatives akin to yours), but this reminds me of the time that I convinced my high school boyfriend that minces (as in mincemeat pie) were an animal similar to a rabbit, but more long like a weasel, common to the west (he’d recently moved to CO from NY) and without a lot of meat on them, so best cooked in a pie!
rene says: Thanks for the comments everyone. I love hearing from you all. Well that is, except Mark who it saddens me to think that senility has taken its toll on some one so young……
GreenMeAllison,
Your "tale" is priceless I can see that you would have fit right into the Knopp family.
Snipe hunts!! A rite of passage when I was a kid and now my own kids are going through that stage too. I grew up in rural Calif and our snipe hunts were loud and long..lots of older cousins. Since I am the oldest of my own siblings I loved my chance to take my brother and sister and younger cousins on a snipe hunt. My oldest kids (now grown) were taken by my younger brother and my youngest kids..still home….have been on snipe hunts all but the youngest two..who are both 12 and will surely go on their first hunt this summer at scout camp and girls church camp. They do it a little different here in Utah..but it is basically all the same…good clean fun. My older two kids at home can hardly wait to take their younger sibs and have kept it quiet now so they don’t suspect a thing. I love it. Thanks for the memory!
I grew up in Eastern WA too. I am still here actually. I so relate to this snipe hunt thing. Yes yes yes. They tricked me so good.
I grew up weeding beets, rolling hay, milking cows and so forth. Loved it so much. Great blog.
Jan
Hey Jan,
Thanks for the compliment. Beets, hay, cows……. are you in the Basin?
Dawn says: I rememer those "rites of passage" well. Grandpa telling us to pick a long piece of grass and touch it to the electric fence….we "wouldn’t get shocked"!! Yeah right!
My favorite memory is turning 16 and driving. I was sent to town to get "axle grease". I was told to not come home without it as it was needed on the farm. I must’ve stopped at a dozen garages and gas stations inquiring about ‘axle grease’ to no avail. I vividly remember my grandfather, uncle and some farm buddies standing outside the house grinning from ear to ear as I pleaded my case as to why I didn’t have any. That’s when I learned, there IS NO SUCH THING AS AXLE GREASE! I had to drive to another town for months to get fuel to avoid embaressment!
Ha-ha-ha! Love that! As I was reading your story, I thought, hmmmm! Why are all the shananigans at the hands of our "FarmBOY" family members….Guess they thought they had better get us while we were young, as no doubt they’d never get us…. don’t cha think? Just once i’d like to send one of them into the fabric store………………………
Elaine says: Ha-ha-ha!!Loved the blog, seems like Snipe hunting was an International sport! Had the same experience up here in Canada,but I’m a bit surprised that no-one ever sent you to find a left-handed monkey wrench!!
Ha-ha back! "left-handed monkey wrench"? How long were you out looking for that one? LOL
carol branum says: hi rene, I ejoyed this very much ,have a geat day good blog,blessed be the mo farmers daughter,carol branum
Thanks Carol.. I hope you will "come back often" as farmgirls, I am sure we will have "like" stories to share.
Elaine says: longer than I like to admit!
I remember snipe hunts as a kid…
But I was AMAZED to find out when I looked up a bird I found in our farm orchard in a birding book, that it was a SNIPE.
I found one without looking!!!
Brenda,
Ha-ha, where was that little birdie when I needed him?
Marsha says: Just today I received a noticed about the MaryJanes Farm magazine in the mail and naturally I looked up the web site. I’m a country girl from central Texas and grew up on a peanut farm in the late 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Now I live "in town" with a population of 2000. I also remember the snipe hunting but since I was a tomboy and lived in the country, I was the one that helped take the "city girls and boys" snipe hunting. I lived so far out in the country on dirt roads that when I was dating, if my date go stuck in the mud bringing me home, I would walk barefoot to the house, get the tractor and pull him out, send him home and then I would go home on the tractor.
Marsha,
(ok I had to fight the urge to say that three times).
Ha-ha! I can so picture you hoisting a truck out of the mud with the tractor, been there. I have never been a city girl, but apparently a little nieve’ when it came to my knowledge of birds. The town I grew up in was 300 when everyone was home and we were an hour from any real "shopping". I am thrilled that you found the magazine and the blog. I hope you will also check out our farmgirl connection and our sisterhood program. If you go to http://www.maryjanesfarm.org then click on either Join our farmgirl chatroom or Join the Farmgirl Sisterhood you will find the info you need.
So very glad that you found us…Welcome!
Lynette says: HA Snipe hunting! Thanks for the memory Rene. I remember well going snipe hunting with the youth group and after we had all fallen for it, hearing Pastor Wes up on the porch laughing…..(probably near the same field you were "snookered" at. Thanks for the memories, I think I have a snipe hunt to plan for my two young children..
Ha-ha~ Yes Wes had that same mischievous "bent"…Although, I do love knowing that I wasnt the only one that fell for that…
KattyBlackyard says: I really like your post. Is it copyright protected?
My work is copyright protected. If you check the front page of my blog, just below my bio. Thank you so much for the complement.
Yum Yum Yum, I just picked up my first spring load and my mouth still waters as I read about Grandma Doris’ picked delicacies!
Teresa Sue Hoke-House says: Oh Rene’ I know what you mean. When we still lived in Wyoming every spring my sister in law and I would grab our toddlers, a sharp knife, and large plastic garbage bags and wander the countryside for asparagus. For you see, the entire area was farmed with canals and oh, could you hit the mother lode of asparagus along those canals. We would pick bag after bag of that green gold. I never tired of it, and I can hardly eat the store bought stuff, it’s so old and stringy. Mmmmm….makes me yearn for some fresh asparagus, thanks, for the memory jolt,:^)
Rene,
Love your blog!
Would really enjoy if you would share your grandmother’s recipe for pickled asparagus.
Look forward to reading more!
Blessings,
Cheryl
rene says: Hey Cheryl,
You got it! With Permission from my Grandma Doris, here it is~
Aunt Shirley’s Pickled Asparagus—
by Grandma Doris
You’ll need:
2 qts. Water
2 qts white vinegar
1/2 cup salt
1 tbs. pickling spice [omit cloves]
1 clove garlic per jar
Instructions:
1. Wash trimmed asparagus– blanch 2 min. in boiling water
2. Cool in ice water. Drain on a towel on counter.
3. Combine water, vinegar, salt, mixed spices [tied in white cloth]
4. Heat to boiling. Remove bag containing spices.
5. Cut ends of asparagus to fit jars.
6. Put clove of garlic on top of each jar.
7. Cover with brine to within 1/2 in. of top.
8. Seal.
The brine recipe will cover approx.4qrts. Or 8 pts.
“It takes several weeks before they are at their best for eating.”
Grandma Doris
I love asparagus. I remember when I was in High School my sister Elizabeth and I would have to take turns going up to the orchard to cut the asparagus, it seemed like we went every day. It grew so fast. Thanks for the recipe from Grandma Doris.
Hi Rene – Hello from Vermont! I’m so happy to be reading your blog. Maybe you can tell me all about backyard chickens because we’re getting our chicks in just a few weeks. I also wanted to share that we have a springtime ritual around asparagus too – wild asparagus that is. If we’re lucky we collect it around the back meadows. If we’re really, really lucky, we find morels too. It’s our completely foraged springtime meal. Mmmmm
Marilyn
Marilyn,
YUM! I have heard great stories about wild Asparagus but have to admit that I have never "sampled" any. MaryJane wrote in her Outpost Book about pickling cat tails, which I would bet that you’d love as well. We have a cabin up in the
I am so jealous that you live in
You sound like you are the perfect Outpost farmgirl and I was wondering if you have checked out MaryJanes Outpost website…http://www.maryjanesoutpost.org/ there is so much info over there. Also in the sisterhood you can earn badges for all that outposting http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/farmgirl-sisterhood/
On the topic of the "girls"… wow, there is much to learn, but oh so much fun! I use the website http://www.backYardChickens.com as a resource for all my questions, as well as our farmgirl connection forum. http://www.maryjanesfarm.org and just click on chat with other farmgirls you can ask anything and believe me there is a farmgirl who will have the answers…
Great chatting with you…
Grace~katmom says: oh yummmy! hummm, fried Asperegus,,,,really sounds yummmm!
Next to Chocolate, most everything fried tastes good!
>^..^<
Ha-ha… You always brighten my day.. Here at the local Burger Ranch they sell fried Aspergus, come on down for lunch!
Liz Bowling says: Wow! Really relate to your article. I’m a transplanted city gal to a small town in So Dakota and "walking the ditches" for this treasure is a wonderful experience. I write a small article in our local paper to encourage folks to put food up for themselves, may I have your ok and Grandma Doris’ to include this recipe. I know I’m going to try it. Let me know. Liz in South Dakota.
Yes please do add the recipe, what an honor, thank you! It is the best, I promise you!
Kaye says: Asparagus! Oh, golly, do I love that stuff. I can’t believe you are only paying $.79 a pound for it. Around here, the homegrown stuff is going for at least $2.99 a pound, and we’re paying it, too. Of course, the spears are the diameter of your thumb and have that lovely purple tinge. A friend who owns some country acreage has been out and about looking for the wild stuff and has had some success, both with that and the fiddlehed ferns in the more swampy area of the woods. We love those, too, as well as the morels. Not so much luck with those, though. I don’t know why, but then, I’m not the wild mushroom collector she is. Another friend has been back in the meadow, far away from pesticides and automobile fumes, collecting dandelion greens for salads, and also the heads for his "killer" dandelion wine. Whew, that stuff can do you a mischief if you take in a little too much. Later in the season, we’ll be out in the fields and woods scrounging whatever is available. Looking forward to the wild strawberries, then the first crop of red raspberries, then the black raspberries, and, finally, the blackberries. My friends and I have a regular circuit we make for collecting the berries. I’m not the one with the in depth knowledge, except for the berries, but I can carry the basket, bucket, or box, so I earn my share of the swag. Mother nature can be a real "peach". Love your blog!
Kaye,
You certainly sound like a girl after my own heart. I would like to spend more time foraging. My hubby and I do like to go to the mountains and look for mushrooms and berries, and some years have better luck than others. I told myself this year I will make dandelion wine and watermellon wine, just to say I did it! I planted huckleberries, blackberries, raspberries and blue berries this year, so who knows the mischief I will get myself in with that, and my little apricot tree is loaded with fruit this year… Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and sharing your story with me too.. Love that part of the blog the most!
KrisBelucci says: da best. Keep it going! Thank you
carol branum says: hi rene,Love the blog….the old forklifts are for scrap iorn,and i dont know what it is worth in your state but in missouri it is worth 1.25lb,i think but i havent called in a while, that is for short,last time i called was on earth day for my daddy,he deals in scrap now that he is 82 years old and has quite a business now just piddling with it,aluminium cans are down right now,just .45cents a lb.He regualrly goes to garage sales,and he buys old pots and pans ect that is aluminum.I got to go with him once to the sale and their were over 100 cars in line just waiting to sale scrap.I Think one of those fork lifts would be great to have on the farm,just to clean the barn out.thankx for a geat blog,and i am looking forward to reading more,blessed be,carol branum,the missouri farmers daughter,lamar mo.
Thanks Carol… Sounds like your dad has found a great hobby!
Those girls sound wonderful, I have always wanted a few chickens but have left it a bit late. I can’t move around easily enough any more to keep up with things, but I love reading everyone’s blogs and posts about their chicken adventures…
Karin
I love your girls, I have raised chickens in the past, now my husband says when I slow my work down I can have chickens again. That means I do not work five days a week from home.
Until then I share in the joy those who do have chickens.
Marian Schiefke says: Hi there Rene:
I am new to the country as my husband and I retired to two and a half acres in a lovely country setting near Ladysmith, BC. Canada. I am slowly turning the land into my own Naturewood where I will plant native plants and wild flowers and ‘Violas Gardens’ which I hope to cultivate into a small Market Garden in the next year. I would love to have some chickens but know nothing about raising chickens. Could you give me a site or some information on simple chicken raising. I would like to use the eggs for eating and possibly sell a few dozen each week and the manure to fertilize my garden soil.
Thanks Marian
Hi Marian,
Sounds like you are living the dream. Check out http://www.backyardchickens.com they are loaded with info. Also come chat with us farmgirls over at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org click onto "chat with other farmgirls" as there is a wealth of info.. I sure can say that, "All I ever learned, I learned from a farmgirl".
Keep me posted on your adventure!
Rene’
I’m getting my first flock of chickens this year! I am sooo excited! Two questions: How many "girls" have you got – and how do you tell them apart?
Telling them apart, can be a little tricky. However, they certainly have distinctive personalities. The number that one should keep, should be determined by the space you have. http://www.backyardchickens.com is a great resource… Let me know how it goes for you, when you get yours.
Cathy Parsons says: I have lived on a farm with my husband for 25 years. We don’t have chickens but I would love to have some. It reminds me of my childhood when my mother raised chickens and we had baby chicks and fresh eggs to eat. That was the life growing up. Like many of you, the demands of time at work is keeping my husband and I waiting for retirement to add more critters to our brood.
Cathy,
Boy it does take time to have critters, but I sure love it! My "girls" are the best. I think I save a bundle on therapy just because I have them :), I can’t think of a better retirement reward 🙂
How very fun! I have always heard farm girls call their laying hens "the girls." My heart just aches to have my own flock of "girls." Praying!
Marcia,
You would "LOVE" it. They are a lot of fun!
Blair says: Living with Chickens by Jay Rossier is a wonderful resource full of color photos and invaluable information. Chickens are in our furture so I’m gathering information now. I love the beautiful Buff Orpington hens and am wondering how I am going to find just the three beauties I’m allowed to have in Mercer Island, WA. Any resources when you can’t buy chickens in bulk? Most websites such as McMurray’s Hatchery advertise wonderful breeds but sell in high quantities only.
Thanks!
Hi Blair,
There are a couple of ways you can get your girls. In the spring local feed supply stores will carry them. If you go in a head of time, they will also special order for you to be shipped with theirs. Also, find a local food co-op and hang a flyer for others looking to purchase, you can purchase them together. Which is what we did. If youre a part of a local farmgirl chapter~ some of those gals will want in for sure. If you are wanting to get some prior to Spring; watch craigs list, capital press or the local paper for someone parting with some. Also places like Washington State Tilth has a great "Ad’s" list,so watch them as well.. Good luck!
Renae says: I get mine at a local hatchery a little drive away in Columbus Nebraska. I get about 100 at a time, and stay busy washing eggs and delivering them. Summers, I go to at least one farmer’s market a week, occasionally more. My daughters love to feed them grubs out of the garden, and scraps from the kitchen. Our local school also orders some to hatch in a science class that they are willing to part with every spring, so that is a possibility for you as well. Renae
Kathy says: This is my first year to have chickens. I have 5 Buff Orphingtons and 6 Barred Rocks. Yesterday was their first day in the coop. They turned 5 weeks on Monday. I love it. When they see me coming, they run to meet me. I have named one after my daughter who lives in Tacoma. Her name is Jessica and she has a mean streak.(the chicken) She was the only one to roost on the side of the brooder box and jump on another chick as it passed. Then she would run and jump back up on the edge of the box. Haven’t named them all yet. Your blog is wonderful.
Hey, that sounds like someone I know! Well written. No doubt, cows can be scary at times.
Debbie says: Rene, LOL The dork in me almost wet her pants! We went camping with my Mom one year and the "bathroom" was a little
dug out area on the other side of a fallen tree. You were supposed to hold onto a branch lean back a little and do your thing. Needless to say when it was my Mom’s turn she let go of the branch and fell back with her pants down and was wedged under the fallen tree! She began squirming and finally had to holler for help! We will never let her live it down. She has a now family famous saying, "your day’s coming". And believe me it has and I am sure it will continue to.
John Sumerlin says: Rene,
Your wit is very charming. I do not question that as good as you are now you can only get better, and better. You have found a niche where your passion not only drives you, it is also something that you can share with others. And sharing is so such an important part of our life cycle.
Someday when we are together again I will tell you my ‘black cow’ story. It was a very funny, a very embarrassing happening. Humiliation too, if you like. Makes a real life cowboy hang his head in shame. A very humbling experience, too funny.
John
What a fantastic story! I have only just this morning seen your blog through ‘Mary Janes Farm’ web. I came across ‘Mary Janes Farm’ last month by pure luck, as a result of searching under ‘farm living’ on the internet. You see, I am a country/farm girl at heart, but was born a city girl in Johannesburg South Africa, with a rich history of farmers in our family – from wine to cattle. I have lived in England for 15 years now, and God be willing, my hubby (a Londoner – also country at heart) and I will be buying a little cottage in the English Countryside on the outskirts of a small village, England, with half an acre of land (Yippeee!) a section of which is owned by the local squire but which we can use for a nominal fee every year. It has two apple trees (one for eating, one for cooking), 3 or so damson trees, a golden plum tree, an outbuilding, oil tank and our very own cesspit (shared with our neighbours in the adjoining cottage)… The Cottage is bijou – a sheer delight! Glory Be… I can’t wait! I’ve got all my cottage garden, small holding, herb patch etc. books out, and am pulling on the reins lest I gallop off into the distance… We try to buy most of our food from local organic, free range, farms and pray that the ‘organic market’ will not suffer too badly as a result of the recession. Thank you for giving me a great start to my day with this truly vivid, funny little picture you have put down in words for everyone to read and enjoy. May God bless you richly. Catherine-Anne
rene says: Ha- I love the moral support, thanks-you all so very much.
Catherine-Anne,
Thank you so much for your kind words. Your story sounds so fascinating and I can certainly tell that you are a farmgirl through and through. My husband traveled in England 11 years ago and says we will go back together as he just loved the country side, especially the rock fences. I am thrilled you found MaryJanesFarm and hope that you will jump into the forum on the website. If your need directions email me and I will walk you through it. We have so many amazing farmgirls from all over the world. It really is quit fabulous.
oh my gosh..we must be long lost twin sisters. Flipping that tub would have been SO something I could see me doing!
You sound like my kind of person!!!
I am loving your blog, by the way!!
Aunt Jenny,
Thank you so very much for "understanding". I am usually invited along to events for the sheer comic relief, I think 🙂
Bonnie says: LOL for 20 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You made my day! Thanks for sharing.
Hahah.. I know Bonnie, you are laughing "WITH" me…. LOL
Pam says: I love your blog! You are such a warm real person. What fun "rocking chair memories" to share with your son someday.
ha-ha.. I hope it is my version we share then and not his :). Thanks for the nice comments, they mean so much!
nancy says: this story was so funny i laughed for an hour and chuckled all day making others wonder what was up with me. love love loved it….
Ya!.. You sound like my son… it still cracks him up!
Carole Anne says: It is amazing – when I need it most, an item appears in my inbox that lifts my spirits and sets my on the bright & shining path again with humor. Rene, you go girl! Memories and powerful bonds are built on life experience. Your son and you created a gift you open each time you share it between the two of you and it becomes huge when shared with others. Thank you so much – from a Teton County, Idaho girl in full swing corn and soybean planting season with her husband in Champaign County, Illinois. We travel from Idaho twice a year to farm my husband’s family ground in Illinois. Thank goodness for farming. My husband’s design business for custom homes in Teton County, Idaho is very quiet right now.
Thanks again,
Carole Anne
Thanks Carole Anne,
I appreciate yu taking the time to read my blog and it brought you a little bright spot. You know us farmgirls; always plowing thru!
Lorice says: That was a great story. I am a city girl – wanna be farm girl. Just saw my first cow in person about 3 years ago. It made me feel good to know that even farm girls can mistake a cow for a bear.
Ha-ha! Ya! I suspect I wont live it down for a while!
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”.
Brings back memories Rene’…
I remember a spot on the unlined, partly gravel road to my Ganny’s Home in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.
We would urge my Mom to ‘Go Faster’ over that raised spot, and squeal with delight at the sensation of butterflies in our tummies.
Thanks for the Memory jog, and…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Gary,
A farmboy after my own heart. We had a stretch of road outside my hometown that was "wavy" and my uncles would "punch it" and we felt airborn. To this day I cant travel that road and not hear the devil in my ear telling me to "punch it" although the affect isnt the same in a mini van 🙂
hey rene’
luv ur photos….the one w/the pink & blue sky looks like a water color…awesome!
>^..^<
Thanks so much. I love to take pictures, they are such a great way to tell the complete story!
I love the country roads too. I will go off the beaten path to get some where just to follow the country road. Thanks for sharing your story
Florence~
Yah! a fellow traveler! Thanks for taking the time to read them.
Yes, yes, memories! My Uncle was a long haul truck driver & we never went the freeways or turnpikes when traveling w/ him. It was always those beautiful backroads, the fresh fruitstands, homemade honey & ice cream, Mom & Pop diners….Americana at it’s best!
Prayers & Blessings,
Brandy
MMMM! Sounds delightful! There is just something so magical about them.We have found some of the best pies down those roads and old diners…
Good times, good places, good memories. As to "replacing what you find on a country road" [sic], it’s like love…we never divide our love, we multiply it, thus ensuring there’s enough, more than enough, to go ’round.
I’ve been to some of those fabulous sights – worked with farmers in Romania, Russia, Armenia and other far flung places. Farmers are farmers all over the world. We love the land and grow roots deep enough to give us wings.
Rene, Great comments today. They especially reminded me of the trip several years ago when we came out to the Northwest (I live in Georgia-thanks to Ray Charles, now some know where that is). My husband and I traveled on all backroads, camping all the way out. It was sooo beautiful, and the nights were cool in July. And the smells are awesome!! On one trip, we came by a farmer plowing with a mule! You could smell the Earth. I hate Interstates! They make us live life too fast and miss the deer, sunsets, and the like. We are heading that way in another week. Can’t wait. And we are coming on backroads. We hope to stop by MaryJane’s store, but can’t stay for the Farm Fair. So-o-o excited.
Reba, Make sure to tell the girls at the store who you are…I will be up in Coeur d alene June 4th for our Laid back Applique class at the store – if you are still around then, pop in! Travel safe and take some deep breath of fresh air for me 🙂
We also have a gravity hill in Michigan. My husband and I like to go to the Upper Peninsula and drive the backroads and visit the sites also. We have found our favorite diners and stops along the way. Thanks for your blog, really enjoy reading it weekly.
WOW Brenda, how great is that? Thank you for being a faithful reader and letting me know that you are "out there".
Rene,
Thank you for sharing! The pictures are beautiful and I know what I will be doing the next time I go thru Prosser.
Diana
Ha, Make sure to let me know when you are in town! And if you need a map…..
Hi Rene,this is bueatiful I would love to see in person. I would love to come to the farm fair,but I just don’t know yet if I can aford it,us single girls are on a budjet,so I am trying to work as hard as I can,will there be any last min places to stay i wonder?blessed be carol branum,the mo farmers daughter,lamar mo.
Hi Carol,
Single moms are no doubt the hardest working people that I know. Bless you! I hope that you will be able to come, email me if you decide you can, I know there are farmgirls camping out and what not, we can send you some ideas on inexpensive places to stay! It is going to be a great weekend, for sure.
I live out in the county of Michigan and we grow wheat around here and I love the wheat field before harvest and the wind ripples threw it, I think is most lovely. And I love the country sunsets also with the lovely colors only God could paint.
Kim,
I am with you on that… Love those wheat fields…..
I live in Upstate NY and my company is based out of NYC. Whenever I go to the office in the city folks ask me why I still live in Upstate and wouldn’t I love to be in the city? The truth is, I love my Upstate NY area, and all of the country back roads that go along with it. I very rarely have to take a major highway to get somewhere, I face very little congestion and there is an adventure around every turn. Travel these country back roads in the summer and oh the adventure you will have. Thanks for reminding everyone how lucky we truly are to still have those uncluttered, unhurried areas that remain close to all of our hearts!
Charlotte,
I am so with you! I wil take the adventures on the back road to the hustle and bustle anyday!
Hi, Rene! We just returned from exploring the beautiful back roads of Columbia County, Washington. Had a great visit with your dear hubby and youngest son. Missed YOU! Tom clued me in to your blog, and I just read every entry and every comment. What a gifted writer you are! I will definitely be a regular visitor to your site. Much love to you and your precious family. ~ Jo
Jo~ Thank you so much for your kind words, it means so much! I was sorry that I missed the weekend, but I was having so much fun traveling down the back roads of Ohio meeting and visiting with farmgirls along the way. It was beautiful!
hey that was a great read . Thanks for the great post .Loved every part of it.