-
“
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
”
~ Mark TwainDebbie 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.’”
Column contents © Deb Bosworth. All rights reserved.
Being a farmgirl is not
about where you live,
but how you live.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.
Column contents © Rebekah Teal. All rights reserved.
“
Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away once in awhile to climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods, to wash your spirit clean.
”
~ John MuirCathi 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.”
Column contents © Cathi Belcher. All rights reserved.
“
Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
”
~ Anthony J. D’AngeloDori 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.
Column contents © Dori Troutman. All rights reserved.
Shery Jespersen
Previous Ranch Farmgirl,
Oct 2009 – Nov 2013Wyoming cattle rancher and outpost writer (rider), shares the “view from her saddle.” Shery is a leather and lace cowgirl-farmgirl who’s been horse-crazy all of her life. Her other interests include “junktiques,” arts and crafts, glamping, collecting antique china, and cultivating mirth.
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.”
Column contents © Mary Murray. All rights reserved.
Farmgirl
is a condition
of the heart.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!
Column contents © Alexandra Wilson. All rights reserved.
Libbie Zenger
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
June 2010 – Jan 2012Libbie’s a small town farmgirl who lives in the high-desert Sevier Valley of Central Utah on a 140-year-old farm with her husband and two darling little farmboys—as well as 30 ewes; 60 new little lambs; a handful of rams; a lovely milk cow, Evelynn; an old horse, Doc; two dogs; a bunch o’ chickens; and two kitties.
René Groom
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
April 2009 – May 2010René lives in Washington state’s wine country. She grew up in the dry-land wheat fields of E. Washington, where learning to drive the family truck and tractors, and “snipe hunting,” were rites of passage. She has dirt under her nails and in her veins. In true farmgirl fashion, there is no place on Earth she would rather be than on the farm.
Farmgirl spirit can take root anywhere—dirt or no dirt.
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”.
Column contents © Nicole Christensen. All rights reserved.
Paula Spencer
Previous Suburban Farmgirl,
October 2009 – October 2010Paula is a mom of four and a journalist who’s partial to writing about common sense and women’s interests. She’s lived in five great farm states (Michigan, Iowa, New York, Tennessee, and now North Carolina), though never on a farm. She’s nevertheless inordinately fond of heirloom tomatoes, fine stitching, early mornings, and making pies. And sock monkeys.
-
Archives
Home Town Farmgirl Connections
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one”
Do you have a flock of farmgirl friends to call your own? The kind of friends who “get “ why you LOVE the things you do SO MUCH. I know many of you do, but just in case you find yourself in a new town, city or neighborhood yearning to connect with new farmgirl friends or expand your circle of golden old ones, I’ll share with you how I recently gathered a “flock of farmgirl friends” for my Home Town Farmgirl Chapter!
I miss the chapter I was with in OR. My move here has yet to produce a chapter. I so long for the kinship of farmgirls. Once I get into the routine of a new job, I am going to try to muster up some girls so we can have jam parties and eat organic bean dip!
Julia,It might take time, but it’ll happen for sure! HE will send you some farmgirl friends! I just know it! Thanks for reading 🙂 ~ Deb
What a PERFECT recipe for others to follow!! You’ve inspired me ALL OVER AGAIN and my little flock is already together :o)
It is so worth the effort to round up a herdlet of farmgirl’s! They’ve enriched my life as much as a big ole pile of aged manure. Now, if you’re a farmgirl you’ll TOTALLY get that! :o)
Hi-5 and a bum-bump to my beachy farmgirl sister. Great outline and fab photos.
Thanks Shery! Hi-5 and a bum- bump right back atcha! Yepper’s, love that aged manure, or in my case chicken poop! Can I say that here??? LOL Deb
I am like Julia, no Farmgirl Chapter here in the new area I moved too either. Pretty sure I am not the one to get it started but oh my Deb you sure make it sound like fun – it’s the commitment that has me concerned but I will pray about it and see what happens. Maybe Ms. Julia is in my area – wouldn’t that be funny.
Thanks for the great time had here on your blog.
Joan, you never know where you’ll bump into a farmgirl at heart! Keep your eyes open! Thanks for reading, Deb
Our group has been meeting together for several years. Our first few years we crafted together. We learned to knit, tat, embroider,spin wool, make raffia hats, make soap and mozzarella cheese. This year seems to be the food year. We have made Chill-overs, Bake-Overs, had a soup exchange, learned about the Nourishing Traditions food and soon we will be gathering together to share our favorite cook books.It is a pleasure to know these women and share life with them.
You are blessed for sure! Thanks for sharing all you do! Deb
I just love your ideas about creating a Farm Girl group. May I copy some of your ideas in starting a group of my own?
Absolutley! Have fun and thanks for reading~ Deb
Hi there,
I may have written before but don’t believe I ever heard back. My hubby is a pastor and I have homeschooled in Massachusetts for 23 years.
I live in a little house, love to change the decorating, with a beach theme. We love going to Rockport, Gloucester (which we go to once a month) and Seabury. I collect sea glass from Rockport, garden herbs and plants on my 3/4 acre property, am a mixed media/collage artist, tutor other students and love church activities.
Hope to hear from you. You never know if we could meet!
Hi Crystal, Your hobbies and art sound wonderful and you’re a veteran homeschooler to boot! Yay! If you’re ever near Plymouth, let me know! Thanks for reading,
Deb
Hey Debbie, Thank you for reminding me how much fun the farmgirl chapters can be. My group went on different paths, because of work and family stuff. can’t wait to get my chapter back together "The Rogue River Chicks".
I really enjoy reading your site.
Have a wonderfully blessed day.
Thanks for reading JoAnn! Hope you and your flock can find time to re-unite!
Deb
I don,t belong to a group or chapter either. but I love reading about everyone else and I am a farm girl at heart.
Hi Brenda! Thanks for reading and keep that farmgirl spirit going!
Deb
I read your blog regularly, but just HAD to comment when I saw your mother’s name…JOY…because it’s MY name, too! 😀 I love your blogs and love the inspiration you share! 🙂
I’m not a farmgirl sister, but I LOVE EVERYTHING MaryJane!! Keep doing what you’re doing 🙂
Joy, Kentucky
Joy, Thank you for your encouraging words and a big thanks for reading too! I LOVE the name Joy!
Deb
All this just melts my heart! I was a Farmgirl at heart until a few months ago when I became a Farmgirl in fact. I never would have imagine a few years ago when I first read MJ’s book that I’d be living on my own farm now and in Idaho to boot! Crazy the path life leads us on when we step out in faith.
Sadly, there is not a chapter here in my little town. I’d like to start one, but haven’t met anyone yet who seems to get it. But I’ll keep on trying.
Until then, I’ll raise my family, restore my farmhouse, milk my goat and chase my chickens. And keep an eye out for other Farmgirls…
Congratulations! I’d say you are on the right track… I have not doubt there will be some new farmgirl friends comin’ round soon! Keep the faith!
Blessings, Deb
Pingback: Five Years of Farmgirl Romance! | Farmgirl Bloggers
Pingback: Golden Nuggets From the Beach Farmgirl. | Farmgirl Bloggers