Monthly Archives: May 2010

For Every Thing There Is a Season

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Rural Farmgirl René Groom

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]

It was billed as a “step back in time,” and it didn’t disappoint. You could sense it even in the air around you. You could literally breathe it in, the subtlest hint that somehow time had been stopped and rolled back for the briefest of moments. I first wrote about this event in my post “Summoned by the Queen,” but even I could not have envisioned what a sweet weekend we were in for. Maybe I wasn’t even fully aware of what we had been invited to participate in.

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Let Freedom Ring

Posted on May 24, 2010 by City Farmgirl Rebekah Teal

Do you know who that is? On top of our United States Capitol Building?

It’s “Freedom.”

And “Freedom” is depicted as a chick. How cool is that? I learned that just the other day…..

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Toy Story

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Suburban Farmgirl Paula Spencer

[Previous Suburban Farmgirl, October 2009 – October 2010]

What does it mean when we keep our old toys in plain view? I don’t mean “toys” in the grown-up gadgets/cars/iPods/iPads sense of the word. I mean real toys, Barbie dolls and sock monkeys, right, um, on our office shelves. (Okay, home office.)

As you know, I’m moving. (Found a lovely, happy-yellow center hall colonial, with turquoise shutters and a screen porch — essential for North Carolina summers — on, yes, a quiet suburban cul de sac.) And moving involves lots of unearthing — excavating drawers and attic, seeing your whole life pass before your eyes. I’m now convinced everybody should move every five to 10 years, if only to sort through your worldly possessions and lighten, lighten your load! This, from someone who’s truly change resistant.

My friend Alexis, a sociologist and psychologist, says that by getting rid of stuff, we make mental space for the new. Worrying about old possessions, freighting them around, sucks up mental energy. Fourteen trash bags out of my office alone and I can attest to that. Exciting.

But to reach midlife still clinging to your sock monkey? What’s that about?!

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Farmgirl Pickers

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Ranch Farmgirl Shery Jespersen

Keen interest in recycling and re-purposing is not new. Furthermore, human beings may well have gotten the idea from observing our many friends in the animal kingdom. Mother nature is masterful in reclaiming much of what mankind discards … from shipwrecks to hubcaps (see above photo). Giving vintage relics new life and a new job is an old practice, which brings me to this week’s theme: “Farmgirl “Pickers”. I borrowed the term that many have become newly familiar with because of the hugely popular TV show on the History channel … “Pickers”. So, get ready, put your gloves & boots on because you’re about to embark on a junkin’ safari.

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Child's play

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Rural Farmgirl René Groom

[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]

Plato says, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” I believe that to be true. If anyone ever asked me to name something that I counted as one of the top blessings in my life, the answer would come easily. It would be that I have friends who are willing to play with me.

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A Blooming Mid-Spring Challenge

Posted on May 10, 2010 by City Farmgirl Rebekah Teal

Oh yeah….You read it right. “Challenge.” You, me. More on that in a minute.

But first. Thank you so much for your insightful comments on love and marriage. I’m working on that booklet and will include everyone’s words. Yes, even you guys who thought you couldn’t offer any advice…your words were filled with wisdom. I mean, just go back and read them. Full of wisdom. Thank you.

Now about this “mid-spring” challenge I’ve conjured up.

Well, not yet. Let’s talk about “mid-spring” first, in all its glory, then we’ll get to that “challenge” part.

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Guns & Aprons

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Ranch Farmgirl Shery Jespersen

We had more fun than piglets in a “waller”. We dined on buttery-rich, home baked crackers (MaryJane’s recipe), organic “yard bird” salad, and for the crackers…homemade butter & herbed cream cheese. Homegrown and home-brewed Apple wine filled our glasses. We learned the basics of spinning wool, we swapped seeds and listened to Marty Robbins tunes played by the resident guitarist. And, on this same lovely evening in May, we shot paper daises full of holes! Who are we? We’re “Guns & Aprons” Farmgirls!
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A House Divided

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Suburban Farmgirl Paula Spencer

[Previous Suburban Farmgirl, October 2009 – October 2010]

Sorry if my long silence has made my corner of suburbia sound dull. Actually, it’s been anything but! I’ve alluded to ch- ch- changes underway — let’s just say that if they keep up at this pace I’m going to wake up metamorphosed into a basketcase. Or a fly.

What’s on my mind today: Dividing worldly possessions. You know that mental exercise of “what would you take with you in a fire?” Well, what would you take if you could have a whole houseful — er, *half* a houseful? How do you decide?