[Previous Rural Farmgirl, June 2010 – January 2012]
…and out like a lamb. In our case, it’s for real! Come and check out the new babies at the corrals; you’ll just fall in love.
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Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
This is our second season of lambies, as the kids call them. We have one ram and two ewes. Now both mommas have two sweet babies (4 all together). It is so much fun watching them jump and play! Our first season only saw one survivor, but this spring is going to be wild out there with all the running around! I love to watch the babies chase the chickens. Enjoy!!
I too have had lambs this spring, if you can call Feb. spring in southern IL. All were born on freezing cold mornings with lots of snow on the ground. Mine are hair sheep and great mothers. This year I had a 200% lamb crop and some crazy colors. Oh how I love to watch them play in the pastures. The last set of wild colored lambs will get to stay here as replacement lambs. The rest will provide food for my friends and I. Thanks for sharing your babies with us.
Here in Texas spring to me is Bluebonnets and Thunderstorms. We have not had much rain this year so far, but April is usually wild. Spring is warm sunny days and cool nights perfect weather for getting out and camping.
The hallmark sign of the entry of spring is when my cherry blossom trees begin to bud. When they have fully bloomed, I know that I am definitely into spring. Their beauty reminds me of the regeneration that comes with spring.
March is going out like a lion here in Va.- we had 80 degrees early last week and it has been 40 and rainy here for the last three days! Welcome April- lets see if you can do a little better than March!
We brought home our first two lambs for my daughter to raise and show last weekend. Our farm used to have sheep up until the late 70’s and has been straight cattle ever since. So these two girls (Dixie and Belle) are reviving a tradition. Our Ram will arrive in May when he is old enough to be weaned. I have never had sheep myself so this is quite a lot of fun! They are awesome.
Congratulations! This brings back memories. When my daughter was a student at Hampshire College in MA we helped "birth" some lambs one year. It was a great experience. Some of the little ones looked like real life-sized Steiff stuffed animals! I’ve never had sheep myself, nor did my parents on their farm, so it was fun to read about yours. Here’s hoping all the rest of your babies make it through and thrive!
Congratulations! This brings back memories. When my daughter was a student at Hampshire College in MA we helped "birth" some lambs one year. It was a great experience. Some of the little ones looked like real life-sized Steiff stuffed animals! I’ve never had sheep myself, nor did my parents on their farm, so it was fun to read about yours. Here’s hoping all the rest of your babies make it through and thrive!
This is my first time to write in. We used to raise sheep on our small farm here in Northern CA. Now we just have chickens, but I remember one birthing many years ago where a mama was down and not delivering. I had to put my arm in and I pulled out 3 stillborn lambs. A very sad day.
Love the pictures! Their little faces are so sweet! The babies are just precious! What a great way to welcome Spring. Farmgirl hugs! -Nicole, Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
Hi………….This is my very first post on MaryJanesFarm!!! I am very happy that I have finally joined in on all of the "MaryJane" happenings.
I am the daughter of sharecroppers here in Texas…….so I guess you can see I am "sort of" older!!! We had sheep when I was a little girl and I still remember watching Daddy and some of the neighbors shearing the sheep.
I was always afraid they would get accidently cut but I don’t recall that happening. The wool was fun to hold in a bundle across your chest to feel its "fluffiness"…….not sure if that is a real word.
Anyway………..I (and my husband) live on a small farm and bluebonnet time here in my part of the world was very small this year. We are in a horrific drought. Our pond which is normally full (1-1/2 acres) is down to a small dot in the middle.
Animals are having a tough time. I have ducks and chickens and have a small orchard and garden going. The rabbits, however, have eaten the tops of most of my plants so it will be the "survival of the fittest".
Anyway………..glad to be here…………and Libbie…your sheep are adorable!!!
Regards……….Jan……."Farm Girl"